The Virgin and the Billionaires: The Complete Series

by K. J. Diamond

  “We’ve got this place for the night,” Alexander hinted.

  Dana smiled. “I’m going to freshen up, but then I’ve got to go to bed. They expect me at the office at eight tomorrow.”

  ***

  Dana woke up in a mild panic when she briefly forgot where she was. She looked over at Alexander, who had migrated toward the other end of the bed. She was surprised when he looked back at her.

  “Good morning,” he said.

  “Good morning.” Dana smiled.

  “I’ve got to get going soon.”

  “Me too.”

  Together, they rolled out of bed and began reassembling themselves. Dana shuffled around in a hurry. There wasn’t much time for her to get over to Beverly Hills. She threw on the previous night’s outfit as quickly as she could, then tossed her hair into a deceptively stylish messy bun in front of the bathroom mirror. Suddenly, she heard her phone buzzing on the table. She ran out of the room trying to catch the call, thinking it was probably something work-related.

  Alexander was standing over the table, adjusting his tie.

  “Do you get calls from ‘Blocked’ numbers a lot?” he asked.

  Dana’s face turned as red as a beet. “No, that must be my dad. He works for the government.”

  Alexander nodded. “I see. Your dad likes to call you this early?”

  “He lives on the East Coast. Sometimes he forgets the time difference.” In reality, Dana’s dad was a pharmacist in Chico. “In any event, I’ll call him when I have a free moment at work.”

  She shimmied over to the couch where she had left her flats. “I have to go now. I’m already running a little bit late. We’ve got an 8:15 meeting.” Shoes on, she walked over to Alexander. “Bye, then.”

  “I’ll see you soon,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “Thanks for a fun night.”

  “Likewise,” Dana replied.

  Dana walked back to her car and headed out into traffic.

  What happened to him? He was so much – Dana struggled to pinpoint the change in Alexander’s affect. He was so much nicer! She caught herself reminiscing warmly about the more tender moments of the evening. Don’t get attached, don’t get attached, don’t get attached…

  But was it already too late for that? She was aware of Alexander’s ability to toy with her emotions, but she found solace in the fact that she had yet to cry over him, as if that meant anything…

  Dana snapped out of her thoughts and realized that she needed to call William back. She didn’t know how much she really wanted to get in touch with him, but felt that returning his call was the prudent and professional thing to do. She dialed him up and put him on speakerphone. Why would he call so early, anyway? He picked up.

  “Hey, it’s Dana.”

  “Hi, Dana. Sorry to call so early.” There was an awkward pause.

  “What can I do for you?”

  “Will you meet me for lunch? I’ll be in Beverly Hills today.”

  Dana thought for a moment. Lunch seemed harmless enough. She’d have to excuse herself eventually.

  “Sure, she replied.”

  “Great. I’m in the mood for some Pad Thai from Mr. Noodle.”

  “Sounds good to me. Just give me an address and I’ll meet you there.”

  “Alright. See you soon.”

  That was awkward. I hope this isn’t like pulling teeth.

  ***

  Back at work, Dana’s boss stopped her as she was on her way out of the office for lunch.

  “Can I talk to you for a second?” she asked.

  “Sure,” Dana replied, knowing that that usually wasn’t a good thing.

  “Dana, I just got off the phone with Fashion One Models. They were incredibly pleased with the shoot. The agent and the model both had wonderful things to say about you. Sandy from editing showed me your shots and I have to agree: the final product is beautiful.”

  “Thank you,” Dana smiled, genuinely flattered. She contemplated saying something positive about Bela, the model who had disappeared into the crowd of swingers at the Brentwood party, but couldn’t bring herself to. Graciela interrupted her thoughts.

  “Keep conducting yourself professionally and giving us this kind of quality work, and you’ll see yourself moving up the ranks in no time.” Graciela smiled, gave her a quick pat on the shoulder, and let her leave the office.

  Dana did a small victory dance on her way out. She felt a small pang of guilt for not mentioning Bela, who was, despite her party behavior, a great model. She walked the two blocks over to Mr. Noodle, where William was standing outside and looking around for her.

  “Dana,” he said, smiling upon seeing her. He cordially kissed her cheek in the LA fashion.

  “Hello, William.”

  “Is it okay if we order takeout? I was thinking we might eat in the park.”

  “That sounds good to me,” Dana replied.

  “It’s on me. What would you like?”

  “I’ll have what you’re having.”

  “Simple enough! I’ll be back in a moment.” William went inside to place their order.

  Dana sat down on a bench by the door. It seems like he wants to talk, she thought, fiddling with the screen on her phone.

  William emerged ten minutes later, bag of food in tow. The two walked over to the nearby park, where they found a quiet bench by a stocked pond. Dana opened her noodles and tossed one to the koi, who swarmed toward it. Two of them grabbed hold and fought over the noodle until it broke in two.

  William cleared his throat.

  “I’m sorry about Saturday. I should have been more up front with you about that party.”

  Dana poked at her Pad Thai with her chopsticks.

  “Yeah, that was certainly unexpected.”

  “I was being honest when I said that it’s something that you’ll probably see again, especially if you choose to network in your line of work. But it was deceptive of me to drag you into that scene without giving you a full disclaimer. I’m very sorry.” William looked Dana in the eyes as he said it. His apology felt sincere.

  “I hardly think of myself as a closed-minded or prude person, but I still can’t figure out why you thought it would be okay to bring me there without knowing how I felt about…that. Once I realized what was going on, I felt so out of place.”

  “Did you feel that way before you realized the second party was happening?”

  Dana was struck by that question. She realized that before she went to the other wing of the house, she was enjoying herself. “No,” she responded sincerely. “I was having a really good time meeting all of those people.”

  “That’s the element you have to focus on the next time you are in a similar situation. Don’t judge the people by their vices. Judge them by their work and their professional reputations.”

  “I guess that makes sense,” Dana admitted.

  William cleared his throat. He struggled to start his sentence. “Um, but a big part of the reason I withheld that detail from you is because I really wanted you to come with me. I guess that’s the other thing I’ve been deceptive about.”

  Dana thought she had misheard William.

  “Wait, what?”

  William’s brow arched as his green eyes stared into hers with deep sincerity. “I knew the party would be a good networking opportunity for you, but I also wanted you to come with me because I wanted to spend more time with you. I think you’re just lovely, Dana, and I want to see more of you.”

  ---

  Part 4: A Complicated Situation

  Dana couldn’t believe what she was hearing. William had just professed his admiration for her. The thoughts that zipped through her mind were confusing and ecstatic. It was almost too much to take in.

  William noticed Dana’s confusion in her expression.

  “I’m truly sorry for lying to you,” he said.

  Dana scoffed, still at a loss for words. She and William stared at the koi pond in silence.

  “Most of the things I’v
e said and done to you, I’ve done to attract your interest – I swear.”

  Dana finally spoke up. “Why? Are you so insecure that you thought you’d need to butter me up?”

  William shook his head. “Not at all. I just didn’t know what other chance I’d get, and I didn’t want to blow my chances by letting you know how I felt too soon. I also wanted to make sure my feelings were justified, and see what kind of person you were.”

  Dana could understand. It’s not like she would have encountered William in her day-to-day life. And yet she was surprised that someone so successful could be so insecure.

  “Yeah. I get that. How else would you get to know me? I guess I should have realized. I think that I did on some level, but I didn’t really want to believe it.”

  “Well, believe it.”

  Dana smiled. They both stared awkwardly at the pond for another moment before William spoke again.

  “Well, did my ploy work?”

  Dana found herself experiencing a sense of comfort she had never felt before. It was as if she didn’t need to fear being completely honest. She thought about Alexander, and briefly worried about the consequences of straying from him. He had said that Dana was free to do as she pleased, but her emotions made her hesitant to do anything that would threaten their changing relationship, which felt like it was getting stronger.

  She looked at William, gazing into his eyes. His smile was warm and kind, free from the cockiness that penetrated Alexander’s expression. Her heart began beating faster.

  “Tell me one more thing,” Dana asked.

  “Anything,” William replied.

  “Did you invite anybody else to dinner at the Poisson D’Or?”

  “No,” William said, not averting his gaze. “I hope that you can forgive me for that.”

  “I’m - not surprised. I’m a little disappointed that you went so far to cover that up,” Dana paused. “But I’m also incredibly flattered that you would even think so highly of me.”

  “Don’t be too surprised, Dana.” William’s face lit up. You’re an incredible lady. You’re intelligent, you’re good at your job, you’re independent – shall I continue?”

  Dana smiled.

  “On top of all that, you’re beautiful.”

  William leaned his head toward Dana’s. Dana relaxed, deciding in that moment that this felt right, that she wanted William. His lips gently grazed hers before he pressed them firmly against hers. They kissed slowly and sensuously.

  Dana enjoyed the velvety softness of William’s lips, which seemed to know exactly how to best navigate hers. He would occasionally stray away from her mouth and plant soft kisses on her cheek, chin, and neck.

  “You smell lovely,” he remarked while burying himself in Dana’s skin.

  Dana smiled and sighed. Each kiss sent a tingle through her body. She slowly lifted a hand to William’s hair, running her fingers through his thick blonde strands. As he made his way back up her neck and to her lips, Dana could feel the moisture beginning to seep through her panties. It only got stronger when William placed a hand on her thigh.

  William stopped himself before things became too hot and heavy for the park bench. He pulled away from Dana, sighing audibly and brushing his hair back into place.

  “Wow. I need a minute to collect myself,” he exclaimed.

  Dana’s heart was pounding. “Me too.”

  William glanced at his watch. “It’s almost one. I have to get back to the office. I’m sure you do, too.” He ran his hand through Dana’s hair.

  “Yeah. We should probably get going.” Dana packed up her half-eaten Pad Thai.

  “This is where I leave you,” he said. “I’ll be in touch soon. Perhaps we can go somewhere – this time without any business pretense?” William’s face reddened slightly.

  “Sure,” Dana replied. “I would love that. An honest date.”

  William kissed her cheek and headed toward his car. Dana headed back to the office, her head swimming.

  I can’t believe that just happened, she thought. It’s okay, though. I’m not bound to Alexander. He told me I could do whatever I want. I just hope that I didn’t make a bad decision going for William, of all people.

  At the office, Dana felt a strange feeling of empowerment and guilt as she tried to settle back in. She couldn’t believe that she had now wooed two handsome billionaires. She feared the possibility of her new affair causing trouble, so she decided that it was best to keep it strictly to herself.

  What a great day it’s been, she thought. The praise Graciela had given her earlier motivated her to do her best work. Working on a makeup spread, she artfully poured out shapely puddles of nail polish and foundation, throwing every ounce of herself into her work.

  A few hours later, Dana was looking over her finished shots when her phone began to ring. She picked it up without looking at it.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, it’s Jessica!”

  “Oh hey, Jessica!” Dana hadn’t heard from Jessica for a little while. She still wasn’t quite sure how she felt about her, but decided to express excitement at hearing her voice.

  “Hey! How’ve you been?”

  “Good, good.” No details necessary, Dana thought.

  “Listen – I’ve got an extra ticket to the James Blake concert at the Airliner this weekend. Do you want to come with me?”

  Dana didn’t know who James Blake was, but had never been to the Airliner. She’d heard Amy and Emily talking about it a few times, so she figured that it was probably somewhat ‘cool’.

  “Sure, that sounds like a lot of fun. I don’t go to concerts much.”

  “You’ll like this place. It’s a pretty low-key nightclub, but it attracts a lot of cool people. You know, in case you want to meet someone.”

  Dana laughed nervously. “Thanks for looking out for me,” she replied.

  “Of course,” Jessica said sweetly. “Alright, I have to get back to work. But I’ll see you next week!”

  “Okay, bye.” Dana hung up her phone and continued going through her photos.

  As if he had sensed that she’d just made plans, she immediately received a second call - this one from Alexander Price.

  “Dana,” he said breathily.

  “Alexander,” she replied nervously.

  “Come to New York with me this weekend.”

  Dana’s heart skipped a beat. New York! She had never left California and had always wanted to visit the City. After all, New York was far more of a fashion city than LA.

  Even though she was excited, Dana hesitated. She couldn’t turn down an opportunity like this in favor of going to the concert with Jessica. She’d just have to tell Jessica that she couldn’t make it. Besides, she and Alexander had an agreement. She was supposed to be available at his beck and call, so she really didn’t have much of a choice - and she already felt bad about kissing William.

  “Well?” Alexander interrupted her thoughts.

  “Th- that sounds wonderful,” she stuttered. “I’ve never been to New York.”

  “It’s an exciting place. Very high energy. I think you’ll like it.”

  “It sounds great. Do I need to get anything? Bring anything?”

  “Only your sexy self and some lacy panties.”

  Dana blushed. “I’m at work!”

  “My apologies. The travel arrangements are all made. I’ll send a car to your office Friday evening.”

  “Thank you,” Dana said, brimming with excitement.

  “Nonsense. The trip will be better with your company. I’ll see you soon.”

  Dana hung up the phone. She quickly sent off a text to Jessica, telling her that she couldn’t make it after all. She didn’t bother to give her an excuse.

  Emily looked over at Dana from her desk.

  “That sounded like an interesting call,” she said.

  Dana, unable to contain her smile, shared the news of her upcoming trip with the interns.

  “So jealous!” Amy replied.
r />   “Why are you going?” Emily inquired with a hint of sauciness.

  Dana stumbled for a suitable response.

  “My cousin’s decided to get married – in Central Park!” Dana was satisfied with her lie.

  “Aw!” The interns cooed in unison.

  ***

  The rest of the week came and went. Dana hadn’t heard a word from William, but she wasn’t concerned. She was too busy getting ready for her trip to New York. She was expecting the trip to be unusually luxurious and indulgent. Before work, she had overstuffed a small valet pack with her nicest dresses and shoes, trying to have a different outfit for every day and night. If the trip were a day longer, she would have had to upgrade to a much larger suitcase. She took along her nicest camera, hoping to take some fantastic shots along the way.

  The hands of the wall clock in her office were fast approaching six o’clock. Dana was having trouble focusing on the last of her work. She’d made an effort throughout the week to be completely caught up on her tasks so that she wouldn’t have to pawn them off to the interns or worry about them in New York. Dana realized that she would worry even more if she did give the work to Amy and Emily. It was a no-win situation, so it was better to do it herself.

  Dana’s desk phone rang. On the other end, the front desk receptionist informed her that a car was waiting for her outside. Dana jumped from her seat, waved goodbye to the interns, and ran to the trunk of her car to grab her bags. She came around to the front of the building, where a large town car sat idling.

  The driver greeted her and took her bags. She slid into the car through the open door and they made their way toward LAX.

  The rush hour traffic kept them waiting, but the driver informed her that their flight wasn’t leaving until 9:30. They finally made it to LAX around 45 minutes later.

  The driver took Dana past all of the regular passenger terminals. She grew confused.

  “Where are we going?” She asked.

  “Your flight is departing from the private terminal, ma’am,” the driver shouted from his seat.

  Dana’s eyes widened. I can’t believe my first time on a plane is going to be a private jet! She thought.