All That He Demands (The Billionaire's Seduction Part 3) (16 page)

And the only way I could do that was if I let my anger out instead. “I’m not a prostitute.”

He flinched, and his hands dropped away from my arms. “I never said you were! I never even implied it!”

“No, you just offered me money to extend my ‘weekend contract.’”

He closed his eyes and grimaced like he was in pain. Then he opened them again and stared at me. “Look… I handled that badly. But I only said it because you’re not going to quit that goddamn job of yours where you’re wasting yourself – ”

“I need the money!”

“Which is why I offered it to you, dammit!” he roared.

He scared me. I pulled away and wouldn’t look at him.

“I’m sorry,” he said in a low voice. “I shouldn’t have shouted at you – I’m sorry.”

I hugged my arms tight across my chest as I stared at the wall. I was hurting so badly, all I wanted to do was lash out.

So I did.

“I heard you don’t pay a prostitute to sleep with you, you just pay her to go away. Is that what this is?”

“You’re just not going to let that go, are you?” he asked bitterly.

“Is it so when you get tired of me, you can just toss me away and not have to feel guilty, because, hey, you already
paid
me?”

“Fuck you,” he said coldly.

I turned around and looked him dead in the eyes.

“No thanks,” I sneered. “Not for the price
you’re
offering, anyway.”

He glared at me.

And then… I saw it.

The pain, deep down inside his eyes. The vulnerability he hated to show.

He softened his voice as he said, “Please… I’m sorry. Let’s not do this. It was so wonderful up till now.”

I wanted to cry. I was doing a pretty good job of keeping a lid on it, but I still had to wipe away a tear as I whispered, “Yeah, it was… but I’m not for sale.”

“I never said you were.”

I flashed back to what he’d said about the redheaded maitre d’ at the restaurant:

It’s amazing how cheaply some people can be bought… and $300 was her price.

I was bound and determined that he would
never
be able to afford my price.

Not with money, anyway.

“But you tried to buy me,” I said. “I think you buy a lot of people… but I’m not one of them.”

“I won’t deny that you’re right – about
other
people. But I know that money is an issue for you, and I wanted you not to have to worry about it.”

“I don’t want your money.”

“Then what do you want?”

I stared him straight in the eyes. “I want you.”

“You can have me –
and
not have to worry about a job for a few months!” he exclaimed, like
Why can’t you see this is a win/win for everybody?!

“No, I don’t just want sex, or another week in bed, or at the hotel, or whatever.”

“You said you wanted
me
– ”

“I want
all
of you.”

There. I’d said it.

I’d been honest… if not exactly, 100% clear.

Up until that point, I hadn’t admitted it, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to say it out loud…

…but I had fallen in love with him.

He didn’t react the way I wanted him to, though.

He looked worried and wounded and brokenhearted. “That’s the one thing I can’t give you,” he whispered.

A sob escaped my throat, and my whole body trembled. “Well, no amount of money’s going to make up for that.”

He put his hands over his face and turned away, walked over into the corner.

I sat down on the bed, trying so hard not to cry. Not yet.

Just hold out a little while longer.

“Look,” he said, his voice weary and worn down, “regardless of what just happened here between us, do me a favor.”

“What,” I said, barely hanging on.

“Don’t go into work tomorrow.”

I froze, and everything came flooding back in one nightmare flood:

Klaus.

The report I hadn’t done.

My phone and wallet at the office.

The doubtless dozens of furious texts and voice messages that would be on my cell tomorrow morning.

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because… it’s probably going to get ugly.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s supposed to be a meeting tomorrow.”

“So?”

“So what they
think
is going to happen… isn’t going to happen.”

I stared at him. “The buyout.”

“I can’t say anything more, but… I don’t want you to be there.”

I thought of the report, of my cell phone full of venomous messages. “I’m probably going to lose my job anyway – but I’ll
definitely
lose it if I don’t go in.”

“Lily, just call in sick. Lie to them,” he pleaded. “Klaus is an asshole – don’t go in and let him take it out on you, because he
will.
All the shit’s going to roll downhill tomorrow, and you’re standing at the bottom of the heap.”

“I appreciate you warning me, but… I need my job,” I said.

“Forget your job. Come with me.”

I just looked up at him coldly.

He shook his head like he couldn’t believe what was going on in front of him.

Then he walked over, took my face in his hands, and kissed me softly on the lips.

I stiffened. I didn’t give anything back to him. Not that I didn’t want to – I
wanted
to melt into him, to say,
Forget everything I said, I’m coming with you –

But I couldn’t.

Not after that big speech about not being able to be bought.

And not after how he’d hurt me.

He pulled away from me and looked into my eyes.

“Goodbye,” he whispered…

…and then he was gone.

I heard him in the next room say something to Anh, then I heard the front door open and shut.

And then I burst into tears.

By the time Anh rushed in, I was wailing like a wounded animal. I was doubled over, holding my stomach, like somebody had stabbed me.

It really felt like he had – but in my heart.

“Oh my God, Lily, what’s wrong?!” Anh cried out. She sank down beside me on the bed and put her arms around me, and pulled my head onto her shoulder.

“He – he – ”

But I couldn’t go on. I just sobbed for a minute as she stroked my hair and rocked me gently, like a mother with her child.

Finally I could speak. “He… he asked me to quit my job and go with him.”

“Um… okay, that’s kinda weird…”

“And he offered to pay me. Like a prostitute or something.”

I looked at Anh to see her reaction.

“Eww,” she said, curling up her lip a little.

“I know!” I sobbed. “Like, I don’t know, like I’m a hooker or something!”

“Um… this might not be the best question right now… but… he, like, didn’t give you any money for this weekend or anything, did he?”

“NO! How could you even
think
that?!”

She looked around at the bags of expensive clothes lying on the floor.

“Those were gifts!” I shouted. “Jesus, Anh, I didn’t have sex with a guy for
clothes!
I even told him to take them back, and he wouldn’t!”

She cringed. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry – it’s just, it’s really unusual for you to disappear for a weekend. Like, a
sexy
weekend. And with some stranger I’ve never met, and who
you
apparently met Friday night. And… not that you aren’t beautiful, Lily, you know I think you are… but
daaaaamn,
girl, that guy was
hot!
Is he a male model or something?”

I looked up into her eyes and realized Anh didn’t know anything. Other than the fact that I’d stayed at the Dubai Hotel with him, and that we’d had sex.

“Anh… do you not know who that was?”

She started to look alarmed. “Nooo… why, should I?”

I gave a sharp little laugh. “I guess I didn’t know who he was, either, so why should you?”

Actually, my roommate ranked way higher on the ‘informed about world events and important persons’ scale than I did, so I just assumed she would know.

“You’re kind of freaking me out, Lily,” she said in a low voice.

“Have you ever heard of the Templetons?”

“What, those rich people who own everythOH MY GOD, is he related to them?!”

I nodded.

Her hand flew to her mouth. “…is he… rich?”

I nodded again.

“…
how
rich?”

“Rich enough to offer me $20,000 to quit my job and go travelling with him for a week… or until he gets bored,” I added bitterly.

“Oh my
God.
”

“Yeah.”

“Um… again… maybe not the best question to ask you right now… but… why didn’t you?”

“ANH!”

“I know, I know, I’m sorry, but… why?”

I inhaled deeply, then blew it out in one shaky breath. “Because I’m in love with him.”

There.

I
had
said it out loud.

“Oh,” Anh murmured, and nodded slowly. “Yeah, that would kind of be… demeaning and gross.”

“Yeah.”

She scrunched up her face like a three-year-old trying to understand a math problem. “Um…
how
long have you known him?”

I buried my face in my hands. “I know, I know, it’s stupid…”

“No, I didn’t say that… I just don’t understand. Any of it.”

So I told her the story, from start to finish.

“…wow,” she whispered.

“Yeah.”

She sat there in silence for a few seconds, then smiled sadly. “Well… you did the right thing.”

“Did I?”

“Of course you did.”

“How do you know?”

“Could you have taken that deal and respected yourself?”

I smiled faintly. Just like Anh to cut right to the heart of it.

“No.”

She shrugged sympathetically. “So there’s nothing you could have done but what you did. And it was the right thing.”

I wiped away a tear from my cheek. “You know what really sucks?”

“What?”

“I wonder if I really did. The right thing.”

Her voice was soft and full of pain. “Lily…”

“He didn’t mean it like that. I know he didn’t.”

“Maybe not, but he was still being an asshole.”

“Anh!”

I wasn’t used to my roommate using any profanity, no matter how mild.

“Well, he was. Who treats people like that?”

I was about to say something, but I didn’t really want to defend the guy who’d just ripped out my heart, so I kept quiet and cried a few silent tears instead.

Anh watched me carefully. “Maybe he was just a dumbass… not an asshole.”

I laughed a little. “Yeah.” Then I grew serious. “But if he was just being a dumbass… shouldn’t I overlook that?”

“Lily, he just wants you for the sex.” She saw my face twitch like she’d accidentally stabbed me. “I mean, not
just
for the sex… I’m sure he cares about you, otherwise he wouldn’t have gotten upset… but he only wants things short-term, and he wants them on
his
terms, and you don’t get a say in it. Whenever he was ready to dump you, it would’ve been, ‘Sayonora,’ and he would’ve never looked back.”

“But isn’t that the way it usually is? Somebody always dumps the other person.”

“Yeah, but the dumper doesn’t pay the dump-ee. Especially not upfront, with the understanding that they’re
going
to get dumped.”

I grinned ruefully. “Maybe they should. I would’ve at least gotten
something
out of a couple of my relationships that way.”

“Yeah,” she sighed, and hugged me. “Are you going to be okay?”

No.

Maybe.

Someday.

“Yes,” I nodded, and gave her a sad smile. “Thank you.”

She hugged me tight. “I’m so sorry this happened.”

“Yeah, me too. It sucks.”

“I know. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“No… I just need some time…”

“I understand.”

“Um, I do kind of need a ride tomorrow to work, though. And early. Before anybody else gets in.”

She stared. “Are you really going? After everything you told me?”

“I have to. I’ll definitely get fired if I don’t.”

She shook her head. “Look, Connor might have been a dumbass, but he was smart about
that
. And that’s the one thing that makes me think he really does care about you. Do what he said and just lie. I’ll go in early and get your purse for you. We can come up with a story about how you got really sick and – ”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “No, I knew what I was doing when I got in his car Friday night. I’m not going to lie to get out of it. And they could check the cameras, and see I left with him… and I’m not going to let you get in trouble for me.”

“I would, you know. Get in trouble for you.”

I smiled. “I know. And I love you for it. But just like you said about ‘could I take that deal and still respect myself ’ – if I don’t go in tomorrow, I can’t respect myself, either. I made my bed, I need to go lie in it.”

She breathed out hard and hugged me again. “Okay, well, the takeout and wine is on me tomorrow night, okay?”

“Thanks,” I said, and managed a teary laugh. “And don’t forget the Haagen Dazs… I think we’re going to need that, too.”

I broke down crying again.

She held me for a long, long time.

Anh gave me a ride the next morning, and the whole time I felt like a prisoner on Death Row, headed for the execution chamber.

Add to that I hadn’t slept but maybe an hour or two. Mostly I just cried all night, in fits and starts, until I finally dropped off to sleep from sheer exhaustion.

And the alarm blared five minutes later, it seemed.

I’d forced myself through my normal routine – shower, getting dressed, light makeup – but I felt like a zombie the entire time. The only thing that kept me going was the routine itself.

It was better than lying there in bed, thinking of Connor. And my possible firing gave me something to worry about besides him.

About what I’d lost last night.

On the way to the office in Anh’s car, I sat there trying to come up with excuses I could give Klaus, but I couldn’t think of any. My mind, already numb and overloaded, was of no use to me. The only thing it could do was force my feet forward, one after the other… make my hands open and close car doors… tell my fingers to press elevator buttons…