Lia’s eyes sparkle with excitement. “You are just full of surprises. Where did he take you on his yacht?”
“We didn’t go anywhere. We didn’t really have a chance to.” I feel a goofy grin move across my lips.
“You guys couldn’t keep your hands off one another long enough to raise the anchor and move the damn boat?”
I shake my head. “No. We spent all of our time mostly on the yacht. But the yacht is like another house. It’s just unreal.”
“So you did it on the yacht?”
My cheeks flush, and Lia just bursts out laughing. “Belle, you can’t hide those rosy cheeks for anything. I have never seen you like this, girl.”
“I’ve never been with a man like Kalin.”
“So is it because the sex is so good, or is this turning into something more?”
“I think it’s a little of both. The sex is incredible. I mean, I have never, and I mean never, felt close to what he makes me feel. He’s like a magician, making orgasms appear at will.” Lia laughs, and I can’t help but laugh with her. Her laugh is so infectious and supportive.
“So he is one of the special guys who can actually give an O?”
“Oh, yes. He has the magic touch.” I hold my hand out to emphasize the point. Lia laughs with me, and it feels so refreshing to just be like this.
“How many?” she asks.
“I have no idea. I lost count after three and four.”
Lia’s mouth is agape. “He’s spoiling you every which way, honey. I wouldn’t let him wander off too far. Men like that are in demand.” She bites her lip and smiles.
I wipe the wetness from my eyes and take a breath. I wish I could stop here, and just relish the innocence. My posture loosens as I sit quietly for a moment.
Lia tilts her head. “What’s wrong?”
I shake my head. “Kalin. He’s really a great guy. But you know, he hasn’t had it easy. It just looks that way.”
“Mr. Hamptons and CEO hasn’t had it easy?”
“No. He was getting married. He had a fiancée who he loved more than anything in this world. She died of cancer a while ago.”
Lia presses her hand to her mouth.
“He’s been through a lot. If that weren’t enough, his company, the board, they tried to get rid of him when he was spending too much time with her. I mean, can you believe that?”
Lia’s mouth drops open and her face crinkles. “You mean when he’s spending time with his fiancée who’s dying, they tried to fire him?”
I glance to the side and grimace. “Can you imagine? When he needed the most support, the most understanding, all they tried to do was take the company from him while he was with her. Fucking monsters,” I add, looking straight at Lia.
“No shit!” she adds with a scowl. “So what’d he do?”
I shake my head slowly. “What could he do? He ignored them, and spent time with her. She was dying, Lia. I mean, he was trying to spend the very last moments with her.” I wipe a tear from the corner of my eye. “It’s so unfair,” I mutter.
“Why, did he lose his job?”
“Well, he owns the company, but they voted him out as CEO. And then they got some corporate shills to replace him. The whole thing is just disgusting.” I glower.
“Jesus, Belle. I had no idea. When did all this happen?”
“It was about eight or nine months ago.”
“He was probably so lonely and hurt. But then he found you,” she says with a soft smile.
I sigh and look away. “I suppose so. I don’t think he’s in love with me or anything like that, Lia. No one could ever replace her. You could just see how much he loved her in his eyes. And then these disgusting executives just use that against him.” My lips flatten. “His priority now is probably getting his company back.”
“Well, he sounds pretty serious about you.”
“I don’t think so. It’s about the company right now. I can’t believe it’s anything more.” I put my head down and sigh. “It’s so complicated.”
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
“It’s like I walked into the middle of something that’s too good to be true. I don’t know if he is interested in me, or if he just misses her and I am some kind of distraction, or if he just wants his company back. It’s all so complicated now, and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, or where I fit in.” I sigh. “And then these executives. For someone like Kalin to be in that world of backstabbing, money-grubbing lowlifes. It’s like watching Prince Charming among sewer rats.” I snort out a laugh, and Lia laughs with me.
“You care about him, don’t you?” Lia asks in a soft tone.
“Of course I do. I don’t see him as just my boss. Not after all this. That’s not all he is to me anymore. But I still don’t know what motivates him or what he wants from me. I mean, look how he hired me. He could be using me, too.”
“Sounds like a good way to get used to me.” She smiles.
“What if I’m falling in love with him, but he’s just using me?” I pout.
“Do you really think he’s that kind of a person?”
“I don’t know. I mean, what if he is one of them—the sewer rats? How would I know? This is what he does, and this is how he made it to the top. Besides, I’ve only known him for three weeks. All I know is that he’s sexy as hell, is incredible in bed, and that he was double crossed by his own company. Beyond that, I am caught up in something way over my head, Lia. I have no idea what I’m doing anymore.”
“Are you falling in love with him?” she asks, leaning slightly closer to me.
“I don’t know. How would I? I’ve never been in love, and even if I am, I’m too guarded to let those feelings out.”
“Why? What are you afraid of?” Lia gazes at me with a concerned expression, and I know I can’t tell her everything.
“After what happened with his fiancée and with his own company, maybe he just doesn’t care anymore,” I say. “Maybe he just wants sex and whatever else I can give him. And then when he’s done with me, he’s going to throw me away.” I nibble at my finger and stare into space for a moment.
“You’re not telling me everything, are you, Belle?”
Dammit, Lia. How does she do that?
I frown at her and sigh. “He can get his company back. But he needs my help. That’s why he hired me. But he also says he has feelings for me. So now I’m not sure if he’s just saying that to get me to do what he wants in order to get the company back, or if he really cares about me.”
“If he wanted to just use someone, he probably wouldn’t have picked you, Belle. You’re too smart. Maybe he really is falling in love with you. It’s not hard to believe,” she says with a soft smile.
“So how do you know? How do you know if a guy is really falling for you, or if he’s just using you?” My expression slackens.
“I’m from New Jersey, Belle. I’ve learned a thing or two about being used. These guys will use you and toss you aside, and then tell their friends what a good fuck you are, or aren’t.” She narrows her eyes at me and I grimace. “The guys in New York are even worse. And the richer they are, the worse it gets.”
“Great,” I smirk.
“You’ve lived in Texas, Belle. You’re a lot more trusting and a lot more innocent. Maybe that is a weakness, or maybe it grabs him. Maybe it’s why he wants you. You don’t care about all the glitz and glamor. Or maybe it gives him an opening to use you. You have to find out.”
“How?”
“There are a few telling signs that guys cannot hide. If he wants to make time for you, even though he’s busy, it’s a sign he loves you. When it’s not all about sex, but he wants to touch you in other ways, like wanting to hold your hand, then he is probably falling for you.”
I stare at my fingers. Oh my God.
“If he opens himself up to you, and makes himself vulnerable to you in some way, like something in his past he’s not proud of, or something that hurt him, or something that ripped his heart ou
t.”
Lia’s eyes dart to the side and back to me. “Some of the really big signs are that he wants to share his wealth with you. That’s very rare, because not only does he trust you, but it shows that you mean more to him than his toys. Most of these high rollers don’t love anyone as much as their toys, and certainly not as much as themselves,” she scoffs.
“How did you learn all this?”
“The movies.” She smirks.
I give her a playful stare.
“Dating them. They can be so caught up in themselves, they don’t remember you from the girl they had week ago. It’s all about their egos.” She gives me a small smile.
“It sounds like the executives Kalin is dealing with.”
Lia laughs. “That is exactly who those douchebags are. I know I judged him pretty fast, Belle, but after what you told me, I don’t think Kalin is like them.”
“Why?” I ask with piqued curiosity.
Lia takes a breath and gathers her thoughts. “Look at relationships that work. My parents. Your parents. People that go through hell and still manage to stay together. It’s because they sacrifice everything for each other. When he loves you more than himself, nothing else matters. Very few guys have that kind of love.” She quirks her mouth at me. “Kalin had that kind of love for his wife.”
“Yeah, he did.” I stare at the floor. “Rebecca. That was her name. She was his fiancée,” I add.
“So that already tells you that he is capable of that kind of love.” She widens her eyes at me with a knowing expression. “And when he told you about her, Rebecca, and what the company tried to do to him, he was being pretty vulnerable.”
I huff. “Maybe, Lia. He has other motives, believe me.”
“What do you mean?”
I pause and look down. “He wants control of the company, and he needs me to do it. I promised him I wouldn’t go over the details with anyone. But this…” I shake my head. “This is huge. This is life-changing huge. He would make himself very vulnerable, and also have no problem shifting some of his wealth to me to make it happen.”
“Oh? He wants to give you some of his money?”
“Yes. And I’m not talking about a fifty-thousand-dollar bonus.”
“How much are we talking about?”
I purse my lips and knot my fingers. “I don’t know if I’m supposed to talk about this. But trust me, you’ll be the first to know when I can. I’m only bringing it up because of what you said about sharing his money. He’s willing to do that, even if I stab him in the back.”
“Look, Belle, I’ve been around a lot of these New York sleazebags. The last thing they want to do is share their cash with you. They might buy you a nice dinner and give you just enough to get what they want out of you, but there is no way on God’s green earth that they are letting you near their wealth. You’re an innocent, sweet Texas girl. Most guys would take advantage of that in a heartbeat. But it doesn’t sound like that’s what Kalin’s doing.
“He shows the telltale signs of someone who is capable of loving someone completely, more than himself and his money. Maybe he just wants his company back now that his plans for marriage are gone. Maybe he even wants more, and he’s using his money to put the pieces of his life back together, if that makes any sense.”
“Yeah, it makes sense. He loved her more than money. He loved her more than his position at the company. He risked it all to be with her. But now that he’s lost her, he wants his company back. And I don’t think he would use me for that. He must have been looking for the right person this whole time to do that. Maybe even someone to love again.” I fiddle with my hands, and I realize I may be talking too much.
“He doesn’t sound like a New York sleazebag to me, Belle. He sounds like a good guy. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the sewer rats from the Prince Charmings in this world. So don’t let your guard down.”
“What if it’s all or nothing, Lia? What if I have to let my guard down, because I have no choice?”
Lia crinkles her brows at me. “You always have a choice.”
I swallow. “This is the part I can’t talk about. But I have to take a chance, or let him go.”
“What do you mean?” Lia asks with a concerned tone.
“Lia, this is huge. That’s why I wanted your advice. You’re such a good friend. I had to ask you.”
“Look, Belle, I had my doubts about him. When he showed up at the door, I mean, obviously he’s gorgeous.” Lia crinkles her brows. “But the car, the money, the house…it all spelled sleazebag.” Lia pauses and runs her fingers over the back of her hand. “But when you told me about his fiancée, and everything he did for her… That sounds like a man to me, sweetheart. You may have hit pay dirt in more ways than one.”
Lia smiles up at me, and I know that she is right. There is no way Kalin would have done all those things for Rebecca if he were a money-grubbing sleazebag. He risked everything to be with her, and it was only when she passed that he turned his attention back to his company. Even then, it was because he wanted his employees to be treated better, and the new board was voting themselves higher pay at their expense. I wipe at the small tears ready to escape from my eyes.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
“I was just thinking about everything Kalin was ready to give up for her, how much he sacrificed for her.”
“Yeah, I know. Prince Charming.”
And then it hits me like a ton of bricks. These executives who stabbed Kalin in the back at his lowest point deserve to have the company wrenched from their greedy hands. My toes are bouncing on the floor and I look up at Lia with wide eyes.
“What’s gotten into you, Belle?”
“So if I can help him take his company back from those back-stabbing monsters, don’t you think I should do it?”
“Hell yeah, girl!” Lia quirks her brows at me and gives me a strong nod.
I shift over to Lia and give her a big hug. “You’re my best friend, and I’m not going to ever forget it.”
“I know, babygirl. I told you I’m here for you. Are you going to tell me what’s up now?”
“No.”
Lia’s jaw drops in an exaggerated expression.
“But soon, Lia. I will tell you soon.” I smile at her and hug her again. “Thank you.”
“Lia wipes her eye and watches me bounce up from the couch. “Boy, you’ve got something big going on.”
“Not a word, Lia.” I bring my index finger to my lips.
Lia holds her hand up. “I’m not sayin’ a word. I don’t know what’s going on anyway.”
Chapter Nine
The next morning I check my phone to find a text from Kalin.
Kalin: I hope you’re considering what we discussed. I would really like an answer from you in in a few days.
A few days? I am getting married and having millions of dollars in stock transferred to me, and he needs an answer in a few days?
Me: What if I don’t give an answer to you in a few days? Can I still see you?
Kalin: I want to see you regardless of all of this. But in order to mitigate further damages to the company and employees, we need to do this sooner rather than later.
Me: How romantic!
I receive a text from my college friend Caitlyn.
Caitlyn: Are we still on for lunch?
In all the craziness, I completely forgot we had a lunch date.
Me: Yes, be there soon!
I rush out of the room. “Lia, can I borrow the car? I have a lunch date that I completely forgot about. I would have taken the bus, but….”
“It’s no problem, Belle. I’m going to be extra good to you from now on.” She smiles between bites of toast and strawberry jam.
“You’ve always been extra good to me, Lia. Like I said, I won’t forget.”
“Sure you don’t want to ask for a ride in a limo?” She smiles, her tongue between her teeth in a playful smile.
I grimace at her.
“Okay.” She throws me her
keys. “Take your time. I’m studying today. I just need the car by seven for work.”
Lia works at a local bar, waitressing. One of the first things I am going to do is make sure she can quit her job and focus on her studies.
I slip on my skinny jeans and a striped linen top. I have a closet full of newer, finer clothes, and I haven’t even put a dent in the bonus. I have no idea what I could do with a few million dollars. I don’t even know how much it is, except that it’s too much to think about.
I drive up to the restaurant, and Caitlyn is waiting for me. Caitlyn was my friend at the University of Texas. We were on the tennis team together until we separated after graduation. We had so many dreams back then, so different from the real world of survival, crushing student loans, and limited employment opportunities usually given to the lowest bidder. I was quickly learning that it was a dog-eat-dog world. I was hoping that Caitlyn was doing much better in her career than I had been. Well, until recently anyway.
Caitlyn is the quintessential southern belle, with gigantic blue eyes and thick blond hair that she has to tame with either an assortment of hair care products or just a ponytail, like today. She smiles and hugs me.
Caitlyn stuns me right out of the gate. “So I’m engaged to my boyfriend from UT,” she says.
My mouth drops open. “Greg Harper?”
“Yeah, it really turned serious after college. He got an engineering position in San Antonio. He asked me to marry him after that.”
“Wow, Caitlyn. That is so wonderful.” I place my hands over hers from across the table, and we go into a tizzy like two schoolgirls. “You two were always so good together.”
“He’s the one, Belle. He is kind, and sexy, and I cannot recall the last time that we even argued. He’s such a sweetheart. And he knows what he’s doing in bed.”
We both giggle at the remark. “That’s major,” I chuckle. “So what about your business consulting job out here?”
“I’m quitting. I’m going to be taking care of…” She pats her tummy, and my eyes bug out of my head.
“You’re pregnant?” I say.
“Yes! I decided I want to raise the baby myself instead of leaving it at a daycare center while I work all day.”
Undeniably His Page 8
