Billionaires In Love (Vol. 2): 5 Books Billionaire Romance Bundle

by Glenna Sinclair

  She took her time getting ready. She conditioned her hair, shaved her legs, and took the time to rub body oil over every inch of herself. She applied her makeup with care. She wanted to keep her look soft and natural, with shades of peach on her lids and a watermelon lip stain.

  She styled her pale blonde hair into loose waves. She had laid out a high-waisted pinstriped pencil skirt and a navy button down. She left the top two buttons undone. She slipped on her leopard print Manolos and felt battle-ready. She wasn’t just getting dressed: she felt like she was putting on her armor and steeling herself against the enemy. She wanted Mason to take one look at her and eat his heart out.

  Her watch read 11:10. The car her boss was sending would be at her apartment any minute. After one last makeup check she grabbed her purse, equipment, and keys and headed out the door.

  The car pulled up to the curb as Laura hit the sidewalk. Daniel was punctual and made sure all of his employees were the same, including the drivers.

  “West 42nd Street, please.” She laid her head back against the seat and tamped down the snakes that were wrestling in her belly. As a distraction she fired up her laptop to review all of her questions.

  Laura fancied herself a confident and competent journalist. She had moved quickly through the ranks at Small Business Ink after she was hired as an assistant seven years prior. Daniel was a mentor to her. He saw something in the weird twenty-three-year-old that no other employer had and molded her into one of the top business writers in New York. Their little magazine had tripled in readership since she had started, a fact she was rather proud of.

  “We’re here, ma’am.” The driver got out and walked around to open her door. The remodeled brownstone loomed in front of her. It was now or never. Laura tucked her hair behind her ear, took a deep breath, and went in.

  The restaurant had ambiance. The lights were dimmed, so even in the middle of the day the room gave off a candlelit feel. She couldn’t help but think the whole thing was rather pretentious and contrived. “Can I help you?” The hostess snapped her out of her haze.

  “Yes, I’m sorry. I’m meeting Mason Decker here at noon.”

  The hostess gave Laura an approving onceover and grinned, “Right this way, miss. Mr. Decker isn’t here just yet, but feel free to sit and look over the menu.” She led Laura back to one of the private dining rooms.

  “Oh hell,” Laura whispered under her breath. The room had a sleek, modern feel with huge teardrop shaped sconces on the wall and was big enough to hold fifty people. There were also no windows and only one exit.

  “Make yourself comfortable at any of the tables. Can I get you anything to drink while you wait?” The hostess gestured to the nearest table and handed her a menu. “Perhaps a glass of wine or Champagne? Our wine selection is extensive.” The hostess was eager to go back and gossip with the other employees about Mason Decker’s private room with a woman.

  “No thanks. I’m going to be plebian and just have water for now. Maybe when I order my food.” There was no way in hell she was going to get even the slightest bit tipsy. She was on a professional assignment with very explicit instructions to not fuck it up. Getting liquored up around her smoking hot ex-boyfriend would be the shortest route to doing just that.

  The hostess left just as Mason came strolling in. His handsome face paled as though he had seen a ghost. He had no idea Laura was in New York, let alone his interviewer.

  Laura met his gaze and desperately clung to her composure; her heart felt like it was going to beat right out of her ribcage. He looked even better than his picture. It was as though James Bond had just entered the room in an expensive, well-tailored suit.

  Laura stood up to shake his hand. The tension between them was palpable, and she really wanted him to hurry up so they could get this over with.

  “Laura Ross. It’s… It’s been a long time.” His voiced was tinged with a British accent despite his having moved to the States when he was six. Mason’s face softened as he drew closer to her. He took her hand.

  Laura could swear an electric shock passed between them. The sex the night before didn’t help as well as she had hoped. She smiled nervously and quickly extracted her hand. Mason pulled out a chair for her, but she hesitated.

  “Come now, Laura, I won’t bite.” He waved a hand to encourage her to sit down.

  “You couldn’t just do a burger joint, could you, Mase?”

  “They do have a burger,” he grinned. And just like that, the tension dissipated.

  The easy banter between them came back, and nearly half an hour went by before they started the interview or even ordered their food. The server had come back several times to take an order; she was beginning to get annoyed.

  “I’m sorry, we’ve been catching up.” Mason flashed his famous smolder at the server in a mea culpa. She melted and was back to wanting to please. “We will both start with the Kabocha squash soup followed by the rabbit for me and the burger for her,” he smirked at Laura, “cooked medium please.” He handed the googly eyed server the menus and turned his attention back to the beautiful woman in front of him.

  “You haven’t changed, have you?” Laura crossed her arms over her chest and slouched back in her chair.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He sipped his water while maintaining eye contact.

  Smug bastard, Laura thought before rifling through her bag, “All right, Prince Charming, let’s get down to business.” She withdrew her laptop and microphones. She noticed Mason watching her work, but didn’t dare make eye contact while she was setting up.

  “You’re right, I have been naughty. Let’s get started.” He adjusted his body to appear less relaxed. He had a mischievous gleam in his eye.

  “Stop that!” Laura snapped.

  “Stop what?” His face went innocent.

  “Stop being you. You’re doing that ‘look how cute and coy I am’ thing.” And it’s distracting.

  Mason removed his arms from the table as the server returned with their soup. He nodded his thanks and dismissed her. All the while he didn’t stop smiling at Laura. He was enjoying getting a reaction out of her and wanted to see where it would go.

  “Let’s eat first. Save the questions for after. I have nowhere to be this afternoon.” That was a lie. Under the table he quickly shot off a text to his assistant to reschedule his afternoon meetings. He had been wondering about Laura since they broke up, and he was in no hurry to be rid of her now.

  “Sure.” Laura snapped her laptop closed. The pair ate in silence until their entrées arrived. Laura could swear the server felt the air crackle between her and Mason. She kept giving them a weird look every time she came in.

  “How long have you been in New York?” Mason asked. Laura paused with her spoon halfway to her mouth. She knew he’d been here the entire time she had, but she wasn’t so sure she wanted him to know she’d been here the whole time as well.

  “Seven years. I moved here six months after graduation, when I got the job at the magazine.”

  “You’ve been here that long and I had no idea? How did we not run into each other?” Mason was taken aback. He had been nearly obsessing over Laura for years, and she had been right under his nose the whole time.

  “Well, in a city of nearly nine million people, and considering the huge income gap between us, you would have to be slumming it in Brooklyn to find me.” Her face grew dark. She wasn’t comfortable anymore and pushed her food away. She wanted this interview to be over with immediately.

  “Fair enough.” He watched Laura open her laptop again. She slipped easily into business mode, but her sullen look bothered him.

  Laura started off with the standard magazine questions about his schooling, history, where he’d lived, and so on. Mason answered each one honestly and politely without a trace of irony in his voice. She was glad he had started taking this more seriously.

  “In my research I found out that your tech company has given funds to some questionable places,
including a couple of crooked politicians. Care to comment?” Laura locked in eye contact.

  Mason returned her glare. “The politicians in question claimed to be for green energy solutions. They were very good at hiding the fact that they were lobbying for the oil companies and Monsanto. We have since withdrawn our support. Next question,” he answered curtly. If Laura wanted to play hardball, he was down.

  “Fine.” Without glancing at her notes, she asked her next question. “You’ve been photographed with a few heiresses who shall remain nameless. Were you just in bed with them, or were you also trying to get in with their rich parents?”

  Mason was getting visibly pissed, and Laura was fine with that. “Go on, Mase. Answer the question.”

  “That is none of your business, but I will tell you that the shags were lovely. Next.”

  “At twenty-two you had a fiancée walk in on you on your knees, bound and gagged, with a dark-haired mistress flogging you.” The look on Mason’s face was priceless. She could finally get the answers to all of the questions she ran away from. “Clearly, you have a few skeletons and fetishes. Care to elaborate?”

  “Enough!” Mason slammed his hands on the table. Laura had hit a nerve. “Now you’re just being spiteful. Do you have any more legitimate questions to ask me, or are you set on pursuing this witch hunt?” He stood, staring her down.

  A wry smile spread across Laura’s face. “Of course, sir. Have a seat.” She had never seen Captain Cool, Calm, and Collected all riled up like that before. She was having fun. “I’ve heard you’re a control freak. Care to answer to the rumors?”

  Mason had had enough. If she wanted to screw with him, he would dish it right back. He knelt down in front of Laura. He ran his hands up her calves to her knees. He would show her control freak.

  “What are you doing?” Her pulse raced, and she wanted to climb the wall to get away.

  Mason didn’t answer. His hands slid higher, to the hem of her skirt, and teased around the edge. He watched her face, waiting for her to say no. “Eyes on me, Laura.”

  She was riveted. Her breath hitched as his hand slithered under her skirt. She remembered how good those hands made her feel… and what he could do with his mouth.

  Moving higher, he traced the lacy edge of her panties. He crooked a finger and began to slide them off.

  “Stop,” she commanded.

  At once Mason removed his hands and adjusted her skirt back into place. He rose and smoothed the line of his trousers and adjusted his jacket to hide his bulge.

  “I think I have everything I need, Mason. Thank you.” Laura began tossing her things back in her bag, spilling her wallet in the process. Credit cards, business cards, and cash scattered across the room. Mason stooped to help her clean up the mess, pocketing one of her business cards in the process. Laura was on the verge of tears at that point; she just wanted to get out.

  “Sit,” Mason ordered. Laura obeyed, plopping down in the chair with her purse in her lap.

  “No games, Laura. We need to talk.” He pulled a chair around to sit facing her, their knees almost touching. “What you saw that day, it’s hard to explain.” He rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. “I have some tastes that run to the left of center, shall we say.”

  Laura snorted. “I’ll say. My mind will sometimes wander back to that day, and seeing you trussed up with your ass in the air isn’t really my fondest memory of you.”

  Mason didn’t laugh. “I didn’t want to hurt you, I swear. I wanted to try a few things I was curious about, but I wasn’t sure how you’d take it, so I went to seek it out.”

  “That’s bullshit, Mason, and you know it. You cheated on me, and now you’re insinuating you’ve been into some even freakier shit than what I saw? You could have talked to me about experimenting. I would have listened. You had to have wanted out, admit it.”

  Mason mulled over Laura’s words for a moment. “You have a point. I was terrified of marriage–”

  “Ha! I knew it,” Laura interrupted.

  “Clearly there is nothing I can say to you to make you understand. I have nothing else to offer you except my deepest and sincerest apology. I’ve regretted how I behaved every day of the last eight years.”

  He wanted so badly to touch her again. Her legs were so nice, smooth and well-muscled, and he wondered if the rest of her was as he remembered her. He restrained himself from touching her again; she wasn’t in the mood to be pawed at.

  Laura didn’t have a response. She had imagined him being an arrogant son of a bitch, not getting an apology.

  “Anytime now. You have me sweating in a very expensive suit, Laura.” Mason had to sit on his hands to keep from fidgeting. Her silence freaked him out.

  “What made you assume that I wouldn’t be up for experimenting?”

  That was not what he was expecting. That was three times in one afternoon she had surprised him. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that. “I’m not sure, and I feel like that question may be a bit loaded.”

  “No. I really want an honest answer. I hadn’t ever considered myself close-minded or a prude, so I want to know.” She leaned forward, putting her elbows on her knees. Mason’s sightline went right down the front of her shirt.

  “I had this image of you in my head as the sweet, virginal bride. I know you were most definitely not a virgin,” Laura smacked his thigh, “but I had a hard time imagining you being into something a little… eccentric.” He felt like an idiot. This whole situation was stupid and completely avoidable… and was all his fault. He kicked himself for not being man enough to just have a conversation with her in the first place.

  “I would have said yes, you know,” she said, her voice getting husky. Laura subtly pressed her breasts together. She knew this was neither the time nor the place, but despite the mess and the amount of time gone by, she still liked him, and after the way he’d touched her, actually wanted him very badly.

  Mason’s face lit up. She hadn’t quite forgiven him, but the chance was there. He hoped to make something out of it. “Well, Miss Ross, I do believe that concludes this interview.”

  Laura looked confused until she saw the door to the room open a crack. She caught a glimpse of a cell phone ready to snap a photo at a moment’s notice. “Thank you so much for your time, Mr. Decker, and for answering all of my questions. I’ll be in touch when the story is set to run so you can sign the release.” She stood and shook Mason’s hand before gathering her things to leave. Their server had miraculously reappeared with the check.

  Mason blindly handed her his card as he watched Laura walk away. She was supposed to have been his all this time, and he was determined to correct what had happened.

  Chapter Three

  Laura returned to work the next day more confused than she had ever been in her life. She passed the flash drive off to her department editor and disappeared into her office. She had spent the night before listening to the interview on repeat just to wrap herself in the velvety tone of his voice and to swoon over his accent.

  She took the time to edit out the last couple of questions she’d asked; there was no need for anyone to know about Mason’s tendency toward kink.

  A knock shook her door. She opened it to discover Frank standing there. “Hey, baby. You have plans for tonight?”

  Laura really wasn’t super excited to see him at the moment. “I’m going to call it a Netflix and pizza night tonight. I’m not in the mood for company. Sorry.”

  “Sounds good. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.” He bent down to kiss her. She returned it, but without her usual enthusiasm.

  She’d told herself when she got up that morning to just focus on her work. The day before had been a fluke, and she doubted she would see him again, since she’d gone out of her way to humiliate him.

  She flipped her computer on and got organized while silently berating herself for that spectacular lapse in judgment. Her inbox had a hundred messages to answer, mostly from Daniel. She scanne
d through those and would just go meet up with him about what he wanted later. An unknown email address caught her attention.

  There was nothing in the subject line, but the message was from mbd@deckermitchell.com. She gaped at the screen; the tiny arrow hovering over the link dared her to open it. She closed out the window instead. She was not ready for this.

  It had taken her ages to get over him and get her life together, and now here he was, just dumped back into her life as a glaring reminder of a broken relationship. “Nope. Not gonna do it. No way,” she told herself. Lunch had been flirty, but she had no intention of going there with him. Or that’s what she kept telling herself.

  She picked up her notes and decided to go drop in on Daniel. She knew the temptation to open that email would be impossible to resist; killing a couple of hours chewing the fat with Daniel was a surefire way to distract and bore her.

  Laura returned to her office at lunch to find a package on her desk. It was small, solid, and wrapped in brown paper. There was no return address printed, but she had a feeling she knew who it was from.

  “Just open it. Then send it back,” she told herself as she tore the paper off. She burst out laughing at the cover. Mason had sent her a book on raising pigs. He had remembered her favorite animal. She sat and thumbed through the pages, admiring the beautiful photography, until she came to the chapter on castration.

  On the first page was a pink Post-It with just two words on it: See me – M. She put the book down and had a giggle. She appreciated the humor; the pig symbolism wasn’t lost on her either. She woke up her computer hoping that she wouldn’t find anything scandalous after opening his email. He’d sent it to her interoffice address, which was monitored.

  She held her breath, unsure of what to expect, and clicked the message link. She relaxed when she saw there was nothing dirty or alarming, just an address:

  285 Central Park W

  # 12

  7pm

  ***

  Of course his address overlooked Central Park. Of course the man she was once supposed to marry turned out to be a gorgeous, successful, billionaire tech tycoon. Of course she should be running in the other direction because he was an alpha with a fetish. Her life had just become a romance novel cliché.