Billionaire by Design (A BWWM Romance)

by Tiana Cole

  Jenna was stuffed to the gills, but Zane insisted that she try a Sicilian cannoli. She agreed under the condition they’d split one, and joked she’d have to work out twice as hard the following week. He silenced any lingering insecurities by complimenting the physique she’d managed to keep after years of working in an establishment that dealt primarily in cheeseburgers. They bounced flirtations off each other while waiting for the bill, and when it arrived, Zane politely thanked the waiter while keeping the total concealed from her. He fished his wallet out of his back pocket and discreetly placed a single green note inside the check holder. Despite his effort to hide it, she knew that it was a one hundred dollar bill.

  Reaching for her hand, he helped her out of her seat and continued to hold it as they walked side by side out of the restaurant. She felt so safe in the presence of this charming man whose piercing blue eyes she could never tire of. His big hand gently enveloped hers, yet she could still feel how powerful he was as he led her back to the idling town car. They’d been dining for well over an hour, and she couldn’t help but wonder how much he paid his driver to sit waiting patiently for so long.

  The back of the town car was filled with a mixture of laughter and mild flirtation as they zipped back to Jenna’s apartment complex. Zane found Jenna’s case of alcohol-induced giggles to be quite entertaining and the occasional chuckle from Carl, his driver, indicated that he also found her amusing.

  The town car pulled alongside her building, and Zane helped her out as she‘d anticipated. Recognizing that she was still a bit too buzzed to attempt a flight of stairs with heels on, she kicked them off and carried them as Zane stayed one step behind her with a hand hovering behind her back. She took note of his protective gesture and thanked him as they made their way up to the second floor. Standing outside her apartment door, they both searched for the right words to express their goodbyes.

  “I can’t thank you enough for tonight,” Jenna smiled as they stood close to each other, holding hands. “It was absolutely perfect.”

  “I should be the one thanking you,” he replied while returning the smile. “You’re truly exquisite, and also the first woman I’ve ever met who’s worthy of that word.”

  “Oh, stop…” she blushed, playfully batting at his shoulder.

  In an unexpected move, he quickly wrapped a strong arm around her waist and pulled her even closer to him. Before she could register what was happening, he leaned in and placed his soft lips to hers in a gentle kiss. She was so caught off guard, she clumsily dropped the clutch and heels she‘d been holding, and they both laughed while the tips of their noses remained touching.

  “Oops,” she smiled as she grabbed the lapels of his suit jacket and pressed him into her for another kiss, this one far longer and much more passionate. Jenna could feel her heart pounding as their lips locked and their tongues danced together intimately.

  “I haven’t even left and I want to see you again,” he breathed as he held her tightly and rested his forehead on hers.

  “I’d like that,” she replied softly as she soaked in his scent.

  “When?” he asked eagerly. “Is tomorrow too soon?”

  “Tomorrow’s fine,” she answered as she affectionately placed her hand on his cheek. “Perfect, really. I have a little school work to finish up, but I’ll be free after that.”

  “Does 6:00 pm give you time?”

  “That’s fine. What did you have in mind?” she smiled warmly as she stared into his captivating eyes.

  “I’d like to do dinner again, but with a different spin this time,” he grinned. “I want to cook for you. No fancy restaurants. No master chefs. Just me making you dinner at my place. Then perhaps a movie, if you‘re up for it.”

  “Gorgeous, talented, successful, and you can cook?” she commented in jest. “Is there anything you can’t do, mister?”

  “Hey, I never said I can cook well,” he laughed.

  “Fair enough,” she shot back. “Okay, dinner at your place it is.”

  “I’ll pick you up at 6:00 pm,” he told her as he lovingly caressed her back.

  “You know I am capable of driving, right?” she joked.

  “I know, I know. But it’s a bit of a drive and they aren’t exactly giving gas away these days,” he replied.

  “Okay, deal,” she conceded. Given the sorry state of her car, she knew it wasn’t wise to drive it farther than absolutely necessary. She also had to admit that being chauffeured around town was something she could definitely get used to.

  After a final long kiss goodbye, Jenna watched as Zane bounded down the stairs and to the town car below, pausing to shoot her a smile and a small wave before climbing into the back. She picked up the clutch and heels she’d dropped, rooted to find her keys, and with her hands shaking from the excitement of the evening, she fumbled her way through unlocking her front door. Leigh was still gone, but that wasn’t unusual for a Saturday night. Her friend had more of a social life than her, and typically spent her weekends partying it up somewhere.

  Exhausted from the evening and the wine, Jenna hurried through her nightly routine before sinking into bed. Clutching a pillow tightly and wishing it were Zane, she recounted the evening in her mind as she quickly drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Eight

  The following day, she awoke with a mild hangover to find a text message from Zane thanking her once again for a wonderful time. He’d sent it a half an hour after dropping her off the night before, but she’d been sound asleep by then.

  She hastily replied, and he returned the text within minutes. They spent the morning casually texting each other as she straightened up the apartment and shaking the rest of her headache. After a warm shower and two cups of coffee, she spent four hours finishing up a school assignment that was due later that week.

  She could have finished it sooner, but found herself distracted by thoughts of Zane’s gorgeous face, hypnotic eyes, and contagious laugh. Their dinner date replayed in a constant loop while she worked on adding textures to the polygonal model she’d created.

  Satisfied with the finished results, and with a few hours to burn until her date, she ventured into the living room where she found Leigh curled on up the couch in front of the muted television. Jenna had woken briefly at 5:00 am when she’d heard the familiar sound of Leigh drunkenly staggering into the apartment, and by the looks of it, the girl was nursing a hangover that was much worse than hers had been.

  “Shoot me,” she croaked as she moved her legs so Jenna could take a seat beside her.

  “I take it you had a fun night?” Jenna asked, staring blankly at the cartoon flashing on the television.

  “Frat party. I got all sorts of fucked-up,” Leigh groaned as she placed a hand over her sensitive eyes to shield her from the light. “I don’t even remember how I got home.”

  “So basically it was your average Saturday night?” Jenna joked. Her friend raised her other hand to playfully flip her off.

  “Fuck you, dude,” she smirked.

  “I was hung-over this morning, too,” Jenna casually inserted as a coy way of steering a conversation.

  “You?” Leigh removed the hand from her eyes to look at Jenna incredulously.

  “Yeah, I went on a date last night and had a little too much wine. My bad,” she smiled.

  “Shut the fuck up!” Leigh burst as she sat up slightly. “You went on a date? No fucking way.”

  “Way,” Jenna’s grin widened.

  “With who? I want details, woman,” Leigh demanded, her hangover taking a back seat to her curiosity.

  “The president of a major marketing firm,” Jenna boasted, adding, “And he offered me a job.”

  “No fucking way,” Leigh repeated. “How did you meet this guy?”

  “It’s a long story, but he’s absolutely amazing. He took me to that Primavera restaurant downtown.”

  “I’ve heard of that place,” Leigh nodded, “very fancy. Sounds like he has money.”

  “He does
okay for himself,” Jenna shrugged.

  “Is he hot?” Leigh asked excitedly.

  “Oh my God, he’s gorgeous,” Jenna beamed as she placed her hands over her heart. “He looks like a friggin’ model.”

  “So, let me get this straight. He’s loaded, and he’s hot?”

  “Basically, yes,” Jenna gloated.

  “That’s it… you’re marrying him,” Leigh playfully insisted.

  “Shush,” Jenna giggled. “We actually have a lot in common. He’s extremely talented, charming, funny—”

  “I thought you said you have a lot in common?” Leigh interrupted to tease.

  “Somebody’s got jokes,” Jenna laughed.

  “Well, I’m glad you got out for once,” Leigh remarked with a kind sincerity. “I was beginning to worry about you.”

  “I know you were,” Jenna replied appreciatively. “Oh, and we’re going out again tonight!”

  “Whoa! Two nights in a row? Damn, girl.”

  For the next hour, Jenna gave her friend a play-by-play of the incredible evening she’d had with Zane Talbot while Leigh hung on every word. Leigh attempted to share the events of her evening as well, but wasn’t able to recall much thanks the extraordinary amount of alcohol she’d downed. Jenna was thrilled she finally had time to catch up with her friend, especially now that she had some exciting news to share for once. She hadn’t gotten to see her much since Leigh had switched her schedule around to accommodate for her evening classes at the community college. Leigh always invited her out on weekends, but Jenna wasn’t much of a partier and chose to relax at home with a good book instead.

  When 4:30 pm rolled around, Jenna began readying herself without the painstaking effort she’d made the night before. She was ready by 5:30 pm, opting to wear a pair of jeans and a nice button-up shirt as opposed to anything fancy.

  Zane had reiterated through text message that they wouldn’t be going out, and that she needn’t worry about dolling herself up. She was perfectly fine with that and felt much more comfortable dressing down for this second date. She rejoined Leigh on the couch and spent the next half an hour listening to her groan about her headache as she mindlessly flipped through the channels.

  With the same punctuality of the previous night, Zane arrived a hair before 6:00 pm, and Leigh’s curiosity bested her hangover. She forced herself into a seated position, ran her fingers through her hair, and readjusted her shirt with a tug as Jenna scurried to answer the door. It was her first time seeing him without a suit, but he was still magnificently dressed in a white polo shirt that was tucked into his khaki slacks and held in place by a brown leather belt. He’d replaced his gold Rolex with a silver one, and the Italian loafers he was wearing oozed money. As usual, not a single hair was out of place and he greeted her with his sparkling blue eyes and perfect smile. She invited him into the modest apartment and introduced him to Leigh.

  “Hi, you’re really hot,” she blurted as he leaned in to shake her hand. Her hazel eyes were wide with awe, clearly taken with how handsome this man actually was. Zane laughed heartily at her unexpected comment.

  “Leigh!” Jenna smiled in nervous embarrassment.

  “Hey, I like a woman who speaks her mind,” Zane smirked, unfazed by Leigh’s remark.

  Dragging him away from her uncouth friend, Jenna gave him a brief tour of the apartment and hesitantly showed him the small workstation she’d set up in her bedroom. Her computer was outdated, her desk cluttered, and her software largely bootleg, but Zane looked at it with affection while recounting how similar his setup looked when his business was in its nascent stages.

  Heading back to the living room, Zane said a polite goodbye to Leigh as Jenna grabbed her purse. She guided Zane out the front door and turned to tell her friend not to wait up. With Zane just out of sight, Leigh signaled her approval of him by using her hand to fan her face while mouthing the words “holy shit.” Jenna smiled, rolled her eyes, and headed out the door.

  “Your roommate’s quite the character,” Zane chuckled as the town car rolled out of the parking lot, the two seated closely in its familiar back seat.

  “That girl says whatever she’s thinking, but she means well,” Jenna explained apologetically.

  “I should set her up with Phil Miller,” Zane joked.

  “Yeah…” she replied flatly, unamused by his quip.

  “No?” he asked, raising his brow in curiosity.

  “About that,” she began apprehensively. “I’m not so sure that guy means well.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Eh, forget it,” she waved dismissively, suddenly unsure if now was the right time to mention Phil’s abhorrent behavior.

  “No, tell me,” Zane persisted as he reassuringly placed his hand on her knee.

  There was a long pause as Jenna debated how to approach the subject. She didn’t want to cause trouble within the firm and opted to downplay the incident in Phil Miller’s office.

  “Let’s just say he doesn’t seem to understand the concept of ‘personal space,’” she finally answered with a forced chuckle.

  “What do you mean by that?” Zane prodded.

  “The guy just gives me the creeps is all,” she shrugged.

  “I told you he’s kind of a schmuck,” Zane sighed. “I’ve had trouble with him before.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah, I had to shell out quite a bit of dough to avoid a hefty sexual harassment suit thanks to him,” he divulged. “That was a few years ago, but he seems to have cleaned up his act since then.”

  “Let’s just forget it for now,” she smiled, “and enjoy our evening.”

  She moved her hand to his cheek to guide his mouth to hers, kissing him deeply and feeling her anger vanish.

  “I could get used to that,” he breathed.

  “Is that so?” she giggled as their lips met again.

  As the car sped across town for over twenty-five minutes, Jenna couldn’t help but notice they’d made way into the Catalina Foothills, one of Tucson’s most affluent communities. She held Zane’s hand as she watched Arizona’s beautiful pastel sunset through the window while also taking note of the gorgeous homes they were cruising past.

  “This is it,” Zane announced as he helped her out of the car and motioned towards his home. Jenna’s jaw dropped at the sight of his sprawling estate.

  She’d never seen such beautiful architecture in person before, and gasped while processing the sheer size of the sprawling adobe estate. Its four towering columns looked as though they were guarding the large, solid oak double doors they stood in front of.

  An elegant illuminated fountain, located in the middle of the circular driveway, was situated behind them; the water spurting from its top forming a pool in the first tier and trickling its way down to the larger second tier and even larger third.

  “Jesus Christ,” Jenna muttered while taking in the elegance surrounding her. The entire property radiated wealth. She always wondered who lived in these lavish foothill homes at the base of Mt. Lemmon, Tucson’s landmark mountain, and now she knew.

  “I know, it’s kind of a fixer-upper,” Zane joked, breaking the silence that had fallen at the sight of his posh dwelling.

  Hand in hand, he led her inside where Jenna found the interior every bit as breathtaking as the exterior. The foyer was lined with marble pedestals, each one topped with a some exquisite sculpture of unthinkable worth. A huge, original oil painting in the same vein as the famous depiction of George Washington crossing the Delaware hung from the wall just to her right, and she stood admiring its authentic brush strokes in awe.

  “You’ll see a lot of artwork like this throughout the house,” Zane commented as he stood next to her. “My father was a Revolutionary War junkie. He actually left this piece for my brother, but when he died, it made its way to me.”

  “This place…” Jenna stammered, “this place is beautiful.”

  “You realize this is just the entrance, right?” Zane joked, prompting a
playful slap to his chest from Jenna.

  He guided her through the enormous home and into the spacious kitchen, giving her a brief history of the estate along the way while she listened in fascination. He’d had the house custom-built four years earlier in celebration of securing his one hundredth client, and he’d spared no expense. In her wildest dreams, she’d never envisioned stepping foot in such a luxurious setting. She was out of her element, yet she felt right at home with Zane by her side. He spoke to her in his deep, soothing voice as he began preparing dinner.

  “I hope you like chicken, but if you don’t, I’ll whip us up something else,” he said as he searched the cabinets for his cookware, looking totally lost in the process.

  “I’m getting the feeling you don’t cook too often,” Jenna commented while watching him bumble around quite clumsily.

  “You could say that,” he replied as he cracked an egg with a focused determination on his face, his tongue peeking out as he concentrated with all his effort. “Three more to go. I got this,” he said as he caught Jenna watching him adoringly.

  “This has to be one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen,” she chuckled while placing a hand over her mouth to hide her smile. “Have you ever done this before?”

  “Nope!” he exclaimed proudly. “Thank God for Google,” he quipped, causing Jenna’s chuckle to turn into a fit of laughter.

  “You’re in such amazing shape though,” she said while admiring the strong arms stretching the sleeves of his polo shirt. “What do you eat, boy?” she asked with her voice rising an octave.

  “If it weren’t for protein shakes, canned and frozen food… I think I’d starve to death,” he said humorously. “If my microwave ever broke, I’d probably kill myself,” he added, evoking another burst of laughter from Jenna.

  “You’re ridiculous,” she grinned while watching him fumble with a whisk and attempt to beat the four eggs he‘d successfully cracked. “You know I can help you, right?” she offered, but he held up a hand to ward off her advances.