Indebted: Part 2: The Virgin & The Bad-Boy Billionaire (A BWWM Billionaire Romance)

by Sadie Black

  I’m debating whether I should get up and pull the phone from her hand when she joins me at the table. She avoids my eyes as I start rambling, “thank you for meeting up with me, I’m so sorry.”

  She purses her lips into a long, thin line. I knew it! She’s not going to forgive me. I’m not sure that I would forgive me either. I’ve known Brianna for years, she’s the closest thing that I’ve ever had to a sister. Then as soon as I saw her with Matthew, I automatically assumed the worst. A small part of me knows that I jumped to conclusions so quickly because I’m jealous of her.

  She takes a deep breath and I steel myself for her temper, but when she finally looks into my eyes my insides churn. It isn’t anger staring back at me, it’s pain. “Look, Kendra, I’m not gonna sit here and tell you that I’m not upset, ok? I’ve gotta say; it hurt that you thought I’d try to steal your man. I’ve never done anything like that in my entire life. What made you think I’d start that shit with you? Do you think I’m that girl?”

  “No! I don’t. It has nothing to do with you. It’s me. I’ve just been looking so hard for flaws, for something to be wrong, that as soon as I saw the smallest thing, my mind pounced on it. I’m sorry Brianna.” I reach for her hand, but she recoils like a firing pistol.

  “You need to stop with that shit. Every masterpiece has cracks in it, Kendra. Are you gonna stare at the cracks? Or enjoy the damned painting?”

  She’s right. I felt like I was enjoying the masterpiece once before in my life, back when my father was alive and my family was happy. I watched the cracks start to form when the car accident took him from us. Once Mama had her heart attack, I stopped looking for the beauty in everything.

  “I know, I’m so sorry. I just saw you holding his hand, and something in my mind just snapped. I thought you two were talking about sneaking around together. I shouldn’t have been listening in at all. I... I don’t have a good excuse for how I acted. I was a damned fool.”

  I stare into my black coffee for absolution. Can I blame her if she doesn’t forgive me? After everything she’s done for me over the years, no, I can’t blame her at all. The idea of losing my best friend stings my eyes with tears.

  “I know you’re sorry. I’m not going to say that it’s ok, but I’ll get over it.” She pats my hand and relief soars through me, easing the tightness in my chest. “So, you and Matthew worked it out then?” she knits her eyebrows together as her golden brown eyes soften.

  “I guess you could say that,” I answer slyly. She still doesn’t even know about my first time with Matthew, let alone the hot sex we had all over my apartment.

  “Good, so what did he tell you?”

  My heart sinks, why is she confirming his story? Knowing how I already almost ruined everything with my skepticism, I bite the inside of my cheek and swallow my suspicion. “He told me that he loves me,” I say matter-of-factly.

  “Oh, Kendra! I’m so happy for you!” Brianna squeals loud enough that other patrons turn and give us stern looks.

  “Shhh,” I laugh, “I’m happy too. It’s just so sudden though. It’s all kinda confusing to be honest.”

  “What’s so confusing?”

  “It’s just moving so fast. I’m not used to any of this drama, I guess.”

  “That’s what happens when you live like Mother Teresa for twenty-six years,” she teases. “Did he tell you anything else? Like about his past?”

  “Oh, yeah, he told me all about Marjorie. I guess her being kinda psycho runs deeper than I thought, huh?”

  “Marjorie?”

  Matthew told me that he was talking about Marjorie when I walked in on the two of them in deep conversation the other day. The confusion in her eyes is telling me a different story than the one he told me.

  “Uh, yeah. His ex-fiance?”

  “Oh ok. Yeah right. Her.” She fidgets.

  “Brianna, what were you guys talking about the other day?”

  She squirms in her seat, picking at her nails. “I can’t get into it. Kendra, his past is complicated. That’s all I can say.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I feel my blood rush to my ears and a tinny taste coat the back of my tongue. Did he lie to me yesterday?

  “Hey, calm down. I’ll tell you what it doesn’t mean,” the edge in her tone is razor sharp, “it doesn’t mean that you have anything to worry about. He’s in love with you. And only you.” She gives me a hard stare that lands like a slap in the face. I deserve her pointed comments after accusing her of sleeping with him.

  “I’m sorry, I just... I just don’t like being in the dark.”

  “Whoa wait a second, hold up, you’re trying to tell me that you have some control issues? I’m just not sure that I can wrap my brain around that,” she smiles as she pokes at me. “And here I thought you were such a free-spirit with your micromanaged schedule and your ten year plan.”

  “Alright, I get it,” I laugh. “So I’m not good at handing over the reigns, I guess.”

  “Trust me, I know. You just need to trust that I wouldn’t keep anything from you if it would hurt you. Matthew is a good guy, Kendra. A good guy who loves you. You just need to give him some time to open up. I know he will. In the meantime, start enjoying the fact that Matthew fucking Blackwell is in goddamned love with you.” She’s starting to get a few pointed stares from other coffee drinkers in here again. You’d think this was a library, not a Starbucks.

  “Shhh, I do. I am.”

  “How much are you enjoying it?” She prods. I know exactly what she’s getting at. Brianna has never approved of my decision to wait before losing my virginity, I can see that she’s hoping I finally gave it up.

  “He makes sure I’m enjoying him in every way.” I lower my voice just above a whisper.

  “I knew it! You guys totally fucked didn’t you?” Ok, everyone heard that! I try to disappear under the table as the people surrounding us suddenly look a lot more interested in our conversation.

  “Brianna! Good God, put out an ad will ya?” I try to avoid the eyes of nosy strangers. “Yes, we made love,” she snorts at my choice of words, “and it’s been incredible. I know it sounds lame, but I feel different too.”

  “How do you mean?” Brianna finishes her tea in one gulp and waits for me to figure out what I’m trying to say.

  “I don’t mean in that star-eyed way, like how you were when you slept with big, dumb Joe.”

  “Hey now! I was only seventeen, cut me some slack. Remember when I told you he was my destiny? Oh my god, I was so innocent then,” she laughs.

  “Exactly, I don’t mean like that. I guess I feel different in the way that I know I’m just growing up. I feel like this is one more step into adulthood. I mean, I’m graduating soon, I’m dating, I have an amazing job interview tomorrow… it just seems like things are really coming together, you know?”

  “Job interview? Where?”

  “At a place called Bravark, in their marketing department. Can you imagine? It would be so perfect. I keep telling myself not to get too excited. I just need to look at this as a great opportunity, but if it doesn’t work out it will still be excellent interview practice.”

  “Kendra, listen to yourself! Get excited! Be happy! You’re not going to jinx anything if you actually let yourself enjoy life for a bit. It sounds like you’re just looking at everything like they’re boxes to tick off. Diploma? Check! Man? Check! Job? Check! I mean, come on!”

  “There’s nothing wrong with having goals, is there?” I hold my tongue before I get into my usual counter argument about how living by Brianna’s mantra of ‘being young and having fun’ can only last for so long.

  “No, there’s nothing wrong with goals and all that. But, Kendra, listen,” she grabs my hand tight and looks me straight in the eyes for the first time since she’s sat at the table, “you need to remember to live too.”

  “Live? What are you even talking about, of course I’m living,” my dry laugh hangs awkwardly in the air while as she chews
on her lip. I know that face, she always does that when she isn’t sure how to say something to me.

  “What is it?” I give her hand a squeeze, beginning to worry about her silence.

  “It’s just… I’m your best friend, so I say this with nothing but love, ok?” I nod; this isn’t off to a great start. “I know you feel a burden on your shoulders to do well because you don’t want to let down your Mama up there,” she points to the ceiling.

  My eyes sting as the edges blur with tears, “for both of them,” I mutter to my empty coffee cup.

  “Yeah, for your Dad too. I get it, ok? And you’re doing amazing! But you’re so focused on that finish line that your life is blazing past you and you aren’t even living it. These moments, like Matthew and graduating and the job interview, they aren’t just stepping stones on the way to your perfect life up here somewhere,” she waves her hand over her head. “They are your perfect life and you’re missing it because it’s not exactly how you thought it would look on paper.”

  Her words grab me by the shoulders and give me the shake I’m sure she wants to. I close my eyes, is that what I’ve been doing? Matthew’s face floats behind my eyelids, reminding me of how empty my life felt before he strolled into it. Brianna’s right, I’ve lived more since I’ve met him than I have in the last twenty-six years put together.

  I wipe the tears from my cheeks, smiling back at Brianna. “It’s not easy for me.”

  “I know it isn’t, but I don’t want to watch you wake up with twenty years of regrets because you let the best years slip by. Just try to cut yourself some slack, that’s all I’m saying. Just have a little fun.”

  “I will.”

  Chapter 5

  “Did you have any hang-ups with the paperwork?” Ms. Fairbanks, or Vivienne, as she’s insisted I call her, asks me as I hand her the stack of sheets.

  “No, none at all,” I smile. It was arduous to fill out the questionnaires and police records check, but at the same time, it’s exciting to know the company is taking a genuine interest in me.

  She glances at my resume, reading over some sections that have been highlighted in fluorescent pink. Her office is warm and inviting, not the ultramodern space I envisioned. However, so far Bravark has broken all of my preconceived notions. From the bright, funky reception area complete with a full espresso bar to the on-site daycare, it’s clear that this is an unconventional company.

  Vivienne’s office feels more like a living room than a workspace. The ceiling high book shelves and the lounge chairs surrounding the oval coffee table that serves as her desk don’t give the clinical vibe I was prepared for. I have to admit that the casual atmosphere here has thrown me off my game.

  Vivienne slips off her heels and pulls her feet up to her side, leaning into the arm of the chair “So, tell me a little about yourself,” her peach lip gloss shimmers when she smiles. “It says here that you’re finishing your masters in business at Columbia?”

  “Yes, I will be graduating this spring,” my smile feels like an over-starched shirt on my face.

  “Oh, what an exciting time for you!” Her blue eyes twinkle as she cocks her head to the side and twirls her gleaming auburn hair absentmindedly. “I remember when I graduated, I was so happy to be starting a new chapter in my life. I can’t believe that was five years ago already. College is a lot of fun, isn’t it? I met my husband in college,” she reminisces.

  I keep waiting for her to get into the interview, to ask me about my projects or my volunteer work.

  “How about you, Kendra? Have you met anyone serious? I don’t see a ring.”

  The question throws me for a loop as my eyes trail over to her over-sized sparkler weighing down her left ring finger. Are they even allowed to ask questions like that? I squirm in my seat, but no matter which way I sit I can’t get comfortable. Not with the seat, not with Vivienne and not with her question.

  “Oh, I put you on the spot. You don’t have to answer that,” she flips her glossy hair over her shoulder. “It’s just that here at Bravark, we like to get to know potential employees,” she explains, sounding somewhat professional for the first time since I shook her hand.

  “That’s alright. It’s refreshing to learn about a company that takes a genuine interest in candidates.” I hope she’ll start asking me about something less personal than my love life. It was only a couple days ago that Matthew and I starting calling ourselves a couple. It feels premature to be babbling about him to complete strangers.

  “Our corporate culture is that we treat each other like family,” she presses on, “we really care about our employees lives and well-being. Not just how many hours they can clock or how many clients they land.”

  I nod, starting to make sense of the differences between what I was expecting and the reality inside these walls. “That’s a rare quality in the marketplace today,” I smile. Finally, I can feel some of my tension melting as I relax into my seat.

  “In order to create that sort of workplace, we tend to screen potential employees on their personalities and past-times as much as we scrutinize references and portfolios.”

  “Ok, that makes sense. I’m happy that Bravark places so much emphasis on their employee morale.” I finally feel myself loosening up as I give her the first genuine smile since I walked in here. I could get used to working for a company with so much upward mobility and these perks.

  “Oh yes! We certainly do.” She smiles broadly, and her white teeth glint under the lights. “So, all of that being said, let’s get on with the interview, shall we?”

  I sit back up a little straighter, smoothing my hands over the wrinkles in my skirt, preparing myself for the official questions.

  “Great. So, Kendra, are you seeing anyone serious right now?”

  * * * *

  I exit the building’s glass turnstile in a daze. That interview was nothing like what I prepared for. All of my practiced sales pitch answers were useless. From her barrage of personal questions, I didn’t get the impression that Vivienne cared about my education or experience at all. I’m certain that even asking those types questions is against labor laws.

  My head is spinning like the little ballerina in a music box as I try to make sense of the last three hours at Bravark. The company would be an amazing place to get my feet wet in the world of marketing. Between the pay, the benefits and the vibrant atmosphere, it would be a dream come true. But Vivienne’s personal interrogation put me off. I’m not even sure why I sat there answering questions about my love life and my childhood. It’s just that opportunities like this one aren’t exactly kicking my door down.

  The bustling streets of Manhattan can’t compete with my buzzing brain. The people rushing past me could all be mannequins on a conveyor belt with their indistinguishable features blurring past me. My ears are assaulted with a furious blaring horn and the shrill screech of tires as I step off the curb. Suddenly, a strong hand pulls me back to safety as a red SUV comes squealing to a halt in an attempt to avoid killing me.

  I try turning around to thank my rescuer, but he pulls me tight against his torso. The driver screams at me so loud that I can hear every word through his rolled up windows, “you stupid bitch! Watch where the fuck you’re going!” He shakes his hands at me like he’s trying to strangle me from inside his car before deciding that I’m not worth the effort and taking off. I glance up at the Do Not Walk sign, blazing it’s message in bright red. How did I miss that?

  I pull free from my good Samaritan, finally turning around to face him, “Matthew? How did… where did you come from?” He answers my question by wrapping his arms around me and kissing me softly. Being in his arms feels like a safe space in a reckless storm. My body melts into his hard chest as his arms tighten around me, the panic in my chest floats away.

  “Kendra, what are you doing?” He grabs my shoulders and gives them a shake like he’s trying to wake me up from a bad dream, his blue eyes overflowing with concern. “I’ve been calling you for a block now. If I didn�
��t run to catch up with you when I did… what’s going on? Are you ok?”

  “Yeah, I’m just a bit out of it. I’ll be fine.”

  “Well, come with me then. I’ll have a car come pick us up. I obviously can’t trust you to make it home safe on your own,” he kisses me quickly and pulls me back further from the curb protectively as he calls for a car. “Ok, we’re all set. Come with me, we’re meeting my driver up the block here,” he wraps his arm around me, leading the way.

  “Wait, were you following me?” I still don’t understand what just happened here.

  “No, not exactly. I saw you less than a block ago. I was standing at the top of the steps at the Tribecca building, and you breezed right past me. I thought you’d stop when I yelled your name, but you just kept power walking. Why are you in such a hurry anyway?”