His Hired Mistress: A BWWM Billionaire Romance

by Skye, Lena

  “All right Perry, I’m going inside. This shouldn’t take long.“

  Perry got out and opened her car door, “I’ll be here.“

  She walked to the gate and got buzzed in. Natalie lived on the second floor so she opted for the stairs. The woman that wore a sleazy pink body con dress in the photos was now in sweatpants and a t-shirt. She was prettier now than in the photos in Jamie’s opinion. Natalie had natural beauty. Her blonde hair was pushed behind her ears and her curly hair tumbled down her back. She looked like a doll, a curly haired blonde hair and blue-eyed doll.

  Natalie smiled nervously, “Come on in. I was just getting some cleaning done.“

  Jamie walked inside and sat on the blue contemporary sofa.

  “I don’t really know what to say,“ Natalie said as she bit her lip and ran her hands down her gray sweat pants.

  Jamie stared at her without smiling. The woman was nervous and that was a very good thing. She needed to keep her on edge so that she could keep her quiet. If she was too nice to the woman then she would feel as if she had the upper hand.

  “What will it take to ensure that you don’t speak to the public about any of this?“ Jamie asked.

  “W-what? You mean... like money?“ Natalie asked.

  “Yes, money. Nathan wants to ensure complete discretion in this matter.“

  “I don’t know,“ the woman said stupidly.

  Jamie narrowed her eyes at her. What did the woman think that she was coming over for? To have tea? She had to know that she was coming over to discuss money, the woman couldn’t be that dense.

  “Will one million in cash right now be sufficient? I’ll give you the complete contents of this briefcase. If you remain quiet for the next six months, you will receive another two million. If in a year you’re still quiet, you will receive another million.“

  Natalie’s eyes dilated, “Umm, okay, I can agree to that.“

  “Great,“ Jamie said quickly before she pulled out documents.

  “This is a non-disclosure contract, you will sign it. If you open your mouth about anything regarding what happened between you and Nathan, I will ruin you, understood?“

  Natalie shakily signed it and practically hugged the suitcase to her chest. “What’s crazy is that he and I didn’t do anything. We didn’t have sex. He just paid me to sit and talk with him all night in a hotel. He was so nice to me; he only wanted to talk. He even let me keep my clothes on. There wasn’t anything sexual about what we did at all. Tell him that I’m so sorry that there were photographs taken of us and that I wouldn’t have said anything even if he didn’t pay me. He doesn’t have anything to worry about. Also, please tell him that I hope he finds happiness, he deserves it.“

  Jamie raised an eyebrow in surprise. It wasn’t what she expected to hear but that kind of story could still damage his career. His marriage would get picked apart by the media and many would speculate and think that the hooker was lying and others would pick Stephanie apart limb by limb. They didn’t need a story like this one getting out and now, she would be the one to mold the story.

  ***

  An hour later, Nathan and Stephanie sat in Jamie’s office on her couch. Jamie sat across from them and tried to forget the history that the three of them had with one another. All of it ceased to matter in the present moment. She had to job to do and sitting around reminiscing and feeling guilty didn’t help anyone.

  Her eyes carefully scanned Stephanie. She looked just as perfect as she had six months before. She wore a vintage pin up pink and white polka dot dress. It was cute and it hugged all of her manufactured curves. Her hair was pulled back to show the beauty of her classically pretty face. Next to her sat Nathan, his discomfort radiated off of him in waves. He squirmed a bit, leaving Jamie to assume that it was because he was in a room with his wife and ex-lover while discussing an incident with a hooker.

  “We need to keep this damage to a minimum,“ Jamie continued. “You and your wife need to be seen together smiling in public as soon as possible. Hiding out isn’t going to help; it can only hurt. The sooner you two are seen being happy together, the sooner the rumors will go away. The photos on their own won’t do much damage without the hooker explaining it and giving it some context. Don’t acknowledge any questions about those photos, but always pull the conversation back to what you’re doing now in terms of philanthropy and to how much the two of you love each other. My team is drafting up a statement for the media and that’s all that they’re going to get.“

  Stephanie nodded her head in agreement, “I think that’s a good idea. Right now the media are like hungry sharks in the water. They’re camped outside of our house and it’s so fucking frustrating. I’m not going to give them any more ammunition than they already have. Nathan has given them plenty.“

  Nathan cleared his throat, “Thank you Jamie. Is there anything else?“

  “Yes, actually there is. I also have my team booking some publicity opportunities for the both of you. You both have to go together, there needs to be solidarity. If they suspect that there is something wrong in your marriage then all of this falls to pieces, we can’t have that.“

  “Whatever you say, “Stephanie agreed. “We’ll clear our schedules and dedicate time to fixing this public spectacle.“

  Jamie’s eye twitched. How did Stephanie manage to be so calm and cool about all of it? If she found out that her husband was picking up hookers, there would have been hell to pay. Jamie also definitely wouldn’t sit in the office of the woman who slept with her husband, not unless it was to gouge her eyes out. Stephanie claimed to love Nathan, but did she really? She couldn’t, could she? How can you be okay with your husband fooling around and treat it as if it were just a minor inconvenience?

  Jamie mentally shrugged all of her questions off—none of it was her concern. Nathan was an adult male fully capable of making his own decisions. Only he knew the condition of his marriage and men tended to do whatever they wanted. No one was forcing him to stay with her. He stayed in his marriage because it was where he wanted to be.

  “So please, tell me right here and right now if there are any other skeletons in your closet? I need to know now so that I can take care of them. Now that this is out, the media will start digging in this area of your life. I can close and lock any open doors before they catch wind,“ Jamie said confidently. “Let me fix it now.“

  Nathan shook his head, “No, nothing else.“

  Stephanie bit her lip as if she were holding something back. Something in her eyes told Jamie that she had a lot to say.

  ***

  At the end of the day, Jamie was surprised to see Stephanie back in her office.

  “I need to speak with you,“ Stephanie said. “He didn’t want to say anything, but I thought that it needed to be dealt with now.“

  “Okay,“ Jamie replied. “Go ahead, I’m listening.“

  “There is this woman, Kimberly Moore. Nathan had an affair with her five years ago. I think it’s best that she’s silenced now. She strikes me as the kind of woman that would sell the story to make money. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had something in the works right now. Five years ago, we were rich but we weren’t famous. Now we are, and I’m sure that she’s looking for a way to capitalize. She’s street trash,“ Stephanie spat.

  The hatred that came through in Stephanie’s tone and eyes was enough to make Jamie blink. She got a glimmer of the woman that hid beneath the perfect and pristine facade. On the inside, Stephanie was a hateful woman. However, didn’t she partially have the right to be? She had a husband that seemed to cheat on her or embarrass her every chance he got. The guilt that Jamie attempted to suppress made its way towards the surface. She played a part in making the bitter woman that stood before her.

  “Okay, I’m on it. Don’t worry about it, I’m glad that you came to me with this,“ Jamie told her.

  “Yeah, whatever, just fix it,“ Stephanie left her office just as quickly as she came.

  *

&nb
sp; The night seemed as if it was never ending. Sure, she could have met the woman the following day, but the sooner she got it all over with the better. Jamie sighed as she stared out of the window of the private jet. It was only a two hour plane ride to get to Phoenix, but that took a huge chunk out of her evening. Sleep wasn’t anywhere in her future, but she chalked it up to her career. If she wanted to sleep then she should have been a receptionist.

  At first, she planned on sending someone else to speak to Kimberly, but when she saw Kim’s photo, she just knew that she had to do it herself. The woman looked so much like her in pictures that it was scary. Jamie wasn’t sure how to take this new knowledge. Since Nathan knew Kim first, was she considered a temporary replacement for her? Maybe that was why he got over her so easily because she was simply a carbon copy. Shit, for all that she knew Nathan had five or six women in his past that looked like her. Did he just fetishize black women that looked like her? They were all good enough to sleep with but none of them were good enough to marry?

  Jamie made a deep weighted sigh and took another sip of her gin and tonic. She just didn’t know about anything anymore. This was exactly why she shouldn’t have slept with a married man. It was her job to fix his problems, not become one of them. Now how could she judge him properly for his poor mistakes when she fell for him like a lamb going to the slaughter? There was a sour taste in her mouth as she fought to swallow the last of her drink. She was so stupid. She was just a stupid girl, very much like the ones that Jazmine Sullivan sang about. She was a broken toy of Nathan’s, now she just had to pick up the pieces and operate like there was nothing wrong with her.

  Jamie arrived to the meeting ten minutes early and expected to be the first one there, but Kimberly was already waiting for her in the back of the expensive restaurant.

  “Whoa,“ Kimberly said as she stood to her feet to greet Jamie. “I feel like I’m looking at a slightly taller version of myself. Who’s your daddy?“ she laughed.

  Jamie smiled, “I can see what would make you think that. The resemblance is very weird that’s for sure. Maybe we’re long lost cousins or something.“

  Kim shrugged, “Hell, who knows. Have a seat, I’m already drinking and eating. It’s late and I was hungry.“

  Sitting across from the woman that looked so much like her with the exception of hair length was uncanny. Kimberly was about three inches shorter than her, model thin, a sleek nose that was slightly thinner than her own, and lips that were slightly thinner as well. She was also a tad bit darker. It was true; they could have been related.

  “Okay, let’s go ahead and get this over with,“ Kim sighed.

  “As I’m sure you already know, Nathan has been in the middle of a scandal very recently. I’m the head of PR for him. I’m tying up all loose ends to ensure that none of this gets out of hand. So, I’m willing to pay you for your silence regarding the nature of your and Mr. Spark’s past relationship, provided that you sign a non-disclosure agreement here today.“

  Kim’s eyebrow raised, “How much are we talking?“

  Jamie pulled out a check from her bag and pushed it towards Kim. A smile spread across her face when she saw the sum of two million dollars.

  “Sure, give me the paperwork,“ Kim said as she pulled out a pen. “I’ll sign it right now.“

  “That was easy,“ Jamie said observantly.

  “Hey, I didn’t expect this to happen. I could use the money for sure. I’m not hurting for cash, but I generally only pull in about two hundred thousand a year. I’m not broke by far, but this sure moves my retirement up,“ Kim said excitedly as she signed the papers.

  When she finished Jamie looked them over and placed them in her briefcase, “All right, it was nice doing business with you.“

  “I’m surprised that he hasn’t put the moves on you,“ Kim said with a wiggle of her eyebrows. “Has he?“

  Jamie shifted in her seat, “I’m not going to dignify that with a comment. Our relationship is strictly professional, nothing more.“

  “Oh, your loss. That man can do some pretty amazing things with his mouth. Also, just to let you know, I was never going to tell anyone about what happened between Nathan and me. I’m not that kind of person. I didn’t get involved with him for money, I did it because I wanted to.“

  Jamie nodded, “Great, now you’re richer for it.“ She began to grab to her things to prepare to leave.

  “Oh, his wife is also a scary bitch, too. I didn’t want to brawl with her. She made it very clear about what would happen if I continued seeing him.“

  Jamie scowled, “What do you mean?“

  Kim blinked a few times as if she were second guessing herself, “You know what, it’s nothing. I guess she acted like any woman would considering the circumstances.“

  Jamie wanted to dig a bit deeper, but it wasn’t worth it to her. She was done with that part of her life and the less she knew the better.

  ***

  A few weeks of things going well was just what Jamie needed, and that’s exactly what she got. She’d not only proved herself, but she had even more clients knocking on her door. The entire conversation surrounding the incident with Nathan was pretty much down to a very low simmer. Jamie pulled the media off of Nathan by feeding a few of Michael Patterson’s clients to the sharks. It worked doubly well because Michael wasn’t equipped for it, so the clients that she leaked stories on were now seeking out her expertise.

  It was a dirty tactic, but she didn’t feel bad about it in the slightest. It was the name of the game and she had to stay employed. If she didn’t leak the stories, someone would have eventually anyway. Now she assigned them to different people under her and they were well on their way to being back in the public’s good graces as well.

  Nathan’s stock prices were back on the upswing and he and his Barbie of a wife were being followed on their sexy vacations. It stung a little to see them on the beach enjoying their lives, but some of the sting was taken out of it because she knew what the truth was. The two of them were so far apart emotionally and mentally that it was surprising that they could stand the sight of one another at all. It seemed like a pretty miserable existence to Jamie. It definitely wasn’t the kind of life that she wanted for herself when it came to love.

  Although Nathan kept making bad decisions, it was hard for her to not feel bad for him. He had to purchase the time of a hooker just to have a decent conversation. That had to be embarrassing for him. He was searching for something that he didn’t have at home, it was sad, but it was also his fault. Sometimes you have to let go of what you have in order to get what you truly want. Sure, there may be a price to pay for it, but isn’t that price worth it in the end if you’re happy?

  There was no point in thinking of any of that at the current moment because she was out on a date with Christian. He’d been doing his best to get back into her good graces and it was working. It was incredibly difficult for her to be upset with a man that technically didn’t do anything wrong. He’d been let out of prison and cleared of all charges. How could she keep pushing him away when they didn’t end on bad terms?

  “You remember when you peed on yourself in pool?“ Christian asked.

  Jamie looked around the restaurant in horror and kicked Christian under the table. “You shut your filthy mouth,“ she hissed.

  He chuckled to himself. “What, is that still a sore spot?’

  “That was embarrassing as hell. I still can’t believe that I did that. It was all your fault! You know that I would never do something like that.“

  He grinned, “Sorry, I thought you were kidding when you said that you had to go to the bathroom.“

  “You did not. You kept dunking me anyway. No matter how much I tried to get away from you, you were just faster than me,“ she giggled before she covered her face and shook her head. “I was ready to kill you. I still remember stomping off and almost falling because it was so slippery.”

  “Once again, I’m sorry.“ There was a glint of humor in h
is eyes.

  “Yeah, you’re sorry all right,“ she mumbled. “I could still stab you for that. I prayed that no one saw what happened but there was this little girl that kept staring at the yellow stream that followed me around. She knew what I did, I could tell. I could have died.“

  “You talk about it as if it just happened yesterday, that was a while ago,“ Christian observed.

  “That’s because the thought of it still embarrasses me.“

  “Okay, we can talk about something else then. Why are you single still?“ he asked. “I’m not asking to cause problems, I just really want to know. You’re so perfect, you’re just as perfect as I remember,“ he admitted.

  She shook her head, “I’m not perfect, nobody’s perfect. As you can see, I made a choice between a career and a relationship. I chose a career over staying by your side. I couldn’t stand to think about you being in there and I certainly couldn’t stand the thought of you... of you betraying what we had together. We were supposed to build a life together and I felt like you threw it away for money. I was really hurt and I was determined to never let someone have that kind of power over me again.“

  He nodded, “How do you feel now? You have to see the value in having a partner in your life right now. Time has passed, but it’s clear that we still click. I can show you over time that I’m willing to get to know you all over again.“

  She took a deep breath as her heart pulsed faster. She felt a little psycho for considering his proposal. It all felt way too surreal for her to process. How could the man that she abandoned want her back? If anything, shouldn’t he be bitter? If the roles were reversed, she wouldn’t have anything to say to him besides a huge “fuck you.“ Maybe he was better than her in that aspect. She had to admit that she didn’t have the most forgiving heart.

  “I don’t know Christian, it’s something that I really have to think about, I’m not sure if I’m ready…“

  “Nope, let’s stop it right there,“ Christian cut her off. “You said that you would think about it and that’s good enough for me. I don’t want to rush into anything; I just want a chance. As you can see, I’m a very patient man. I’m willing to wait.“