The Billionaire Wins the Game (10 page)

“We have a lot to do today,
Dad. I just want to get going because I have plans with Vienna,
tonight,” he added, lying about having a date. He noticed Amy tense
in her seat.
Good
, he thought. She wasn’t as unaffected as she wanted him to
believe. He was surprised with how good the thought made him feel.
He didn’t take rejection well, even if he didn’t want the woman.
He’d been completely wrong in thinking one time with her would be
enough, because he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He still
wanted her, even more now than ever before.

She stood up and grabbed her purse off
the back of the chair. “I wouldn’t want to make your date wait on
you,” she said in a perfectly calm voice. “Thank you so much for
breakfast, Joseph. It was delicious. Your company was the perfect
way to start my day,” she said and then followed Lucas out the
door.

“Have a good time kids.”

“Joseph Anderson, what are you up to,
now?” came the voice of his wife.

“Good morning, Beautiful. I was just
having some breakfast with a beautiful young lady and your grumpy
son,” he said in all innocence.

“We both know that’s bull. You’re match
making, and from the look of things between those two, it’s going
very well,” she said with disapproval in her tone. “When that boy
figures out what you’re up to, he’s going to stop speaking to you,”
she added.

“By the time he figures it out, he’ll
be very much in love with his wife and thanking me,” Joseph came
back with. He certainly hoped that was the case. Because,
otherwise, his wife would be right and his son would be none too
happy with him. It was a risk he was willing to take. “Let’s go for
a drive,” he said as he got up and gave Katherine a
kiss.

Was it so wrong for him to want his
sons to have a love of their own, like he had with his Katherine?
He didn’t think there was anything wrong with that. He decided
today was going to be a great day. It had started off wonderfully
with Lucas and Amy on their way to a passionate relationship. It
would end even better, with Katherine by his side.

Chapter Five

Amy got in the car with Lucas,
immediately becoming engulfed by his scent. Why did the guy have to
smell so good? She could feel a fluttering in her stomach. How
could she want to be with him after the things he’d said and done?
She was trying not to see the good things about him, because it was
so much harder to maintain her distance when she let down her
guard.

They rode in silence for a while before
he pulled into a parking lot. This wasn’t the car dealership. What
was he doing? Maybe he was going to drop her somewhere and hope she
got abducted.

“We’re going shopping first. That way
the furnishings can be delivered so the crew can finish your
apartment,” he explained. He didn’t wait for her to answer. He
stepped out of the vehicle and came around to her door and opened
it. When he did those small things, like treating her as a lady, it
made her see the more human side of him, making it harder for her
to resist him. She would rather he acted cold so she could justify
her own distance.

She got out of the car and walked next
to him into the vast store. “I really don’t need any decorations.
I’m sure the apartment is fine as it is,” she tried to tell him.
She wasn’t comfortable with all the items she was receiving. It
felt far too much like assistance.

“Let’s get this done,” he
stated in a voice that said
deal with it,
it’s going to happen
.

She soon found it was much easier to go
along with him than argue. He took her through each department,
asking her preference on colors and styles. As they continued, he
seemed to be enjoying himself – it seemed he enjoyed
shopping.

When they finished in the store, Lucas
made arrangements for the items to be delivered to her apartment
immediately. “We’re ahead of schedule, Amy. It looks like you may
be able to move into your place tonight,” he said as they exited
the store. “I’m hungry. Let’s go to lunch. The car lot may take a
while,” he commanded.

He didn’t ask if she was hungry. He
didn’t ask if she wanted to share a meal with him. He simply stated
she would go to lunch, and that’s what would happen. If she hadn’t
been so hungry she would’ve refused to eat, just to prove a point,
but she knew he wouldn’t even notice and then she’d be the one
suffering the rest of the day.

They ate their meal in an awkward
silence until, thankfully, he received a phone call, which occupied
him for the rest of the time. She was relieved, as she didn’t want
to try to make small talk. The pressure from the day was beginning
to settle on her shoulders and she was looking forward to having
alone time.

They headed to the car lot after lunch.
She’d never owned a car before. She’d never even priced one. She
knew she’d get one after college, but she hadn’t had the money yet.
She’d taken a driver’s training courses, in college, so she knew
how to drive, but wasn’t real comfortable behind the
wheel.

She didn’t want Lucas to know about her
insecurity, though, so she decided to suck it up and brave the
situation. “Do you want a manual or automatic?” was the first
question he asked.

“I’d prefer an automatic.”

“If you want my opinion, I think you
should go with the Mercedes ML450 Hybrid SUV. I’ve done research
the last few days, and it’s highly rated in safety. It gets
excellent fuel mileage and is recommended on the consumer reports,”
he offered, sounding like a cars salesman.

“I really don’t know anything about
cars, Lucas. I wouldn’t know where to begin,” she answered. His
head spun around to look at her, but she was looking at the car lot
like a lost child so she didn’t notice her slip. It was the first
time she’d ever used his first name. He found he liked the sound of
it on her lips.

He knew she didn’t realize what she’d
said. In her nervousness at being there, she’d temporarily let her
guard down. He liked that side of her. This Amy, minus the armor,
seemed much sweeter, and more innocent, and he wanted to wrap her
in his arms, protect her. He was finding he wanted to be with her,
more than as just an employer. He liked how she wasn’t jaded to the
world. He found her refreshing. He wanted to take her into his arms
so bad, they twitched at his sides.

He stopped himself, barely. He was in
no way ready to open his heart to anyone. He’d remain in control of
himself, and he’d be able to forget about what they’d done the
night before. Neither of them needed to enter into an affair that
would end with her losing a job and him with regrets. He’d figure
things out when he had more time to think.

“If you don’t know much about cars,
then I hope you’ll take my advice, but the choice is yours. You’ll
be the one driving the vehicle,” he stated.

Lucas walked her into the building and
skirted around the salesmen, heading straight to the manager’s
office. “Lucas, it’s good to see you, again. You’re early but I’ve
already pulled out the car you asked for,” said the gentleman
behind the desk, who had a genuine smile and stood to shake hands
with them both.

“Thanks, Frank, I appreciate it.” Lucas
was already turning to lead Amy back through the showroom and out
the side doors.

As they walked outside, sitting at the
curb, was a beautifully polished, crimson vehicle. Lucas led her to
it and opened the driver’s door. She looked at him with surprise in
her eyes. The car was so pretty. She was trying to be practical,
but it was just so pretty. She’d prefer it any day over his
expensive Porsche.

Amy felt her eyes start to sting, and
quickly put her head down, and took a walk around the car to clear
the tears away. She got herself under control and pulled herself
into the driver’s seat. Before she started the car, she made sure
to locate where everything was.

Suddenly, her face broke out into a
huge grin and she looked for the ignition. “Where do you turn this
on?” she asked, while looking at him with a confused, yet ecstatic
expression on her face. Lucas laughed and explained it was a push
button start.

“One of the new features of the hybrid
cars are they run on electricity when you’re traveling at slower
speeds. The gas will kick on when it’s needed,” he
finished.

She pushed the button and the lights
came on, but there was no sound. She looked at him again with
confusion. “How do you know it’s on if there isn’t any noise?” she
asked, genuinely puzzled.

Lucas couldn’t help himself. He laughed
out loud, really enjoying himself. She was so unlike women he
normally was around. His open laughter wiped the smile from her
face. She didn’t like being laughed at. “I’m not laughing at you. I
just find you to be a breath of fresh air.” He continued chuckling.
“Place the car in gear, and trust me, it will drive for you,” he
said.

“What is this, a space car?” she
muttered under her breath. He managed to keep his laughter from
bursting out that time, and pretended to not hear the comment. They
drove around for about an hour. She loved it. It drove like it was
on glass. Even once the engine kicked on, there was only a purr. It
was wonderful and she didn’t want to stop. She almost forgot Lucas
was even with her, which was a pretty amazing feat in
itself.

“Amy, it looks like you love this car.
Why don’t we head back to the lot and sign the papers so you can
take it home?” he asked. She looked a little disappointed the ride
would be over, but nodded and turned back toward the dealership.
She didn’t want to get out once they got there but reluctantly
did.

The paperwork only took about twenty
minutes, since Lucas was a preferred client, and they had
everything prepared for him. The lot had to do a final cleanup and
check everything so they told her it would be delivered to her
place that night. She was surprised by how disappointed she was she
couldn’t drive it right away, but she’d get to in the
morning.

After they pulled out of the lot, she
figured Lucas would take her back to the cottage, but he turned in
the opposite direction. “I thought we were done for the day?” she
asked.

“We’re done. Your apartment’s ready. I
figured you’d want to go home and check it out,” he
replied.

“Yes, definitely,” she said with real
enthusiasm. They pulled up to a beautiful building. It looked more
like a four star hotel than an apartment complex. There was a water
fountain in the circular front entryway, surrounded by colorful,
lush flowers. The drive was paved in multi-colored stones, looking
like a path from a fairy tale book. She watched as they passed the
front doors, which were done in gold trim, with brass fixtures. A
doorman, in a tuxedo, stood just inside and waved as Lucas drove
by.

She peeked out the window and looked up
at the overhead roof, where three chandeliers hung down, shooting
rainbows of light as they drove beneath the canopy. It was an
overwhelming thought that she’d be living in such a sophisticated
place.

They pulled inside an underground
parking tunnel, where he used a card to enter and then he parked
where a sign had his spot reserved.

“You’ll park here,” he said, while
pointing out a space near the elevator. He came around the car
before she’d even unbuckled. He opened her car door, something she
was getting used to. It felt nice to be treated like a lady for an
entire day, even if she knew he’d do it for anyone he was
with.

They walked into the plush elevator and
he pressed the only button available. “This elevator only goes to
the lobby. It’s another safety precaution. We take the security of
our tenants very seriously.”

The elevator chimed and the doors
opened to a huge lobby area that would rival the best hotels in New
York. There was a large desk sitting against the far wall with a
security guard eyeing the monitors in front of him. “Good evening,
Mr. Anderson. You’re in early tonight,” he said before smiling at
Amy.

“Hello, Fred. How are you
doing?”

“Good. Good.” He replied
pleasantly.

“Fred, this is our newest tenant, Ms.
Harper. She’ll be living in nineteen-A.” he finished.

“It’s real good to meet you, Ms.
Harper. I hope you’ll enjoy living here. It’s a great place. I work
the evening shifts Tuesday through Saturday but I live here in
apartment two-A if you ever need me. I already put a list of
numbers in your apartment, so don’t hesitate to call me any time,”
he finished.

Amy liked Fred instantly. He seemed to
be around fifty years old and had one of those smiles that made you
feel safe. She felt extremely secure in the nice building, like the
rest of the world couldn’t get to her if she didn’t allow it. She
liked the extra security measures in place and she also loved all
the beauty surrounding her.

“Come on, I’ll give you the grand tour
before showing you your place,” Lucas said.

He led her down a hallway to the left.
They entered a doorway of a state of the art gym. Lucas then led
her through another door, where there was an Olympic sized pool.
Her mouth almost started watering. Could it be real? She not only
got a place, which she didn’t even care if it was the size of a
shoe box, but she also got a swimming pool, gym, and
security.