The Billionaire's Mistaken Match ( A BWWM Romance) (7 page)

              Paloma paced the room. She hadn’t heard from Reid. She knew that men kept their own time and that “tonight” might mean “tomorrow,” but it had been three days and she hadn’t heard anything from him. She had even texted him, jokingly asking if he was still alive. Now she was starting to really worry that maybe he wasn’t. That was nonsense. Maybe he just got busy. He was a high class businessman after all.

              “Will you knock it off and sit down? You’re wearing a hole in the floor!”

              “I’m sorry.” She stopped and plopped down on the sofa next to Kit. They had been through it time and time again. Kit was certain he was just using Paloma for sex, which she had been given the opportunity to hear all about and really didn’t blame him for. She was actually a little envious of Paloma in that instance.

        Paloma, on the other hand, assured her that they had had a wonderful time and had gone over the date and the subsequent second date, or date extension, ad nauseam. Kit was tired of hearing about it, but was unable to point out any breaking point in Paloma’s story. Was her friend really that dense that she thought it was all sunshine and roses when it wasn’t?

              “I’m sure he’ll call,” Kit tried. Paloma didn’t look convince, and for good reason. Kit didn’t really mean it. In fact, she was almost certain he wouldn’t call.

              “I’m going to call him.”

              “What?”

              “You heard me; I’m going to call him. At the very least I’ll be able to reach his email, right?” Kit shrugged. “I just need to know he’s okay. Even if we are through and he was using me, I could stand that if I just had an answer.”

              “I still think it’s a bad idea.”

Paloma stuck out her tongue at Kit and grabbed for her phone. She punched in the number and held the little device to her ear. Two rings brought her to a busy signal.

              “What the hell?” She tried again with the same result. “It’s going to a busy signal. I didn’t think cells gave busy signals, they either ring through or go straight to voicemail.” One glance at Kit’s face told her that the phone skipping to voicemail wasn’t good. “You know what it means?”

              “Yeah, I know what it means.” Kit looked sad then, it was the first time she had had any emotion other than contempt for the whole dating website thing.

              “Come on, then, spill.”

              Kit sat forward with a heavy sigh and looked right into Paloma’s eyes. “You aren’t going to like it.” Her friend didn’t say anything. She didn’t move, just waited for Kit to tell her what was going on. “Okay,” she sighed again, “when a phone goes to voicemail like that, it usually mean that either service has been cut, but given the fact that dude is probably a billionaire, I doubt it’s that. The other option is that you’ve been blocked.”

“Blocked?” Her eyes widened in surprise before starting to tear up. “But why would he block me? Something isn’t right.”

“Look, P. I know it’s hard, but some guys are just assholes like that. It’s a fact of life. Some women are uber bitches and some guys are dicks.”

“Not Reid.”

“Current evidence points to the contrary.” Kit leaned back in her chair again and put her ear buds in her ears, finished with the conversation. She was officially done with the Paloma pity party. 

Frustrated, Paloma retreated to her room and sat down on the bed. Her mind was racing, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. Though she had replayed every second of their time together, she couldn’t pinpoint the moment it went awry. She grabbed her jacket and headed out the door, passing a distracted Kit as she went.

The offices of Lovers.com were quiet when she arrived. Her watch told her that she had managed to arrive during the typical lunch hour. “Fantastic, can’t manage to do anything right,” she muttered to herself as she walked through the hallway, peeking into the offices, looking for somebody, anybody, who could help her. In one of the small offices, she found a woman hunched over her computer, clearly busy at work.

Paloma cleared her throat to get the woman’s attention. When she lifted her head, Paloma realized it was the same assistant who had led her into Vivi’s office the first time. The small sign on her desk said her name was Miranda.

“Yes, can I help you?”

“I hope so. You see, I went on a date with a man, and I thought we really hit it off, but now I haven’t heard from him and his phone goes to voicemail and I can’t seem to get ahold of him. I know it’s not really what you do here, but I was just hoping I could get some kind of an answer as to why he has so completely cut me out of his life.”

“Certainly. Have a seat. You’re Paloma, am I right?”

“That’s right, yes.” She was a little taken aback by the fact that the assistant had remembered her name, but tried not to let it show.

Miranda started clicking away at her computer working through files. Her face creased into a frown as she turned back to Paloma. “I think I see the problem.”

“And that would be?”

“Your billionaire match has been reassigned to another woman. He must have had a particularly terrible time. I’m sorry for the trouble, but that’s how it goes sometimes.”

“What? We had a great time. It was so great it extended into the next day.” Miranda gave her a look. “Don’t you dare imply that he dated me just to get laid. I’m not that easy.”

“I’m sure. Perhaps that’s not the issue. At any rate, that’s all I can tell you. He has been reassigned. I can’t tell you to whom, nor would I if I could. We take our high profile clients very seriously.”

Paloma stood, still completely in disbelief about what she had just heard. Was it true that Reid had just wanted to sleep with someone? Was she that desperate that she had fallen for the whole ruse? It couldn’t be. She drove back to Kit’s in a daze, her mind trying to focus on the date again, looking for any sign of arrogance and finding none.

Kit hadn’t moved from her spot on the couch. She had her head thrown back, listening to the thumping techno music that could be heard streaming through her ear buds. She didn’t even notice Paloma as she tore through the living room and into her bedroom, closing and locking the door behind her. She didn’t want anyone to know the shame and anger she felt over the entire situation, and she certainly didn’t need to explain to Kit that she had been right. Looking at the painting across from the bed, she followed the line of people moving up, doing better, getting along just fine. It was time for her to stand up and do her own thing. She made up her mind that she was going to do all in her power to find Reid and figure out what the hell was going on. She knew his name and, apparently, he was a billionaire. It couldn’t be too hard to find him. She grabbed her laptop and a notebook and began her research.

Hours later, a knock at the door drew her attention away from the screen. She was sore from leaning over the laptop for so long and her joints protested at the unfolding of her legs as she stood from the bed. Kit stood on the other side of the door, looking ready for a party.

“I thought you were still gone; I was starting to worry. I even tried calling.”

Paloma gave her a puzzled look and dug around in her pocket for her phone. The device was dead. The battery must have run out while she was immersed in her online stalking.

“Wanna go to the club?”

“No.” Paloma walked across the room and attached her phone to the charger. “I can’t. I’m busy.” She jumped back onto the bed and pulled her notebook onto her lap.

“Busy doing what? Job hunting? Come on, P, shake it up a little.”

“I’m not job hunting. I’m…Did you know Reid is a billionaire? That’s with nine zeros, Kit. Nine. He owns half of the lower east side developmental projects and is responsible for building the new sports complex on the river.”

“Oh, so he finally called?”

“Well, no, not exactly.” Paloma eased the top of her laptop down, suddenly ashamed of what she had been doing.

“Come on, P, you aren’t stalking him are you?” Kit jumped on the bed and grabbed for the computer. She opened it up to find a number of windows open, each containing an article about Winslow and his company. The wealth of information was impressive. “You have lost your damn mind, you know that right.”

“I know, it’s just that I need to know. I mean, look.” She clicked over to a new window. This one listed his charitable giving and the programs he sponsored. “Look how great he is. He’s like a saint.” Kit took her time to read the articles on the page.

“Okay, so he’s a giving guy.”

“He’s a nice guy! And look at this.” She clicked over to another page. “He’s not just nice to people, he bought an entire animal shelter and converted it to a no-kill. Why?” She pointed to one line in the text.

“Kittens are cute?”

“Exactly. Does that sound like the kind of guy who would take a woman out, have a good time, have amazing sex, hang out all day the next day, then erase her from his life? He is not your typical guy. I’m telling you, something isn’t right. Why would he want to be reassigned?”

“He’s single.”

“Well, yeah, that’s the point. I don’t want to date a married man.”

“No, I mean in the pictures. All of them. He’s by himself. There are no dates to any of the events, it’s just him. Maybe he’s not the saint you think he is. He doesn’t seem to be able to settle on a woman long enough to take them to anything.” Paloma grabbed the computer away and began flipping through the pictures she had found. Kit was right, there was no one with him in any photo and no mention of him escorting anyone to any events. “Look, come on out with me. We’ll go somewhere new. I’m sure there’s a place we haven’t been within walking distance. Let’s go pound a few brews.”

Paloma closed the computer with an exasperated sigh. “You know what, let’s go.” She stood up, slid on her shoes, grabbed her purse, and walked out of the room. She didn’t even bother with her phone—who was going to be calling her? She already knew that the next day would be a “pity myself and my poor hangover” day, but that’s just the way it was going to be. Maybe she would meet someone new at the club. Screw Reid; let him have his new billionaire babe. 

              Reid wiped the fog from the mirror and started dabbing shaving cream on his face. He wasn’t thrilled about the fact that he had to shave off four days’ worth of growth, but he had a date. It was time to pull himself out of the pit and get back to life. Even Tori had stopped calling him.

       She had finally given up and gone to the second-in-command while Reid worked through his sorrow. Usually the women he met didn’t affect him in this way. He was able to kick them to the curb and move on, no problem.

      Something about Paloma was different. Too bad she was just like the rest of them. He couldn’t believe that he had agreed to another date from them, but he had had such a great time with Paloma that he figured maybe he would find another one like her, just not a gold digger.

      He grimaced at his reflection as he drew the razor down his cheek, erasing the sorrow and pain the last four days had brought him. “I should call her,” he told his reflection. “I mean, I should at least get a reason from her. Why would she lie to me? What did she have to gain from it?” Frustrated, he rushed the rest of his shave, nicking the bit of skin just under his ear. He cursed and grabbed a towel. “Get out of my head, Paloma. I don’t want you anymore.” Was that the truth?

              He had emailed back and forth with the new girl, Jovie. She seemed nice enough. He couldn’t bring himself to call her, he didn’t want her to hear the melancholy in his voice, but he didn’t have a problem telling her stories through text and reading her own stories.

       They had developed an easy conversation style. The date that night would determine if it translated into any kind of chemistry. What if she had a terrible, annoying laugh or smelled funny? You never knew with online dating. Either way, Reid decided that this was the last one. He would not go on any more dates if it didn’t work out with Jovie.

      He would just decide to be a bachelor for life. With the bleeding stopped, he pulled a sweater on over his head and pulled on jeans. They had both decided to keep it casual and go out for Thai food at a little corner bistro that Jovie knew about. Reid had smiled at the idea of going someplace normal and not for the upper class, per se. He was ready for a change and had allowed her to choose the venue. Her choice had surprised him at first, usually women chose the high class places, but he was more than ready to get down to the lower class end of town and have a simple meal in a dim little corner booth somewhere.

              He checked his reflection again before heading for the garage. It was a lovely night, cool and brisk. He decided on a convertible, a newer, sleek little sports car would do the trick. Nothing too flashy. The drive across town was wonderful; his hair blew back in the breeze.

        He cranked the radio up, trying to drown out the noise in his head; the voice of Paloma talking about the magical wonder of food and telling stories about her families past. He had to shake her out of his mind. On the highway, he floored it, trying to race away from her memory. No matter how fast he went, she was right there with him. As soon as he parked the car, he turned it off and sat in the dim lot, looking at the restaurant and psyching himself up for his date.
You can do this, Reid.

              It was quiet inside the eatery. Small groups and couples sat in clusters. All of it was accompanied by the smells of hot pho and peanut sauce. The lights were dim, but the vibrant blues and deep reds gave off a relaxing atmosphere. Reid scanned the tables, looking for a long blonde among all the darker heads in the room. He finally spotted Jovie in a booth in the far right hand corner.

       She looked beautiful, but nervous. That was a good sign, right? She had worn a tunic type shirt emblazoned with multiple colors. It seemed to light up the dim corner she sat in. The shirt was paired with dark legging and teal flats. Reid smiled at her style. He liked the simplicity of it all. Before he could chicken out, he made his way across the room and to the table.

      She spotted him when he was about halfway there and stood. She was much shorter than he had imagined her to be, only topping out at five-foot-five. Her smile chased away the rest of the dimness. It was lovely and dazzling, bringing out a small dimple on her left cheek. He couldn’t help but return the smile.

              “Hi, Jovie. It’s nice to finally meet you. I like this place you chose. I’ve never been here before.”

              “Thanks, it’s actually one of my favorites. I probably eat here once a week, usually for lunch. It’s just down the road from my place and the service is as good as the food. It doesn’t take much to keep me coming back.”

Reid smiled again. Her voice was smooth as silk and fit her looks perfectly. He could cross that worry off his list. The both slid into the booth across from each other.

“Do you mind if I make recommendations?”

Reid was surprised by her forwardness, but he liked the change.

“I don’t mean to come on strong, it’s just I’ve had nearly everything on here and I bet I can choose something you would like. You don’t have to opt for it, of course.”

              “I think that’s a wonderful idea.” He grabbed the menu and stood up, sliding into the booth next to her so that they could view the menu together. She wore a light flowery perfume that caused his nose to tingle. It smelled like jasmine. The waiter appeared just then to take their drink orders. Jovie surprised him again by ordering just a water.

              “I like water. It’s pretty much all I ever drink.” She looked a little bashful about it, but Reid was pleased and also ordered water, putting her at ease.

The menu was filled with delicious-looking meals and starters. Reid sat quietly and watched while Jovie pointed out the better ones she had eaten off of the menu. Listening to her talk about food reminded him of Paloma, but he did his best to blot out the thought of her dark beauty.

“Am I boring you?” the question was asked with more concern than anger.

              “No, not at all. I’m sorry. I’ve just had a crazy week and there is a lot on my mind. I like all your recommendations. Everything sounds wonderful. How about you go ahead and order for me while I excuse myself to the men’s room.”

Jovie nodded and her smile returned. She pointed him in the direction of the restrooms and went back to the menu, planning out their meal.

              In the men’s room, Reid walked directly to the sink and turned on the cold water. Filling his hands, he splashed his face a couple times and smoothed down his hair. “Dammit, Reid, get your shit together.” He grabbed a paper towel and blotted his face dry before returning to Jovie.

              “I got us some appetizers. I hope you like them.”

              “I’m sure I will. Thanks. I’m really sorry, I’m kind of off my game today.”

              “It’s not a problem. You could have cancelled if you weren’t feeling well. I wouldn’t mind. We could reschedule.”

              “No, no, no. It’s really just all in my head. I’ve had a hard time focusing is all. I’m actually glad for the distraction.” He grimaced. “Wow, pour choice of words. You aren’t a distraction.”

              “It’s fine. I don’t mind being a distraction as long as I’m a good one.” She winked one chocolate brown eye at him. He couldn’t help but smile at the coyness of it all. She was flirting with him and he thought it was cute. Maybe this would be alright after all.

              “Okay, so, now that I’ve made an ass out of myself, let’s talk about something fun. So, you are into water sports? What kind of water sports?”

              “All of them. I think I was supposed to be a mermaid in a past life or something. I absolutely love the water. My dad used to have a sailboat and we would go out on it almost every weekend, riding the waves into the middle of the lake or ocean, or whatever body of water we were near at the time. I love to water ski, windsurf, kneeboard, you name it. Anything that gets me in the water and gets me tan! I really could talk about this forever, so if you aren’t interested, you need to tell me right away.”

              “I think it’s very interesting. You are pretty athletic, then? I like that. I, personally, like rock climbing, among other things. It’s so boring to sit in a gym and lift weights when there are so many things out there to do that will keep you fit and healthy. An active life is definitely a better life I think.”

              “I totally agree.” Just then the appetizers arrived. Reid’s stomach growled loudly. “Are you that hungry?”

              “I didn’t realize I was. I guess I’ve been too busy to eat lately. I haven’t managed to do much of anything really. Like I said, it’s been a rough week.”

              “Do you want to talk about it?” Jovie looked and sounded genuinely concerned.

              “No. I think I’d just like to move on past it if you don’t mind. And I’d like to dig in to this food. I’m starving.”

Jovie laughed; a tinkling sound that rang like music in his ears. Cross off another. Reid dug into the appetizers, spooning half the contents of each platter onto the tiny plate they provided. He watched Jovie do the same, unafraid to dig in and eat.

              “I’m pretty hungry myself!” she said a little sheepishly. As soon as they finished their appetizers, the waiter showed up with their meals. She had ordered him phat Thai kung, accompanied with sticky rice. For herself she chose a Thai salad with prawns. He had to admit that she had hit his taste dead on. The food was absolutely divine. They ate in silence, each one so into their meal that they didn’t have time to talk. When he finally pushed his plate away from him, he was stuffed to the point of being uncomfortable.

              “You were right, that was amazing. I’ll have to keep this place in mind for a quick bite every now and then.”

Her smile was her only reply. When the waiter brought their check, Jovie grabbed for it first, not allowing him to pay.

              “You’ve had a rough week. This one’s on me. You can get the next one.”

Reid tried to protest but it was no use. She had already inserted her card into the slot and handed it back to the man.

              “I’ll get dessert, then. Is there an ice cream place around here? Or maybe a place for pie?”

              Jovie screwed up her face in thought. “There’s a diner a couple of blocks over that serves pretty decent cherry and apple pie and one of those frozen yogurt joints in the other direction, about the same distance.”

Reid glanced at his watch. It was still early yet and he definitely needed to walk off all the wonderful food he just ate. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a handful of change. Extricating a quarter from the group he laid it on the table.

              “Heads for pie, tails for yogurt?”

Jovie nodded.

Reid picked up the coin showed her both sides of it for good measure and then flipped it up into the air, where it tumbled end over end above their heads. It fell into his palm and he placed it neatly on the table, heads up. “Looks like pie.”

              “That sounds amazing. Let’s go.” They left the little Thai place arm in arm and strode down to the diner to continue their date.