How To Catch A Billionaire (The Full Series)

by Helen Cooper

  “I guess so.” I scratched my head. “I really hope so.”

  “Bring some formal dresses with you as well.”

  “What? Why?”

  “We dress up for dinner.” He placed some cash on the table and stood up and we walked out of the diner. “You do have formal dresses, right?”

  “I may have my prom dress with me.” I tried to remember if I had brought it with me. “And maybe another dress that would work. I’ll have to check in my closet.”

  “We can go shopping if you need some stuff.”

  “That’s ok.” I smiled at him. There was no way I was spending any of my $25,000 on some dresses I would never wear again.

  “Are you sure?” He looked at me thoughtfully. “I thought women loved it when a man took them shopping.”

  “I’m not Julia Roberts, you know.” I punched him in the arm. “I may be hot and fun but I’m not a hooker.” I saw the confusion in his face and laughed. “Pretty Woman? Hello.”

  “Ok.” He rubbed his forehead. “I may regret asking this but what does Pretty Woman have to do with our conversation.”

  “Remember when Richard Gere gives her a wad of cash so she can go to Rodeo Drive to buy a bunch of expensive clothes to impress his friends?”

  “Vaguely.”

  “Well, it’s the same thing. You want me to get dolled up for your family. But you can’t buy me, Harry.” I threw my hands up in the air dramatically.

  “I don’t want to be funny here Sarah, but aren’t I paying you $50,000 to play the role of my fiancée?”

  “Whatever Harry. You do not get it.” I walked away from him and sighed. “Come on then, let’s go and buy me a dress.”

  “I swear I can’t keep up with you, Sarah.” He grinned at me and followed me into a store.

  “That’s likely because most of the women you date don’t have much upstairs.”

  “You mean their tits?” He grinned.

  “Their brains, pervert.”

  “Sure.”

  I rolled my eyes at him and walked over to the dresses, looking for the most expensive ones I could find. Let him pay out the nose if that was what he wanted. I found some couture dresses by Dolce and Gabbana and grinned.

  “Hey Harry, I found the dresses I want.”

  He walked over to me and glanced at them. “Wow, that was quick. Are you sure?”

  “Yup.” I grinned. This was kind of fun.

  “Okay let’s get them.” We walked the two dresses to the cashier and he didn’t even bat an eyelash when the cashier asked him for $10,000. He just handed over his credit card and I felt like my whole point was lost.

  “Now what do you want to do?” He grinned at me after I thanked him for the dresses.

  “Let’s go back to my place. That way I can pack and you can get to know me a bit better.”

  “That sounds good, Sarah Jane.”

  “Bradley,” I growled.

  “Yes, Sarah Jane?” He grinned at me mischievously.

  “Nothing Bradley.” I smiled at him sweetly. “I just wish you were Bradley Cooper. I wonder what he’s like in bed.”

  “I’ll get you for that,” he growled into my ear and I squealed as he patted my ass.

  “Just wait until tonight.”

  “Nothing’s going to happen tonight.”

  “Sure.” He winked at me and we walked to his car casually. I was grinning like an idiot with my two new dresses, happy to be enjoying myself with this man.

  Chapter 11

  “You sure have a lot of clothes.” Harry sat at my desk as I packed my suitcase.

  “Not as many as most girls.” I flung two pairs of jeans on the bed and looked for my leather pants. “Do you think I should bring some skirts as well?”

  “We’re only going for four days Sarah, not four weeks.” Harry grinned at me. “So tell me all about yourself, Sarah Jane Smith.”

  “Well there’s not much.” I plop down on my bed to take a break from packing. “I grew up near Miami, in a town called Coral Gables.”

  “Nice.” He smiled at me. “You’re a sunshine baby.”

  “Yeah.” I grinned at him. “My parents divorced when I was ten but they continued living together.”

  “After they got divorced?” Harry looked at me in surprise.

  “Yup.” I nodded and grinned. “I’ve got a weird family.”

  “So when did they start living apart? When you went to college?”

  “Nope.” I stretched out and sighed. “They still live together; even though both me and my brother have left the house.”

  “What? Why? For money?”

  “No. My dad’s a lawyer and my mom owns her own boutique.”

  “So why then?”

  “Because they are soulmates.”

  “Soulmates?” Harry looks at me in confusion. “But they got divorced?”

  “Haha, it’s confusing. Basically, my dad and mom met in high school and got married before college. My mom had me when my dad was in law school and then my brother right after he graduated. They were happily married until my dad boinked his secretary.”

  “Well that will ruin the happy part.”

  “Yeah. So my mom found out because the secretary thought she got pregnant.”

  “Whoa.”

  “Yeah. Only it was a lie she told my dad to get him to leave my mom. Only it backfired because he realized he still loved my mom. However, my mom couldn’t get over his cheating and so she divorced him. Only they still love each other.”

  “So they are together but just divorced?” Harry looked confused again.

  “No, they aren’t.” I sighed. “My mom is dating a doctor and my dad is dating a Salsa teacher.”

  “And their partners don’t mind that they live together?”

  I shrugged. “I dunno.”

  “You don’t know?”

  “I’ve never met them.”

  “What?!?”

  “It’s a long story.” I played with my hair and stared up at the ceiling. “I just wish they would get back together. I know they still love each other. My dad still buys her anniversary gifts.”

  “Do they still sleep together?”

  “It’s not always about sex, Harry.” I turned over to face him. “Sometimes two people are just meant to be together. It’s fated. God made them for each other. They are two parts of a whole.”

  “Whoa God? That’s a bit heavy, isn’t it?” Harry raised an eyebrow at me and I stared at him earnestly.

  “No. It’s true. Everyone has a soulmate. Someone that just gets you and loves you for who you are, forever and always.”

  “Forever and always?”

  “Yeah. Someone you can just lay with and not say anything. Someone who knows what you’re thinking.”

  “Oh someone with ESP?” Harry’s lips twitched and I frowned.

  “No. And I don’t think it’s nice to make fun of me. What’s your problem?”

  “I don’t have a problem, Sarah. I just don’t want you to be disappointed.” He came and lay down on the bed with me. “You’re still young. I don’t want you to waste your life away waiting for some perfect man to come riding along on a white horse. Real life is not like that.”

  “Just because you’re not like that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist.”

  “Edward Cullen is a fictional character, Sarah.”

  “What?”

  “Isn’t that who all you youngsters love now? He’s not real.”

  “Never.” I rolled my eyes at him. “Plus, I’m team Jacob anyway.”

  “Team what?”

  I laughed and rolled into him. “Do you always have to act your age and not know anything I’m talking about?”

  “Maybe.” He smiled at me gently and stroked my hair.

  “So tell me again why you don’t believe in love?” I paused. “Your parents are still together, right?”

  “Yes, they are. They’ve been together for forty years now.” He smiled wistfully.

  “And whi
le they infuriate each other, they do seem to have something real.”

  “So why don’t you believe in love?” My voice expressed the confusion in my brain.

  “It’s not a real emotion, Sarah. Humans are selfish beings by nature. No-one will love you more than they love themselves. Which means that ultimately they will always do what benefits them the most.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Yes. Yes, it is.”

  “Your parents are still in love.”

  “I don’t know if my mom would have loved my dad if he was poor.” His voice cracked and he looked away from me.

  “What? What do you mean?”

  He sighed and looked at me with sadness in his eyes. “When I was sixteen I saw my mom in bed with another man.” He paused. “It was my father’s best friend, our butler.”

  “Your butler?”

  “Yes. John is his name. He’s a good man. Anyway, his father had been our family butler and so he and my father had grown up together. My mom had met John first and was actually dating him when she met my father.”

  “Oh.”

  “She promptly left John and was married to my dad within six months. But it seemed that it was John that she really loved.”

  “Wow. She told you this?” I felt horrible for John hearing Harry talk.

  “No. Of course not.” He sighed. “But I heard them talking. She apologized to him and told him she was sorry and that she would always love him.”

  “Oh wow.” I pulled him close to me. “I’m sorry, Harry.”

  “That’s okay.” He sighed. “But that was when I knew. If my own mother, who everyone thought was deeply in love with my dad could pull the wool over everyone’s eyes, then anyone could. If John had been the one with the money she would be married to him now and not my dad.”

  “You don’t know that for sure, Harry.”

  “Women are attracted to the man that can best take care of them, regardless of love. They will leave the man they think they love for the man with power.”

  “Not all women.”

  “I’m not willing to take the chance.” He frowned and trailed his hand across my breasts. “Besides, I like meaningless sex with different women. It’s a lot more exciting.”

  “Yeah, I guess it is.” I smiled weakly at him, trying to not let him see how much pain his words had caused me I didn’t want to be the girl he had meaningless sex with. I wanted to be more special than that.

  Chapter 12

  I was scared to meet Harry’s family. I wasn’t sure what they were going to think of me. I knew what I would think if I was a family member of his. I’d think that I was some young gold digger who was just after his money. I mean, I was really really starting to like Harry. More than I wanted to admit but I knew most people wouldn’t think we had much in common. And in reality, we really didn’t. But we were comfortable together and while he laughed and shook his head at my kookiness, he didn’t act embarrassed to be around me. I didn’t see him making weird faces when I started acting goofy and I appreciated that. I had never had good luck with guys and my most serious boyfriend wanted me to change who I was. I’d never forget when he told me to grow up and act like an adult when I had pretended to be royalty in a restaurant. He’d gone beet red as I had spoken in a French accent. I’d thought it was really funny because everyone knew there hadn’t been any royalty in France since the French Revolution but he didn’t seem to get the joke.

  I sat in the car with Harry and pretended to be asleep, although I was peeking at the houses through my eyes. His family lived in some town in Connecticut and as we kept driving the houses got bigger and bigger. When he finally pulled into a long driveway, I thought my eyes were going to pop out. I mean, I knew he was a billionaire but I had never had any reality of what that meant. But staring at the grand mansion that looked bigger than Buckingham Palace, I was beginning to understand.

  “Wakey, wakey, sleepy head.” Harry gently shook my shoulder.

  “I’m awake.” I sat up straight and tried to talk without too much awe in my voice.

  “This is huge.”

  “Welcome home.” He smiled. “So you ready, Marilyn?”

  “Yes, Mr. President.” I grinned back at him. “I ezz ready and so is Jiminy.” I spoke in my favorite French accent.

  “Uhm who?” Harry frowned.”

  “You know, let you conscience be your guide.” I started singing.

  “Sarah, this is not…” Harry broke off as an older couple walked out of the house and started towards the car. “Here come the ‘rents.”

  I peered out of the car curiously, my heart beating fast. I was scared that they were going to either hate me on sight or just not believe me. I was surprised at their appearance. I had been expecting to see some sort of glamour couple but they looked normal. In fact, they looked more down-to-earth than my own parents. I would never have guessed they were rich.

  “Harry.” Mrs. Green ran up to him and hugged him as we got out of the car. I stood there awkwardly watching him hug his mom and then his dad. They both peered at me curiously with slight smiles on their faces. “And who is this?”

  “Mom, Dad, meet Sarah.” He paused. “My girlfriend.”

  I swallowed hard. I was already confused. I had expected him to call me his fiancée but then I remembered that he wasn’t going to propose until later on, at his cousin’s wedding and that was when we were going to break up.

  “Sarah, it’s so nice to meet you.” His mother beamed at me and shook my hand warmly. “I’m Daisy.”

  “Hi Daisy.” I smiled shyly.

  “Give me a hug, young lady.” His dad drew me close to him and hugged me. “I’m glad to finally meet one of Harry’s girlfriends. I’m Donald.”

  “Nice to meet you, Donald.” I smiled, immediately liking this white haired man. He looked like an older version of Harry and his blue eyes sparkled with mischief.

  “I hope the drive was comfortable?” Daisy smiled at me and linked arms with me as we walked to the house.

  “Oh yes, it was fantastic. Thanks.” I paused. “This is a really nice area, I’ve never seen such big houses before in my life.”

  “I thought you were sleeping?” Harry looked at me with a frown.

  “I was…kinda,” I responded and Daisy laughed.

  “She just needed a break from you, Harry.”

  “I doubt it, Sarah can talk up a storm.”

  “Hey, no fair.” I poked Harry in the stomach. “I think you’ve kept me up most nights trying to talk, while I just wanted to sleep.”

  “You wanted to sleep for other reasons, my dear.” Harry kissed me and swatted my ass and I blushed.

  “Oh dear, don’t embarrass the girl.” Daisy laughed and I saw her exchange a smile with Donald.

  “Sarah doesn’t embarrass easily, trust me.” He grinned.

  “So how goes the company, son?” Donald changed the subject and Daisy groaned.

  “Not now, Donald. They just got here.”

  Donald laughed and winked at me. “I’m sorry, Sarah.”

  “No worries.” I laughed and stared at her surroundings in awe. “Wow, this is beautiful.” I was surprised to see hardwood on the floor, I would have thought they would have sprung for marble flooring for their grand entry. I had expected an informal looking museum type of house but this place was homey and welcoming. I walked over to the wall and studied some of the paintings. “Wow, these are really cool. Who painted them?”

  “Harry did, my dear.” Daisy beamed at me and patted Harry’s arm.

  “No way.” I turned around with wide arms. “You’re joking, right?”

  “No, she’s not.” Harry looked at me with a smile and I walked over to him and poked him in the stomach again.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were an artist. These are great. Consider me impressed.” I beamed at him, happy to be seeing into this other side of him.

  “They aren’t that great.” He laughed.

  “They�
��re wonderful.” I spoke earnestly. “Really wonderful.” I lifted my hand up to his face and brought it down for a kiss. I stilled for a moment when I realized what I had done. Harry’s eyes had looked into mine in surprise and confusion, but I didn’t have time to explain anything to him because Daisy and Donald were standing there staring at them. I resolved to myself that I would tell him later that the kiss had been part of my act, even though I knew that wasn’t true. All of a sudden, I wished that I hadn’t taken this job. I was starting to develop real feelings for Harry and the lines between real and fake were starting to blur.