Billionaire's Fake Marriage (Tempting Billionaires Book 2)

by Claire Angel

  I had already asked my driver to come and pick us up because we both were drunk. Erika, especially, wasn’t in her right senses, and it meant the alcohol had completely affected her.

  As soon as Erika and I took the backseats and the driver started the car, Erika fell asleep on my shoulder within moments. Her one hand was on my chest as her hair fell on her soft cheeks. She was the most beautiful woman I had met. She looked stunning in that red dress, which was now giving me a perfect view of her cleavage. I wanted to do so many naughty things to her, which had been running through my mind since the meeting at her home. I could feel my member twitch in my pants. Angela, my wife, never had this effect on me. Even after only three months of our marriage, when my brother shifted in our home with us, she often tried to avoid sleeping in our bedroom with me. She always had an excuse that she had office work and meetings with foreign clients. I felt foolish trusting her and Baron.

  I tried to wake Erika up as we were about to reach her place. But as soon as she opened her eyes, she slept again, this time putting her hand on the bare skin of my neckline. It was getting too difficult for me to breath and control myself as I could feel her body heat.

  I didn’t know if it was a good idea to leave her at her home alone like this. I thought for some time, then decided to take her to my home.

  “What if she is not used to this much alcohol? What if she kept vomiting for the rest of the night? There would be no one to take care for her,” I thought. “Bob, please drive us home.”

  I was taking her to my place, but I was worried, as I knew if she stayed with me again, I wouldn’t be able to control myself and I didn’t want to repeat the same mistake. I was already finding it impossible to keep my hands away from her. I wanted to make love to her, kiss her soft lips, and taste her sweet mouth once again.

  When we arrived, the driver parked in the basement, and I took her in my arms. “First floor,” I directed the guard. He accompanied me in the lift to help me.

  I carried Erika to the guest room and put her on the bed. When I did so, I was so close to her. I swallowed hard. I pulled myself away from her and placed her handbag on the side table. Then, I took off her shoes and put a blanket on her.

  I headed to my room and changed my clothes. I couldn’t sleep that night as I kept thinking about her. She heard all the shit that was going in my life, and I had seen the pain in her eyes when I told her everything. She was genuinely concerned for me. But why? I think even she didn’t have an answer for that question. I didn’t know why I was attracted to Erika more and more every time I met her. She was getting into my head.

  I was married, but I could still get any woman I wanted, even if I was not divorced yet, but I never thought about doing that. I had been loyal to Angela for the past five years, since I was twenty-six. Thinking of Angela left a bitter taste in my mouth, and I didn’t know when I fell asleep.

  The next morning, I woke up at the alarm. I stopped the alarm. I walked out of the room and checked for Erika, to see if she was still sleeping. I hoped she didn’t have any meetings or other work, even if it was Saturday.

  She was sitting in the bed with her eyes closed. I smiled as I looked at her beautiful face. I didn’t want to disturb her and walked to the kitchen to grab some coffee. After I finished my cup of coffee, I went back to the guest room to see Erika.

  Chapter 7

  Erika

  I woke up in an unfamiliar room and I was really stressed as I didn’t even remember coming this place. I looked around and I was relieve when I saw Xavier’s picture hanging on the wall. But suddenly I was worried if I slept with him once again. But then I checked, I was in the same dress I was wearing last night and my bra and panties were still on. I took a deep breath and then my eyes landed on my shoes and I thought, “Did he take off my shoes?”

  I went out to search for him and my eyes had widened in surprise. His house was ultra luxurious and huge. I admired the décor, especially the peaceful color on the walls.

  I checked the room next to my room and I found Xavier sleeping. I came back to my room without making any noise and did meditation for almost one hour. Meditation was my favourite part of morning rituals.

  Sometimes later I took the shower and I guessed Xavier was still asleep. When I got out of the shower, I put my dress from last night on after pulling the zip on the back a little so that I could easily zip it up after wearing.

  “That’s always the hardest part, isn’t it?” Xavier said when I was struggling with the zip I suddenly jumped as I looked back. I realized I forgot to lock the door when I came back in the room.

  “What is…?” I asked while looking in to his eyes and he was looking at me with such an adoring look on his face.

  “Getting the zip up,” he said.

  “I was getting ready to go back home,” I said, still struggling with the zipper.

  “Here, let me,” he said as he moved toward me.

  I just nodded and he sat on the edge of the bed next to me. But instead of helping me he started touching me. His hand reached my strap and he slowly moved it down my shoulder, softly touching me with his fingers. I closed my eyes when I felt this fingers tickling my skin. I didn’t want him to stop and he did so. His other hand slowly moved my hair away from back and started kissing down my back giving me tickles. I was almost lost and before I made another mistake, my mobile started ringing, and we both jumped.

  “I am sorry. I am sorry, Erika.” I felt ashamed for doing that.

  Last time I had alcohol to blame, but today? What the hell was I doing?

  “I’m going to go make some coffee,” he said suddenly, while walking towards the door. “Would you like some?”

  I felt like such an idiot, sitting there on the bed. I couldn’t think of anything else to say, so I just said, “Yes, please,” even though I neither liked nor drank coffee.

  He gave me a nod, and then disappeared through the bedroom door. As soon as he was gone, I zipped up my dress after the struggle of another few minutes. I stayed in bed until I heard the bedroom door open again. I tried to look casual.

  “I’m sorry about that,” he said uncomfortably and came to sit on the edge of the bed. “I didn’t mean for it to get so awkward so quickly. It’s just...” Xavier sighed and looked out the window for a moment.

  “You don’t have to apologize. We are adults and things happen sometimes. You know…”

  I didn’t complete my sentence and Xavier took my hand and squeezed it. “You can tell me what’s on your mind.” I looked deeply into his kind, caring eyes and was momentarily swept away by them. I had never met a man who listened as carefully as he did, while still making me feel completely at ease.

  And then finally, I encouraged myself to tell him, “You know I’ve been screwed over by men in the past who only wanted to sleep with me. I’d get my hopes up, put my heart on the line, and then would inevitably be cut down. But I know you are not one of them. If you wanted, you would have done anything you wanted last night.” I looked in his eyes. Xavier was still holding my hand, and he refused to let go of it.

  “I can’t believe someone would do that to you,” Xavier said softly. I looked up at him, and he looked genuinely hurt on my behalf. “So, I feel that I should tell you that I am not looking for anything to move too quickly.”

  I gave him a small smile. “It’s all right if it is so,” I said quickly. “We don’t even have to evolve into anything serious... ever,” I explained, sounding more and more sure of myself. “All I know is that I’m enjoying my time with you, and I always love that.” It seemed that our awkward moment had passed, and we were standing together happily on the other side.

  Xavier went to get the coffee. I still didn’t have the heart to tell him that I couldn’t drink it, so I promised myself that when he handed it to me, I would take a convincing sip.

  I walked out of the room and sat on the recliner waiting for the coffee. But then, a loud shout came from the kitchen, a
nd I heard Xavier swear. I quickly ran into the kitchen. When I got there, he was bent over with his elbows on the counter and his head in his hands, his phone lying open next to him.

  “What happened, what’s wrong?” I asked frantically. Xavier didn’t raise his head, he just shot the phone in my direction. When I picked it up and read what had bothered him, I very nearly had the same reaction that he did.

  “Your ex-wife and your brother are now buying all your shares and taking over your companies?” I said in disbelief. “They can’t do that. They’re in your name, and-”

  “And my wife’s name, too,” Xavier said dejectedly. “They’re hell-bent on making my life a living hell in every way possible for some reason, and so now she’s selling all the shares we have in our joint possession. And then, my idiot brother is buying them under his own name. If I ever lay eyes on him again, I’m going to tear him a new one.”

  Xavier paced around the kitchen furiously, running his fingers through his hair and breathing heavily. “Why are they doing this to me? What did I do to make them this... this petty? I know that I have money, but if they keep coming after me, I soon won’t.”

  I blanked on anything I could say to comfort him. “I cannot believe this,” was the most I could muster right then, and I cursed my brain for not being more eloquent. “You did nothing to them, as far as I know, and now they’re being this vile to you? Sickening. We should do something to give them a taste of their own medicine.”

  Xavier looked over at me. “Do you have something in mind?” he asked, intrigued. I so wished that I had thought of something, anything that we could do, but at this point, I had nothing.

  “Uhhh...” I stammered. “Slash their tires? Take away anything they’re still using that’s in yours and Angela’s name? Sign them up for a bunch of pay-per-view porn sights and then have them playing in the background here 24/7?”

  Thankfully, my last suggestion hit its mark and Xavier began laughing a little. “Those are all great ideas,” he complimented me, “but I’m afraid that we need something more viscous if we’re going to get back at them for all of this. We’ll both think on it and then regroup next week to see what we’ve come up with,” he commented, handing me my cup of coffee.

  Xavier seemed to have suddenly done a one-eighty mood-wise, and I was very surprised. “You seem quite a bit better for having just discovered that your brother and ex-wife are trying to ruin you financially. How are you not more upset right now?” I asked in disbelief.

  Xavier shrugged and took a sip of his morning coffee. “It’s a beautiful day outside, I’ve got coffee in my hand, and a beautiful woman standing in front of me. It is a really bad idea to stay upset,” he said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

  I gave him an impressed smile, and then walked toward him with my arms open, embracing him.

  I dropped the plan to go back home and we spent the rest of the day together, taking a long walk through Griffith Park, having lunch at my favourite Thai place, Sunset Queen, and then capped it all off with watching the newest Betty White action comedy in his home theatre. I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect day if I’d tried and was so impressed that Xavier was able to have this kind of day after having received that kind of news that morning.

  Chapter 8

  Xavier

  I had been trying to keep my spirits up all day for Erika’s sake, but when she went home, I finally collapsed.

  I knew that the news that Angela and Baron were now buying my shares was devastating, and if they did something to take away my remaining twenty five percent of the company, I would be sunk. I knew I needed to get things moving on our divorce, but I just couldn’t manage anything that night.

  As soon as Erika left, I went to my liquor cabinet and got drunk quicker than I ever had in my life. I didn’t want to go out anywhere, because I didn’t want anyone to see me like this, but as I became more drunk, going out seemed like a better and better idea. I ended up calling a car and he took me to Les Rouges, the club that I liked on the other side of town. As soon as I stepped inside and smelled the sweaty leather seats and heard the house music thumping in my ears, I knew I had made the right decision.

  I kept mostly to myself, except for greeting a few of the regulars who knew me well. I didn’t make a habit of coming here, but I’d stopped by enough times on bad days with Angela to be a familiar face in the crowd. I continued drinking until I no longer had any control over my thoughts or my actions. This was a truly terrible idea, but it was what my mind was telling me I needed, so I obeyed it. And I did it so well that after I took my umpteenth shot of tequila, I blacked out and had no idea what happened for the rest of the night.

  When I woke up the next morning, my head was pounding harder than it ever had before in my life. Or rather, I thought it was. It turned out that it was someone banging on my front door, and once my mind kicked in enough that I was able to tell myself to get up, I stumbled out of my room to go and stop the noise.

  I zigzagged all over the house on my way there, unable to keep my balance. I thought I was going to be sick at least three times, but managed to keep the contents of my stomach inside of me. When I finally came upon the door, I desperately swiped for the handle until I felt the cold steel against my hand. When I pulled it open, I was stunned to see Erika standing in front of me.

  “Erika,” I said, my voice still slurred from last night. “Erika? What... are you doing here?”

  Her eyes were very wide, and she was trying not to look below my shoulders. I couldn’t figure out why, until I realized I wasn’t wearing any clothes.

  “Oh, god,” I mumbled, covering myself. “I’m so sorry. Come in, I’ll...”

  And then I left the door open and ran to grab my housecoat from the bathroom. When I returned to the front half of the house, Erika was still standing in the front hallway looking confused and a little scared.

  “I’m so sorry about that,” I said again, unsure of what else to say. “I...I drank a little last night after you left. I didn’t realize I wasn’t wearing clothes.”

  Erika nodded slowly, and then asked, “So... you don’t remember calling me then, do you?”

  Oh, god!

  “Calling you?” I asked defensively. “Of course, I remember calling you, we talked about... about...”

  Erika crossed her arms and laughed. “You left a message on my phone.” I stopped trying to defend myself immediately. “You said that I should come over this morning, because there was something that you wanted to show me.”

  My mind went completely blank. What had I been talking about? I had no idea. But obviously drunk Xavier had thought this was a good idea, and now I wanted to chuck him off a cliff.

  “Yeah, right,” I said, scratching the back of my head nonchalantly. “I, uhh... I wanted to... to show you...”

  But our conversation was interrupted when the door to my bedroom was opened. I was so shocked that I didn’t turn around for a second, because my brain couldn’t register the noise. I hadn’t realized there was anyone in my room with me, but when I saw the look on Erika’s face, I whirled around. And then, my heart dropped through the floor and shattered in the debris beneath the house.

  Angela was standing in the doorway wearing nothing more than a bed sheet. “Good morning, Xavie,” she said seductively, and I had to grab my stomach to stop myself from being sick. “I thought I heard voices out here. Why don’t you come back to bed?”

  Angela leaned against the door frame, her brown straight hair tumbling down her shoulders onto her sheet-clad breasts. She had a look of intense pride on her face; it was a smugness that I’d come to know quite well over the years.

  “Angela...” I whispered in disbelief. I then looked back at Erika, because I knew that I had betrayed her so obviously and blatantly. What if she thinks that I had cooked up the story about Baron and Angela just to sleep with her?

  If she were to take out a gun and shoot me right then and
there, I would have felt she was justified. But instead of being furious at me... she was seething with rage at Angela.

  “How dare you,” Erika growled at Angela, who physically recoiled upon hearing her voice. “You cheated on Xavier with his brother, convinced Baron to swindle him out of seventy-five percent of his own company, sold and then re-bought Xavier’s stocks, and then you took advantage of him last night when he was drunk? Get out of this house before you regret it.” Erika hissed and I could see her beautiful face was red with anger, and I couldn’t stop smiling seeing her like that.

  I stared, dumbfounded but entirely impressed, at Erika. Here I was thinking that she was going to be angry with me because I had slept with Angela last night, but instead she was... protecting me? What had I done to deserve a friend such as this?

  Is she just my friend with whom I accidently slept with, or is she something more than that?

  Angela just scoffed. “And who do you think you are?” she asked, venom dripping from her voice. “I’m still his wife. How dare you talk to me like that. I know you must be after his money like other cheap girls who always dream of a rich husband to fulfill their dreams. I know your type of gold diggers very well!”

  Erika stayed calm and cool, though, meeting Angela’s glare with a defiant gaze. “Me?” she asked, and then gave a goosebump-creating laugh. She strode over to Angela, stuck out her hand, and said, “I’m Erika Heatherington, CEO of NowNews... and for your kind information I have enough money to fulfill my desire. I don’t cheat people for money like you. And I agree, only you can know what a real gold digger is.” Angela’s mouth fell open and her face flushed when she heard who Erika was.

  “One more thing, Angela. I’m Xavier’s fiancée, by the way.”

  If I had been drinking something, I would have spat it out of my mouth across the room. But as I was not, all I could do was to stand there in shock. Fiancée?

  I looked from Erika to Angela and back again, and it looked like Angela was poised to explode at any second. And then, she did.