I Have to Have Her

by Sam Crescent

  See, cocky asshole billionaire had something about him, and it was why she kept coming back. Sure, he said the rudest things, but whatever.

  She’d just finished preparing the week’s worth of meals that he didn’t know she did. Cleaning up the dishes, she put everything away. The first week she’d been working for him, she’d overheard the conversation with the people who delivered his cooked food about not listening to what he wanted, and so they used cheap ingredients and didn’t even follow a recipe. She’d been so pissed off she canceled his service and took over preparing everything he liked instead. So far, no complaints, not that he was aware of the additional work she did. She’d just finished up when she heard the door open.

  Normally, she was long gone by the time Mr. Turner returned. Oh no, this is going to be bad. I don’t want to be here with him. She didn’t know what to do. Grabbing her bag from the corner, she clasped her hands together and was about to leave when he stormed into the room.

  “What the fuck are you still doing here?” he asked.

  “Er, sorry. There was a lot of cleaning to do today.”

  He opened the fridge. “Yes, did they leave the vegetable soup. I fucking love it, and the lentil curry I wanted?”

  “I, er, I don’t know. I had to put everything away and so I’ll be going now.”

  “I’ve had a shit day.”

  She stopped at the doorway as he put the vegetable soup she’d made into the microwave. For best results, she felt it needed heating on the stove but clearly, he knew what he was doing.

  He ran a hand down his face. It was the first time, other than in a newspaper, she’d seen him look so disheveled. “I better go.”

  “How do people meet others and then just immediately know they’re the ones?” he asked.

  “Pardon me?” she asked.

  They never talked. He barked orders with a warning before leaving her alone.

  The microwave finished. He grabbed the tub and started to eat it immediately, drinking it from the cup.

  Okay, this was something she was never going to forget in a hurry. It was all going to be fine. She watched him, wishing she didn’t have to see this. With her arms folded, she waited and he kept on watching her. This was the most time they’d spent together when he wasn’t insulting her. It was different.

  “Would you like a spoon?” she asked.

  “Nah, it’s fine like this. Tell me, do you have a boyfriend?”

  “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

  “True. It’s none of my business, but enlighten me. Do you?”

  “Again, I’m not going to tell you.” Why was he acting this way?

  “You’re a cleaner. I bet you spend most of your days thinking about a way out of that life.”

  Now he was insulting.

  “I think about doing a good job.”

  “Yeah, well, I think I’ve just figured it out. You’ve been working for me for a while.”

  “Two years.”

  “Exactly, and in those years, it would be enough time to fall in love.”

  “Wait, what?” she asked. Since when did love come into a working relationship?

  “He wouldn’t need to know. It would be the perfect kind of cover.”

  “I have no idea what you’re going on about right now, and I think it’s my time to leave.”

  This proved if you stayed around too long after a job, you were likely to hear things you had no desire to listen to.

  She started for the door only, Mr. Cocky himself stopped her. He grabbed her arm and spun her around. “It’s perfect.”

  “What’s perfect?”

  “You.”

  “I don’t follow.”

  “Look, my dad wants me to start taking family seriously. Not that I get the whole institution, but it’s what he wants and I’m guessing it’s something I’m going to have to give him. You’re perfect.”

  “Wait, you want me to date you?”

  “Only for my dad. He’ll believe what we tell him. It’ll be a perfect plan.” He nodded and smiled, looking rather happy with himself.

  “This is crazy.”

  “Not if it works.”

  “You’re talking about lying to your father. I’m guessing this whole family thing is a big deal to him.” She was very much aware of the entire foundation of what the Turner family was built on.

  Caleb had made it hard for her to not know what kind of person he was, and to know he apparently came from people who regarded family highly, she was shocked by the way he behaved. She’d seen the papers. He was a playboy. Mean as well.

  “Yes, it is, but I’ll pay you.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me. You can write your own check for you to behave like my girlfriend next weekend.”

  “Why next weekend?”

  His smile widened.

  She frowned. “I’m so not considering this.”

  “The fact you want to know what is happening next weekend is another reason you’re considering it.”

  “No. Hell, no. I’m not going to go around pretending to be some rich kid’s plaything.”

  “Girlfriend, possibly a fiancée.”

  “You realize you’re talking about lying to your family. That’s a big deal.”

  “Not if it gets me what I want.”

  “Wait, hold up. Why do you even need a girlfriend?” she asked.

  “I’m not going to tell you unless you agree.”

  She’d been cursed to be curious by nature. She truly believed she was a cat in a previous life.

  “Agree to be my girlfriend, and you’ll never have to clean again. I’ll make sure you want for nothing.”

  “That easy? I just have to pretend to be your girlfriend?”

  “It’s not like it’s hard. I’m quite a catch.”

  She laughed. “Wow. And if I agree, you’ll tell me what you get out of it?”

  “Yes.”

  “No, I’m not going to do this. It’s insane.”

  “I’ll give you whatever you want,” he said.

  “There’s nothing you can give me.”

  “Come on. I’m rich. You’re not. You clean my house.”

  “Which is a highly respectable job!” She glared at him. “Okay, you want me to be your girlfriend. What’s my name?”

  “What?” he asked.

  She folded her arms as he continued to gape at her. “You heard me. I’ve been working for you for two years. I know a great deal about you from the little conversations we’ve had. What is my name?”

  “That doesn’t matter.”

  She laughed. “You don’t even know it, do you?”

  “What exactly do I need to know about you besides you clean for me? I don’t need all the other details and specifics. You’re good at your job.”

  She snorted. “You’re unbelievable.”

  “Fine, what exactly do know about me?” This time, he raised his voice.

  “You really want to know?”

  “Yes.”

  “Fine. You’re Caleb Turner. The only male heir of the Turner empire. Your company prides itself on being the complete fit for the family man and woman. There’s not an industry in the world that you’re not a part of. Media, cosmetics, pharmacy, all of it. Personally, to you? You like to party. You drink way too much and you sleep with a bunch of random women. You like your bed pressed and it has to be done a certain way because only you do it, even though you pay me to come in and clean. You also don’t like dust. You have spare dust cloths and polish spread throughout your apartment. I’m guessing it’s down to those pristine black surfaces that like to show when it’s not been cleaned. You love food, especially vegan food, but you like to keep that little tidbit of information to yourself. You go to restaurants, order stacks of vegetables so no one knows you don’t like eating animal products. The same goes for your wardrobe. None of it has any manmade fibers, and you also regularly invest in sanctuaries. Again, all information kept hidden. If you work out too muc
h, you’ve got a limp on your left leg and it flares up. You refuse to take pain medication. How am I doing so far?” She took a deep breath and couldn’t believe she’d unleashed that much information.

  “That’s… Interesting.”

  “Yeah, I know all of that from cleaning your penthouse for two years and you can’t even remember my name. Do you even know what you say to me whenever you leave in one form or another?”

  He opened his mouth, closed it.

  “Don’t steal my shit. So, even if you want a girlfriend, I’d advise you find someone else who you’re not worrying about stealing stuff. Good day, Caleb.”

  End of sample chapter

  www.evernightpublishing.com/cocky-billionaire-by-sam-crescent