Escape With Me

by Lakes, Krista

  Lorna's smiled dropped, and she glared at the poor waitress. “I'll have the lobster too. And the recommended wine.”

  The waitress left, and Lorna fixed her smile back. Wyatt could tell that this wasn't going the way she'd planned.

  Wyatt knew what she was trying to do. He'd been on so many dates like this. Women saw his wealth and wanted it. They would go to dinner, wearing something revealing, and ask him to talk about himself. They would say that everything he said was funny or clever.

  He'd fallen for it a few times before discovering that it was all fake. Women would say or do whatever they thought would make him like them. It was ironic because that was precisely the last thing he wanted. He liked that Cassie spoke her mind. He liked that he didn't have to order for her. He liked that she didn't always laugh at his jokes.

  “I heard you have the most amazing beach house in California,” Lorna tried again. “Will you tell me about it? I bet you get invited to the best parties.”

  “When I lived in California, I spent most of my time at the office. I didn't get to enjoy the house or the parties.” He hadn't enjoyed that part of his life at all. It had been all work all the time. It was a big part of why he'd left. To bring it up showed that she didn't know him at all. “I honestly could barely tell you what the kitchen looks like. I was basically never there.”

  “That's a shame,” Lorna replied. “You must be so proud of your business. I love it when a man finds something he's passionate about.”

  “You know that I quit, right? I left my business.” Wyatt frowned slightly.

  “Oh, right.” Lorna blushed. She'd gotten caught up in the yes-man routine. “I mean, you were passionate about being in the Caribbean, too. Right?”

  “Where I met Cassie. Yes.” Wyatt took a sip of his water. He was determined to bring up Cassie wherever he could.

  He didn't feel bad about it either. Lorna knew he was with Cassie, yet she was choosing to pursue him anyway. Lorna was supposedly Cassie's friend, yet she was choosing to try and break them up. The only thing she knew about Wyatt was that he was rich. They'd never had a real conversation. Even now, she was asking him about things that related to his wealth, not to him.

  If anything, he felt pity for her. She wasn't going to get him, no matter how hard she tried.

  “Lorna, tell me about yourself.” He decided to let her talk for a while. “I'm sure you must have some sort of interesting hobby.”

  Lorna's face lit up. “I play golf and tennis,” she explained excitedly. “Do you play? I'm sure you must, being a billionaire and all.”

  “I actually don't,” Wyatt admitted. Golf had been his father's game. Wyatt much preferred swimming and surfing, and he'd never had the time to get good at tennis. “But, tell me about them.”

  “You don't play golf?” She frowned slightly but then smiled. “I'd love to teach you. I'm a very patient teacher. I can show you moves that will blow your mind. I'm really good at handling balls.”

  Wyatt sighed internally. Sex wasn't a selling point for him either. Especially not so blatantly. He wondered if this had worked on other men because it certainly wasn't working for him. Lorna seemed to be oblivious to his discomfort.

  “I'm not interested in your 'ball handling,'” he said, pointedly. “It's really unnecessary. I just want to have a normal conversation.”

  Lorna giggled. “Of course you do. I just want to make sure you know what I'm offering. It's more than Cassie can offer, I assure you.”

  She bit her lower lip and looked down at her ample bosom, shaking her shoulders slightly to show off.

  “Tell me more about tennis,” he said, trying to get her back on a topic. “Do you play recreationally or on a league?”

  “I happily play doubles,” she replied with a wink. “If you know what I mean.”

  Wyatt sighed and felt like banging his head against the table.

  This was going to be a very long dinner.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Wyatt

  Fifty-seven minutes later, Wyatt was beyond relieved that dinner was over. They'd had their meal. They'd had dessert. They were done.

  He'd started counting the number of times Lorna made an inappropriate sexual comment but stopped counting after thirty-seven. He told her several times that he wasn't interested, but she ignored him.

  Lorna was not kind to Cassie. The insults were never blatant, but there. “I bet Cassie doesn't do this” or “Cassie is too busy to do that” and even “you can do so much better” came out multiple times during the conversation.

  It only made Lorna look spiteful. The woman was beautiful with her trim body, large breasts, and shiny hair, but her soul did not match the outside. She was shallow and cruel. She was willing to throw Cassie under the bus for a chance at a billionaire's heart.

  He sighed with relief as soon as the check came.

  “Thank you for this date,” Wyatt said, setting the check down and standing up. “And thank you for your kind donation.”

  It was time to escape. He turned and could see the light through the door. Freedom.

  “You don't want to stay and talk some more?” Lorna asked, painting a sad pout onto her face.

  “I'm afraid I have other plans,” he replied diplomatically.

  She pouted, but then stood up. “At least walk me to the valet.” She blinked up at him through long fake eyelashes.

  He looked to the door. It was only a few feet away. He'd survived this long. This wouldn't be that much more.

  She took his arm, pressing her body into him and gazing up adoringly. He tried to pull away, but she clung to him like a burr.

  He walked quickly, sensing freedom as soon as he could reach the sunlight.

  He held open the door for Lorna, they stepped out, and he was free.

  Only, he wasn't. As soon as they were clear of the door, Lorna jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck, planting a kiss on his lips.

  He spluttered and pushed her off, angry that she would do such a thing.

  And then he saw the photographers. The lights were flashing, and the cameras were rolling. Lorna grinned up at him, her lipstick smudged on her self-satisfied smile.

  Anger flared up white and hot. He couldn't see straight.

  “What have you done?” he growled at her, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. It felt dirty.

  She smiled sweetly. “What you should have done in the first place.” She turned and smiled sweetly for the photographers. “If you could give us some privacy, I know we'd both appreciate it. We're working things out.”

  Wyatt saw red. “How dare you!”

  “Oh, dear. I know that things are rough right now, but I forgive you. That other woman tricked you. I love you. We can still be together. I forgive you completely.” Lorna fluttered her eyelashes at him.

  The click of cameras filled the air, all of them tuned on Lorna.

  “That's not true,” he said, trying to keep his voice calm.

  “Darling, I know that we've had some rough spots, but we can work things out. I want to work things out. I won't let that other woman lie to you. That's all she's done. You and I are meant to be. Don't be angry with me for making you see the truth. I'm only trying to help you.”

  Wyatt stared at her. The words she was saying made no sense, yet the paparazzi were eating it up.

  He realized no matter what he said, it would be misreported. Right now, she had the upper hand.

  There was nothing he could do to fix this. Better to disappear before she could catch him in any more drama. The less pictures that existed, the better. Besides, he was too angry to think straight. Staying would mean giving the photographers more fuel for their tawdry fires.

  He turned and pushed his way through the photographers, leaving them to snap pictures up as he went. He wanted to hit something. He wanted to throw and destroy every camera there, but he knew it wouldn't do any good.

  The damage was done.

  A picture of Lorna and Wyatt kissing passi
onately existed in the world.

  Wyatt's head hung in shame as Thor in the SUV skidded to a stop in front of him. He climbed in, already dreading telling Cassie. He knew she would understand, but at the same time, it was one more incursion into her world.

  If she were dating a regular man, this wouldn't be a problem. She wouldn't see her boyfriend kissing another woman as front page news if she was dating anyone but him.

  This was the part of being a billionaire that sucked. He had no privacy, and everyone wanted something from him.

  It was not the way that he wanted to live. If given the option, he would happily trade his billions for a more normal lifestyle. He didn't want to live in poverty, but the idea of merely being a multimillionaire without fame sounded like heaven.

  The walk up to his apartment was long. He dreaded having to tell Cassie what had happened. He hated knowing she would see this picture. He knew she would understand, but that didn't change the fact that she had to deal with it. She would take it with grace and understanding, as she seemed to take everything his world threw at her. She would smile and tell him it didn't matter while her eyes grew distant and her mouth lost its smile.

  He knew it dragged on her. She disliked this celebrity status as much as he did. It was one of the reasons that they got along so well. They matched one another in their desire to remain private and didn't need the general public to validate their decisions.

  He took a deep breath before opening up the door. Inside he could hear laughter and the sound of music.

  It made him feel more guilty. He was going to come in and ruin their fun. He gave serious thought to just going to the gym or on a run, but he knew Cassie would worry. She expected him home around now from the date, and if he didn't show she would worry that Lorna had somehow seduced him.

  It was laughable, but then there was the picture showing the lie could look possible.

  He opened the door, trying to keep a positive look on his face.

  Inside, Cassie and her three friends sat on the couch, a bottle of wine and glasses on the coffee table. Old pop music he recognized from his high school years filled the room, and they were laughing as they talked.

  “You're home!” Cassie shouted, jumping up with a smile. Her eyes shone with relief that he was back and no longer in Lorna's clutches. She ran to him, wrapping her arms around him.

  Even though the kiss was not of his doing, he felt like he was contaminating her with his touch.

  “How awful was it?” Brianna asked, standing up and picking up the empty wine bottle. The other two women helped her pick up and put the dishes in the kitchen.

  “It went exactly as you'd expect,” Wyatt said. He turned and looked at Cassie. “I need to talk to you.”

  Concern filled her beautiful brown eyes. “What happened?”

  He glanced over at her friends, but they were in the kitchen. He could hear them talking quietly as they put the dishes in the sink.

  “Lorna kissed me.” His voice was flat.

  Cassie's eyes went wide for a moment. “What?”

  “I didn't kiss her back,” he assured her. He sighed. “But, she made sure to do it in front of the photographers.”

  Cassie's eyes narrowed. “Of course she did. And I bet she made it look good, didn't she?”

  Wyatt nodded, shame creeping up the back of his neck. “I swear to you Cassie, I didn't kiss her back. I didn't give her any indication that it was wanted or--”

  “I know you didn't,” she cut him off. She put a hand to his cheek and smiled up at him. “You look too damn miserable about it.”

  “It's going to be in the press,” he told her.

  She sighed, dropping her hand. “I know. That's Lorna's style. She's relentless and incredibly selfish. I half expected something like this from her. She probably paid half the photographers to be there.”

  Wyatt felt the balloon of fear inside him start to deflate. Cassie wasn't angry. He'd suspected she wouldn't be, but it felt good to know he'd been right.

  “We're going to head out,” Janessa announced. Wyatt turned to see Cassie's three former roommates standing by the door with their things and shoes already on.

  “Thank you guys for coming over,” Cassie told them. She leaned against Wyatt.

  “Any time. We should do this more often anyway,” Julia replied with a grin. “Wyatt, you're going to have to go out on more dates.”

  She said it with a wink and a laugh, but Wyatt had a hard time cracking a smile.

  “Thanks for having us,” Janessa quickly said, reading the mood of the room. She smiled and pushed the other two out before they could make any more inappropriate jokes.

  The songs of the past still played in the living room, filling the silence after the guests had left.

  Cassie sighed and went to the living room, turning off the music. She went to the kitchen and got a fresh glass of wine before throwing herself into the couch and taking a big sip.

  “Are you okay?” Wyatt asked. He really meant to ask if they were okay.

  She gave him a weak smile and patted the couch beside her.

  “I'm just having a hard time adjusting,” she admitted when he sat down. “My life was boring before this. It was just work. I followed Corporate's rules, and my life ran smoothly. Corporate doesn't have any guidelines on what to do when dating a famous billionaire. I looked.”

  “I'm sorry,” he said softly.

  She sighed again. “It's not your fault,” she replied. “Not really.”

  “What if we went back to the Caribbean?” Wyatt hadn't planned on asking now. He still wanted everything to be perfect, but the longer he waited, the more the question pressed on him. He didn't want to be in the city anymore. He wanted to go home. He was so tired of being here that he asked the question without it being perfect.

  “That would be great,” Cassie replied. Her whole body relaxed. “I could go for that.”

  Wyatt's heart nearly burst from his chest. It had been so much easier than he'd been afraid of. He'd been worried over nothing.

  “This should all be blown over in a couple of weeks,” Cassie continued. She smiled as she planned in her mind. “Then we can come back, and we won't be followed by cameras everywhere. I can go back to work. I can go back to my apartment and get clothes.”

  Some of the elation ebbed away. “What? Why would we come back?” Wyatt asked.

  A mix of surprise and confusion pulled Cassie's brows together. “Why wouldn't we? The islands are just a vacation... right?”

  “No. The island is home. Our home.”

  Cassie fell silent for a moment. She shifted away from him.

  “This is my home.” Her voice was soft but stubborn. “This is where my life is.”

  “What life?” Wyatt asked. Anger flared inside of him. He was so tired from the day. He'd used up all his emotional reserves dealing with Lorna. He could feel anger starting to form inside of him. He just wanted to go home. To leave all this behind and go back to the life that he loved.

  Her eyes narrowed. “This is where my life is,” she repeated. “My house. My job, my friends. I don't have anything in the Caribbean.”

  “What house?” he snapped. “You live in a tiny apartment. Your job? You've basically been fired. And your friends? I've seen what your friends do. They assault people to get what they want."

  Anger flooded Cassie's pretty features. Her cheeks flushed, and her chest started to heave.

  “How dare you,” she hissed. “My friends are good people. Lorna isn't my friend. You chose to go on that date. You know that Lorna isn't a friend.”

  Wyatt didn't even care that he knew he was wrong. He was angry now. He was so tired of being here. He'd come here for Cassie, but she wasn't willing to do the same for him. She wasn't willing to give them a chance as he had.

  He'd come to her home, but she wouldn't come to his.

  “You don't have anything for you here,” he said, sounding logical and reasonable.

  “It's my life,” she
replied, drawing further away from him. “And it was just fine before you came and wrecked it. You're the one who dragged me into this mess. This is all your fault.”

  She crossed her arms and lifted her chin defiantly. Her eyes flashed with fury, and her cheeks flushed with emotion and wine.

  Wyatt vibrated with unleashed anger. He was here for her, yet she was ungrateful and unwilling to try. Guilt only added fuel to the fire consuming him.

  “It's been a long day,” he said, rising to his feet. “I think it's best if I go to bed.”

  “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” she said the words with bitterness.

  He tried to walk calmly to the bedroom, but he felt like stomping and swearing the entire way.

  Nothing was going as planned. Nothing was working the way it was supposed to. He'd thought they would be already in their happily ever after, but Cassie showed no signs of leaving. She obviously didn't care for him as much as he did for her.

  Heartache, guilt, and anger all fought in his chest as he flopped into bed. Sleep took a long time coming, especially because Cassie never joined him in bed.

  She left him to sleep in his own anger. She wanted nothing to do with him.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Cassie

  Cassie's neck hurt the next day, and her back had a cramp that she couldn't stretch out.

  The couch was not nearly as comfortable to sleep on as she'd expected. After a few hours, the once soft couch became too soft to be supportive. The blanket was too light, and every time the air conditioning kicked on, she got cold. The pillows were too small and decorative to be useful for actual sleep.

  She'd nearly gotten up and gone to the bedroom several times, but each time her pride and spite got the best of her.

  The fact that Wyatt would call Lorna her friend rankled. His dismissive attitude toward her job infuriated her. Sure, she wasn't a billionaire. She was just a hotel manager, but she had worked hard at it. She'd followed the rules. Didn't that mean something?

  Why did she have to give it all up?

  It wasn't fair. She wanted to be with Wyatt, but she didn't want to give up her life to do it.