A Billionaire With Benefits

“I’m not for you. I’m no model, I’m not a millionaire. Do I look like I have a trust fund? I’m not a celebrity either. I’m just some barista with small time dreams.”

“No dream is too small and I admire you for that. You know what my dream is? To get to date you, permanently date you. If you would allow me to. Why did you come back, anyway? Did you know I was going to be here?”

She shook her head. “I came back to get something.”

“The a

partment’s been stripped clean.”

She fished something out of her pocket. In her hand was the charm bracelet he got her, the first gift he had ever gotten her. She still kept it. He felt his heart leap. Was this a sign? But he didn’t believe in signs. Although, now he suddenly wanted to. He felt desperate and it was a desperation that he had never had in his whole life. It was a desperation to be liked, to be loved.

He looked at her, not expecting much, but there was that little shred of hope left in him, a hope that she would reconsider him. Would she? He would practically grovel at her feet for her forgiveness at least…

“It won’t work,” she sighed.

His heart sank.

“I’m moving to Santa Monica and you’ll be here.”

The corners of his mouth curved and then he found himself laughing, a feeling he hadn’t had in the last three years. He was actually laughing. And that was when he knew that she was the one.

“We’ll figure something out. The important thing is that you finish school and that you’re just an hour’s drive away, or a fifteen-minute helicopter ride away.”

“You’d really do that to visit me? Take a helicopter every day?”

“Or I could move there, buy a unit.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.”

“I already have,” she said with an impish grin.

“Come here,” he pulled her close to him, unable to believe this was really happening.

She smiled, surprised at this sudden display of affection. “I think I’m too close to you.”

“I guess it’s time to renew that contract,” he murmured. “Something that borders on kissing in public, mandatory romantic dates and maybe a good old romp on whatever we get to lie on.”

“I’m game for that,” she replied, moving her face closer to him and tiptoeing.

“Good,” he replied, near breathless. He looked at her and he was looking at the world. He would never let go of her, ever again.

Justin couldn’t wait to kiss her every day, and he would start now.

THE END