Billionaire's Revenge: A Billionaire Romance (Tempting Billionaires Book 1) Page 5

  “Tia, don’t concern yourself.” I could see her oozing anger at this point. I was afraid the situation might turn violent.

  “How the fuck can I not concern myself when you and your brother have completely trampled over my best friend’s life? I thought your brother was an asshole, but honestly, you are much worse.”

  “Oh, fuck.” I knew at that point that Brian had been lying about everything. I knew that I was hurting Erika for absolutely no reason. “What are you talking about? What does Brian have to do with anything?” In my mind, Brian wasn’t to blame for anything. It was Erika who used him.

  “Are you serious? You really don’t know? I think you are the reason that your brother is a spoiled brat.” I didn’t want to waste any more time, so I abruptly asked Tia to tell me everything.

  “You know how on that Friday they were supposed to go on a trip for her birthday right?” I nodded.

  “You know that she thought they were just friends, and she saved up and worked overtime to make sure she would be able to go on the trip?” That I didn’t know, and my face made that clear.

  Tia continued on, though. “I bet Brian didn’t tell you that when he told her that he was in love with her, she told him she only thought of him as a friend, he threatened her. He threatened to ruin her, he threatened to make her life a living hell. He literally told her that his family was very important, and they would make her life very difficult. I guess he wasn’t lying.”

  Brian hadn’t told me any of this, and I was getting angry. I didn’t like being lied to. I wasn’t just an asshole for what I did to Erika, I was also a hypocrite because I lied to her.

  I knew I had to fix things with Erika, so I rushed out of the office to go find her. As I approached the door to the bathroom, Tia told me she’d already left.

  Not knowing what to do, other than fix things immediately, I asked Tia, “Do you think she went home?”

  Tia refused to answer me at first, telling me she wasn’t going to let me play with Erika’s feelings anymore. I suppose she was right, I had hurt Erika, but what Tia didn’t know, was that I was falling in love with Erika.

  “Please, answer me, Tia. I promise, I won’t hurt her anymore.” I was begging Tia at this point; it was my first time asking someone for something like this.

  “I don’t believe you.” Before Tia could even finish her sentence, I knew what she would say. I knew it wasn’t worth it. I needed to go talk to Erika immediately.

  I rushed to Erika’s building. As soon as I got there, I rang the bell and constantly knocked on the door. No one answered so I sat down, right outside her door.

  “Erika, if you can hear me, please open the door. I’m sorry. Let me explain myself.” No one answered. I couldn’t even hear anything inside the apartment. For some reason, I felt like she would be near the pier. Where we went on the night of our date. I knew there was no reason she should be there, but it was the only other place we shared. I took a cab straight there, and scouted the entire area, but I couldn’t see her. I had messed everything up. I didn’t know what to do, so I decided the best bet would be to go home and call her.

  I waited till about 9 PM before I decided I’d walk back. I inched closer and closer to my apartment as I thought about the time Erika and I had spent together. I thought about the dinner Erika and I went to, the conversation we shared, the drinks we had, and the shower we shared. I thought about her perfect form, her full lips, her taut ass and her eyes, brown shined immaculately as the sun reflected against them. Just like that I had made it back, no trace of her, no call, nothing.

  “Sir, you have a guest waiting for you upstairs.” I heard Arnold’s voice, and I knew that I was going to break Brian in half. I was absolutely done with his behavior.

  “Thank you, Arnold.” I carried on, not wanting anyone to see any emotion on my face. I got off the elevator and unlocked my door to see Erika passed out on the couch.

  I walked over to her and saw all the used tissues around her. I realized that she had been crying because of me, that she had probably fallen asleep because of the sorrow I caused her.

  “Hey, Erika.” I gently touched her shoulder, and she woke up immediately and pushed my hand off her shoulder.

  “Conner, just tell me why?” she asked with an absolute straight face.

  She genuinely just wanted to know why. I didn’t think she was angry anymore, just confused.

  “Do you mind if I sit down?” I thought about how awkward it must’ve been for her in the office when she asked me the same thing, and now here I was asking her.

  “It’s your place, do what you want.” I sat down opposite her, making sure we had space between us. I didn’t want to make Erika uncomfortable.

  “Brian told me you hurt him, he told me that you were a gold digger, that when he told you he couldn’t take you on holiday, you left him. He asked me to get back at you, for breaking him into pieces.” I wanted to be honest with her after all I had done to her.

  Erika took a minute to think about everything I said, and then she got up and walked straight to the door, opened it, and left. I was completely speechless, expecting her to lash out, expecting her to get angry and hit me, at least yell at me. I wanted her to tell me I was stupid and an absolute degenerate, but nothing, she just left. I ran after her, and just as the elevator door was about to shut, I managed to get my foot in.

  “Erika, I’m sorry. Please, just talk to me, give me this one chance. If you still feel this way, then I won’t stop you. I’ll never reach out to you again.” Erika nodded and she walked back with me.

  We sat down on the couch. “Erika, I made a horrible mistake. I trusted Brian’s words more than your actions. I am sorry I thought hurting you for the sake of my brother was all right. I’m sorry. Not only was I wrong about you, I was wrong to even do that for Brian. Can you forgive me?” Erika listened and then she got up and she put her hands on my face. She kissed my forehead and proceeded to leave.

  Chapter 16

  Erika

  I couldn’t believe he did all that; it was so messed up. I couldn’t believe he would hurt someone just because his brother asked him to. I just couldn’t believe that Brian would have gone this far. I felt disgusted by the both of them.

  “Goodbye, Conner. I don’t know what to do about this anymore.” I looked at Conner and I walked out. A huge part of me wanted him to come and stop me. I wanted him to hold me in his arms and tell me that he was sorry, that he knew he shouldn’t have been this kind of person, that he was going to change.

  Why would he, though? He was Conner Roland, he’s rich, good-looking, and successful; why would he care about what I thought we had?

  “Erika, stop!” I wanted to, but I also knew there was nothing he could say, nothing he could do. “Erika, since the first day, I started falling for you. I know it could be too early to confess, but I love you.”

  “What did you just say, Conner?” I wanted him to know that if he thought he could just say anything he wanted to fix things, I’d never speak to him again.

  “Erika, please stay with me. Let me fix this. I’ve never felt this way before. I want you, in more ways than you could possibly fathom.” I didn’t know what came over me, but I walked up to him and hugged him.

  “Sort things out with Brian, or there won’t be another chance. Also, be honest; what’s going on with you and Lisa?” I said as I looked into his eyes.

  “I am so sorry, Erika. I will be honest. I hope this is not going to hurt you. Before I met you, I wanted to sleep with Lisa, but I couldn’t because of the nature of our relationship. And today, I had asked her to act like we were sleeping together. Trust me, from the day I met you, I couldn’t think of anyone else. I want to spend each day with you.” He went on about Brian, he told me that he loved him.

  He was his brother after all, what could I even say?

  He told me that he’d talk to Brian, that he’d have him apologize, and that Brian would never be something I’d have to worry about again, whet
her I chose to stay with Conner or not. I believed every word Conner said, his voice was earnest and apologetic. Most of all, I knew Conner was sincere. He made a mistake he instantly regretted.

  “Conner, it’s wrong to hurt someone just because your brother tells you he or she had hurt him.”

  He looked into my eyes and said, “I know, Erika, I was stupid. I am sorry. That’s one promise I should never have made. I promise you, I’ll never hurt you or anyone else like this ever again.” I believed every word he said, so I couldn’t help but forgive him.

  “I love you, too, Conner.” It had been years since I had felt this way about anyone, and I could tell the same was true for Conner. To be honest, I didn’t think either of us knew we would fall in love with each other in just two weeks. Conner held me in his arms, closer than ever, as if he was never going to let me go. I didn’t want him to. After everything, I just wanted to run away with him, separate ourselves from the entire world.

  “Do you want to go away for a few days?” I didn’t know what Conner had in his mind, but I knew I needed it. I wanted to be away from everybody, from New York.

  “I’d love to, but I need to make a few calls first and plan accordingly.”

  “Me, too.” I had to call Tia and tell her everything.

  I called Tia and told her that Conner and I spoke and sorted everything out, and that I’d be back in a week. She was genuinely concerned about me. I didn’t even know if I was making the right decision, to be honest.

  I overheard Conner. He called Brian first and yelled at him. “Brian, I don’t know why you lied about Erika, but I’ve had enough. Apologize to Erika and stay away from her. She’s with me now.” I could tell that Brian was yelling back, calling Conner all kinds of things. I hadn’t seen Conner this angry before.

  I heard him shout at Brian, “I’m cutting you off from everything.” I didn’t realize how upset Conner was until I heard that. He just cut his own brother out. I knew that Brian couldn’t look after himself, so it was more serious than it seemed.

  After he hung up on Brian, he exhaled all the anger out as he walked for a few minutes thinking about something.

  He sat on the couch and rung up someone else. “Hey, Grandma, is it alright if I drop by? I’d like to introduce you and Pa to someone dear to me.”

  So, I was going to go meet Conner’s grandparents. I knew they were the most important people in his life.

  Chapter 17

  Conner

  “Lisa, get the plane ready; I’m flying out in a couple hours. I’m going to California.” I looked straight at Erika who was surprised at the decisions I was making for us, but she looked excited. “Also, Lisa, clear out my schedule for the next week. I don’t want to be disturbed.”

  Lisa complied and wished me well. After that, she hung up and I went back to Erika. I put my arms around her hips and kissed her. “Erika, I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am for hurting you, and I know nothing I have said or can say will change what I did. I just hope you give me the opportunity to show you just how sorry I am.”

  She kissed me back and just nodded. I could see tears streaming down her face. As I reached to wipe them off, she reached to wipe mine off. I didn’t know why the tears came out of my eyes.

  Maybe I asked my brother, whom I loved most, to stay away or maybe those were my emotions for Erika.

  “Do you need anything from your place? We’re leaving for California in a couple hours. I’d like you to meet my grandparents.” Erika would be the first person I’d ever taken to meet them. I was surprised by Erika’s reply, though.

  “If we’re going to California, I’d like you to meet my parents, Con.” I had never met someone’s parents before; well, I had never been in love before, either. I was excited, though, excited to fall deeper in love with Erika as I learnt more and more about her.

  “I’d love to, Erika.” She told me she didn’t need anything per se except clothes, which I told her she didn’t need to worry about. I’d have them brought to the house when we arrived. I asked Erika not to bring her work things. I wanted us to spend the week away from work or any other commitments. I didn’t work this hard to not be able to take a break.

  Erika and I left for the airport; I was genuinely so happy. I didn’t know how to tell Erika that she was absolutely amazing for giving me a chance, so I said what I thought would articulate everything I felt best. “I love you, Erika.” We were in the car, and the chauffeur looked back as he heard me say it. I think it was the first time he heard me say it, in all the years he had worked for me.

  “I love you, too, Con.” Just hearing those words come from Erika’s mouth made me giddy. I felt like I was in middle school again. I reached for Erika’s thigh, and I leaned toward her and kissed her. She kissed me back, but with more intent than just a peck. In just a few moments, Erika was sitting on top of me with our lips interlocked and our breathing heavy.

  “Sir, we’ve arrived.” Erika hopped off me, embarrassed, as we both realized we’d reached the airport. I got out of the car and helped Erika out.

  Just as I turned to the plane, I heard Katherine say, “Hey, Con!” I just realized how bad this could be when Erika mockingly asked me if I’d slept with her, too.

  “Yes, I have, once. Before I met you.” I felt like Erika would turn back and head home, but she decided to keep walking. Though, she did put my arm around her. I guess she was okay with my past, as long as everyone knew she was my present and my future.

  Just as we walked past Katherine to get into the plane, Erika teasingly said, “I love you, Conner.”

  I knew at that point I had to reply. It was a test, one I didn’t expect, let alone appreciate, but after everything I had done, I owed it to her to comply. “I love you, too, Erika.”

  Chapter 18

  Erika

  I couldn’t believe he was taking this so seriously. Why would he think his past would matter? We had worked through our issues, and I was genuinely excited to meet his grandparents. I knew he cared for me, though. It was clear, after he cut his brother off, cleared his schedule, and asked me to go away with him. As we sat in our seats, I noticed how comfortable they were.

  I had never flown in a private plane before, I mean, who does this kind of stuff?

  “Conner, you know I was joking, right?” In an attempt to clear out any doubt, to make sure there would never be any ambiguity in our relationship, I wanted to confront him about this whole Katherine thing.

  “What do you mean, Erika?” I could tell he was confused, which meant he had taken my playfulness in the wrong way.

  “When I told you I loved you in front of her, I was just being a tease. I didn’t mean anything ill by it.” Conner smiled as if all his worries had passed.

  “Thank God. I was so confused, it didn’t seem like something you would do at all.” It really wasn’t, but I realized that Conner and I really didn’t know each other. After all, we’d only spent a couple weeks and a single night together at this point.

  “Tell me about them, Conner, tell me everything.” I moved closer toward him and rested my head on his wide chest. “I want to know everything about you, Conner.” I glared at him, his emerald eyes shown majestically as he stared back at me. I could tell he had been looking down at my cleavage. After all, one button of my blouse was open. I had no time to change since I went to the office this morning and I needed to get comfortable.

  Conner began to tell me about himself. He started right from the beginning, from when he decided he wanted to become a hedge fund manager. Conner told me that his grandfather and him had planned it out. He was always so good with mathematics that it seemed like the profession was made for him, which it turned out it was.

  Conner stopped and looked into my eyes once more, turning his gaze from the aerial view of the East Coast to me. “I would do anything for my grandparents, and honestly, money has never been an issue. Pa and I had a plan and I didn’t want to disappoint him. I’m glad I can look after them now, though,
it means the world to me. I remember when I was leaving for college, I hadn’t been the best student up until then. I was spoilt. My dad’s money made it feel like I didn’t have to work, not like the other students. Pa dropped me off at college, and just then as I hugged him and was about to start my four year journey, he told me that I had to leave my own mark on the world, just as he did, just as my father did. It’s then that he gave me this ring. His literature professor had given it to him to mark the success of Pa’s first novel.”

  Conner kept going on and on about his family, his work, his personal life. How he had only fallen in love once before with his high school sweetheart but was too immature to appreciate what he had. I could tell by the tone of his voice that he regretted losing that relationship, but it wasn’t that he missed her or longed for her. He just regretted how immature he was. He was humiliated by who he used to be. I placed my hands around his neck and kissed him under his jaw.

  “Thank you for telling me, Conner.” I tried to take it all in, in just three hours I knew everything there was to know about Conner Roland. He didn’t hide anything. I didn’t need to ask him about his previous sexual partners, partly because I was afraid of the answer, and partly because it didn’t bother me.

  “What about you, Erika? It’s your turn.”

  I laughed as I looked at Conner. "We’d need some wine for that.” He smiled from ear to ear as he held on to me even tighter.

  “Katherine, could you please bring us some wine?” I don’t know how that wasn’t awkward for him, or for her for that matter, but she smiled and nodded. She returned shortly with a tray with an ice bucket with a bottle of wine in it. Katherine placed the glasses in front of us and proceeded to open the bottle when Conner stopped her.

  “I’ll manage, thank you, Katherine.” She returned his kindness with a smile. I think he did it to minimize the time we’d all share together. Maybe it was a bit awkward for everyone involved. As Conner began to pour the wine into the glasses, he shook his head at me, as if to tell me to start. So, I did.