Misjudging the Billionaire

“If you call having three locks on your door ‘charm,’” she fired comically.

“I’m glad we got to talk,” he blurted. “Thank you for letting me walk you home, and if I can fix things, I’d like to take you out to dinner,” he mumbled bashfully.

“We’ll see,” she chuckled. “You have a nice day, Devon Cross,” she smiled at him as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Peeking out the window, Eva watched him stroll back to his limousine while she stood trying to figure out what to make of this man. He was clearly wealthy, yet unlike the typical elitists who frequented Bon Appétit, he didn’t come across as a snob and didn’t seem to let his money define him. He liked her, that much she was certain of, but she had no idea why and that was something that troubled her. Given his bank account, charm, model physique, and handsome face, surely he had no problem attracting women. If he could get anyone he wanted, then why was he interested in her? That flashed as a warning sign to Eva, as did how blatantly his lifestyle contrasted with her ideals. No, as tempting as it was, she resolved to skip dinner and let this be the last she ever saw of Devon Cross.

Upstairs, Burley greeted her at the door in the usual fashion. Tail wagging and tongue flapping, he excitedly ran small circles around her as she lovingly asked him how his day was. Leashing him and leading him outside to do his business, they quickly returned to her apartment where she gave him the treat he’d earned by being such a good boy. After checking his food and water situation, she poured herself a glass of iced tea and plopped down on her floral 1970’s couch to flip on the television. She’d change out of her uniform in a bit, but for now she needed a few moments to unwind and soak in the events of her extremely interesting day. She’d been fired, almost assaulted, and asked out by a gorgeous yet admittedly awkward rich guy all in the course of a few hours. It was a lot to process, and with Burley curled up on the sofa next to her, she wrapped an arm around him, closed her eyes, and put her head back to replay the occurrences in her mind.

She had just nodded off when the ringing of her phone jolted her awake. Her closest friend for six years and counting, Destiny listened as Eva recounted the bizarre day she’d had without skipping one small detail. Eva was twenty-four now, and had met Destiny her senior year of high school. Unlike her, Destiny hadn’t grown up in a bad neighborhood and had led a fairly cushy life. Her father owned a small electronics store, and because of its prime location it did quite well. Despite the differences in their backgrounds, the two had hit it off and quickly became inseparable. During their senior year, Eva routinely spent the night at Destiny’s house and was welcomed with open arms. The two hadn’t been able to see each other as often lately due to conflicting schedules, and the engine blowing in Eva’s car six months earlier didn’t help. Destiny didn’t like venturing into her friend’s sketchy neighborhood, something Eva didn’t blame her for, and a new car wouldn‘t be working its way into her budget in the foreseeable future. The two settled for daily phone calls every evening around 5:00 pm when they’d talk for five minutes or five hours depending on how juicy their day had been. Given the events of Eva’s day, she knew this conversation would be lasting a while.

“So, wait, he left you three hundred dollars and he was hot?” Destiny asked after Eva had finished relaying the drama she‘d been through. It was just like Destiny to fixate on those two details, and Eva chuckled at her friend’s obsession with money and cute men.

“Yeah, and normally something like that would really piss me off, but with him it was different. He wasn’t doing it to show off. He seems to really feel bad about me getting canned,” Eva explained as her friend hung on her every word.

“Girl, it sounds to me like he wants in your panties,” Destiny joked with a ring of truth to her quip.

“Maybe. I don’t know. He seems so nice. He wants to go out with me, but… eh.” Eva twirled her long, dark hair around her finger as she stared at the television without even absorbing what she was watching.

“So go out with him? What’s the worst that can happen? You need to get out more anyway. I know how you feel about these loaded guys, but even you said he’s nice and sexy.” Destiny’s voice rose higher as if to illustrate her very valid point as she added, “It’s not easy to find a man like that these days, girl!”

“It’s just… why me, you know? He could have anybody. He’s probably married and just looking for some ghetto booty on the side.” After a momentary pause Eva added, “I didn’t see a ring, but he could have taken it off. You know how guys are. He probably thinks I’m just some dumb chick from the hood who’ll put out. A quick fuck,” she said pessimistically.

“You’re always so negative,” Destiny replied pointedly. “When was the last time you got laid, anyway? Wasn’t it, like, last year with that Eric idiot? Who cares if this guy wants to sex you up. He’s rich and good looking. You could do worse.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Eva said dismissively. She loved Destiny, but she also knew the girl would never understand her minimalist ideals. She quickly changed the topic with a sigh. “I need to find a new job. Can’t use Mr. Jameson as a reference now, that’s for sure.”

“You really told him to go fuck himself?” Destiny laughed. Eva was relieved that her sly subject switch had worked.

“Along those lines,” she chuckled back. “Man, the look on his face…”

“I bet,” Destiny replied. Her voice suddenly perked up with, “Oh! You know, I think my brother’s office is looking for a new secretary. I’ll ask him if the position’s still available. You’d be perfect for it! It beats working at a call center. My job sucks.”

Destiny’s older brother had passed the bar exam three years earlier and had launched his own small law firm downtown soon after. It was faring moderately well, but with a work history consisting of a mom and pop pizza joint followed by Bon Appétit, Eva highly doubted that she would be a good fit for a law office. She wasn’t opposed to trying something new, but the chances of anyplace respectable hiring a young, black woman whose only work experience consisted of carrying a tray was slim to none.

“Yeah, right, like he’d hire me,” she said bitterly while rolling her eyes.

“Shut up,” Destiny laughed. “I wish he’d hire me but he won’t ‘cause he refuses to hire family or some bullshit. I just think he hates me. And he thinks I’m stupid which doesn’t help. You’re definitely smart enough, though. Plus he’s always thought you were hot, so there’s that.”

“I don’t really want to get hired by somebody who just wants to fuck me.” Eva sighed loudly while realizing she couldn’t exactly be picky with the rent due so soon. “But, yeah, okay. If you could see if they’re still hiring that’d be great.”

“Will do!” Destiny replied with exuberance. “I’ll give him a call and let you know what he says the minute I hear back.”

It was this unwavering support that had cemented their friendship. No matter what, Destiny always had her back, and it didn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated by Eva. She loved Destiny for the optimism she’d counter her pessimism with, and how she looked out for her more than her own family did. Eva rarely spoke to her two half-brothers, her dad had wound up in prison when she was only five thanks to a botched liquor store robbery, and her mother had up and moved to Florida within a week of Eva graduating high school. They’d keep in touch with the occasional phone call, but even those were becoming less and less frequent. Hell, she hadn’t even talked to her mother in nearly four months, she realized as Destiny offered her words of encouragement.

“You keep your chin up, girl. You got this.”

“Thanks. I needed to hear that. I’ll talk to you later, okay? I need to go lay down for a bit.” Eva waited for Destiny’s goodbye before hanging up the phone and heading into the bathroom to draw herself a warm bath. Relaxing in the tub, her mind still aflutter with the craziness that was her day, she once again resolved to forget about a love life, especially with Devon Cross, and focus on her crumbling home life. She didn’t want nor need a date with some rich guy whose motives were still unclear. No, what she needed right now was job security and a steady paycheck. Romance could wait, and when she was finally ready for it, it wouldn’t be some affluent business tycoon.

Burley had followed her into the bathroom and taken a spot next to her on the floor’s plush bath mat. She peered over the side of the tub at him, smiling at how content her furry friend looked. His life was simple, yet he was perfectly happy. She wanted the same for herself, and refused to settle for less. She’d hold her head high, hopefully land a job with Destiny’s brother, and save every penny until she could enroll in college and further her education. She didn’t care about making piles of money, but was smart enough to realize that a degree made landing a decent job that much easier. With an actual career, she could move out of her crumby apartment and someday buy a small house away from the commotion of the city. She’d make it on her own, she promised herself, and would someday live the quiet life she’d always dreamed of.

It was worth a shot, anyhow.

Chapter Three

If she had to find one positive thing about being unemployed, it was that she got to spend more time with Burley. As dumpy as her neighborhood was, the run down park just up the street from her building was the perfect place to walk him. She wouldn’t dare go there at night, but in the early morning hours she felt completely at ease and would allow Burley off of his leash to get the exercise he so desperately needed. Two days had passed since she’d been fired, and as her and her loyal canine companion stepped back into her apartment after exploring the neglected park, she heard the faint sound of her phone ringing and hurried to fish it out of front pocket.

Her illuminated cell phone screen was displaying Bon Appétit’s number. She looked at it curiously while deciding whether or not she should take the call. It was likely Mr. Jameson reminding her to return her uniform, and she really wasn’t in the mood to deal with the schmuck. Despite her trepidation, curiosity got the better of he

r and she nervously answered the phone anyhow.