Reid threw up his hands and staood from the chair. “I feel like I’ve seen them all, Vivi. They are all very lovely women, but really, I just don’t know how you can tell they are honest and not just in if for my money. How can you be certain?” He paced the room. He motioned to the small bar in the corner and Vivi nodded an okay for him to mix a drink.
She declined one for herself. When he returned with a glass two fingers full of scotch, he seated himself, a bit calmer now. “Look. One more time, okay? After this I’m done. I’ll just stay home and wallow in my riches.” Reid cracked a smile at this, causing his green eyes to twinkle. He ran his fingers through his salt and pepper hair and cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. That really isn’t funny.” Reid sat down his glass and straightened his tie.
He was the kind of guy any girl would want, even without his riches. He was tall and muscular in an offhanded way—like he got his muscles by doing activities instead of spending hours in the gym. His hair had started to go gray a couple years ago, despite his being relatively young. He had decided against combatting it and just let it do its thing. The results were wonderful; he had graying at his temples and an almost white streak in the front. Paired with his perfectly tailored suit and three hundred dollar shoes, he cut quite the picture. Vivi couldn’t understand how he was having so much trouble finding the right woman.
Reid almost wished he wasn’t so successful and good-looking. He was fully aware that he was both of these things and they made him a little gun shy of most women. It was hard to tell if they were talking to him because of who he was inside, or the person he portrayed on the outside. Maybe Vivi was right. Maybe he was a part of the problem. He raised his head and looked right into her watery blue eyes. “Okay. I think I’m ready. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Vivi smiled and turned to her computer. She began naming women and reading profiles, but Reid dismissed them one by one. Some he had dated and some just didn’t appeal to him. A small icon appeared on Vivi’s screen. There was a new applicant to the site. She clicked on it and opened it up. The woman pictured looked wholesome and fun. Better yet, she looked down to earth and not the kind of snobbish woman usually portrayed. This one actually smiled in her photo instead of striking a seductive pose like a piece of bait. Vivi quickly read the profile to herself before looking at Reid. She had paired him with nearly every girl she had. Maybe it was time to stir things up.
“I’ve got you one. Her name is Paloma June.”
“What kind of name is that?”
“A very unique one.” Reid leaned over, trying to get a good view of the profile. Vivi turned her screen away from his prying eyes. “Not this time, tiger. We are going to do things a bit differently this time. You do not get to know anything about her except that her name is Paloma. I will email her and set up the date. All you have to do is show up. This way there will be no preconceived notions about either of you. I’ll make sure it is someplace you can dress down and be yourself.”
Reid looked skeptical. “Where did this girl come from?”
“Why don’t you let me worry about that? Trust me, this is going to be unlike any of the others. This girl could be the one, Mr. Winslow.”
Reid cocked his eyebrow. “So you want me to go on what is essentially a blind date? You want to pick the venue and you want me to play just the normal guy?”
“Within reason. She may know who you are when she learns your name, but it may not matter. This girl is a hard worker with legitimate dreams. She has her future planned out. It seems the only thing she is lacking is someone to share it with. This is where you come in.
After Paloma, if it doesn’t pan out, you can leave the service. I will gracefully back out.” Vivi crossed her fingers under her desk. She didn’t usually just push a new profile on a customer; if fact, there was usually a pretty in depth background check since she catered to more upscale clients. She was hoping this wasn’t one of those who joined on a whim thinking this was your everyday dating site. Lovers.com was pretty exclusive.
Reid had been quiet throughout her reverie. He rubbed at the slight bit of stubble on his chin before running his hands through his hair. “Okay,” he said quietly. “I don’t particularly care for the blind date idea, but they say doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of crazy. I’m a lot of things, but I do like to think I’m sane enough.”
Vivi smiled at him. “Wonderful! I will send out an email to Miss June right away and see if she is available this weekend. When is a good time for you?”
“Friday evening if possible. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll at least still have my weekend to look forward to. Maybe I’ll take a day trip to Tahiti.”
“You see, these are the kinds of things you can’t say in front of women. I kind of want to date you myself.” Vivi laughed. Reid joined her, knowing she was joking. Vivi was a very happily married lady. A little flirting never hurt anyone though. “Okay, Mr. Winslow,” she said, standing. “I will be in touch with you this week when I find out more from Miss June. I look forward to hearing about a date going well for once.” Reid took her hand and shook it gently.
“It would be quite a change. Here’s hoping,” he said, draining the glass. He grabbed his hat and left the office.
Vivi sat back behind her desk and scrolled through Paloma’s background. Reid was going to be surprised when Paloma walked into the date. She hoped he would see the same potential she did.
Taking a deep breath, she looked at the picture and said, “You’re my last hope for him, Paloma June. Please don’t be like all the others.”
Chapter 7
Paloma didn’t recognize the number. Excitedly, she grabbed the phone, expecting it to be an offer to interview for a job.
“Miss June,” the voice on the other end said.
“Speaking.”
“Wonderful. My name is Vivi. I am the head and moderator of Lovers dot com. I’d like you to come by the office if you don’t mind. I would like to speak to you.”
Paloma was at a loss for words. What was this all about?
“Will you be able to come today?”
“Um, yeah. Yes. I can come today. What time?”
“Anytime is fine. I will make time to see you.”
Paloma took down the address and hung up the phone. She took a deep breath and pondered why she was being called to the main office. Looking down at her outfit, she decided she would need to look a lot nicer if she were going downtown. She went to change, all the while her head spinning with possibilities.
Vivi had her assistant bring Paloma into the office. The woman was much taller than she had expected, towering over Vivi, who was not short by any standard. “Hello, Miss June,” she said, extending her hand to shake. “I’m Vivi Scarlett, but please, just call me Vivi. Have a seat, please.”
“Only if you promise to call me Paloma,” she said, taking a seat across the desk from Vivi. “I must admit, I was a little surprised to get a phone call from you. I thought this whole thing would be online.”
“Well, yes, that’s generally how it works. We will often do background checks and dig into the person’s life to see how honest their profiles are. However, I have a special client I wish to take care of and I want to offer you an unprecedented chance to go out with him.”
Paloma squirmed a little in her chair. While her profile wasn’t a flat out lie, there were a few little places where they had shifted the truth.
“Why me?” Paloma asked, feeling more uncomfortable by the minute.
Vivi stood and walked around the desk. She leaned back on it, taking on a relaxed pose. “The truth is, he has gone out with nearly every girl on the site and has not found one to his liking. You are unlike every other girl on the site. For one, your look is more exotic, but you are also more down to earth than they are. I’ve read over your profile and it stands out in a way the others don’t because your life goals seem to be much simpler than theirs. He just needs someone who will listen to him
and appreciate him for the man he is. I’m not sure why the others can’t handle such an easy task.”
“You mean, you think I will treat the man with respect and like a normal human being?”
“Yes, exactly. If you are up for the task. He would like to meet with you this Friday evening if you are free. Can you do that?”
Paloma grinned, her dark eyes sparkling. “I think I can manage that.”
“Great, let’s find a good place for you to meet.” They spent the next twenty minutes nailing down a time and place for the first date. Vivi informed Paloma that it would be like a blind date, but not to worry, Mr. Winslow was a very nice man. “Here, I will get you a picture of him so you know who to look for. He will always be there early, it’s just his style. If you are an early arriver too, that’s perfect, but try to be on time this once so he can settle into the surroundings and he will be there before you are.” Vivi handed Paloma a photo she had printed from his profile. Paloma was instantly taken with the sad look on Reid’s face.
“He looks so downtrodden,” she observed. “I guess it’s up to me to put a smile on that face, right?”
“That’s what I’m hoping.” Paloma ran her fingers over the photo. Besides the sad green eyes, the man was incredibly good-looking. She was thrilled that he wasn’t some young punk or old grandpa type. He looked to be about her age, which was wonderful.
“Now, you go ahead and take that with you so you will know who you are looking for when you get to the restaurant.” Vivi stood again and extended her hand. “Thank you for being so cooperative. I hope it all works out for the both of you. Mr. Winslow deserves to have a good woman in his life. If my judge of character is worth anything, I would say you are a fine woman indeed.”
Paloma shook Vivi’s hand again, forcing her eyes to stay on the other woman’s. Inside she was feeling like she had betrayed herself and everything she stood for by telling her little half-truths on her profile, but she couldn’t back out now. There was no way.
“Thank you so much,” she told Vivi, then turned to leave the office. As she walked toward the subway station, she glanced back at the picture. “Oh, girl, what have you gotten yourself into?” she asked herself quietly. Tucking the picture into her bag, she walked through the turnstiles and toward her platform. She was both excited and apprehensive about telling Kit. What would her friend think? Did it really matter? She shook it off just as her train arrived.
“You have a date!” Kit exclaimed. “Just like that, you sign up and, boom, you are hooked up with some millionaire?”
“I don’t know if he’s a millionaire. All I know is his name and what he looks like,” she replied, handing the photo to Kit. Her friend scrutinized the photo for a long time without speaking. “Well?”
“Well, he doesn’t look like a serial killer, so I guess there’s that.” Paloma sighed and snatched the photo back from Kit. “Hey! Okay, look, I’m sorry. How can I help you get ready for your date? When is it? What other girl pal things can I ask you to help you out?”
Paloma gave Kit a sidelong glance. “You are an absolute ass, you know that. I ought to come down there and kick that ass to kingdom come.”
Kit smirked, her signature look. “Sweetie, please, you couldn’t handle this ass. I have a mind to come up there and mess up that pretty face of yours. If I could reach it.” Both women broke into peals of laughter. “Seriously though, I’m sorry. What can I do to help?” Kit and Paloma dug through closets and makeup bags, putting together the perfect outfit. The date wasn’t for two more days, but Paloma wanted to, needed to, be ready. She hadn’t been on a decent date in some time, and never one with a successful man like Reid Winslow, even if she didn’t know exactly what he did.
“I think I’m as prepared as I’m going to get until Friday night.” Paloma told Kit the name of the restaurant they had chosen and shared her doubts about the blind date aspect. It wasn’t really happening how she expected, but that was life. She just had to make it through the next two days looking for jobs, calling about application progress, and so on. Then she could let loose and just have a good night out.
Chapter 8
Reid paced the beautiful parquet floors in his luxury apartment suite. He had just gotten off the phone with Vivi and she had confirmed the date she had set for him and this Paloma June. It certainly was a unique name. His thoughts ran wild with ideas of what she would look like, how she would carry herself.
Did she look as exotic as her name sounded? On one hand, he hoped so; on another, he wasn’t so sure. Reid didn’t know what he wanted in a woman, just so long as what she wanted wasn’t all his money. Trying to take his mind off his impending date, he picked up his phone and called his assistant, Tori.
“Yes, Reid.”
“Tori, do we have any unfinished paperwork, mergers, anything I can work on tonight. My brain is full of hundreds of things and I just need to focus.”
“I’ll see what I can come up with, sir, but you have been working pretty hard lately, I think there is nothing we can’t handle during normal hours.”
“Right, right.” Reid glanced at his watch, realizing it was quite a bit later than he had thought. “I’m sorry, Tori. I didn’t mean to call so late. Please disregard my question and have a nice evening with your family. I will see you tomorrow.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” he answered, and hung up the phone. He forgot that not everyone was a single workaholic like he was. Tori, for instance, had a loving husband and two small children at home. Right now she was probably in the middle of combing out tangled hair from bath time and putting those little girls in nightgowns, or reading them bedtime stories. He could kick himself for being so careless.
His heels clicked on the shined floors as he resumed pacing. It was hot in here, or maybe it was just him about to panic. Why was he so anxious about this date? It wasn’t like he didn’t go on dates; he went on dates all the time. Maybe it was just that he really wanted this one to work out so he could stop going on dates. Reid loosened his tie and fell into a chair. Closing his eyes, he let his imagination run wild. In it he could see himself scooping children out of the bath and reading them stories in bed. That was what he wanted. Those were the riches he couldn’t achieve.
The man had everything a man in his early thirties could want. He had this wonderful big city apartment in a great neighborhood, a successful business, a vacation home up in the mountains, cars that teenage boys wet themselves over, yet he didn’t have the one thing he wanted, the one thing money could probably buy, but shouldn’t.
Standing, he moved to the window of his front room. From this height, he had an unobstructed view of most of the city. Lights twinkled for miles and miles around him, giving the whole thing a surreal glow. Surely with thirteen million people in this city, and at least half of them women, he would be able to find one who would love him for him and not the number of zeros in his checking account.
Not feeling like sleeping, but unable to focus on anything else, Reid grabbed the duffel bag out of his room and left his apartment. When he was restless, there was always one thing that would help him clear his head. It was time for a good old fashioned muscle burning workout. He jumped in his favorite car, a classic, fully rebuilt GTO, and sped off towards his personal workout facility.
He had the place built especially for him. There was a weight room and a cardio room, but he rarely went into them. He preferred actual activities. There was a kayaking pool, a lap pool, and, his personal favorite, a climbing wall. Several climbing walls in fact, each with a different level of difficulty and skill needed to complete it.
After changing, he walked to the mid-level wall and attached his harness and rigging. After a few stretches, he chalked his hands and jumped on the wall. The muscles in his fingers were strong and he gripped the wall like he was born to do it. Swinging, jumping, pulling, and twisting finally brought him to the top of the wall where he sat, dripping sweat, and surveyed his surroundings. Even at the gy
m he was alone. It was always Reid in the office, at home, the gym.
Always him by himself. He briefly entertained the idea of getting a cat so at least he would have some companionship at home, but dismissed it. He was alone because he chose to be alone, in a way. He didn’t go out, he didn’t mingle. It just wasn’t his thing, and he never met anyone of substance when he did. He had given up that life and was about to give up on this one if this date didn’t work out.
Reid turned back around and lowered himself back down the wall, taking it slow and really stretching his muscles as he went. At the bottom, he looked back up at the obstacle he had overcome and shook his head. There was nothing Reid Winslow couldn’t do when he put his mind to it. It was time to prove that to himself again. Friday he would go on a date, he would enjoy himself, and he would attempt to be just a normal guy, not a multi-millionaire. Easy enough, right?
***
Paloma looked at the phone, willing it to ring. Any job, anything would be good. She wondered if she went back to the diner and begged on her knees, if Jerry would give her old job back. She didn’t really want it, it wasn’t worth the harassment she had to face, but at least she had some money. Even just a little.
Kit came in the house from work, taking off her jacket and hanging her bag by the door. “Hey, girl. Still nothing?” Paloma shook her head no. “Big date tomorrow, right?” This time a nod. “I think you should have this,” Kit said, handing Paloma a handful of bills. “It’s a hundred bucks. Before you start to protest and try to give it back, let me explain. You are going on a date. You are going out with a man you don’t know, one you have never seen or met before. You should, at the very least, have an emergency fund in case something goes wrong. Cab fare or something. In a perfect world, you should buy your own food and drinks, just to be safe, though I know you like to be treated so that probably won’t happen. Just take it, please, even if you don’t spend it. Keep it with you. You can pay me back later. I just want to make sure you are safe and taken care of.”
The Billionaire's Mistaken Match ( A BWWM Romance) Page 3
