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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
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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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Something else unexpected happened, too: the villains entered the fray.I saw Miranda by chance as I was flipping through the channels.“…these accusations against me and his parents are slanderous, they are defamatory, and we WILL be suing him in court. Frankly, everything he’s saying is bizarre. Augustus Templeton and I would never stand in the way of progress in America. We support green energy initiatives, we support solar. This is just Connor ginning up a bunch of outrage to promote his own greedy, illegal schemes to defraud the people of Nevada and steal federal land. Which, by the way, Nevada state officials and Congressional members are helping him do solely because he’s lining their pockets with cash. The man has no shame, and anyone helping him is a criminal. I think you can see why I left him eight months ago – not just because Connor Templeton is a liar, but because of his sleazy sexual proclivities.”“You fucking BITCH,” I screamed at the TV.She was good, I have to give
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Connor, Sebastian, and Johnny didn’t get back until almost 7 o’clock. Johnny was wary, jumping at shadows. “Damn, you would not believe how many people came rushing up, getting in Connor’s face and snapping pictures,” he said wearily. “It was a nightmare. Nobody bothered you up here, though, right?”Sebastian was jubilant, like a conquering king – or maybe the power behind the throne after a successful campaign.“Who is a genius?” he beamed, his arms outspread, inviting the adulation of an invisible crowd. “Who snatched victory from the jaws, not just of defeat, but utter disaster? Whose media strategy crushed that backstabbing skank and that evil old son-of-a-bitch? Moi, that’s who. Thank you. Thank you.”Then he frowned at me in my robe. “Good God, aren’t you ever going to get dressed?”Connor was smiling when he walked through the door, which relieved some of my tension.He came over and immediately hugged me, pulling me close, his arms wrapped tight around me. My fear ebbed away,
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After a few moments he pulled away and smiled sadly at me. His hands were still cradling my head, and he wiped away the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. “Come on,” he whispered, “let’s sit down for a minute.”He led me over to the couch and we both sank down onto the cushions. I leaned against him, my head against his chest, and he encircled me with his arms.“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I just…”“It’s okay,” I whispered.“No, it’s not. I meant it when I said it, I just… I got a little freaked out this morning when I woke up. With everything that happened yesterday, and how much I hate my family, and you’re so good, you’re such a wonderful person… Jesus, Lily, seeing what they were going to do to you, and you were so brave, telling me to go ahead even though you knew what was going to happen… I’d never felt like that towards anyone, ever. And I meant every word.”But it was as obvious as a neon sign that he wasn’t saying it now.I was silent for a few seconds.“I didn’t ask yo
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I sat there on top of him, kissing him, not wanting to let him go – – until someone banged on the penthouse door.Sebastian’s voice was muffled and far away. “I’m assuming from what I heard that the big finale is over. We need to get a move-on.”“Oh my God,” I cried out, and pulled the robe up around my naked body, even though Sebastian was on the other side of the door and nobody could see us.“Really bad timing, Sebastian!” Conner shouted over my shoulder.“Actually, sixty seconds ago would have been far worse.”“Give us a few minutes!” Connor snapped, then added, “And you’re still not going!”“DAMN IT, Connor!” Sebastian yelled, exactly like a spoiled four-year-old. I could have sworn I heard a foot stamping on the ground.‘A few minutes’ turned into ten as Connor changed his clothes. I stood there in my robe, watching him in the lamplight from beside the bed, enjoying the show. He was teasing me, though I didn’t realize it at first. He took off all his clothes – ALL of them, ev
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I did end up calling room service – for a pint of Haagen Dazs, which I ate during a Big Bang Theory rerun.My phone kept buzzing on the coffee table. I checked it every time it did, hoping it was Connor.It never was. Just a bunch of phone numbers I didn’t recognize. Many different area codes, but a lot of New York and LA prefixes – 212, 310, 213.He’s still flying, I thought. He can’t call from the plane, I rationalized, even though I was pretty sure you could in a private jet.When I checked the messages, I realized Dad had left another one earlier, when Connor was still here. That’s why I hadn’t seen it.Tomorrow, I promised silently, feeling sick to my stomach. I’ll call tomorrow.Sure enough, Connor was on both Jimmy Kimmel and Leno – at the same time. Sebastian really was good.I flipped back and forth between the channels, watching Connor appear in two different places seemingly at once. Ah, the magic of pre-taped shows.Both shows had all the same things in common – the sexua
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I came out of the bedroom close to dinnertime. Before I walked out, I splashed tons of cold water on my face to bring down the puffiness around my eyes, but I knew I wouldn’t be fooling anybody.Sebastian was sitting on the sofa watching another interview with Connor with the sound down low. As soon as I walked in, he shut off the TV with the remote.“It’s okay,” I mumbled.“I am sick to death of listening to Connor,” he announced.I laughed, though it sounded more like a hiccup. “That’s rough, considering it’s part of your job.”Sebastian ignored my comment, and instead gestured at the blank TV screen. “The man has too high an opinion of himself already. This just feeds it like a forest fire.”I stopped in my tracks and raised my eyebrows. “HE’S got too high an opinion of himself?!”“MINE is completely justified,” Sebastian said as though he were highly offended. Then he turned casual – almost warm. “What do you think about watching a movie tonight?”I stared at him. “What about work
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