Billionaire Behind the Mask

by Andrea Laurence

  Sutton bit back a hiss as he sucked in a wary breath. He knew girls like Kaylah and they were never suddenly nice to a girl they’d picked on without a reason. Usually a catty, awful reason.

  “I thought that maybe because I was dating Jesse, I was being accepted by the popular-girl clique at last. Kaylah even offered to take me on a tour of the club since it was my first time. She managed to get me to let my guard down completely. We went into a couple different rooms and then she told me that this next one would be my favorite of them all. She opened the door and told me to go on in. It was completely dark, but I could tell the room was huge from the echoes of their voices.

  “The next thing I know, I get shoved hard from behind and go flying forward. To my shock, instead of falling to the ground, I hit water. Deep water. I fought in the dark back to the surface, only to catch my breath in time for the lights to turn on and see the entire school standing around the edge of the pool laughing at me. Taking pictures on their phones. Including Jesse.”

  Lauren shook her head, the line of frustration deepening between her eyebrows. “He was in on it, too. He never liked me, it was just a rouse to get me to the club. I wanted to die, I was so embarrassed. I was soaked head to toe, my dress was destroyed. My hair was dripping and my makeup was melting down my face.”

  “What did you do?” Sutton finally spoke up, his hands curled into fists with no one to hit. He secretly hoped that Lauren could climb from the pool and punch Kaylah in the nose. But he knew that’s not how these kind of stories ended. The rich, entitled Kaylahs and Jesses of the world—people he considered his friends in the past—rarely got what was coming to them.

  “I did the only thing I could do. I hauled myself out of the pool while everyone laughed. And I just kept walking. I walked all the way home, dripping wet. The next day, I found out that Kaylah was jealous of Jesse talking to me so much, even though he was basically using me to pass English and not get kicked off the ball team for academic suspension. When she found out I had the audacity to have a crush on him, too, she came up with the whole idea. She convinced him to fake a breakup before the dance so he could ask me to go and she could exact her revenge. While they took me around the club on a fake tour, everyone at the dance snuck into the indoor pool room and waited for her to lure me in and push me into the pool.

  “I didn’t know how I would ever face going to school again. The other kids certainly didn’t make it easy. But I made it through, then left immediately for culinary school in the hopes that everyone would forget about Dunk Tank.”

  “Dunk Tank?” Sutton perked up.

  “That’s what everyone called me for the rest of the school year.”

  “Wow,” Sutton said after taking a moment to absorb the whole, horrible story. A lot of the things he’d noticed about Lauren started to make sense now. “I hate that you went through all that. Kids are incredibly cruel sometimes. I wish I had been around to kick Jesse’s ass for you.”

  “You wouldn’t have given me a second glance back then, much less come to my defense. But that’s okay. Things change.”

  She was right. Things did change. And he couldn’t let her carry this embarrassment with her forever. She was grown and successful now and none of that adolescent crap mattered anymore.

  “If I were you, I wouldn’t want to go back to the site of my most humiliating moment. But at the same time, I think you need to do it. Face your demons head-on, Lauren. It won’t be the horrible place and people you’ve imagined all these years. It was the teenagers, not the club, that were the problem. They would’ve done something different and equally embarrassing to you in the gym if it hadn’t flooded.”

  “Yeah, but the ringleaders were all club members.”

  “True. But that doesn’t mean they’re the awful people you remember. Like I said, teenagers are terrible. They’re basically brain-damaged at that age. It’s a scientific fact.”

  “Shush,” Lauren warned, playfully swatting at his chest. “You’re just making stuff up to make me feel better.”

  “No, it’s true. Google it. Human brains aren’t fully developed or matured until they’re about twenty-five. So anything stupid you’ve done prior to that age can be blamed on underdeveloped gray matter.”

  “Like crushing on a guy who was a total jerk? Falling for their prank like a naïve fool and ruining my new dress? Having the whole school laugh, post embarrassing photos of me on the internet and call me Dunk Tank for the rest of my senior year?”

  Sutton winced at her words. “Teenagers make bad choices all around. We all did. And now that you’re older, you probably have made better choices. Including in the romance department.” He smiled widely and she shook her head.

  “I would say that’s definitely true.”

  “Well, after hearing all of this, I’m sorry for the way some of the stupid people in this town have treated you. Despite not being involved, I apologize on behalf of the club and its members. I have enjoyed that indoor pool during many a cold winter here in Texas and I hate that it was the scene of one of your worst moments. Hopefully you can go back to the club and create some positive memories. Or more positive memories than the ones we’ve already made,” he said with a grin. “Although I have to say, hearing this story, I’m glad you didn’t punch me in the face when I led you down that dark hallway into the billiard room.”

  “Thankfully you said billiard, not just the pool room, or I may not have gone inside with you. And it was a different hallway, anyhow. I recognized that much. Being back in the club again, I was on high alert and I wasn’t falling for that prank twice. My dress was a lot more expensive this time, so I wasn’t about to ruin it.”

  Sutton nodded and pulled her tight against him. “So what do you say? Just one drink this afternoon to celebrate and face down your demons?”

  Lauren sighed, but he felt her nod against his bare chest. “Okay. One drink.”

  Eleven

  “You can do this. You did it the night we met and you can do it again.”

  Lauren took a deep breath and looked into Sutton’s encouraging eyes. “I was in a mask,” she muttered, but followed him inside anyway.

  “It’s just a drink. One drink. And if you’re uncomfortable after we’re done, then we’ll go. But I think you’ll find that what you’re worried about is just a shadow of the past. The club itself is nothing more than a rustic hangout for rich cowboys.”

  She hoped he was right. Even so, she could feel her stomach churning as they went inside. When it wasn’t done up for a party, the club had a very different feel to it. The music playing in the background was low with a country twang and the late afternoon light poured in the large windows. It gave a warm glow to the oakwood paneling on the walls and floor and highlighted the stacked stonework around the fireplace. As her first daytime visit, she now noticed the details that the dim party lighting of the night hid away, like the deer trophies and old photos of past club members that dotted the walls.

  There weren’t scores of people around today, but there were a few. Most of them were sitting around the bar, enjoying an early beer and a good view of the football game on the television. Others were seated at one of the tables in the dining room, eating. Off in a corner seating area, maybe even the one she’d been hiding in when she met Sutton, a couple men in Stetsons were gathered around chatting about something. They turned to give Lauren and Sutton a cursory glance as they came in, and then they returned to what they were doing.

  It was very different from what she remembered. And yet her eyes went instantly to the dark hallway that lead to the club exercise facility, locker rooms and, of course, the indoor pool room. She turned instead to the other hallway that lead to the billiard room and much happier memories.

  “Do you want to sit at the bar or at a private table?” Sutton asked.

  “I don’t care.”

  He didn’t seem to believe her. “I’ll ge
t us a table. Less pressure to talk to strangers.”

  A hostess took them to a table for two by a window. Outside, she could see the tennis courts and the large Olympic-size pool that spread out beyond it. There were a few people playing tennis doubles, but no one was in the pool with the cooler weather.

  She turned away from the water and focused on Sutton across the table from her. He was the only thing that mattered right now. He was here to support her. To celebrate her. To help her face the demons of her past. For his efforts, she would gladly follow him anywhere, even to the club. Especially when he sat across the table from her looking like the tastiest dish she’d ever had in her mouth.

  The waiter approached, bringing them both glasses of water. “Welcome back to the club, Mr. Wingate. What can I get you and your guest today?”

  “We’ll have a Manhattan for me and...an extra dirty martini for the lady.” He smiled, no doubt remembering the first time he’d ordered her favorite drink.

  The server nodded and disappeared to retrieve their drinks from the bar.

  “I hope you don’t mind me ordering for you,” he said. “Did I get it right?”

  “You did. I would’ve corrected you if not.”

  Sutton smiled suggestively. “I’ll never forget that my lady likes it extra dirty.”

  The server returned a moment later with their drinks and Sutton raised his glass to her. “I’d like to propose a toast, although this one will have to end differently than the last,” he drawled.

  Lauren raised her own cocktail to join him.

  “To the most talented chef I’ve ever met and her new, amazingly successful restaurant!”

  She smiled and clinked her martini glass against his before taking a sip. “Thank you. I appreciate how much faith you have in me. I still can’t believe it’s happening. But I deposited Gracie’s check this morning and it cleared, so I guess I can stop pinching myself. I’ve never had that many zeroes in my business account before. Or my personal account. Or ever.”

  Sutton matched her smile. “It’s nice, isn’t it? You’d better get used to it, though. I think your success is inevitable. Before long you’ll have that much and more in your account all the time. You’ll have plenty of staff to help you, and things will be easier. You’ll even be able to sell the food trucks and just focus on becoming the greatest chef in central Texas.”

  Lauren stiffened slightly in her chair and took a large sip of her martini to disguise it. He mentioned it again. Selling the food trucks. They really did seem to bother him. She wondered how he would respond to finding out a sale sign wasn’t going up any time soon. She wanted to share her feelings with him, but not when she felt so insecure in their relationship. Not when she felt like he was constantly grooming her to be better and more successful.

  “I may be able to hire some more staff and keep the trucks running. They’re fairly low overhead and do pretty good business. If nothing else, having them out at lunchtime and weekend evenings would be good advertisement for the restaurant.”

  She expected him to react to her words, but instead he seemed to be focused on a group of men that had just come in the front door. They were chatting amongst themselves, but then they saw the two of them by the window. One nudged the other in the ribs and said something Lauren couldn’t hear. The three men laughed and went off in the other direction.

  When she turned back to Sutton, it looked as though the blood had drained from his face. His easy smile had faded and he looked almost rattled for the first time since she’d known him. “What’s the matter? Who were those people?”

  His jaw tightened and he shook his head. “They used to be friends of the family.”

  “And now?” she asked.

  “And now they’re not. Everyone wants to be your friend when you’re at the top. But when you get knocked to the ground...that’s when you find out who your friends really are. Those guys turned on Sebastian and me at the first opportunity. They almost seem to enjoy our suffering. Sick bastards.”

  Lauren winced at his words. She supposed she was lucky to never have been in a position to have the kind of friends that used her up and left her when she was no good to them any longer. All she ever had to offer was friendship and the occasional home-cooked meal.

  “I’m sorry, Sutton. At least you finally got to see their true colors.”

  “Yeah,” he said, but she could tell his mind was far-off in thought.

  “Sutton?”

  He snapped his attention back to Lauren. “Would you excuse me for a moment? I’m going to run to the men’s room. Will you be okay alone?”

  She wanted to say no, she wouldn’t be okay, but if he needed a minute to compose himself, she wouldn’t deny him that. “I’ll be fine. Go ahead.”

  He nodded and finished off the rest of his drink before pushing back his chair and heading back toward the restroom. She watched him go, noticing that more than a few of the club patrons whispered to each other as he went by. She was beginning to think maybe she was right about the club and he was wrong. The people didn’t seem very friendly at all. At least not when your back was turned.

  “Dunk Tank? Is that you?”

  Lauren’s blood went icy cold in her veins at the mention of that horrid childhood nickname. She slowly turned in her seat toward the sound of a familiar woman’s voice. Just behind her, to the right, a couple women were sitting together at a nearby table.

  She knew instantly which one of them had spoken. She was older and a little heavier with a shiny, Botox forehead, but Lauren would’ve known Kaylah anywhere. She wouldn’t soon forget the face of her tormentor, or the sound of her laughter as it mingled and echoed in the pool room with all the others.

  Regrets flooded her mind instantly. She shouldn’t have turned at the sound of that stupid nickname. She should’ve worn a nicer outfit. Did more with her hair or her makeup before she came to a place like this. Sutton didn’t seem to care, but those sorts of things were like a woman’s armor sometimes, deflecting arrows fired by her enemies.

  And Kaylah Anderson was definitely her enemy. Time hadn’t changed that one iota despite what Sutton seemed to think.

  Lauren opted not to respond, but looked blankly at the woman. She didn’t want her to think she’d made as large of an impact on her as she had. “I’m sorry, were you speaking to me?” she asked.

  “Yes. You’re Lauren Roberts, aren’t you?”

  She was surprised Kaylah knew her actual name. Lauren had never heard her say it aloud before. “Yes. Do I know you?”

  “Of course, you do. I’m Kaylah Anderson-Tate. We went to high school together.” There was something wicked about the woman’s grin as she spoke. Like she was waiting for Lauren’s painful revelation so she could relive her glory.

  She wasn’t going to give her that satisfaction. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember much about high school, it was so long ago.”

  Kaylah frowned as well as she could without moving most of her face. “You and I had a little tiff over Jesse Wilde back in the day. Our senior year? I’m sure you recall that.”

  She seemed determined for Lauren to remember her evil prank. Lauren wouldn’t bite. “Jesse Wilde. I haven’t given him a thought in ages.”

  “I imagine you haven’t. Why should you when you’re on the arm of a Wingate? That’s quite the upgrade, especially for someone like you.”

  The other two women tittered softly at Kaylah’s dig.

  “He has good taste,” Lauren replied flatly.

  “Does he, now?” She arched her eyebrows just barely in surprise. Then she leaned in and spoke in a low tone to Lauren. “Between us girls, how did you happen to snag Sutton Wingate? He’s always been known for being so...particular.”

  Lauren didn’t respond. What was she going to say to that? During her time with Sutton, she’d come to learn he had a bit of a playboy past. Playboys tended to be
drawn to the beautiful and elegant type of women. She wasn’t sure she would use either of those words to describe herself. She was attractive enough, but glamorous? Not with her hair in a bun, no makeup and a chef’s jacket covered in juices from butchering a large chunk of meat for dinner service.

  She might have fit the bill that first night with her gown, mask and bold alter ego working for her, but not now. Maybe encouraging her to sell the trucks was Sutton’s way of nudging her one step closer to the beautiful and glamorous woman he truly wanted.

  “Keeping your secrets, eh?” Kaylah replied to her silence with a pointed chuckle. “Ah, well, I guess it doesn’t really matter. Sutton never keeps a lady around for long. Whatever you did might’ve worked to lure him in, but it won’t keep him around forever. I wouldn’t get too attached.”

  The other women laughed again and Lauren forced herself to turn back to her table. She wished Sutton hadn’t left. She’d been alone and exposed when the worst possible person could’ve shown up. If he’d been here, maybe he would’ve stood up for her and shut Kaylah down. Or said something that would prop up her crumbling ego when she needed it the most.

  But alone, she was falling apart. Somehow Kaylah had been able to speak to her darkest fears without even trying. Lauren already knew she loved a man she had a tentative hold on, at best. But having her point it out as though it were so obvious was that much more painful.

  Lauren didn’t want to be at the club a moment longer. She didn’t want to be around such fickle and catty people for any more time than she had to be. And if Sutton couldn’t see these folks for who they really were, then maybe it was because he belonged here with them.

  But she certainly didn’t. And never would. And as painful as it was to admit, perhaps she needed to stop seeing Sutton. Dating him was overreaching from her station in town.

  Lauren picked up her clutch and got up without another word. She was taking her dignity and her food trucks and she was going home.

  * * *