I shook my head.
“I have no idea what was spelled out on her jumpsuit. All I know was that she came from your apartment,” I said vehemently. “And the six of you were inside.”
The billionaires nodded. But they weren’t worried at all, instead passing it off as no big deal.
“No worries, sweetheart,” rumbled Tom dismissively. “That hooch was nothing compared to you.”
“In fact, we ran her out after fifteen minutes, isn’t that right?” drawled Nick. “We got her out of there asap, as far as I can remember.
But I wasn’t going to let it go so easy.
“Listen, I don’t know anything about her. But what I do know is that you interviewed a girl the moment I disappeared. After she left, pressed my ear to the door, eavesdropping. I heard what you said. I heard you talking about her like she was … she was going to be the next stewardess.” The words choked in my throat, but I couldn’t help it. The lump in my throat was too big, making it impossible to talk.
But Nick shook his head.
“No, that’s not true,” he said forcefully. “Not true at all. Well, some of it is true. Because, you see, Helena set up an interview for us. We don’t even do these things usually. But for some reason, Helena broke from standard process, and sent this chickadee to Nick’s apartment that morning.”
“We tried to cancel,” growled Tom. “But it was too late and the girl didn’t get our texts. So we did a quick interview. What were our options? Refuse to open the door?”
I shrugged slowly.
“I’m not sure,” were my words. “It depends.”
The alphas continued, eyes fixed on my form.
“She showed up, and the minute Crystal, or whatever her name was, set foot in the door, things were all over. Actually, they were over before because we want you,” rasped Aaron. “We want only you sweetheart. But in the meantime, we had to ask her some questions to put on a show if nothing else. So we did, and she failed. End of story,” he shrugged.
My look was skeptical.
“Really?” I asked, brows raised. “You don’t have to play it down. You don’t have to pretend that Helena set you up. If you want another girl, it’s fine. It’s your prerogative, as the owners of the company. I work for Elite Air, remember? I’m just an employee, and employment is at will. You can terminate me if you want.”
The billionaires stared at me then.
“Is that really what you think?” drawled Nick.
“Do you really think we’re such heartless bastards?” added Andrew, brows raised.
The pain in my chest increased with each moment. But I was firm in my reply.
“It’s about money for sex,” were my words, eyes clear and direct. “I didn’t want to accept the cold reality, but it’s the truth, and I’ve come to terms with the situation. You paid for access to my body, and I agreed. There were no promises, no suggestions that it was anything more. So I accept the situation,” were my final words. “It is what it is, and it’s important to move on now.”
There. That was delivered with firm conviction, like I believed the words. But inside, my soul quivered and broke into a million pieces. How could this be happening? How had I gotten into such a sordid situation?
But it was a wretched situation of my own choosing, and truth be told, I loved every moment of it. I loved being with the billionaires, feeling their big bodies on mine. I loved chatting with them, laughing with them, and even watching them argue, positions so intense and fierce, refusing to take no for an answer.
And that was the crux of the issue. Because Nick gazed at me then.
“Is that all we are to you, baby girl?” he said quietly. “Just a source of sex?”
The lump in my throat was now so big that it was impossible to hide. So my next words were croaky.
“What else would it be?” I managed. “You never offered anything else.”
The alphas shared a meaningful glance.
“Well how about love?” drawled Nick slowly. “What do you think about that?”
My jaw dropped to the floor, unable to believe the words. Love? As in they loved me? How was that possible? This was a money for sex type of exchange, with nothing so messy as emotions thrown in. Were they insane?