Marry Your Billionaire: A Modern Cinderella

by C. J. Anaya

  As she reached the bottom of the staircase he held out his hand to her. She hesitated to take it. One touch from him would be enough to undo all of her resolve. Instead, she tucked her hands into her pockets and gave him a polite smile. Brody’s smile slowly faded and a predatory look replaced it. She nearly shivered, receiving the impression that she had somehow issued a challenge he intended to accept.

  “Cut,” her father yelled. He stood up from his seat and walked over to her. “Midge, what the hell was that? You looked like you were descending the staircase to your death. When Brody offers you his hand the polite thing to do is take it.”

  Midge turned to him, giving him a fiery glare. “I’m pretty sure I made it clear how I felt about being here. You said I would be eliminated the first round and you lied. Do you really think I’m just going to pretend to pursue a proposal of marriage here?”

  She sensed Brody shifting next to her and thought she heard him chuckle. His amusement at her discomfort only fueled her anger.

  Her father ran his hands through his hair in exasperation. “We don’t have time for this, young lady. You know exactly how you’re supposed to behave on camera. I’ve trained you much better than this. It doesn’t matter how you’re really feeling. I need you to do some acting for your old man here. This is important.”

  “Right. More important than your daughter or the fact that her private and personal life is now going to be aired on TV. And you,” she pointed her finger at Brody, “are just as much responsible for this uncomfortable predicament as my father. I don’t understand why I’ve been singled out to go on this date. Aren’t you supposed to be spending time getting to know the girls you’re intent on pursuing?”

  “What makes you think I’m not intent on pursuing you?” Brody said.

  “Excuse me?”

  He had the audacity to look amused, wholly unruffled by her behavior. Exasperating man!

  “He’s right, Midge. The idea of you two as a possible item is flooding social media sites. Viewers all over the world have fallen in love with the idea that you and Brody shared a special connection before the show. We’ve already created a great marketing spin and backstory for you two.”

  Midge felt horrified.

  “Backstory? You’ve fabricated history between Brody and myself?”

  “Fabricating history was completely unnecessary. We already had so much to work with.” Her father smiled, rubbing his hands together in delight. He looked like a Star Wars fanatic attending his first convention. “After that YouTube video came out we just had to capitalize on it. We leaked a Cinderella-type story to the press. It’s a good thing the paparazzi follows this billionaire everywhere because we have some nice footage of you two in the restaurant. He helps you with your shoe, asks you to dance, chases you out of the restaurant and stops you before you can leave, kissing you in the hopes that he can convince you to stay.”

  “The paparazzi picked up all of that?” Midge felt as if the air had just thinned around her.

  Her father ignored her and continued on. “Once you make your escape, he is determined to find you no matter the cost. He searches to no avail and becomes discouraged, believing this mystery woman he has fallen for will never be found. He reluctantly agrees to be the bachelor on Marry Your Billionaire, and low and behold you just happen to be one of the contestants on the show. American viewers are eating this up, Midge girl. You have no idea how many followers you and Brody have.”

  “Followers? You’ve had less than a week to get this information out and we already have followers?”

  This was appalling, violating, completely unacceptable. She was all about keeping a low profile and had never desired to be one of her father’s puppets on camera. She couldn’t believe he had exploited her like this.

  It shouldn’t have surprised her, though. With his director’s hat on he never did think in terms of familial loyalty. Daughter or no daughter, this was simply how her father operated.

  “Am I to understand that I’m now the audience favorite? I’m the one the viewers are hoping Brody will pursue? Isn’t that supposed to be decided after he spends time with other contestants?”

  “You’ve already had off camera time with him, Midge, and it was explosive. We’re catering to the wants of our viewers and they want to see you and Brody falling in love.”

  “But now you have no show. If everyone believes that Brody favors me over all of the other girls why would they stick around to see how this ends?”

  “Well, of course your relationship with Brody isn’t the only relationship we’ll be highlighting. He’s going to pick two other girls he finds just as interesting and we’ll craft a beautiful fairy tale romance around them as well. We’ll slowly develop these relationships as the season progresses while he eliminates others who aren’t quite as popular with our viewers. The audience will be on the edge of their seats wondering which girl Brody will pick. They’ll be just as torn as he is by the end of it.”

  She swallowed hard at this pronouncement. There was no way she could pretend to fall in love with this man without actually falling in love with him. Her heart was beating wildly, her breathing came in sharp and raspy as she felt herself lose control of the situation.

  A warm, steadying arm wrapped itself around her waist. She peered up into Brody’s eyes and saw worry and concern. The idea that he had noticed her distress and come to her rescue managed to calm her breathing and slow her heart rate, even though he was basically the cause of it

  He might have been a manipulative jerk, but she’d take the support he offered her—regardless of the reasons behind it—if only to get through the next few hours.

  “That’s it,” her father said, motioning to the two of them. “That’s exactly the kind of connection and chemistry I want to see. I knew you wouldn’t let me down, Midge girl.”

  Midge snapped out of the hold Brody’s smile had over her and took a discreet step away from him while her father shouted more instructions to his crew.

  “I suppose this farce is going to help your image then? Eventual wedded bliss?” she said, avoiding his gaze.

  “Isn’t that exactly what you told me to do when we met at Café Canapé? I’m simply following your directive.”

  She glanced at him and caught his rakish grin.

  Her rueful one fought against a grimace.

  “I believe I told you to pursue one woman you were actually interested in.”

  “Precisely.”

  She peered up at him questioningly, but the sound of her father’s voice rang through the air.

  “Midge, I want you to take it again from the top of the stairs. Descend the staircase with an engaging smile rather than the dread you exhibited only moments earlier.” He approached her side and whispered, “Just remember, there is a trust fund in it for you at the end of this tunnel. Play your part and do your best.”

  “I really don’t care about the stupid trust fund,” she hissed.

  “But I bet you care about finishing your masters degree, don’t you?” Her father nodded triumphantly at her continued silence and then walked back to his chair.

  She swallowed her anger at this new manipulation and rushed up the stairs, doing her best to cool her temper, steel her emotions, and pull her face into the appropriate expression demanded of her. Two more steadying breaths and she turned around to face her fate.

  “Roll cameras,” her father shouted.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Brody did not like the way Corbin Knightly had managed his daughter. Madelyn deserved to know exactly what angle Corbin had taken with all of the media attention his shared kiss with Madelyn had received, and instead of allowing Brody to take her aside and explain to her the circumstances, her bungling father had broached the subject about as tactfully as Kanye West tended to bring up anything and everything.

  Then to remind her that her financial future depended upon her performance set his teeth to grinding. He felt proud of her for standing up to her father and hated to
see her like this, but trapping her on the show was the only thing preventing her from running away. He simply needed to prove to her that there was nothing to fear from him, nothing to be wary of. His intentions were pure, sincere, and genuine when it came to the way he felt about her. He just had to convince her of it, and hopefully woo her into feeling the same way.

  She took a moment to regain her composure and then turned to face them. The transformation completely astounded him. Her easy smile when she locked eyes with him, her eager steps as she descended the stairs, and then the accepting way in which she placed her hand in his made him feel as if he’d just encountered a different woman. Her acting skills were superior. The adoring look she gave him made his breath catch in his throat. This was the reaction he wanted from her off camera. He wanted and needed it to be a reality instead of a fabrication.

  He couldn’t help but respond to her behavior whether genuine or scripted. Brody enfolded her into a warm embrace and then planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

  He felt her arms tighten around him ever so slightly and then she pulled back to look up at him, a smile teasing the corners of her full lips.

  Heaven help him. He wanted so badly for this to be real.

  “I couldn’t stop thinking about you after you left the restaurant,” Brody stated.

  Midge broke from her intense admiration of the various trees and plant life surrounding them to bear the full onslaught of his penetrating gaze.

  Aware that he was attempting to create a serious moment between them, she moved to her default setting of dry sarcasm. A truly juvenile defense mechanism.

  “I should hope not. That smack I gave you was meant to be memorable,” she said.

  His lips twitched in amusement.

  “Just as memorable as that kiss you gave me.”

  “If I remember correctly, you stole that kiss. I was in the process of fleeing the scene.”

  “And if I remember correctly, you eventually participated.”

  Midge rolled her eyes. “You took me by surprise. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Kissing women you don’t even know.”

  “I regret nothing.”

  The teasing glint in his eyes made her smile in response. She quickly turned her attention to the scenery. It was better than staring at Brody Prescott’s mesmerizing eyes.

  “After you jumped into that taxi, I spent the rest of the night cursing myself for letting you go. I didn’t even get the chance to grab your phone number. Do you have any idea how relieved I was to find out you were on the show?”

  He sounded so sincere, but his words to her father while they conversed in Knightly’s office flitted through her mind.

  I can just use her as a valuable resource for coaching me through this series. Or perhaps I can use her as a shield to avoid the advances of Felicia Davenport.

  She would do well to remember that this exchange between them, this date, was simply a farce, a way to further his career. But it was difficult to merge what she knew to be true with what she felt within her heart, especially when he said exactly what she wanted to hear and gazed at her as if he meant it.

  Pure torture.

  She was an idiot to stay and put herself through such an emotional hurricane.

  Trust fund. I’m sticking around for the trust fund. My last semester of college certainly isn’t going to pay for itself.

  How was she going to shield her heart long enough to receive the agreed upon stipulation? She mentally railed against her father for the millionth time that day.

  Her first attempts at getting Brody to let her go had failed. So be it. She intended to play nice on camera, but once this date was over all bets were off and Act II of Escape Billionaire Island would recommence.

  Midge swallowed a nervous ball of emotion at Brody’s expectant air. What did he want from her? A declaration of her insane attraction to him? Her initial reaction was to respond with another facetious comment, but an admission of similar thoughts and feelings to Brody’s was exactly what her father expected her to give.

  Mustn’t forget those aggravating ratings.

  On the other hand, though it terrified her to consider it, it might be liberating to be candid concerning her feelings for him without appearing too vulnerable in the process. Everyone present figured this was all for Brody’s image either way. No one would take her words or actions seriously, including Brody. Of course, there were American viewers to consider.

  Nothing more vulnerable than an entire nation knowing how much you admire someone as out of your league as Brody Prescott.

  The small canoe they shared slowly meandered along a scenic 3.5 mile portion of the Kohala Sugar Plantation’s irrigation system. The activity known to tourists as “Flumin’ da ditch” was an exciting educational tour through pristine rain forests filled with trees like the awapuhi, albizia and guava. The tour took tourists through ravines, waterfalls, and romantic tunnels. The helicopter flight from their private island to Waimea-Kohala airport had been a thrilling experience to say the least. Then Brody had surprised her with this relaxing activity, one she would have enjoyed more if cameras weren’t following right behind them.

  Generally, when fluming the ditch, you had a guide with you, but her father had retained special permission to keep this particular tour a little more intimate.

  “At least I know you remembered our encounter.” Brody dipped his oar in the water, pushing them slowly along the water’s gentle current. “I wasn’t sure how to broach the subject when you parachuted from the sky and landed back into my life.”

  “I honestly didn’t know what to say even though I’d had plenty of time to prep for it. You may have had no idea I was going to be on the show, but I nearly fell over when you were announced as the bachelor.”

  Understatement of the year, that.

  He chuckled at her response and continued his soft paddling down the lazy water.

  “Did you think of me at all?” he asked.

  Midge forged ahead, knowing these little admissions of her own heart were going to cost her.

  “It’s difficult to think of anything else after a handsome stranger draws you into a waltz, chases you out of a plush restaurant, and then kisses you like you’re the only woman for him.”

  “And then you smacked me.”

  “A girl must play hard to get,” she answered coyly. Then her expression grew serious as she allowed herself a moment to drink in his handsome features. “It felt like a fairy tale.”

  Brody rested the oars on their pegs and leaned forward, taking her hands in his, their knees slightly touching.

  “Our fairy tale, Madelyn?” He lifted her hand to his lips and held her eyes as his warm lips massaged her knuckles.

  It amazed her that such a small gesture could make her face sting with heat. He made a simple kiss on the hand positively blaze with seduction.

  “Midge, my friends call me Midge,” she said in a strained voice.

  “I want to be more than your friend, Madelyn.” His words were convincingly sincere. A repeat of what he had said in his bathroom.

  This man was good. He didn’t seem to need any coaching at all.

  Of course he doesn’t. Not in this area. He’s an accomplished playboy, Midge. Pull yourself together!

  “But you’re still a stranger,” she whispered.

  He reached a hand up to brush away a lock of curly hair along her forehead and softly caressed her cheek.

  “I can remedy that.”

  Good gravy!

  She couldn’t help the shy smile that graced her lips, but she pulled back to ease some of the tension she felt building between the two of them. His presence was simply too overwhelming. She couldn’t have him touching her as well.

  “Have you been to Hawaii often?” she asked.

  “Enough to know some of the folklore and legends concerning the area. What about you? Have you traveled here before?”

  He seemed a little disappointed at her change in subject, but didn’t try to touch
her again. Thank Heavens for small mercies.

  “Believe it or not, this is my very first time.”

  “Really? I would have thought your father’s business trips would have brought you here before now.”

  “Nope. I suppose you’ll have to educate me on all of the Hawaiian folklore.”

  Brody pondered this for a moment. “I think I have one you might enjoy.”

  Midge settled back in her seat to listen, admiring the lines of his broad chest and the way the sunlight made his eyes sparkle and dance.

  “This particular legend has to do with a beautiful plant called the Lehua Blossom that grows on Ohia trees. The legend states that Ohia and Lehua were young lovers. Ohia was a handsome man and Lehua was considered the most beautiful girl on the island.”

  “Oh, I like this legend already,” Midge said.

  Brody gave her a smile and then continued. “There’s nothing more beautiful than people falling in love with one another, but as so many love stories go, the lovers were met with opposition in the form of a jealous rival. Pele, the volcano goddess set her sights upon Ohia and coveted him for herself. When Ohia refused Pele, she became vengeful and turned him into an ugly, twisted tree.”

  “Vengeful women. They can certainly do damage to one’s love life.”

  “Indeed. Pele ignored Lehua’s desperate pleas to change him back, but the other gods sympathized with her plight. They weren’t powerful enough to reverse Pele’s magic, but they could turn Lehua into a beautiful flower and place her on the tree so that the lovers would never again be parted from one another. It is said that as long as the flowers are never plucked from the tree, the sun will continue to shine, but when a flower is taken from the tree, rain begins to fall like tears from the sky. Lehua still cannot bear to be parted from her husband Ohia.”

  “That’s so tragically beautiful.”

  “It is a bit sad to think of anyone being separated from the person they love.”