Billionaire's Fake Marriage: A Billionaire Romance Page 2

  I finally came to my senses and realized that Xavier didn’t want to hear about his life’s achievements or his riches, and so I decided to change the subject. I didn’t want him to leave. We had only just met! So, I did the only thing I could think of... I faked being in more pain than I was.

  I’m not proud of what I did, but when I cried out in pain again, Xavier did not continue on his way back to the house. I held my ankle as I had been holding it previously, but he came and sat back down beside me.

  “I’m sorry you’re in such agony,” Xavier empathized. “I wish there was something more I could do... wait.”

  Xavier held up a finger and started taking off his sweater. I was both delighted and thoroughly confused, but I didn’t stop him. He was taking off his clothes, what did you expect me to do? Much to my enjoyment, Xavier continued removing his clothes, and it was his shirt that came next. He looked me in the eyes as he took it off, saying, “Sorry for being so... immodest, but I think this might help.”

  He took his shirt and wrapped it around my ankle so that it had almost no range of motion. It did honestly feel much better once it was braced, and I was very grateful for the relief. I was also very thankful for the view I had now of Xavier’s muscular physique. I couldn’t help but flick my eyes upward and admire him while he was wrapping the shirt around my foot.

  “That’s so much better. Thank you for thinking of that,” I said gratefully once he had finished.

  He looked up from his wrapping and smiled at me. “I felt kind of ridiculous taking my shirt off like that, but if it helped a beautiful woman such as yourself... it was worth it,” he explained.

  I immediately felt my cheeks flush but tried to remain calm. “You’re very forward, aren’t you?” I asked him outright. If he was going to shamelessly flirt with me the way he was right now, then it was better, in my opinion, to know where we were starting from.

  However, as soon as the words were out of my mouth, I knew I had made a mistake. “Oh, no, not... like that,” Xavier mumbled, and when he held out his hand to place it on the grass in front of him, I noticed a gold wedding band around his ring finger. I was instantly mortified.

  “Oh my god,” I said, panicked. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean... I wasn’t trying to...”

  But thankfully, Xavier brushed it off. “Please, don’t worry about it,” he said graciously. I wanted to dig a hole in the ground right there and disappear into it out of embarrassment. I could not believe that the one time I had tried to be calm and confident around a man it had backfired so terrifically.

  “No, I’m so sorry,” I pressed on. “Here you were just helping me out of the goodness of your heart, and I think it’s because you think I’m beautiful in that way. What a shallow idiot.”

  Xavier shook his head emphatically. “No, no,” he reassured me. “Not shallow at all. And the truth is that I find you-”

  Xavier never got to finish his sentence, because Darshi arrived with a few of the party guests to assist me just then. They got me properly bandaged up, and then two of them kindly drove me and my car home. The last time that I saw Xavier, he was standing in a crowd of guests, watching me sheepishly. I still wanted to melt into the floor after having made a fool of myself in front of him like that, but I was still so grateful to have met him. I really hoped that we’d be able to meet again so that I could make things up to him, but only as friends, of course.

  Chapter 2

  Xavier

  “Another round, Mr. Franklin?” the bartender asked, and all I could do was nod glumly. It was rather extraordinary how catastrophically awful my life had become in the last few weeks. So much so that had it not happened to me, I wouldn’t have believed it.

  A fifth scotch appeared in front of me, and I signaled thanks to the bartender. As I swilled the amber colored liquid around the bottom of the glass, I couldn’t help but think about how inferior scotch on the rocks was to scotch neat. Scotch wasn’t a drink that needed ice to keep it cold; it was a classy enough drink that it kept itself cool. And when you did add ice to it, the taste was inevitably distilled by the presence of the water in the glass. That simply ruined the taste altogether, and in that case, what was the point of-

  “Xavier?” a voice from behind me called. The sound of my own name really got my hackles up, and before I even knew who it was who had appeared in the bar, I was about ready to throw a few punches.

  And so, having that in mind, I turned around to spit fire at whoever it was. “What?” I growled as I turned around, certain that I would be seeing an enthusiastic fan or neckbeard who had read too much about me in all of my magazine exclusives. But when I saw who it was, my anger vanished, and a smile escaped from my lips. It was the same stunning red head from Darshi’s party, who had broken her ankle.

  She was twice as beautiful as I remembered her, but maybe that was just the alcohol talking. She had a round, cherubic face with adorable dimples that appeared when she smiled, which she was doing right now. Her eyes were emerald green, and I had never met anyone with those beautiful green eyes before. Her hair was naturally curly, mid-length, and well-maintained. She had the body of a goddess, but she held herself as though she didn’t know that. Tonight, she wore a green dress that went down to her knees. The neckline was plunging but not too revealing, and the skirt flared out slightly. All of this came together to create a simply breathtaking young woman.

  “You,” I whispered, and cursed myself for not being able to remember her name. I wanted to ask her right away what it was again, but I didn’t want to seem like a jerk. Not yet, anyway.

  “Me,” she said delicately. Then, she pointed to the empty stool beside me and said, “Can I sit?”

  I nodded and she came and sat down beside me. When she walked by, I could smell her perfume on her neck- something with citrus undertones. While I wasn’t usually a fan of fruity-smelling perfumes, on her it smelled heavenly.

  She signaled to the bar tender and said, “Rum and coke, please.” The bartender nodded curtly and disappeared to make her drink. Then, she looked at me and said, “You...look a little different. What’s changed about you?”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle. “How about everything?” I responded sarcastically. I didn’t really feel like telling her all that had gone on in the last little while, but I knew it would come out one way or the other. I just hoped she would ask the right questions.

  Erika, I suddenly remembered. Her name is Erika... Heathrow. No. Helmsworth. No. Heath...Heatherington. That was it. Erika Heatherington. I was so relieved that I had actually remembered it and didn’t have to shamefully ask her what her name was again. That would not have been a very smooth move.

  Erika looked at me sadly as she placed her purse down on the chair next to her. “I’m so sorry to hear that,” she said seriously. “Would you like to talk about it, or should we just leave it alone?”

  “That’s a tough question,” I replied, rubbing my thumb through the moisture that had collected on the outside of my glass. “How long do you have?”

  She chuckled and took her drink from the bartender when he arrived. “Thanks,” she said, and then turned her attention to me. “For the man who rescued my ankle the other night? I’ve got the whole evening.”

  I took my hand off my glass and looked around the bar a bit. It was one of the nicest establishments in one of the richest parts of town, and yet it still didn’t feel extravagant enough. While I didn’t usually like flaunting my wealth, tonight was one of the few times when I would have liked to have done that, and I couldn’t.

  “Are you sure?” I checked. “It’s a long, boring story, and it’ll probably leave you feeling about as happy as I am right now when it’s done.”

  It was Erika’s turn to chuckle. “Believe me,” she said, “I’m such a fan of your life’s work that if you were to teach me the fourth grade lesson of how babies are made, I think I would be enthralled.”

  I was drunk enough by this point that my
next sentence sounded amazing in my head, but as soon as it was out of my mouth, I immediately regretted it. “How about I show you instead?” I responded, trying to be sexy. Erika looked positively horrified, and I looked away immediately. You idiot! I chastised myself.

  That wasn’t funny! And she sat down beside you because she admires your work. She doesn’t admire you!

  “You’re a married man, Xavier,” Erika said, and I noted a hint of disappointment in her voice. “That wouldn’t be appropriate.”

  I allowed myself a guffaw.

  Well, at least that look of horror was probably because she thought you were married, not because she thought you were a disgusting man.

  “That’s a thing of the past now, Ms. Heatherington,” I replied, looking at her in defeat.

  “Can you tell me the whole story so that it makes a bit more sense?” she insisted.

  I continued looking at her, dumbfounded, but nodded. Then, I launched into my story. “My brother, Baron, and I had previously been business partners at AccuTek. He had been helping me, and I loved my brother being around. I had been the brains behind the business and I had allowed him to join my company when he had gone bankrupt. His company had suffered loses, and I was the one to recue him.”

  “But suddenly, two months ago, right after I met you, Baron wanted a share in my billion-dollar company. Not only that, he wanted a bigger share of the company.” I took the glass in front of me and drunk a single gulp. Erika kept staring at me with those twinkling green eyes, carefully listening to what I was saying.

  “I asked him why he thought he deserved that, and he couldn’t give me an answer. When I said no, he flipped out and sued me for an additional twenty-five percent of the company.

  “And the bastard won. He had gotten the slimiest, dirtiest dog of a lawyer who knew exactly what to say to get his client what he wanted, and now I’m sitting on the other side with only twenty-five percent of my own company remaining. I’ll be fine financially, but to have been swindled out of the company that Baron and I had started together by Baron himself was a real blow.

  “And then, to add insult to injury, I returned home one night from court to find him in bed with my wife. He was right in mid-thrust when I walked in on them, and I exploded. I shouted at them, broke things, punched Baron, and then left before either of them could say anything. I wasn’t proud of the way I acted, but could you blame me? Baron is the reason my whole life has gone to hell in a handbasket these last few weeks, and I couldn’t understand why my wife had betrayed me like that.

  “So now,” I finished, taking another swig of my scotch, “I’m going through divorce proceedings, my wife is going to get a massive amount of money, and my brother is going to end up holding seventy-five percent of our company. I’m basically a ruined man.”

  I looked across the bar when I was done talking and saw myself in the mirror. I looked like a ruined man, to boot. I’d let my hair and beard go, and I now looked something close to a person who was experiencing homelessness. I couldn’t believe that an attractive young woman like Erika could even stand to sit beside me, let alone listen to all of my bitching and complaining about my miserable life.

  Erika was quiet for a few moments, and I was worried that I had frightened her off. But then, she looked over at me and boldly said, “Would you let me take you home?”

  “I’m sorry?” I checked.

  Erika gave me a kind smile and said, “I’d like to take you back to my place. No funny business. I just figured that after a hellish couple of weeks like that, you could use having someone take care of you for the night.”

  I could hardly believe what I was hearing. “Take... take care of me?” I sputtered. “I’m not a child, Ms. Heatherington, I don’t think I-”

  “Don’t give me that defensiveness,” Erika suddenly spat back at me. “There’s nothing wrong with accepting a bit of help from time to time. So... are you coming?”

  Erika stood up and took her purse, looking at me expectantly. I didn’t want to accept the help, she was right. But she was being kinder than anyone had been to me in weeks, and I knew that I really did need the help. I was a broken man, and who was to say that she wasn’t the one who could fix me?

  “Fine,” I grumbled, trying to keep up my gruff bravado. “But, I’m paying for everything you’ll let me.”

  Erika rolled her eyes and chuckled under her breath. “Come on, caveman. Let’s get you home.”

  Chapter 3

  Xavier

  I asked my driver to go back home, and we drove to Erika’s place in her car. It was only our second meeting, and I was sitting in her car next to her. Not only this, but I was also going to her home so that she could take care of me? I frowned at myself as I tried to figure out what exactly I was trying to do.

  I had been too stressed for the past two months, my whole world had turned upside down. I had been cheated not only by my brother, whom I trusted so much, but also by my wife, Angela.

  How can they do that to me?

  I looked outside the window to get some air as I felt a pang of pain in my heart. “You can have some water; you will feel better.” Erika handed me a bottle of water while giving me a little smile.

  Can she read people’s minds?

  “Thanks, Erika.” I smiled back at her. I knew I recognized her from somewhere, but it wasn’t until we pulled up in front of her condo that I put two and two together. It was one of the nicest spots in the city, and I knew that in order to live here, she must be making millions a year, at least. And then I remembered where I had seen her face before Darshi’s party- she was the CEO of that news app, NewNews or something like that.

  I was impressed. Her company had been doing exceptionally well over the last five years, and I couldn’t believe that someone so young could run a business as efficiently as she was. But in the few interactions that we’d had, I could tell there was something very special about her, so I shouldn’t have been surprised. I was very much looking forward to what the rest of tonight would bring, even if she had said no funny stuff.

  “This is me,” she said as she parked the car and got out.

  “Pretty nice digs,” I complimented her, looking up at the building.

  “Not quite as nice as yours, I imagine,” she said sarcastically as she punched in the code to let us in the front door.

  Before she was through, the concierge opened the door for us. “Good evening, Ms. Heatherington,” he warmly greeted her. “What brings you back so soon?”

  Erika looked back to me and then scoffed. “I dragged this off the street and thought I’d bring him home and give him a bath. He is my old friend.”

  She had obviously meant it as a joke, but the concierge did not see the humor as he looked me up and down. He looked absolutely horrified, and for the first time since Angela had left me, I felt embarrassed by my appearance.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” I barked at the concierge, who physically recoiled. “Don’t you know who I am? I’m Xavier Franklin, one of the richest men in the world, and I won’t be looked upon like that by a man who-”

  “Don’t listen to him, Gerry,” Erika called to her concierge, who looked like he was getting ready to call security. “He’s talking nonsense. Don’t believe a word he’s saying. He is drunk.”

  She physically dragged me through the door and into the waiting elevator. I was so angry that I wanted to tear the siding off the elevator, but I restrained myself. As soon as the doors were closed, however, I turned to her and said, “How dare you. If you ever make such a fool of me again-”

  “Oh, get off your high horse, Xavier,” Erika interrupted. “I may have been intimidated by you when we first met, but you don’t scare me anymore. Didn’t you see that I was saving you? Can you imagine if that guy had gotten word to the press that world-renowned billionaire Xavier Franklin had been seen looking like a caveman and acting the way you were back there? They’d have had a heyday, and that would have be
en the end of your company’s good reputation.”

  I stared at Erika with my jaw hanging open. Oh god, I thought, I hadn’t thought of that. Now, not only is this woman helping you left, right, and center, but you just scolded her. I couldn’t have felt more embarrassed.

  “I... I’m sorry,” I said, softening. “You’re absolutely right, I had no idea what you were doing. I should have just trusted you.”

  Finally, Erika gave me the kind of smile she had graced me with the other night, and I suddenly felt like a schoolboy in love again. She was such a wicked mixture of sarcastic, snarky, kind, and caring that I found her irresistible. I knew I had to watch myself; otherwise, I would be falling for this woman as quickly as I fell for Angela. And we all know how well that turned out.

  “That was a pretty impressive turn around,” Erika commented. “I guess I’ll just have to forgive you for the time being. But, you’ve got to watch yourself the next time, because there won’t be another second chance like that one.”

  The elevator suddenly binged open, and Erika strode out into the pleasantly decorated hallway. Again, it wasn’t nearly as nice as mine, but it was still quite impressive. She pulled out her keychain, and I saw to my delight that she had some sort of fuzzy keychain like a teenager would have dangling off of it. “What is that?” I asked, pointing to it.

  Immediately, I knew I had asked the wrong question. Erika put her whole hand around it to hide it and spat, “Nothing,” at me. I dropped the question instantly, and we stood in stony silence while she unlocked her door.

  When she finally opened it and let me inside, I was suitably impressed. The condominium was massive, and every exterior wall was entirely windows. There were sleek stainless steel appliances in the kitchen, and fashionable accent carpets on the floor. It seemed that Erika had a thing for pineapples, as the colour yellow and the image of the fruit featured heavily as I looked around.