Chapter Two

Rachel left her friends in the lounge cheering after her as if she was on her way to secure a treasure chest.

Meanwhile, Derek was scrolling through the contact list on his phone to find Cassie’s number when someone tapped him lightly on the shoulder. He turned around to find out who it was and he was delighted to see Rachel standing there with a bright smile on her pretty face.

“Hey,” he said. “You came back.”

“I sure did,” she replied with a laugh. “It occurred to me that I didn’t take your number and didn’t give you mine either, so I came to fix that.”

He blinked.

“Except, of course, you don’t exchange phone numbers with strangers, which would be understandable,” she babbled, trying to hide her embarrassment. Why had she listened to that silly Fiona? Now, this guy was going to think she was some sort of ‘easy’ girl who was desperate for a hookup. Crap!

“No, no, that’s not it,” he said with a smile. “I’m just amazed at how lucky I am tonight. It’s not every day that a pretty lady walks up to me in a club to request my phone number. Today is turning out to be one of the best days of my life.”

Rachel laughed. “Take it easy, Derek. It’s not that deep, I’m just asking for your number, not your bank details.”

He doubled over in laughter. “Listen, I don’t want to wait until tomorrow to find out what this thing between us is. Why don’t we discover it together?”

Her internal brakes immediately screeched to a halt – was he asking what she thought he was asking? The light banters and laughs they’ve shared so far were cool and all, but was she ready to take it further right away and leave the club with him? All she knew about him was his name and nothing else. What if he was a serial killer or a kidnapper or some sort of psychopath? What if he was a drug lord or connected to one? He did look rich and from the smell of his perfume, she could tell that the guy was pretty comfortable, but what does he do for a living?

“It’s ok, Rachel. I promise you, I’m not a creep,” he said as if reading her thoughts. “We can get to know each other better some other time if that’s what you prefer.”

“Well… I’m not gonna lie, I’m freaked out by the thought of hanging out with a strange guy somewhere beyond the watchful eyes of my friends,” she admitted.

“Do you want me to go over there and introduce myself to them? I’ll give them my card too and remind them to call 911 if they don’t hear back from you in twenty-four hours.”

Rachel laughed, some of the tension in her gut easing away. “That sounds a bit extreme but I like it. Come on, let’s go before you change your mind.”

It was his turn to laugh. “Fine,” he said and got on his feet.

“Good lord, Derek. How tall are you?”

“Six-four,” he grinned, noting how her five-foot-five-inches self was dwarfed by his height. This was one of the reasons why he preferred tall women because they complemented his build better.

“I feel like I’m walking beside a skyscraper,” commented Rachel as they squeezed through the sea of gyrating bodies on their way to the VIP lounge.

“Stop it,” he laughed. “I’m not that tall.”

“Yeah, right.”

As Rachel had expected, her friends were all smiles and fluttery eyelashes when she showed up with Derek. She introduced her friends to him one by one and then it was his turn to introduce himself.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” he began with a charming smile. “I’m Derek Fraser, I am a – “

“Billionaire businessman and the 36^th richest man in the U.S. according to the latest issue of Forbes Magazine,” Leticia finished for him, her eyes as huge as saucers. “Oh, my goodness! I am in the presence of a business icon!”

“Wait, what?” Asked Rachel, trying to digest this new information.

“Handsome and a billionaire. I love it!” Said Fiona with a wink directed at Rachel.

“Well, then, I think we can all rest easy now,” said Brittany, the mother hen of the group. “You’re in safe hands, Rachel.”

“So, do I have your blessings to take her out of here for a cozy hang out with me?” Derek asked hopefully.

“Abso-freaking-lutely, Derek!” Fiona giggled. “She’s all yours.”

“She’s not all his,” Leticia hissed and snatched the almost empty glass of Margarita from Fiona’s hand. To Rachel, “Don’t worry about us, darling. Go on and have fun with your new friend. We’ll catch an Uber home real soon.”

Rachel hesitated. “I don’t want to abandon you guys here…”

“It’s ok, Raych. It’s your birthday and you don’t need our permission to go and have fun,” Brittany assured her. “Give us a call when you can, ok?”

“I guess that’s settled then,” she grinned up at Derek.

“Awesome,” said Derek. “Bye, ladies. I hope I’ll get to meet you all again.”

“We hope so too, honey,” Fiona drawled drunkenly.

“Ok, ladies. See y’all soon!” Said, Rachel.

She followed Derek out of the club and a few seconds later, she was sitting beside him in his black Range Rover SV-Autobiography with sleek leather seats that cushioned her body like a soft embrace. The interior of the SUV smelled like newly minted money, and everything inside the vehicle screamed wealth and class.

“So, we’re about to take this birthday celebration to another level,” said Derek. “Do you have anywhere in mind?”

“Can we go to Paris?”

“Tonight? Not impossible but you’ll need to get your passport and – “

“I’m just kidding,” Rachel laughed. “But for real, is it true that you are a billionaire?”

He grinned. “I don’t refer to myself as one, but yeah, I’m comfortable.”

“Comfortable or rich?”

“Is there a difference?”

She laughed again. “A modest billionaire. I like it.”

“So, where would you like to go tonight?”

“You know what, I’m curious about you now, especially since you’re not being generous with information about yourself. I want to see where you live if that’s ok with you.”

He smiled. “If you think my modesty extends to where I live, then you’d be surprised. I have a penchant for real estate and I love to stay in classy places, so my  home is anything but humble.”

“Now, I really want to see it!” Said Rachel, excitedly.

“Great,” he said and started the car.

“How come you don’t have a driver and a bodyguard?”

“I do, but now and then, I like to live like a normal person. That doesn’t stop my security team from planting their guys in the crowd and having them follow me just in case. I don’t mind that at all, as long as they don’t interfere with my freedom of movement.”

They continued to chat amiably as he drove through the city. It was as if they’d known each other for a long time. He told her about his family and how his grandfather made his fortune by producing watches and clocks for society’s elites in the 50s. His business eventually grew into jewelry manufacturing with stores all across the U.S. and beyond. His father had continued the family business after the family patriarch passed away, extending the business into the fashion and perfume industries. When Derek joined the company ten years ago, he’d spread its tentacles into household goods and pharmaceuticals, then he began his own businesses that focus on real estate acquisition, IT solutions, and brand management.

“I can’t believe that I have never heard of you or your family until today,” said Rachel, amazed.

“I guess not all rich people love the limelight,” said Derek with a shrug. “I keep a low profile myself, but those Forbes people kept hounding me until I gave in and let them do a feature about me in their magazine. Now, only people who don’t read Forbes don’t recognize me in public.”

Rachel chuckled. “Poor you.”

“We are here,” he said and drove towards a tall glass building.

“This is where you live?” Rachel asked with wide eyes.

“Yes, in the penthouse.”

“Wow…” She marveled as the security man at the gate waved him into the grounds and Derek drove into what Rachel thought was an underground garage, but it turned out to be an elevator.

“You have got to be kidding me,” she laughed, as they rode the elevator to the top of the building while still sitting inside the car. “This is wild!”