The Billionaire From Los Angeles: A BWWM Billionaire Romance (United States Of Billionaires Book 9)

by Simply BWWM

  They passed three doors and at the last door, Allen turned and smiled at Roman. "There are four guest staterooms on either side of the boat, and this one is mine." He opened the door and stood back to let Roman enter the room.

  Like the rest of the boat, it was all white with mahogany trim, and there were windows all along the wall on the water side of the room. Allen's windows were all above the water line. He had a queen sized bed, a desk, and a full bathroom. His closet was wide, but it wasn't a walk-in. Above his desk was an entertainment center which was set into the wall, facing his bed.

  "This is really nice." Roman said with a smile.

  "It's great!" Allen said happily. He showed Roman all the little extras that were in the room; the remote controlled electric shades that slid down over the windows and the lights that dimmed, as well as the automatic faucet in the sink and the natural air dryer for his hands.

  Roman nodded and smiled at him.

  "Do you like it?" he asked in anticipation.

  "I do," Roman answered him, sliding his hands into his pockets.

  Allen took a step toward him. "I think you should buy it. I could sell this boat in a minute."

  Roman tilted his head. "I think you probably could, but we want to make sure before I do anything like that. It's a big commitment."

  Allen nodded and looked around his room, well pleased. Then he looked back at Roman. "Does your room look like this, too?" he asked.

  Roman tried to hide his smile, but it didn't work well. "Not really. Come on... I'll give you the nickel tour." He led Allen down the hall, back through the community areas and past them to the last door at the end of the boat, which was the other door to his room. He opened it up and walked up the short flight of stairs to the upper level of his room, and turned to look at Allen, whose jaw hit the floor when he saw all of it.

  Roman chuckled softly. "Go have a look; I'll be out on the deck." He walked out of the glass doors and sat on the deck while Allen canvassed the entire area that Roman would be staying in. After several minutes, Allen finally showed up on the deck where Roman was relaxing under the canopy, and collapsed beside him in a chair.

  "You've got to be kidding me. Roman, you have to buy this boat! You have to!" Allen was thrilled with all that he had seen.

  Roman looked over at him and smiled. "Did you see the jet skis and the sailing dinghy?"

  Allen just looked at him. "No. Really?" A grin spread over his face.

  "Yeah. There's an elevator, too, from the main floor down to the community area on the lower level. Actually, it goes down to the staff quarters, galley and engine room in the belly of the boat as well, but you shouldn't go down there." Roman winked at him.

  Allen just shook his head. "I can't believe this thing." He looked back at Roman. "I could sell this in a minute. Think of all the millionaires and billionaires we have between San Francisco and Silicon Valley! This would be gone in a minute!"

  Roman shook his head. "They don't always go that fast. When people spend money like that, they want things built to their own specifications. We want to make sure before we spend the money." He looked fully at Allen. "I'll decide before the weekend is over, and I'll let you know when I make my decision. Between now and then, just enjoy yourself, okay? You're being paid for this weekend. Live it up." Allen agreed, and leaned back in his chair, soaking in the sun and sea.

  Allen stayed with him a while longer, but then he left to go explore more of the boat and Roman unpacked and made himself comfortable. Later in the afternoon, he went up to the bridge to have tea with Jonathon as he had promised to do. He sat in one of the deep captain's chairs and looked down over the main deck. Jonathon was on the radio and Roman was waiting for him to finish.

  He saw a ripple of blue and noticed that the woman he'd been watching earlier was standing at the bow of the boat, looking down over the railing to the waves below. Her dress was sculpted to the curves and lines of her body in the sea wind, and she was laughing and pointing, directing the attention of Colette and the three men with them, to the water in front of the boat.

  Roman caught himself staring at her again and meant to turn away, but somehow he didn't. He knew she couldn't see him from where she was, and so he watched her without worry that he might be caught.

  "She's a special lady, isn't she?" Jonathon said, standing beside him.

  Roman jumped and turned to look at his friend. "What?" he asked, off guard.

  "You love her right at first sight, don't you? She's just so beautiful. I've never had my hands on one so nice. I can't decide what I love best about her, because everything about her is just so... amazing. Isn't it?" Jonathon grinned at him.

  "Amazing?" Roman repeated quietly.

  "She's a superyacht! Of course she's amazing!" Jonathon said, looking down at the control panel and caressing it with a loving hand. He looked back up at Roman who gave him a half smile.

  The Captain looked from Roman down to the bow of the boat. "Oh! We have dolphins in front of us. That's what everyone's looking at. We've got dolphins." He looked back up at Roman and lifted his old eyebrows.

  "Do you like your room?" he asked.

  Roman nodded and laughed. "I do. As you say, it's amazing."

  The good Captain nodded back and looked out to sea. "They will bring the tea up any minute now."

  A few moments later, the door opened and their tea service was delivered. They sat, drank, and talked, looking at all of the features of the bridge together and then they traded sea stories until the afternoon light grew long and golden.

  The Captain left his first mate in charge of the bridge and he and Roman left to get ready for dinner. Roman was annoyed with himself for looking at the woman again as he had. He didn't think he should be interested in looking at her at all. Yet, there was something about the curve of her long graceful neck, and the dimples in her cheeks when she smiled; there was something about the light on her skin and in her eyes that seemed to draw him.

  He told himself that he had better keep his attention on everything but her during their trip. He was there for business, and a relaxing voyage on the sea that was so precious to him; he was not there to be entranced by a beautiful woman. He dressed and readied for dinner, sure of what he was doing, until he walked in to the dining room, and then all his certainty was swept away.

  The Captain saw him come in and headed straight for him, leading him over to the chair next to his at the long rectangular table. It was only a matter of minutes before everyone was seated at their assigned chairs, and Roman found himself facing Colette, who grinned and winked at him, and Allen, who was seated next to her, could hardly hide his pleasure about that. In the seat to Roman’s right, was Colette's friend.

  He drew a deep breath and turned to look at her. She raised her warm brown eyes to look back at him and he felt his chest and stomach tighten.

  "Hello," he said in a calm tone with a pleasant smile. "I'm Roman Bruce."

  She smiled and a dimple showed up in each one of her cheeks. He couldn't help but smile back. "Hi, I'm Cami. It's nice to meet you!" she said, reaching for his hand. She shook his hand and let go quickly, looking at him and wondering how in the world she had gotten lucky enough to sit next to the most gorgeous guy at the table. He seemed like the strong silent type, but his smile at her felt genuine, and she decided that Colette must be right. Maybe he would be a good person to talk with on the trip. He'd certainly be a nice person to look at, she thought to herself with a blush at the edge of her cheeks.

  The chef served fresh sea bass, salad, breads, lobster and soup, impressing everyone at the table. During the course of the meal, and after a few consecutive glasses of wine, Roman found that Cami was an easy person to talk with. She was smart and funny, interesting and polite. He liked her without feeling like he had to put any effort forth in doing it, and that was a welcome change for him.

  Colette eyed him with little smiles all throughout dinner when no one else was looking and he smiled back politely, as he always d
id with women he wanted to dissuade without insulting. She didn't seem to want to take no for an answer. Allen didn't seem to notice, and he kept talking away with her, believing he had her rapt attention.

  The Captain spoke with all of them at the table, and most of the guests enjoyed speaking with one another. There was talk of what everyone wanted to do after dinner and Jonathon spoke up with a smile. "There will be a bar service with s'mores at the barbecue on the main deck at the front of the boat, then downstairs in the entertainment area, there is a wide selection of films available. The Jacuzzi, which is also on the front deck, is always open, of course, and the canopy over that will be rolled back for anyone who wants to relax beneath the stars. Also, as a special treat, two of our staff are quite talented musicians and they'll be playing some live music for you out on the deck for a while tonight."

  The group was very pleased with their options and Cami looked over at Roman. "That all sounds really good. What do you think you'll do?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

  Roman gazed at her face for a moment and shrugged. "I don't know. You're right; they are all great choices. Maybe a little of everything. What about you?" he returned her question to her.

  She smiled at him. "I'll have to see. The s'mores sound good, though, but so does the hot tub."

  He nodded and looked away from her, willing himself not to picture her in the steamy water of a Jacuzzi. He turned to look at the Captain and focused on the older man. "What about you, good Captain, what will you be doing?"

  Jonathon smiled and looked down for a moment and then back up at the guests with a grin under his beard. "Oh, I've got a boat to sail. I'll probably keep it pretty simple tonight. I may take a book with me, though!"

  They shared a light laugh with him and Colette looked at Roman intently and said, "I'll be heading for the hot tub. I'd love some company."

  Allen grinned and piped up, "Great! I would love to come and join you! I'll meet you out there!" He watched her with adoring eyes.

  Roman lifted his chin and told her, "I think that's a great idea. Allen is a lot of fun. You two will have a wonderful time."

  She turned and looked at Allen with an almost imperceptible pout and then downed another glass of wine.

  With dinner done, Roman stood and pulled Cami's chair back for her She looked up at him and smiled and he nodded in a friendly way and turned to Jonathon.

  "Thank you for a wonderful evening. I'll see you in the morning, he said, reaching for the Captain's hand. Jonathon nodded and grinned, and Roman turned and left before anyone could say anything else to him. He wandered out to the back deck and tried to clear his head from all the wine.

  He had tried to keep his mind on dinner, on conversations that turned and twisted through the table, on everyone else but her, while still trying to be polite, but she was sitting beside him, warm and sweet, distracting and beautiful. Her perfume had tempted him to look at her and make him want to draw nearer to her, her smile and lilting laugh had made him forget that there were other people at the table for brief moments, and he kept pulling himself back to everyone and everything else.

  It was like he was swimming in deep water and there was a current that was trying to pull him down, but he knew if he kept swimming, the current couldn't touch him. He just had to keep swimming.

  The ocean air was cold on his face and his body and it felt good. It made him feel alive and awake and empowered. He breathed it deep and it made him feel strong. Then he felt a warm hand on his arm and when he opened his eyes and turned to see her standing there in her blue dress, his strength ebbed away with the pull of the tide.

  "Hi!" she said with a cheerful smile, her brown eyes lifted to look at his face. "I hope I'm not disturbing you. I just saw you here all alone and thought maybe you'd like some company." She stood beside him and placed both her hands on the railing, holding tightly to it and raising her shoulders shyly, looking at him over the curve of the one beside him.

  Roman drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Oh, uh... yes, thank you. That would be nice." He didn't know what else to say to her.

  Luckily, she knew what to say to him. "I noticed that the Captain and you seem close, have you known him long?"

  He nodded. "Yes, actually, we've known each other for several years. He's a good man."

  She smiled and her dimples showed. "You're a good man too, I'm willing to bet. I didn't know what to expect this weekend. This is really different than I thought it would be. It's my first time on a ship like this."

  He tried to hide a smile. "It's not really a ship; it's a yacht, or a boat. I know it's big, but it's not quite big enough to be a ship."

  Just then, one of the stewards walked up to them with a platter balanced on his hand. "Miss Cami, your s'mores are ready," he said with a smile. Roman looked down at her as she picked up two s'mores and thanked the steward, then turned and handed one to him.

  "What's this?" he asked with a spreading grin on his face.

  She tilted her head. "Well, it's a s'more. I wanted one, but they weren't done yet, so the steward said he'd bring some to me when they were done. I asked him for two so we would each have one."

  He turned it over in his hand, enjoying the smell of warm chocolate and toasted marshmallow rising up to his nostrils and making his mouth water. "Thanks!" he said, taking a big bite of it and looking at her with a chuckle. "That was thoughtful!"

  Cami nodded and took a bite of her own. She closed her eyes and relished the flavor and texture of it.

  Roman looked at his while he chewed and knitted his brow. "They taste different than I remember."

  She looked up at him and laughed. "Well, these are made with fresh gingerbread instead of graham crackers. They're softer," she said, tilting her head and laughing again. "You have a little..." She raised her hand timidly, hesitating at first while he looked at her in confusion, and then she slowly lifted her finger to his lips and he stood stock still while she carefully wiped away chocolate and marshmallow cream from his lower lip.

  He stared at her, slightly embarrassed, and she shrugged and looked down at her fingertip. "They're a little messy," she said, looking around for a place to clean her finger, and seeing nothing convenient, she popped her finger in her mouth and sucked it clean.

  Roman watched her for a moment and then turned away and faced the view at the back of the boat, ignoring what she'd done. "So, you said this is your first time on a vessel like this... how is it that you came to be here?" He took another bite of his s'more to try to simplify the moment and relax. He was careful to use his other hand to wipe at his mouth, in case anything stuck there.

  She swallowed her bite. "Well, I'm an artist in Los Angeles and Colette is one of my biggest patrons. We're more friends than business associates. She asked me to come along on the trip. She thought I needed it."

  Roman blinked and looked sideways at her with a lowered brow. "Why would she think that?" He pushed the last of his s'more into his mouth and savored it.

  Cami frowned and looked down at the treat in her hand, picking at it thoughtfully. "Well, I just got out of a bad situation. I needed some fun. I needed some laughs, and some relaxation, and she thought this would do the trick."

  Roman was curious. He didn't want to be, but as he stood there watching her pick her s'more apart, he felt like he had to know, and the current tugged harder at him. "What happened?" he asked softly.

  She pulled the marshmallow out of her s'more and squished it between her fingers. "I was engaged to a guy; I really thought we were going to make it. I thought he was the one, but then I guess I wasn't the one for him. He broke up with me right before our wedding. I mean, the invitations were all sent out... the hotel was booked... the caterer, you know, all the things that cost the most and don't give refunds. All those things. He found another woman he wanted more, so he ran off and married her, and I paid all the bills and threw myself into my art." She laughed and wiped a few tears from her cheeks. "Colette loved the art, but she hated seeing me so hu
rt."

  Roman felt his heart go out to her. It made him sick to think of anyone going through pain like that, especially when they thought the love was real. He looked down at her long and hard for a moment as she wiped at the tears on her face, and in a split second, he made a decision.

  He turned and faced her, taking both her hands in his and lifting them to his mouth, as she stared at him in surprise. He wrapped his lips around the remains of her s'more, stuffing his mouth with all of it from both of her hands, he sucked her fingers clean, and then in a muffled invitation, he held his arms out to her while he chewed away at the wad of stickiness he'd just eaten. "Woof y- keh- t- ds?"

  Cami could not have been more surprised. She stared up at him through her wet eyelashes and started to laugh from her belly at the gorgeous, ridiculous man standing in front of her, holding his arms out to her, with his mouth full of the remains of the s'more she had shredded. "What?!" she asked him.