Sugar Sweet

by Christine d'Abo

  And now, he had to walk away from it so he could finally have his father out of his life.

  “I did. From an investment opportunity, it hits everything Simon typically looks for.” The unspoken but came through loud and clear. No matter how good things looked on paper, the chance of Simon signing on while Geoff was involved greatly reduced the odds. His father knew this. Why he was insisting on being involved made no sense to Vince.

  Geoff stood and began to pace. “I know what he wants. You just pass it along and tell him this will be a onetime offer. I don’t plan to play his little games on this deal. Make sure he knows that.”

  “Peter, how about I send you some additional information to look over, and we can touch base before New York. Say, Wednesday morning?”

  The relief in Peter’s voice was palpable. “Sounds good. I’ll be in touch soon.”

  Vince ended the call, and spread his hands out flat on the desk. “Why did you do that?”

  “What, let him know that we’re not going to take any shit from Simon this time around?” Geoff threw his hands up. “Good fucking business sense. I knew you wouldn’t say it, so I did.”

  “I wouldn’t say it, because we don’t need to antagonize him. Peter is doing his best to make sure this goes the way you want.”

  “The way we want.”

  “No, I want to keep GreenPro, to take it public and expand what they can do. You’re the one who is insisting on this deal with Simon.”

  Geoff marched back to the desk and leaned on it, putting his face inches from Vince’s. “What the hell do you know about running an energy company? You’re a fucking television star. Simon might be a pretentious ass, but he’s the best person to take GreenPro to the next level. And if memory serves, making sure this company succeeds is what you want.”

  Vince clenched his teeth. “You know it is.”

  “You’re the one who’s sanctimoniously preaching about being a good corporate citizen. Ensuring GreenPro is successful is a part of that.” Geoff pushed away from the desk and smiled down at him. “You’ll make this work and Simon will take GreenPro to the next level.”

  “Fine.” Vince needed him gone before he lost control and punched him. “Just leave me to run things. You showing up unannounced makes things difficult.” Understatement of the fucking century. “How the hell did you find out about the meeting?”

  Geoff’s smile was nothing short of predatory. “I have more than a few friends in the office. Did you know that some of your staff think you’re an asshole and love nothing more than to help out your poor father who you treat unfairly?”

  Vince stiffened. “So, you tricked them.”

  “Tricked? I believe that’s a matter of perspective.” Geoff shrugged before turning to leave, but stopped. “I meant to ask you how your meeting with that sweet little thing went?”

  Marissa was on her way to meet Caroline to go on a shopping trip. He’d been thinking about her up until the moment his father had showed up. “Things didn’t go exactly how I’d planned.” Not a lie, but he didn’t want to give his father any ideas about how much he’d enjoyed spending time with Marissa. “I’m not sure she’ll come to New York.”

  “That’s too bad. It would have been nice to have met her. Keep me posted.” This time, he did leave.

  Vince took a breath, held it for a moment before letting it, and all the tension he’d been holding, go. Why couldn’t he have a normal relationship with his father? Considering it had been just the two of them since his mom had left, he’d always hoped things would get better between them. But Geoff had gone down a path that Vince couldn’t follow. He pushed Vince away at every opportunity.

  He’d been alone for so long, lacking in familiar connections, that Vince didn’t even know what it was like to have someone to love unconditionally. He’d thought he’d found that with Thea. He’d never been more wrong.

  At least with Marissa, there were no pretenses. She’d be there for him when he needed her, and he’d help bail her out. And if he got to treat her to a few nice dresses, some jewelry that she’d normally never be able to afford, then all the better.

  He had no idea how long she and Caroline would be today. Caroline had told him the name of the store where she was taking Marissa, but it didn’t mean much to him. As long as she looked the part for New York, then he didn’t care where they went or how much they spent. He wanted Marissa to smile.

  The fact that she’d been screwed over as much as she had, by someone who’d claimed to love her, he knew how much that hurt. Thea had done her part to stomp on his heart, and it had taken him a long time to heal enough to finally move on. If some nice clothing could ease the pain of what her ex had done to her, then Vince was happy to foot the bill.

  Leaning back in his chair, he grabbed his phone and fired off a text to Caroline. She can have whatever she wants. Sexy conservative, if that’s a thing. Get something for yourself as well. Consider it a bonus for going above and beyond.

  Then for good measure, he texted Marissa as well. Have fun shopping.

  He wanted to be there with her. Wanted to see her changing in and out of the dresses that would cling to her body, to see the light in her eyes shine as she morphed into the stunning woman he’d seen on the yacht, transformed from the regular college student who no doubt could give more than a few people a run for their money.

  He also had some work of his own to do before they left for New York. He fired off one more text, this time to Nate. Where’s the best place to pick up Blu-rays of Star Wars?

  * * * *

  Marissa stood shoulder to shoulder with Caroline as they walked into La Boutique Rose. She’d never even heard of this place, but she knew from the second she’d crossed the threshold that she wasn’t even remotely their normal clientele. “I feel like a plebe.”

  Caroline snorted. “It’s a bit over the top here, but I know what Vince likes. This place will be our best bet.”

  “Hello ladies.” An older woman crossed over to them, a painted-on smile perfectly in place. Her gaze crossed from Marissa to Caroline, as she raised a single eyebrow. “How may I help you today?”

  Caroline clearly wasn’t new to dealing with stores or their employees who perhaps didn’t believe they belonged. “We’re shopping for an event.” She handed over her platinum card. “Start a room for her please. Marissa.”

  If the woman was impressed, she didn’t let on. “Of course. Please let me know if you don’t see what you’re looking for. We have additional dresses out back that would fit your size beautifully.” And with a slight nod, she was gone.

  “Yeah, she wouldn’t have been so friendly to me on my own.” Marissa hated that despite her confidence in most areas of her life, something as simple as a shopping trip would have pushed her deep into the well of self-doubt.

  “They’re never outright rude to people here, but you’ll get that look if they’re questioning your bank account.” Caroline pointed toward the far back of the shop. “Evening dresses are this way.”

  Despite the fact Caroline couldn’t be more than a few years older than her, Marissa felt as though she was a child trotting behind her mom. “You’ve shopped here before?”

  “Once or twice. Normally when Vince is trying to apologize to me for being a colossal ass.” Caroline reached into the rack and pulled out a midnight blue dinner dress. “Understated, yet head turning. What size are you?”

  Marissa stared at the dress. It was glorious and no doubt crazy expensive. “I’m a twelve.”

  Caroline pulled out another one. “Vince said the dresses need to be a bit on the conservative side.” She reached in and liberated a rich red dress that had a plunging neckline and would barely come to Marissa’s knees. “But if we’re shopping, let’s make sure you get some fun things as well.”

  It was strange, one moment Marissa was convinced Caroline hated her and everything that
she’d agreed to do with Vince, and the next she was like a sister-in-arms. If it was another test, this wasn’t one Marissa was going to pass. She took both dresses from Caroline, draping them over her arm. “I’m not here to take advantage of him. I just needed some help and he offered.”

  Caroline didn’t look at her, instead keeping her gaze on the clothing. “I know. I wasn’t certain about you at first, but I do know Vince. He doesn’t do anything without a good reason.”

  Shit, Marissa couldn’t help but hear the note of sadness in her voice. “Are you in love with him? Because if I’m causing problems by being here, I’ll totally back out.”

  Caroline was laughing before she’d finished talking. “In love with Vince? Oh my God no. He’s great to work with, but we are so not compatible.”

  “Then what?”

  It was weird seeing this confident woman, who clearly had her shit together falter ever so slightly. “I’ve seen him get screwed over more than once. He tries to come across as invincible, but deep down he’s lonely. I promised myself years ago I’d make sure nothing else bad happened to him. Why don’t you go try those on?” She smiled as she moved over to another rack. “We’ll take pictures and tease Vince with them.”

  Clearly, she wasn’t going to get anything else from Caroline. Marissa nodded and headed toward the back and the dressing room. It wasn’t until she was safely hidden away from curious eyes that she looked at the prices.

  “Holy shit.” She slapped her hand over her mouth to keep any additional sounds from escaping.

  The blue dress was over a thousand dollars.

  The red dress was nearly two thousand.

  This was…insane. And exciting. But mostly insane. That said, she was well past the point of dismissing the need to buy clothing if she was going to go forward and play this part. Standing there, looking at a dress that she could sell to pay off some of her debts, Marissa came to a decision. She was going to do this, go all in playing the part of Vince’s sugar baby. In her mind, she shifted everything over from oh shit, why am I doing this to hell yeah, I’m doing this.

  No more regrets or second guessing herself. This was a job, one of the best paying ones she’d ever had. Everything else aside, Marissa was an excellent employee.

  She quickly got changed, putting on the red dress first. “Get your camera ready, Caroline. We’re going to blow Vince’s mind.”

  Chapter 9

  Vince had been fighting his hard-on for days now. He should have known Caroline would have gotten back at him for sending her shopping with Marissa, but he hadn’t realized Marissa would have been involved.

  He still had the pictures of each dress she’d tried on securely on his phone. There’d been ten in total, each one sexier than the previous. Why he’d assumed Caroline would have been on his side for even a moment was beyond him. She’d been even less help when she’d gotten back, refusing to tell him which of the dresses Marissa had decided on.

  “You’ll have to wait until the weekend.”

  And waited he had.

  It was his imagination that made that normally simple task all the more difficult. Images of Marissa in various shades and fabrics would pop up in his mind at the worst possible times. Board meetings, phone calls, hell, he couldn’t escape them even during his nighttime runs. Each day closer to Friday he got, the greater the frequency Marissa would come to mind.

  Now, he was sitting in the back of his limo on his way to pick her up at her house. “How much longer, Steven?”

  His driver looked back at him in the rearview mirror. “Five minutes. She’s usually waiting outside on the street when I get there.”

  “In the driveway?”

  “No, on the actual sidewalk. I don’t even have a fixed address for her. She only gave us a house range.”

  That was odd. “Thank you.”

  He could appreciate her not wanting to give her address out to a complete stranger, rich or not, at the beginning of their adventure. She should trust him by now, shouldn’t she? Not that he couldn’t figure it out if he really needed to, but he got the impression if he crossed that line, then she’d put an end to their relationship.

  Another thing they’d have to discuss with her once they arrived in New York.

  He tucked away his tablet, pulling his mind from work so Marissa would have his undivided attention. While he had no intention of their relationship being anything other than professional, the last thing he wanted was for her to feel uncomfortable or her presence not wanted.

  It was most definitely wanted.

  They turned the corner onto a narrow side street, and Vince immediately saw Marissa standing on the sidewalk, as Steven had predicted. She had one medium-sized suitcase beside her and she was wearing a dark green dress that wasn’t one of the ones Caroline had sent him a picture of.

  Without waiting for Steven, Vince got out of the limo and stood before her. “Hello Marissa.”

  She shivered, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. “Hello Vince.”

  “You look stunning.” While the dress wouldn’t raise any eyebrows, the material clung to her in the perfect way to accentuate her body. Steven swooped in and spirited away her suitcase, while Vince held out his hand for her to take. “You and Caroline clearly had fun.”

  “We did. She’s quite the fascinating woman. I picked her brain about a few of my business courses, which was immensely helpful. I had a test today, and I’m fairly certain that I aced it.” His surprise must have been noticeable, as she smiled up at him. “What, you didn’t know she’d been working on her business degree?”

  She slipped her hand into his as she spoke, and he immediately wrapped his fingers around her. “I did not.” He shouldn’t be surprised by Caroline’s secretive nature, but he was hurt that she’d never mentioned it to him. Perhaps they weren’t as good friends as he’d assumed.

  “Yeah, she’s doing this crazy multiple weekend MBA program. I don’t know how she finds the time.”

  A group of young men were walking down the street toward them. They’d spotted Marissa, and began whistle. Shit, he didn’t want anyone to see her. Didn’t want to share even a glimpse of her with anyone unworthy. “Let’s get going.”

  Marissa slide into the backseat of the limo and he shut the door before walking around to the other side, where Steven had opened the door for him. Only once they were safely hidden from the rest of the world, did Vince relax.

  “Are you okay?” He looked over to Marissa who was frowning at him as she fiddled with her passport. “You look a little stressed.”

  “I don’t get stressed.” Tense. Frustrated. Horny. But never stressed. He gave Steven a look in the mirror that had him close the privacy barrier. “Can I get you a drink?”

  “Yes please.” Even though he knew she’d been in the limo twice now, she still appeared as excited as a kid at a party. “This is so much better than going to Pearson on the subway.”

  “We’re not flying out of Pearson. I rented a private jet.”

  Marissa blinked at him. “Of course, you rented a jet. What the hell was I thinking?”

  “You were thinking like someone who doesn’t have more disposable income than they can spend. It won’t take us long to get to the airport and be on our way.”

  Marissa shifted in her seat, the hem of her dress inching further up her thigh with each movement. “Well, this will be another thing I can cross off my bucket list. A jet and a trip to New York. An awesome weekend already, and we haven’t even left.”

  Vince heard her words, but he was more focused on his erection that had roared to life. A little bit of skin, and he was as horny as a teenager. “I watched Star Wars.”

  If he thought she’d been thrilled before, his phrase ignited a storm of excitement he’d never witnessed unfold in another person. “Did you love it? What was your favorite part? There’s just something amazing about t
he scene where he finds Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru burned, and the look on his face. I know exactly what he’s thinking and feeling. My heart breaks every time.”

  Vince couldn’t look away from the light shining in her eyes. Her entire face positively glowed as she spoke, sending his own heart racing. He swallowed hard. “I have to admit, I had to replay that scene. I didn’t realize what I was seeing at first.”

  “I was seven when I saw it for the first time. Mom glossed over it as much as she could, but when I wouldn’t leave it alone, she had to tell me that they were dead bodies.” She leaned forward and took the glass of wine Vince had poured for her. “It was my first experience with a portrayal of death.”

  He could picture her, curious and excited watching this movie for the first time. “No wonder it left an impression.”

  She turned sideways to face him, and leaned her head against the seat back. “And you didn’t answer my question. What was your favorite part?”

  A few scenes came to mind, but given how important this movie clearly was to her, he gave it some thought. “After Obi Wan dies. When Luke has to get back to work to prevent the fighters from blowing them up.”

  Marissa frowned. “Why?”

  “I could relate. He needed time to process everything that had happened to him in such a short period of time, but he couldn’t. He had to keep going, keep fighting.” It was strange being able to relate so perfectly to a fictional character, and yet, Vince knew intimately what that feel of necessity was like.

  Marissa sipped her wine and smiled at him. “I knew you’d enjoy it.”

  In that moment, Vince felt something click into place in his brain. The way Marissa looked, the joy she had in sharing something that was special to her, melted something inside him that had been holding him back. Without thinking, he reached out and cupped the side of her cheek. “I’m going to kiss you now. You can tell me to stop if you want.”