My brow furrowed. Why did it sound like my brother knew Adam?
“She’s sick, and she fell asleep like that. I didn’t want to wake her.”
My mind raced to try and piece this together. Why were they talking like they were friends?
“If you so much as put a hand out of place on her—”
“Yea, yea. I know you’ll kill me or something ...” Adam didn’t sound worried about it.
“My cousin has pigs, they eat everything.”
Oh God. Then it hit me.
My brother had gotten me a job because he had a friend who worked at the place. I gasped, jumping back from Adam. Both men started at me with wide eyes. I stared back. “You ...” I hissed, pointing at Adam.
“Yes?” He smirked, his eyes sparkling.
“You asshole. You ...” I looked at my brother. “And you.” I pointed to each of them, making the connection.
“Spit it out, Fee.”
“You two are friends.”
“Well, yea.”
Adam crossed his arms over his chest. “It took you long enough to figure that out.”
No wonder he wanted to get out of here before my brother got home yesterday. And it made sense how he knew my brother was going to be home at that time. And now that I think about it … each time I’d come home from time with Adam, my brother had been here.
I put distance between myself and Adam, my eyes narrowing. Why hadn’t he told me?
I felt dirty. Like somehow I’d done something I shouldn’t have. I haven’t. I mean, it’s not like I slept with him or anything. I was just pretending to be his girlfriend.
“So,” my brother turned his attention to Adam.
“It’s been a while. You’ve been busy.”
“So have you.”
I faked a coughing fit. All eyes turned to me, just like I had hoped. When I finished my fit, I looked up at my brother, giving him the perfect puppy dog eyes. “Hey, can you go make me a hot chocolate, please?”
“Alright. I’ll be right back.”
He shot a glance at Adam before he left the room.
“How could you have not told me you knew my brother?” I hissed, utterly aware that my brother was probably trying to listen in.
“I didn’t think it mattered.” He shrugged.
How could he have not thought it mattered? What was wrong with him? Anger boiled up inside me. “And what if I’d been talking about you to him? Eh?”
I saw the look of worry touch his eyes. “Have you?”
“No. I’m not stupid.” No one needed to know what we were doing, and I knew that.
“Then it doesn’t matter.” He shrugged and gave me a soft smile. “Now, I’m going to get out of here before your brother accidently spills hot chocolate all over me. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
It sounded like a promise. A promise I wasn’t really looking forward to, to be honest.
My eyes narrowed as I watched him leave the room and heard the door open and close. I blew out a deep breath. Dick. Leaving me here to deal with my brother on my own.
“You two done talking, then?” my brother asked from the living room doorway. His arms folded over his chest.
“Yes. He decided to leave because he wasn’t putting it past you to dump hot chocolate on his head. Not that I’d blame you, it’s tempting.”
My brother snorted. “So, are you going to tell me what the deal is?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I mean he’s the ‘friend’ you’ve been helping, right?” My cheeks flushed. I didn’t want to admit that he was, but I nodded. “So, what’s the deal?”
“He just … I ...” I bit my lip, wondering how much to tell him. “He needed some help a couple weeks ago with some family stuff, and I helped him out. He was … willing to pay for it so I figured I’d take the easy money.”
My brow furrowed as I thought about everything that had happened the last couple of weeks. It sorta made sense now. I’d never met my brother’s friend who got me the job; at least, I didn’t think I had.
My brother sat down beside me, his eyes locked on mine. “So what’s his deal? I mean, he’s pretty secretive about his family, but you met them, right? What’s up with them?”
.I didn’t answer that straight away. Instead, I asked, “How much do you know about Adam?”
“Not much. We’re not the ‘sit down and have a heart to heart’ kind of friends, I’ve gotta admit.”
I smirked. “Yea, somehow I don’t see Adam being that type with anyone.” My brow furrowed as I thought about him and his family. It was hard to put it all into words. “His family is … odd. The ones he grew up with, like that house, they are really nice. His stepmom and his sisters are … just gems, honestly. And his dad seems really nice; I didn’t really get to know him, though. The rest of his family, I’m not too sure about. I know he doesn’t think very much of them, and I know that … something happened when he was younger that makes him hate one of his cousins. I have no clue what, though. But did you know they are super rich? I mean, like … Adam’s dad is the owner of the company. I didn’t realize it until someone at dinner mentioned it. Their house is like super nice, though. With a pool by the lake, and they have a guest house. Like an actual house. It’s …” I bit my lip thinking about the weekend I had spent there. They were very well off, but that didn’t mean there was anything wrong with them.
“So he’s richy rich, eh? I never would have thought that with what his place looks like.”
I raised an eyebrow, waiting to see if he’d give me any details. He didn’t seem willing to cough those up. So I waited.
“Anyways, you said he had sisters? Are they cute?”
“They’re like, under 16. All of them.”
“Oh ...” I could hear the disappointment. “I mean if he’s going to date my sister—”
“He is not dating me!”
My brother raised an eyebrow. “You two looked pretty cozy over there when I walked in. Anyways, isn’t he the one you spent a weekend away with?”
I bit my lip. How much do I tell him? If I told him the truth, I knew he was going to be mad. But if I didn’t, he would think we were dating.
“Alright … what I’m about to tell you is hard for me to admit … so please …”
“I won’t get mad.” Although the way he said it left me wondering if it was true or not.
“I did spend the weekend with Adam, and a lot of people think we’re dating. But we’re not. He just needed someone to pretend to be his girlfriend.”
“Why?”
That was a question I couldn’t answer because I’d been asking myself that for the past two weeks. I shrugged.
“I have no clue, but I do know he paid me for the weekend, and I didn’t have to sleep with him.” I wasn’t going to mention the douchy moment he had because really that was unfair. He had been upset about something, obviously.
“How much?”
“Enough to pay rent for the next couple of months, at least.” I wasn’t going to tell him exactly how much.
My brother frowned. “I don’t like the idea of my sister being a hired girlfriend …”
“Which is why I didn’t tell you. I mean come on, we both know the money is good, and we both know we need it. Can you imagine not having to worry about bills for a year or so? How amazing would it be? Hell, I could not work while in school.”
We had both been working since we were 15. It’s not that my parents were horrid parents or anything, they just … weren’t good at being parents. They had their own passions, and they forgot that it was their responsibility to make sure their kids were okay. My brother and I had pretty much been fending for ourselves for as long as I could remember in some way or another.
“I mean, come on, wouldn’t it be pretty amazing?”
“You deserve not to have to work …” he admitted, and for a split second his voice broke. “You’ve been working so long.”
“We both have,” I reminded him. I gav
e him a soft smile.
We fell silent for a couple of seconds. I bit my lip, wondering if my brother was going to see my side of things or if he was going to try and say I wasn’t allowed to do it—not that I was going to listen. I’d just lie to him if it meant making this much money.
“So … just how rich is he?” My brother’s brow furrowed.
“I don’t really know, but it doesn’t seem like money ever concerns him. He bought me a $2000 pair of shoes, among a few other pairs.”
My brother raised an eyebrow. “Wow. I guess if you have to date one of my friends, at least he’s able to provide for you.”
“We’re not dating,” I muttered, trying to get the point across. I don’t think he realized just how much I wanted to strangle his friend some days.
“Whatever.” A shrug was all I got from him.
I frowned, staring at my sibling. Ass. He was acting like we were together just to annoy me, and I knew it. I knew I shouldn’t be annoyed because that would annoy him, but I still couldn’t help it. I blew out a deep breath and tried to ignore it.
I watched as my brother walked away, heading into the kitchen. Without thinking much, I closed my eyes.
And that was the last thing I remembered.
64. Chapter Fourteen
65.
I woke up on the couch with a blanket on me and the sun shining in. I looked around. Had I slept all night? Damn being sick. I took a deep breath through my nose for the first time in days. Wait. I took another deep breath. No sniffling.
I sat up and did a quick mental check of everything. My throat wasn’t dry, and my head wasn’t pounding. I didn’t feel like the living dead. I was better. I felt fine.
Excitement overwhelmed me. Yes.
“Fee insists you’re not dating.”
“That’s because we’re not.”
“Mhm, right. Whatever. All I care about is that you don’t hurt my sister. Whether or not you’re dating her, I don’t care what your deal is; I will kill you if you hurt her and—”
“I know, I know. Your cousins have pigs. No one will find my body. Look, man, the big brother act is nice, but it’s really not needed. Trust me, we’re not dating.”
What did that mean? Why was he so insistent on it? I mean, it was good that he was, but it’s almost like there was something behind him insisting that we weren’t dating. Like … I wasn’t good enough or something.
I bit my lip. Hurt tugged at the pit of my stomach. Maybe he thinks I’m not.
Not that it should matter. I didn’t even know why I was hurt by it. It was stupid.
“What, are you saying, my sister isn’t good enough for you?”
My heart skipped a beat. I knew what Adam was going to say, and I knew I didn’t want to hear it. My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach.
“Dude, really? You just told me you were going to feed me to the pigs.”
I bit my lip, trying to keep quiet. No. I could feel it coming. Oh come on, not now.
I sneezed.
Everything went silent for a couple of seconds. Then I heard two sets of footsteps coming towards me.
“Morning!” My brother beamed. “How are you feeling?”
“I … I’m feeling a lot better, thanks. What time is it?”
I was just going to pretend I hadn’t heard any of that conversation.
“Not too late. Do you want me to make you breakfast?”
“No thanks. I’m feeling up to functioning for myself today. But thanks. Aren’t you working today?”
“Yea, my shift starts at noon. I’m going to have to head out in an hour and a half.”
“Oh, okay. I’m going to shower.” I jumped up. The idea of having to spend an hour and a half in the same room as my brother and Adam was not an idea I liked. I’m sure they would behave, but still. I wasn’t stupid; I knew it wouldn’t be comfortable. Thankfully, if I stretched my shower out, I could stay in there for almost an hour, and with me being sickish, they wouldn’t think twice of it. Then hair and makeup and getting dressed could kill up the rest of the time. If I was slow. This is stupid.
It was, trying to avoid my brother and his friend. I knew it was immature, and I didn’t care.
I slipped into the bathroom and shaded my clothing in a fraction of a second.
I knew he wasn’t very happy with me, and if I were him, I would feel the same. I mean, I’d been hiring his sister to be my pretend girlfriend. But it just seemed … well, I wasn’t sure what had made me do it—other than one thing.
“I can’t face my family alone right now,” I admitted. I needed her there.
“Alright.”
I couldn’t tell if he was trying to be passive aggressive or not. Guilt tugged at me for a fraction of a second, then worry. I hope she hasn’t told him anything. There was a lot that I didn’t want him to know. Not just because he was her brother, but because there were things I liked to keep to myself. Things that Fiona had seen in me, and things that I couldn’t make her forget.
As we sat there, waiting for him to head to work, it was utterly silent. Did I just fuck up the only friendship I have? I hadn’t been thinking about him when I convinced Fiona to play the part of my girlfriend. I’d only been thinking about myself.
But whatever. I’d done what I had, and there was nothing I could do to change it now. If he wasn’t going to forgive me, then that was his issue. Not like he should be mad. I knew how much they were struggling. I was giving them a chance to get ahead of the game, and I was paying Fiona a lot. My brow furrowed. I was guessing he didn’t know that. But it seemed like he actually thought we were dating no matter how many times I tried to tell him otherwise.
A feeling twisted at the pit of my stomach. A feeling I wasn’t used to. One that I hadn’t felt in ages to be honest.
I hated it. I tried to ignore it, to shove it away, but it didn’t work.
I blew out a deep breath, glancing down at my watch.
“So, you’re taking her somewhere this weekend, right?”
“Camping, with my family.”
“With your family?”
“I don’t know what she did while I was golfing with my dad, but my sisters won’t shut up about her. Hell, even my stepmom loves her.”
“That’s just how she is. People are attracted to her. Even in high school, everyone wanted to be her friend. Not that she wanted to be their friends. They just … wanted to open up to her and tell her their secrets.”
“That must have sucked for her.”
“I don’t think she minded it, honestly. She wanted to be liked in school. She wanted to be people’s friends.”
“That’s overrated.”
“I know. She didn’t.”
I bit my lip. Was I taking advantage of her by doing this? I didn’t want to be that kind of guy. But what if it’s my only option?
Would I be willing to do it if that was the case? I knew the answer without thinking too much on it.
I glanced at the clock as I made my way to my bedroom quickly. I dressed in reasonable time, and by the time I stepped out of my bedroom, my brother soon be leaving.
“There you are.” His eyes sparkled. “I thought you were avoiding me there for a second.”
My cheeks flushed, and I snorted, trying to play it off like he was crazy. Right? I mean, I would never try to avoid him. It was him and Adam together that I was trying to avoid, and no one could blame me for that. The idea of them both together was not a fun one.
“Anyways, you’re going away for the weekend, right? I figured you’d be gone by the time I get home from work.” He stood and padded over to me. So Adam had told him? Great. My brother pulled me into a hug. “Call if you need anything, alright? I’ll be here.”
“Thanks,” I said softly, my arm wrapping around him for a fraction of a second before he pulled away. His eyes sparkled as he stepped away from me and turned to Adam.
“Keep my sister safe.”
“Right, or you’ll kill me and feed me to pigs, I ge
t it.”
My brother grinned widely as he headed for the door. “Glad we have that sorted,” he said as he left the apartment building.
Leaving me and Adam to ourselves.
“So, are you up for camping?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Yea, I think I’ll be fine. Worst comes to worst, I might have to head home early. I wouldn’t want to get anyone else sick.”
Adam looked me up and down, closing the distance between us now that we were alone. My heart skipped a beat, and he reached out to me.
His hand touched my forehead for a fraction of a second. “You feel a lot better.”
“Glad to hear it.” I turned my back on him and headed back for my bedroom. If I was going camping, I was going to have to pack a few things, at least. I wonder if they expect me to wear fancy clothes while camping. I thought. I mean, he’d taken me shopping before I went to meet his family the first time. But was I going to have to wear $700 pants while camping? I can’t believe they actually go camping. It seemed like … such a strange thing for rich people to do. Wait, is that wrong of me to think? Probably, but it didn’t matter. I still thought it.
I grabbed my backpack and headed for my closet.
“So this is your room? Cute.”
I turned to see Adam leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked around.
I shrugged. “It’s a mess, but if you think that is cute, all the power to you.”
Adam smirked. “You’re kinda cute, too. You know, when you’re being a smartass.”
So, always? I didn’t say it out loud. I turned away from him so he couldn’t’ see my cheeks flush. I wasn’t sure if it had been a compliment or not, but that didn’t matter. It still made me blush. I grabbed a few pairs of pants and a couple of simple tops. Nothing crazy; if I needed a nice outfit while we were camping … well, I’d just make Adam buy me one.
“The manicures got postponed for next weekend. My mother and sisters didn’t want you to feel like you had to strain yourself while you were getting better.”
I bit my lip. Another weekend I was going to have to spend with them? That would mean we’d be pretending to date for about a month. Wasn’t that too long? I didn’t ask him. I knew that, really, it wasn’t my choice to make. If he wanted us to pretend to date that long, then that was up to him. I still hate the idea of letting everyone get attached like this, though. Not that it was my choice to make.
Interview with a Billionaire: Billionaire Romance Box Set Page 42