The Billionaire Player (In Too Deep)

“No, that wouldn’t be fair. We’ve already agreed on my fees,” I said. “Have you had a chance to think more about colors and themes you want incorporated into the design?”

His grin widened. “You have free rein, remember? It’s all about the colors and themes you think should be incorporated. I trust you.”

“I still need more to go on,” I said. After all, I barely knew him. “We’ve spoken a little bit about the vision you have for the house, but that doesn’t mean you’d like a red-painted room, for example. Some people love bright colors on walls, while others get agitated by it.”

Jeremiah Williams suddenly appeared next to Tanner, squishing his face in next to his friend’s. He glanced at me before smirking at him. “Is this her?”

Butterflies erupted in my stomach when I realized Tanner had obviously been talking to him about me. He rolled his eyes at Jeremiah but nodded as he pulled the phone a little bit farther away from their faces so I’d get a clear view of both of them.

“Larisa, meet Jeremiah. Jeremiah, Larisa.” He looked at me. “You caught me just as I walked into Jer’s apartment, so he’s here with me and he’s a fan of eavesdropping.”

Jeremiah wrenched the phone from Tanner’s hand, and I heard a muffled shout of protest as the roof, floor, living area, and then finally Jeremiah appeared on the screen. From what little I’d just seen of it, his apartment was stylish but also surprisingly homey. Then again, his girlfriend was probably responsible for the pictures everywhere and for the cushions, rugs, and throws that made the place look like a real person actually lived there.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Larisa,” he said, the camera finally steadying again as he sat down. “As for what you just asked my friend here, I’ve known him his whole life and I probably know what he likes better than he does. If you’ll give me your number, I’ll call you with ideas.”

Tanner had sat down next to him while he’d been talking, and I looked to him for his approval. He was the client. If he wanted his friend to help out, that was great, but if he didn’t, I wasn’t letting someone else’s ideas mess with Tanner’s—even if he would need help getting a clearer picture of those ideas.

“Jer’s better at this sort of thing than I am,” he said after a beat. “I really don’t know the first thing about what I’d like in a design scheme, but you saw the lake house. Jeremiah worked with the designer on it and that was amazing, so it’s probably better to listen to him.”

“The lake house is beautiful,” I agreed, complimenting the billionaire who probably already had an ego the size of the Pacific Ocean. Then I rattled off my number.

Jeremiah took it down and winked at Tanner. Then he got up and jerked a thumb in the direction of what I was assuming was his kitchen based on what he said next. “I’m going to make some coffee. Want some?”

Tanner’s head dipped in a brief nod, and he turned back to me, those piercing blues threatening to burn down the walls I’d put up around me to keep him out. And that’s just over the phone. Seeing him in person is going to make it so much more difficult to stick to my resolve.

But I was sticking to it. “I’m happy to work with Jeremiah on his ideas, but I’d at least like to know some of your dislikes so I can avoid those.”

“Sure. Okay. That makes sense.” He cocked his head, shooting me a brilliant grin. “We could discuss them over lunch? I was just about to go grab some food. Would now work?”

I thought back to the sad can of soup on the stove. “What about your coffee?”

“Jeremiah can drink it, if he’s even started making it yet,” he said. “So, lunch?”

Dragging in a deep breath, I caught a whiff of butternut in the air and made my decision right then and there. “Yeah, sure. We need to talk business and it’d be good if we could get it out of the way today.”

Rip off the old band-aid, so to speak.

I’d known that if I took the job, I’d have to see him again quite soon. It really was better to get it done so I could focus on the work once I knew a little bit more about what he wanted. Once the ball was rolling properly, I could put the client out of my head and pay attention to the house itself, and that was the place where I wanted to be.