The Billionaire's Mistaken Match ( A BWWM Romance) (6 page)

              They spent the day wandering around the city. They hit all the general tourist destinations before he whisked her off to look at some of the properties he was developing at the time. She was fascinated with the new buildings and asked a lot of questions about his business and plans for the properties. Reid was more than happy to share his ideas with someone who seemed generally interested in what he was doing. “Maybe someday you can take me by your work and show me what you do.”

              Paloma was quiet for a bit before nodding. “Sure, I suppose we could do that sometime. It’s nothing as exciting as what you’ve got going on here.”

              “Well, maybe I could meet your friends at least.” The thought of introducing him to Kit made her laugh out loud. A look of worry crossed his face. “You don’t want me to meet your friends?”

              She laughed again, trying to fight it. But the image of Kit grilling this well-dressed man wouldn’t get out of her head. “It’s not that at all,” she said between guffaws, wiping at her eyes. “It’s just, my best friend is…well, she’s unique.” Reid looked puzzled at her words. She looked into his eyes and sobered up as much as she could. She would have to give him something. They couldn’t go in that vague state they were in. “Kit is gritty. She’s loud and obnoxious and very strong minded. She also isn’t afraid to say what she thinks.” Reid let out a sigh and a smile played at his lips. “Why are you smiling now?”

              “Well, what you just told me is that Kit is real. Like a real person. She isn’t a cookie cutter, Stepford wife.”

Paloma lost it again. The vision of Kit in pristine 1950s clothing, hair in a perfect coif, and cleaning the house made her roll.

“See, she’s real.”

              “Oh, honey, Kit is definitely very real.” She took his hand and began walking down the street. “She is something else. I like her because she is a tell it like it is woman, you know. She’s a firecracker. Keeps me grounded.”

              Reid nodded, lacing his fingers between her long digits. “I wish I had someone like that. I think I need some grounding every once in a while.”

              “You don’t have a friend like Kit?”

              “I don’t have much of a friend at all.” His sadness and loneliness hurt her. “I know, it sounds pathetic and cliché, right. Poor little rich boy, all alone in his mansion and crying into his Cristal.”

              “I don’t think its cliché or pathetic. I’ll be that friend for you. I’ll keep you grounded.”

              He stopped and pulled her close to him, their faces mere inches from each other. “I’d like that very much, though I hoped we could be more than just friends.”

              Paloma smiled at him and leaned in to plant a soft kiss on his lips. “I think we can manage that.”

                                 ***

              That night, Paloma staggered into the apartment to find Kit sitting at the table. Kit looked up at the sound of her arrival. “I know, I know, I’m in trouble.” Paloma was fully prepared to be ripped into by Kit. Before the shorter girl could get a word in, however, Paloma’s phone rang. She looked at the readout and saw she had a message from Reid. He wanted to tell her he had a great time and that he would call her after she had calmed the Chihuahua. A smile spread across her face at the message, but dropped away as she looked back at her friend. The idea was funny, but the situation was not. “I did text you, I did.”

              “This morning! I was ready to call the cops. I thought you got raped and murdered!” Kit was on her feet now, tiny legs covering the distance between them. “Do you have any idea what I went through?”

              “Yes, Mother.”

              Kit stopped short at the comment. “You are killing me, you know that?” She turned on her heel and moved back to the table. After plopping down in the chair, she cupped her chin in her hand. “So, you gonna tell me about it or what? What’s he like. Ooh, how was the sex?”

              “I am not telling you about the sex other than that it was amazing. He is amazing. The whole thing is amazing. I don’t have another word for it. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a good first…and second date. He was a perfect gentleman and we hit it off right away.”

              “So, is he loaded?”

              “I guess so. I mean, I don’t know for sure. We didn’t really go overboard on much. He paid for dinner and the hotel room, well, penthouse, I guess. But he didn’t, like, throw money at people. And he didn’t act rich. He was very modest and kind. He listened when I spoke. It was…amazing.”

              “How did he react to your current station in life?”

              “I didn’t exactly tell him.”

              “What?”

              Paloma cringed at Kit’s outburst. “I didn’t tell him. We kind of skated around that bit. He does want to meet you though. I found that bit hilarious. I think he would like you quite a bit actually.”

              “Oh, yeah, sure. Invite him over for dinner tomorrow night. We will host him with Ramen noodles and stale beer.” Kit was clearly annoyed.

              “We don’t eat Ramen and our beer isn’t stale. Geez, Kit.” Paloma was beginning to get angry now. “Look, I’ll tell him. He is going to call me tonight and I’ll let him know. Just like that. If he likes me, then he will like me, and not the fact that I have no money.”

              “Uh-huh. Let me know how that pans out for you.” Kit got up and stalked to her room, closing the door behind her.

Paloma leaned back in her chair and kicked off the shoes she had worn for way too long. She was exhausted and exhilarated all at once.

              Reid couldn’t wait to tell Vivi how his date with Paloma had gone. One his drive home from the subway station, where Paloma had insisted he drop her, he hummed along to the radio, the grin never leaving his face. He had had a good time.

         He actually liked the girl he had been set up with, even if she was nothing like what he had been expecting. He raced through the street to his home. He had promised to call her that evening and he couldn’t contain his excitement at getting to talk to her again. That was the best part; they actually had things to talk about besides business ventures and capitol interests or other money related topics. She didn’t once bring it up and even tried to pay for her own meal. That was certainly a change and he was thrilled by it. He made a mental note to send Vivi something special, along with a bonus. He whipped into his garage and shut the door behind him. Screw it, he was going to call her now.

The phone in the main office of Lovers.com rang. Miranda Raleigh, one of Vivi’s assistants, lunged across the desk and picked it up out of pure reflex. She cursed herself silently at her inability to just let it go. It was late and she was ready to go home. All she had to do was finish filing the background paperwork she had in her hands. It was a pain in the ass, but it had to be done. There were a number of women and men who joined looking for a leg up in the upper classes and it was one of her jobs to ensure that they didn’t get it. Scammers were everywhere. Of course, for a decent price, she might be persuaded to let one slide. “Lovers dot com, how may I help you?”

“Oh, I didn’t really expect an answer.”

Then why the hell are you calling?
Miranda continued to shuffle through the documents and files on the desk in front of her.

“I was just going to leave a message for Vivi.”

“Well, you’re right. She isn’t here, however, if you’d like, I can leave a message for you. What would you like it to say?” There was silence on the other end of the line for so long that she feared she had lost him.

“Tell her thanks. Tell her I found a good one finally and I think we really hit it off. We had a great time. I know it’s not standard protocol to thank the matchmaker per se, but I really consider Vivi a friend.”

“Of course. I can absolutely do that,” she replied, scribbling his message on a notepad beside her on the desk. “And, to avoid any confusion, can I get your name sir?”

“Winslow, Reid.”

She had heard the name. He was one of the most eligible, and picky, bachelors in the city. He was a developer or something that she didn’t quite understand. From his online profile, she knew that he was handsome and athletic. He was certainly a lady killer. “Please just tell her that Paloma and I had a great time.” Paloma? That name sounded awfully familiar too.

“One moment please, Mr. Winslow.” Miranda set the receiver on the desk and dug back through the files she had just been working on. She was certain she had seen the name Paloma, it was unique so she had noted it. Locating the file, she opened it to find the
Denied
stamp on the front sheet. The woman had lied about her work and standings; she was nothing more than another gold digger. “Mr. Winslow,” she said, the receiver back at her ear. “I’m afraid I may have a bit of bad news for you.”

                                  ***

The words she said after that floored him. Not just floored him, gutted him, ripped out everything he had left and shattered the little bit of trust he held back for people. “Yes, thank you.” He hung up the phone without saying goodbye, just let it fall into his lap.

How could she play him like that? The assistant had said that Paloma was unemployed and living in a shared apartment on the lower west side with a friend. He thought back to the date and began to see how she had cunningly dodged all talk of her work and living arrangements, keeping the conversation light.

Reid stood in a fit of rage and slammed his fist into the wall, leaving a dent he would have to repair later. He shook off his hand and went to the kitchen for some ice. That was going to hurt in the morning. The clock above the oven told him it was nearly 8 p.m. He had told Paloma that he would call her at eight, but now he couldn’t even stomach the thought of hearing her voice. She had betrayed him. How could she? Reid tore off his shirt and tossed it in the hamper on his way back to his room. He could still smell her on his clothes and it had been pleasant before, but now it made his want to vomit. Kicking off his shoes and shimmying out of his pants, he made his way to the shower.

He couldn’t erase the past, but he could remove the evidence of her smell and touch that lingered on his skin. The hot water nearly scalded him, turning his white skin red and steaming up the room. He was grateful for that last part because he wouldn’t have to look himself in the eye in the wall to wall mirror above the sinks.

His phone rang in the bedroom. Briefly, he thought about dismissing it, it could be her, but decided to at least check. He was a businessman after all. To his surprise, it was the matchmakers. He answered while attempting to wrap his towel around his waist.

“Hello, Mr. Winslow. We spoke not long ago.” Reid didn’t bother answering her. “Well, due to the mix up and the terrible news I had to give you, I thought I would spend some time trying to make it up to you. I don’t know why you were paired with someone before the background checks, but I’d like to offer you the chance to meet another woman, one I have personally vetted and checked myself. I know you may not really feel like it right now, but I thought I would offer you the opportunity.”

Reid sat on the edge of his bed. Water dripped from his hair and down his back, leaving a tingling trail. “You know what, let’s do it. What could it hurt? I’ve already had my heart pounded to dust.”

“I’m truly sorry about that. I promise that the next one has been thoroughly checked. I just received all the backgrounds and statements back today, that’s actually what I was doing when you called; filing away the denials. Would you be interested in a date with one of our other women, then?”

“You said she’s new to the system?”

“Yes, sir, just passed the background checks today. She is ready to date. If you would like me to, I can get in contact with her and set you up on a date.”

“Would it be possible for you to just give me her contact information, phone number or email? I’d like to organize my own date if you don’t mind, and I’d like to talk to her a bit first before jumping in head first again. I guess you could say I’m a bit gun shy.”

“Of course, Mr. Winslow. I’ll email it right over to you.”

He said his goodbye this time and stood to finish toweling off. The clock on the nightstand told him it was now 8:30. He wondered briefly what Paloma would think when he didn’t call.

He wanted to not care, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted to know that she was hurt, wanted her to feel what he felt. His phone chimed again, indicating that he had a new email. Climbing into bed, he opened it up and looked at the information the assistant had sent.

Jovie Margaux? Had they scraped the barrel for the strangest names they could find this week? He scrolled down to the picture and was pleasantly surprised. Jovie was tan, blonde, and had large brown eyes that seemed to bore into his soul. Her curly hair tumbled around her head and down her shoulders.

He was enchanted with the honey colored ringlets. Glancing at her profile, he found out that she was, indeed, gainfully employed. She was the owner and operator of a small boutique and salon in midtown. Her entrepreneurship impressed him. She had listed her interests as reading, water sports, and dancing. Reid kept returning to the picture. Her smile was wide and open, giving him the feeling that she did truly enjoy her life and got the fun out of it every chance she could. He set his phone on the table and leaned back, visions of Jovie in his head trying to crowd out his thoughts of Paloma.