“I guess I haven’t found the time, or maybe I’m just not horny enough. Are you done with the interrogation now?”
“I’m not interrogating you. I’m just asking you some questions about MY life too.”
I was starting to get annoyed with her and didn’t want to answer any more of her silly questions. I wasn’t about to answer any of her questions seriously, it was neither the time nor the place. I was tired already from the trip and stressed about making a public appearance in Las Vegas with a complete stranger. A lot could go wrong and the last thing that I wanted to deal with was questions from Grace. Couldn’t she just go back to reading her book? This was a perfect example of why I had no interest in a girlfriend; they were just more work than they were worth.
“Look Grace, if you want to know more about me, why don’t you just look me up on the internet? You will find out all you need to know about me.”
She looked hurt when I said it and I immediately regretted it. I didn’t need to be an asshole to her. I poured us both a little more champagne and decided to change the subject in the hopes of bringing her back to me. I didn’t want her to be hurt or angry especially when she had to be seen in public with me. I wanted her to be happy.
“Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself Grace?”
She looked surprised by my question and then a little worried. How odd.
“What do you want to know?”
“Anything.”
There was a long uncomfortable paused that made me regret even asking her any questions.
“I used to live in Australia before my father moved us to Indonesia for work. He lost his job though and never found another one. We were very poor.”
“That must have been hard.”
“It was but I would have been okay with it if my parents were nice people.”
Taken aback, I said, “Your parents weren’t nice?”
She looked at me and I was shocked to see tears glistening in her eyes.
“No, they weren’t. They were terrible to me, I’m pretty sure they hated me. They beat me, and yelled at me. They never loved me or really wanted anything to do with me. They were always drunk all the time, spending what little money we had on booze. I hated every moment that I lived with them.”
I stared at her uncomfortable with where the conversation had led. I hadn’t realized how terrible her life had been.
“Is that why you signed up for the website Grace?”
She nodded. “I needed to get out of there as soon as possible. I didn’t care what I had to do, I just needed to be free of them. I had no idea I would be marrying someone so wealthy, it was more than I had ever dreamed of, especially as poor as I was.”
“I am sorry Grace. I had no idea.”
“It’s okay, it’s not your fault. I’m just grateful for all you have done for me and for giving me a fresh start.”
I nodded feeling odd about getting so personal with her. I watched as she wiped the tears off her cheeks and took a sip of her champagne. She was so beautiful I had no idea that she would have had such a tragic upbringing.
By the time we get to Vegas, I was so ready to get off the plane and not have to listen to anymore of her stupid questions.
Chapter Four
Grace
We were picked up at the airport by a gentleman in a limo and driven to our hotel. The whole way there I couldn’t help but think that kip was hiding something from me. Something big. He was so vague and allusive about his life. I was pretty pissed off that he had played games with me the whole time I tried to get to know him a little bit. I had already been nervous enough without him giving me smartass answers to all my questions. But there was no doubt in my mind that he was hiding something from me, I could just feel it. I had been shocked when he started asking me questions about my own life. It had been the first time he had bothered to the entire time I had been there. I thought he didn’t even care about my life. Though it’s not like he had been real sympathetic afterwards either. I was starting to think that Kip was a little cold; and that really worried me.
Though maybe I was the stupid one for not looking him up on the internet. I almost dreaded what I would find. All that time looking at schools and I could have just typed in his name and seen what popped up. Maybe I would have got all the answers that I needed. But probably not, I doubted it was all that easy. What personal information could she really find on the Internet about this guy? I intended on finding out however the moment we returned to California.
When we got to the hotel we were met with a woman who approached Kip and kissed him on the lips. Taken aback I just stared at them wondering who the girl was and why she had kissed him like that. I decided it was best to play it off as I was sure that Kip would not appreciate some embarrassing scene played out before him. I had no idea who the girl was and didn’t want to embarrass myself either.
“Diane, I would like to introduce you to my girlfriend, Grace.”
“Girlfriend? My…well that’s a first for you Kip.”
Kip chuckled, “Yep, well this beauty just swept me off my feet.” He grabbed me then and kissed me gently on the forehead. It was the first time I had been kissed like that and I instantly liked it. The guy sure could act though; he was doing a better job than I was.
“Well it was nice meeting you Grace.” The woman walked away and we were then escorted to our rooms with our bags by a doorman. Once Kip tipped the man and we were left alone once again, I whispered to Kip, “So you obviously don’t usually have a girlfriend? And how exactly do you know that woman, she sure was friendly towards you.”
“You’re right I don’t normally have a girlfriend. But that my dear Grace is what you are here for. People don’t normally expect this of me. I need you to be my girlfriend and then my wife, I’ve already told you this.”
“And the woman?”
“Oh, she’s just an old friend of mine. I’ve known her for quite some time. She is the host here at the hotel, that’s why she greeted us when we came in. I have many business conventions here and this is the hotel that I normally stay at. She makes sure that everyone at the hotel is well taken care of; she’s the head of the staff. It’s her job to make sure that everyone does their job and that things run smoothly.”
I nodded, wondering how well Diane ‘took care’ of Kip when he would stay there. They sure did seem awfully friendly towards each other.
“Don’t feel threatened by her Grace. We are just old friends that’s all.”
I smiled hoping he would just drop the subject. The last thing I wanted to do was have to think of the two of them together. If they were really just friends then why did she kiss him on the lips like that? There was a certain intimacy to it, like she was familiar with him. Plus as a hostess to a hotel, would you really go around and kiss guests that arrived at your hotel. She had no idea that Kip was bringing a girlfriend. She had been surprised that he had one. Was she jealous? Had she been trying to mark her territory before she realized that I had swept Kip off his feet? God, if she only knew that it was all a joke, just one big fake lie we were going to tell the world. Still I had no idea why we were telling a lie in the first place. I suddenly felt exhausted thinking about what the trip really entailed. What would tomorrow be like when we have to start seeing people in public? Diane had just been the first and I didn’t like how she had responded to me, as if she didn’t believe he could ever have a girlfriend. Wait until she finds out we are getting married.
I smiled at Kip nervously wondering what he had up his sleeve for tomorrow.
Chapter Five
Kip
“I’m going to take a shower Grace. I will be out tonight; I have a meeting to attend to.” She looked annoyed and I wondered why. The girl had all the money in the world to play with, what could she possibly be annoyed about.
“Okay,” she mumbled.
“You can order yourself some room service, they have excellent food here. Watch movies all night long if you want to, order as
many as you like. I know how you like to watch movies.”
She rolled her eyes and I thought about asking her what was going on but instead thought against it. I really didn’t have the time to get into a long discussion about her feelings. She was probably just tired from the trip. I would deal with her later. I didn’t care how much money she spent as long as she was able to stay busy and didn’t go out anywhere alone. I could just imagine the disaster of her being out in Las Vegas alone.
I took a shower and while I was freshening up I thought about how things were going to go with Grace and I there. She seemed perplexed by everything that I was doing and I hoped that she would be able to act properly as my future wife. People needed to believe that what we had was real or I would have wasted my time and money on her.
I kissed her on the forehead and she barely looked up from the room service menu.
“Goodnight. I will see you later.”
She finally looked up at me. “Enjoy your evening.”
There was something in her tone that I couldn’t quite figure out. Was she upset that I was going out? I shook those thoughts out of my head as I left the hotel. I needed to be focused on my meeting, not worrying about why Grace was annoyed with me.
I was meeting my friend Mike who also happened to be a billionaire. He had inherited his wealth when his father passed away suddenly. He had taken over as CEO of the company his father ran and never looked back. I met him for drinks at the hotel that he was staying at.
“Kip, it’s good to see you man. Glad we were able to touch base while I’m here. How are you?”
“Everything is good with me Mike, thanks for seeing me.”
We sat down at a quiet table and ordered brandy on the rocks.
“You wanted to meet with me regarding a new project of yours Kip, so fire away. What are you up to now?”
I smiled. “I’m thinking of running for governor.”
Mike chuckled, “No shit. Well good for you man, that’s one hell of a challenge there. But if anyone can do it, you can.”
“Thanks I appreciate your belief in me.”
“So, how can I help?”
“I’m here to see what kind of financing you might want to give me if I ran. Be my campaign backup.”
I could have easily used my own money for the campaign, but I didn’t really want to. I didn’t want to waste my own money on a campaign. I would much rather give out some favors and have it all paid for. Mike and I were from the same state so I could certainly help him out if I was elected as governor.
“If you can finance this Mike, I could certainly fix some restraints that you currently have on your company. Give yourself some more freedom.”
Mike nodded, thinking things over. “Sounds good to me. I will finance whatever you need, just let me know and I will start cutting checks. But if you do become governor, don’t become like all the rest of the politicians and start ripping people off. I want those restraints off my company.”
“Why would I do something like that?”
Mike grew serious all of a sudden. “Just making sure Kip. If you do decide to rip me off I will go right to the FBI and let them know how your tech company has been hiding money from the taxes.”
It felt like I had the wind knocked out of me. What the hell?
“Where the hell did you hear something like that?”
Mike shrugged, “It’s just the word on the street Kip, you know how these things go.” He gets up and pats me on the back, leaving his full drink behind. “You don’t need to worry though, as long as you do as you said if you are elected.” He walked away from me and I sat there stunned that I had lost control of the conversation.
Fuck.
Chapter Six
Grace
I was sitting out on the balcony of our hotel suite drinking the best coffee I think I had ever tasted. The view was beautiful for such an exotic locale. Vegas wasn’t what I expected out of a desert, it almost appeared as if it was a carnival with all the different themes and casinos. It was beautiful nonetheless and it seemed as if the parties never stopped.
Kip had been gone all night, I had been asleep when he finally came in and then he left again in the morning before I woke up, he had left a note saying he would pick me up later. I couldn’t have been more disappointed with him. I thought going on vacation would mean that I would get to do things and yet there I was sitting up on the balcony alone, unable to go anywhere. I was beginning to feel like I had been captured by him and was being held prisoner. I was never allowed to go out and do things on my own so I was just left waiting for him to return in the hopes that I could gout and see the world. Kip was one of the most selfish men that I had ever known. He knew I had never had any experience travelling and instead of showing me all that the world had to offer, he had me chained to my room only able to look at it from a balcony. I felt like Rapunzel sitting up in her tower waiting for someone to rescue me. I thought Kip had been my rescuer, but maybe I needed to start looking for someone else to do the job.
The hotel door opened as I was out there sipping my coffee and Kip came out to join me.
“Good afternoon Grace. How are you doing this fine day?”
“I would be doing great if I wasn’t stuck in a hotel all day and night. You do realize that I have never been to Vegas. Well at least now I can say I got to see their hotels.” I snapped at him. He looked stunned which only annoyed me even more. God, he was so selfish that it hadn’t even occurred to him that I was being held a prisoner even on vacation. Boy, was I ever one lucky lady.
“I’m sorry you feel that way. I have just been really busy, I can’t escort you around town and it would be too dangerous for you to go off alone.”
I stared at him unimpressed.
“I am giving a speech tonight that I planned on taking you to. So if you would like to get dressed for that, there will be a limo here in an hour.”
That was hardly enough time to get ready and that annoyed me even more. “What’s the speech for?”
“Oh just a speech about my company. I suggest you start to get ready so that we can go.”
I hurried to go and get ready for his speech. I had no idea why he was there to give a speech and it reminded me that I really didn’t know anything about Kip. He never gave me any details; I was always just left in the dark.
Having no time to do my hair, I just straightened it and left it down. I picked a silver strappy dressed and added a touch of makeup. When I returned to the balcony Kip was dressed in a suit and tie.
“You look magnificent Grace.”
“Thank you.”
Once there I am introduced to what could only be business colleagues who all act surprised that Kip suddenly has a girlfriend. I smile and nod and shake hands as he brings me from one person to another. I learn throughout conversations that Kip owns a tech company one that has a lot to do with robotic simulation and applications. His company was one of the most popular ones in America. I made note of the name of the company so that I could look it up when I returned home to California.
The hall where the speech was being conducted was beautiful and elegant with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. We were seated at our table and champagne was served. The rich certainly liked their champagne.
A man went up onto the stage and said, “I would like to introduce you all to Kip Rowlings.”
There was clapping all over the room as Kip stood to take the stage. I wished that I could feel the kind of pride that came with dating a man like him. But I felt nothing because it was all just an act. I clapped along with everyone else and smiled broadly but inside I felt like crying.
“I decided to speak tonight on being an entrepreneur. If I was to give any advice to kids going off to college it would be to work towards working for yourself. There is nothing more rewarding and exciting than being the man in charge.”
There was laughter around the room and I just kept my smile plastered on my face. Kip was certainly charming in front of a crowd.
>
“Even at a young I was interested in creating things that belonged only to me. I had always had interest in running my own company especially after my experiences with some high school jobs. We all know how fun those could be.”
The crowd was hanging on his every word.
“I knew what needed to be done that these jobs to make them better and more efficient. I knew how to run things more properly, the only problem was that as soon as I would tell my boss how to improve things I got fired. Not everyone was always a fan of my new ideas. Getting fired all the time was not the best way to get fired. I needed a job desperately because my family never had a lot of money. Without enough money for food it was certainly much harder to get money for clothes and a car. That was when I decided to start my own tech company when I was only 20 years old right out of my college dorm room. I know use robotic simulation to fix problems within the computer and eradicate the need for ant-viruses software in all computers.”
There was clapping all over the room. Not only that but they all stood up still clapping. I stood up with them and smiled at Kip.
“Thank you.”
As everyone started to leave I could see Kip leaving the stage and walking over to some of the other guys that had been speaking that evening.
I waited around for over an hour while Kip walked around the room without me. I was bored and couldn’t believe how rude he was being. I didn’t know anyone at the party so I decided to go back to the hotel room.
Chapter Seven
Kip
I was making some pretty good contacts while I was walking the party. There were a lot of people that would come in handy when it came time to running for governor.
I turned to find Diane approaching me. She looked fantastic in a low cut red dress.
“Hello Kip that was a great speech.”
“Thank you.”
She came in really close. “Are you really settling down? Or do you really need someone who knows what they are doing in bed?”
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