The Billionaire & The Barfly (Coming Home) (24 page)

The
scream that shot from her sounded inhuman. Henry pulled back, licking his lips with a smug smile on his face. Once Aubrey caught her breath, she leaned up on her elbows and watched him. She scooted herself further back onto the bed, all the while Henry crawled up over her, aligning himself with her.

With his eyes locked on hers, he used one arm to prop himself up and the other to guide his length into her opening. Henry thrust forward with a strength
and speed Aubrey wasn’t expecting. And it was amazing. She began lifting her hips in rhythm with his, forcing their hips together with such passion she was sure to be sore later. A good kind of sore.

Henry
’s hips slowed and his lips descended on hers. His lips were hesitant, teasing almost. He pulled back slightly to look into her eyes again, and she could see so much shining back at her in them. She could feel so much more than just his body doing wonderful things to hers. She couldn’t voice it, or even think the words herself, but she knew that he could see everything in her eyes that she saw in his.

Chapter Sixteen

Henry had left sometime in the middle of the night. He woke her with a soft kiss and said goodbye before slipping out. He had hoped it would have curtailed the media circus surrounding her building the next morning. He was wrong.

Ben and Mackenna were plastered to the window, peeking out of the blinds when Aubrey came out of her bedroom. Almost simultaneously, they looked at her.

“
What? Do I have something on my face?” she asked, feeling herself reddening. They had to have heard her the night before. They were going to tease her over her activities, she just knew it. Neither said anything. Instead, they pulled the curtain back slightly showing the horde of reporters outside her apartment door. “How did they get in here? What happened to the security?”

Before Ben and Mackenna had a chance to ask anything, there was a knock at the door. Aubrey approached it slowly as if it were going to fly open at any moment. When she pressed her eye to the
peephole, the breath she didn’t realize she was holding released and her muscles relaxed.

Quickly, she opened the door just enough to let Bruce
’s muscular frame through the door. The cacophony of noise shocked her. At first the questions were directed at Bruce, which he ignored. But the moment they realized her door had opened, they switched gears and were all about her and Henry.

When the door closed, the sound died down, but she could still hear the shouts from beyond the door.

“What the hell is going on out there?” Aubrey’s voice was a higher pitch than normal. She began pacing the room, back and forth, back and forth. Tears prickled at her eyes but she was afraid to let them fall. What if someone got a picture of her crying? What kind of story would they spin with that one?

“
One of the richest men in this country announced to the whole world that he was no longer the most eligible bachelor. He did this right outside your work. His biggest competition. It is a little disconcerting business-wise, and the media is looking for any story they can get. Henry sent me when he saw the news crews outside the building this morning.” Bruce spoke as if this were routine, as if he were used to this kind of reaction. As if her whole life hadn’t just been turned upside down.

“
So when will they go away?” she asked almost in a whisper.

“
When they get their story. You and Henry need to address them together. Right now, they are looking for anything to make a story out of. A baby bump, a ring on your finger, another man in your life.” Bruce looked over to her little brother. A shudder ran through her that he was going to be pulled into the craziness.

“
So Aubrey is dating someone famous?” Mackenna squealed. “Who is it? An actor? Musician?” Mackenna had jumped up and a light danced in her eyes. She was excited about the insanity outside their modest apartment. All Aubrey wanted was for it to go away.

“
A billionaire,” Bruce said. “Henry Maximus.”

“
Henry? The guy who lived a few blocks over?” Ben asked, finally speaking up. Aubrey had told him about Henry but never really told him everything. She just nodded. She didn’t know what to say at that point. What had happened? Just a few days before no one knew who she was. No one cared who she dated. Besides a once in a while mention in the paper about Maximus Gaming, she hadn’t even known what the owner of the damn company looked like. She had thought that since the merger was over, everyone would lose interest. She was wrong. So very wrong.

“
I know he moved a while ago. And I think his ’parents moved, too. Otherwise, we would have heard about the famous boy from the neighborhood about a million times by now,” Ben said.

“
Yeah, they moved a couple years ago. I used to walk their dog to make money when I was like ten or something. I was so angry they left, and I couldn’t find anyone else to pay me to walk their dogs. Their son was making a ton of cash, and they should have just given me like an envelope full of money to make sure I had enough for the rest of the summer. So selfish.” Mackenna rolled her eyes and went back to the window. She started waving and smiling at all the cameras outside.

Aubrey could tell that Bruce was going to say something
but she just shook her head. It was not the time to point out what a little brat Mackenna was being. From the looks of it, Ben was just as astounded by her words. She had never seen him look at Mackenna that way before—with such disappointment in his eyes. He used to think the girl hung the moon, Aubrey was pretty sure he was beginning to see that Mackenna wasn’t who he thought she was.

“
Hey, Aubrey, did I ever tell you what building I work in?” Ben asked randomly.

“
No, why?”

“
Oh, because I work at the coffee cart in Maximus Gaming.”

Aubrey turned
, her eyes narrowed. Maximus Gaming? He had to be kidding. Had Henry gotten him the job? She took a deep breath. She had to think. Was she actually mad at Henry for helping her brother out, if that is, in fact, what he did, or was she just irritated because of everything else? If he had gotten Ben the job, was it really a bad thing? No, of course not. But not telling her when she was worried about him and everything? Again, there was nothing to be upset over, even if she would like to have known.

“
Well, that’s a pretty big coincidence.” Aubrey didn’t want to tell Ben of her suspicions, but the fact that Bruce wouldn’t look her in the eye told her all she needed to know.

“
Ms. Vincent, if we don’t leave soon, you will be late for work. My advice to you would be to not answer anyone’s questions. Wait until you and Henry can sit down and talk about what gets revealed and what doesn’t.”

“
Okay. Let me just grab my things,” Aubrey said, not even bothering to correct him in calling her by her last name. She began gathering her briefcase and cell phone and a light jacket, almost methodically. So much was going through her mind, but mostly she wanted to make sure that Ben and Mackenna were able to get to school. With the way they stayed glued to the window, the press had to have seen them. “Bruce, after I get to work, can you make sure they get to school without being harassed?”

“
We’ll be fine!” Mackenna practically shouted. Aubrey huffed her obvious disagreement, and Bruce actually chuckled.

“
Yes, I will come back for them.”

“
Keep the door closed until Bruce comes back. And don’t talk to anyone, okay? I’m sorry you have to deal with this. I had no idea things would get this way.”

Ben walked over and hugged her. When he kissed the top of her head and said it would all work out, she squeezed him tighter. She was supposed to be the one comforting him. He should be either freaking out or super excited. Wasn
’t that the standard reaction? She may not agree with Mackenna’s antics at the window, but she knew they were normal for a teenager.

“
Okay, let’s go.” Aubrey pulled out of her brother’s embrace and looked to Bruce. He would be her shield. Even though she didn’t know him well, she knew that he would protect her.

The door opened
and Aubrey placed herself behind Bruce. She took two fistfuls of his jacket and stuck close to him. She could feel the bodies press in on them the minute they were out in the open. Everyone was shouting questions so loud and so quickly that they all blended together in a blanket of noise, none of which she could actually make out.

The steps were difficult to navigate holding onto Bruce like she was
, and the elevator was not an option as there were another dozen reporters standing guard. Quickly, Aubrey released Bruce’s jacket and ran down the steps next to him. On the third to last step, a single rock rolled under her foot and sent her crashing forward.

Instead of hitting the ground like she had prepared for, two strong arms wrapped around her middle and righted her. On shaky feet, and even shakier breath, Aubrey turned to thank Bruce. His stony face shocked her, until a dozen flashes went off, catching her off guard
—and still in his arms.

Pulling away quickly, Aubrey resumed her position behind him, hiding her face from anyone
’s lens. Thankfully, the town car that Bruce had brought had tinted windows. Once she slid inside, she could actually breathe. She could still see all of them, but she was hidden from the world.

In the silence and privacy of the back seat, Aubrey let the tears fall.

~*~

The scene outside Viola wasn
’t much better. Aubrey had made sure to wipe her eyes and used a little compact she kept in her purse to freshen up before exiting the car. She made a beeline for the door, and thankfully, the security at the office was much better than at her apartment complex.

Aubrey looked at her watch and quickened her steps. She had five minutes to get upstairs and into the conference room. Five minutes to mentally prepare herself for the most important meeting she
had ever had, or could ever have. She didn’t know why they were risking everything on her, but she didn’t want to let them down.

The elevator pinged
, the doors opened, and Aubrey stepped out of the dark cart into the bright hallway filled with people. Everyone looked up and watched as she moved closer to the conference room doors. The skin on her neck prickled with every whisper that followed her. Uneasy nerves flared up, taking on the shape of a million angry butterflies fighting to the death inside of her stomach.

Mike stood by the door, pacing. When Aubrey approached, he looked up
and relief flooded his face. “Oh, thank God! You are cutting it close, aren’t you?”

“
Sorry about that. Getting here was something else this morning.” Aubrey didn’t want to go into detail. Chances were he already knew about her love life, just as the rest of the nation if they watched the morning news.

“
Are you sure you are up for this? I mean, you have the presentation ready to go, don’t you?” Mike began chewing on his lip, and Aubrey could practically hear his heart thrumming in his chest.

“
Yes, Mike. I do. I am ready. I can do this.” She knew her words were full of confidence… if only she were, too.

“
Okay, they’re waiting.”

The door opened
and Aubrey felt a whoosh of air pass by her. She closed her eyes for just a moment to relax and zone in on the moment. Nothing outside of that room mattered in that moment. What mattered was the presentation she was about to give and to get the contract signed before they walked out of the room.

Aubrey stood at the front of the room with at least two dozen people watching her every move. She saw a few skeptical expressions pass over some faces and the others were stone. With every display she put up on the screen, with every figure she gave out, she lost more and more confidence in her idea. Not one smile or head nod in the bunch. She didn
’t know what she did wrong. When she came to her conclusion, the group from Keith stood abruptly.

“
Interesting presentation. We had hoped for a more... unique idea.”

“
I’m sorry?” she asked, completely confused. She had given them that. Hadn’t she?

“
We had a teleconference early this morning with another company, and they had the exact same presentation. Down to the figures and regions to begin the plan in. If you can not find a way to honestly represent us, we will go elsewhere.”

Aubrey stood at the front of the room, speechless. The men from Keith walked out without another word
, and all eyes from Viola were on her. She swallowed back the knot in her throat and waited for someone to say something.

“
How could you?” Mike asked, rage clearly in his voice.

Aubrey shook her head and tried to speak, to deny she had done anything wrong, but she wasn
’t given the chance.

“
You have just condemned this company to death. The jobs of those two thousand people out there? They won’t have them in another six months unless something big turns this company around. That was supposed to be this meeting,” Mr. Fredrickson seethed. He picked up the conference phone from the center of the table and punched in a number. Aubrey looked around the room, hatred flying at her from all directions. There was one smug smile in the room. Jenna.