Knocked Up By The Billionaire

by Tasha Fawkes

  She nodded as if she understood, but I saw her fidgeting, her short nails idly tracing one of the sequined patterns on the dress. When she saw me watching her, she stopped and held out her hands.

  “Let me be blunt. I’m a nursing student. I grew up poor, and I still am poor,” she said simply. “Or I was. I don’t like to waste money on frivolous things like this.” She swept her hand down the dress. “I don’t spend my hard-earned money on makeup and I do my hair myself. School and work.” She glanced down at her fingers and offered a shrug. “Long fingernails get in the way.”

  “Don’t worry,” I said. “Cassie will fix you up with some of those French nails or something. You can take them off after tonight.”

  “Who’s Cassie?”

  “A friend of mine. We’ve known each other forever.” I glanced at the clock. Barely ten minutes had passed since I called Cassie. She didn’t live far, but the sooner she got here, the better.

  “So what’s the story I’m supposed to stick to tonight when we meet your dad?”

  I gave her some basic background information about how we supposedly met and where. We’d been dating on and off for the past six months or so, but only during the past couple of months had we grown more serious.

  “That’s it?”

  I nodded. “The simpler we keep the story, the easier it will be to stick to it.”

  Just then a knock sounded on my door, and I quickly rose from the couch, opened it, and smiled as Cassie brushed past me with barely a wave and focused on Dana. She paused at the step, glanced at me, and nodded in approval.

  “My name’s Cassie,” she said, quickly heading for Dana, hand extended. “Come on, girlfriend, we’ve got some shopping to do!”

  *

  I arrived at my dad’s estate sans Dana, hoping that she and Cassie wouldn’t be much longer. I had called Cassie and hour ago to get a status update. She told me that they were running late and she would bring Dana to meet me at my dad’s. Since I’d arrived, I’d studiously avoided him, hovering near the edge of the wet bar as I watched the guests mingle. Typical for one of my dad’s “get-togethers” with about fifty or more people in attendance, everyone dressed to the nines.

  I reached up to loosen the shirt collar beneath my formal tux jacket, feeling like a fraud. Which I was. I nodded greetings and offered pleasantries to many of the guests who acknowledged me, people I had known my entire life. Most of them business friends and associates of my dad’s, but some just old friends not involved in any business dealings.

  The catering staff moved among the guests wearing black pants, long-sleeved white button-down shirts and maroon vests, bearing trays of hors d’oeuvres, wine, and flutes golden with champagne. I turned to the wet bar, glanced at the bartender my dad had hired, and ordered a Scotch. I had promised Dana that I wouldn’t overindulge, and I meant to keep my word, but if anything called for a Scotch, it was now.

  I had to—

  “Brady.”

  I turned to find my dad standing behind me, features somber, a slight frown marring his brow. “Hey, Dad.”

  He made an overt gesture of peering through the crowd. “So where’s this fiancée of yours?”

  “She’s on her way with Cassie.” He nodded, but I could tell he didn’t believe me. I tried to anticipate the look of surprise on his face—

  She entered the room then. Dana. And it was I who had to struggle to maintain my expression. She looked absolutely radiant, transformed even. Not that she hadn’t been beautiful to begin with; she had great bone structure, gorgeous eyes, and perfect lips. But now? My heart trip hammered, and I felt arousal heat my groin. Oh my God. Though I longed to gulp it down, I placed the glass of Scotch down and smiled when she found me. I held out my hand. A perfectly normal reaction, drawing her toward me.

  She stepped toward me with a sensual smile, her body encased in a form fitting yet tasteful one-shouldered gown. She played the part well, a smile softening her face as she quickly made her way through the crowd, Cassie giving me a look that I understood. I gave her a wink and a nod as Dana’s hand met mine. I glanced down and saw the sparkling diamond ring, the long fingernails painted in a tasteful subdued pink. And the dress. I couldn’t help the top-to-toe gaze, or stare rather, that I gave her. The long, charcoal black sleeveless dress was more than tasteful for the event, hugging her figure closely. Cassie must’ve encouraged her to wear a push up bra because her cleavage, though not overly exposed, had my thoughts running wild. My dick wiggled again, but I forced myself to turn toward my dad.

  “Dad, I’d like you to meet my fiancée, Dana Sommers.” I could see he was impressed. “Dana, this is my dad, Clint Shaw.”

  Dana offered her hand, palm down, and my father took her hand between both of his.

  “Very pleased to meet you, Dana.”

  He glanced at me with a raised eyebrow then turned back to Dana. “So when’s the wedding?”

  Dana didn’t even hesitate. She smiled warmly as she glanced at me.

  “We haven’t set a date yet,” she said. “But we’ll be working out the details very soon.”

  “That’s wonderful, wonderful to hear.” He nodded.

  I watched my dad. For the first time, he appeared a bit flustered. I wanted to hug Dana right then and there for playing her part so well. My dad excused himself and made his way toward the other side of the room, schmoozing with his guests along the way. Still holding Dana’s hand, I guided her toward the far wall near the window.

  “You look absolutely gorgeous,” I said, meaning it. “And the ring… I didn’t even think of that.”

  “I didn’t either,” Dana said. “Cassie’s got very good taste.”

  “That she does,” I agreed. “Actually—”

  Dana’s arms suddenly wrapped around my waist, pulling me close. The movement startled me, even more so when she lifted herself upward, body pressed close to mine, and kissed me on the lips. My surprise lasted only a second. The feel of her lips on mine caused my dick to wiggle again. I’m sure she felt it, but I lost myself in the kiss until it was abruptly cut off.

  I gazed down at her in confusion, but she offered an explanation before I could even ask.

  “Your dad is looking at us,” she said, a smile pasted on her face as her fingers plucked at an imaginary piece of fuzz on the tuxedo jacket.

  Before I could even respond to that comment, she wrapped her hands around the back of my neck and pulled my head down, whispering into my ear.

  “I think your dad bought it.”

  My lips still tingled from her caress. Believe me, I’ve probably kissed hundreds of women, but none of them ever felt like that. It took me a bit off guard and left me more than slightly confused.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Dana

  I was exhausted, emotionally and mentally anyway. My eyes felt dry and scratchy. I wasn’t usually up this late. It was just after midnight, and we had left the reception or the get-together, whatever the hell it was, just a little while ago. We had returned to Brady’s penthouse suite in his Jeep Renegade—not at all what I expected—and he had just given me the official tour of his suite. I’d be sleeping in the master bedroom and he took the guest room, figuring that I would appreciate being able to use the bathtub in the master.

  I nodded, so tired that I didn’t really care where I slept.

  “Let me change the sheets on the bed—”

  “Not necessary,” I said, so tired I could hardly think straight. “I can do it in the morning. Right now, all I want to do is sleep.”

  He nodded. “You can stock the fridge with any food you like, and tomorrow I’ll give you a credit card that you can use for anything you need…”

  In addition to my overwhelming weariness, more than likely caused by the emotional distress of the evening, I couldn’t get that damned kiss out of my mind. I had done it spur of the moment because I noticed that his father was eyeing us from across the room. But I had to admit that, that kiss had been wonderful. He’d been surpri
sed for a second, but then… his lips were soft, and he kissed with assurance, not too hard, but enough to let me know he was genuinely responding. Maybe not to me, but I had felt his response in his dick as well, my leg so close to his, the pressure of his hard-on against my thigh unmistakable. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. He smelled good, damn that Old Spice, and he had a great body. Beneath the tux everything was solid muscle.

  Regardless of how I felt about the kiss, I resolved that on his part that he hadn’t been particularly impressed. He hadn’t said anything about it. A guy like him probably got kissed all the time. Earlier today when Cassie and I had gone shopping, she had given me a bit of background about Brady. How he never did relationships. How he was a playboy, or used to be anyway. She didn’t know anything about our deal, I gathered that. Was she trying to give me a head’s up? A warning not to allow myself to get too close? She didn’t have to worry about that. I had no intention of allowing myself to become emotionally vulnerable to a guy like Brady Shaw.

  I glanced around his suite again, thinking that I should have insisted he take me back to my studio. I wasn’t ready for this. In the car, he told me that from now on, we had to play the part. He would cancel the lease on my studio and have my things brought over. It wasn’t that I wanted to live in my crappy studio, but everything was moving so fast now.

  I would have to leave a message with Charlie so he wouldn’t be surprised if he came over and discovered that I had moved out. I would have to tell him that I was engaged. Living in a penthouse suite in downtown Dallas. What would he say?

  “You okay?”

  While he seemed fully awake and alert, I needed to crash, and I told him so. He nodded and bid me goodnight. I turned down the hallway, only now realizing that I didn’t have anything to sleep in. I sighed as I entered the master bedroom and closed the door. I flipped the light switch and leaned my back against the door. What a crazy turn my life had taken. I just hoped that I wasn’t making one of the biggest mistakes I had ever made.

  I glanced around the master bedroom, thinking I probably could’ve fit four of my studio apartments into the place, including the walk-in closet and the full bath. A huge four-poster bed with an expensive looking bedspread. At least six pillows, all neat and wrinkle-free, plumped even. A large oak dresser stood against one wall, and I stepped toward it, hesitated briefly, then opened the drawers until I found a stack of T-shirts. I had to sleep in something, didn’t I?

  I quickly disrobed, laying the dress carefully over the back of a chair in the corner of the room, my fingers lingering on the fabric. That dress cost more than I could make in five months.

  Still, it wasn’t really me. In fact, I was quite relieved to don the T-shirt which smelled like Downey. I quickly stepped into the bathroom, took care of business, and without showering, moved in a daze to the bed and pulled back the bedspread. The bed was higher off the floor than the one in my studio apartment, so I actually had to climb into it, but the moment I did I nearly moaned with pleasure at the exquisite softness of the sheets. I wiggled my way into the center of the bed and lowered my head on the pillow, a hint of Old Spice reminding me of Brady. This was heaven. Absolute heaven…

  *

  I’m not sure when I fell asleep, but the next thing I knew I was kissing Brady again, and his hand was between my thighs, rubbing against my mound. I throbbed with desire, wet with anticipation. His other hand cupped my breast, his thumb teasing my nipple into a hard nub. I groaned, felt my hips move of their own accord, heading toward an orgasm—

  The noise startled me.

  I opened my eyes, at first not sure where I was. Then I remembered. Brady’s room. My groin throbbed from the dream I’d been enjoying, the sensations still so strong I lowered my hand to bring myself some relief.

  Until my brain recognized the wonderful aroma sifting into the room. Bacon.

  I quickly rose, brushed my hair back with my fingers, and opened the door. I was appropriately covered, his T-shirt so large that the sleeves hung down nearly to my elbows and the bottom of the shirt just about touched my knees. I saw him in the kitchen, his back to me. Cooking. I heard the sizzling bacon, smelled the eggs, and heard the toaster as it popped up two perfectly browned pieces of toast. Wearing a tight fitted T-shirt and boxer shorts. Once again, my groin started to throb. Crap. Maybe this wasn’t going to be as easy as I had thought.

  “And he cooks too!”

  He glanced over his shoulder at me, smiling, his eyes skimming every part of me, from my mussed hair, lingering on my breasts, apparently offering less covering than I had imagined, and down to my toes, before skimming back up again.

  He laughed, “Don’t get too used to it, because breakfast is the only meal I can cook.” He gestured with his chin. “Sit down. We can talk while we eat.”

  I sat down, and as we ate a breakfast of perfectly scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast, he asked me some personal questions. About school, what I planned to do with my life, about my brother. I hesitated to answer many of them other than two or three-word answers. Superficial. I wasn’t sure how much to say. After all, this was our first real conversation.

  I had plenty of questions for him too, but not yet. I tried to focus on his questions, but I was finding it difficult to concentrate. My gaze kept skimming over his bulging biceps, and the way those veins traveled down his forearms to his hands. Strong fingers. Capable hands. Every time he lifted his fork to his mouth, those biceps bunched and strands of muscle in his forearm twitched. He had such a nice profile and—

  “So what are you going to do?” he asked, popping the last bite of bacon into his mouth as he gazed down at me.

  His question jarred me back to awareness. I had been telling him about my schooling. “Well, I have to transfer to another college after this semester is over in a couple of weeks. The school lost funding so I lost my scholarship…” I glanced at him, embarrassed. “That’s another of the reasons why I accepted your offer.”

  “I can help pay for your tuition,” he said.

  I glanced at him in surprise. “You’ve already offered to pay me, Brady. You don’t have to—”

  “I want to.”

  I stared at him a moment, thinking that it was a nice gesture. When Cassie had told me he was a playboy and wasn’t into relationships, I figured he was shallow, arrogant, and more than a little spoiled. Then again, look at this crazy deal we had made.

  But maybe there was more to Brady Shaw than that. He hadn’t even asked me why my brother needed the fifty thousand dollars. He just wanted to know more about me. But then I put the brakes on my imagination. Brady had his own motives for this crazy plan of his. So did I, I realized, my appetite suddenly gone. Just because I had accepted the terms of our agreement didn’t mean that the agreement itself was noble. Don’t even think about getting attached to him.

  Yes, he was handsome. Yes, he was filthy rich, so much so that apparently he could throw money around as if there was no tomorrow. That didn’t make him a good person.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Brady

  A week passed. An interesting week; a week that I got to know Dana a little better, not that we were with each other twenty-four hours a day. Enough to realize I enjoyed her company. She was a great conversationalist— when I wanted conversation. She wasn’t overly chatty, like some women constantly trying to impress me. She gave me my space, and I gave the same in return. Dana Sommers was a private person, I realized, a thinker.

  She was heading into the end of her semester and insisted on keeping her job at the diner, at least for now. I respected her for that, but worried that my dad would find out and blow a gasket. Well, let him. She was driven, had goals, and pride. That thought made me cringe— involuntarily. How much had it cost her dignity to take on my deal? And what had compelled her to do so?

  Desperation. Nothing else made sense. She wasn’t a gold-digger. She wasn’t into the glamorous lifestyle of the rich and famous. She didn’t go out and buy expensive clothes or jewel
ry or even a car. She seemed quite comfortable in her jeans and t-shirts and tennis shoes. She was confident and focused on finishing nursing school.

  I often found her on the sofa with an open textbook on her lap, others beside her, but staring out the window. At such times, I wanted to ask her what she was thinking about. Me? Our deal? Memorizing stuff from her texts? She had a brother, but that’s about all I knew of her background and personal life. Though I certainly felt curious, I didn’t want to pry. Too early in the relationship.

  Relationship. Is that what we had? I sighed.

  It’d also been a week since we kissed. It didn’t matter to me that the kiss had been faked to impress my dad. It didn’t matter that the kiss had been brief. It didn’t even matter to me much that she had displayed no real emotion behind that kiss, but I couldn’t say the same about me.

  That brief kiss had startled me. I hadn’t seen it coming, nor had I anticipated how it would affect me. I’d been kissed millions of times before. Unlike those, however, Dana’s kiss had left me feeling a myriad of sensations, most of which was frustration. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Those lips, so soft and warm, and the moment they touched mine, sending a wave of desire through me. Her kiss wasn’t desperate or needy, or one that intended to impress. No. That kiss had been so simple, so casual, so… nice, that it had nearly taken my breath away.

  Mine. The guy who slept with women, then used them as guilt-free as they used me, and then left in the darkness, most of the time, never to see again. But Dana and her simple, gentle kiss had left me… curious. I wanted to know more. See more. That kiss represented only a hint of the passion that I sensed burned deep within her, a passion that I doubted she even realized.

  I shook my head. I couldn’t allow myself to become attracted to her. This was a business deal. Nothing more, nothing less. I reminded myself that the only reason she had kissed me in the first place was to play her role, especially with my dad watching. Nevertheless, she had sparked interest, and I couldn’t deny it.