The Birthday Deadline (Billionaire Brides) (5 page)

"So this is the woman." Cornelius said with a great, chuckling laugh, "What a pleasure, what's your name again, sweetheart?"

"Delilah." I said, extending my hand as he reached for it, pressing his lips to the back of my palm. His greyed mustache tickled my chin.

"Ahh, Delilah. I'm sure Sebastian must have mentioned a name that beautiful at some point. I just couldn't recall."

Sebastian's eyes darted away. He'd been careful never to say a name, not when that could conflict with his paid bride's future one.

Behind Mr. Fox sat a woman with luxurious blond locks cascading in curls down her shoulders. She sipped a glass of red wine, watching us with bright blue eyes. I was fairly certain the girl was younger than I was.

"This is my lovely wife, Sherry." Cornelius said, gesturing back at her.

Silently, she lifted a hand, waving at me before lowering her eyes again.

"She's a little shy." Mr. Fox whispered into my ear as he brought me in for a huge hug. He squeezed me tight, "Welcome to the family!"

Something told me that Juliet's aversion to polite civility is what made her disliked by the elder billionaire.

"How was the trip over here, did that woman drive you?" He asked as he pulled out my chair, seating me across from Sherry Fox.

I laughed, glancing up as the waiter dropped off a bottle of wine and several full glasses. Sebastian handed me one as I timidly sipped it. I'd never been a fan of wine, but this one was particularly sweet and bubbly. It was more like juice than bitter wine.

"She did." I said, sipping the wine again, "It was an… experience."

"She is pretty awful, isn't she?" Sebastian smirked, slight chuckle in his throat. Unlike his father, the younger Fox was much less jolly, "I offered to get her a driver but I think she's the independent type. She likes to take care of herself."

I took another sip of wine to keep my lips from speaking. I would agree she enjoyed driving herself, though I felt it was more to take out her rage on the world than to maintain her independence.

"I can't believe you two have been together for an entire year and this is the first I'm meeting you." Cornelius said, leaning forward so his hands rested on the table, “You’re so beautiful, I can’t believe he kept you hidden away. Did I raise a squirrel as a son?  Hiding all the best acorns from his dear father?”
Cornelius didn’t even hide the way his eyes lingered on my body. I could feel the heat of a blush coloring my flesh as I shifted uncomfortably.

Sebastian let his own arm fall behind my neck on the chair, one of his fingers lightly playing with a curl in my hair. I wish I'd brushed it out better this morning, or that Juliet had given me a clue for where the day would have taken me. Perhaps, I would have even tried putting on some makeup.

"It doesn't feel like a year at all." I replied, casting a side glance at my black haired fiancé, "It seems like we bumped into each other just yesterday."

A grin played momentarily along Sebastian's full lips as he stared down at his plate, "Isn't it funny, Father, and how it feels that way?"

"Oh yes." The elder Fox replied, grabbing his wife's hand abruptly as he pressed it to his mouth, "It is such a funny thing, love." He cooed, his other fingers dancing along the young woman's pale cheek.

Sherry smiled at him, though her lips pulled into that same strange grimace of a smile that Juliet was so adept at.

Hesitantly, I cast a glance at Sebastian, who caught my eye and shrugged.

Sherry had married Cornelius for his money, there was no doubt about that. She waited earnestly for the day when she would inherit all of his riches. In the meantime, she put up with his advances and allowed herself to be dragged to these painfully dull dinners. She got to enjoy some fine eye candy with her son in law, which was just fine with her.

Was I so different than her? Did I have any place to judge? Not really, after all, Sebastian and I were getting married for reasons just as impure as Sherry's had been.

"Are you as excited for this wedding as I am, Delilah?" Cornelius asked, "My only son, finally getting hitched. I thought for sure this day might never happen." He giggled, arm wrapped tight around his reluctant wife.

I nodded joyfully, patting Sebastian's leg, "I'm overcome with excitement." I lied, "It's going to be the best day of our lives."

Sebastian looked down, watching my fingers as they squeezed his strong thigh. Heat rolled off of my fiancé’s body like a tidal wave, washing over me. His musky fragrance infiltrated my nose, filling me up with the sheer scent of masculinity. I'd never been this close to a man before, I'd never had such strong arms against me. It was making me a bit woozy. No wonder Juliet had such a huge crush on the young billionaire.

"And grandchildren!" Mr. Fox continued with a hoot as he gulped down another glass of wine, "I'll finally be a Grandpa. Can you imagine that?" He said, turning to Sherry, "Can you imagine being called Grandma?"

She visibly cringed, though her lips were still forced into a smile, "How...wonderful..." She sputtered.

Cornelius, oblivious to his own bride's resignation, laughed heartily and nodded.

"What a splendid son I have." Mr. Fox continued, "Willing to spend such time with me on the eve before his wedding."

I went completely rigid, stiffening in the arms of my fiancé. The eve of our wedding? It was already happening? I'd known it would happen quickly, but wasn't this just too much? Sebastian squeezed my shoulder, reminding me of this false production that we were part of, reminding me to keep acting. I couldn't show how much uncertainty I had. I couldn't show how nervous this made me.

"Everything is all set then?" He said to his father.

Cornelius nodded, refilling our wine glasses, "Yes, Juliet has been setting up the whole thing." He said with a shrug, "So I suppose it will be satisfactory. Was that your idea, Delilah? To have his assistant in charge of the wedding?"

Hesitating, I glanced upwards at Sebastian, who simply sipped his wine in silence, "Ah, it was a mutual agreement." I said carefully, "She does good work after all."

Or at least, I hoped that was the case. She'd probably been planning this entire wedding hoping that it would come down to her standing at the altar. Instead, it would be me. In that moment, I almost felt sorry for the poor girl.

Cornelius shrugged, glancing at Sherry, "If you say so." He said casually, "She was a friend of the family." He said with a wave of his hand. "We had to give her some kind of job to do."

I smiled against my wine glass, sipping on it. So that was how she got the job.

"And here's dinner, now." Cornelius said as he clapped his hands together.

Before us, plates full of fine filet mignon and crisp vegetables were set, "Let's eat." He said, raising a glass, "and toast to the beautiful couple on their final night of bachelorhood."

"Can I take you home?" Sebastian asked softly as he guided me from the restaurant.

His warm hand pressed against my back, his fingers brushing the bare flesh. His fingertips were so tender and soft that goose bumps erupted under his gentle touch.

"Is my other option Juliet?" I laughed, watching as he smirked faintly.

"I'll take that as a yes." He said, nodding cordially to the young waiter who'd freed me from Juliet's spinning death trap prior to the delicious meal.

The waiter tossed Sebastian his keys, bowing politely, "It was a pleasure to serve you this evening, sir." He called, as we approached a bright red Lamborghini that waited for us patiently, its doors lifted upwards towards the night sky like some kind of butterfly car.

The Fox billionaire laughed as I stared at in mystification, "Have you ever ridden in a Lambo?" He asked, as he helped me into my seat.

I shook my head, running my fingers over the black silky interior. I sharply drew my hands back as Sebastian sank into the front seat, unsure if I should even be touching such finery. My fingerprints alone would probably knock thousands off its worth.

"Go ahead." The raven haired billionaire shrugged, reaching over to grab my hand and place it on the sturdy steering wheel.

"It's amazing." I breathed in surprise. I wasn't one to be impressed by cars. I barely even knew the difference between a Ford and a Ferrari, but this was some high class stuff right here. I breathed in the scent, even that was more fanciful than plain old ‘new car’ smell.

Our doors closed, Sebastian pulled away from the curb as the waiter waved goodbye.

"They really like you there." I noted, watching as the bright colored lights of the restaurant faded in the distance.

"They have to." My fiancé shrugged, "Father bought them out years ago."

"He owns the restaurant?" I gasped, surprised. I'd known that Cornelius Fox owned much of the land around here, but I hadn't realized that spilled over into restaurants as well. Though I wasn’t sure why that surprised me. He had to spend the copious amounts of cash he had somewhere.

Sebastian shrugged again nonchalantly. I suppose to him, buying a restaurant or five was no big deal.

"It's a nice place." I offered, trying to break the silence that always seemed to loom over our heads. Something about knowing that we were getting married, yet barely knew each other seemed to put the pressure to get along on our shoulders.

"It is." Sebastian agreed, glancing at me.

It came as a relief that he was a much better driver than his personal assistant. We glided easily to a stop and through curves, I barely felt the road beneath us. My stomach would stay safely where it belonged for this trip.

"It's just that I just don't see the point in having to own everything around us." Sebastian suddenly added with a dramatic gesture of his arm.

With a nod, I looked out the window, watching as people and storefronts rolled by. I saw couples walking together, their hands laced intimately, arms wrapped around their lover’s bodies, lips pressing together. Would Sebastian and I ever be like that? Would he ever tell me loved me? Would I love him? Would we curl up together at night and watch trashy reality television and giggle together?

"I know it's petty." He concluded at my distracted silence, "I'm not perfect."

Startled, I glanced over at him. His eyes stayed locked on the road, lips pursed into a tight line.

Though I was feeling pressure to keep my florist flourishing, I had no idea the kinds of pressure that weighed on the billionaire's shoulders. I had no idea what kind of life he had to live day to day, I had no idea how many people he had to please.

All that I knew, was that he was willing to whatever it took, even if that meant buying a bride. Was that commendable? I wasn't sure.

"I don't think you're perfect." I offered, patting his elbow.

While it was a rather strange sentiment to give, it seemed to relax him just a bit. He was used to striving for perfection, I could tell. He was used to trying to live up to the image that the media spread of him. His stoniness, his reluctance to give in to happiness, it was all part of this forced image that was thrust upon him.

Sebastian wouldn't have to do that for me. I was going to be his wife, and I was going to do my best to ease this troubled man's life. I probably would fail, I was probably going to be terrible at it, but I would do my best to put real happiness into his eyes.

It was the least I could do in return for his aid with my flower shop. I couldn't wait for the day when it returned to what I remember in the days of my parents' ownership. Lines of people inspecting the hundreds of flowers, sweet fragrances filling the entirety of the pastel walls.

I would finally be able to move out of my apartment with Trisha. Or would I be moving in with my husband? I suppose that was the only true option, if we were to really sell this fake relationship.

"Sebastian...." I said slowly, trying to carefully piece together my words, "After the wedding..."

"Don't worry." He responded quickly, eyes staying on the road as he patted my leg, "We won't do anything you're not ready for."

For a second I just stared at him in shock, before laughter began to bubble up inside of me, shaking through my entire frame. I closed my eyes, enjoying the moment of relaxation that such giggling filled me with.

Though it was silly, it boosted my ego to know that Sebastian had thought of such a thing already.

"No, no. I mean, I'm going to my apartment now, but after the wedding...?" I didn't want to invite myself to live with him, but I needed to know where I was going to be residing. He wouldn't think I was too forward for thinking about that, would he?

"Your roommate has already been contacted." He said, "After the wedding...after tomorrow, I will take you home with me."

His gaze stayed trained on the dark roads, though I was fairly sure that it was only because he was afraid to see my expression and not because of night driving safety.

It was strange that he had done all of that without speaking to me, but I couldn't bring myself to be angry or distraught. Our wedding was happening, like it or not, and Trisha did need to be informed.

"Thank you." I finally said, after mulling it over for a moment or two.

I turned back to look out the window, recognizing the streets that we rolled past. We were approaching my home now. It was only a matter of minutes before I would be back in my bed, for the last time, I suppose.

"Are you ready to get married, Sebastian?" I asked, before I'd even realized that the words had left my lips.

For several minutes, the man was dead silent. I kept my gaze pointedly out the window, watching as my apartment building approached and the car came to a lazy stop.

As the quiet continued, I hesitantly turned to look at my husband to be, startled to find him staring at me intensely. In the dark, his eyes glittered green. If we had children, I could only hope that they inherited his beautiful gaze.

I swallowed sharply, shaking my head to clear the thought. Really, I knew this man for two days and I was already thinking of our children. Then again, I was also preparing to greet him at the altar on our wedding day. I suppose our future children weren't as out of the focus as I would have liked to have thought.

A giggle almost fluttered through my lips as I imagined our strange, forced future, but the seriousness on my fiancé’s face quieted me.

"Truthfully, I'm not sure." He replied, eyes staying on mine. He didn't shy from his words, he didn't try to sugarcoat them. I was grateful for his honesty. After all, I agreed wholeheartedly.

"But, it's what we need to do?" I whispered, softly placing a hand on his shoulder.

He nodded, turning slightly so he rested his cheek against my hand, soft stubble of a beard rubbing against my flesh. I turned my hand to cup his cheek, slight smile parting my lips.

"Goodnight, Delilah." He said quietly, turning his face to press his lips against my palm.

My heart fluttered, pulse quickening as a tremor rolled down my back. For a moment, I leaned closer, our lips only a few inches apart.

"Goodnight, Sebastian." I whispered back.

Our eyes stayed locked on one another, the sweetness of his breath ghosting across my lips, though his face stayed firmly away from mine.

Then, as my heart pounded, I crawled out of the car, closing the door. Through the tinted glass, I could still see his eyes. I held up my hand, waving goodbye as he drove off into the night. Then, my fingers dropped back against my lips, feeling them.

Though they were still untouched, I could almost feel Sebastian's mouth against mine. Slowly, I turned and retreated into my apartment.

Trisha was already asleep, all the lights in the apartment extinguished.

Quietly walking into my room, I slid out of the fine crimson gown, listening as the delicate fabric crinkled against the floor. I crawled into the bed, wrapping the blankets around my naked body.

I closed my eyes, hands pressing back against my lips, my entire body felt aflame, as though wild fires burned inside my core.

Though I managed to eventually fall asleep, I was restless, my dreams filled with the handsome face of my husband to be.

Our wedding, the time was now.