The Engagement Game (Engaged to a Billionaire)

by Gardner, A.

Holly rolls her eyes. "Child's play," she mumbles.

  "Excuse me?"

  "Kat," she laughs. "Let's get real here. When I said we should let Rex decide I was being polite. We both know who he'll end up choosing." My jaw drops. She didn't mean that. She always said mean things when she was upset.

  "Oh really," I respond, brushing aside my piece of confidence she'd just stabbed. "Did you have an intense make out sesh less than an hour ago? Because I sure did." It was a low, immature blow but it was all I had. Holly shoots me the mother of all dirty looks. The one that makes you feel about two inches tall. I shudder.

  "I tried to be fair," she says quietly. The lack of yelling made me nervous. The eerie silence in the bathroom gave me goosebumps. "But you started this, not me. You're the one who started playing dirty, not me. And if this whole situation scares you, just wait. I haven't even given this serious thought yet." She half smiles and pushes open a stall. "And don't be so quick to brag, honey. I never told you what Rex and I did last night." She latches the door on her stall just as I'm about to boil over. It was a lie! A lie to make me feel like crap. It had to be.

  I clench my fists, angrier than I've been in years. My eyes dart to tiny detail I'd ignore until now. The word herbal jumps out at me. I quietly side step to a packaged bar of soap by the sinks. I skim the list of ingredients hoping to spot a key word. Chamomile. Holly was allergic.

  I smile, opening the bar of soap and placing it on the marble counter. I toss the empty package in the trash along with the rest of the herbal soap bars. I hear the toilet flush and turn on the faucet.

  "You're right," I say out loud. Holly steps out of her stall. She doesn't seem surprised that I'm admitting my faults. "I shouldn't have sent those texts." And you should have backed off the second you learned Rex was my guy.

  "Well, it's not like I couldn't handle the situation. I was just shocked you had the guts."

  I swallow her comment and wash my hands.

  "Guts?"

  "Yeah," she replies, checking herself out in the mirror. "You've never been able to do what it takes to get the guy. That's why you're still single." And you were going to say this to me when?

  "Uh-huh," I respond. She flips on the water to wash her hands. I watch her eyes search for the soap. "Here." I casually hand her the bar containing the one thing that gave her a nasty body rash. Chamomile. "I opened it," I continue. "It was the last one." She accepts the soap without a second thought. Holly aggressively rubs her skin, dries her hands, and puts on a layer of lip gloss.

  "I'm glad we finally got this straightened out," she says before leaving the restroom. She smiles and hugs me. I feel like vomiting all over her blouse. "Be happy, K. We have a wedding to plan."

  "With pink roses and a five foot cake?" Wedding details we talked about when we were kids. Pink flowers and the cake would be pink on the inside. Bubble gum flavored.

  "We're not kids anymore," she laughs. Really, cuz you're sure acting like one. I follow Holly back to our table. Butterflies toss and turn in my stomach. Any minute now this dinner would turn into a three ring circus.

  Chapter Six

  "You know when girls do mean things on TV, and you're like gasp. What a bitch?" I storm down the hospital hallway, sleep deprived and pissed off. Jack follows me out of Earl's room.

  "This sounds like a coffee conversation."

  "This is more like a vodka conversation," I respond. The two of us walk towards the cafeteria. I fold my arms, feeling guilty about last night. It was going to come back and bite me. I just knew it. I'd be sitting on pins and needles until it did.

  "This has to do with that guy?" Jack's t-shirt actually looks ironed today. Maybe he just bought it.

  "And Holly," I gulp.

  "Holly, your best friend Holly?"

  "Yeah," I say, surprised. Jack shrugs.

  "You mentioned her once," he adds.

  "Probably." My mind jumps back to the chaos of last night. I'd sat at the edge of my seat as Holly did more smoozing. She was in the middle of explaining how one of her students, Becca, was on her way to being part of the New York City Ballet Company (all thanks to her brilliant teaching methods, of course) when she started scratching herself. Helen noticed it right away. At first she looked a little disgusted as Holly discreetly wiggled around in her chair. But then I could see the horror in Holly's eyes when she pulled up her sleeves and realized she had hives.

  Instead of excusing herself and leaving, she looked at me. That's when I tried to save my own ass by suggesting some Benadryl and a good night sleep. But Holly preferred a grand (attention seeking) production, and I was stuck with front row seats. She started to panic, yelling that she was deathly allergic and needed to get to the hospital ASAP. Of course Rex had to jump up, and being the gentleman that he was he offered to take her. My plan had backfired - forcing Rex to spend the rest of the evening in the ER with my nemesis.

  "Don't tell me he canceled again?"

  "I wish." I hang my head. "At least that wouldn't make me the horrible person."

  "You? Horrible?" he jokes. "Whatever Kat."

  "You don't know the half of it." No one did. We reach the cafeteria and I anxiously grab a coffee cup. I was going to be up all night pacing in front of my front door, waiting for Holly to make her next move.

  "Yeah right," Jack comments. He chuckles. "You're an angel in my book."

  "Angels don't poison they're best friends." I stir some sugar into my coffee and sit at our table. The silence on Jack's end was expected.

  "You're overreacting."

  "I wish I was."

  Jack runs his hands through his dirty blond hair. He raises his thick eyebrows. "What happened?"

  "That's-"

  "Complicated?" he finishes. "I'm calling your BS. You want to talk about it. Why else would you have stormed into the room while Earl was sleeping? It wasn't time for meds."

  "Fine," I tilt my head. "You caught me. So I'm looking for some friendly advice. Maybe someone to draw up my will? Sue me."

  "There must be a good reason for what you did," he continues. "Let's hear it."

  "Well . . ." I hesitate. I was confessing to Jack of all people. Jack. The guy I once purposely spilled piss on. I had a bad grip on the bedpan. And that still didn't stop him asking me out later.

  "Start at the beginning."

  "You're going to laugh at me." I take in a huge swallow of coffee, hoping that maybe if I burned my tongue I wouldn't have to explain. But I'd already said too much. "I met Rex at my little sister's roommate's engagement party. With me so far?" Jack nods. I let out a huge breath. Jack was going to think I was a total moron. "We danced. We laughed. We . . ."

  "I get it." Jack gestures for me to move past the lovey dovey junk. "Keep going."

  "Let me put it this way. Everything was perfect. Our first date was . . . almost perfect. And then my mirror of perfection shattered into tiny pieces, and I've been having bad luck ever since."

  "Yeah." He puts a hand on my shoulder. "Metaphors aren't really your thing." I roll my eyes. "Sorry. Sorry. Continue." I take another swallow of warm coffee, letting the liquid sooth my throat.

  "So I met Holly for lunch the other day because she too met a guy. And stupid me, I just thought the universe was in our favor. After we talked for awhile I realized . . . she was talking about Rex." I wait for Jack to make another comment but he keeps his mouth shut. "My best friend and I are falling for the same guy."

  "But you saw him first right?" I could hear the frustration in Jack's voice.

  "About that . . . we . . . actually Holly decided that we should let Rex do the choosing."

  "So she didn't back off?" His eyes went wide. "Now I get why you poisoned her."

  "I didn't literally poison her," I say through my teeth. I look around hoping no one in the cafeteria heard his comment. "And anyway . . . I'm the one who started all this. I'm the horrible one."

  "Sorry but what kind of person tries to sucker their best friend into thinking that stealing is okay?"


  "It's not stealing," I disagree.

  "She's trying to snatch the guy you've been seeing." He shakes his head. "Why are the two of you even friends?"

  "Hey," I rudely interrupt. "We've known each other our whole lives, okay? Holly has always had my back."

  "Until now," Jack adds. I take another sip to avoid agreeing with him. Did Holly only have my back when it was convenient? Now I was second guessing myself. No. This was just a brick in the road. I couldn't throw away a lifelong friendship so quickly. I bite my lip. What had I done? I mean, what I did would make sense if it were anyone else. Holly wasn't just somebody. She was my best friend. What do you do when your best friend suddenly does a one-eighty? Was I supposed to go with it . . . . or move on?

  "So she was selfish to try and get in on the action like that," I begin. "But that's no excuse for what I did."

  "Which was?"

  "I gave her a bar of soap in the bathroom."

  "Is that code for something freaky?" He smirks.

  "No, you perv. She's allergic to chamomile. I exposed her to chamomile. I gave her hives!" It disappoints me to see Jack chuckling rather than comprehending the seriousness of the situation.

  "Remind me never to piss you off." He already had. Many times.

  "It's too late for that kind of reminder," I mutter. "Seriously." I hit his shoulder. "She's going to retaliate. She's going to do something big. Something crazy. Something cleverly insane."

  "What like sleep with him?" Jack jokes. I sit up in my seat, eyes as wide as two cheese pizzas from Nico's.

  "You don't think . . . no . . . she wouldn't."

  "Relax," Jack adds. He puts a hand on my shoulder again, trying to stop me from squirming around in my chair. "If this guy really likes you, you shouldn't have to worry about it." Rex did like me. I was mostly sure of that. I just wasn't sure how much he liked Holly. We hadn't really gotten to that conversation.

  "You haven't met Holly," I sigh. An alarm is sounding in my head. I had to call Rex. I had to call him fast and make our engagement official. Tonight.

  "Not sure if I want to," Jack shudders. "She sounds like a-" I raise my eyebrows. "Interesting person?"

  "What am I gonna do?" I burry my head in my hands.

  "Don't kill me for saying this but didn't you just meet this guy?" He cringes a little, waiting for me to object. I let him talk, hoping for a brilliant solution. Fat chance. "Is he really worth all this?" Is he ever! Rex was the guy I'd waited for since college. The guy that represented a lifetime of luxury.

  "I knew you wouldn't understand," I mutter under my breath. Jack was a guy. How was I supposed to explain the urgency I felt to finally land my soul mate? Settle down and get married . . . and he happened to be a billionaire. "Rex is . . . he's . . . I can't screw this up."

  "Right, he's loaded."

  "I'm not gonna lie," I reply, sipping my coffee. "It would be nice to wear heels without having to tape down the blisters on my feet. No triple shifts. No nights."

  "So you're going to marry him?" Jack asks.

  "I'm almost thirty, Jack. Yeah. I'd like to be married." Like? That was practically the first thing that crossed my mind every time I met someone. What would it be like to be married to this guy? I knew what I had to do. I finally stand up, more confident than I was a few minutes ago.

  "Where are you going?"

  "I have a phone call to make," I answer.

  "Don't you want my advice?"

  "I know. I know. Be yourself. Ditch the traitor of a friend. And date you." I laugh. My muscles start to relax from a morning of tense spasms.

  "Okay." Jack stands up and pulls at his t-shirt. "My second attempt at advice?"

  "I'd love it," I lie.

  "You want something? Go get it. Sometimes even the people we're closest to try to shut us down. Quit being scared."

  "And when I get a wedding invitation in the mail with Rex and Holly's face on it?"

  "That won't happen."

  I roll my eyes again. It was like I said before. He didn't know Holly, and my window of opportunity was slowly closing.

  "And if it does," he continues. "I'll let you . . . shave the scruff."

  "That's a dangerous promise," I giggle. "Fine. But only because Earl will thank me later."

  * * *

  Rex didn't answer my call but that didn't stop me. I dashed straight home after my shift and grabbed my lucky bra. I stuffed the essentials into my purse and braced myself for a night of romance. A night in paradise. My skin tingled as I thought of Rex holding me, telling me I was the one. I walk into the lobby of his building. It seems emptier and less intimidating than it did before. But that doesn't stop me from anxiously twiddling my fingers as the man at the front desk eyes my trench coat while he dials Rex's number. Yes. I didn't have much on underneath.

  "Go on up." The man gestures towards the elevators. My heels echo on the tile floor as I step into the elevator, my heart beating faster than a baby hummingbird. This was it. No more daydreaming. No more wondering what Rex looked like with his shirt off. A typical thought that crossed my mind every morning when I did my makeup. I would soon find out.

  With an abrupt ding the doors open. I'm standing in the foyer of Rex's flat. A wave of heat swirls underneath my trench coat as Rex comes around the corner looking surprised.

  "Hi." I bite my lip, hoping for a hello kiss. "I should have waited for you to call. I know. But-"

  "Kat," he exhales. A slow burn fills my body as he walks close enough to grab me around the waist. "I wasn't sure I'd be seeing you again . . . after last night. I owe you an explanation."

  "Later." I do something bold. I tangle my fingers in his silky hair and press my lips against his. Our bodies move together and his hand instantly teases the buttons on my coat. My desires take over and suddenly I'm yearning for him to remove the layers preventing our skin from touching. My abs tighten preparing for their debut. All Rex had to do was remove the coat.

  Rex pulls away, grabbing my hand and pulling me further into the apartment. I crush the voice in my head telling me I was moving too fast. That this wasn't the way to make him love me. It was working. Rex's eyes gleamed at the sight of me. He couldn't break his gaze. And the way his firm chest heaved, leaving little doubt that he liked what he saw, was enough. I seductively play with the collar on my coat, pulling it to the side to reveal the strap of something red. Rex bites the corner of his lip.

  "Soon darling," he says quietly. "First, we have some guests to entertain."

  "Guests?" My entire body freezes.

  "Yeah, just toss your coat in the office." Rex winks as he points to an empty room across the hall. As we walk deeper into the flat, I can hear light chatter in the adjacent room. My legs feel like they're paralyzed. I can't take another step.

  "Uh-"

  "Sorry love," he says quietly. "I have some associates of mine over for drinks. Perhaps that was why I didn't hear your call?" He waves for me to hurry up. "I'd love for you to meet them." He calls to his guests and leaves me mortified. I can barely speak or even open my mouth. My eyes dart to the bathroom and I force my legs to take me there so I can think - get out of this awkward situation.

  I tiptoe to the bathroom and lock the door behind me. As soon as I'm alone, I'm overwhelmed by a sea of hormones. Don't cry. Don't cry. I reach for my cell phone and automatically search for Holly's number. She'd be the first person I would call in this situation. Only . . . I couldn't call her this time. I sit down and rub my face, careful not to smudge the eyeliner and mascara I'd spent an hour applying. I wanted it to look flawless.

  Who was I supposed to call? As Rex would say . . . bollocks.

  My fingers scroll through my contact list. I have to talk to someone. I couldn't just sit here and I couldn't just leave. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea? Maybe I should have stuck to waiting by the phone - periodically checking Holly's relationship status on facebook. I dial a number and hold the phone to my ear.

  "Hello?"

  "Thank
midol you answered," I blurt out. I hear Sadie laugh. "I'm stuck. I don't know what to do. Help me, Sadie."

  "Whoa," she responds. "Major panic attack goin' on. You need to recon before you go nuclear." Her weird way of speaking calms my nerves. A familiar voice. "Where are you?"

  "I'm at Rex's apartment."

  "Phew. I thought you were gonna tell me you were hammered on the back of a truck somewhere. Can't really help you with that one unless your Prada handbag happened to come with mace."

  "Sadie." She was rambling like usual. "Pay attention for a second."

  "Geez," she answers. "Why did you call me again?"

  "Because I'm trapped half naked at a business meeting!"

  "Yikes." She's quiet for a second. "If this is some new hobby of yours, there's no shame in it if you're making bank."

  "I'm not a freelance stripper Sadie," I bluntly explain. "I showed up at a guy's apartment with nothing but lacy underwear and a trench coat on."

  "Oh-"

  "And he invited me in to meet his friends. His work friends. What the hell am I supposed to do!"

  "Call him next time," she suggests.

  "Helpful," I sarcastically comment. "Maybe if I jump in my magic time machine I can undo all this?"

  "See? Now the wheels are turning."

  "Sadie," I raise my voice. "What do I do?" She pauses again, seemingly as puzzled as me. I'm startled by a knock on the door. My heart jumps.

  "Kat?" Rex's voice brought back the paralysis. "Kat? Are you in there?" Great. Now his guests were going to think that I was having bathroom issues. That'll make for a comfortable opening line. "Are you okay?"

  "Yes," I manage to reply. "I'm just . . . finishing up." I hit my forehead. What was that?

  "Um okay? Don't be too long."

  I can't tell if he's concerned or grossed out.

  "He's waiting," I whisper into the phone. "I can't leave the bathroom without a game plan. I need a game plan."

  "First of all, take a deep breath." Probably Sadie's first useful suggestion. I slowly inhale and let my lungs take a break from barely breathing.

  "Now what?"

  "That's all I got."