The Billionaire's Mistaken Match ( A BWWM Romance) (2 page)

Saturday night and Kit had actually talked Paloma into going out. She rummaged through her closet looking for anything for a night out on the town. It had been some time since she was given such an opportunity. Kit wouldn’t allow her to wallow in self-pity or back out of the night’s activities so there she was, digging for something.

She finally decided on a golden colored top that sat beautifully on her roasted chestnut skin and a pair of white pants. With her hair braided back and off her face, she put on her makeup and finally made an appearance in the front room. Kit, as usual, went the punk rock look, with a lot of leather. It suited her though, so Paloma just smiled at her friend, who, with the help of some massively huge heels, was a full five inches taller. “Looking good, as usual, sister,” Paloma told Kit.

“Girl, I know,” Kit said, twirling expertly on those incredible heels. “You ready to have some fun?” Paloma pulled a face, not quite sure if she was ready to go out or not. “Come on, P! Let’s go!” Kit didn’t usually take the lead, she could be a total pushover, so when she insisted, Paloma liked to humor her and do what Kit wished. 

Kit hailed a cab in front of the building and climbed in. She told the cabbie the destination and leaned back beside Paloma. “So, we are going to this new place. It is supposed to be wild. I hope you are ready to get your dance on!”

Paloma did her level best not to roll her eyes. She was really more of a lounge type than a clubber, but she so rarely went out with Kit that she wanted to make sure her friend had a good time.

The line to get into the club was out the door and Paloma was thankful that it wasn’t winter. Standing outside in that cold would be hell. At least tonight it would be warm enough outside to be comfortable. She and Kit climbed out of the cab and instead of heading to the back of the line, Kit headed straight for the door. “Hey, Ronnie,” she hollered to the bouncer. The big man waved to her and motioned her towards the front.

“How you doing, Kit?  Are you finally coming to check out the new digs?” Ronnie was a massive hunk of man; his biceps were as big as Kit’s head. Paloma wandered how he managed to get his shirt on over what was clearly a chiseled body. She realized she was staring and shook her head to clear it. “Who is your lovely friend?” he asked, giving Paloma the once over.

“This is my roommate, Paloma. Remember? I told you about her.” Oh great, now Kit was telling strangers about her situation. Paloma felt a pang of embarrassment but resolved to hold her head high and let it go. Tonight was supposed to be fun.

“Well, any friend of Kit’s is welcome here,” Ronnie said, sticking his massive paw out for Paloma to shake. They were roughly the same height, so Paloma was able to look him right in the eye, even in her comfy flats. Boy, were those eyes something to look at too, a deep chocolaty brown that seemed to go on forever. She cleared her throat and pulled her hand back away from Ronnie’s.

“I’m please to meet you, Ronnie,” she said with a sly smile. Kit gave her a slight elbow to the ribs. Paloma looked down at her friend and just smiled.

“Well, I can’t just keep you two lovely ladies waiting, can I?” Ronnie lifted the velvet rope and allowed Paloma and Kit to go into the club. “You two have fun.” Ronnie gave them a wink and turned back to the now disgruntled couple at the front of the line. Paloma hoped they wouldn’t cause him too much trouble.

“What was that all about? You got a thing for Ronnie?”

“I just met Ronnie!” Paloma retorted. “How could I have a thing for him?”

Kit just smiled and shook her head. At the bar, she started a tab and made sure the bartender knew that both she and Paloma would be buying off of it. He took their ID’s and set them both with the card before mixing them a cocktail that Paloma had never heard of but Kit insisted on.

The drink she received was frothy and orange, but didn’t taste like anything orange at all. Nor did it taste like alcohol, which either meant that the bartender had mixed it light, or it was a very dangerous drink. Paloma hoped for the first, but knew the latter was probably more the truth.  When she turned to ask Kit for the name of it, she caught the little woman rushing onto the dancefloor. Paloma couldn’t help laugh, and made her way around the side of the dancefloor, trying to stay out of the way. Dancing was fun and all, but they were crazy out there. She resolved to just sit and watch for a while.

It didn’t take long for her to draw attention. She was, after all, tall and beautiful, and wearing gold. A number of men looked her way, but none seemed to have enough courage to approach her, and that was fine with her. She had a little too much on her plate to worry about juggling a relationship too. Suddenly, a small, young man appeared at her side. He looked her up and down before his eyes came to rest on hers. “You are one tall babe,” he said.

Paloma rolled her eyes and stood straighter, looking down her nose at him. “Not interested, pipsqueak,” she said. She was normally not so rude, but when the conversation started like that she was already half out the door. Kit must have noticed the exchange because she worked her way across the dancefloor to Paloma.

She put out her hands and grabbed Paloma’s, pulling her onto the dancefloor with her. This time, Paloma didn’t hesitate to hit the floor and tried to disappear with Kit into the middle of the writhing bodies without running into to many of them. “Thanks,” she said to her friend.

Kit shrugged and turned, finding a man behind her to dance with. Paloma felt a little odd standing in the middle of the crowd and made it a point to just have fun. She started dancing, Kit behind her doing the same, and soon she was surrounded by a group of people all grooving to the music pumping over the speakers.

After a few songs, Kit pulled her off the floor and back towards the bar. The man Kit had been dancing with followed them and ordered shots all around. Paloma almost refused, then decided to go ahead and make a night of it. Free drinks offered by men weren’t charity, right? She took the shot, then another, before hitting the dancefloor again. Her dance partner changed often throughout the night and she was bought a number of shots by different men, so that by the time the club was winding down, so was she.

Kit found her seated on a stool at the bar, sucking down water, attempting to make the world stop spinning.  “You look like you’re having a rough time,” Kit said with a laugh. How was such a small woman still in the bubbly phase of being drunk? Paloma put her head in her hands and nodded. She was drunk, tired, and now, alone. Ronnie appeared behind Kit, no longer needed at the door.

“Whoa, looks like you did enjoy yourselves, huh?”

Kit smiled up at the big man, and asked if he could get them a cab while she tabbed out.

Ronnie agreed and sat on the stool next to Paloma. “So, was it worth it?”

“Is it ever?” Paloma asked him. She was absolutely enamored with Ronnie. “Things never seem to work out right,” she said to him, not able to stop herself from dumping her woes on him. Ronnie gave her a sympathetic look.

“My wife always says that things work out exactly how they are supposed to. That’s what makes life so much fun.”

Oh, great
, Paloma thought.
He is married. Of course.
“I’m not having much fun.” Ronnie smiled as he put his phone up to his ear and ordered their cab. “How do you manage to be so happy, Ronnie?”

“I make my own way. I find the joy in the little things. Every once in a while, I go to the gym and pound the shit out of a heavy bag.” His smile was crooked, only lifting the left side of his mouth. Paloma found it charming and smiled back at him. “Come on, we’ll meet Kit outside while we wait for the cab. I have a feeling you could use the fresh air.” He helped her off the stool and leaned over the bar to grab another bottle of water. Holding her elbow, he led her to the front door and into the cool night.

              The air hit her face, making her instantly feel a little better. It was much quieter out here, even for the city. Paloma looked up in a vain attempt to see the stars. “Do you ever feel like it’s just too much?” she asked Ronnie. He pulled his bouncer stool over to her and let her sit down before he answered.

              “Everybody thinks that at some point. You just have to find your niche. Whenever I get to feeling like it’s too much and there isn’t anything out there for me, I try something new, something I never would have thought to try before. Sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone to find where you are supposed to be.”

              “You are a smart guy, Ronnie. Why are you bouncing a club?”

              Ronnie smiled at her again and leaned over so he could speak quietly into her ear. “I guard the door for fun. I own the club,” he said, and leaned back.

Paloma looked at him, surprised, and let out a rolling laugh when he winked at her.

              “What’s the joke?” Kit asked, joining them. She had shed her heels and was carrying them in one hand, her own bottle of water in the other. 

              Paloma sobered and looked at her tiny friend. “Life, Kit. Life is the joke.”

Paloma didn’t wake up until well into Sunday afternoon.  When she did finally rise from her den, she found Kit in the kitchen frying bacon. Kit must have just risen herself, because her hair was an absolute rat’s nest and she was still in her pajamas. Paloma moved behind her and looked over her shoulder. “No eggs?”

Kit turned around and stared into Paloma’s eyes, clearly irked by the question. “Who the hell eats eggs the day after a binge? Ugh, just the thought of that makes me want to hork all over.”

“Maybe you should step away from the stove, then.” Kit smiled and then went back into full concentration mode. Paloma decided to use her time wisely and sat down at the computer to scour the job boards and check her emails in hopes of a lead. When she opened the computer, the ad for the matchmakers was still on there. “Kit? Do you think I should look into this matchmaker thing? I could make a profile and just see, right?”

From the stove, Kit scoffed. “What good would come of that?”

“I don’t know. I could meet a man; maybe have someone to take care of me? Who knows right? I’m mean…” she trailed off, trying to remember the advice Ronnie had given her the night before. “What I’m doing isn’t working so maybe I should take a chance and step out of my comfort zone.”

Kit whipped around and faced Paloma. “You do not need a man to take care of you. You are an independent, capable woman. Why would you give that up?”

“You don’t want a man in your life?”

“I have plenty of men in my life. I get them as I need them. I rely on myself for the things that I have, not some jock-strap.” Kit was clearly unhappy with Paloma, but part of that could be the hangover talking.

Kit tossed the last of the bacon onto a plate and carried the heaping pile of pigskins over to the table. She dug in, eyes on Paloma over the top of the computer screen. “Have some bacon,” she muttered, pushing the plate over to the other side of the table.

Paloma reached out and snagged a greasy strip. “But, I mean, what could it hurt? You never know if you don’t try, right?” Kit gave her the evil eye over the back of the laptop. “Look, all I’m saying is I should step out of my comfort zone and try something I haven’t tried yet. Worst case scenario, I’m able to market myself and put my ear to the ground for work, best case, I marry a billionaire,” she finished with a laugh. “Come on, Kit. It could be fun to be wooed and courted by the best and the brightest.”

Kit grabbed another slice of bacon and stood from the table. “I can’t think until I shower. Don’t do anything rash until I’m human again.” She stalked off to her room and the bathroom attached to it.

Paloma watched her go, then pulled the plate of bacon over next to her and dug in. She looked back at the advert for the site and clicked it. The page it brought her to was well appointed and didn’t look like every other hokey old dating site. It seemed to cater to the more successful clientele, and she wasn’t sure her homelessness really qualified.

She scanned a few of the profiles and liked what she saw. Everyone on there looked at least respectable, even if maybe a little snooty. Paloma smiled at the thought of these business men taking her out and wining and dining her. When Kit returned, she was still clicking through the different profiles and reading about some of the people on there. 

“You really plan on doing this?” Kit asked, running a towel over her wet hair.

“Why not?”

“Girl, I have a whole list of reasons why not, but my bet is that you don’t want to hear them.” With a sigh, Kit sat beside Paloma. “If you think this will help you get out of whatever funk you are in, let’s do it.”

Paloma smiled at Kit and leaned her head on Kit’s shoulder. “Thanks, Kit.”

“Yeah, yeah. Early feminists everywhere are rolling over in their graves, but sure, let’s find you a hot date.”

They clicked on the
join now
button and looked at what they were expected to divulge to the site. It was all pretty straight forward, but they decided to put it off until the evening when they were both feeling a little more earthbound.

“I think I need a nap,” Paloma said, yawning.

“A nap, you just got up!”

“Yeah, but I’m not really feeling it. It’s Sunday, right?” Kit nodded and returned to her room. “Maybe I should stay up and craft the perfect profile,” Paloma shouted.

“Maybe,” Kit hollered back.

Paloma opened the laptop back up and started reading through the profiles again and taking notes. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it right.