The Billionaire and the Bartender (The Billionaires 2)

“There’s no wonder you’re so well rated as an actress. I could have almost believed that was real then. You get full marks.”

It was like a bucket of cold water had been thrown on me. It was an act. Aidan of course thought it was an act.

“Yeah, I’m amazing.” I told him. “Now, do you want to get yourself cleaned up, because then I’m going to shower and hit the sack. This date’s been great but all good things, hey?” I started to move away.

“Just five more minutes snuggling with my best friend please?” Aidan begged. “Lori, I know we got carried away a bit there. I’m sorry. I’ve been drinking, and I totally crossed a line.” He sat up and I was astonished to find he looked genuinely remorseful.

“Lori, I’ve fucked up. I just totally got carried away and fucked my friend. I know you did it for me and I am so goddamn sorry.”

“Hey,” I tilted up his chin with my hand. “I got off didn’t I? When you were sucking my tits I imagined it was a sexy woman. Look, I used you as much as you used me. I get you were curious. Most guys are. We are still best friends and fake dating, all right. You hear me?” I said.

Aidan bit his lip. “I’d understand if you never wanted to see me again.”

“Yeah, well you can’t get rid of me that easily.” I said. “It was a fuck. End of. Now as far as fake dating goes we know what we’re like in the sack together. Now go get cleaned up because I really need to sleep.”

He went to the bathroom and then he said goodnight, but as he left, I knew things had changed. He couldn’t look me in the face properly.

Fucking had fucked us up.

I went in the shower where I burst into tears. Stupid woman, I thought to myself. You need to stick with work. Even pretending to date had become too complicated. I was better off alone.

And that’s how it went. I still received a text each evening asking if I was home safe but Aidan distanced himself from me, making the excuse that he was busy at the club. So, I threw myself into my work. I didn’t need him in my life. I was fine as I was. Six weeks went by. I was about a month away from meeting my money target. Maybe I’d meet it even faster if I continued to work extra shifts, but at GoDown, they’d noticed I wasn’t myself and I needed to get back to my professional actress self and fast. I couldn’t afford to lose jobs there.

I was in the middle of a scene when I turned my head and I thought I saw Aidan in the background. But Matthias hovered over me and when he moved again, there was no one there but the crew.

The final straw came when I was out with Chrissy on

e night for drinks. We were going to eat at the restaurant where she’d had the terrible date as she wanted to apologize, but as we got there, we saw Aidan with his arm around the back of a slim woman who I recognized as the magazine editor. I kidded myself that it was a business get together until he leaned down and kissed her.

“Oh, crap. It’s your boss. My bad date. Ugh, he must take them all to the same place. What a loser.” Chrissy stated. “Let’s go someplace else.”

“Yes, lets.” I replied. My heart crushed. He’d found someone else. Someone who wasn’t a fake date. I had only myself to blame. But at least I could concentrate on my new career and forget Aidan Hall.

Yet later, there he was on my doorstep. The man himself.

“What do you want?” I asked him coolly. I’d not responded to his nightly text as I’d felt it was stupid for us to carry on like we were friends when it was clearly no longer the case.

“Don’t be like that. I came to make sure you were okay. You didn’t respond to my text.”

“Yeah, about that. Can you stop sending them? It’s lame really.”

“Oh. It’s lame someone cares about you and whether you’re safe?”

“Well, it’s not really your place to worry is it? I have a girlfriend now,” I lied. “She’ll make sure I’m home safe from now on.”

“Oh, well, okay.” Aidan stepped back. “I’m sorry, Lori. I’m sorry I screwed up our friendship.”

“Oh stop with the pity party for one.” I exclaimed. “We’re grown ups. You didn’t attack me. I went along with it. Just go home, Aidan, I don’t have time for this shit, I have a shift to work and a movie to film tomorrow.”

“About that.” Aidan asked.

“What?”

“We’ve been invited to H and Amelia’s for dinner. I was going to tell them we split up but I have a proposition for you.”

“You kept that charade going? What about Ember Valente?”

“I just took Ember out a couple times for food. It’s too early to know if that’s going anywhere. They still believe I’m dating you. I haven’t had a chance to tell them different.”