The Billionaire's Deal: The Complete Story: An Alpha Billionaire Romance (17 page)

No, it's better that he's honest.

"Goodnight." He steps into his office. The lock clicks behind him.

I raid the fridge. The snack plate is no good. The smell of chocolate is making me awfully confused. There isn't much. Blake must eat all his meals in restaurants. I settle on a container of raspberries and a bowl of cereal.

***

The office is quiet all night. I flip around the TV, half paying attention to reruns. My sketchbook is open in front of me, but I haven't made a mark. This is the perfect time to draw something. My junior year art teacher always told us to put our emotions on paper instead of letting them swirl around us.

But I don't know where to start. Blake is intoxicating. He's fascinating. He's aloof, distant, and moody. He doesn't believe in love. He's not open to anything besides this ruse. I can't get ideas about him. Everything between us is a lie.

A rerun changes to an infomercial. I go to the cable guide. Crap. It's past midnight. I better call Lizzy and tell her I'm spending the night.

My usual bag is sitting on the kitchen table. I guess Blake got it from the limo. I fish my phone out of it. There's a new text message.

From Fiona. Her number is programmed right into my phone. What the hell? I know I didn't do that. But then, she took the limo home. She could have been looking around my purse.

Fiona: I didn't mean to intrude, but this is the only way. I need to speak to you about your relationship to Blake. Immediately.

She sent it a few hours ago. I reply.

Kat: There's nothing to discuss. We're in love and we're getting married. I'd like us to be friends someday.

Fiona: We both know that's bullshit. Are you at his place?

Kat: Yes.

Fiona: There's a coffee shop three blocks north. Meet me there tomorrow morning. Nine A.M. sharp. He'll be at work by then.

Kat: It's Sunday tomorrow.

Fiona: Exactly. He'll be at work all day. He's worse than Trey is.

Kat: I'm busy.

Fiona: It will only take a few minutes. I promise.

I drop the phone. This is way too weird. There's no way Fiona could know about our arrangement. Blake is always so discrete about everything.

My heart does a back flop. I tug at my robe. Oh, God. This could be really bad. I have no choice. I have to hear her out.

I pace around the room. I could tell Blake, but the way he likes to be in charge, he might do something awful.

I text Lizzy that I'm spending the night and set an alarm for eight A.M. Whatever this is, I need to take care of it on my own. I can't stomach taking any more help from Blake.

Suddenly, I'm not hungry or tired or anything. I doodle in my sketchpad. Manic, angry, terrified lines. The TV murmurs in the background, casting a low glow over my paper. I can't make out any of the words or sounds. It's all a blur.

Sometime after two A.M., I resolve to sleep. But not in the spare room. Not in the sex room. I go to Blake's room. I heard him leave his office to go to his bedroom. I didn't look, but I heard the doors opening.

I knock softly. No sounds. I open the door and step inside. It's an ordinary room. A bed, a dresser, a laptop charging on the floor. He works in here, too. He's addicted.

Blake is sleeping in the middle of the bed, stretched out wide. He takes up most of the space. I climb in next to him and wrap his arm around my waist.

He stirs. "Kat. You shouldn't be here."

"I don't care." I nestle into him. "I want to be here."

He murmurs something I can't make out. He pulls me closer. His breath slows like he's drifting back to sleep.

It takes a while, but I fall asleep in his arms.

***

Eight A.M. comes too soon. I wake with a jolt. The bed is cold. Blake isn't here. I already know it.

I dress, brush my teeth, fix my hair and makeup. There's coffee brewing in the machine. I take a few sips and discard it. I can't stomach anything today. I'm way too nervous. Even an apple is too much.

My mind races, but I manage to wait until eight forty-five before I leave the apartment. Fiona texted me an address last night. I take the elevator to the lobby and walk the three blocks to the cafe.

She's sitting at a small table. Picture perfect in her tailored shift dress, and she has that trademark Sterling stone face. What the hell happened to this family to make them all so good at hiding their emotions?

She spots me, and her nostrils flare. So much for stone. Or maybe she cares so little about me she doesn't bother hiding her irritation.

"Grab a drink if you'd like, but I'd rather keep this quick." Fiona takes a long sip of her coffee.

"No, that's okay." I take my seat. I'm not in the mood for coffee. I'm already wide-awake.

"I don't want you to think of this as an accusation." She purses her lips. "I'm sure you have a very good reason for what you're doing. Maybe you don't even realize you're doing it."

Her expression is strong, but her hands are shaking. The damn cup is shaking. She glances at it like it's betraying her. She sets it on the table. Hands back to her lap.

I shift my weight and pull my coat a little tighter. Not too cold today. Nice, really. Nice day for an accusation. Can't wait to find out what she'll call it instead.

"I was like you when I met Trey. I was desperate to get out of my life any way I could. He was handsome and rich. He had a great apartment. Nothing compared to Blake's, but nice. The kind of place that made me feel safe." She takes a sip, all the while staring at her cup as if she's willing it not to shake. "I let myself believe I was in love, but I wasn't. I was in love with the idea of escaping. I was in love with the idea of someone taking care of me."

Deep breath. I need to sell this. "I'm in love with Blake."

"Maybe you believe that. Hell, maybe you are in love with him. Either way, it won't last. All the signs are there. He's never going to give up his lifestyle. He's never going to make room for you." She stares at me. Through me.

I hold strong. "I disagree.

"I did the same thing you're doing. I ignored the signs. But Trey was never going to love me. Not like a partner. Not with respect." Her eyes get serious. "I didn't have options. Maybe if I had them, I would have done something else."

I fiddle with my purse. What the hell is she getting at?

"I looked into your story. I'm sure it was hard—that accident with your parents, taking care of your sister. I can see why you'd latch on to Blake."

I take a breath, willing an
I love him
to escape my lips. But I can't make the words happen. They're such a lame excuse.

Fiona unzips her purse. "I would have done the same thing. I did do the same thing and I had it much easier."

Something inside me sinks. This isn't going well. "I should go."

"You don't have to explain anything to me." She pulls something out of her purse. A check. She unfolds it and sets it on the table. "If you need money, here it is. Enough to get you on track."

She pushes the check towards me. Fine. I pick it up and bring it close enough to read.

Holy shit.

It's for twenty-five thousand dollars.

"What is this supposed to be for?"

"It's an option." She steels herself. "Trey and I are still married, and I still have access to our joint accounts. No reason why I shouldn't spend whatever I can. The prenup is very specific."

"I'm not taking your asshole husband's money," I say.

She stares right into my eyes. "You'll save everyone a lot of trouble."

I push the check back. "I love Blake."

"You don't. You want to love him because it would be easy. He wants to love you because, well, I'm sure he told you about Mom. But that won't last. He'll be working a hundred hours a week again. You'll be lonely. You'll grow to hate each other."

"We won't. And that's not your place. It's not any of your business."

"He's my brother." She pushes the check back to me.

I go with the only comeback I have. "I love him."

"Maybe you do, but that isn't going to be enough. And I don't want my brother dealing with this." She stands to leave. "Someone in my family deserves a good marriage." Fiona takes a step towards the door. "Trust me. You don't want to be a twenty-four-year-old divorcee."

I slide the check into my pocket. I can't take her money. No matter how much it would help Lizzy and me. No matter how much it would free me from the weight of this lie.

No matter how easy it would be.

I go to rip the check in half, but I can't bring myself to do it. I've made too many decisions on my own, and I've made them all under pressure.

For once, I'm considering my options.

To Be Continued...

Episode Three

Chapter Fourteen

The smell of coffee hits me the second I open the door. Lizzy is at the kitchen table, nursing a cup and working on her laptop.

She looks up at me and raises an eyebrow. "Dinner must have gone pretty well."

"When did you get back from Sarah's?"

"I left when I got your text." She nods to the coffee pot. "It's fresh."

"Did you eat?"

"Waiting for you." She finishes something on her computer and presses it shut. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, fine." I'm still standing in the doorframe, door wide open behind me. Not the most believable line at the moment. I pull the door closed and pour myself a cup of coffee.

"How was dinner?" She polishes off her coffee and holds out her cup like she's asking for more.

"You know families... there's drama."

"Yeah." She looks to the table. "Sarah's parents are like that. Divorced, you know. They can't stand to see each other."

I hand Lizzy her coffee and take a seat across from her. This is so much more comfortable than my last coffee date, but I'm still not being honest.

I will the words, but they don't come. I could show her the check, explain it that way, but I can't bring myself to do it. I can't burden my sister with this decision.

"Let's do something today." I try to push this to the back of my mind.

"You sure you're okay?"

"Late night."

"Oh yeah?" Her eyes light up.

"We're not talking about that." I take a long sip of my coffee. "Unless... are you having sex?"

"No. But if I do, I'll use a condom." She shrugs like it's nothing. "How about brunch?"

"Not the place around the corner," I say. "They don't card."

She sticks her tongue out. "You're no fun."

"It's my duty as your older sister."

***

After brunch, we go to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. The spot of the future fake wedding, though Lizzy doesn’t know that. It's still too early for most of the cherry blossoms, but a few trees are sprouting soft white petals. Soon, they'll turn into a perfect shade of pink. Then they'll fall to the ground or blow away in the wind.

Lizzy grabs a seat on a stone bench and takes in the park. It really is beautiful here.

"So you want to tell me what's really going on?" she asks.

"Nothing."

She turns to look at me. "What's our deal?"

"Me and you against the world." I reach into my pocket. The check is still there. But I can't burden her with this. One of us deserves a little freedom.

"Yeah, not just Kat against the world." She adjusts her glasses. "We're partners in this. Fifty-fifty. Not Kat handles everything for Lizzy."

"It's not your problem."

"Me and you against the world. Kat and Lizzy against the world. Know what that means?"

Great. Another uncomfortable conversation. I turn my gaze to the park and watch the wind rustle the trees. The garden is free on Tuesdays. I come here once a month at least. Usually, it fills me with calm. Not so much today.

"You shouldn't have to deal with this," I say.

"Kat."

"Okay." I pull the check out of my pocket and hand it to Lizzy. "It's from Blake's sister."

She unfolds the check. Her eyes go wide. "That a hell of an engagement present."

"We're supposed to get married here in three and a half weeks."

"Classy place." She stares at the check, totally transfixed.

"It's go away money. She wants me to take this and never see him again."

She folds the check and presses it back into my palm. "She must have some serious jealousy issues."

I shake my head. That isn't it. "She thinks I'm deceiving Blake. Or deceiving myself about Blake. Maybe I am." I slide the check into my purse this time, safely tucking it in a zipper pocket.

"Fuck her. She sounds like a controlling bitch." Lizzy grabs my hands and stares at me. "Do you want to go through with this whole thing?"

Yes. No. There are so many reasons to do it and so many reasons to run away as fast as I can. I play with the buttons on my coat. "I don't know."

"Don't do it for me. I got my financial aid letter from Stanford. Full scholarship."

My stomach twists. Stanford is a great school but it's so far away. "That's amazing."

"Don't bullshit me."

"No bullshit. It is amazing. Just, I'd rather you stay in New York."

"We can't be together forever." She squeezes my hand. "You know that."

I nod. I know, but I still hate the thought of being three thousand miles from the only person who matters to me.

"I can't believe this. All because the guy almost broke your ankle." She laughs. "I don't know if you're lucky or unlucky."

"This is the best and worst thing that's ever happened to me."

"The sex
is
good, right?"

My cheeks flare red. "We aren't discussing that."

"Okay, forget the sex. Forget feelings. Forget everything except the cold, hard cash." Lizzy pulls me off the bench and trots towards a tree blooming with little white flowers. "Did he ask you to sign a prenup?"

"Yeah. I haven't yet."

"So ask for a million dollars. Or ten million even. I looked into it. There's no real standard of what's fair or not fair for a prenup. The guy is worth like twenty billion dollars. He should offer you a hell of a lot. As long as you get legally married and consummate the wedding."