The Billionaire's Virgin Fiancée: A Fake Fiancée Romance

by Tia Wylder

  “Thanks for breakfast,” she said with a tight smile. “I have to find out what happened to my sister.”

  “Wait!” Sean grabbed her arm. “I could help you with that.”

  Jennifer twisted her arm out of his grip. “No, thanks.”

  "I'd like to help you," he said again, letting go of her arm, sounding sincere. "I feel sorry about what happened. I have a car, a telephone you could use. We were nearly related, for goodness' sakes?"

  He had a point there, Jennifer had to admit to herself.

  “I know you don’t want my help, but please, allow me?”

  Jennifer didn’t know what to say. The cowboy with the voice like honey had the strangest effect on her. She found herself going to the motel to get her luggage, being driven back to the house where she was given a stunning guest bedroom on the ranch.

  “It really is beautiful here,” she told Sean Perry.

  "I dreamed of this place for years," Sean told her. "I made some money on the stock market, worked my backside off for years, then they got me for some bad trades." He shrugged. "I came out here to lie low for a while but found that I liked the lifestyle, breathing in real air, not recycled air-conditioning. So I bought the place. I wanted a wife to share it with, and I thought Joanne was the one."

  He was standing very close to Jennifer. She didn’t know what to say. His life was completely alien to her, but his words spoke to her. She walked over to the window.

  “It is very different to the city. It is so quiet, so refreshing with the lack of cars and sirens and buses. It’s the light, the colors…” her voice trailed away as she felt him come up behind her, standing close to her. She could barely breathe as she turned around and walked into his embrace, his mouth on hers, his arms folding around her, holding her close.

  “Wait, no,” Jennifer pushed him away, shocked by his daring as much as by her own eagerness. Had she not been attracted to him from the beginning? She could not deny that she had wanted this to happen.

  “This is wrong,” she said. “Take me back to the motel. Now.”

  He picked up her bag, and they drove back to town without speaking another word. When she arrived, he turned to face her, but she shook her head and held up her hand, getting out of the door and rushing into reception.

  The Keys sisters had made too many mistakes in Texas already, Jennifer thought as she booked her room again. She would not allow herself to make another one.

  Chapter Four

  Jennifer looked up Sean Perry on the Internet. She found that he had told her the truth. He used to work in New York at a major bank. He was a bit of a hot shot, frequently photographed at bars and nightclubs, always with a different girl. There were pictures of a younger Sean, dressed in suits and dress shirts, his hair short and sleek. Then came the arrest for insider trading and his release from jail, apparently fancy footwork by expensive lawyers.

  All of this had happened over two years ago. There was only one article after that, in which he spoke about taking it slow on the farm and enjoying the peace and quiet away from the buzz of the city. There were photographs of the farm, of him in tight jeans pointing out pasture and barns, expounding on his ideas for the ranch.

  He was too handsome for his own good, thought Jennifer crossly. She could not believe that she had gotten into a situation where he had kissed her. She had kissed him back too. Had he noticed? She really hoped he hadn’t, but she had a feeling that an experienced lady’s man like Sean Perry had known exactly how much she’d fancied him.

  With a deep sigh, Jennifer leaned back on the uncomfortable motel bed. There had not been many men in her life, she had been too busy with helping her mother look after her brothers, then working to bring in the extra money. Somehow, there never was any time for romance or dating. There had been a guy once, a few years ago, but he had never had the effect on her that Sean Perry did.

  She needed to stay away from him, as far as possible, before she did something she would regret. She had to remind herself why she had come here and focused on finding her sister. Jennifer reminded herself that she was good at being practical and determined.

  She spent the next day going to two car rental shops but had no luck here. They had rented out many cars but not to anyone named Joanne. Jennifer had no idea what her sister's mystery boyfriend was called, and once she saw how many people had rented cars, her heart sank. There was no way she would be able to call up all those people looking for her sister.

  In the afternoon, she called her mother with a progress report.

  “It’s harder than I thought,” she admitted to Angela. “I don’t know where to look anymore.”

  “You’ll find her,” Angela said, sounding confident. “Look how much you’ve found out already.”

  “Yeah,” Jennifer said, unconvinced. “I wish I knew where to start looking.”

  Then she thought of something. “How did Joanne get to Bonham from the airport? Do you know?”

  “It was Arthur,” Angela said. “I said I’d feel better about her going there if she at least had him to watch over her, kinda like, when she got to the farm.”

  “So they were supposed to go to the farm directly from the airport?”

  “As far as I know,” said Angela.

  “Because she went to a motel in town instead,” Jennifer said. “So she changed her plans, why?”

  But Angela didn’t know either.

  Jennifer had the feeling that this part was important, that she should start looking at what happened after her sister arrived at the airport. She asked for Arthur’s number and decided to call him first thing in the morning.

  She had barely ended the conversation when there was a knock on her door.

  “Yes?” she called out.

  “It’s Sean.”

  She bit her lip and went to open the door. The first thing she saw was a huge bouquet of flowers being thrust at her.

  “What the….” Jennifer didn’t know what to say. Nobody had ever given her flowers before.

  “I’m really sorry about what happened at the ranch,” Sean said. He leaned forward, sounded really sincere. “It was completely out of line.”

  Jennifer nodded and mumbled, “The flowers…really not necessary.”

  “Please,” he said, holding them out to her. “Please take them.”

  For some reason, Jennifer found it tough to say no to him. She took the flowers and put them in the washbasin.

  “Have you had dinner yet?” Sean asked. “Let me take you out, treat you to a real Texan steak.”

  “I’m not much of a meat eater, actually,” Jennifer said primly.

  “We’ve got some great salads too,” Sean said, not missing a beat. He picked up her coat and stood at the door, waiting for her.

  Jennifer really wasn’t looking forward to another night in the small motel room, so she followed him to the red sports car in the street.

  “This is your car? Another car?” she asked in surprise.

  “It’s a bit of a weakness of mine,” Sean said as he opened the door for her.

  “Cars and girls?” Jennifer asked, raising an eyebrow.

  As they drove off, Sean admitted that he used to have a different life, partying with the right people in all the right places. “I kinda lost track of myself, though,” he said thoughtfully. “It was out here where I realized what I wanted in life, how things could be. I mean, I never thought I could make it out here, but I have.”

  Sean told her how he used to talk to Joanne, the lengthy emails they exchanged. “That was almost the best part,” he said wistfully. “I really thought I had a friend in her.”

  They stopped outside a steakhouse in town. Sean opened the door for her, and as soon as a waiter spotted him, they were led to their own private booth at the back. He ordered them some wine and Jennifer let him convince her to try some steak after all. While they waited for the food, he said,

  “I wanted to tell you something.”

  Jennifer looked up at him.
/>   “I had the feeling there was someone else,” Sean said, leaning forward, dropping his voice.

  “How do you mean?” Jennifer asked.

  “I don’t know,” Sean said. “But the night she called me to tell me she was no longer marrying me? I had the feeling she wasn’t alone. It was almost like he was there with her, you know, like they were laughing?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me this right away!” Jennifer asked, incredulous.

  “I don’t know,” Sean said, sounding contrite. “Maybe I was ashamed of her choosing someone else, making me look like a fool. Also, I didn’t know for sure.”

  Jennifer thought about what he had told her.

  “Why tell me now?” she asked.

  “I really do want to help you,” Sean said. There was no trace of his earlier arrogance. “I think it is pretty amazing for you to come out here looking for her. Joanne is lucky to have someone who cares that much about her.”

  Jennifer swallowed hard. The way Sean was looking at her, his blue eyes looking so intensely at her, she thought she would forget all her resolutions about staying away from him. Why was he so bloody nice to her? It was making it really difficult for her to keeping pushing him away.

  “I’m sure there are many women who care a lot about you,” Jennifer said with a chuckle, trying to lift the mood.

  Sean shook his head. "Not really, no. The party girls you are referring to? They like you as long as your money holds, once that is gone, so are they. And as for my family? My parents divorced when I was young, my mom is overseas with her third husband, in Belize, I think. Haven't heard from her in years. My father died of cancer ten years ago. So, no, I don't believe there is anyone really who gives a shit about me."

  He looked directly into her eyes, and she felt a hot current of electricity run through her blood. The waiter broke the mood when he brought their food. They ate in silence, and while Jennifer had to admit it was the best steak she had eaten, she made sure not to drink too much and said she was tired and wanted to go back to the motel as soon as she could.

  As he opened the car door for her, she got out and found herself standing next to him at the car.

  “Thanks for dinner," she said, her voice almost breathless. He was making her so nervous! "That was a lovely dinner," she smiled, and before she knew it, they were kissing again. The force of the kiss pushed her against the car. She could not stop him. She didn't want to stop him. Jennifer melted into his arms, her tongue seeking his, she pressed her body against him and felt a hot flame of desire lighting up inside of her. There was no time to think, to wonder about what they were doing. His hands were under her top, touching her breasts and her breath caught as he caressed her nipple.

  “Sean, wait, no!” she struggled away from him, straightening her clothes.

  This was simply happening too fast. She had to get away from him, as quickly as possible, as far away as she could. As soon as she was back in her room, Jennifer took a long shower, scrubbing every part of her body, trying to get rid of the way Sean had touched her, the way he had made her feel. But it was pointless. Finally, she went to bed, staring at the roof, cursing her sister. If only Joanne had not gone missing! None of this would have happened if she had only done what she was supposed to do.

  As usual, Jennifer was the one having to pick up the pieces, trying to sort out the mess. But this was harder to do than usual. With Sean Perry in the middle of everything, he was everywhere she looked. She fell asleep trying not to think of him, failing miserably.

  Chapter Five

  The following day, Jennifer tried calling her mother’s cousin, Arthur Teddington. She knew he was a caretaker at a school in Dallas, so she got up early to call him, setting an alarm to wake her. But there was no answer at his house. She tried his cell phone and it kept going to voicemail. It was driving her mad. In despair, she called her mother.

  “He probably switched if off at school,” Angela said. “You’ll have to wait until he gets home.”

  Jennifer went to town, whiling away the time by looking around in the shops. She didn’t want to spend any money but in the end, decided to have her hair done at the local salon. She had a few hours to kill before she could call Arthur again and she decided to have a proper blowout.

  “What’s it like in New York City?” the hairdresser, a local woman, asked, barely able to contain her curiosity. “I’ve always wanted to visit but, you know…” her voice trailed away.

  Jennifer did know, though. Life had a way of throwing a spanner in one’s plans. She had plans to go to college, but here she was, spending all her money looking for Joanne. Even though something serious might have happened to her, Jennifer had a feeling it was nothing like that at all. Joanne had always been impulsive and emotional, inclined to make decisions without thinking them through. She often changed her mind, about everything from her favorite color to the kind of man she wanted to be dating.

  In the late afternoon, Jennifer went back to her motel room and tried calling Arthur again. When she could not get hold of him in the evening again, she rung her mother for his physical address. She was not going to waste another day. She was going to go to Dallas and talk to him herself. And Sean Perry was going to take her. He had offered to help her, and she might as well take him up on it, there was no need to make any more of it. She had to stop this silly romantic nonsense. He was having a bit of fun, but it was time to put a stop to it. She had to find Joanne and go back home, get her life on track.

  She called Sean in the evening and arranged for him to pick her up early the next morning. He did not seem surprised to hear from her. As soon as she mentioned that she wanted to go to Dallas, he immediately offered to take her to the city.

  “I am convinced that Arthur holds the key to what happened to Joanne,” Jennifer said.

  “Then we must find him,” Sean agreed.

  Before they said goodbye, he added, “See you tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it.”

  “Don’t,” Jennifer said quickly. “This is about Joanna. Let’s keep it simple, okay?”

  “Okay,” Sean said after a moment’s hesitation.

  She was up early the next morning, and she was ready when she saw the lights of Sean’s truck swing into the parking lot. She got in and Sean smiled at her.

  “I like your hair,” he said. “It’s beautiful.”

  Jennifer bit her lip. “Listen, Sean, this has got to stop.”

  Sean pretended not to know what she was talking about. “What?

  "The flirting, the kissing…no more, please? I want to find my sister, not have a fling with an ex-party cowboy wannabe."

  Sean sat back in his seat. “Ouch,” he said.

  Jennifer wondered if perhaps she had been too harsh. But Sean was quiet for the rest of the trip, and she was relieved to see that he seemed to drop his flirtatious manner. As soon as they arrived on the outskirts of the city, Jennifer gave him the address and Sean seemed to know where to go.

  Her mother told her that Arthur was married to a woman named Catalina. They had two sons, Aaron and George, both grown up. At around mid-morning, they arrived at an old, weather-beaten house with a tidy garden. They got out and went up to the house.

  An older woman opened the door. “Are you Mrs. Catalina Teddington?” Jennifer asked. “My name is Jennifer Keys, my mother Angela is Arthur’s cousin? This is my…uhm…friend, Sean. ”

  Catalina immediately invited her inside and offered them a cup of tea. Jennifer explained about her sister's disappearance, and Catalina shook her head.

  “Nasty business, nasty,” she repeated. “Arthur told me about your mother calling, asking him to go over there, checkin’ up on her. But he didn’t find out anything.”

  She said he had dropped his mobile phone, breaking it, and that was why she had not been able to get hold of him. He was at work now, of course, but he would be back for lunch, Catalina said. Jennifer and Sean decided to wait for him.

  “I’m sorry about all this,” Jennifer said
to Sean. “It’s going to take all day, I think. I’m keeping you from the farm.”

  Sean nodded curtly.

  Jennifer felt she had to apologize. “Sorry, about what I said.”

  Sean shook his head. “That is what you think of me, you don’t have to apologize for that.”

  “I didn’t have to put it quite like that though,” Jennifer conceded.

  Sean gave a rueful smile. “I suppose you’re not all wrong. But it does sound kind of unattractive when you say it like that.”

  Jennifer looked down. There was nothing unattractive about Sean Perry. But it was the last thing she could say to him, now that she finally had gotten him to behave more properly towards her.

  Around one o'clock, they heard the front door close and a man's voice in the kitchen. Shortly afterward, Arthur came into the living room. "Jennifer! How long have you been waiting?"

  She had not seen her uncle in some time and they hugged.

  “I don’t know what more I can tell you,” Arthur said, after he had a sandwich and some coffee. “I picked her up from the airport and took her to town, that was it. Nothing happened.”

  Jennifer leaned forward, “Did she say anything to you about getting married?”

  Arthur looked at Sean.

  Sean got up. “I’m going outside for a bit. Please don’t mind me.”

  As soon as he was gone, Arthur said in a low voice. “She wasn’t sure about him. I told her marriage was for a long time, asked her if she was ready. She said she still loved her other guy. I said then marrying another was a mistake.”

  Jennifer said, “What other guy?”

  She tried to remember his name. “Was he called Ken?”

  Arthur nodded, “I think so. She said to me she had only started up with this farmer to get him jealous, but when that didn’t seem to work, she thought about marrying him to get away.”