Billionaires in New York Boxed Set: Billionaires in the City Books 1-3

by Laura Burton

  They finally ended up beside the Hudson river, and settled on the bank, gasping for air. Holly’s lungs burned. She hadn’t run for that long in years.

  “See, breaking the law can be fun,” William said, he was splayed out on the bank, his chest heaving. They fell into a comfortable silence as Holly waited for her heartbeat to calm down.

  The summer night was warm, and she was drenched in sweat. Struck by an idea, she stood up.

  “You know what would be really fun?” she said, kicking off her shoes again. William’s face was pale in the moonlight and his dark brows lifted as he watched her peel off her denim dress.

  “What are you doing?” he said.

  “I’m going to cool off,” Holly said, now standing in her black underwear. This was the most reckless thing she’d ever done. But right now, it didn’t feel reckless. She was soaked in sweat and overheated. Going for a dip in the Hudson to cool down seemed perfectly logical.

  The look on William’s face made her wonder if it was downright scandalous.

  “Are you coming?” she asked innocently as she skipped to the edge of the bank.

  There was no hesitation. Within seconds, William had stripped to his boxers and joined her. She took his hand.

  “Jump on three?” she asked. William nodded; his eyes wide. They counted to three and jumped at the same time.

  As soon as Holly crashed into the water, all of her common sense returned, and she immediately regretted the idea.

  Idiot. Now you’re going to drown.

  Despite the hot evening, the water was icy cold. So cold, Holly couldn’t catch her breath. She gawped like a fish and shivered uncontrollably. The movies lied. She had watched lovers jump into water at night, as if it was a beautiful and romantic thing to do. But no. It was impossibly cold and now Holly was probably going to die. At least, that was what she thought.

  William seemed to read her mind––or perhaps seemed to notice that she still hadn’t caught her breath yet. He grabbed her and pulled her in close. If she was not so starved of oxygen, she might have noticed that her body was pressed up against his. But she could have been hugging a cactus for all she knew. Her whole body had gone numb.

  “I’m going to lift you up, and you’re going to grab hold of the edge,” William said in a shuddery voice. He was freezing too. But he was able to talk. How was he breathing? Holly wished she knew.

  William pushed her up to the edge, his hand cradling her butt; a memory that would send heat to her cheeks later. She grasped the side and took her first greedy gulp of air.

  Her head was spinning, her ears were ringing, and every part of her body tingled as Holly crawled out onto the bank again. She collapsed on her back and stared up at the dark sky, taking in as many breaths as her lungs would allow.

  Moments later, and with a splash, William got out of the river and walked over to his clothes.

  “You okay?” Holly called out with her eyes closed. Her head was pounding, and every part of her body ached.

  “Can you bring the car over here; we need warm blankets too.” William’s low voice was barely audible.

  “A warm blanket sounds so good right now,” Holly said as William returned to her side. She blinked drops of water out of her lashes and looked at him. Water clung to his perfectly sculped body and his muscles glistened in the moonlight.

  “You could be a model, you know,” Holly blurted. Apparently, her filter was still in the Hudson. William made a pose.

  “You’ve not lost your sense of humor, I see,” he said with approval. He draped his shirt over Holly like a sheet and tucked it in around her body.

  “Just for the record, I thought the water would be warmer,” she said frankly.

  “Well, if I was tired before, I’m wide awake now,” William said, laying down next to her.

  Sometime later, a car pulled up and William slid his hands underneath Holly’s back and knees. He stood up and carried her to the car.

  “I’m going to puke. Would you still kiss me if I puke?” she said. William gave her an odd look but did not acknowledge the comment. The driver appeared and held the door open.

  “Mr. Fisher, charming to see you again. We’ve just been in for a dip,” Holly said to the man in a fake British accent.

  She saw William exchange looks with the driver before he carried her into the car.

  “Let’s get you warmed up,” he said, wrapping Holly in a thick blanket. She closed her eyes in her cotton cocoon and sighed. Being in the warm car all wrapped up in a dry blanket felt like true luxury.

  William disappeared for a few minutes and returned with their clothes. He handed Holly her purse and closed the door.

  “Feeling better?” he asked, shaking water out of his hair. Holly nodded with a drunken smile.

  William settled down next to her wrapped in a blanket as the car began to move.

  “You’re so nice,” Holly said. A tiny part of her brain sent up red flags. She knew word vomit was coming but there was nothing she could do to stop it. All of her defences were down. “I like you. A lot. I don’t even know you. But I like you.”

  A dimple appeared on William’s cheek as he looked at her.

  “I think you’re delirious,” he said. “But thank you.”

  His tongue ran along his upper lip then disappeared again.

  “Just between you and me? I like you too,” he said. Grazing his thumb over Holly’s bottom lip. Suddenly, it was stifling in the blanket.

  “I just thought you should know. Because you’ve still got to date ninety-four percent girl, and we’re not a good match. But I think we should see more of each other.” Her eyes flew down and then shot back up to William’s face with a look of horror. “That came out wrong. I mean, find out more about you, like what TV shows you watch.”

  William cradled her cheek and leaned closer.

  “I don’t watch TV,” he whispered, his breath tickling her lips. Holly moaned.

  “That’s why we don’t match. I love TV,” she said. Her lips touched his briefly.

  “You could show me what you like to watch,” he whispered. But before Holly could speak, his mouth had joined hers. The contact zinged right through Holly and she thought for a moment that she had left her body and skyrocketed into space.

  The kiss lasted for three seconds. Maybe less. Holly wasn’t counting. But there were aftershocks. It was like a lightbulb had been switched on and Holly wanted more. She leaned in to kiss William again, this time with more passion and abandon. But before she could play out her fantasy, the car stopped abruptly, and she fell back.

  “I’ve had a great time today,” William said formally. Holly blinked at him, not understanding. The door opened and she peered out to see the front of her apartment.

  “Oh,” she said. And just like that, the date was over. She gathered her things and gave William one last look.

  “Well. Thanks for today. I’m going to keep this blanket by the way,” she said. William’s eyes twinkled as he nodded.

  “Goodnight Holly.”

  Chapter Ten

  Holly walked into her apartment looking like a giant marshmallow, wrapped in a white blanket. Her heart was heavy, and she couldn’t work out why. But when she walked into the living area, all of her thoughts evaded her mind and she dropped the blanket in a pile at her feet.

  “What in the world?” she said faintly.

  Josie and Thatcher were making out on the couch, convincing Holly that when she jumped into the Hudson, it had transported her to an alternate reality.

  Josie and Thatcher sat up, adjusting their clothes with equally red faces.

  “Holly, you’re home,” Josie said in a fake chirpy voice. “Why are you wet? And only in your underwear?”

  “Are you drunk?” Thatcher asked. Holly ignored their questions, shaking her head as she tried to process the situation.

  “Were you two making out? Or did I just imagine that?” she said bluntly. Thatcher and Josie exchanged looks.

  “We
were going to tell you... about us. We just wanted to find the right time,” Josie said, looking guilty. She and Thatcher held hands and looked at her with sympathy, which only riled Holly up more.

  “My two best friends are in love. Great. Well, I’m tired. I’ll be in bed, if anyone needs me.” She stomped across the room, leaving the door wide open and her blanket on the floor.

  “How did your date go?” Thatcher asked, but Holly had already marched off into her room and slammed the door.

  Holly took a hot shower and climbed into bed with a sigh. The king-size bed was comfortable, and she was cozy in her fluffy onesie, but something troubled her.

  The events of the evening replayed in her mind. From the stilted reality TV acting and air balloon ride, to the moment she fell onto William on the basketball court. They had been flirting and the date was going well. Until Holly thought it would be a good idea to go swimming in the Hudson.

  After that, everything changed. She cringed at the things she said.

  Would you still kiss me if I puke?

  She threw her covers over her head with a moan. How could she say that?

  Then she touched her lips as she remembered their kiss.

  It had all ended so abruptly; she couldn’t work out what went wrong. And now her best friends were playing tonsil tennis in her living room, so she couldn’t even talk to them about it.

  Holly went to sleep disgruntled and with her stomach knotted. Sleep provided her with no rest. Instead, she fell into weird and twisted dreams.

  Morning came and Holly woke up to her alarm. Despite its piercing tone, it was a welcome relief from her wild imagination.

  When she walked into the kitchen, she stopped at the sight of Thatcher leaning over the sink, washing dishes.

  “You stayed over?” she said. Thatcher spun on the spot and met her gaze with an unabashed smile.

  “Josie and I were thinking, as it’s Sunday… we could spend the day together.”

  Holly opened her mouth to react, but Josie bounded in through the front door. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were shining. She was far too energetic for the morning.

  “Oh good. Are you setting up the blender?” she asked Thatcher, who waved a broccoli stalk at her. Josie beamed at Holly. “Morning, sleepy head. Are you feeling okay? I’ve got the perfect hangover cure for you.”

  Holly raised her hand and looked at her friend like she had gone mad.

  “Hangover? Who said anything about a hangover?”

  Josie and Thatcher exchanged looks.

  “Oh no. It won’t be that easy,” Holly said, resting her hands on her hips. “I saw you two last night. I wasn’t drunk and I remember everything.”

  Josie’s eyes turned into the shape of saucers.

  “But Holly… you weren’t wearing any clothes,” she said in a hushed voice. Thatcher walked round from the breakfast bar as Josie took her arm gently.

  “You need to sit down and tell us what happened,” Thatcher said. Holly sighed. She begrudgingly recounted the whole date to her friends.

  With every detail of her account, Josie and Thatcher reacted appropriately.

  They gasped. They rolled their eyes. They laughed. Then when Holly finished, they looked at each other for a long time. As if they had developed the art of telepathy.

  “It’s amazing you didn’t get hypothermia,” Josie said in a breathy voice.

  “He’s not going to pick me, is he?” Holly said glumly.

  Thatcher nodded along.

  “Honestly. If I was William? I would run for the hills and never look back,” he said frankly. Josie nudged him in the ribs.

  “Not true. It’s… cute. You were being fun and impulsive,” she said. But something about the tone of her voice didn’t convince Holly.

  “I asked him if he’d still kiss me If I puked,” Holly wailed, throwing her face into her hands.

  “Some guys like that,” Josie said.

  “Who? Who likes that?” Thatcher asked. Holly kept her face in her hands but judging by the grunt, she guessed Josie had nudged him again.

  The doorbell rang and Holly looked up so fast her neck cracked. Josie jumped up and ran over to the intercom.

  “Who is it?”

  “It’s William Harrington, I’m here to see Holly Barratt,” a deep voice crackled out of the speaker. Josie glanced back at Holly with an open mouth. Then she spun back to the intercom. “She’ll be right down.”

  Holly’s heart jolted. She was still wearing her onesie.

  “What are you waiting for? Go!” Thatcher urged. Holly looked at her two friends with disbelief.

  “I can’t go like this!” she demanded, gesturing to herself.

  “You look adorable, just go. He’s waiting.” Josie tugged on Holly’s hands and pushed her out the door.

  Holly descended the steps rubbing last night’s mascara from under her eyes and smoothing out her bed hair.

  I have terrible friends. The worst.

  She mumbled to herself as she reached the bottom floor but put on a smile as she rounded the corner. The silhouette of a man was standing outside the door.

  “Hey there, stranger,” she said brightly as she thrust the door open. Thankfully William jumped back just in time or the door would have hit him in the face.

  “Hey back at you,” he said with a grin. He brandished a bunch of red roses and gave them to her. “I wanted to check that you were feeling okay.”

  His eyes scanned her onesie, causing both of his dimples to show.

  “You like monkeys, huh?” he said, cocking a brow.

  Holly was too busy smelling the roses to pick up on his question.

  “What?” she said, looking up at him again. Then she remembered she was standing in broad daylight wearing a monkey and banana print onesie. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she resisted the urge to screech and run away.

  Bad friends. Very, very bad friends.

  “Are you hungry? You can join us for breakfast,” she offered. William’s eyes shifted left and his smile changed. Holly leaned forward to see what he was looking at and inside she died a thousand deaths.

  A camera crew stood to the side and had been recording the entire exchange.

  “Nope! You do NOT have my permission to record this,” Holly shouted at them. She waved the roses above her head and shooed them away. William held his hand over his face, shoulders shaking.

  “A heads up would have been nice!” she hissed at him. “I mean look at me! I’m a monkey for crying out loud!” She imitated the animal with an angry face, then––catching William’s reaction––doubled up with laughter.

  “I’m sorry about that,” he said finally, his face flushed with color. “And I can’t join you for breakfast––as much as I’d love to,” William hesitated. “I’ve got a––”

  “Don’t tell me. A date?” Holly interjected. William cast his eyes down with a nod.

  “I’m glad you’re feeling okay. Last night, I was pretty worried.” His eyes lifted to meet hers.

  “Well. As you can see, I’m fit as a fiddle. Nothing wrong here,” she spread her arms jovially and William shook his head with a chuckle.

  “You know, I don’t think I’ve met anyone who makes me laugh this much.” He beamed at her.

  “There you go. Pick me to be your girlfriend and I’ll be your full-time stand-up comedian!” Holly blurted. Then her blood turned cold and she wished hard that she could rewind the scene and say something cooler. Actually, now Holly thought about it, she wished she could rewind an hour and make herself look presentable. Preferably with something figure hugging.

  William took Holly’s hand and leaned in to peck her on the cheek. Feeling his warmth against her skin gave her tingles. The thought of throwing the flowers in the air and pulling him into the apartment building was tempting.

  Holly surprised herself at her restraint as she resisted.

  “Well, enjoy your date,” she called after him as William started to walk backwards down the path. He w
aved at her with a crooked smile. “But not too much! Don’t forget about me now.”

  Stop talking Holly. Stop it.

  She watched him, roses in her arms, as he turned and climbed into a car. Then her heart squeezed as she watched the car join the steady flow of traffic.

  “I’ve decided to forgive you both,” Holly announced as she banged the door open and re-entered the apartment. Josie and Thatcher were seated on the couch, holding hands. They looked up at her with identical looks of surprise.

  “What for?” Thatcher asked slowly. Holly crossed her arms.

  “For creeping around behind my back. You should have just come out and told me.”

  Josie cocked her head to the side but didn’t argue. Satisfied, Holly cleared her throat, ready to face the awkwardness head on.

  “So, you two are a couple now? Are you moving to Paris with Thatcher?” Holly asked Josie, who averted her eyes.

  “I haven’t decided yet,” she said in a small voice.

  That means yes.

  Holly whistled. It was a blow. First, she was losing Thatcher and now her roommate was moving away as well. She’d already been publicly humiliated on camera, what else could go wrong?

  She kicked the door closed and tossed the flowers in the sink. Thatcher jumped to his feet.

  “What’s up with you?” he asked. Josie joined him.

  “We can’t help but notice you’ve been acting… odd.”

  Holly’s eyes smarted as she bit her lip.

  “Look, I get it. Everything isn’t about me. And I’m happy that you two have found… whatever it is you’ve found.” Holly’s stomach churned as she chewed her lip. “But William is going on a date with that perfect woman today and I want to punch something. So, can we please just pretend everything is normal and hang out?”

  Josie and Thatcher became two nodding dogs as they made noises of agreement.

  “What do you want to do? We could go for a run?” Josie offered. Thatcher shot her a look.

  “Go for a run?” he repeated, his face twisted. Josie crossed her arms and frowned at him. Holly’s spirits lifted as she listened to the two of them argue about what to do for the day.