Pawn of the Billionaire

by Frasier, Kristin

  “Let’s get started, Toni. I can see you’re impatient to know why you’re here. The first thing I wanted to do was to apologize properly for not intervening when your boss was giving you such a hard time yesterday. I thought it was completely out of order, both the reason for the reprimand, and the way in which he did it.” He moved a knife a fraction. “I wanted to jump up and stop it right there, but — well...” He looked a bit embarrassed. “I didn’t really trust myself.” He looked up and grinned. “Then I saw you were very capable of dealing with him yourself. You obviously know exactly how to appease him without giving an inch that matters.”

  I tried to stay serious, but I knew my lips were curving in a reluctant smile. “I’ve worked there a long time, Mr. — Er, sir.” I still didn’t know what to call him.

  “Call me James, please. I’m sorry again. Giving you my card wasn’t really a proper way to introduce myself.” His little crooked smile was on display again. “Please forgive me.”

  I could feel myself getting dragged under here. I could feel my thighs slippery with dampness and my swollen, throbbing neediness wasn’t going to help me think clearly. But, oh God! he was so hot. The silence drew out, and I took an unwisely large gulp of the champagne.

  James was looking at me oddly. “Toni, do you know anything of your family history?”

  I jerked my head up in surprise. I was tightly wound up, just knowing he was going to try and get my app idea. I hadn’t decided whether to go into business with him or accuse him of trying to steal it. Now here he was, asking about my family.

  “Family history?” I shook my head. “No, never thought about it, really.”

  He reached out, and his hand covered mine. It was warm and comforting. I bit back my gasp as my belly clenched with excitement.

  “Toni.” His voice was quiet. “I’ve been looking for you.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t understand.”

  He leaned back in his chair. “I know you don’t. Toni, you lost your mother a few years ago, didn’t you? That must’ve been very hard for you.” His eyes searched my face. “Tell me, do you remember your grandmother much?”

  I smiled properly then. “Nana Elizabeth.” I thought back. “I loved her so much. She was more fun than Mom was. She used to take me to the zoo and places before she got sick. But she always seemed sad underneath, somehow.” I felt tears well up, and blinked them back furiously. “She died, you know, when I was twelve. Then Mom got sick the next year, and everything went wrong.” I’d pushed Nana Elizabeth to the back of my mind in the efforts to care for Mom, to try and help find stuff that would make her better, stuff we could afford. But nothing had worked.

  I noticed James was looking at me curiously. “Has anyone ever said you look like her?”

  “Like who? Oh, you mean Nana Elizabeth?” I shook my head. “I only remember what she looked like when she was very sick, and Mom never talked about her.”

  James slipped his hand into his jacket and drew out an envelope. He took an old photo out of it.

  “There’s your grandmother.” He slid the photo over to me, and my throat closed up. She was like a beautiful version of me. She looked about sixteen, sitting stiffly in an upright chair in a gloomy parlor. Her hair and makeup was old-fashioned, but she had a lovely face, with a slight smile. I looked closely. Her expression was serene, more mature than I would have expected for her age.

  I looked up. I was going to ask him how he got hold of the photo, why was he showing it to me. Instead, I found myself talking. “She looks very content. I don’t remember ever seeing her without a sadness behind her eyes. Even when she was laughing in the park with me, she always had that shadow there.”

  James was serious, thoughtful. “Did she ever talk about her family, her parents or brothers?”

  I looked back at the photo. “Never. I should have asked, maybe. But as a child, she was just there. It was just us, you know.” I stared at him. “I never found out who my Dad was. Mom would never say. And now she’s dead, I’ll never know.”

  He bowed his head in acknowledgement. “I know that. I’m sorry, Toni. I wouldn’t have wanted you to upset yourself.” He stirred, took the photo back, and glanced at it.

  “But it’s your grandmother I want to talk about.” He touched her face in the picture with his finger. “You probably never knew that she was the granddaughter of an Earl — an English Lord.”

  I gaped at him. “What?”

  “An Earl. The Earl of Amherst.” He thought for a moment. “I know the British peerage can be hard to understand. I can help you with that. But for tonight, you just need to know that titles are passed down the generations from father to son. That’s changing nowadays for some titles — the Crown, for instance, but for some titles, and certainly last century, only sons could inherit.”

  He smiled at the waiter as our first course was served, but he stopped speaking. I waited impatiently.

  He thanked the waiter, then smiled over at me. “Enjoy your meal, Toni.”

  I took a mouthful, thinking hard. It was delicious, a delicate flavor, but I was too busy thinking to concentrate.

  “So, are you going to tell me any more?”

  He put down his knife and fork and patted his lips with his napkin. “It’ll be a bit disjointed if we continue while we’re eating, but if you want to, we can carry on.”

  I nodded impatiently. “So why was Nana Elizabeth living here?”

  He looked at his plate and sighed. “The seventh Earl had a son who was killed in a hunting accident. His three daughters couldn’t inherit.” His clipped, brief words held their own drama somehow. “His eldest daughter, the Lady Antonia, had married an American and they moved to the States.” His eyes flickered over me. “Her eldest daughter was Elizabeth, your grandmother. She vanished from the family records when she became pregnant at the age of seventeen.”

  He stopped speaking and concentrated on finishing his food. I copied him, my mind whirling. I didn’t question that he’d got the facts right, but surely things wouldn’t have happened that way. There would’ve been money. Even if the family had kept it quiet, there would have been money.

  I waited, shifting on my seat for him to carry on. His faint smile showed he knew I was impatient.

  “Lady Antonia and her husband weren’t good with money.” It was as if he knew what I was thinking. “There’s nothing now. The title has become extinct, as there was no male line to inherit. There’s no money, and the Estate and lands were broken up.” He looked at me steadily. “So you might be wondering why I’ve looked for you just to tell you that.”

  I nodded. “Yes, why?”

  He leaned back, and shook his head slightly as the waiters unobtrusively cleared the first course dishes. I watched them. It was a million miles away from the sort of waitressing I did. When we were alone again, James leaned forward. His face, lean and angular in the soft lighting, held an intense expression and his eyes burned into me. Did he know the effect he was having on my body? I thought so, and decided not to drink any more champagne. I reached for my Coke.

  “I know the peerage, Toni — Antonia — because my father is also an Earl. The Earl of Sandiford. My mother was a beautiful woman,” he said and he smiled a little sadly. “The wife of an Earl is a Countess. She was the Countess of Sandiford.”

  I realized he’d obviously lost her too, and I tried to make a little sympathetic noise. He shrugged.

  “She died a long time ago.” He lifted his champagne flute, studied the bubbles intently. “They had a very happy marriage, my father loved her very much.” His glance was sharp. “But it was an arranged marriage, really. His mother looked for a suitable girl and then encouraged their courtship. Of course, they weren’t forced to marry. But both of them knew they were going into it as an arrangement as much as for the usual reasons. The love built on that.” He sighed and stopped talking again as the maitre d’ arrived to pour the red wine to go with our main course. Then the food arrived.

  “Let
’s enjoy our meal,” James suggested. “We’ll talk more afterwards.”

  I wondered how much I would enjoy it. I had a lot to think about. “Okay.” I sipped the wine and looked at my plate.

  His father was an Earl. His father had had an arranged marriage with a suitable girl. He’d told me all about my background. Was he trying to convince me I was a suitable girl? His card had said he was an Honorable, so maybe he really was an Earl’s son.

  I toyed with my food, thinking hard. And all along I’d been thinking he’d found out about my app. What would he be suggesting?

  I felt a lump in my throat and moved the food around my plate a bit. I wouldn’t be able to eat it. He was so sexy, so gorgeous. But if I was getting the idea right, he wanted me to become his wife just because my grandmother was descended from an Earl. It wasn’t because I was attractive or anything like that. It wasn’t even because I was clever and had an idea that would make me rich. It was just because of my genes.

  But maybe I was wrong. Maybe he’d been looking at lots of possible girls and maybe he’d chosen me because he did feel the attraction between us. Even if he didn’t, maybe he’d learn to love me, once we were — and I swallowed — married.

  I wondered what life would be like. Would I still be able to have my own dreams, decide things for myself? Probably not. Maybe it wouldn’t work. I sighed, and cut off a tiny mouthful of the steak. To my amazement, tender and delicious, it hardly needed chewing.

  James sat back and looked speculatively across the table at me. “Perhaps I should’ve waited until you’d enjoyed your meal before telling you what this is about.” He didn’t look sorry, though.

  “As a family, we need a future Countess who can run the Estate staff. A Countess who can deal with all types of people. A Countess who looks good, and aristocratic, and is able to be in control of any type of situation.” He let me think about that during the next interruption.

  Our coffee steamed the aroma around me, making the bitter taste of the diner coffee not worthy of the name.

  “Will you think about it, Toni?” James’ voice drew my mind back from the diner. “Your birthright has been snatched from you. You have the right to live as a member of an old, titled family. The right to be secure in your life and your future.”

  “I … yes, I’ll need to think.” My mind was spinning and it wasn’t the champagne or the wine. “Excuse me a moment.” I got up and went to find the restroom.

  I stood, looking around. He’d brought me here and he knew the staff here, so he came here often. It wasn’t showing off to me. But this room — just the restroom — was palatial. The gleaming, polished tiles and the glittering faucets. The rolled hand towels, the hand wash and lotion bottles in silver dispensers. Just this room was bigger than my whole room and shared facilities all together. Much bigger.

  If I understood him right, I might not have to live the way I did for very much longer. But I was sure there was a price. Maybe it would be worth it, but was it the right way? Would I ever be able to move on if I wanted to? And what about my app, my dream of making it in my own right, by my own efforts?

  I turned and looked at myself in the vast, spot-free mirror. I was tall, but gangly and looked really out of place here. The best clothes I possessed, and the best effort I’d made to look nice, they didn’t really work. I stood up straighter, put my chin up and put a snooty expression on my face. Better. I imagined myself in a ballgown, descending a sweeping staircase on James’ arm, and my insides clenched. My mind took over, and I was in a huge bedroom, my gown dropping, pooling around my ankles. James was pulling me towards him, his mouth descending onto mine, Toni, my love he whispered and his hands roamed my body.

  I took a deep breath, a very deep breath and found I had to lean against the cool restroom wall. My throbbing pussy lips felt swollen and tender, and I could feel dampness seeping. Oh God! Could I do this? But could I walk away? Whether he felt attracted to me or not, there was no doubt that I was attracted to him.

  But, marriage?

  * * *

  I was still asking myself the question as I peered into my tiny, spotty mirror in my room later that evening. James hadn’t wanted to talk more.

  “Just think about what I’ve said so far, Toni. There’s been a huge amount for you to take in. Just think about it, and let the surprise settle. I’ll call you in a couple of days, then we can talk some more.” Then he’d changed the subject and we’d talked about his home, where he’d grown up, and life in England.

  Edward

  “Come on, Edward, it’s a great opportunity, old boy.” Terence’s drawl cut through my pounding headache, and I groaned. Why did my head ache so much? Perhaps I needed a drink. I rolled over. What the fuck was I doing here, lying on a soiled mattress in a sleazy-looking room with my vision blurred?

  I glanced over at the table. Traces of white powder and a few torn papers told me all I needed to know. My life had taken a wrong turn sometime in the past and I hadn’t the first clue how to get out of it.

  “You haven’t been listening, you sod.” Terence reached over and pulled at my lapels. I’d been sleeping in my suit again. I muttered angrily. Another suit ruined.

  I laughed, imagining Father’s reaction. He’d go bleating off to little brother James. James, who my father doted on. James, who Father wished was the heir. Bloody nerd, I hated him for becoming what I should’ve become, what I could’ve become if it hadn’t been for the drugs, the drugs and the booze together, sliding me into oblivion.

  “Edward!” Terence sounded even more annoyed. “Come on, mate, get your shit together. We’ve got a plane to catch.”

  “A plane?” I stared hard, waiting until Terence turned into one guy again, instead of the two who’d been blurring in my vision.

  “Yes, you crack-head! Plane. We’ve been given tickets out to the Philippines for a couple of months. It’ll be warm. Warm and cheap and women.” Terence hauled me to my feet. “Come on, we’ve got to get out of here.”

  Well, I didn’t mind the Philippines. The living was easy and relaxed and I’d be away from all the pressure and the expectations. Good. I sat on the edge of the bed and fished around with my feet for my shoes. Then I patted my pocket to check my wallet was still there. Good. Terence was a good mate, watched over me, and God knew, I needed that.

  I shook my head again to clear it and stood up. Terence and three of the other guys were there.

  “We’ve called a cab.” Steven spoke to Terence. “Has he got money?”

  “Yep.” Terence glanced over at me. “You’ve still got your wallet, haven’t you, Edward?”

  I nodded. I knew full well the other guys only tolerated me because Terence insisted - and because I often had the means to pay when they’d spent all their money on drugs. Still, they were all the friends I had.

  I looked over at the bed. She was lying on her back, naked, the sheet only covering her lower body. She was flat out and snoring. I didn’t have the faintest idea who she was. I shrugged and turned away.

  At the airport, the attendants looked disapprovingly at us. But the searches came up clear and we boarded just in time. I stared out of the window and shivered. My mouth tasted vile and I had no toiletries with me. I rubbed my face, and felt the tangle of a week’s worth of beard growth. Fuck! I must look a sight. I leaned my head back, and was asleep.

  * * *

  Terence shook me when we came into land. I looked down.

  “Where the hell are we?”

  “Turkey.” His voice was terse. “Connecting flight here.” He pulled me to my feet, and we made our weary way to the ground. The airport was grey and miserable-looking. I was getting used to seeing guards with guns. These days they were common even in British airports. I stood idly by while Terence and Steve argued at the check-in desk. Then they joined the rest of the group.

  “Come over here, Edward!” Terence called impatiently, and I pulled myself together and wandered over to them.

  “Look, we missed the connect
ing flight and there isn’t another direct one until Wednesday from here. Some stupid local holiday.” He looked challengingly at us. “But we can use these tickets on another flight out of Macedonia tomorrow lunchtime. So I’ve reserved us seats, and we’ll get a car to take us across the border, okay?”

  That was okay, of course it was. None of us had any inclination to do any thinking, so we wound our way to the car rental place. The atmosphere was tired and uncaring. The tide of recent refugees had made us unremarkable, and it was the end of a long shift. I suspected that got us waved through the border without being checked.

  So I didn’t discover that my wallet was missing until we returned the car at the airport. Terence swore blue, and the other guys looked at me, hostile.

  “You must’ve had it nicked after we landed, because you had your passport then, you absolute fucking idiot!” Terence was giving me a headache, I thought vaguely.

  All right, he’d been a good mate since we were at school, but I’d always paid for everything, and his language was a bit uncalled for. I felt aggrieved.

  I tried to keep my dignity. “It’s quite all right.” I reached into the hidden hole in the lining of my jacket. Wriggling my finger in, I was able to extract the tightly folded notes. “Look, I always carry spare money.”

  “Thank God for that!” Terence took it and unfolded the notes. “At least we put the car on your credit card. So we can use some of this to buy you a fake passport.” He poked a finger in my chest. “You stay here with Steve, you idiot. I’ll have to go to the refugee hangout, see what I can get.”

  I nodded. I didn’t want to get turned away from the plane, be left here alone without the means to get home. I wondered what I’d done to get friends like this, friends that even I knew were only tolerating me while I could pay for what they wanted.

  I couldn’t see that I was worth having as a real friend, and I needed these people more than they needed me. And they knew it. I felt very alone. I wondered if I’d ever have the strength to change things, live again like I had as a child, the secure childhood with loving family and the staff to do everything that was needed.