The Sweetest Kiss: A Billionaire Love Story (11 page)

H
oneymoons are meant
to last longer than one evening. But that wasn’t to be the case for us. I soon came to realize the marriage was just an illusion. I don’t know what made me think it was real. I should have known when I didn’t see photographers, family, or someone who resembled a proper minister. Was it all a game? A simple way to lure me into his bed as he had done with other women? His father had said that I was not the first and neither would I be the last. I had to wonder if that was the case as first thing that morning he was ready to leave.

“Where are you heading?”

“I have some business to attend to. I shouldn’t be long.”

He paused at the door, putting his arm into his shirt. I gazed at his body, just wanting him to get back into bed. I wasn’t hoping for breakfast in bed but at least lying in. I gazed over at my clock, it was still early.

“When will you be back?”

“Um. I’m not sure.” He leaned against the doorway and tapped his fingers on the frame. “You know what, I will phone you.”

Those were the famous four words I had heard all of my adult life from men. I will phone you and then they never did. Was I cursed? I looked at my hand, the ring was still there. No. It was real, wasn’t it? But if it was, this didn’t seem like the fairy-tale ending I was hoping for. It reminded me more of my sophomore year in college. A quickie under the covers and then the guy shot off like I had the black plague.

My eyes dropped and he must have registered it, as he came close and placed his hand on my cheek.

“I will be back but I have to attend to some business. It sucks but that’s it.”

He kissed me on the side of the cheek and then left. I sighed and lay back. I gripped the sheets and felt a wave of frustration. I might have fallen asleep again if it wasn’t for what happened next.

My phone buzzed. Bleary-eyed I rolled out of bed, casting a glance over Ethan’s belongings. I reached for my purse and pulled it out. It was James from the
Enquirer
.

“Yes?”

“Tell me it’s true.”

“What?”

“You and Ethan Wayland married?”

“Hold on a minute, James.”

“Look, this is it. This is exactly what I need. I can see it now. Hold on a second, let me shoot you the headline.”

A text came. It read:

B
illionaire Marries for Love
, Reporter Marries for Money

“
H
ow dare you
!”

“How dare I? You were holding back on me. But don’t worry, all is forgiven. I already have the photo that Stephanie sent over.”

“That bitch, I’m going to…”

“Don’t bother, she left this morning for New York.”

“Yeah, she better run, if I get my hands on her I will—”

“Hayley, Hayley, don’t worry, I will be placing your name on the article. She doesn’t know it yet.”

“Dear me, James, do you even have a moral compass?”

“In this business, no. You can’t. It’s not personal just business and this, my lovely lady, is going to be great for business. Everyone is going to be vying for a follow-up interview and that’s where you come in. You will be able to interview him personally.”

I could hear him pacing back and forth thinking over his plan as if he was the one who called the shots.

“You are missing one important part.”

“What’s that?”

“You are not going to run that photo and I’m not going to interview.”

“Of course I am, that’s the holy grail right now.”

“I don’t give you permission to use the photo and neither does Ethan.”

“Permission?”

“I swear, James, if you publish that photo with any article about this I will—”

Before I could finish he hung up.

“James? James?”

I gritted my teeth and tossed my phone on the bed. I was furious. This was not how a marriage was meant to begin. A husband jumping out of bed immediately after and shooting off to work, a newspaper wanting to drag our name through the mud. I was fuming. I wanted to get a hold of Stephanie and James and bang their heads together. I tried again to get hold of James but he wouldn’t pick up. I phoned Sue at the main desk, she told me he wasn’t taking calls.

“You tell him that I am coming and he better have not run that in the paper.”

So there I was packing a bag about to return to New York. I would have to repeat the same darn journey that I had taken. The thought of throwing up on the boat and then having to grip another guy’s knee on the plane wasn’t thrilling. This day couldn’t get any worse.

Ten minutes later it did.

It was three strong knocks at the door.

“I will be right there,” I said, continuing to stuff a small bag with a few things that would last a couple of days.

The knock echoed again.

“Alright. Alright. I’m coming.”

I swung the door open to find Max Wayland there. Without saying a word, he walked straight past me.

“Where is he?”

“Who?”

“You know who. Ethan.”

“He said he had a business meeting.”

“Did you consider my offer?”

“I did.”

“And?”

“Things have kind of got complicated.” I shifted from one foot to the next feeling self-conscious and awkward.

“In what way?”

“In this way.” I held up my hand and flashed the ring.

His eyes bulged. “You have got to be joking.”

“Well, actually I have to wonder if it’s even real. I kind of got the feeling that it wasn’t.”

“Let’s hope it’s not,” he said, pacing back and forth looking as though he was about to have a cardiac arrest. I was dumbfounded by it. I wasn’t sure what to think about his response. There was no congratulations or welcome to the family hug, just a scowl and a sense that he wished I would crawl back under whatever rock I had come out from.

He then fixed his eyes on my luggage and a look of glee came over him.

“Leaving, are we?”

“Going back to New York. I need to be back there pretty quick.”

“Work?”

“You could say that. No, um…” I tried to search for the words. I had a feeling he would blow his top when he heard this. “A photo was taken of us getting married and the
Enquirer
is planning on running it.”

“What?” He stood straight as if he had seen a ghost. His skin went pale.

“How did they get that?”

“It wasn’t me. It was Stephanie, you know, the woman who was with me when we interviewed you.”

“I knew she was trouble. I could see it in her eyes. Well, we need to speak to them. Let them know that it was just a hoax.”

“I tried. No luck. That’s why I’m heading back there.”

“Well, grab your things. I will get you there faster than a commercial airline. We’ll use my private jet.”

I nodded. At least I would avoid tossing up my breakfast. Though the idea of gripping Max’s knee wasn’t exactly inviting.

Within ten minutes we were in a helicopter taking us over to the mainland, fifteen minutes after that I got on board Max’s private jet. Inside it was beautiful. It smelled like new leather and sophistication. Max leaned back in his chair and strapped himself in. I put my hand luggage away and settled into a seat. It was luxury beyond anything I had experienced. Inside the washroom all the taps looked gold plated. I had to admit it was a little tacky but then again people with more money than sense didn’t care as long as they had something to brag about. Though I had to wonder how many jets he owned.

As the plane roared down the runway and I shook in my seat, I gripped the sides for dear life and looked at Max who found it quite amusing. He was sipping on a glass of bourbon. He returned to looking outside the window as I felt my stomach drop and the plane lifted in the air. I could never understand how they managed to get so much metal off the ground.

“How long does it take for them to go to print?”

“It doesn’t take long but I don’t imagine they would have it out for a few days. They usually will want to make sure that they have their I’s dotted and their T’s crossed. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if they rush it. James knows I will be coming.”

“If he has any sense he won’t run it. Unless of course he wants a lawsuit.”

“You don’t know James,” I said, trying to relax as we rose above the clouds.

H
anna couldn’t believe
the news that I was returning but when she asked if she could meet me at the airport, I didn’t know what to say. I tried to dodge the question, saying I would probably be too tired but she wouldn’t have any of it. She insisted that she meet me. That was when I told her.

I pulled the phone away from my ear as she shrieked.

“The Max Wayland? You are joking.”

“No.”

“Put him on. I want to hear his voice. I’ve seen him on TV. He is yummy even if he is twenty years older than me.”

I looked at Max who was obviously taken aback by the noise coming from the other end of the phone. I tried to be discreet but it was pointless. I held the phone against my chest.

“A bit of a favor. You couldn’t just say hello to my demented friend, could you?”

“What?”

“She’s a big fan of yours. She majored in business and has always had a thing for you.” The moment I said that his eyes lit up. Call it pride, ego, or just who womanizing ways but he took the phone from me and began engaging in a lengthy conversation with Hanna. I thought it would be over within a matter of a minute. They were talking for at least five minutes. By the time he was done I was sure he was going to hire her.

“What a delightful woman, I look forward to meeting her.”

I ran my hand over my face.

“You didn’t tell her to meet us, did you?”

“No, she insisted. I like that in a woman. Someone who knows what they want. My wife was like that until of course she tried to take me for all I had.”

I nodded.

“One word, Hayley. Prenuptial. They never got a cent.”

Cunning guy, smart, maybe too smart for his own good. Hanna remained on the phone for another twenty minutes, chewing my ear off and trying to squeeze me for as many details as she could. I just let her rattle on as I gazed out the window. Far above the clouds it was bright and beautiful. I began to wonder about how this had all happened so fast. One moment I was dating a jerk, and the next I was in bed with a Greek god.

But how long would it last? Once that article came out, I wouldn’t be able to show my face anywhere without being followed around. The thought of giving up your privacy, and having photogs snapping shots of you, might have seemed appealing to some but not to me. I liked being a face in the crowd. Having my anonymity and being able to go out without being attacked by people who liked or hated me.

I looked down at my phone and brought up the latest news articles from the
Enquirer
website. I checked their Twitter and Facebook feeds to make sure they hadn’t released anything. It wasn’t uncommon for them to quickly post a photo online before running it in their magazine just so they could make sure they were the first to get it out there. It was all a big game to them. Making sure they had the latest news, the inside scoop and upper hand before any other media outlet posted. It was rare to see any information on the Wayland family members beyond Max and Darla. The brothers seemed to stay just off the radar.

The plane tilted slightly, I heard the wheels drop as the plane came in for the final approach.

Once on the ground it didn’t take even a fraction as long before we could get off. Usually I would be juggling bags over some guy’s head while trying not to shove my breasts in his face or being groped from behind as men squeezed between my ass and the gangway.

“Right, I have a car ready to meet us once we get out. I have booked a hotel room for you at Trump Tower.”

“Big time.”

“That’s the only way I travel. Life is too short to accept anything less than the best.”

“Actually I have a friend of mine meeting me at the airport.”

I thought about Hanna’s banged-up car which had no working heater. It was a toss-up. I wished she could have just waited until I arrived but that was her.

“So we’ll go in her vehicle then.”

“Um, you don’t really know what her vehicle is like?”

“What is it? A BMW, Mercedes-Benz?”

“Not exactly.”

T
en minutes
later we were standing behind a crapped-out gold Honda with rusty holes in it.

“Now I understand. You know what, I’m going to have my driver take me. I will meet you at the
Enquirer
.”

I stifled a laugh as Max walked away talking on the phone.

“Wow, he is everything and more. I swear I would marry him in a heartbeat,” Hanna said.

We loaded my luggage into the back. I went to get in the passenger side and found myself in a tug-of-war.

“Oh yeah, the door isn’t working too well.”

“You think?” I yanked it hard and it still didn’t open. From inside Hanna rolled down the window and I climbed in
Dukes of Hazzard
style. If only Ethan could have seen me now, he would have been rolling around in fits of laughter. Thankfully he wasn’t here.

“Does James know you are here?”

“No, and I plan to keep it that way. If I tell him he will bolt and so will that cow Stephanie. No, I want them right there at the same time. I can’t wait to hear Max chew them out and slap them with a lawsuit.”

“Is that what you really want?” Hanna said, pulling out.

“No, but it’s not right. I can understand now why celebs file lawsuits. I used to think it was just because they had money. But if they didn’t stand up for themselves these magazines would walk all over them and ruin their reputations.”

In New York the air was crisp. There was no snow on the ground but it had a cold that went right through you. I could see now why Emily loved the island. The warm air all year round. The smell of saltwater and tanned bodies was a heck of a lot better than the smell of smog and grumpy-looking folks dashing around the city.

The traffic was brutal so it took us close to forty minutes to get to the
Enquirer
. When I got there I immediately jumped out and went in while Hanna found a parking space. Inside the office block it was a hive of activity. Roger in security looked pleased to see me.

“Hayley, what a pleasant surprise. You back to stay?”

“I hope not. Is James in?”

“Yes he’s in a meeting at the moment. Do you want me to buzz him?”

“Nah, I’m going to surprise him.”

He gave me the thumbs-up having no idea of what I meant by that. Oh it was going to be a surprise alright.

As I was heading over to the elevator I caught sight of Max Wayland coming in the front door with one of his bodyguards. I waved and he joined me in the elevator.

“First time here?” I asked.

“Last time I hope,” he replied.

We went up to the ninth floor. When the doors opened all you could hear was the sound of people typing on keyboards, office chatter, and phones ringing. Slowly people noticed who I was with and their heads began turning. Everyone knew Max Wayland. No doubt every single person in the office had at one time or another been involved in a project about him. We pressed in towards the boardroom which was at the far end of the office.

“So this is where they weave their stories.”

“No, that’s done in their wicked minds,” I replied.

Upon reaching the boardroom I burst in without any regard for what was going on inside. The moment I walked in I came to a grinding halt. Seated at the table were James, Stephanie, and Ethan. You could have heard a pin drop. The look on his face matched ours.

“Ethan?” I shook my head in disbelief.

Max repeated what I said.

Stephanie sat there with a smug grin on her face as though she had just won the lottery. James looked as if he was going to need a new pair of underpants and Ethan looked confused.

“What in blazing saddles is going on in here?” Max demanded to know. For the first time since meeting him I was actually glad he was with me. He immediately took control of the boardroom like he had lived his entire life in one.

“I can explain,” Ethan said.

“Please do,” his father replied.

Ethan’s eyes darted between his father’s and mine. I looked down on the table. A photo of us getting married was blown up into a larger size. Potential headlines and mock layouts were in front of them.

“I approved of the photo going to print.”

“What?” I spat. Max looked equally disturbed by Ethan’s admission.