Rainwater Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story

by Krista Lakes

  I started by telling her about Dubai, the skyscrapers and the hotel, then the dinner at the sheik's house. I told her how uncomfortable the sheik's son made me, how he leered and made my skin crawl.

  "I should have known something was off about Roger, but I thought he was harmless. Creepy, but harmless." I sighed. "The next day he got in my hotel room, Emma. He just walked right in like it was nothing."

  "I heard about that. I'm glad Dean got there in time. I'm so sorry this happened to you," Emma said softly. I didn't trust my voice to answer right away.

  "Emma, it's all so messed up. I told Owen that we can't be together. His life is in Dubai and I won't, I can't, ever go back there. That fucking prick messed everything up." I was surprised at my own anger, especially since I almost never cussed, but it felt good to call him a name.

  "Well, I can completely understand why Owen told the sheik off about it. What his son did was completely inappropriate."

  "What do you mean, 'Owen told the sheik off?'" I asked confused.

  "You mean he didn't tell you? It's all Jack's been able to talk about for the past few days. Owen went completely berserk on him."

  As Emma told me what happened, I could see it all clearly in my head.

  Chapter 22

  Owen clicked the phone shut. If he could have slammed the receiver down like on an old corded phone, he would have. His hands shook as he held the phone in disbelief. He'd heard news reports of how Western ex-pats had been mistreated in Dubai, but nothing like this. He walked out of the private room where he had excused himself to talk to Dean, intent on giving the sheik one chance to make this right. One chance.

  In another moment, he was back at the negotiation table with the sheik. Owen's usual poker face was gone, and the sheik noticed immediately. "Is something wrong?"

  "Yeah, something's wrong alright. Your son just tried to assault my girlfriend," Owen said.

  A flash of anger crossed the older man's face for a moment before it softened again. Anger at his son's actions, Owen hoped. "That's a serious accusation, Mr. Parker. An accusation that you shouldn't make lightly."

  "I'm serious as a heart attack right now. I have two witnesses, and probably the room service guy as well. What are you going to do about this?" Owen's eyes burned like fire.

  al-Saffar shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sure the hotel staff will be more than happy to tell us what really happened later tonight. In the meantime, let's get back to the negotiations."

  Owen slammed his hand against the table. "We'll be dealing with this right now, before you have a chance to get the hotel staff to change their stories, or these negotiations are over."

  The sheik turned red, practically shaking with barely contained rage. "I'm not sure I appreciate your tone, Mr. Parker."

  Owen stood up, walking to the window. The Burj Khalifa gleamed in the distance, a sand storm preparing to engulf it from behind. "It's a beautiful sight, the tower. The tallest structure in the world. The crown jewel of Dubai."

  "Please, let's just return to negotiations for now? We can talk about this later," al-Saffar said.

  "But it wasn't able to be completed by just Dubai," Owen continued, looking out the window. "Dubai ran out of money and needed to be bailed out by the United Arab Emirates, and so what was supposed to be the Burj Dubai was renamed the Burj Khalifa to honor the Khalifa family for their support."

  Sheik al Saffar remained silent. This was a sore spot for all of Dubai, and both men knew it.

  "But I'm not sure 'Burj Khalifa' is the right name for it either. I think that you owe way too much to the West and that it's time you recognized that. I was thinking, maybe you should rename it the 'Burj British Petroleum'. Or maybe 'Wells Fargo Tower'."

  "How dare you..." the sheik said from behind him.

  Owen cut him off. "Or, you know, maybe just convert it to a Marriott hotel. Either that or just let Wal-Mart buy the whole thing; I'm sure their sign would look great on the 150th floor."

  "Listen here..." the sheik started.

  "No, you listen here," Owen said, his voice rising as he turned around. His finger shot out, pointing straight at the older man. "I've noticed your son flirting with Kaylee, and I've noticed the looks he gives her when he thinks she's not looking. You either get him under control, or these negotiations are over."

  al Saffar jumped to his feet, his own voice roaring. "I think you've forgotten who you're talking to, Mr. Parker. I think you've forgotten that your name isn't Daniel Saunders."

  Owen laughed. "Perhaps you haven't heard, but the owner's name is Jack now." He walked to the table and picked up his briefcase. "These negotiations are over. Either call me when you've come to your senses and have your son under control, or call Saunders and let him know that the deal is off." He walked toward the door.

  "You have no right-" the sheik yelled after him, cut off by the sound of the door slamming behind Owen.

  ***

  "He really did that?" I asked, flabbergasted. I knew Owen had been angry, but I had no idea that he would go to those lengths.

  "Yeah. The sheik was pissed. He woke Jack up at 3 in the morning to tell him what Owen did."

  "What did Jack do?" I hoped that Owen wasn't going to get in too much trouble over this, but I had a feeling that this wasn't going to end well.

  "Well, Jack was furious at first. This could ruin years of business negotiations. Billions of dollars lost. I've never seen Jack that angry." Emma paused for a moment before continuing. "But when he calmed down enough to think straight, he realized he would have done the same thing in Owen's position."

  "What's going to happen to Owen?" I asked, breathless.

  "I'm not sure. The sheik demanded Owen's immediate dismissal, but I don't know how Jack is going to take that. Owen and Jack have been locked in Jack's office for the past two days. I haven't even been able to bring Jack his hamburger today." I could practically hear Emma shrug her shoulders. "I wish I could tell you what's going to happen, but I don't have a clue myself."

  "Will you let me know if anything happens?"

  "Sure, but won't Owen tell you first?"

  "Um, well, we haven't talked since I got back to Iowa," I said quietly.

  "What? Not even a text?" Emma was shocked. I knew her eyes would be wide open and her mouth would hang open just a little.

  "I told him we couldn't be together. I wish I would have known that he had confronted the sheik though." I leaned my head back and looked up at the ceiling, trying to figure out what I should do. I couldn't think of a good answer.

  "Oh, KayKay," Emma said with a sigh. "I'll tell him to call you next time I see him. I've gotta go back to work now. Are you going to be okay?"

  I grimaced and rubbed my eyes, emotions tumbling around inside of me. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks for talking to me."

  "Anytime. I'll give you a call tomorrow, okay? Love you!"

  "Love you too, Emma." I hung up the phone and just stared at it in my hand.

  Wave after wave of emotions washed through me, each one pummeling the one before it until I wasn't sure what I felt anymore. Awe that he had stood up for me like that. Love because he would risk so much. Anger that he hadn't told me. Fear for what would happen to him. Despair that he was gone. Hopelessness for what would never be.

  I lay down on the couch, curling up into a tight ball. I didn't know what else to do, so I just closed my eyes and prayed for sleep.

  Chapter 23

  I awoke with a start, nearly falling off the couch as the front door buzzed. I hadn't meant to doze off and the afternoon crept up on me. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, glancing out the window. It was raining again, the room bathed in a gray light. The intercom buzzed again and I got up to answer it.

  I hit 'answer' only to be met with static. Right, I remembered, the buzzer's broken. Have to go down and answer it in person. I pulled my hair up into a messy ponytail, not even bothering to put on shoes for the quick trip down the stairs.

  I hurried down and pushed open the
locked main entrance door, not expecting the wind to rush out of my body and my heart to jump in my chest.

  Owen stood in the entrance. He was wearing just simple jeans and a white button-up short-sleeved shirt, but he looked like a knight in shining armor to me. He gave me a crooked smile as I opened the door.

  "Hi, Kaylee," he greeted me, running a hand through his rain soaked hair. Little droplets of water went flying, sparkling like diamonds as they fell.

  "What are you doing here?" I gasped in amazement. I was sure he was going to disappear at any moment, that I was going to wake up and be back in my bed alone.

  "I told you that I'd be back. I just had some things I needed to do first." His smile lit up my world. I took a step forward, afraid he would shimmer and fade like a desert mirage. He stepped forward and took my hands in his. They were wet from the rain, but still warm and strong.

  "There's something I need to tell you, Kaylee." His blue eyes searched my face, their crystalline depths holding me captive. "I quit my job."

  "What? Why would you do that?" I asked in surprise. He smiled down at me and brushed a tendril of hair from my face.

  "Because it wasn't making me happy anymore. You make me happy. I couldn't bear the thought of taking another trip without you."

  I pulled back slightly in surprise. "But you love your job!"

  "No, I love the challenge of my job. The job itself is immaterial. Without you, it wasn't fun anymore. When I was away from you, all I did was miss you. I don't want the job anymore. I just want you." He said it simply, as though it were nothing but fact, but it made my heart pound in my chest.

  "What about the sheik? And Jack?"

  "Oh, you heard about that?" Owen flushed slightly as he shrugged. "Publicly, Jack is going to fire me. Privately, I quit. It saves face for Jack and the company, the sheik gets what he wants, and I get what I want. You."

  I opened my mouth, but couldn't find any words. No one had ever made me as happy as Owen did with that one small word: You. He wanted only me.

  "There is one down side, though," he said, giving me a thoughtful look. "It does mean that we will have to be slightly frugal. I won't have the paychecks from Jack's company rolling in anymore."

  "I'll pick up extra shifts at the hospital," I said, only half-joking. I would do whatever it took. I wasn't letting go of him ever again.

  Owen laughed and pulled me closer. "Not that frugal! I still have a stake in the company, but we should probably just borrow Jack's private jet instead of buying our own."

  "That's fine by me. I hate flying anyway." I could feel a silly grin spreading across my face, happiness bubbling up inside of me.

  “In the meantime, though, I am going to need a job. I was wondering if you were still interested in opening that bed and breakfast. Maybe even having some help from your husband?“ he asked.

  My mouth dropped open. “Is this some kind of proposal?“ I asked.

  Owen leaned down, not answering the question. His hair dripped rainwater onto my face as he kissed me softly. My heart soared in my chest, every fiber of my being taking flight. Owen was mine and I was his. We didn't have to be apart anymore. “Yes,“ I said, not waiting for him to repeat the question. “A thousand times yes.“ I leaned back in and kissed him again.

  Owen broke the kiss, and smiled down at me. "Jack and Emma met on vacation. You are my vacation. You are the person that makes me feel relaxed and wonderful. Wherever you are is home to me."

  I reached up and touched his cheek, losing myself in his cobalt eyes. "I love you, Owen Parker."

  "I love you, Kaylee LaRue."

  And then he kissed me.

  Epilogue

  I stand anxious at the back of the church, smoothing the satin of my dress with sweaty palms. I'm not anxious about what I am doing; I'm anxious that I am going to trip or stutter in front of all these people. I was meant to be with him, and this ceremony is just to show the world what we already know. There is no anxiety about what I am doing when it comes to Owen.

  The organ music starts, filling the church with a beautiful melody. I hold my bouquet of plumeria to my nose and inhale the delicate flowers once more. These flowers are Owen's and mine. They represent our love. Beautiful and sweet. I smile, and step through the ornate wooden doors.

  Mom and Dad walk on either side of me, the two of them beaming with pride as we move in time with the music. Mom is crying, but she keeps dabbing a Kleenex to her eyes so her mascara doesn't run. Dad's lips are tight, but it's to keep them from quivering as he walks his oldest daughter down the aisle. I know they're proud of me.

  Everything disappears. I don't see anything or anyone but Owen. The old church with its intricate stained-glass windows, the pews with red satin seats, the bridesmaids and the groomsmen, they all just seem to fade away. The only person that matters is standing there, grinning, waiting for me to join him.

  I kiss my parents, whispering that I love them as they let me go. Dad shakes Owen's hand and claps him on the shoulder. I know I'm blushing as Owen reaches out his hand to help me up onto the dais. Owen's hands are as clammy as mine, and we grin at one another. I'm happier right now than I ever thought possible. In this moment, everything is perfect.

  The minister begins speaking, but I'm not looking at him. I'm looking at the man I'm marrying, the man who holds the key to my heart. I glance out at the people watching us, noticing them for the first time, and seeing only smiles and tears of joy.

  I can see my sister from the corner of my eye, smiling as a tear runs down her cheek. She doesn't bother wiping it away, unashamed at her joy. Marissa and Allie stand behind her, the two of them grinning like this is the best day of their lives. I know it certainly is for me.

  The minister asks Owen a question, and he looks at me with eyes more blue than I've ever seen. "I do," he says, his voice shaking with emotion but full of confidence. Jack hands him a ring, and Owen carefully slides the stone onto my left hand. It sparkles in the light, full of hope and promise.

  The minister turns to me, and I make the same promise, Emma handing me a platinum man's ring. Owen mouths, "I love you," as I slip it on his finger. I smile and almost kiss him right there, but catch myself just in time.

  I lose myself in Owen's eyes, surprised when I finally hear the words I've been waiting my whole life to hear. Owen grins, happiness radiating out of him as he reaches for me and our lips meet. I can hear people cheering, but it's nothing compared to the joy inside my head.

  I capture this moment in my mind, treasuring every detail like a precious jewel. Someday, I will tell my grandchildren of this moment and how, even though we were indoors, it tasted like rainwater kisses.

  Thank you for reading and enjoying Rainwater Kisses!

  Krista Lakes would like to thank you for reading and enjoying "Rainwater Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story". Check out my mailing list, like my Facebook page, and my website for more information about me and my books. At the end of August, we'll be going back in time, to learn the stories of Rachel and Dean in "Champagne Kisses". Hope to see you there!

  Don't forget to join my mailing list as well for updates! (clickable link)

  Check out my other works!

  Novels

  Saltwater Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story

  Fire Always Burns

  The Woman of the Billionaire's Dreams

  Teasing the Billionaire (free)

  The Woman of the Billionaire's Dreams

  The Woman of Her Enemy's Nightmares

  Curves of the French Riviera

  Curves of the French Riviera (free)

  Curves of the French Riviera Trilogy

  Worthy of the Billionaire

  Worthy of the Billionaire's Attention (free)

  Worthy of the Billionaire

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