“Ahh. Here comes the regret,” I laugh as I pull a bottle of water from the small fridge hidden in my walk in wardrobe. “Here.”
She frowns. “You just produced that from nowhere. Can you make eggs on toast in there, too?” She nods toward the wardrobe. “Is it like a Narnia thing?”
I shake my head and climb into bed beside her. I want to do my own satisfied stretch, but I settle for lying on my side and sliding my hand up her leg. “It’s a long way to the kitchen. I like having cold drinks up here in case I want one in the night.”
“How often does that happen?”
“Once in a while.” I take the open bottle from her and place it on the side table, before moving over her and capturing her hands above her head. “I don’t hear you complaining, now that you’re the beneficiary of my forward thinking.”
She chuckles but, surprise, there are more questions. “Won’t the carpet get ruined if the fridge leaks?”
“No.” I can’t help but roll my eyes. My attempts to distract her are useless. “I have a tiled section in there. It’s custom. Designed just for me.”
“Of course it is.” She laughs and wraps her legs around me. “You’re probably the only person who has that.”
“Hmm. You’d be surprised what some people have.” I kiss her shoulder, our bodies sliding against each other. We’re warm, we’re comfortable in each other’s company, and I’m kind of shocked this happened with someone I didn’t know before today.
“I need a shower.”
“You’ll love my shower. I have one of those massage shower heads that will have you panting for more. And never-ending hot water in case you want to stay in there all night. With me, of course.” I roll off and flop onto my back as she laughs and snuggles into my side.
“I’d expect nothing less.”
“The hot water is a little attachment you buy online. Second best thing I ever bought.” She giggles. We both know what the best purchase was.
The silence is comfortable and then my phone buzzes. I’m too lazy to get up and check it, wherever it ended up, but the sound reminds me of Everett’s call. Suddenly, the prospect of going to the fundraiser alone doesn’t seem so likely.
“Are you busy over Easter?”
“I’ll need to check my diary.” She laughs at me, then pretends to open a book in the air. “Oh, I checked. My calendar is completely empty, that weekend and every weekend. I plan to eat a lot of chocolate, then regret it for the next month. It’s an annual event.”
I laugh. She makes me laugh with nearly every sentence that comes out of her delectable mouth. I roll onto my side and hook my leg over hers. “I have two tickets to a very fancy dinner on Saturday night. Black-tie is the dress code. I’d love if you would be my plus one.”
“Uh,” she stutters, and her eyes slide away from mine. “I don’t think I can do Saturday.”
“You just said you were free.”
“I know, but I feel like I have something on.”
I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “You could cancel. Or check that diary again?”
She doesn’t laugh, instead she pushes my leg away and rolls into a sitting position. Then she sighs and looks around the room. “Do you know what happened to my clothes? Did we bring them upstairs?”
“I’ll get them while you jump in the shower.” I frown at her stiff back. The easy atmosphere we shared is gone. “Go run the water.”
“I think I’ll shower at home.”
“Okay.” I roll off my side and quickly move around the bed. She covers her breasts with her arm. “Did I say something wrong?”
Her head shakes but she doesn’t meet my eyes. “No, of course not. I don’t really go out to events, that’s all.”
“There’s no reason to leave now. I thought we were having fun together.”
“We were.” She finally looks up at me. “I did have fun. I promise. More than you could know. But I don’t want you to think this is something more than it is. I can’t come to a black-tie dinner with you.”
I put my hand on her shoulders, just the lightest of touches. “Do you need me to take you shopping? I’m happy to buy you a dress. It’ll be my third best purchase.”
That gets a laugh, at least, but she’s still uncomfortable. “I have plenty of suitable outfits. It’s just that there’s people. And cameras. Someone might recognise me.” Her voice is high-pitched, like she’s losing control. “I can’t be recognised, Danny. I just can’t, okay. Leave it at that.”
Minutes later she’s dressed and disappearing out my front door, despite my protests.
Damn. Women are confusing.
Chapter Seven - Danny
I bang on Tina’s door for the second time this week. She doesn’t answer, which is silly. I know she’s home. Where is she likely to go? I know her car didn’t leave, and besides, she’s been with me every day this week, only creeping home at night to feed the cat and sleep. I know every inch of her skin, even if I have no idea what goes on inside her head. I lift my hand again, but the door swings open, the blast of sound that comes with it making me smile.
Tina might be hiding out, but the loud music persists.
Today’s selection is Billy Idol and the upbeat sound is in direct contrast to the grumpy woman who stands in the doorway.
“I have a great idea for Saturday night.” She still hasn’t agreed to come to the fundraiser.
“What now, Danny? You’re really starting to annoy me.”
“It’s the perfect solution. I thought about it last night after you left.”
“I’m not interested. I already told you several times. I can’t.” She steps back, ready to slam the door in my face, but I’m too quick. I leap forward, making sure I’m just enough in the way to stop it from closing. I learned that on Tuesday when she refused to come back for dinner, despite her eyes telling me she wanted to. I feel like a stalker and I’ve promised myself if she says no today, I’ll let it go. I’d rather keep exploring this thing between us, than risk it by going on and on about the dinner.
I don’t want to let her go.
“I have a plan.” I hold up a big bag and paste on my best smile. “It just arrived, and it will solve all our problems.”
“It must be a magic bag, then,” she snarls, but she lets me in and for that I couldn’t be more grateful. I know she’ll go for this once she hears my great fix.
I wait for her to direct me, then she points to the kitchen and I put the shopping bag on the counter. Her house has such a different feel to mine. Everything here has a purpose. There’s not a single thing that’s been bought just for show. Definitely not like my place.
“So, I know we’ve been over this, and you’re adamant, but I’ve been thinking about it and I have a solution.”
“So you keep saying.” She gets a glass from the cupboard, before turning on the kitchen tap. “Oh, damn thing.” She sighs as the tap makes a banging noise.
I open my mouth, then close it again. Should I tell her—
“Uggh.” She slams the glass on the bench and takes a bottle of wine from the fridge instead. “You want a glass?” I nod and she gets two new glasses and pours. She hands me one and nods to the bag. “Come on, then. What’s the big fix?” She makes her voice sound bored, but her eyes give her away. There’s a flicker of interest there, and more than a little focus on me. If I didn’t know how self-centred I was, I’d imagine she’s missed me since last night.
“It’s perfect.” I start pulling items out of the bag. “You said you don’t want to be recognised, so I figured we could disguise you.”
“It’s black-tie, Danny. I can’t exactly wear a moustache and a baseball cap.”
“No, but you can wear this.” I hold up a wig, covered in a hair net. I pull the netting off and the hair swings free as I hold it up beside her face. “This will come to chin level, like a bob. You’ll look totally different.”
She nods, and to my shock puts her wine down and takes the wig from me. “How do I put it
on?”
“I have no idea,” I laugh. “I buy the stuff. I don’t know how anything works. Try it.”
Tina moves to a mirror hanging in the hallway. A plain mirror with a plain black frame. I’d never buy a mirror like that, but I digress. She twists her own hair up and tips her head over. When she stands up, I blink. She looks totally different as a brunette.
“Wow.”
She turns, looking in the mirror. “I guess it could work with my own hair secured properly. I think I still look like me, though.”
“I have more.” I pick up the bag and upend the rest of the contents onto the table. “I have false eyelashes, glitter eye shadow in all the colours, and look.” I hold up a small package. “If you really want to look different you can use these. They’re a prosthetic bit of face.” I shrug my shoulders and hold them out to her. “The packaging says you can change your nose, your cheeks, or your chin. Between the hair, some glamorous eyes and a new nose, can I re-invite you to the ball? Pretty please?”
She ignores me, instead turning the packaging over and reading the back. She squints at the small print and it occurs to me that she wants to say yes. She wants to, and she’s prepared to look at any crazy idea to make that happen. Why else would we be standing here seriously examining this stuff?
Finally, she looks at me, throwing the package onto the table. “Why me, Danny? You must have any number of women hanging around, waiting for invitations to fancy dinners. Why are you so intent on taking me?”
“You can blame the chair if you like.” That gets a smile and I take a chance and pull her to me, holding her close and looking into her eyes. “Have you tripped over hordes of women traipsing through my home this week?” I kiss her nose—something I enjoy doing. “It might seem crazy, but I only want to take you. I haven’t invited anyone else. You’re my first, and only choice. If you don’t attend with me, I’ll go on my own. I have no issue doing that, by the way. This is my last-ditch effort to convince you to come and have a bit of fun. My friends will love you. Security will be tight. With a few secret touches, there’s no reason why we can’t have a great night.” I kiss her forehead and she lets me. “Besides, knowing you’re next door alone, while a perfectly good sex chair lies dormant is hard to take. And I do mean hard.” I take her hand and show her exactly what I mean, and she chuckles, squeezing me and making me jump. “Even if you don’t come, you should come.”
She squeals, “Oh my God, you did not just say that! You said we wouldn’t be awkward.” She slaps my shoulder. “You promised.”
“We’re only awkward because I invited you out. If I hadn’t said anything, we’d probably be naked right now, like we’ve been every afternoon this week. Is that an accurate assessment of the situation?”
Tina nods. “Probably.” She licks her lips and it reminds me of the day we met. “I want to stay the night, but it seems too much, too quick. A neighbourly booty call is not where I ever thought I’d find myself. Especially in this neighbourhood.”
“I was up all night thinking about kicking down your door.”
She stands on tiptoes and kisses me, her arms wrapping tightly around my neck. “I’m free now,” she says, a hopeful lilt in her voice.
“Damn. I’m not. I have to go out. How about we make a date for tonight? Say, six?”
“Sounds good.” She kisses me again and when I have to let her go, I consider cancelling my appointment with Sylvia. Business is business, though, and we have contracts to sign. “See you tonight? Lucy made us dinner, so just bring yourself.”
“Your housekeeper included me in your dinner plans?”
“She did. Every night since you first came over. I told her you’d eventually stay for dinner, no matter how much I had to grovel.”
“What does she think of your new furniture?”
“She looked at it strangely, but that’s probably because it’s in the middle of the room.”
“You should move it.”
She follows me to the door, and I pull it open. “I will, but right now it holds great memories right where it is.” I turn and give her a last kiss. Then I tip her chin up so I can look into her eyes. “One day you’re going to explain why you don’t go out much, right?”
“One day, Danny. Maybe when we’re sure what this is.” She points from herself to me. “That’s the best I can do.”
“I’ll take that.” I drop another kiss on her mouth and say, “Try the stuff I bought. See you tonight.” The door locks behind me and I almost skip back to my place.
With a little more convincing, Tina Faucet and I will be spending a lot more time together.
Chapter Eight - Danny/Tina
Danny
“Smile, Sir! Madam! That’s it.”
The lights from the cameras flash and Tina flinches beside me. I take her hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. “You okay?” I murmur and she nods, a big smile pasted on her face.
I sneak a sideways look at her and then grin for the cameras again. I can’t get used to seeing her as a brunette with heavy makeup. It’s such a change from her normal natural blonde look. She’s wearing the thickest of the lashes, but we couldn’t get the hang of the prosthetics to change any part of her face. They just kept falling off.
We turn to the left as more cameras click, then we’re directed to move a little, so the sponsor’s messages on the sheeting behind us show in the pictures. When you throw a ten thousand dollar a ticket fundraiser you want the sponsor’s names all over every piece of promotional material.
“Thank you. Have a good night.” We’re dismissed and Tina wastes no time pulling me toward the entrance.
“Ugg. I hate having my photo taken.”
“Just treat it as a bit of fun. The hospital will want to make sure their black-tie event makes the newspapers. They get free publicity for their cause and sometimes they even get donations after the fact.”
“Every little bit helps, I guess. I hope we’re not in the newspaper.” She’s only interested in getting inside, but once our names are checked off the guest list, and we’re far away from the cameras, her whole demeanour changes.
Where her shoulders were tight, now they’re relaxed. Where she forced herself to smile, now it comes naturally. She drops her wrap onto the back of her chair—the same one she clutched around her outside on the red carpet.
Back to her normal self she takes my breath away.
I introduce her to the others. Our table of ten is Tina and me, Sayer and Kendra, Everett, Jillian and her son, Jack, as well as Cross, Wyatt and Kent. We haven’t seen Kent since New Year’s so it’s handshakes and back-slapping all around. Several times during the night I notice him staring at Sayer and Everett. It’s like he can’t get used to seeing them each with a woman they obviously adore.
Your time is coming, Mate. October will be here before you know it, and I hope you’ve met someone great by then.
“Danny, you have to go on stage at ten for the auction,” Jill tells me as she sits down. “They’ll call you, but I just wanted to make sure you don’t disappear.”
“What auction would that be, Jill? What am I buying tonight?”
She frowns. “Didn’t Everett tell you? He volunteered you to be auctioned with five other men. It’s to raise extra funds for the hospital.” Everett snorts and she looks at him. “You didn’t tell him?”
“I thought it would be a nice surprise.” Everett laughs, and I hear Tina chuckle beside me.
“An auction is a fun idea,” she says. “I might even bid to keep you out of the clutches of some young heiress.” She nudges me and laughs. “You should see your face.”
“You promised me no old ladies would get their hands on me, Ev.”
“Oh, relax. Whoever wins the auction just nominates you for something around the hospital. It’s not like you have to take them on a date.”
“Lucky. I might have had to really outbid someone if that were the case.”
Tina’s words make my heart stutter and I put my arm aro
und her shoulders. I pull her close and drop a kiss behind her ear. “I’d bid for myself before I’d go on a date with anyone but you.” She grins and slides her palm over my cheek. Cross clears his throat and we pull apart. Jill and Everett both laugh, and I see Sayer nodding his head and smiling at me.
“Finally, Danny. It’s about time you brought someone along that we can get to know,” Wyatt says. “How did you two meet?”
Awkward.
“Her cat snuck into my house the other week.”
“And then I helped him with a new furniture purchase.”
I nudge her under the table, and she squeezes my leg. “It went from there, really.”
“When it’s meant to be it just happens.” That’s sappy Sayer and he earns himself a kiss from Kendra.
“Mum, can I join another table?”
“Sure, Jack. Is there room?”
“Yep, Cate Jenkins couldn’t come so I’m gonna sit with her brother.” He wheels away and Everett laughs.
“Poor Jack. Surrounded by us oldies.”
The dinner is fun, and Tina seems to enjoy herself. Chocolate desserts are served on a decadent ice sculpture and I sneak a second helping. When the chocolate fountain is unveiled, I have no more room. We shimmy on the dance floor a few times, and the three women dance with Cross, Wyatt and Kent, too. Everyone is getting along and then they announce the auction is just fifteen minutes away.
“Tina, want to find the ladies with me? I think I should have stopped at the third glass of champagne.” Jillian stands and Tina nods.
“Back in a sec.” Tina says, with a pat on my shoulder, but my attention is drawn to Kent who’s telling the table the plans he has for me when he wins the auction.
TINA
“Here.” Jill waves me over to a door with no label. I know the toilets are along the opposite wall, but I follow her anyway. When I step through, she slides her hand up the wall searching for the light switch. When it clicks on, we find ourselves in a storage room. “Sorry for the subterfuge, but I wanted to talk to you away from Danny.”
The Billionaire’s Treat: The Secret Billionaire’s Club Page 4
