Billionaires Next Door : A Contemporary Romance Box Set

by J. P. Comeau

  I peeked inside the envelope the delivery man had given me along with a second set of keys and found another note.

  Crystal,

  I hope you enjoy your new car. The color reminded me of your hair.

  Would you care to have dinner with me tonight? I can pick you up at eight.

  I look forward to hearing from you.

  -Gavin

  I folded the note back up and slid it into the envelope. That’s when the reality of my situation hit me. I had just accepted a gift from a billionaire who would probably expect something in return. Having dinner with Gavin so soon after sleeping together made me uncomfortable. “How can I get out of this?”

  How would I deal with being pressured about getting into some sort of a relationship with him? With everything going on with my finances and the death of my mom, I was in no place emotionally to start dating someone or deal with what else Gavin might expect of me.

  I took a deep breath. Gavin had already proven to be a man of his words, so maybe I should give him a shot. Plus, it wasn’t as though he only wanted sex. We’d be going out to dinner, and it would be nice to sit down to an actual meal for a change. I was tired of staring out the window from my couch.

  By the time I had worked through my feelings about Gavin, it was later in the afternoon, and I made up my mind what I needed to do. I picked up my phone and took a picture of myself beside the new car and sent it along with a text.

  Me: I would love to go out for dinner. But I need to tell you something first.

  8

  _____

  GAVIN

  After I left Crystal’s apartment, I grabbed a bite to eat and a coffee at Starbucks before hurrying home to shower and change into a fresh suit. Before nine o’clock, I was at the Lamborghini dealership picking out Crystal’s new car.

  The minute I saw the red one parked inside the showroom, I didn’t even look at the price. Instead, I asked the receptionist to page Frank, the head of the sales department and a friend of Richard’s.

  Within less than an hour, I had taken the beauty for a spin and returned to the dealership to draw up the paperwork. Frank promised before noon he would have the rare model delivered to Crystal’s apartment downtown. In the meantime, Frank had directed the body shop to buff out the small scratch on the fender of my BMW left from my first encounter with Crystal.

  Then, after surveying the repair work approvingly, I got in and drove off. A smile ventured across my face as I pictured the expression on Crystal’s face when she would first see the cherry red Lamborghini at her door. I turned left past the downtown area where the accident had happened, passing the cafe and shop she had teased me about last night. My destination was Richard’s mansion. It was the location for our morning meeting.

  Today was unusual because Jake had been invited to attend. Up until recently, Jake and his father were only cordial at best with each other and never—I mean never—mixed business with family visits or family matters.

  I had heard snippets of conversations between Richard and his father and gathered tensions were beginning to ease between the two men. Naturally, I was curious about the outcome of our meeting. I was regularly checking for a text from Crystal waiting for the meeting to start, watching Richard busily painting the new nursery.

  Their home had been entirely redecorated to Julianna’s taste, which meant a more ornate design mixed with his preference for modern, clean lines. I didn’t think they could pull the two different styles off, but their home looked like something out of an HGTV show. It was odd seeing him be so domesticated, which was a far cry from the man he used to be. Yet, there was no denying, I had never seen Richard happier.

  Within an hour, Jake and Mr. Truman joined us for a casual business meeting as Richard continued to paint, listening.

  Mr. Truman pulled out his tablet and set in on a chest of drawers covered with a tarp to show us the latest spreadsheets on some of the projects he was developing. He cocked his head to one side and spoke to me while Jake and Richard listened.

  “So as you can see, everything seems to be going smoothly with the recent acquisitions. I’ve negotiated the prices down by thirty percent. Although I tried for forty, but the sellers wouldn’t budge, and neither would I. However…” Mr. Truman turned to Jake, “Jake has decided to start negotiations of his own separately to see if we can put the squeeze on them. If Jake is successful and closes a deal, Richard and I will buy up the contract. Then, based on my calculations, we should see a steady increase in revenue over the next business quarter if things go as planned.”

  I noticed that Richard was more concerned with painting than with the business meeting. “Did you hear what he said, man, or are you too focused on not getting any paint on your crown molding?” I asked, teasing him.

  Richard put the brush down and wiped his hands clean. “I’m sorry, guys. It’s just that I want to get this nursery done as soon as possible. With my luck, Annie will go into labor early, and it won’t be ready. But yeah, I heard what Dad said, and I’m happy Jake is getting involved with our family business.”

  I knew he wanted to be more involved with the baby, but I didn’t think that meant painting. “Didn’t you just get your place redecorated? Why didn’t you have one of the contractors your interior designer hired paint the room?”

  Richard grinned at me. “You don’t understand, but someday you will. I missed out on so much with Addison, and I want to be as involved with the new baby as I can. So I decided to paint the room myself. I’d also like to give you a word of advice, Gavin. Just because you have money doesn’t mean you should always get someone else to do things that might bring you pleasure if you just stop and think about it.”

  Mr. Truman put up his hands. “Alright, alright, guys. I have someting to add here?”

  The three of us turned to him and said in unison, “What?”

  Richard shook his head. “Wait, Dad, let me finish. I’m on the roll. This is really something all of you need to know about me. I have changed, as Gavin has suggested.”

  “You know having money doesn’t always bring you happiness. I thought I was as happy as I could be as a bachelor until I found out about Addison. When I realized how much I had missed out on her life, it killed me inside. That’s why I’m painting this room. I’m going to be as involved in my new baby’s life as I can be.”

  I knew the history with Addison and should have known better than even to question Richard about his painting project.

  “I’m sorry, man,” I said. “I didn’t look at it that way.”

  “Neither did I, Richard,” his Dad said, “do you want me to put the tablet away? We can discuss this later.”

  Richard shook his head. “No, Dad. You’re fine. Let me take a look at what you have.”

  As Richard picked up the tablet to look over the spreadsheets, the three men began chatting about the new project while I thought about how much both Richard and Jake had changed since marrying and starting families of their own.

  It’s like Jake and Richard had a whole new glow to their faces.

  Richard had always been a hands-on kind of guy, to begin with, but I could never have foreseen him painting a nursery. Then again, I remember the look of hurt in his eyes when he told me he had just found out he had a daughter. To know that he had missed out on some of the most critical years of her life had killed him inside. And Jake had been a died in the wool playboy until he had reconnected with Julianna and fallen in love with her daughter, Caley, eventually adopting her as his own.

  After their brief discussion, Richard seemed pleased with the numbers on the screen. “This is perfect, guys. Jake knows what he’s doing. This will definitely squeeze out the competition?”

  I walked over and clapped both Jake and Richard on the back, “You two are amazing fathers and businessmen.” Then I turned to Mr. Truman. “And so are you.”

  Richard picked the paintbrush up and went back to work. “I sure as hell hope so, Gavin. I have so much to make up for with A
ddison, although she seems to be happier with Annie and me than her biological mother.”

  Jake let out a belly laugh. “I think that would be a major understatement. Heather was a stuck-up bitch! No child should have to live with her as their mother.”

  Richard finished painting the right corner of the room then turned around to face me. “You’re going to be a great dad one day too, you know.”

  I sucked in a quick breath and felt dizzy. For a second, I imagined that Crystal was pregnant and had told Annie, who had told Richard, but that would have been crazy. Since we had only slept together once, this notion was definitely a fantasy. “What makes you say that, man?” I spluttered.

  “You have what it takes to be a dad. You’re disciplined, have a calm disposition, and have your life together. When the day comes, you’re going to do one hell of a job.”

  I started to think about my own father. “I hope I will live to see my kids and grandkids grow up. And well, really, Dad just didn’t know how to handle me. After Mom got killed in that school fire, Dad was never the same.”

  “Oh, that’s right. Your mom was a school teacher, and she died trying to save her class after the heater caught fire. Look, man, you don’t have to talk about this… but you can if it will make you feel better,” Richard told me.

  “It’s not that Dad and I hadn’t gotten along, it’s just that we didn’t have anything in common as I got older. Maybe I’m one of those weird guys, but I never understood his fascination with all of that man stuff. He was a mechanic who was obsessed with football, cars, and drinking beer. Whereas I was more interested in figuring out how much sunshine Mom’s plants needed in a twenty-four-hour period to stay green, or reading a book.”

  “You seemed to have gotten along well with him. Back in college, whenever I heard you talking to your dad on the phone, there was never a harsh word between you two.”

  Richard sensed what I was about to say. “Look, man. It’s the same way with fathers whom you do have things in common with.” He poked a thumb toward Mr. Truman as Jake listened with wide eyes. “Sure, mine taught me everything I know about business, but aside from that, we were never that close until I was older. And Jake, well, their relationship was just the opposite. They were closer when Jake was younger, but when he grew up they went their separate ways.”

  “Until now.” Jake interjected, clapping his father on the back.

  Mr. Truman started laughing. “Well, don’t give me too much credit. I’d wouldn’t have been caught dead painting the nursery you boys had.”

  Richard shook his head. “Remember what he said about us attending the baby shower, yesterday?”

  Jake’s ears perked up. “What did he say?”

  “He told Richard and me that it’s weird to have men attend one and that it should only be for women,” I explained.

  Jake laughed. “Oh, yeah? He was the first to call to ask about the results of the gender reveal and wouldn’t give the phone to Mom until we told him first, even with her begging in the background for Dad to put it on speakerphone.”

  As the three continued to talk and bicker back and forth, I pulled my phone out and was disappointed to see that Crystal hadn’t texted me yet. I knew she had received the sports car by now because I had gotten a text earlier from Frank telling me the car had been delivered, and the bank draft had gone through. It would have been nice if she had texted to confirm that we were on for dinner, but since she didn’t decline my invitation, I assume that she was game.

  I decided not to tell them yet about hooking up with Crystal last night since there was still too much up in the air. However, I was a bit surprised neither Jake nor Richard had asked more about the accident or started ribbing me about being a careless driver — again. And I didn’t want to push my luck, so I avoided mentioning Crystal or the accident.

  If I stuck around long enough, they would remember, and the conversation would turn from an interesting discussion on work and fatherhood to just a bunch of nosey busy-body men wanting to hear all the juicy stuff about my evening with Crystal. Besides, I still had some work to finish before the end of the day.

  So I said my goodbyes and headed for home.

  As I rounded the corner and pulled through the gates into my driveway, my phone vibrated in the cupholder. I glanced down to see that it was from Crystal and grinned as I opened the screen to see a photo of her beside the red car.

  That was before reading the following text.

  Crystal: I would love to go out for dinner. But I need to tell you something first.

  Me: What’s that?

  Crystal: I love the car, it’s awesome! Thank you!

  Me: Eager to take a ride in it with you.

  Crystal: Well, there is something I have to tell you first.

  Me: What?

  Crystal: I can’t keep the car.

  9

  _____

  CRYSTAL

  I glanced at my watch and paced back and forth in my apartment, wondering if Gavin was still planning to take me out for dinner this evening. After I had texted him about giving back the car, he hadn’t returned my text. So, I had called him, and he had quickly answered, and said, “We’ll talk later,” before disconnecting the call.

  Right now, I couldn’t decide whether I was more worried about the car situation or going out on an actual date with Gavin. He was so far out of my league.

  Gavin spent his days working for the Truman family, making God knows how much money while I taught yoga to women and worried about my bills the minute I went home to my micro-apartment.

  I knew that most men like him pegged me as the hippy-type, and they were right in their assumptions. I never wanted a tremendous amount of money, just enough so that I wasn’t indebted to anyone.

  I realized that if the relationship went further than just a hookup and one dinner, I’d have to loosen my purse strings and buy some better clothes. I was wearing the only dress I had that might pass as being a designer brand, and it had been purchased at a consignment shop. Hopefully, Gavin wouldn’t notice how worn it looked.

  Every few minutes, I glanced out onto the street and down at my surprise car.

  There was no doubt I’d look ridiculous driving it with my boho-chic clothes and long, flowing hair. Women in that kind of car had massive wedding ring sets and wore clothes from Saks Fifth Avenue, not the second-hand store on the corner. I kept peering out the window, hoping Gavin wouldn’t show up.

  I should have canceled the date, called the dealership to come get the car — and never spoken to him again.

  The only thing that kept me focused was the memory of his dreamy, kind eyes, the tickle of his beard against my cheek, and our mind-blowing sex.

  Now that I had been with a guy who listened patiently to me and knew how to do it just like I liked it, I could never see myself being with anyone other than the guy who gave me what I had experienced on my living room floor last night. The orgasm had caused my eyes to roll into the back of my head, and at one point, I almost blacked out from the pure ecstasy.

  The whole ordeal made me think about some of the other guys I had dated with dismay. All of them had been hippy types, the ones who only shopped at Whole Foods and pretended to care about the earth when it was always a facade to get me into bed. One guy had insisted that I go down on him, but he scoffed when I asked him to do the same. He said that it wasn’t ‘natural’ for a man to put his mouth down there.

  When I pointed out his hypocrisy, he just smiled and said that it was a man’s world.

  So much for male hippies being feminists.

  Now I was going on a date with a man who was the complete opposite of a hippy. What could I possibly have in common with a hot businessman? I wasn’t even involved in the business end of the yoga studio. What was I going to talk about, different yoga poses, and why he should consider holistic medicine? Guys like him were all about their careers.

  As I checked my phone one last time, I heard three knocks at the door, which brought me o
ut of my funk.

  “Well, there’s no turning back now.”

  After giving myself a glance in the mirror, I walked over and opened the door. When Gavin saw me, the expression on his face was priceless, and it even melted my heart a little bit. It was as though he had never seen a woman in a dress before.

  I grabbed my purse as he continued to gawk at me. “I’d recognize that stare from anywhere. You better not hit any cars, Gavin.”

  “Speaking of cars, we have some discussing to do.”

  “Gavin, it’s just —“

  He pressed an index finger to my lips as we walked to his car, which was parked directly behind my new one.

  “So, you don’t like Lamborghinis?”

  I bent down to look at the logo near the hood. “Ah, so that’s what it says. Look, I cannot thank you enough for this…well, very expensive car, but I…I can’t accept it, Gavin. Think about it. I don’t even have a garage to put it in. It will get damaged sitting out here in the parking lot that doesn’t even have a cover from the sun.”

  Gavin opened my door, and I slid inside. “I promised you a new car, and I’m a man of my word. Let’s take it for a spin.”

  “No, it’s not fair to you, Gavin. Besides, you were right about it just being a little scratch. It’s hardly noticeable. So please call the dealership and have them come pick it up before something happens to it. And besides, I’ll never learn to drive a car like—”

  He put my hand to his mouth and kissed it, causing me to look in his direction. “I refuse to take it back. Therefore it’s yours.”

  “This is an Italian sports car, Gavin. At least I’m assuming that’s what a Lamborghini is. Let’s just forget the whole thing ever happened, alright? We can still be friends if that’s okay with you.”

  Gavin shook his head no at me. “You were kind enough not to call the police, and that would have made me late to the meeting.” He cranked the engine and it growled to life. “So you see. I owe you.” Then Gavin glanced over at me and winked, chuckling. “Just think that if you hadn’t accepted my offer, maybe I would have been fired from the company, and we would have gotten off to a rocky start.”