The billionaires rival, p.7
The Billionaire’s Rival, page 7
“Too expensive. That’s what I’m doing here in the city. I’m working to help pay my mother’s medical bills.”
God. And I thought you might be . . . Damn I’m such an asshole. “It sounds like it’s not only hard on your father.”
“I guess not. But I’d do just about anything to make it easier on them.”
Here they sat—Rosslyn driven by doing good and Charles driven by revenge. Could they be any different? Hell, this woman is too good for me. That didn’t mean he was cutting ties. If anything, with what he’d just learned, he needed to make sure she wasn’t hurt in the crossfire. He somehow had to keep her out of it all. That plan was going to take some time, and some help, to coordinate.
“It sounds like you’ve had a big day. Why don’t I take you home so you can get some rest?” He could tell she was mentally exhausted.
“I am kind of tired. Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Not at all.” He got up and extended a hand to her. They were quiet as they walked back to his vehicle. He had no idea what she must be going through. Charles hated saying he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but in a way, it was the truth. He might have had a lot of challenges, but lack of money wasn’t one of them. He really didn’t know much about Parkinson’s. That was going to change. If he was going to be there for her, he needed to know what she was facing. From what Rosslyn said, it didn’t sound promising. There were only a few things money couldn’t buy. But maybe he could help ease her burden.
If she’ll even accept my help. Once she found out who he was, probably not.
When he pulled in front of her building he kept the engine running. Getting out and walking her inside was asking for this night to take a different direction. If it had been someone else, someone he wasn’t so fond of, he’d go for it. But Rosslyn was the most genuinely sweet person he’d met in a long time. She wasn’t chasing a grand dream wanting to live in the lap of luxury. What drove her came from the very core of everything that was good in this world. Damn. There should be more people like her.
Charles reached over and covered her hand with his. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
Rosslyn nodded. “Unfortunately there are things one can’t change. I’ll call my father first thing in the morning and hopefully my mother will be up to talk on the phone.”
“Would it be okay for me to call and check on you?” Charles couldn’t believe he asked that. Her eyes glistened, and he was afraid she’d burst out crying. He wasn’t good at dealing with tears. Hell, he avoided them like the plague. And now he felt like shit for upsetting her. Fuck. “I’m sorry. I was only trying to be—”
“Nice.” Rosslyn sniffed. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”
Changing the subject, he said, “I don’t know about you, but I’m all cheesecaked-out. I know a place that has the best wieners around. Do you like wieners?”
Rosslyn laughed and didn’t let him off the hook. “Well Charlie, call me tomorrow, and I’ll let you know. Now I better get upstairs before you deliver another horrendous pick-up line.”
Charles laughed. “Oh, trust me, they get worse.”
“Thanks for the warning.”
Before she got out of the car, he leaned over and kissed her tenderly. Looking into her eyes he said, “If you need to talk, I’m only a call away.”
“Same here.” Then she got out of the car, and he waited until she was inside the secured building.
As he pulled away he couldn’t help but laugh to himself. Do you like wieners? Really classy. But he loved the fact she picked up on the play on words and gave it right back. Maybe she wasn’t as fragile as he thought. Which in this city was a good thing. Hell, working for Maxwell, it was a requirement.
But that employment is short-lived.
6
She couldn’t sleep one bit. Between her father’s phone call and her outing with Charles, she was on an emotional rollercoaster. Why did he have to be so freaking nice and understanding about everything? He got it, she was here and alone and Charles cared. Max and Laura on the other hand, didn’t even offer dinner, never mind a place to stay for free.
But she had judged New York City based on how they had treated her and her family. She was quickly learning that not all here were so self-absorbed. Actually she hadn’t met anyone as cold as her so-called family. Maybe being in the city wasn’t going to be as bad as she’d thought. Unfortunately her employer was the only downfall.
But today she didn’t need to think about work. She’d already called her parents and had a better conversation than she’d had in a while. Miss Snuggles was fed, brushed, and petted, so she was all set for a few hours. Now all she had to do was wait to see when or if Charles was going to call. She didn’t want to admit she’d never had a wiener before. Well not the kind he was referring to at least. A hot dog with meat, onions, and celery salt sounded like a weird combination. But it provided another reason to see him today, so she was game. If he called.
But times had changed. It was acceptable for a woman to call a man. Actually many women took the lead these days. She wasn’t ready to go that far, but he did say call anytime. Looking at the clock, she figured it was almost noon, and he didn’t strike her as the sleep late type of guy. Nervously she dialed his number. It rang once, twice, and then three times. What would she say if she got voice mail? Hey, is your offer for a wiener still good?
She panicked and hung up. Instead she decided to send him a text. Staring at her phone, she didn’t want to put anything weird in writing any more than she did on his voice mail. Something simple.
She typed that she had a good time last night but deleted it. She told him that yesterday. She didn’t want to thank him, that could easily be responded to with a “you’re welcome.” So she decided to search the internet for anything fun and free to do today. It was beautiful outside, and she didn’t want to spend it looking out a window. Perfect!
GO FLY A KITE
She didn’t need to wait long before her phone rang. It was Charles.
“I thought you had a good time yesterday,” Charles said.
“I did.”
“Then why did you tell me to go fly a kite?” he asked.
She looked back at her text. Oh God. “Sorry. My cell phone seems to have a mind of its own. What I meant to ask was if you wanted to go fly a kite.” That really didn’t sound any better, so she tried explaining. “There is a kite show that I thought might be . . . different.”
God, he probably thinks it’s stupid. But he had taken her to see fireworks last night. That was more in line with a romantic date. Kite flying really wasn’t just for children. Not the type of kites they had shown online. Heck, they probably cost more than what she made in a week.
“Do you mean in Central Park?” Charles asked.
“Yes, but if you—”
“That sounds great. Do you have a kite?”
“No. Do you?”
He laughed. “I hate to admit it, but I’ve never flown one. I have been told I should many times.”
He was teasing her now. That’s okay. She earned that one. “Any issue with grabbing a blanket and we watch them instead?”
“Do you mind if I bring food?”
Rosslyn laughed and said teasingly, “I like a man who knows how to negotiate.”
“I’m really good about calling ahead too. What do you feel like?” he asked.
Wieners off the table? “Something small because I’m still full from last night. You weren’t kidding when you said the dishes were humongous.”
“How about sandwiches?”
“How about I make some?” She didn’t have much in the apartment, but she had enough to make a few sandwiches and two packs of chips.
“I don’t want you to have to work.”
“We’re talking sandwiches. Meat and cheese between two slices of bread. That’s not considered work.”
“Okay, I’ll call you when I’m close by.”
“I’ll be ready.” She ended the call and headed to the kitchen to make sandwiches. She figured he was good for more than one the way she’d seen him eat. Placing the sliced ham, turkey, and cheese on the counter, she started making the sandwiches when her cell phone rang in the other room. Placing the knife down, she rushed to answer it, thinking it was her father. But it was Liz instead. And she was crying.
“I can’t believe it. Everything was perfect last night. Then . . . then he asked me to quit my job. That he couldn’t stand the fact I worked for someone so . . . crooked.”
Rosslyn could see both sides. For Sam, it was a constant reminder of how he’d been screwed over. But for Liz, it was her stability. Her independence. Sam had to know that wasn’t easy for Liz to walk away from. But what did Rosslyn know about such things? She’d never been put in that situation. Would she choose a man over it all?
She didn’t need to know how things like that could work out. Her mother had done exactly that. Walked away from a billion-dollar business and inheritance just to be with the man she loved. And from what Rosslyn could tell, her mother never regretted it either. But were they the exception to the rule? Would Liz and Sam survive, or would the struggles be too much for them? That wasn’t anything Rosslyn could advise her on.
“It sounds like you have a lot of thinking to do.”
“Really? You don’t think he’s asking too much?” Liz asked.
“I don’t know. But we do things for people we love that we wouldn’t do for anyone else.”
“True.”
“Did he say you had to answer him immediately?” Because no one liked an ultimatum. That’s what happened to her mother. Her grandfather said, “Never speak to that man again, or never speak to me again.” The rest was history. Her grandfather died and her mother wasn’t even allowed to go to the funeral. It was surprising that Uncle Max still spoke to her. Obviously not in years, though, since Max didn’t know her mother was ill. What a fucked up family. I’m so glad I didn’t grow up around them.
“Sam told me to think about it. But I know he’s not going to budge on this.”
“It sounds like he really cares about you, Liz. So maybe if you make a list of everything you can’t live without, then you’ll know what you want to do.” If Sam was on that list, Liz should tell Max to screw. Of course Max would hire someone else in the blink of an eye. He had loyalty only to one person. Himself.
“Thanks for listening to me, Rosslyn. I needed someone to tell me what I already knew. I can’t make a snap decision. And if he really loves me, he’ll understand that.”
“Exactly, Liz. Are you okay now?”
“Yup. I’ll see you Monday. Bright and early.”
Oh yay. “Have a good weekend.”
She ended the call and headed back to the kitchen. Rosslyn couldn’t believe what she saw. Sweet Miss Snuggles had taken all the sliced meat and was eating it. Even the cheese was on the floor. Not only did she make a huge mess, but she ruined the only stuff Rosslyn had to make sandwiches.
She grabbed the meat from the cat, not sure how good that was going to be on her digestive system, and threw it all in the trash.
“You have no idea what you have done, do you? What is Charles going to think when we have nothing to eat?” If things weren’t bad enough, she now was talking to a cat. Miss Snuggles didn’t seemed troubled by Rosslyn’s predicament in the least as she purred and rubbed against her legs.
Once the floor was clean, Rosslyn started looking through the refrigerator for an alternative. There was raspberry jelly. Then she grabbed the jar of peanut butter in the cupboard. I can’t believe this. She promised him lunch. Good thing she wasn’t specific, because PB&J and bottled water was it.
Her phone rang again and she turned to Miss Snuggles and said, “Don’t you dare touch that bag.” Then she went into the other room and answered. “Hi Charles, are you almost here?”
“I’ll be there in five minutes.”
“Great. See you then.”
Slipping the phone in the back pocket of her jeans, she grabbed her keys and went to check on the bag. Miss Snuggles hadn’t moved and everything seemed as she’d left it. Giving her a quick pat, she headed out the door.
It wasn’t long before they were on their way for what seemed like one of the most unique dates she’d been on in a long time. Being with Charles made it special, at least for her. It didn’t matter what they did, she enjoyed being with him. From what she could tell, he felt the same.
* * *
She pulled out the sandwiches and said, “Hope you don’t have a peanut allergy.”
“No allergies at all. Why?”
“I prepared gourmet raspberry jam, with creamy peanuts.” Winking, she explained, “Peanut butter and jelly.”
Charles took a bite. “Oh God. I haven’t had one of these in years.”
“There might be a good reason for that.”
“I forgot how good they are. I hope you made me more than one.”
“Okay, you can quit teasing me now.”
He looked at her and realized she really didn’t believe him. “Maybe if you take a bite, you’ll realize I’m not joking.”
“I eat them every morning.”
“Then why did you decide on them for lunch?” he asked.
Rosslyn sighed. “It’s not what I had planned, but the cat I’m watching thought the ham and turkey were for her.”
“The cat ate them?” Rosslyn nodded. “I’m glad. I prefer these.”
“Well they go along with the theme.”
“So do chocolate covered bananas.”
Her eyes widened. “I should’ve made those.”
“What?”
“A peanut butter and banana sandwich,” Rosslyn said.
“Next time.”
She giggled. “Oh no. The pressure is on. How can I top these?”
“Guess we’ll have to go out again to find out.” Charles couldn’t believe he was suggesting they keep this going.
“Only if you promise to do more of the talking. Right now you seem to know a lot more about me than I do you.”
“What do you want to know?” Charles wasn’t sure giving her that power was a good idea, but he’d answer honestly no matter what she asked.
“Tell me about your family.”
“I have five younger brothers, all pretty much local, living either in the city or nearby. My father is retired, and he and my mother spend their time traveling.”
“After raising six boys, I bet she needed a vacation.”
He laughed. “A few of my brothers may have given her a few gray hairs. I, on the other hand, was a—”
“Don’t bother saying angel. Mama told me a few stories about you and Salvatore.”
“I’d never claim that. But when I was at home, I spent most of my time with my father. So whenever I got a break, I hung out with Sal. He showed me how to . . . have fun. Oddly enough my brothers never would believe the stories.”
“Why is that?”
“Being the eldest, the responsibility to be a good role model fell on my shoulders. That meant not getting caught doing anything wrong.”
“Ah, I get it. You had to look like the perfect child when in fact you were a little hellion.”
“Hey, what did Mama tell you?” Charles had been concerned leaving the two alone while he went to the men’s room during dinner.
“She made me promise not to tell.”
“Is that how it is?”
Rosslyn shrugged. “She said if I did, there would be no more desserts for me. Since she’s an amazing cook, there’s no way I can rat her out.”
“I might need to find a new place to take you. Someplace where no one knows me.”
“Don’t worry. They weren’t that bad. Actually she said you were the one who kept Sal out of trouble most of the time.”
“She was being kind.” Actually that wasn’t the case. Sal had a lot of time on his hands. He plotted and planned their misadventures right down to the excuse they were going to use if they got caught. They were some of the best childhood memories he had. Because being with Sal was the only time I was allowed to be a child.
“I’m jealous. Being an only child was tough. When something was wrong, my parents knew exactly who to blame.”
Charles cocked a brow. “You’ll never get me to believe you were a wild child.”
“The wildest thing I ever did was skinny dip off the boat one night.”
“Obviously, your stories are much more interesting than mine. Maybe we should go back to talking about you.”
“Good try. We did that the last two times. Unless you want me to ask Mama?”
“No. That’s okay. What else do you want to know?”
“Hmm. What do you do for a living?” Rosslyn asked.
That was heading where he didn’t want to go. “I’m an architect by trade.”
“Wow. That’s exciting. I can’t even build a house out of a deck of playing cards.”
He laughed. “Neither can I. But I can play a mean game of poker.”
She grinned and said, “I bet you can. Has anyone ever told you you’re hard to read?”
“It’s a good thing on the job.”
“Maybe as a spy, but as an architect, I don’t get it. Isn’t everything laid out on paper anyway?” Rosslyn asked.
“I guess I do more than that. There is the other side filled with contracts and overseeing staff. It comes in handy then.” Rosslyn seemed to be more in touch with who he was then he’d anticipated. He wasn’t sure this was a good thing. She somehow was chiseling away at his walls.
“I never thought about that side of it. What made you want to be an architect?”
She meant it—today was going to be all about the life of Charles. He preferred it to be a closed book; only his family and very close friends knew anything real about him. She was inching her way into that fold very smoothly.
“It’s a family business so I kind of fell into it.” Not that I had a choice back then. He had no idea what he’d do if it wasn’t that. Thankfully he liked what he did, at least most of it.
“I’m glad I didn’t follow in my father’s footsteps. I love being on the boats, but people would be in serious trouble if I was repairing them. I can’t even change a flat tire. Of course, I don’t own a car so that’s not an issue either.”
