Marry Your Billionaire: A Modern Cinderella

by C. J. Anaya

  She was definitely jealous. He could barely contain the triumphant grin fighting to plant itself on his lips as he realized he had an affect on her after all. Perhaps he’d put that knowledge to good use and teach her a little lesson for that ridiculous prank she’d pulled on him.

  “You know that no substitute can make up for the real deal.” He smiled at the light blush gracing her cheeks. He heard a throat clear and realized that the room had become rather quiet. Turning around he saw many of the girls had taken seats at the table and were watching him and Madelyn with speculative looks on their faces. Some he might have labeled calculating, and a few disgruntled looks of jealousy graced other faces at the table, all directed at the girl in his arms.

  He cursed himself for unwittingly painting a target on her back and wondered how catty the girls were going to become around her.

  “Ladies, we’re going to have a quick little luncheon as we make our way to Oahu.” When he reached for her hand he noticed a large bandage on her palm and quirked an inquiring eyebrow at her. She shook her head, indicating she didn’t wish to talk about it at the moment.

  He couldn’t imagine how she’d had time to sustain an injury since they’d parted company not twenty minutes earlier.

  He guided Madelyn to a seat beside him, catching a few glaring looks sent her way, but realizing he couldn’t do much about it. Nor did he intend to allow Madelyn to sit anywhere other than beside him. He was here for her, after all.

  Once seated she discreetly pulled her arm from his and rested it on her lap. A muscle in her jaw twitched, the only sign of her obvious displeasure at the situation. Otherwise, she was the perfect picture of an excited contestant.

  As the meal got started and chatter began to lighten the tense atmosphere, he found himself answering far too many personal questions and doing most of the talking.

  “Do you have any pictures of yourself as a little baby?” Cambria said.

  “You’ll have to ask my mother,” Brody answered with a teasing smile on his face. “She’s the one who has all of my pictures and Little League Trophies, and has most likely documented all of my most embarrassing moments just waiting for the chance to share them with some unsuspecting date.”

  “She did that often?” Madelyn asked. It was her first question during the lunch, and it quite delighted him that she had finally started participating.

  “I rarely brought girls home to my mother in high school or college because I never really dated.”

  “I don’t believe that for one second,” Charlene said. “You must have had thousands of girls chasing after you.”

  “I can honestly tell you I didn’t. I was far too busy to notice either way, but even if I had, I never would have taken them home just so my mother could break out the home videos.”

  “Well, when it comes to women, where do your tastes reside? Do you love brunettes?” Charlene gave him a winning smile which he couldn’t help but reciprocate. She was actually quite delightful, and he might have been interested in pursuing her if he hadn’t already been captivated by the woman seated next to him. He noticed Madelyn shift uncomfortably in her seat, appearing unhappy with his interest in Charlene.

  Perfect.

  “I am always interested in an attractive brunette,” he said, making Charlene blush a rosy color. The other girls in the room let out silly giggles. “I’m also a fan of beautiful blonds,” he directed his look at Cambria, enjoying the heat that rose to her cheeks as well. “And lately, I’ve found myself thoroughly intrigued by redheads, especially ones with curly hair and just a smattering of freckles.”

  He turned to Madelyn, giving her a tiny smile, and like a stealthy predator he slowly brought his hand up and snatched her glasses off her nose. Madelyn let out a surprised gasp.

  “What a coincidence, Madelyn,” he said, staring at the bridge of her nose and giving her a wink. “Freckles. I do believe I’m in love.”

  The rest of the girls let out more silly giggles at his playfulness as she held out her hand.

  “Kind sir, may I have my glasses back, please?” Her lips quirked into a genuine smile, and his own widened in response.

  “Only if you promise to put them in your purse so I don’t have to go searching for those freckles again.”

  “Fine. I shall concede to your demands during lunch, but after that they go back on.”

  “As you wish, fair lady.” He handed the glasses to Madelyn and watched as she put them in her purse and met his look with a rueful grin.

  “You’ll be the death of me,” she muttered under her breath.

  Funny. He felt the same way.

  Chapter Eleven

  The entire group date had gotten off to a very rough start when Midge went back to her suite to grab her purse, reached in for some lipstick, and cut herself on something sharp. When she dug into her purse she found her small pocket knife open and much sharper than she remembered. She couldn’t imagine how it had snapped open like that, but the gash in her palm was deep and painful. She’d had to hurriedly disinfect the area, bandage it with the staff’s first aid kit, and then rush to the boat without thinking about taking any Tylenol for it.

  Fortunately, she didn’t think she needed stitches. Unfortunately, it took a while for the pain to subside into a dull throb. It was an annoying nuisance that failed to distract her from Brody’s unwanted attentions or the delectable smell of his aftershave. Rather, the throbbing in her hand acted as a soundtrack for the frustrating circumstances she found herself in.

  She had to admit; however, that his unguarded answers to everyone’s questions and the charming way in which he delivered them prompted her to ask one of her own to which she immediately chastised herself. She needed to manage an air of disinterest toward Brody without the cameras picking it up. No small feat in the world of acting, something she was in no way proficient at.

  Appearing completely engrossed in the charismatic billionaire while feigning indifference that she in no way felt was a serious drain to the emotions, not to mention her own mental state.

  And the darn hand just keeps on throbbing.

  The boat couldn’t have docked fast enough in her opinion, and by the time everyone disembarked she found herself starved, having been too keyed up to do anything other than move her food around her plate.

  There were two limousines awaiting the unorthodox dating party. Midge hardly paid attention to where Brody headed, praying that everyone else would hold back to see which limousine he deigned to grace with his presence and pile in after him. She just wanted a quiet moment to herself, her thoughts, and the increasing pain in her hand so she ambled toward the closest one and collapsed within it, firmly closing the door behind her.

  Her reposed position in the back of the limousine was suddenly disturbed by the opening of the door, allowing bright sunlight to penetrate her closed eyelids. She kept her eyes shut, hoping to dissuade any overly bubbly contestant from engaging her in tedious chit chat.

  “Driver, you can proceed to the hospital without waiting for anymore contestants,” said a low familiar voice.

  Midge sat up straight, turning to her right in surprise as she beheld Brody sitting next to her, a thin frown turning down the corners of his mouth.

  “What happened to the other contestants?” she asked.

  “They’re in the other limo. I thought you and I could take this limo by ourselves so we can talk for a few moments.”

  Midge opened her mouth to let out some scathing remark, but her eyes suddenly caught the lens of the camera across from them, and she realized though the rest of the contestants were absent, one of the crew members was present.

  Great Heavens above, this was not the kind of escape she’d had in mind. Quickly plastering a smile on her face she turned to Brody and said, “How fortunate for me. Why do I get the special treatment and not some other contestant? This is a group date, after all.”

  Brody leaned over and took her bandaged hand in his, examining it.

  “That�
��s very true. However, I didn’t kiss any of those girls before the start of the show, and I feel like we need to finally take the time to clear the air on that score. I’m a little surprised to find you here, especially after that smack you gave me.”

  Midge’s discomfort level increased ten-fold. She was not about to acknowledge that kiss or the unsettling affect it had on her on national television. Her personal life was being invaded enough at the moment. She also felt this nagging suspicion that her presence here wasn’t as much of a surprise to Brody as he let on. Still, she supposed they did need to clear the air since the viewers would be wondering why they hadn’t discussed their previous history the very first day.

  But she didn’t want to.

  “I…uh…Brody, I do want to discuss this at some point, but I’m a little distracted at the moment.” She held up her bandaged hand and gave Brody a tremulous smile.

  Immediate concern flashed across his features.

  “Madelyn, what happened to your hand?”

  She couldn’t believe she’d just played the sympathy card to avoid the conversation.

  He began unwrapping the bandage, taking note of the blood seeping through the two ineffective Band-Aids.

  “I always carry a Swiss Army Knife with me just in case I need it for something. My father gave it to me when I was twelve, and I never leave anywhere without it. For some reason it was open when I stuck my hand in my purse and it cut me.”

  “This looks deep. I think we need to have a doctor look at this when we reach the hospital.”

  “That’s not necessary.” She attempted to pull her hand from his, but he refused to relinquish it. “I’m sure it will be fine once the bleeding stops.”

  “I think it needs stitches. We’re definitely getting this looked at. You don’t want it to become infected.”

  “But—”

  “Let me take care of you, Madelyn.” His eyes pleaded with her. He reached into his pocket, revealing a granola bar and placing it in her good hand.

  “What’s this for?” she asked in surprise.

  “You didn’t eat anything on the yacht, and now I know why. Your poor hand must be throbbing.”

  She watched mesmerized as he placed two tender kisses on the tips of her fingers, and then lifted his eyes to ensnare hers.

  “I didn’t want you to go without any food while we were at the hospital.”

  She swallowed the ball of emotion lodged in her throat. It was simply too much. He had noticed her lack of appetite. He was concerned enough to grab a snack for her in case she needed it. Brody Prescott was making it very difficult to despise him at the moment.

  “Thank you,” she whispered as one traitorous tear escaped down her cheek. She blamed it on the pain in her hand and the unexpected duration of her stay on the show. Brody’s kind gesture had nothing to do with it. Nothing.

  He reached his hand up to catch the tear with an upturned finger.

  “You are so welcome, Madelyn.”

  His lips hovered inches from hers and he studied her face with those beautiful eyes of his. She felt he saw far more than she wanted him too, but failed to tear her gaze away. Just as it seemed like he might close the distance and grace her lips with his, the driver spoke up from the front.

  “We’ve arrived at the Cancer Foundation, Mr. Prescott.”

  Midge blinked her eyes, bringing herself back to the present, cursing herself for becoming distracted enough to forget that the cameraman was filming absolutely everything.

  How had he managed to so thoroughly entrance her with a few simple words and a small act of kindness? She was supposed to be discouraging him from keeping her on the show, not encouraging some kind of rapport with these super charged interludes.

  Her submarining was being submarined!

  “Let’s get a doctor to take a look at your hand.”

  Brody opened the door, stepped out, and then helped her from the limo, guiding her through the hospital doors with several cameramen and the disgruntled contestants following behind.

  Most of these girls were going to see her as a huge threat and treat her as such.

  Oh well. I certainly didn’t come here to make friends.

  One numbing shot to the hand and ten stitches later, Madelyn said thank you to the grandfatherly doctor attending her and accepted a prescription for a few pain killers.

  Madelyn considered taking one or two for the first day, but decided she would be able to handle any lingering pain after that. Growing up with her mother’s various addictions had convinced Midge that it was never a good idea to become dependent on anything…or anyone for that matter.

  Brody had wished to stay—for moral support was his excuse—but her father insisted he make the rounds with the contestants and visit the children who were expecting him. He only relented once Knightly agreed to personally deliver Midge to Brody’s side.

  “What are you, my jailer?” She asked her father after Brody reluctantly disappeared with Charlene trailing after him.

  Her eyes followed their retreating forms as an unfamiliar pang of jealousy struck her hard in the gut. She did not like Charlene’s arm tucked neatly within Brody’s.

  Her father gave her a smirk and wrapped a loving arm around her shoulder.

  “You like him, Midge girl, and don’t even try to pretend you don’t. You can’t fool your father.”

  “I’m not trying to fool anyone. He’s here for a specific reason, and so am I. Neither of which entails a serious relationship.”

  “You’re delusional if you think this guy isn’t into you.”

  Midge leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed. “You and Brody are cut from the same cloth. It’s all about business and the bottom line with you two. I have to love you because you’re my father, but I don’t have to put up with Brody’s ambitious behavior. I’m not his pawn in this.”

  Knightly turned her to look at him with a quizzical brow raised. “Of course you’re not his pawn. If I’m not mistaken, you mean much more to him than that.”

  “Save it, Dad. I’m here, and I’m not leaving so let’s talk about something else.”

  Knightly studied her for a few more seconds and then shrugged his shoulders as if to say, “Women!” Grabbing her elbow as the doctor finished up, he helped her to stand and then guided her down the hall.

  “You know, I always wanted to take you to Hawaii for one of my trips. Can you imagine all of the fun we’d have had learning how to hula dance?”

  Midge let out a soft chuckle. “Please. You and I both know the only one doing any dancing would have been me. Your true joy in life is to put me in the most embarrassing situations and then turn the camera on. Pure torture, Dad.”

  “It was never meant to be torture, Midge girl. I just wanted to hold on to you and your childhood for as long as I possibly could. Those cameos of yours are memories I get to revisit whenever I miss you.”

  Midge gave him a surprised glance. “If you ever miss me you know where I live. Come by and visit sometime.”

  “I believe I’ll have to take you up on that offer, and soon. It’s nice to know you still keep that pocket knife I got you all of those years ago.” He turned her to face him and planted a kiss on her forehead, a rare show of affection that nearly brought tears to her eyes. “Brody should be in one of these rooms along this hallway. Go find him while I check on some administrative garbage.”

  Midge nodded and watched as her father quickly headed in the opposite direction. The entire conversation had been unusual to say the least. The damage his high-handed ultimatum had done six years ago hadn’t been remedied, but she thought that perhaps this was the first step toward healing.

  Her musings distracted her from noticing she’d opened up a storage closet instead of an actual hospital room. Staring at the shelves of hospital supplies she let out a self-deprecating snort and shook her head at her own silliness. Just as she moved back to shut the door she felt something push her hard into the room. She lost her balance on the broom
jutting out from the side and used her hands to catch her fall. A sharp stab of pain alerted her to the possibility of split stitches, but she didn’t have enough light to assess the damage once the door slammed shut behind her.

  Midge didn’t feel ashamed to admit that the dark terrified her. She stood up on shaky legs and inched her way back to the door, taking special care to avoid the broomstick she’d already tripped over. Sliding her hands across the door, she finally located the knob and turned.

  Locked.

  What in the world? It hadn’t been locked when she opened it. She slid her hands along the sides of the door and finally felt the outline of a light switch. The neon fluttering of the stilted light gave her a modicum of peace as she surveyed the small storage room and then returned her focus to the door knob, looking for any clues as to how to unlock it, but it appeared that the lock was on the outside, meaning someone had intentionally locked her in.

  Which made absolutely no sense. Why would one of the hospital staff push her into a closet and then lock the door? She began to beat the wooden door with her good fist while screaming at the top of her lungs. She doubted it would be difficult for anyone to hear her since the door wasn’t that thick, but she continued to yell for help anyway.

  “Madelyn,” she heard from the other side of the door. “Why is this door locked?” The knob jiggled under Brody’s grip, and then he banged against the door.

  “Yes. It’s me. I’m here.”

  “How on earth did you get locked in? What is this, anyway?”

  His voice sounded highly amused at her predicament. She might have thought this was payback for the prank she pulled on him earlier, but she doubted he would have done anything this cruel, and certainly he would never have pushed her so forcefully as to cause her injury. She didn’t have any clue why someone would push her and lock her in, but until she did she thought it best to keep it to herself. No sense accusing anyone and ruining the group date.

  “I was looking for some extra bandages and the door closed and locked itself behind me,” she said.