“Maybe … over the weekend, we can go golfing, or something.”
“I thought golf wasn’t your thing?” He raised an eyebrow.
“It’s not.” I shrugged, turning on my heel and heading outside. He might be my dad, but it’s not like I wanted him to realize I was trying to make plans so I could spend time with him. I bit my lip, heading for the guesthouse.
I knew I should knock before entering, but I was aware of the fact that they were watching me. I didn’t want to raise any red flags. So I reached for the handle and closed my eyes.
“Sorry! I’ve got my eyes closed, I hope you’re not naked or something!” he called as I heard the door open.
“Well, I am, but I’m in the bathroom,” I called back as I slipped a towel over myself. I figured the best place to start was an actual shower.
I opened the door and gave him a smile.
He looked me up and down. My heart skipped a beat as I became suddenly aware that I had very little covering me.
He looked away and headed for the small kitchen where he grabbed himself a glass of water.
“How are you holding up?” I asked.
“What?” He snapped.
“I mean … you seem kinda … tense. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. How are you?”
“Not bad,” I had to admit. I’d been scared of his family. But they weren’t as bad as I’d expected, at least, not yet.
I grinned as I padded into the room where I’d put my backpack. I changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top that I had packed with my pajamas. Then it was back to the bathroom to get my hair and makeup perfect.
Okay, so I settled for a little less than perfect. But after an hour of trying to get my hair to look right, I blew out a huff of frustration and turned to my makeup.
Adam leaned against the bathroom door as he looked me over. “Having trouble?”
“I can’t get it to curl right,” I confessed, applying mascara.
“Go easy on the eye makeup.”
“Alright.” That changed my plan to go for a smoky eye, but at least I’d had a heads-up.
I strode to the bedroom, closed the door behind me and stripped. I changed into the dress, the back completely open, and then stepped out of the room and caught Adam’s eye.
“I need you to zip me up,” I told him, turning my back to him as I heard his footsteps approaching me.
I felt him grab the dress and do the zipper up.
It took him a couple seconds to get me done up, and then a couple extra seconds to do the button at the top.
My heart skipped a beat as he stepped closer to me. I could feel him against my butt. His body was warm against mine, even with our clothing in the way. I bit my lip.
He stepped away from me, a shiver running down my spine. “T-thank you,” I stammered, not daring to turn around and look at him before I made my way into the bathroom and finished my makeup.
It didn’t actually take me long, but I stood in the bathroom staring at myself. The black lace made its way from my belly button up to my neck. I never thought I could look so gorgeous. I loved the dress more than I could put into words.
My fingers traced over the curves of my body as I took everything in.
Wow.
I took a deep breath and glanced down at my phone. It was almost time to get going. Well, time to face everyone. I stepped out of the bathroom, my jaw dropping as I watched Adam slip into a suit jacket.
I saw him in a suit every day, but somehow … today, it was different. He turned to look at me.
My heart leapt as my eyes roamed over his body. The suit looked like it had been made for him. My breath caught in my throat as I forced a smile over my lips. “R-ready?”
“No.” He looked me up and down. I stared at him.
“No?”
He closed the distance between us and pushed me towards the bathroom.
My heart skipped a beat as he closed the door. He reached for the curling iron before my mind stopped racing.
“What are you doing?”
“You wanted your hair curled, right?”
“I … I did, but it wasn’t falling right, so this is fine.”
“Shut up.” He grabbed a small section of my hair and wrapped it around the curling iron.
My heart jumped as I watched him. He’s … curling my hair for me?
It took me a few seconds to get used to the idea that he was doing my hair.
“I gotta admit … you’re pretty good at this.”
“I used to curl Gabby’s for her dance.”
“Gabby’s in dance?”
“Not anymore.” He scowled as he let a strand of my hair fall. The curl was perfect. He picked up another section and wrapped it around the curler. “And don’t mention it to her.”
“Why not?”
“She’s pretty broken about it. They told her she was too fat to keep dancing.”
“What?” I gasped. The girl was far from fat. “That’s dreadful.”
He didn’t say anything as he curled my hair. It took less time than I’d taken to do it, and when he was finished, it looked much better than when I’d done it. I stared at myself in the mirror. “Thank you so much.”
He shrugged. “Ready?”
I nodded. As I headed out of the bathroom, I grabbed my shoes and slipped into them, then we made our way to the main house.
Kathrin looked me up and down, a tight smile spreading over her lips. “That is a very nice choice.”
I was pretty sure she actually meant it. “Thank you.” I felt a blush touch my cheeks.
Mike cleared his throat. “Alright, we can’t fit everyone in the car, so ...”
“Fiona and I will take my car,” Adam said quickly.
“Er … alright … if that’s how you want to do it.”
“Makes the most sense; we’re parked right at the back anyways.” He smiled, and for a split second, I was pretty sure he looked relieved.
Mike and Adam talked a little more about where they were going and then we were off.
As soon as we pulled out of the driveway, I spoke. “Why did you want us to drive together? Why not go with your sisters?”
“Because, then we can leave whenever we want.”
“You planned on having us leave early?”
Adam shrugged. He didn’t say a word, but he didn’t have to.
I reached out and touched his hand. “Are you really not looking forward to this that much?”
“You haven’t met my family, and you haven’t seen them when they get together.”
He gave a soft sigh, and to my surprise, he didn’t pull his hand away from mine.
I shrugged. They didn’t scare me.
We fell silent as we drove. It wasn’t a long drive. Actually, it would have made total sense to just walk, but apparently Adam and his family were too rich for that.
We pulled into a golf club, which looked like the kind of place that people would murder to get in—if TV has taught me anything about the rich.
As we parked, Adam turned to me. “If they ask where you work, don’t tell them the truth?”
“Okay.”
Maybe he didn’t want them to know I was a cleaner. They’d probably look down their noses at me if that were the case, so I could see where he was coming from. I wasn’t going to tell them if he didn’t want me to.
He didn’t say another word before getting out of the car and heading for the restaurant.
I joined him, my heart racing. “Looks like we have the place to ourselves,” he muttered, looking around.
I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm.
They rented the place out for themselves? Is that what he was saying? People can actually do that?
Man, this family must have too much money to spend. I wonder what Mike does for a living. I’d have to ask him.
He pulled the door open for me, and I stepped inside, nodding my thanks as I caught sight of Mike, Kathrin, and the three kids heading for a table t
hat sat four other people.
I took a deep breath. They all knew each other. They were all laughing and talking. And I was the odd one out. I’ll be fine, I told myself
I knew it was true. I knew I would be fine. I just needed to make it a couple hours. That was it, that was all. And then another day and I’d have another $3500 in my purse. My heart skipped a beat thinking about that money.
A man, about our age, glanced up as he saw Adam and me behind the rest of his family.
“Adam! You never come home anymore!” He jumped up and circled around, heading for us.
He and Adam embraced. They pulled away, and he turned his attention to me. I gave him a smile as Adam’s hand touched the small of my back.
“Fiona.”
“It’s a pleasure. Please, call me Josh. I didn’t know my cousin had such beautiful taste in friends.” My cheeks flushed.
“Girlfriends,” Adam corrected.
“Really?” Josh raised an eyebrow.
“Yup.” I was pretty sure I felt Adam step a little closer to me.
“Adam!” I heard him take a deep breath as he turned to the woman who had called his name.
“Excuse me,” he muttered, heading towards a small group of people who looked like they were waiting for hugs.
“So, you really are my cousin’s girlfriend?”
“No, you hired me for the weekend.” Of course, it was the truth, but with the right smile, it came off as a sarcastic joke.
My cheeks flushed the second I said it. I forgot I was supposed to be trying to impress these people.
Josh barked out a laugh. “Gorgeous and funny? Where did he find you?”
At his job. I didn’t say it. I just gave him a wide smile. “Oh, that’s top secret.”
Josh’s eyes sparkled, and I grinned widely.
There was something about him I liked, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it.
He leaned towards me. “You know,” he whispered, “we really should get to know each other. Maybe dinner?”
Was he asking me out? I’m pretty sure he is. I smiled. “That sounds like a wonderful idea. I’m sure Adam would love to have a chance to catch up with you, too. I’ll propose the idea to him. I know we’re pretty busy this weekend, though. Maybe next?”
I saw his smile flatten. “Sounds great.” It didn’t sound like he meant it, though.
I caught Adam’s eye. He did not look happy, and judging by the way he was looking at his cousin, he had heard the whole conversation.
It had been so easy to shut Josh down. He hadn’t made my heart skip a beat or anything, despite the fact that he was quite cute.
I gave Josh a soft nod and stepped towards the group of people he was with.
“You must be Fiona,” a woman said with a broad smile.
“I am. I’m sorry, I’ve gotta admit I’m not sure who any of you are.”
“Don’t be sorry.” She smiled widely.
“It must be hard to keep track of everyone,” a young man said. He stepped towards us, placing a hand on the girl’s waist. “I’m Danny, and this is my girlfriend Rachel. And my brother, Chuck.” He pointed towards the other person there. He looked like he might be close to Becky’s age.
“It’s really nice to meet all of you.”
53. Chapter Six
Adam and I sat at the table. Mostly, I listened to everyone talk, which was fine with me. There was no grilling, no questions for me. In fact, everyone seemed pretty eager to talk about themselves, which I thought was odd, but whatever.
“So Adam,” Josh said, taking a sip of wine, “are you still working at your dad’s office?”
“Yes.”
My heart skipped a beat. Working at his dad’s office? Did that mean … I looked over to Mike. Oh, God. That was why I’d thought I’d seen him before. I had.
He was the man who owned the company I cleaned for. Holy crap. My heart raced, and I swallowed dryly.
“How do you feel about that, Fiona?” Josh asked.
“Hm?” I mentally shook myself as he said my name. “I … to be honest, Adam and I don’t talk about work much.” I smiled, shrugging as I reached out and took his hand in mine.
The conversation moved on without me, and I glanced back to Adam’s dad. How had I not noticed it? No wonder he has his own office, I thought.
If he was the owner’s son …. He … wow.
I hadn’t realized it. But it made sense. No wonder he had that nice car and the money to buy me clothes. And no wonder his family had such a nice house. No wonder his mother had been so judgmental about me. She probably wanted to make sure I wasn’t a gold digger or something. Wow.
I just couldn’t get over the fact that I was sitting here, at a table, with my boss.
He should have warned me, I thought. But I wasn’t going to bring it up unless I needed to.
The dinner here was actually really good. And Danny had made the announcement. He and Rachel were getting married.
Everyone seemed happy, except Becky. I wonder why she doesn’t like Rachel.
“You two should come out with us!” Josh was saying.
“Oh, I don’t know …” Adam glanced towards me.
“You should. Kurt will be there; I’m sure he’d love to see you.”
I saw Adam stiffen. His entire body went tense. I was still holding his hand, except now his hand was so tight against mine I almost winced.
I took a deep breath, putting my high school acting classes to use. “Oh, I don’t think I’d be very much fun. I’ve had such a long day I feel like I could sleep for a month.” I forced a yawn as my eyes shifted to Adam. “But if you want to go, feel free to go without me I won’t stop you from having fun.”
I mean, if I was going to pretend to be his girlfriend, I was going to pretend to be a cool one, right?
“No, I can’t leave you with my family to fend for yourself.” He gave me an overly forced smile and turned to Josh. His chair scraped against the floor. “I’m sure you understand.”
“I wouldn’t want to leave her alone, either.” Josh’s eyes shifted, roaming over my body.
My eyes locked on his, and I gave a tight smile, not daring to blink.
The funny thing about guys is that they are kinda like dogs. If you stare one down, you get dominance rights.
His eyes shifted.
My smile widened as I stood, my hand still in Adam’s as he led me away from the table. He went over to his father and let him know that we were heading home.
His father nodded as I said a couple goodbyes and got pulled into a hug from Rachel.
“It was soooo nice to meet you,” she said, her eyes sparkling.
“You too! And congrats! You’ll make an absolutely stunning bride.”
Her cheeks flushed. Adam gave her a quick hug, and we strode out into the fresh air.
I took a deep breath, thankful to be away from the large crowd of people.
“You didn’t tell me about your dad.”
“I didn’t think it mattered,” he said as we made our way to the car.
Maybe it didn’t. But it would have been something good for me to know. He followed me to the passenger side of the car and opened the door for me. I stared at him, shocked.
“Thank you.”
“You shouldn’t be so surprised that I can act like a gentleman.” He smirked, closing the door behind me.
I grinned, watching him circle around to the driver’s side and climb in.
As he gunned the engine, I shifted. The pantyhose I was wearing had long since become uncomfortable.
While he pulled out of the parking lot, I slipped my shoes off and reached up my dress.
I could feel his gaze on me, but when I glanced over, he looked away quickly. Even in the dark, I could see the guilty expression on his face.
I smiled, pulling the pantyhose down and off my legs, shoving them into the small purse I’d taken with me.
“So …” I searched for something to say.
“Thank yo
u. For doing that.”
“What?”
“Giving me a reason not to go out.”
“You must not like Kurt very much.”
“Why would you say that?” He didn’t dare look at me as we headed for his parents’ house.
“I thought you were going to break my fingers, you were squeezing me so tight.”
“I hurt you? I’m sorry.”
I shrugged. It didn’t actually matter. I was just making a point as to why I was under the impression he didn’t like Kurt. I wonder why. And who he is.
Obviously someone his cousin knew.
“Josh seemed to like you.”
“Yes. He did. Does he normally hit on girls you bring home?”
“I haven’t done that in a while.”
“Bring a girl home?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because.”
My brow furrowed. I wanted to hear his reasons. I wanted to know why he didn’t bring girls home. I bit my lip. “Because that’s not what you’re into?”
Adam turned to stare at me. “Excuse me? No! I’m not gay if that’s what you’re asking.”
“I … oh.”
“I don’t trust my family.” He shrugged.
Seeing the way Josh had come onto me, I didn’t blame him.
We pulled into the driveway, and I stepped out of the car, my shoes still off as we headed for the guest house.
“I’m going out tomorrow.”
“Oh, would you like me to—”
“No.” He said it before I could even actually offer to go with him. I bit my lip. Alright. But I didn’t say anything as we walked into the guest house.
Adam kicked off his shoes and headed for the room. I watched, my brow furrowing. The truth is, I was kind of beginning to like him. As I got to know him and as we started to spend more time … there was something about him that just made me … Never mind. I mean really, it’s not like we were friends or anything.
He’d just hired me because he thought I would be useful. I was pretending to be his girlfriend, that was it. On Monday, we would go back to not talking. Maybe I’ll even talk to someone about getting moved. That way I wouldn’t have to see him.
Interview with a Billionaire: Billionaire Romance Box Set Page 35