Shagged: A Billionaire Romance

by Alex Wolf

  Chapter Fifteen

  Matty looked at his online bank statement, making sure the payment had gone through. It was such a minuscule amount that the first three digits hadn’t even changed on the balance. And that wasn't even his main account. He spent more than that when he wanted a new car, or when he invested in a company. It wasn't even enough to feel bad about. But it would mean so much to Christina.

  It was confusing, but pleasing. He’d never really done anything like that for anyone else. He’d stared at his bank statement for most of the day. He couldn’t fathom how something so small could make such a huge difference to someone. He couldn’t make sense of someone needing so little money so badly. But if it helped her, if it made her life easier, then it would all be worthwhile.

  He couldn’t remember ever feeling so good about spending money.

  It felt amazing—meaningful. What the hell. He could feel it again, so why not? And he knew exactly what he needed to do. There was something else that Christina wanted, something she’d been saving for.

  He opened the website his friend had sent him. The house only had three bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen. It was for her father.

  He felt tempted to buy them something bigger, something better. In the sidebar, he saw similar places recommended nearby. Places with big yards, acres of land, and their own temperature-controlled pools. Places that were built in the last decade at least. Places with completely renovated kitchens, with five bedrooms, with hot tubs and skylights, and amazing home security features.

  He was tempted to get her one of those instead. And even the most expensive one was only a million or so. It would be a noticeable expense, but nothing he couldn't make back in the next quarter. They would be well worth the money, too. Cheaper to run, nicer to live in. A much better place to raise kids.

  Sure, maybe Christina couldn’t afford anything better. But perhaps she would be pleased to find out that he’d bought her something more impressive?

  He shoved away his thoughts. This was what she wanted. This was what she was saving up for. This was what she was always posting on social media about. It probably meant something to her, if she was so obsessed with this one little house. She was far too picky about things to go off and buy something ridiculous. He closed the other tabs and squinted at the pictures.

  “Mia, call the number on the website.”

  As the number dialed out, he wondered briefly what the time was in Kentucky. He wasn't used to doing any of this. For all he knew it was the middle of the night over there. He caught the realtor at the end of her lunch break. At first, she sounded a bit annoyed, but after hearing she was about to make a sale with little to no effort, she changed her tune.

  It felt odd to even be talking about that place. It was so far below his needs, so far below anywhere he would even set foot in. But it was what Christina wanted, so it was what she would get.

  “We do have other places, you know?”

  “Yes, I’m aware. I'm getting this for someone and she specifically asked for it.”

  “It has a lot wrong with it. Been on the market for nine years now with no offers.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, my friend wants it.”

  “Like I said, we have much nicer places, if you want to come and see them.”

  He sighed. Fucking realtors were always looking for a bigger commission, regardless of the country. “She asked for that one. It’s that one or nothing.”

  There was a confused mumble from the other end of the phone. “Okay, just don't say I didn't try and tell you. Now, what are we doing about legal paperwork, keys?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ve never bought someone else a home in another country before.”

  More confused noises emerged from the mobile, followed by a brief, inaudible conversation with someone else in the room. “You need to be here.”

  “Do I really?” This was starting to be a lot of work, regardless of how much he liked her. He shook his head in frustration. No, he wanted to do it for her, so he soldiered on.

  “Yeah, it’ll make everything much easier with all the paperwork.”

  He sighed heavily. “Fine, I will go there for the legal side. But if I send you a straight payment for the house, can you at least send the keys along with a postcard to my friend?”

  “Straight payment? As in, paying it all at once?”

  “Yeah, sure. Plus a bonus for inconveniencing you. Say, ten thousand dollars?”

  “That will be no problem, Sir.”

  He almost laughed. Christina would have a heart attack if she knew what he’d just done. She was wrong about one thing—it turned out that if you paid enough money, people really wouldn't question anything you did. Despite how long the earlier part of the conversation took, as soon as he started offering bonus payments she was very eager to secure the deal. People were so predictable.

  He made the payment on the phone with her, before even signing the deal. He found himself snickering when she muttered something about foreigners and their strange ways. They agreed to meet two days later to finish everything, and the call ended.

  He sat back in his chair, wondering what he even expected to get out of this. It felt pretty good, but what could possibly result? Christina had made it abundantly clear that she wasn’t interested in him as more than a client and a one-night stand. She also hadn't considered him important enough to tell him about her family situation. And having known her less than a week, he couldn't exactly claim he was entitled to anything else, emotionally or physically. The money was probably just going to vanish.

  It didn't matter. He’d given her the money. He didn't expect to get anything for it. That was the way of these good deeds, he thought. It wasn't as if he needed anything anyway. He wasn't sure why he had lived his whole life blindly following the lessons his father had taught him. Spending money wasn't so bad. If she didn't appreciate it, then fuck her. It wasn't that much money. Technically, he could write it up as a bad investment and move on.

  But, what if she came back? He stared at the wall. Nothing was being projected from his phone and still he wasn't quite sure where else to look. The room felt so empty. Why was his entire house so clean and empty and sterile, when he didn't even like it that way? Why did he bother living there and having dumb projections on his walls wherever he went just so he didn't feel like he was living in a box? He could easily afford to buy a beautiful cabin anywhere in the world and wake up with real birds and real sunshine, look out over a real lake or the sea, and fill his house with all the art he wanted to. Yet he’d spent all his money on an elaborate cage in a London suburb, which he had enriched with artificial bollocks.

  Perhaps he ought to fly to the USA that night, rather than the next day? Go and see her? But why? This wasn't a movie. She wasn't his Juliet or his Cinderella. They weren't living some amazing fairytale story of princes and paupers. And spending money on her would not make her fall in love with him.

  If he showed up he'd probably be accused of being a creep. But who cared? He felt that they’d connected that night, and again the following day. There had been some affection, some understanding, the likes of which he’d never experienced before. And perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps she felt nothing at all for him and would be angry at him for showing up. But he would be angrier at himself if he didn't seize the opportunity.

  “Mia, book me a ticket to Lexington, Kentucky.”

  “Booking one ticket from U.K., London, Heathrow, to U.S.A., Kentucky, Lexington, Blue Grass.”

  Christina was right. Mia was irritating even when she was working properly, and a serious problem when she wasn't. She couldn't replace a real human assistant like Christina. Not yet. And definitely not if he continued working on her design. He should leave things like this in the hands of people who knew what they were doing.

  Speaking of not knowing what he was doing, he wondered what he would need to travel to Kentucky. He didn't know what the weather was like that time of year. What state laws he w
ould have to think about, or anything else. But his flight was in three and a half hours, so he had to work it out quick.

  This would be some kind of adventure. If she called him a creep and told him to fuck off, at least it would make for a nice holiday.

  Chapter Sixteen

  After waking up early, Christina slipped into her coat and tied her hair back. She made her way to the hospital, anxious to see her dad. The sooner she got there, the more time she’d have to spend with him before breakfast. Besides, she was used to getting up early for work.

  Work.

  If she didn't get back to London soon, there may be no work left. Mr. Spencer had paid for her dad, which meant less pressure, but she was still worried. She’d definitely need to get more clients soon, or she’d end up relying on others again, something she wanted to avoid. But she couldn't bring herself to leave for London until her dad was better.

  She drove to the hospital and walked past the desk. The place was cold and smelled like Clorox. She knocked on her dad’s door as she entered, then walked over to his bed.

  She hugged him. “You look better today. I was pretty worried yesterday.”

  He nodded. “I always look worse in the afternoon. Don't worry so much.”

  “Can't help it.”

  “I just feel bad that you’re spending money on me. Damn insurance should’ve covered this. You worked too hard on your savings.”

  “Actually, I didn't have to use any of it.”

  “What? The insurance people said they wouldn’t cover anything. Bastards better not be trying to get us with more fees.” He furrowed his brow.

  Christina shook her head. “A friend of mine paid the balance.”

  Her dad’s eyes widened. “All of them?”

  She nodded. “All of them.”

  “That is a lot of money.” He stared blankly. He’d never liked relying on others either. “We need to make a plan to pay her back somehow.”

  Her? She left it alone. She couldn't let her father know about Matty Spencer just yet. He was fiercely protective of her, and if he thought she was being taken advantage of by some British guy he didn't even know, he might go off the deep end. That was the last thing he needed right then. “I’ll make sure.”

  “She must be rich as hell.”

  “Umm, yeah. She’s very kind to do this for us.”

  “Don't lose that friend. She sounds like a good one.”

  Christina stifled a soft laugh. “Oh yeah.” Yes, he was. He was chaotic and spoiled and confusing at times. But he was a good one, for sure.

  “Did you bring the mail?” Her dad looked around for a bag.

  “Shit. I forgot. Sorry, Daddy.”

  “Will you make sure to grab it on the next trip? The mail makes me anxious,” he said. “And speaking of the mail, do you have any idea what this is?”

  She took it from him. At first glance, it just looked like a picture of Lexington. But then she realized it was a postcard.

  A postcard? Why the hell would someone send her a postcard from Lexington? To her Dad’s hospital room?

  Maybe it was some tourist thing. She turned it around and noticed it had the hospital's address with her and her father's names at the top. There was a key taped to it.

  All it had written on it besides the address was “for your house” with an arrow pointing to the key.

  She stared at the card for a few seconds, and then it all clicked at once. She made eye contact with her father. “Is this a joke?”

  He shook his head. “That's what I thought. But it had both our names on it.”

  The house. It was the key to the house she’d been saving for. The one her mom had fallen in love with, that she wanted to buy for her dad. Christina collapsed in the chair beside her dad's bed. “I’m not sure I can take much more of this.”

  “Is it the same friend?”

  “The postcard was sent from Lexington. I don’t see how.”

  He shrugged. “Maybe she got someone else to send it?”

  It was possible. This was all weird, hard to believe. Had he gone and bought her family a house? It wasn't a lot of money for him, but how could he have even known? And why would he bother? He was terrified of commitment.

  “I have to check this out before we get excited.”

  She drove as fast as she could. This had to be some sort of a cruel joke, right? The place wasn't far out of town, but the drive felt like it took forever. It’d been a long time since she’d been there, but she managed to find it without any problems.

  Her mother had always wanted the place. Always. Ever since she was a little girl, she remembered her mom asking for it. It was perfect. Memories all flooded in at once. It reminded her of where she’d been raised. Now, she could fix it up for her dad and they could make it their own. They’d never had the money to do it, and when her mom had passed away and her dad had developed cancer, Christina had committed herself to saving up and buying the place. It had meant so much to her mother, and she wanted her memory to live on. Even now, she felt like her mom was there with her.

  Walking up to the door, she was too scared to try the lock. She’d got her hopes up too much.

  Just then, a red rental car pulled up. It looked expensive, and she could barely make out the outline of the driver. She eyed it cautiously, even though she knew who it would be. How had he even managed to drive on the other side of the road? She laughed at the thought.

  The door opened, and Matty stepped out, grinning ear-to-ear. He had bags under his eyes, five o'clock stubble, and was wearing a crumpled t-shirt.

  “You look weird,” he said. “Are you sure you're not Christina's cute little sister?”

  She blushed bright pink and smiled. “I dress like this at home. At least I don't do it at work.”

  “Aren't you going to unlock the door?”

  “Is this some kind of joke?” She raised an eyebrow. “Are you here to laugh at me?”

  “Why the fuck would I come to Kentucky to play a joke? I could do that much cheaper in the U.K. Has nobody ever been nice to you before?” He walked up to the door beside her.

  “No, not really.” Her words were muttered, like a whisper.

  “Here.” He snagged the key from her hand, put it in the lock, and opened the door. “Your house.”

  She stared, wide-eyed, as the door slowly swung open. It smelled musty inside and the wallpaper looked like it was designed by hippies, but that didn't matter. “Is it really for my family?”

  “Yeah, if it means so much to you. I can get you a nicer place, though, if you'd prefer. Somewhere a bit cleaner, a bit plainer.”

  She shook her head. “This is perfect. Seriously. It’s perfect.” She stepped inside, overwhelmed with joy and sadness all at once. This was the house her mother had always wanted. The house where her father could retire and relax as soon as his chemo was finished. He could live there in her mom’s presence. “How did you even find me? Or know about this house?”

  He told her about his previous twenty-four hours. Went through everything.

  He watched all her reactions, seemingly amused, as Christina walked around the house. She inspected everything. They both walked outside, and she stared up at the place once more. It was actually hers. After all these years. But she hadn't done it on her own.

  “Why are you doing this?” She gulped and stared Matty in the eye. “I don't want to depend on you.”

  “I just wanted to give you a present. It feels good to give you things. I don't require anything in return, truly. Just take the gift.” His eyes seared into her once more, like they always did.

  “But why?”

  Matty inched closer to her face, and her heartbeat kicked into overdrive. “Because I think I'm falling in love with you, and roses wouldn't cut it.”

  “I think I’m falling for you too.” Her eyes stayed locked on his. “I thought you didn’t want to get married, or do any of that stuff?”

  “Oh, I don’t. But, that doesn't mean I can't commit to you.�
� He towered over her when she wasn’t in heels.

  She didn’t take her eyes off him, though. She tried to look through and see if she could find the truth somewhere in his stare.

  He leaned down and kissed her. Her breath hitched, and she noticed paint marks on his hands and face. She lifted her hand and gently stroked one on his neck. Mess and chaos. And it was wonderful. It was amazing to let go and be wild in the hands of a man as passionate and awesome as Matty.

  He picked her up and sat her gently on the hood of the rental. For a moment, it felt wrong. They were outside. She was on top of a car. But she expected nothing less from Matty. He had that look in his eye again. Like he was hungry for her. This time it was different, though. He didn’t look like she was a conquest. This time it was full of emotion.

  “Why, Miss Smith, I do believe you want to get fucked on the hood of this car. Don’t you?” He smiled.

  “I knew your filthy mouth couldn’t resist coming out to play at some point.”

  “It’s in my nature. Hope you don’t mind.”

  “I actually love it, to tell you the truth.”

  “That’s good. Not that it would’ve mattered. If you’re a good girl, maybe I’ll spank that tight little ass of yours again.” He pushed her skirt up as they kissed, bunching it around her waist, exposing her panties.

  Her head shot around to make sure nobody was watching. “Matty Spencer.” She smacked him on the shoulder. “Sorry I’m not wearing the stockings and lingerie you enjoyed so much last time.”

  He stared down at her Wonder Woman underwear. “I like you better like this.” He smirked. “It suits you more.”

  “I rock everything I wear. And I’m not going to stop wearing business clothes because you like me like this.”

  “I think you forget one thing, love.”

  “What’s that?”

  He leaned over next to her ear. “You do whatever I say when we’re about to fuck.”

  She gasped while he sucked down her neck. “Sorry, Sir. I forgot.”

  He yanked her panties aside and ran his fingers through her slick folds. “So fucking wet for me already.”