Evergreen: An Alpha Billionaire Romance

by Michelle Love

  “She’s too pretty,” I said out loud. “The average woman who goes camping will turn their noses up at that image. You want someone who isn’t as put together. Someone who doesn’t care if her hair isn’t perfect. Someone who isn’t going to worry about make-up. She’s not there to impress other people. She’s there to enjoy nature. She’s searching for solace and not approval from society.”

  It was the first time I’d ever made a suggestion at one of the meetings, and a hush fell over the room. I pitied the poor young girl in the front. “It’s a good concept. I absolutely want to market equally to both sexes, but we’re not selling glamour. We’re selling equipment. The idea is excellent. You just need a new model. Someone with long and unruly curls. Someone with soft skin but tough eyes. A genuine smile. No skinny frames or large fake tits. A real woman.”

  “That’s very specific,” she said nervously. “I’ll start a search immediately.”

  It was specific. Too specific. Pissed that I’d let Sloan distract me from work, I nodded my head to encourage her to continue. If there was one thing that I prided myself in, it was my focus on the job.

  Today I was thinking about her silky skin. The way she’d arched into my touch. The look in her eyes when she’d rubbed herself on my hard cock.

  While the meeting droned on, I pulled out my phone and scrolled through the email Torrence had sent me on Sloan.

  Both her parents were still alive and living in Washington. Her mother was a school teacher and her father was an engineer. She had no siblings. Graduating at the top of her class, her undergrad professors had given her glowing recommendations to the graduate program. Torrence wasn’t wrong. Not only were there no red flags, but there wasn’t even a traffic ticket to her name.

  She’d lived with Randi Jones for the past two years. There was only one noted relationship. Victor Willis.

  I made a note to check out this Victor Willis. I didn’t even bother trying to convince myself that it was for the case. I just wanted to know what he was like.

  I wanted to see who Sloan Whitlow had said yes to.

  Chapter Nine

  Sloan

  My eyes slid over the paper as I mentally tried to rehearse what I was going to say to Dr. Elliot. I had a meeting in an hour, and if I couldn’t get him to approve of my paper thesis, I’d be even more behind. As it was, I was already having a hard enough time catching up.

  I reached for the cereal, but the box slid across the counter. Frowning, I looked up to see Randi holding it up. “No breakfast until you tell me what happened with your date Friday night. You’ve spent all weekend avoiding me.”

  “I’ve spent all weekend at the library. And it wasn’t a date.”

  “When Lucas Montgomery takes you out on a Friday night, it’s a date. I can’t believe you’re not making a big deal about this. He is the number one hottest bachelor in the city, and he doesn’t take women out. Please tell me you climbed on top of him for a nice, long, hard ride. And then give me the details.”

  “Randi!” I exclaimed as I snatched the cereal box. “Of course not!” Although I still wasn’t sure how I’d walked away from him. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt his hands on me. “He just took me out to dinner to convince me that I needed his protection until this whole thing blew over.”

  “You’re not looking at me. When you don’t look at me, it’s because you’re lying. What are you not telling me?” She narrowed her eyes and stared at me. I felt a flush creep up my cheeks, and she gasped. “You dirty, dirty minx. You did do something scandalous with him! Details.”

  I poured the cereal and shook my head. “There’s not a lot to tell. He made it clear that he wanted me, but you said it yourself. He doesn’t date. He fucks a woman for a short time and then moves on. I don’t do casual relationships.”

  “You don’t do casual relationships because you’ve never done casual relationships,” she said with a sly smile.

  Rolling my eyes, I grabbed the milk from the fridge. “I’ve never done heroin either, but I don’t see you making that argument.” Taking a bite of my cereal, I immediately spat it out. The rancid taste of the spoiled milk caused my eyes to tear up, and I immediately turned on the faucet and ducked my head under to wash away the taste.

  “Jesus,” I hissed when my gag reflex finally died down. “When was the last time we went to the grocery store?”

  “You were supposed to go this weekend,” she smirked. “But you were too busy hiding from me.”

  “For the last time, I wasn’t hiding from you. I was busy.”

  “Right. Busy. How do you expect to have a relationship with someone when you can’t even remember to buy milk?”

  “All the more reason for me to stay away from Lucas Montgomery,” I muttered, but I already knew what she was going to say.

  “All the more reason for you to enjoy some hot and dirty sex with a hot and dirty man. It’ll help you relax. It might even help you focus a little better.”

  I grabbed my paper and shoved it in my bag. If I hurried, I might be able to grab a bagel from the coffee shop before my meeting. “And just how do you know that he’s hot and dirty?”

  “Please,” she snorted. “Anyone looking at that man can tell that he knows what he’s doing in bed. If you don’t jump on that, I will.”

  “Be my guest.” We both knew that it was an empty threat. If there was one person I could always count on to have my back, it was Randi Jones. “I have to go. We’re not going to talk about this again.”

  “It’s like you don’t even know me,” she called out as I escaped the apartment.

  As usual, I scanned the parking lot for signs of Lucas’s men, but if he was still having me followed, they were much better than the first crowd.

  Campus was still fairly empty, and I snagged a parking spot close to Professor Elliot’s office. With just enough time to spare, I bought a bagel and cup of coffee from the coffee kiosk. Scarfing the plain bagel down, I entered his office breathless and with my mouth full.

  “Ms. Whitlow. Good morning.”

  I swallowed, and smiled. “Good morning, Dr. Elliot. Sorry about the bagel. Spoiled milk.”

  He frowned sternly. “I have no idea what that means. Please have a seat. I assume that, by your excited email, you have something to show me?”

  As I reached for the papers in my bag, the strap slid down my shoulder. When I tried to grab it, I spilled my coffee all over me, and I inhaled sharply. “Shit.” Snapping my mouth shut, I immediately colored. It wasn’t exactly appropriate to cuss in front of my advisor. “I am so sorry.”

  “That’s all right. You’re having a trying month. Why don’t you go to the bathroom and clean yourself off while I review the paper?”

  Luckily, my paper wasn’t soaking in coffee. “Thank you Dr. Elliot. I’ll be back in just a minute.” Leaving my bag, I hurried down the hall towards the bathroom. The professor had been so patient with me, and here I was acting like a bumbling idiot in his office.

  At least he was forgiving.

  Throwing some paper towels under the running water of the sink, I started trying to dab at the stain on my red top. Since the shirt slung off my shoulders, most of the coffee hit my chest, and luckily, it wasn’t scalding hot.

  How did he know that I’d had a trying month?

  I froze and stared at my reflection. For a second, I was aware of every sound in the bathroom. The flushing toiled from the men’s room on the other side of the wall. The footsteps of people hurrying by the door. My own heart pounding in my chest.

  “He’s just talking about your paper,” I scolded myself. What the hell was wrong with me? I was either shoving the threat on my life from my mind, or I was suspecting everyone who walked past me. There seemed to be no reasonable in-between.

  Angrily throwing my paper towels in the trashcan, I threw open the bathroom door and glanced down the empty hallway. “This is all his fault,” I said to the stealthy men that I knew had to be somewhere close. “If it wasn’t for him, I
could actually focus on my school work. I wouldn’t be suspecting people who are close to me. I wouldn’t be weeks behind on my thesis.”

  A large man stepped around the corner and leaned against the wall. He regarded me coolly, and there was only one word that came to mind when I saw him. Danger. “You have reason to suspect your professor?” he asked in a low voice.

  “No,” I snapped. “I have no reason to suspect anyone. I just wish that whoever it was would make their move already so I could go back to my normal life. I’m a graduate student. I don’t lust over ridiculously wealthy playboys. I don’t get kidnapped by weirdos, and I sure as hell don’t have people like you following me around!”

  Rather than respond to my crazy rant, he simply stepped back and disappeared around the corner again. Alone, I closed my eyes.

  Tell me what you like, Sloan. I’ll take you anyway you want tonight. I’ll fuck you senseless right across this table. No one will bother us.

  Lucas’s promise never seemed to leave me. Even angry, paranoid, and alone, my body still responded to the memory of his touch. His breath hot in my ears. His eyes staring into mine.

  “I’m not this woman,” I whispered to the empty air, but there was no one to convince but myself.

  Chapter Ten

  Sloan

  By the time my day ended, I was in desperate need of a drink. Dragging myself from the car, I rubbed my temples and waved half-heartedly to a couple out walking their dog.

  There was a large box in front of my door. Frowning, I checked the mailing label. It didn’t have one, but it did have my name scrawled across the front. It wasn’t heavy. I opened the door and pushed it inside with my foot.

  When I got it settled on the kitchen table, I stepped back and stared at it. A box just appears on my door without a mailing label? That sounded like an excellent reason to call the police, but maybe that was because I watched too many crime dramas.

  With a pair of scissors, I slowly sliced through the tape. “Please don’t be a severed head. Please don’t be a severed head,” I chanted as I cautiously pulled the flap back and peered inside.

  Instead of a bloody scene, I found two more boxes. A long narrow box from Lotte’s Florist and a bigger box from Goddard’s Women’s Boutique.

  I opened the florist box first and gasped. Inside were a dozen long-stem red roses with a note. “I would very much appreciate your company to the Harrison-Belle Gala this evening.”

  There was no signature, but I already knew who it was from. I wasn’t big on current events, but I knew of the Harrison-Belle Gala. It was an annual event where the rich mingled and gave away insane amounts of money to a charity of their choice. The Harrison and Belle families both had lost children to cancer, and they’d hosted this event each year. The Children’s Cancer foundation was always the headlining charity, but the gala also invited four other charities to join the event. The only person that I knew who was wealthy enough to even get an invitation to the gala was Lucas Montgomery.

  Was this an apology? My hands tingled in anticipation as I opened the other box. Inside, nestled in tissue papers, was a beautiful green shimmery fabric. I pulled it gently out by the straps and gasped as the gorgeous dress flowed to the floor.

  “So much for saying that I have nothing to wear,” I whispered.

  There were plenty of reasons I should turn down the invitation. I had work to do tonight. I had class in the morning. Any type of press with me on Lucas’s arm would be bad. Simply being near Lucas was bad.

  But he had bought me a beautiful and expensive dress. And roses. How could I say no to that?

  You just want to see him again.

  I pushed the accusation aside and grabbed my phone. “Sloan,” he answered in a low voice. “I take it that you got my invitation?”

  “I think this counts as an expensive gift,” I said with a smile.

  “You seem to have an affinity for jeans and t-shirts. I wasn’t sure if you had anything appropriate to wear.”

  “And the flowers?”

  There was a pause. “I just thought it would be polite,” he said softly.

  That wasn’t the answer that I was looking for. “Why would you want to take me?”

  “I’ll pick you up at seven,” he said without answering my question. He hung up before I could say anything, and I couldn’t help but smile.

  Was it possible that Lucas Montgomery actually liked me?

  Feeling almost giddy, I put the phone down and held the dress up against me. There were only a couple of hours before seven. It didn’t usually take me long to get ready, but I did absolutely have to get some mock classroom questions written up for my Children’s Lit class.

  Lucas Montgomery was taking me out on a date. Maybe my luck was finally turning around.

  He would find a dress similar to the one that I had worn at Randi’s birthday. It was the same halter style that dipped low over my cleavage and scooped all the way down my back. It fell to my ankles with a long slit up the side.

  I don’t know how he’d done it, but it fit every single one of my curves just perfectly.

  By the time I’d finished pinning my curls up and applying a little bit of make-up, I stared at myself in the mirror. I could have actually passed as pretty. Stepping into the same heels that I’d borrowed from Randi that first night, I completed the look.

  There was a sharp knock at the door, and I took a deep breath. “Here goes nothing,” I whispered.

  On the other side of the door, Lucas Montgomery looked absolutely immaculate in a black tuxedo. My mouth went dry as I stared at him. With just a little bit of scruff and those intense eyes, he looked like sin wrapped up in a pretty bow.

  “You look nice,” he said stiffly, but as his eyes roamed over me, I felt almost complete naked. Exposed.

  “You look nice as well.” At least my voice didn’t crack this time. Gripping my clutch, I stepped outside and closed the door behind me. Rather than one of his expensive cars, a limousine waited for us out in the parking lot.

  “I think this was how my prom was supposed to go,” I said without thinking.

  “Excuse me?”

  “The pretty dress and the limousine,” I said hastily. “I’m not trying to cheapen anything, but it’s the only other formal occasion that I have ever experienced.”

  “And how exactly did your prom go?”

  I gritted my teeth. It was eight years ago and shouldn’t still upset me. “It didn’t. My date stood me up,” I muttered. Dustin Wheeler. He’d been one of the best looking guys in the school, and I’d been speechless when he’d asked me out. In high school, I’d been a joke. I was the bookworm with the frizzy hair. All I needed was the dorky glasses to complete the cliché.

  And the handsome football player to humiliate me. That part actually did happen.

  “This isn’t prom, Sloan,” he said as the driver opened the door.

  “Of course not. Forget I even said anything,” I blushed. Slipping into the car, I berated myself. Already I was sounding like a complete idiot. “Tell me what to expect.”

  “At the gala?” He sat close to me and rested his arm on the seat behind my head. There were empty seats along the other side of the limo and spots just behind the driver’s seat and at the back. Plenty of room to spread out, but his thigh pressed against mine. All he had to do was move his hand an inch, and he’d be touching me. Instead, he seemed completely relaxed and oblivious to how my body was heating up. “The intention behind the charity gala was noble, and the Harrison’s and Belle’s both strive to keep it that way, but most of the guests don’t go to support charity. It’s all politics and appearances. But when people are flashing that much money around to impress others, the charities do win out.”

  “You sound like you don’t approve.”

  “I wouldn’t have even gone if it weren’t for my board members. The demand that I make certain appearances each year. Since I’ve turned up solo to all the events in the past few months, I was advised that taking a date
would be good for my reputation.”

  His voice was easy and unconcerned, and I felt my heart drop. Of course this had everything to do with his appearance and nothing to do with me. He’d probably known that I’d be so easy to manipulate.

  “I see,” I said coldly. I thought about moving to another seat, but I didn’t want it to be obvious that my feelings were hurt.

  “You’re upset.” He moved his hand and stroked his thumb down the column of my neck. I knew it was to distract me, but I still couldn’t help but warm under his touch.

  “It’s fine. Do you know how long it will last? I have class in the morning.” I leaned down to move away from his fingers, but he simply took advantage and slipped a finger down the length of my spine. I couldn’t even help myself as I gasped. “Damn it,” I muttered. “Why do you do that?”

  “Do what?” His finger slipped under the fabric of my dress, and I immediately straightened and cleared my throat.

  “Touch me when I’m angry,” I snapped as I wiggled away. Every time he was close to me, I felt all logic fly out the window.

  “Do you want me to stop touching you?”

  No. Yes. Fuck. “I can’t think when you’re touching me,” I said lamely.

  “You’re not supposed to think, Sloan. You’re supposed to feel. I do have an ulterior motive for tonight, and you should be very aware of it.”

  My heart fluttered. “What ulterior motive?” I whispered.

  He leaned down and kissed my bare shoulder. My eyes drifted shut as his hand skimmed under the fabric of the dress to brush along the side of my breast. “You’re not wearing a bra.”

  Just a little more. I was almost ready to beg for it. Just a little more, and he’d finally be touching my aching nipple. “It’s not the kind of dress you wear a bra with.” I turned my face to him and desperately hoped that he would kiss me. My lips burned for him, and although he’d already set my body on fire, he still hadn’t let me taste him.

  He pulled his hand away, and I moaned in frustration. Chuckling, he slid a finger up the slit of my dress. “Is it the type of dress that you wear panties under?”