The Billionaire and the Waitress

Chapter Ten

Rachel managed to make it through the rest of dinner without giving the game away. She kept her hands and feet off Logan, although she would’ve liked nothing more than to whisk him into the study again and away from all the snobbish talk in the ballroom.

Once again, she was reminded how much money corrupted, even at a fundraiser for cancer research. The four other people assigned to sit at their table had been snobbish and boring, bragging about their giant homes, luxury vacations, and shady business practices. She could tell that Michael hadn’t been amused. His frown had grown deeper the longer the dinner went on, until finally, Emily curtailed the conversation into recent tech advancements in the medical field, which kept everyone happy.

She kept her gaze solidly away from Darren, but could feel him watching her. Scrutinizing her. As soon as the dinner ended, she excused herself from the table to go check on the status of the caterers in the kitchen. It wasn’t until she was alone in the hallway and felt a hand on her wrist, did she realize she’d been followed.

“So, you and L-train, huh?” Darren asked, swaying slightly. He’d managed to bring his beer along and clutched it in his other hand.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” she answered, trying to detach him from her arm. He had a surprisingly strong grip. “But I need to check on my people.”

“He always does this.” Darren leaned in closer, his rank breath hot on her face. His eyes lost focus and then he blinked, finding her gaze once again. “I tell you, that guy was born under a lucky star. He could get with any woman he wanted during baseball season. And now, he uses his money to get the chicks.”

“He didn’t use his money to get me.” Rachel pressed her lips together and glared at him. “I’m not for sale.”

She’d had enough of this. It was clear Logan’s friend had drunk too much for one night.

“Oh, he’s sneaky about it, trust me.” Darren smiled and wrapped an arm around her back. She shivered with disgust. “Did he show you his private jet? Pretend he doesn’t like flying? That’s usually his first move.”

She blinked hard, her stomach clenching. No, that couldn’t be true. That was just a coincidence. Logan truly had been nervous on that flight. She’d seen it with her own eyes.

“I take that expression on your face as a yes,” he slurred, raising the beer bottle to his lips. “Didn’t he get you a job in his restaurant? He does that all the time. Hires pretty girls off the street to work in his pizza joints and then gets them in the sack. Boy, does it work like a charm. I wish I would’ve thought of that. I would’ve bought a crummy restaurant too if it kept the girls coming my way.”

Rachel shrugged Darren off and took a step away. Anger twisted her lips into a scowl and blood rushed to her cheeks. She didn’t like the thoughts he was putting into her head. “Stop it. Just stop it.”

He threw his hands up, sloshing beer out of his bottle. “Hey, I’m just trying to warn you. Nothing in it for me. I hate to see another girl get used. Especially when he’s just in it for the paycheck. You’re rich, right?”

She flared her nostrils and sucked in a deep breath. So far, everything Darren had said was spot on, but that didn’t make it true. What kind of friend would talk like that about his buddy? She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to ward off the seeds of doubt that he’d planted in her mind.

“Logan has been nothing but a gentleman,” she said, clenching her jaw. “And I’m not rich. My family is. I don’t believe a word you’re saying.”

“Oh, that’s right. You don’t want to believe what I’m saying because Logan’s too nice. He’s got that boy-next-door kind of thing going for him.” Darren’s eyes turned dark and he stumbled toward her. “But there’s no doubting the proof. Ask him why he started this fancy new restaurant idea of his. Go ahead. Ask. There’s your proof that money’s the only thing important to him. You’ll never matter as much as his bank account. He’s just holding onto the hope that one day you’ll change your mind and inherit your billions. I know him, sweetheart. I know how he works.”

Rachel blinked back tears. He couldn’t be right. Logan wouldn’t use her for her family’s wealth. That would be absurd. After all, he had his own money now. He was an ex-pro athlete, a restaurant chain owner, and a billionaire.

She threw Darren one last disgusted look and headed toward the kitchen, ignoring his drunken laughter down the hall. As she went through her checklists with the crew, helping them prepare the last few dishes left to go out before they cleaned up for the night, Rachel couldn’t keep the niggling thoughts from working their way into her brain. Every silent moment she had to herself, Darren’s whispers came back to her.

Logan only wanted her for her money.

It couldn’t be true.

But the conversation was bringing back memories from her own childhood with a father whose sole purpose in life was increasing his wealth. He’d been consumed by money, to the detriment of his wife and children. They had been nothing more than props to him.

The more Rachel thought about it, the more she realized just what her father would’ve done in a situation like this. After all, he’d married her mother because she was the heiress to a small fortune. And time had shown how very little regard he actually held for her. He couldn’t even stand to finish their trip through Europe for their anniversary. He had to cut it short to get back to business. There was no love there.

The rich liked to cling to the rich, no matter the costs. That was the truth of the matter. Very few people managed to remain unchanged by money, like her brother.

But what about Logan? Did Darren truly know him better? How much had he changed over the years?

She had to know.

LOGAN STOOD NEXT TO Michael after the dinner had been cleared, his shoulders aching from the strain of the night. The finest of San Jose society stood milling about the ballroom, waiting for the final speeches of the fundraiser to commence. His

gaze kept darting across the busy room, hoping to catch a glimpse of Rachel in her stunning red dress. She’d left them almost an hour ago to finish things up in the kitchen. That woman did crazy things to him. He couldn’t stop himself from thinking about her.

“What’s with you tonight?” Michael finally asked, elbowing him in the side. “You’ve hardly listened to a word I’ve said and your face is all flushed. What’s going on? Is it the restaurant opening?”

He swallowed and curled his lips into a nervous smile. The last thing he needed was to let Michael in on the secret too early because of his inability to keep himself together. “Nothing’s going on. Just regular jitters. I get this way with all my openings.”