The Bashful Billionaire

by Elana Johnson

  “Tawny,” he said, his voice smooth but accented. He lifted her free hand to his lips, but Tawny held as still as a statue, stiffer than Tyler had ever seen her. She practically ripped her hand away from him, and Tyler’s male need to protect her kicked into high gear.

  “Tawny, darling,” he said, his own voice as smooth as melted chocolate. “Who is this?”

  She met his eye, an edge of panic still in hers. He hoped he could communicate that he was on her side with a quick look, but he wasn’t sure she’d gotten the message.

  She swallowed and said, “This is Omar Velasquez. He owns an empire of avocado farms in Mexico.”

  “Mexico, huh?” Tyler focused on the Hispanic man. “What are you doing here?”

  Omar regarded him coolly, and Tyler didn’t like the sharpness in the man’s gaze. “I have two operations here, so I come from time to time.”

  “No, I meant at this hospital gala.” Tyler could be cool too. Could be cruel, actually. He felt himself slipping into his poker persona, and he struggled to pull himself out of it. He hated how easy it was to go back to that person, to calculate every move someone made and use that to predict what they might do next.

  “I am invited to many things,” he said, switching his attention back to Tawny. “What are you doing here?”

  “Tyler donated to the new children’s wing,” she said, her voice a bit too high. Tyler didn’t move a muscle, and Omar didn’t either. He clearly had experience dealing with high-pressure situations, whereas Tawny did not.

  “I’m here with him,” she continued, her chin lifting and her voice settling to normal. “We’re engaged, Omar.” She leaned forward the slightest bit while Tyler tried to figure out what had just happened. “To be married.”

  That got an reaction from Omar, whose gaze flew back to Tyler, anger and jealousy and a dozen other unpleasant emotions storming across his face now. Tyler secured his poker face into place, determined not to show this man that this engagement was as new to him as it was to Omar.

  “To be married?” A woman put her hand through Tyler’s free arm, and he turned to face the event organizer and hospital public relations manager. Paula practically purred her next words in his ear. “Is this why you called to make sure I wouldn’t make a big deal out of your appearance?”

  She looked at Tawny and practically ate her up. A lesser woman would’ve wilted under all the scrutiny, but Tawny stood straight and tall, her hand in his not too tight, her face open and still a bit afraid.

  “Yes,” he said stiffly, leaning a bit closer. “And we’d like a table away from this gentleman, please.”

  Paula focused on Omar next, and she moved her hand from Tyler’s arm to his, saying, “Omar, you look fabulous. Let me show you where you’re sitting.” She swept him away, though he cast a long, lethal look back to Tawny and Tyler.

  The anxiety in Tyler’s muscles deflated, and he sagged against the wall. “Wow,” he said for the second time that night, this time for a completely different reason than earlier.

  “I’m so sorry,” Tawny said. “I didn’t know what to say.” She cast a quick glance to where Paula was still towing Omar away from them. “He’s my ex-boyfriend. Well, he wanted me to marry him, and I had to leave Cancun to get away from him. Then he followed me here, and I haven’t seen him in months, but he’s relentless. I thought if, maybe if….”

  Tyler shook his head and held up his hand. “I need a minute to think.” He wasn’t sure what he didn’t understand, only that she was talking so fast, and he just needed her to stop. A cool breeze touched his face, and he zeroed in on the balcony doors that had just been opened. “Let’s go outside.”

  He snagged a flute of champagne from a tray as he passed, knowing he wouldn’t drink the fruity alcohol. But it looked the part if he carried it, so he’d do that. As he left behind the stuffiness of the ballroom, he had a sinking feeling he’d be doing a lot of pretending and fulfilling a part in the coming days.

  Because “Engaged?” came out of his mouth as soon as he’d reached the railing and made sure he and Tawny were isolated from the rest of the party goers.

  “It just came out,” she said. “I didn’t want him to think we were, you know, a one-time thing.” She wrung her hands for several seconds before planting both palms on the railing in front of her.

  The ocean in front of them continued rolling in, then out, despite Tyler feeling like the entire earth had been knocked off its axis.

  “Why would it matter if we were a one-time thing, or dating, or engaged?” After all, she’d skipped a lot of steps.

  She sighed and leaned into the railing, her own gaze on the waves. “He told me when he followed me here that he would never stop pursuing me. Not until I married someone else.” She sounded absolutely miserable, and Tyler really disliked that. He’d worked hard to make sure this night would be magical for her. Well, he’d booked Hank and the limo, dry cleaned his best tux, and made that call to Paula. Still, it was more than Tyler normally did in a whole week, so he felt like he’d at least tried.

  “You’re afraid of him,” Tyler said.

  “Yes.”

  “Have you filed a complaint with the police?”

  “He doesn’t….” She exhaled violently. “He’s very well acquainted with the law. He never does anything beyond the scope of the law. He’s just…scary, and relentless, and…I’m sorry.” She twisted toward him, her beautiful face filled with anxiety and her eyes glassy with tears. “I’m sorry.”

  Everything inside Tyler melted. “It’s fine, Tawny.” He gathered her into his arms and they stood, watching the waves, each lost inside their own thoughts, until the announcement was made that dinner would begin in five minutes.

  He had no idea what to do with a fiancée, fake or not. She wasn’t wearing a ring, and Omar hadn’t demanded to see it. Once back inside the ballroom, he found Paula standing at one of the front tables, gesturing for him to come sit up there.

  So he put on the poker face again and led Tawny through the maze of tables to the one where Paula wanted him. “Forgive me,” she whispered as he sat down, and Tyler’s stomach fell to the floor.

  She moved to the mic and officially began the festivities. Waiters appeared with food, and Tyler only had a moment to lean over to Tawny and whisper, “She’s going to call us up on stage later. Get your game face on.”

  The panic and terror coursing through her eyes wasn’t the game face Tyler had been imagining, but he got drawn into a conversation with the Japanese businessman on his right and had to play his part too.

  The dinner dishes disappeared, and he put his head together with Tawny as strawberry cheesecake and other assorted desserts made an appearance. “I called and asked her not to call me up on stage, but now that she’s learned we’re engaged, she has to do it.”

  “Why?” Tawny whispered.

  Tyler smiled like he was having a fun, flirty conversation with his girlfriend. Until Omar, that was exactly how this night had felt. He’d liked it. Had been trying to figure out how to see Tawny again even though he’d said there would be no strings attached.

  “She’s a huge gossip,” Tyler said, gently brushing a strand of Tawny’s hair off her face. Their eyes locked, and while she looked anxious still, that powerful pulse that existed between them roared to life too. “This is big news for her,” he said, his whisper a bit too breathy.

  If Tawny noticed, she didn’t indicate as much. “We can break up later,” she said. “Any time you want. No big deal.”

  Tyler nodded, though he hadn’t even been thinking about breaking up. Quite the opposite, in fact. “We’ll probably need to be together for a few weeks after this,” he said, suddenly glad she’d invented this engagement. Now he didn’t have to figure out how to ask her out again.

  She agreed, tucking her hand into his. “I’m sorry,” she said again, and he really wished she’d stop apologizing. “I hope this doesn’t make your life too difficult.”

  “Tawny, I surf every mor
ning. Throw a Frisbee to my dog about lunchtime, and then chill in the hammock until I can justify it’s time to go to dinner.” He met her eye again, something hot burning through him now. “This isn’t going to make any of that harder.”

  Gratitude painted her expression, and she leaned into him. “Thank you. Hopefully, Omar will only be on the island for a couple of weeks. Then we can go our separate ways.”

  Tyler reached way down deep for his courage, the kind he’d needed to walk away from his lucrative career in professional poker, the stuff he’d relied on when he’d approached Wayne and told him to make an offer on Tyler’s half of the online empire they’d built together.

  “About that,” he started. “I was thinking about—”

  “So let’s bring him up! Tyler Rigby, get up here with your fiancée!”

  He spun toward the stage, where Paula wore an exuberant smile, not a stitch of regret anywhere to be found.

  “Show time,” he mumbled as he stood. He buttoned his suit coat to thunderous applause and extended his hand to help Tawny find her footing in those tall heels. With her hand secure in his, he started for the steps. A quick glance at her showed a very able actress, and another rush of affection for this new addition to his life flowed through him.

  Hours later, he finally made it behind the tinted glass of the limousine, the interviews over, the questions done, the event finished. It was much later than eleven o’clock, the time he’d promised Tawny they could make a tactful exit. She hadn’t complained at all, but stood at his side and said a few words when asked a direct question.

  He leaned back into the seat and loosened his bowtie as another sigh leaked from his mouth. He’d never been so exhausted. Of course, he hadn’t had to be so on in a long time. Talking and smiling and being so politically perfect was a far cry from paddling out to a good wave or rocking to the symphony of wind in the hammock.

  “And to think I used to do that constantly,” he murmured.

  Tawny responded by tucking herself into his side and saying, “You were brilliant. There won’t be any negative articles about you this time.”

  Achievement unlocked, he thought, too tired to respond. He managed to walk Tawny to her door and give her a hug that lingered maybe a few seconds too long. He wanted to kiss her, but the idea had entered his head about two blocks from her house, and he was nowhere near prepared to make that move.

  They’d left the reporters behind miles ago, so he didn’t have to worry about keeping up appearances. Still, he wanted his first kiss with her to be authentic and private. He would not do it for show, which meant he better find a way to get it done before he had to.

  But it wasn’t gonna happen tonight, and she gave him a soft smile and slipped behind closed doors, leaving him to head home to his house alone.

  Alone.

  He’d been alone for six years. In so many ways, he loved his independence. He ate what he liked, got up when he wanted, did whatever tickled his fancy that day. But in other ways, like entering a silent house with only a single light burning in the small kitchen, he acknowledged that he’d like someone to share his life with.

  So though it was late, and they’d just spent hours together, Tyler pulled out his phone and sent Tawny a text. Thank you for going with me. You made an unbearable event

  He paused, trying to find the right word. He had feelings for Tawny, and he didn’t think he’d been too shy about showing them. But now, he didn’t want to give too much away. Why it mattered, he wasn’t sure.

  Everyone out there thought they were engaged.

  So he finished his text with the word fun and sent it. She didn’t respond before he got his luxury clothes off and collapsed into bed.

  He woke several hours later, the sun streaming through his blinds, and his phone screaming out a call. “Yeah?” he answered without looking at the caller ID.

  “You’re engaged?” His mother’s voice practically reached through the phone lines and choked him.

  He sat up, his head pounding as the events from last night zoomed through his mind.

  “Tyler David Rigby,” she said, pulling out the middle name. All the way from Queens, he could feel her wrath. “You start talking right this second. Who is Tawny Loveless and why am I reading about you and her for the first time on the Internet?”

  Chapter Six

  Tawny rolled over the following morning, a soft, marshmallowy feeling in her bones. Last night had been a roller coaster of feelings, but once dinner had started and the engagement had been announced, it was just like acting. She’d grown up doing community theater and high school drama, and she’d thought she’d done a pretty decent job last night.

  Today, though, she needed to get down to business.

  She had a late-morning yoga class and then she was free for the rest of the day. So she reached for her phone to text Tyler. She saw he’d messaged last night, and she smiled at his gratitude. He was so different than what she’d been imagining these past few months.

  Yes, he was tall and handsome. Rich. But he was kind too. Thoughtful. Sensitive. But powerful when he needed to be. Charming as if he didn’t even have to try. He was almost too good to be true, and she wondered what secrets he’d left behind in New York City when he’d come to Getaway Bay.

  We should probably get some facts straight. How we met, how long we’ve been dating. That kind of thing.

  She sent the message and went to shower for her class. She got ready and ate a protein bar for breakfast, constantly checking her phone. Tyler had not responded. He’d said he was up at dawn to surf, but he was also laid back and probably didn’t have a strict routine either.

  So she put the unanswered text from her mind and headed to her beach yoga class. She didn’t know where Tyler lived, and she wouldn’t show up unannounced even if she did. No, the old Tawny would’ve done that, and she wasn’t going down that path anymore.

  With a sinking feeling in her chest, she realized the old Tawny would’ve done exactly what she’d done that morning: Text Tyler about getting together again so they could perpetuate their fake engagement.

  She groaned. “Shouldn’t have done that,” she muttered to herself as she spread her mat on the warming sand. She should’ve waited for him to contact her. After all, he was the one who would have to deal with the press, not her. He was the one who needed the right facts.

  But she hadn’t asked him out. She’d simply said they should get some details of their relationship in place. Nothing wrong with that, she told herself.

  Her phone chimed, but she couldn’t get to it as a larger than normal group of women appeared and Tawny set about helping them get ready for the class to begin. Fifteen minutes in, her phone started ringing and wouldn’t stop. As soon as one call went to voice mail, another one would fill the air.

  Tawny finally silenced her phone, wanting to chuck it into the ocean. When the entire Women’s Beach Club showed up with ten minutes left in the class, Tawny decided to end it early.

  Something big was going on, judging by the range of emotions on her friend’s faces. Stacey looked slightly amused. Esther like she’d just run over Tawny’s dog and didn’t want to tell her. A squinty look of disbelief sat on Winnie’s face, and Sasha couldn’t stop smiling.

  “Thanks, everyone,” she said. “Great job this morning.” As the customers started to move away, the Beach Clubbers closed in.

  “What?” Tawny bent and pulled a towel from her bag.

  She had her face covered when Stacey said, “So you and Tyler are getting married, huh?”

  The towel fell, fell, fell to the ground as Tawny stared at the printout Stacey held in front of her face.

  RECLUSIVE BILLIONAIRE/POKER PRINCE COMES OUT OF HIDING TO ANNOUNCE ENGAGEMENT screamed across the top of the page in big, black, bold letters.

  Tawny sucked in a breath and emitted a moan as she exhaled. She ripped the paper from Stacey’s grip and said, “This is bad.”

  “Did you think it would stay a secret?” Esther asked,
slight anger coloring her tone.

  “Well, no, but—” She hadn’t expected it to be front page news in less than twelve hours. Tyler wasn’t a celebrity—at least according to him. She also hadn’t considered him a recluse, though to the rest of the world, she supposed he was.

  “You guys must’ve really hit it off,” Sasha said, pure glee on her face. “I want to hear all about it.”

  “It’s fake,” Winnie said, a little too loud.

  “Shh,” Tawny said at the same time Stacey did. She glanced around, but the few tourists on the beach didn’t care about her love life.

  “Fake or not, I want to hear about it.” Sasha opened her beach chair and sat down, an expectant look in her dark honey-colored eyes.

  “Now?” Tawny felt a measure of the same panic now that had infected her last night.

  Stacey dropped to the sand too, one eyebrow cocked as if to say you can’t get fake engaged and then not tell. Sit and speak, sister.

  Tawny wadded up the article without reading any of the body text and settled on her mat to tell the tale.

  By the time she finished, Tyler still hadn’t texted. He’d no doubt seen the article and was doing some major damage control.

  That was what she’d been reduced to: Damage control.

  She sighed, sure she was going to be burnt as she hadn’t put on any addition sunscreen. Sure, she spent hours in the sun, on the sand, but she always protected her skin. Her mouth was dry too, and she got up with the words, “I need a drink.”

  At Two Coconuts, she didn’t even have to tell Mo what she wanted. Her two favorite drinks were staples on his menu, and he’d look at her and say, “Today’s a cherry day,” and make her fizzy cherry limeade with extra lime flavoring and double the real lime wedges. Or he’d cock his head to the side with the statement, “Feeling blue? Comin’ right up.” Then he’d make her blue raspberry lemon-lime concoction, with just one pump of coconut flavoring.

  Today, he gave her the cherry limeade, and she wondered if that was because he knew about her recent fake engagement and how it got her heart beating faster or because her face looked like a boiled lobster from all the sun.