Read Loved by the Billionaire: A Torrid, Romantic BWWM Story Online
Authors: Eve Brown
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CHAPTER TWO
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CHAPTER NUMBER TWO
After she'd gotten home from Sarah's Steakhouse that evening, Fredricka flopped down on her sofa and pulled out her cell phone.
She'd been telling her best friend her deepest, darkest secrets every since ninth grade. Whenever she'd needed a shoulder to cry on, Vanessa Richards had been the one she'd gone to—honestly for more years than she could remember. The two women were closer than sisters.
Vanessa answered her cell on the second ring. "Hi, Freddie. What's going on?"
Fredricka frowned into the phone. "It's DeShawn."
"Oh, no. What happened?"
Fredricka could hear the worry in Vanessa's voice. She quickly calmed her friend's fears. "Physically, he's okay. But he's run into some problems with those loan sharks over at the casino. He owes Big Larry Riverton twenty-two thousand dollars."
"Twenty-two thousand dollars?!"
"Yeah, that's exactly what I said when I first found out earlier this evening."
"Honey, where is he going to get that type of money from? His knee is busted and he's no longer being courted by the NFL. You're out of a job." Vanessa shook her head. "I only have about eight grand that I can offer you. I know it's not even half of what you need, but it's yours for the taking.”
Fredricka really appreciated her friend's generous offer. She knew she was fortunate to have someone as loyal as Vanessa in her corner.
Vanessa is indeed a true friend
, Fredricka thought to herself.
Fredricka was sure that she would've made the very same move if their roles had been reversed. She also knew that Vanessa had been saving that money for a down payment on a her new home. She'd been saying for years how much she wanted to get out of her apartment and into a house that she actually owned. There was no way in hell that Fredricka could put her friend's money in jeopardy like that. Not unless she absolutely had to.
Fredricka took a deep breath. Then a sad smile came on her face. "I really appreciate your offer, boo. But, I can't accept your house money. I have to believe that there's another way to get this twenty-two grand."
Vanessa knew that Fredricka couldn't see her, but she nodded her head anyways. "Okay, honey. Just know that the offer still stands if you need it."
They only talked for a few minutes more, then said their goodnights.
Fredricka was still worried, but she knew that if worse came to worst — between the two of them — she and Vanessa had half of the money.
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Early the next morning, Fredricka rolled out of bed and grimaced. She had a lot on her plate for the day. She knew the chances of a bank giving her a loan were slim to none, but she was going to try anyways.
Deshawn had made a big-ass mistake, but, her little brother's life and well-being were more than worth the embarrassment of hearing someone tell her no. She refused to leave any rock unturned. She would go through hell and high water to make sure he got the twenty-two thousand dollars that he owed Big Larry.
Then I'm making sure his ass enrolls in some type of addiction counseling....and I'm gonna force him to make arrangements to pay whoever I get this money from back
.
After she'd showered and gotten dressed, she heard her cell phone begin to ring.
She walked over to the dresser in her bedroom and picked up the device. Then she frowned. The number on the caller ID was an unfamiliar one.
She didn't know who the number belonged to, but she hoped like hell that it was one of her prospective employers calling her back—she'd certainly put in enough job applications.
"Good morning," she trilled into the device, using a pleasant, professional-sounding tone.
Maxwell knew — from hearing her voice yesterday — that it was Fredricka Anderson on the phone. However, as a matter of courtesy, he decided not to let on to that fact.
"Good morning," he said. "This is Maxwell Andretti....from Madison College. Am I speaking with Fredricka Anderson?"
Fredricka felt her heart begin to pound in her chest.
It's Madison College, they're calling me back. I might have a job
, she thought to herself.
She took a deep breath before saying, "Yes Mr. Andretti, this is Fredricka."
Maxwell smiled into the phone. He liked the sound of her voice. It was light and airy, but feminine....in a sultry type of way.
He was a little ashamed to admit it to himself, but he'd woken up that morning with a raging hard-on and the remnants of a sexy dream starring Fredricka Anderson in his mind.
It was a given that the petite, caramel-colored woman was a knock-out, but he'd been shocked that he'd actually had a wet dream about her. Dreams like that hadn't happened to him in a long, long time.
“Are you still there, Mr. Andretti?”
He had to push memories of his dream from his brain.
"Oh....yes, Miss Anderson. Sorry about that. I'm still here.” He paused for the briefest of moments, then continued. “I've just reviewed your resume and I think you may be a good fit for the associate professor position. Are you able to make it into my office this afternoon for an interview?"
Fredricka could barely contain her excitement. She took another deep breath, then said in a voice much calmer than she actually felt, "Of course. What time would you like to meet with me?"
"Would two o'clock be okay?"
"Two would be perfect."
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Four hours later, after she'd made her rounds at what felt like every single bank in Houston, Fredricka drove back to her ranch-style home in the suburbs. She had a frown on her face as she got out of her vehicle and made her way into the house.
The long chain of no's that she'd gotten from financial institutions — big and small — throughout Houston that day, had given her a headache. Now she was really beginning to worry.
The reality of the situation had even managed to put a damper on her excitement over her job interview. The one at Madison College, that was slated to happen in less than two hours.
She sighed as she rummaged through her jewelry box, looking for things to pawn.
Her eyes landed on a diamond and emerald necklace. It had a matching pair of earrings and a bracelet to complete the set. She'd paid three thousand dollars for the elegant pieces of jewelry four years earlier, when things had been more or less financially stable in her life.
I'm sure this is worth a minimum of a thousand dollars at somebody's pawn joint
, she thought to herself.
By the time she'd gone through her entire jewelry box, she estimated that she had enough stuff to pawn to at least bring in two thousand dollars.
That's two thousand dollars, plus the three grand that I have left in my 401(k)
.
She shook her head.
A whopping five thousand dollars
. She sighed.
It's a start. I guess that's better than nothing
.
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It took all of twenty minutes for Fredricka to get dressed and ready for her job interview. She inspected her reflection in the full-length mirror in her foyer, before walking out her front door. She knew her expensive skirted business suit was on point, and that her hair and makeup were simple, but tastefully done. She was certain that she was dressed to impress, but in a professional type of way.
Half an hour later, she scowled as she inched along in the bumper to bumper traffic on the I-10. Evidently, a tractor-trailer hauling farm animals had overturned and the cars were backed up for a far as the eye could see.
She’d left an hour early to give herself plenty of time to make it to Madison College by two o’clock—her appointment time.
She glanced down at the clock on her console. “
One thirty-eight”
, she read out loud, then said, “
I seriously doubt if making it on time is gonna happen”
.
Ten minutes later, the congestion had miraculously cleared up.
Yes
, Fredricka thought to herself as her vehicle picked up speed. It took her exactly seven minutes to make it to Madison College and nab a sweet curbside parking space, just outside of the business and administration building.
It had rained very heavily off and on throughout the day. As soon as she’d stepped out of her Lexus and locked her car, a heavy-duty, extended cab pickup truck zoomed past her and through a puddle in the road.