The Deal : Billionaire Romance (3 page)

Chapter 5

  Robin has never been a morning person.

  No, that’s not true. Her mother has always told her that she used to wake up at ungodly hours to jump on the couch and watch early morning cartoons, the very same cartoons she had watched the night before.

  Now though? You’d have to be crazy to try and get her out of bed before seven.

  And that’s exactly what happened. A crazy, self-indulgent and very, very rich man has her up and now she’s sitting at the airport at four thirty in the morning.

  And he’s nowhere in sight.

  She grabs onto her curved neck pillow as she sinks herself lower into her chair, kicking her feet up onto her carry on suitcase as she closes her eyes.

  Robin opens them again, glancing around the terminal as she hears the sound of heavy footsteps and a loud, coughing sneeze. She sits up, pulling her pillow off her shoulders as she watches her boss walk towards her, his body draped in a heavy sweater as dark sunglasses rest on the bridge of his nose.

“Good morning.” She says, forcefully, raising her eyebrow as he sits down beside her.

“Shhhh…” He shushes her, wiping his fingers over his eyes under his sunglasses before slowly dragging them down his face, over his stubble.

  He scratches at his sharp jawline, clearing his throat as he looks around the room.

“No coffee?” He asks, taking off his sunglasses to reveal the bags under his eyes.

“You’re late.” She says, twisting her body towards him. “You were supposed to be here an hour ago.”

“An hour ago?” He says, glancing over to the clock on the wall.

“I’ve been completely by myself.” She says. “If we’re going to pretend to be married, then you can act like a pretend husband and get your butt up.”

  She sniffs the air, the smell of liquor hitting her nose.

“And you smell like a hobo.” She says, shaking her head. “And you look like one, too.”

“Yeah, I’m a little hung over.” Kurtis Yates says, taking a deep shaking breath. “Nothing I can’t fix up on the plane.”

“Why did you get so drunk, if you knew our plane leaves at five in the morning?” She asks, crossing her arms over her chest as she turns her attention towards the large window, gazing out of it.

“I hate flying.” He says, scratching his scalp.

“You fly all the time. I book your tickets.” Robin says, scrunching up her nose.

“And?” He says. “Doesn’t mean I love being tossed through the air in a metal box.”

The plane is nearly empty as they make their way to their seats, the other would-be passengers clearly making the better choice to stay in bed.

“Thank you, sweetheart.” Robin hears Kurtis say to one of the flight attendants as she helps him put his bag in the overhead storage.

“Please.” Robin says, grabbing her boss by the wrist as she sits down. “I think it’s a little early to flirt with the stewardesses.”

“Not a morning person even in the slightest, are you?” He says, sitting down beside her and sinking into his seat.

“Not a ‘wake up at two to board a plane at five while listening to your boss flirt the whole time’ kind of person.” She says, gazing out of the little window. “I get it. If you got it, flaunt it. But I’d just like one day where you don’t push your sexual prowess in my face.”

“Jeez.” He says, shifting in his seat. “It’s gunna be a long trip, isn’t it?”

“I can go if you want.” She snaps back.

“Look, sorry.” He says, clearing his throat. “You’re right, it’s early.”

  They wait in silence as a few more people filter down the isles, both of them nodding on and off.

“So, how did we meet?” He asks, rolling his head lazily against the seat as he turns to look at her.

“Does it matter?” She asks, sighing deeply out of her nose.

“Well, people are probably going to ask about it, right?” He chuckles, raising his eyebrow. “May as well come up with a good story.”

“I was your secretary.” She huffs, uninterested. “Sprinkle a little bit of truth in with our bold-faced lying.”

“So, you have the chance to basically make up a new life and you’re still a secretary?” He asks, shaking his head as he looks forward.

“I really don’t care.” She says firmly, pulling her neck pillow higher up beside her ears.

“Fine.” He says. “You can be a secretary. Seems kind of boring, though.”

“Just make something up. Tell them I’m shy. I don’t care.” She says, closing her eyes. “But for right now, just stop talking. I just want to make it through this flight.”

Chapter 6

  Robin’s stomach turns as she gazes out the window at the passing palm trees before shuffling over the seats of the limo to the other side of the car to sit beside Yates.

“This is actually happening.” She whispers, resting her hand on her stomach. “I could throw up.”

“Please don’t.” Kurtis smirks as he rests his arm against the back of the seat.

“She’s not even my real mother in law, why am I so nervous to meet her?” She asks, as she lets out a deep, shaking breath.

“Don’t worry, she’ll love you.” He says, straightening his polo shirt as he bends forward to look out the window, the towering hotel coming into view as they enter the lush grounds of the resort.

“Oh, God…” She whispers to herself as she feels the vehicle come to a stop, watching out the window as a flood of bellboys emerge from behind the glass, hidden at first by the reflection of the setting sun.

“Don’t blow it.” Kurtis says, resting his hand on her knee.

  She shakes her head, her eyes widening as he chuckles.

“I’m just kidding.” He says, patting his hand before opening the door and getting out.

  He bends back over, looking into the car and watches her slide over.

“It’s a vacation. Enjoy it.” He says, smirking as he grabs her hand to help her out.

  She nods her head, watching as he turns away from her and reaches into his pocket, pulling out his wallet. He discretely hands a few folded bills over to one of the bellboys, thanking him as the others disappear back into the lobby with their bags.

“Alright.” He says, running his fingers through his dark hair, feeling the breeze against his scalp. “Let’s go.”

  She follows closely behind him as they walk up to the heavy glass door of the hotel lobby before stepping through the doorway as he holds it open for her.

“Thank you.” She whispers, turning around to wait for him.

“Of course.” He smiles, his eyes trailing away as she watches them light up as she hears a high pitched shriek coming from behind her.

“My baby!” Robin hears as she turns around, barely able to watch the rush of a woman as she runs past her and wraps her arms around Kurtis’s chest.

“It’s been so long!” The woman says, her voice muffled as Kurtis wraps his arms around her, holding her close.

  She pulls away, holding him at arm’s length as she looks up and down.

“And look at how handsome you are! Ah! It’s been years!” The woman says, clapping her hands together before resting them under her chin. “You look just like your father.”

  Robin smiles as she adverts her gaze to her shoes, letting out a small giggle as her boss’s mother turns around.

“And you…” She whispers, covering her mouth with her hands as her eyes well with tears. “You’re the wife aren’t you!”

  Robin looks up, smiling awkwardly as she shrugs her shoulders before nodding her head as the woman steps closer towards her, filling the gap between them before pressing her hands against Robin’s cheeks.

“Oh, she’s beautiful!” The woman exclaims, turning her head back to look at a blushing Kurtis before pressing her forehead against Robin’s. “Just beautiful!”

  Robin wraps her arms around his mother, squeezing her closely as she rubs the palm of her hand up and down her back, her heart sinking slightly in her chest as she feels the frail woman’s skeleton through her shirt.

“Oh, I’m so happy Kurt finally found someone.” The woman says, gently stroking the back of her fingers against Robin’s cheek. “I thought that poor boy was never going to marry. Uh!” She exclaims pressing the palm of her hand against her chest. “It kept me up at night, I swear!”

  Robin glances quickly over towards her boss as his mother pulls her in for another hug. She bites her bottom lip as she gazes into his unfocused eyes as he looks past them.

“I never did catch your name though, sweetheart.” His mother says, pulling away as she reaches down to hold her hand. “You know how busy he gets! Never has enough time to relay this sort of information to his dear old mom.”

“It-it’s Robin.” She says, pausing as she feels his mother begin to pull her away.

“What a beautiful name!” The woman exclaims, walking in the same way she came. “Come now.” She says, turning back to wave at her son. “We’re all just making our way to dinner. You must come and eat with us.”

“Mom, we should probably get up to our room first.” Kurtis says, following behind them closely. “It’s been a long day.”

“Nonsense.” She says, reaching over to grab his hand before beginning to pull on him, too. “It’s been years, Kurt, there are people who want to see you! You can wait to get settled until after we eat!”

“Of course, mom.” He says, smiling softly at her.

  Robin watches, gazing back towards him as he looks forward, his eyes narrowing and his jaw tightening as they make their way towards the hotel restaurant. He catches her looking, his eyes quickly softening as he flashes her a quick, almost sad smile.

“Thanks.” He mouths, his voice silent as they enter the dimly lit restaurant. 

Chapter 7

  Robin sits back in her chair, her eyes closing as she slowly sighs out of her nose, the roasted lemon potatoes taking her to another place as she chews.

“It’s good?” Kurt whispers to her, his voice barely audible over his happily chatting family members surrounding them.

“The best thing I ever tasted.” She whispers back as she digs her fork into a piece of spicy baked chicken, the meat falling away from the bone with ease before she brings it up to her mouth.

“You’ll like that even better, I’m sure.” He says, smirking as he distractedly waves at his little cousin across the table. “No one comes here for the potatoes, but that chicken’s been on TV.”

  She moans quietly, letting out an embarrassed giggle as the flavours dance around her tongue.

“That one’s my favorite, for sure.” She says, digging her fork in again before bringing the second bite up to her lips.

“I’m sorry.’ She hears coming from across the table. “I’ve forgotten your name.”

  She looks up as she quickly chews the meat in her mouth, before swallowing.

“It’s Robin.” She says, reaching her hand across the table to shake.

  The woman grasps her hand, holding it gently as they shake up and down.

“I’m Nicole.” The woman says as she pushes up her glasses. “I’m Kurt’s aunt, his mother’s sister.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Robin says, reaching again for her fork.

“Speaking of meet.” The woman says, waving her hands in the air as she tries to hush the table. “I want to hear how you two met.”

“Oh…” Robin says as she reaches for her water glass. “It’s such a boring story.”

  She takes a sip, glancing over to Kurt as he places down his fork.

“Work.” He says, breaking the silence. “We, uh, met at work.”

“Are you a consultant at his firm?” The man beside Kurt’s aunt asks as he wipes his cloth napkin over his mouth.

“No.” Robin says, shaking her head as she places down her glass before wiping her fingers, wet with condensation, against her pant legs. “I’m a secretary.”

“Oh!” Kurtis’s mother gasps, bringing her hand over her mouth. “Do you work for my son?”

“Mhm.” She nods, smiling sweetly at his mother as the woman grabs her hand.

“How romantic, huh?” Her boss’s aunt says. “I bet you didn’t even realize you were soulmates, brought together by the universe.”

  Robin let’s out a nervous giggle, unsure of herself as she quickly looks over to her boss.

“Yeah, I guess.” She says, nodding her head.

“I bet it was love at first sight.” Kurt’s mother says as she picks up her glass of wine, swirling the deep red juice under her nose.

“Oh, I don’t know about that…” Robin says, her voice trailing off. “One thing lead to another, I guess, right?” She asks, looking over to her boss, desperate for an escape from the conversation.

“Mmm.” He says as he swallows the food he was chewing. “No, no way.”

  He shakes his head as he rests his elbow against the table, a coy smile upturning his lips as he turns towards her.

“Definitely love at first sight.” He says, resting his cheek against his hand.

“Oh, you think so?” Robin asks, her eyes widening as Kurtis rests his hand on her shoulder.

“Absolutely.” He says, nodding. “The only reason I hired you.”

“Oh, so it wasn’t because of my impeccable resume?” Robin asks, her eyes narrowing as he gently massages her shoulder.

“Not at all.” He says, his voice low.

  Robin’s cheeks flush as the table hushes, nearly silent as he brushes the back of his finger against her cheek.

“It was these blue eyes.” He says, brushing his finger up before hooking her hair behind her ears. “And the way your hair just does whatever it wants.”

  He smirks as he reaches under her chin before leaning forward.

  Robin’s heart flutters in her chest as her boss presses his lips against hers in front of everyone, his tongue gently brushing over her bottom lip as her jaw begins to slack

  She gasps as he pulls away, her face fire red as she brings her shaking fingers up to her lips.

“No, it was definitely love at first sight.” He says, grabbing his fork before puncturing one of the potatoes and bringing it up to his mouth. “For me, anyway.”

“Aww.” His aunt sighs, bringing her hand up to her chest to rest over her heart as everyone goes back to finishing their meal.

  Robin reaches back for her fork, letting out a shaking breath to calm her trembling fingers as the heat from her face makes her heart pound even harder in her chest.

  She glances over at Kurtis, watching him laugh out of the corners of her eyes as he talks with his uncle.

  Who would have thought a kiss from a jerk like him would be so tender?