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THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR 164
Beneath the website’s scarlet red header and a series of smaller pictures of celebrities was the headline, “Billionaire Bangs Back-Alley Babe For 50K.”And then right beneath that, the top of a photograph. Only my face and the top of Connor’s head were visible until I scrolled down.I shouldn’t have done that, either.It was one of the shots where Connor’s face was in full profile. My mouth was open and I was making an outlandish ‘O’ face. My dress was down near my waist, and my breasts had two tiny red blocks placed strategically over the nipples.My hands started shaking as I scrolled down further.“The rich really ARE different – as in freaky … Connor Templeton, of the world-famous billionaire Templeton family, can be seen here getting nasty with a young woman he allegedly paid $50,000. For what? You be the judge.“TMZ broke the story from an anonymous source … seems Connor, who usually avoids the spotlight, decided he wanted to get it ALL out in the open … on a Las Vegas condo pro
THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR 165
Connor nudged me awake. “We’re here, Lily.”I lifted my head groggily from Connor’s shoulder. We were still in the airplane, but Johnny and Sebastian were on their feet and milling around.The hum of the engines was gone, as was the vibration of the airplane in flight.We must have landed.Connor helped me to my feet and down the stairs to the tarmac where a stretch limo was waiting. He held the rear car door open for me and then followed me inside. The smell of scotch on his breath was pretty powerful.“How long was I out for?” I asked, rubbing my cheek and hoping I didn’t have any drool on me. Nope. Thank God.“Thirty minutes.”“Wow, that was fast…” I mumbled.Sebastian piled into the limo with Johnny, who shut the door behind them. Since it was a stretch, the limo had two sets of seats facing each other, and Sebastian and Johnny sat directly opposite us.I felt like we were in a gangster movie. Or going to prom.Sebastian looked like a very unhappy gangster/prom date.Then a voice
THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR 166
“You’re a fucking asshole, you know that? Sebastian’s just trying to help you, and you’re getting drunk – how dare you talk to him that way – how dare you talk to me that way – ”Connor didn’t turn around when he asked, “You mean back in the limo?”“Yes, back in the limo,” I snapped. “You may think just because you’re a billionaire you can be a douchebag to people, but – ”“I’m sorry,” he said as he stared out into the night.I stopped short.Hadn’t been expecting that.I was still furious with him, though, and the way he’d said it wasn’t making me any less angry. “You should look at people when you fake apologize.”He turned around to face me – no annoyance in his expression, no anger, no nothing. He just looked tired. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have talked to you like that. And it wasn’t a fake apology. I am sorry.”I clenched my fists. I wasn’t quite sure what to do.“You need to tell Sebastian you’re sorry, too,” I finally managed.He gave a sharp laugh, looked away from me, then clo
THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR 167
I told you that what I’d felt when I saw the photographs was indescribable.This instant was like that, but times ten.And in the completely opposite direction.Joy.My heart breaking – in a good way.I wanted to cry – in a very good way.I felt as though happiness was swelling inside me so fast I might burst.And terror. I was terrified – of how fast it was happening, of what it meant.But mostly I was astonished that he’d said it, that he’d actually said it.Overwhelmed.Dizzy.Desire. I wanted him, I wanted to kiss him, I wanted to make love to him – Caution. He was drunk, he had to be drunk, that’s why he was saying it, would he be saying it if he hadn’t had half a bottle of scotch in the last two hours?I stared at him, my mouth open, trying to swim through the raging torrent of emotions threatening to drown me.His smile faded slightly, and his face grew worried. “Lily…?”I burst into a gigantic smile as tears filled my eyes.“I love you, too,” I whispered.As soon as I said it
THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR 168
After we made love, Connor lay on his back and I nestled against his side, my head on his chest.“So you knew you loved me when you couldn’t pay me off,” I said.He chuckled. “I guess so.”“That’s sooo romantic,” I said sarcastically as I poked him in the side.He laughed, then tickled me in retribution until I shrieked. After I had quieted down, he said, “At least I realized it.”“True,” I admitted.“When did you know?”“Earlier than that.”“When?”I blushed, glad that he couldn’t see it. “…on top of the ferris wheel.”He stroked my hair. “That was an amazing day, wasn’t it?”I nodded with my eyes closed and smiled. “The best.”“Actually, I was probably in love with you then, too, I just didn’t want to admit it to myself.”My eyes flew open. I lifted my head up to look at him. “What do you mean?”He shrugged. “Just what I said: I probably knew earlier, I just didn’t want to call it that.”“Why not?”He looked intensely uncomfortable. “I don’t know.”I kept staring at him until he ga
THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR 169
I awoke to the sound of the shower. Somewhere in the muddled fog of my brain, I thought about getting up and going in to join him… but the bed was so soft… and he would be coming out soon……so that he could go on Good Morning America and talk about the sex scandal.A shot of adrenaline ripped through me. I jolted up on my elbows, my heart pounding.Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…After the magic of last night, I had forgotten all my pain and problems for a while.HA haaaa, as the bully on The Simpsons would say. Back to the real world.I lay back down and tried to breathe.Everyone was going to know soon. Everywhere across America, people were waking up and seeing those photos of me and Connor on the front page of newspapers, or on the internet, or on the television…I was going to have to call my parents today.SHIT.I spent another fifteen minutes in a semi-panic attack until the bathroom door opened and Connor stepped out.He had turned off the light before he came out, so I could only
THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR 170
By the time I’d collected myself and cleaned up the coffee, Connor was on TV.A strange mixture of fear and tenderness coursed through me when I saw him.He looked amazing. I could see the strain around his eyes, but only because I knew him. Otherwise he was picture-perfect, from his $5,000 suit, to his confident smile, to his stunning good looks. On another day, in another context, he could be running for the Senate, or maybe even the Presidency – an incredibly handsome man, powerful and assured, young and full of vigor, about to change the world. It was like JFK’s spirit had been reborn in a shell that was ten times better-looking, and without the Massachusetts accent.He was in some sort of studio with wood paneling and potted trees in the background. He looked like he was relaxing and enjoying himself – definitely not undergoing a nationwide sex scandal.The screen cut back to the female host, and her voice filtered into my consciousness. “…billionaire investor and philanthropist
THE BILLIONAIRE'S AFFAIR 171
Connor said his goodbyes to the GMA host, then they cut to commercial.I remembered something about Fox, and flipped through the New York channels until I found the cable news station. I didn’t have to wait long before the whole rigmarole started again.There were the pictures, the ‘shocking scandal’ quotes, Connor’s introduction as a billionaire. There was a slightly different tone this time – the hosts were more combative, and seemed to view him with self-righteous smugness and more than a little mistrust. Especially when he brought up the solar company.“Wait, wait – are you saying there’s something wrong with the coal and oil industries?”“They were appropriate for their time,” Connor said, “which ended as soon as the researchers I’m funding found an easy, inexpensive way to harness solar power and distribute electricity. No pollution, and energy independence from the Middle East. Surely you’d like our country not to have to depend on the whims of OPEC and countries that don’t hav
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