A Double Dose of Billionaire - Part 2

Ryan snorted. “Since when did you become the boss of the company?”

“I’m not. But I care for you guys, so I care for your company.” Did I really just admit that out loud? I pushed it to the back of my mind, and the twins didn’t seem to notice it much. “Focus on your conference in Paris. I’ll make sure everything here is okay.”

“You’re starting to sound like a really naggy wife," Riley said.

“I’m your secretary. I’m supposed to help you out with things.”

“Don’t stress yourself out too much,” Ryan said, “and remember to think about us, or else.”

“I’ll be spending too much time not thinking about you.”

Ryan’s hand landed on my as**s for the umpteenth time. I let out a soft yelp and glared at him. He responded with a blood-curdling smirk.

They gave me one last final goodbye and entered the plane. I paced back to the car where Tyrone waited for me, thinking over Riley’s words.

Wife? What the hell was that supposed to mean?

***

“They are totally into you,” Kristie said, stirring her cup of coffee.

I hadn’t met her since I moved in with the twins. Between personal time with Ryan and Riley, and work, I didn’t get the opportunity to meet up with her last week. Looking at my bubbly friend again was quite refreshing. We lounged in front of the twins’ gorgeous swimming pool. Riley had given me the go-ahead for inviting Kristie over.

I shoved another piece of cheesecake into my mouth. Without properly swallowing before speaking, I replied, “They said only two words that very loosely imply they like me—‘love’ and ‘wife’. How is that supposed to indicate anything?” I swung my fork around in an unrefined manner as I spoke.

She rolled her eyes and looked at me as if I were stupid. “They had a fight with their mom, who doesn’t like you. I'll bet they were fighting over you—"

"I think you're being a little too optimistic."

"—and then they said they loved you before giving you the best sex of your life. How could that mean anything else? You’re so bad at looking out for signs. It’s no wonder you always end up with the wrong guys.”

“But I thought you mentioned I had to find another job, or I'd be in trouble.”

“That’s different. You guys had only just met then, and the twins are notoriously infamous for sleeping around.”

“We met, like, one week ago. It hasn't been too long.”

“It’s long enough to fall in love, or at least raise some interest.”

Her cell phone rang, interrupting our conversation. She picked it up. “Hello? Oh, Keith, hi! How is it?”

I silently munched on my cheesecake, suddenly feeling like an outsider.

“Yeah. No problem. I miss you, too. Nine-fifteen? I’ll see you there. Love you, too!” She made kissy sounds into the mouthpiece and hung up the phone.

“Who was that?” I asked. She didn’t have a boyfriend when I got fired last week.

“My new significant other.” She sighed contentedly and looked up at the sky. “He has awesome biceps.”

“When did you meet him?”

“Two days after you left. And I think I’m in love.”

I pointed my fork at her. “You’re in lust.”

She squinted. “Can’t you be a little more dreamy? It’s love. I know it’s the real thing this time.” She clasped her hands together and stared off into space, acting like a Disney princess.

“That’s what you said about the last one.”

“And I was right. I loved him, but life got in the way. Jim got transferred, so I couldn’t be with him anymore. That doesn’t mean we didn’t love each other. You’ve got to have more faith in your twins. You have to be the luckiest woman in the world right now. Two super-hot, rich twins like you. Give it a shot. Even if it doesn’t work out, it’s worth the risk.” She took a swipe at my cheesecake. “Wow. You really can bake.”

“I don’t know…”

“Shut up and enjoy what you have, Scarlet. Or I’ll need to smack some sense into you.”

I still couldn’t wrap my head around what Kristie was saying. The prospect sounded too good to be true, like a dream. I had to constantly remind myself I was a stand-in plaything whenever I hung out with Riley and Ryan, I couldn’t simply do a three-sixty with my mindset and imagine them loving me right away.

“You should try asking them how they feel about you.”

I waved my hands. “No, no, that’ll be a complete disaster. They’ll think I’m one of the clingy types.”