The Billionaire and the Assistant (The Billionaires 3)

&n

bsp; My jaw dropped. “Three million dollars? This house is worth forty-three million.”

His jaw tightened and his face grew stern. Roger was fifty-three years old, tall and slim, with quite a gaunt looking face as if he needed a good dinner. My mom said it was because he was never still-either at business meetings, playing golf or taking her out somewhere fancy.

“I worked like the devil himself for my money, Brianna. I think three million dollars is amazingly generous.”

“And what did my mom say about this proposal?”

“She agreed it was time for you to get your own home. Me and your mom are for life, Brianna. You can be assured I’m going to look after her as if she was the most precious diamond. Now you can stop worrying about your mom and go live your life. There’s a whole world out there.”

I bit my tongue. I wanted to rip his throat out but no one ever got anywhere by displaying all their cards.

“Well thanks for the offer. I’ll give it some thought.”

“I want mine and your mom’s married life to be just the two of us enjoying each other, Brianna.”

Ugh. He meant he wanted to be able to screw my mother in every room of the house except the staff quarters.

I walked over to him and forced myself to kiss his cheek. “Thank you, Roger. It’s so good to know my mom has someone who thinks so very much of her.”

“I worship her, Brianna. She’s my everything.”

I smiled. “Well if you’ll excuse me I’m going to go see if I can pick up the new purse I ordered and then I’ll be meeting my mother for the dress fitting.

He returned my smile. “Not long now until she’s officially mine.”

I stared at him. Despite his friendly gaze, his tone was clear. My mother was his.

Before, every man she’d been with had had to take us on board as a package. Mom and I had shopped, eaten and socialized together for years. But things were changing. Now I was being encouraged to move out? What was I supposed to do? I had no genuine friends.

Well screw it. I needed nobody and nothing around here was changing as far as I was concerned. Well, except for the fact that if I had my way, there would be no wedding. I didn’t know how yet but I was going to split them up. If Roger couldn’t share my mom, then he didn’t get her at all.

My mother greeted me as soon as I walked through the doors of the boutique. “Hello, darling. It’s the penultimate fitting today and then there will just be a final one a couple of days before the ceremony. So make sure you stay away from anything fattening, okay?”

I rolled my eyes. Designer clothes weren’t made for fat people. I was a size zero and would stay that way. The only food I ate was fish and steamed vegetables and she knew that.

“Katrina, I’m convinced your daughter gets prettier every day.” Honor, the boutique owner air-kissed both my cheeks. “Brianna, honey, why don’t you step into the room and I’ll bring the dress in to you.”

By now I was used to people fawning over me because they wanted high commissions. They were so fake but they could carry on with their faux emotions, my own weren’t genuine either. Pacific Palisades was full of fake plastic people. It was time for a little fun to happen to shake them all up. My mother’s wedding would be the perfect place to cause trouble. Let’s see if they all wanted to meet at the country club after that. I knew for a fact that Honor’s husband let the babysitter blow him in his car every Friday night. I’d passed them one night when I’d been restless and needed to get out of the house.

I stood in the fitting room in my underwear and looked at my lithe body. There was no doubt I was my mother’s daughter, with the same high cheekbones and piercing green eyes, though I had my father’s slim lips and good teeth. The orthodontist hadn’t had to do much work on mine. Maybe Roger might like a younger model, I thought for a moment, and then I rejected the idea. There was no way I was sleeping with that old man. But maybe I could say he’d made a pass at me?

Honor passed me the dress, and I shucked it on. The pink silk fell like a waterfall passed my hips. It was beautiful and for a moment I felt a strange emotion-guilt-pass me by as I thought about the efforts Mom and Roger were going to with this wedding. But I was being bought off. Three million dollars to disappear. That was the message hidden in Roger’s words. That they didn’t want me around.

Well, I’d give them a hint of that now, I decided. Just after Christmas and over the New Year I’d go give my father a surprise visit. He was always complaining he didn’t see enough of me. The reason he didn’t was I could see the disappointment in his gaze when I asked him for money. What did he think I was going to live on? I didn’t have a job. Mom provided my lifestyle, or had up until now. I’d stay with him for a while and tell him about Roger’s offer. I’m sure my dad wouldn’t want another man deciding on my future. Hopefully, he’d set me up with a much better apartment somewhere more fitting to the lifestyle to which I’d become accustomed. Yes, my daddy could have a visit and I could stir the pot about my mom and Roger and then bring him back with me for the wedding that wouldn’t take place.

I smiled at myself through the mirror and did a little twirl.

“How is everything?” My mom asked through the fitting room curtain.

“Oh, everything is just perfect, Mom.” I told her. “Or it will be, with a few adjustments.”

Chapter 6

Alex

19 December