Misjudging the Billionaire

“How is it I’m completely naked yet you still have your damn clothes on?” Eva pointed out with a smile while playfully tugging on the bottom of his t-shirt.

“Shit, you’re right. So not fair,” he replied while sitting up and pulling his shirt off. She fell silent in awe as he revealed his muscular body for the first time, his wide back working in conjunction with his powerful arms to free himself of his prized Star Wars t-shirt. “Here,” he said tenderly while handing her the shirt. “Use this.”

“Are you sure?” she asked with hesitation.

“Babe, you could use the U.S. Constitution right now for all I care,” he quipped as he fell back into his seat. Eva laughed so hard she snorted, covering her mouth with her hand as she held onto his shirt.

“You’re so dumb,” she teased as she began wiping away his cum. The room darkened as the movie’s credits began to roll, and Devon extended a strong hand to Eva. Tossing the messy shirt aside, she took his hand and followed him obediently.

“Come with me,” he said, guiding her out of the room. She protested at the theater’s exit, worried their indecency would be spotted, but he assured her the colonial mansion was empty. The only person on the grounds, he reminded her, was his on-call driver who resided in the guest house recessed some two hundred yards from the estate.

“Where are we going?” Eva asked curiously as he led her through the giant, almost intimidating home. She followed behind him completely naked while he walked with his jeans unbuttoned, his rugged upper body making her feel protected and safe.

Heading upstairs to the master bedroom she’d briefly seen during her tour earlier in the night, he brought her into its opulent bathroom and gestured towards the large marble shower stall that was equipped with “his and hers” showerheads. Devon kicked his jeans off and leaned into the stall to start the dual-action shower running. Eva could feel how quickly the water heated up; a stark contrast from the worn-out water heater in her crumby apartment. He held open the stall’s glass door for her to step inside and followed her in, standing behind her and massaging her shoulders gently as the warm water rained down on them. There was no post-coital awkwardness in their banter as they rinsed the sex off of them, and they hadn’t even finished toweling dry before finding themselves on the master bedroom’s four-post king size bed.

Over the next three hours they made love two more times, and by the second round Eva no longer cared if Devon emptied his seed inside of her. She was so smitten by this handsome, charming man that her better judgment had flown out the window hours earlier and protection had taken a back seat to feeling him inside of her. During his refractory period, as they cuddled while regaining their breath and strength, they confessed their dreams and secrets to each other. Eva expressed to Devon the importance a simple life meant to her, and vocalized her concern for their differing lifestyles. They’d shared similar backgrounds, that much was true, but she worried that the wealth he’d accrued would make a relationship between them impossible. He offered his reassurance, promising her that money hadn’t changed who he was inside, and asked that Eva at least give a life with him a shot. As she lay with her head on his chest and listened to his soothing voice, she couldn’t help but feel conflicted. She’d been raised with a certain set of ideals, and she wasn’t sure if she could change those for anyone, no matter how perfect they appeared to be.

As desperately as she wanted to spend the night, Eva had Devon summon his driver around three in the morning so she could head home and check on Burley. As enchanting as her new wealthy lover was, she’d never allow herself to become so preoccupied she’d forget about her furry best friend. Devon accompanied her on the ride home, refusing to take no for an answer, and sat with a strong arm wrapped around her the entire way. Arriving back at her building, he again walked her to her front door which proved his chivalry was not just a ruse to get her into bed. He’d already had her, yet was still as gentlemanly as ever and that alleviated any doubts she may have had regarding their sexual tryst at his estate. After a long kiss goodnight, he promised he’d text her the following morning and she watched his town car speed off with him in tow.

Upstairs, Burley greeted her with enthusiasm, happy to have her home yet curious why his two-legged friend had arrived home so late. She brought him down to the building’s small lawn so he could do his business, then made her way back to her apartment to get some much-needed rest. It had a been a long day, and after a year of no sex her loins ached from Devon’s touch. She did feel a pang of regret for not using protection and putting herself in a position to wind up like the girls she grew up with. The majority of them had put their trust in the wrong men and ended up single mothers in the process. She didn’t want to wind up a statistic and made a mental note to swing by her local pharmacy to pick up a morning after pill when she awoke.

She was asleep within minutes, Burley on the floor by her side, and in her slumber her mind returned to the same recurring dream she’d been having for months. It was her wedding day, only this time she didn’t wake before her mysterious groom turned his head. Her husband’s face was finally revealed

to her, and it was none other than Devon Cross himself.

Chapter Six

Over the next four weeks the two were inseparable, with Eva and Burley both spending their weekends at Devon’s estate at his insistence. During the week, he’d have his driver deliver him at her place where he’d occasionally spend the night in her modest apartment. She welcomed him there, and he actually seemed to enjoy her simple home. He joked about preferring her ramshackle building over his colonial mansion because he didn’t have to worry about getting lost, and he adored spending time with Burley. Despite her protests, he’d bought her a small used car so she wouldn’t have to rely on the city’s public transportation to make it to and from Bon Appétit. On mornings when Eva was scheduled for the breakfast shift, Devon would time it so his driver was picking him up just as she was climbing into her pre-owned Ford Focus to head into work. He’d had his eye on a used BMW, but Eva refused and it was all he could do to get her into the Ford. She’d only accepted it under the condition he’d be paid back, and she wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Yes, things were perfect over those beginning four weeks. Almost too perfect, the skeptic in Eva reminded her, and she found herself waiting for the other shoe to drop. She’d allowed Devon into the fortress she’d built up around her heart, yet a nagging doubt that lingered in the back of her mind always threatened to push him back out. Destiny was ecstatic by her friend’s new relationship, of course, and had made the journey into Eva’s seedy neighborhood one evening just to meet the billionaire.

“He’s so hot!” she’d silently mouthed to Eva while fanning her face with a hand. Destiny had always been an unintentional flirt, so Eva wasn’t too surprised when she started making eyes at the man whose looks were as impressive as his bank account. Her friend didn’t mean any harm by it, she just craved attention, and Devon had dismissively laughed off her advances.

At the end of the fourth week, Eva’s world came crashing down around her. The moment she’d been subconsciously waiting for finally arrived, and the fairytale she’d been living came to a screeching halt. As had grown customary, her and Burley had used her new set of wheels to venture across town to Devon’s estate where they’d be spending their weekend. Knowing he’d be stuck at a business meeting until early evening, Devon had given Eva the key code to the estate’s security system and invited her to let herself in. He wanted her there when he arrived home, he told her sweetly, and she jumped at the chance to spend a few hours alone with Burley and a good book by the luxurious Grecian pool.

She had just walked through the front door with Burley’s leash in one hand and her bag of weekend supplies in the other when she heard her phone ringing from the front pocket of her jeans. Setting her bag down in the foyer, she fished it from her pocket and let Burley loose to sniff his way around the room. A quick glance at the LCD screen revealed that it was Destiny calling, and she answered it with curious enthusiasm. Her friend typically didn’t call this early on a Saturday.

“Hey, what’s up?” Eva answered as she took in the familiar décor of the estate’s entryway.

“You’re not going to believe this,” her friend replied, the tone of her voice immediately alarming Eva.

“What are you talking about?” Eva asked in concern.

“Okay, don’t be mad, but work’s really slow today so I decided to randomly Google people’s names. You know, to pass the time,” Destiny explained.

“And?” Eva questioned with obvious worry.

“I searched my name, yours… everyone’s,” Destiny went on.

“And?” Eva was now irritated and impatient, her mind and pulse racing as Destiny continued.

“The last name I searched was Devon’s. I know, I know… I shouldn’t have done it,” Destiny replied apologetically.

“And?” Eva asked for a third time, panic creeping over her body as she stood frozen in the foyer.

“I didn’t find much, but there was an article from a few years ago I—”

“What did it say?” Eva interrupted with her heart thudding in her chest.