The Billionaire's Runaway Bride (15 page)

“You want to take me out to dinner?” she asked, surprised. That didn’t make sense, she thought to herself. Why would he want to be seen in public with her if he didn’t need to. “Do you need to meet the clients or something?” she asked, biting back the bitter tears.

“Actually, I was thinking about just the two of us somewhere quiet where you can tell me what you’ve been up to for the past few days while I’ve neglected you.”

This was Sophie’s chance to show him her business plan. She turned around to face him, looking up into his handsome face. “Are you really interested or are you just being polite? We could call Jocelyn and Evelyn over for dinner. Wouldn’t that be more to your liking?”

Jason’s eyes narrowed at her sharp tone. “Why in the world would I want them along? They interrupt everything anyone says in order to get their own story in. I’d much rather hear about you.”

Sophie stared at him and tamped down the warm glow his words inspired within her. Was he only being nice? Was he trying to keep her happy so she’d be around for the tense finale of the acquisition?

She considered her options. She could reject his offer, allowing that he was only being nice and didn’t really care. If she followed that path, she might not ever have a chance to discuss her business plan with him and get him to follow through on his promise to set her up in her own business. But if she went to dinner with him, she’d probably have his undivided attention and could present her ideas, then figure out if he had been sincere in backing her.

Deciding to go with the latter, she smiled up at him and nodded her head. “Okay. Let’s go out to dinner.”

“Great. Let me just change.” He walked over to his closet and discarded his tie and jacket, then stripped off his clothes before heading into the bathroom. Seeing his naked body, she wanted to just call him back and entice him to bed, her body craving his touch after so long without it. But she didn’t, worried that he was only making love with her in order to keep her happy.

She left the bedroom and wandered downstairs, afraid to stay in the bedroom for fear of her reaction to him coming out. She sat in the living room, flipping through a magazine while she waited for him to finish.

The warm glow of the candles in the small, cottage style restaurant created a romantic glow around each linen covered table. The hostess led them to a table in the corner, far away from the crowds and kitchens. Jason immediately ordered a bottle of red wine then turned to face Sophie. “Okay, tell me what you’ve been up to. I’m guessing by the papers in your hand that you’ve been working on some idea, correct?”

Sophie smothered a smile of excitement, trying to remain professional about the situation. She pictured in her mind what Jason would look like when he went into a meeting with a potential client or target and tried to emulate him. She spread her papers out on the table and started her speech.

Fifteen minutes later, Jason had to smile and Sophie stopped. “What’s so funny?” she asked, pulling the papers away.

Jason stopped her, covering her hands with his large, warm one. “Nothing is funny. I like this plan,” he said and pulled the papers forward again. “It’s obvious you’ve put a lot of work into this idea. Keep talking,” he encouraged.

Sophie continued to look at his smile and started to become flustered. “Jason, why are you smiling like that. You can be serious with me. If you think this idea is silly, just tell me.”

Jason leaned forward, pulling her hands across the table. “Sophie, have you ever known me to hide the truth from anyone?” he demanded.

Sophie wanted to shrink away from his intense gaze but she remembered her newfound desire to not be a wallflower and she held his gaze. “No,” she finally answered.

“Right. So if I tell you I’m impressed, then I expect you to believe me. Now finish your presentation. Please,” he said, almost as an afterthought.

Sophie finished, but she wasn’t as excited as she was before. There were too many thoughts going through her head and she couldn’t seem to concentrate anymore on the papers.

“You’ve done a lot of research and creative thinking. I like your idea but I think you should reconsider your advertising budget. It is too small. And you’ll need an office space as well. I don’t know what you were thinking about initially but you’ll need a large area for clients to sit down in if you want them to come to you. If you’re going to go to them, then you’ll need to factor in a car that is large enough to hold designs. Also, who is your target clientele? If it is the upper class, then you’ll need to invest in a larger area so you can have more inventory. You might want to consider a warehouse to store some of the plants.”

“If you’re looking for a more middleclass clientele, then perhaps they would want to wait longer so they can get a discounted price instead of the premium for immediate service others might demand. If that’s the case, you’ll need to research suppliers.” Jason continued to give her advice and even pulled out a pen from his pocket and handed it to her so she could take notes. Sophie frantically wrote down what he said but her mind was whirling with his business sense. He came up with several points she hadn’t even considered.

The meal was delicious but Sophie spent most of the evening asking him questions and getting advice. She was doubly amazed at how much he knew.

On the ride home that night, she looked surreptitiously at him through her lashes. Would he take her in his arms tonight? Or would he just slip into bed and go to sleep like he had for the past several nights? She was just about to ask him when his cell phone rang.

“Excuse me, Sophie,” he said, and his eyes showed genuine regret as he lifted the phone and started speaking.

She could tell that it was an urgent call and didn’t interrupt. But when she walked up the stairs that night, she considered everything he had said and everything she had heard over the past several days.

It was all so confusing, she could barely think. She pulled on another silk nightgown and slipped between the sheets. She tried staying awake until he came to bed, desperately wanting to talk to him about what she’d heard. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. She was feeling confident and angry enough that she actually wanted to challenge him on the situation.

Sophie was angry the next morning when she woke up and was alone. Again.

She dressed carefully, considering what she could do for the day. She didn’t have a job but she had a plan. Looking out the window, she noticed it was going to be a lovely spring morning and she was feeling very daring. Instead of pulling on a pair of jeans, she chose a green linen dress with small, yellow flowers embroidered around the neckline.

As she brushed her hair, she noticed that her eyes were sparkling more than usual. She was ready for a fight.

Walking down the stairs that morning, she ran into just the person she wanted to see. Evelyn was traipsing through the foyer as if she owned the house and Sophie gritted her teeth.

“Good morning, Evelyn,” she said politely.

“Oh! Sophie. I didn’t know you were still here. I thought you were probably out doing whatever you do when Jason isn’t here to pull you out of your mope,” she said distractedly. “Well, in any case. I wanted to let you know that I’m going to have a small luncheon here later in the week. I know you won’t mind,” she said. Without really even looking at Sophie, she simply walked through the foyer and into the dining room.

Five seconds later, Evelyn came back into the foyer, her eyes wide as she took in Sophie’s outfit. “My dear! What are you wearing?” she asked.

Sophie’s hands fisted at her sides and her chin went up a notch. “I’m wearing something that I like. I don’t really care if you like it or not,” she said.

Evelyn grimaced. “But dear, I think you look so much more…presentable when you’re wearing something that doesn’t clash so much with that hair of yours. Have you considered dying it, perhaps?”

Evelyn came forward and was about to touch Sophie’s hair but Sophie pulled back quickly. “Don’t touch me Evelyn. And as I said, I don’t care if you like it or not. This is what I’m wearing. So back off,” she said. Sophie stormed to the dining room and took a cup of tea, shaking with anger.

Evelyn came in a moment later, her eyes assessing the new Sophie. “So, you’ve decided to grow a spine, eh?” she asked, pouring her own cup of tea. “Well, that’s nice dear. It will be nice to have someone to crush again, once Jason tosses you out. So don’t get snippy with me, you sniveling little snail,” she sneered before taking a calming sip of her tea. “Otherwise, I might not be so kind when you come to me asking for money. Nor will Jocelyn once she gets her hands on Jason’s lovely money.”

Sophie gasped. “You’re not even going to hide your mercenary desires from me any longer, are you?”

Evelyn laughed harshly. “Why should I?” She took another sip of tea, obviously completely calm and in control. “You’re nothing, dear. You can play dress up in those ridiculous clothes all you want but it won’t work.” After taking one more sip, she set the cup down on the table before turning on her heal to leave the room. “Don’t forget to make sure the house is nice and clean for me, dear. Friday, I’ll be having my friends over.”

That was the final straw. She wasn’t going to take this sitting down either physically or metaphorically. She pushed the chair out and stood up to face the vile woman, her hair swinging over her shoulder as she spun around. “Why don’t you have them over to your house?” Sophie demanded.

Evelyn laughed. “Goodness, why would I? This house is so much nicer and roomier. Besides, Jason’s chef is wonderful. I’d have to cater something myself and it wouldn’t be as good.”

Without another word, Evelyn left the dining room, leaving Sophie to fume in impotent silence.

Storming out of the dining room without eating anything, she called Tim and asked him to take her to Jason’s office. During the whole drive, she considered all she was going to say and how she was going to say it. She would demand control of her house and her marriage. She hated the way Evelyn and Jocelyn just walked in, insulted her and then left, making her feel silly and useless. It was over.

Maggie smiled as soon as she saw Sophie. “Good morning, Mrs. Randal,” she said, standing up. “Jason is still in a meeting but if you’d like to wait in his office, that should be fine,” she said.

“Thank you, Maggie. That would be perfect,” she said.

“Would you like some coffee or tea?” she asked.

Sophie forced a smile onto her face for Maggie, who had only been kind to her since her marriage. “No thank you, Maggie. But I appreciate the offer.” After Jason’s secretary left, she paced the large office, fuming still over the way Evelyn had spoken to her. And what’s more, Jason never stopped her. She was sick of it. Jason always treated her with respect and she was going to demand it from the people he allowed into his house or she wouldn’t be there.

It was a good thing Jason hadn’t walked in earlier. As it was, she had twenty minutes to cool down her temper slightly before he walked into the room. “Sophie! What are you doing here today?” he asked. His eyes seemed excited initially, then they dulled when he took in her arms crossed over her chest. “What’s wrong? Do you need more money?”

“No. It has nothing to do with money,” she said and kept pacing. Now that the moment was here, she wasn’t sure exactly how to start despite the rehearsal she’d been going through in her mind only seconds ago. “I hate her Jason,” she spit out. And then she saw the look on his face and regretted her outburst. “I’m sorry, that was uncalled for.” She took a deep, cleansing breath and tried to start over again, but he walked over and put his hands on her arms.

“Don’t worry about what is called for or not, how about if you tell me what this is about. I don’t like you being upset and if someone is upsetting you, I’ll make sure it stops immediately.”

“You’re upsetting me!” she cried out and tried to step out of his arms.

But he held her firm. “What do you mean?” he demanded. His arms weren’t painful, but were firm. “I’ve given you everything you’ve asked for so if this is another speech about how you want out of this marriage, then forget it.”

“That’s not it. I just want my own house!’

“No. You live with me,” he said and stepped back himself.

She dropped her head in her hands in frustration and shook her head. “I’m sorry, this isn’t coming out right. I don’t want a separate house. I just want control of the one I’m living in. I know it is yours but I really detest that woman. She walks in like she owns it more than you do sometimes.”

“Who?”

“Evelyn. And I hate it, Jason. I’m not going to stand for it anymore.”

“What has she done now?” he asked, his hands were rubbing her arms softly and it started to distract Sophie. But she didn’t pull away.

“She walked in this morning and told me she was having a luncheon at the house on Friday. She even had the audacity to order me to make sure the house was clean and tidy.”

Jason’s hands stilled suddenly and an eyebrow went up, revealing his anger. “She said this to you?”

“Yes.” Sophie took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down so she could make sense to him and form a good argument. “Jason, I know that you and Jocelyn…well, I know that…” she stopped, not wanting to put to words what she’d overheard. “Well, suffice it to say that I know why I’m here but while I’m useful to you, I won’t have those two women in your house. They can have their little parties when I’m not there,” she said.