Page 61 of Billionaire Romance

I nod my head. “You’re telling me. All because I’m an idiot, day-dreaming klutz. I never knew that that could be a good thing.”

“Oh my God,” Iris says. “I didn’t connect the dots before now. Aurelia’s is owned by Bianca Marshall. I don’t think I ever knew she was connected to the card company. Holy shit. If you guys get married, I want to be able to take my clients there.”

I choke on a piece of lettuce, but manage to swallow. “Iris, we’ve been on one date, and I’m going to a party because I owe a debt. We happened to have chemistry, and maybe, maybe we might have sex. That’s a long way from marrying someone.” But even as I say it, I know that it rings wrong. It’s not just chemistry. It’s something deep and unexpected, something that I can’t put a name to. But even if that is true, I haven’t even known him a day.

Given that, everything that’s happened is kind of embarrassing, and I tell Iris that. She shakes her head. “Why? You went out with a guy you liked and he made you come. Do you think it’s embarrassing for him?”

“I—” I freeze, thinking through what I’m actually saying. “No, I guess not.”

Iris shrugs, taking a bite of her sandwich. “So you had a one-night stand without the full stand. Even if you had, it wouldn’t be embarrassing.”

“Thanks.”

“If you end up fucking in the dressing room at Aurelia’s, I’m going to die.”

My eyes go wide. “That’s not going to happen! That’s basically the whole reason he stopped. I get the feeling that if anything happens, it’s going to be in a bed. Which is daunting in its own kind of way.”

She makes a sound that’s very inappropriate for where we’re sitting. In public. “God, I bet he has a great bed.”

“Iris.”

“Oh, and you didn’t say, did you feel him? Like how big?” I can’t even speak, but I think the red rushing to my face is answer enough because Iris is laughing, and I’m hiding my face in my salad. “I’m teasing you,” she says. “But seriously, I think this is so good for you. You need a man who’s not going just run away. It’s stupid, and they need to get their shit together. But it looks like Eric already has his shit together.”

“Yeah,” I say. I would agree. The way he touched me, like he knew how my body would respond better than I did, the way he kissed my skin and tangled his hands in my hair…God. I can’t think about that or I’m going to be wet and wanting when I see him and that might end up with us fucking in the dressing room. I’m not exactly opposed to exhibitionism, but two sexual encounters in public spaces in twenty-four hours would be a lot for me.

So I shove the thoughts of my orgasm aside to keep for later when I have my vibrator handy. There’s no chance that’s not happening.

We spend the rest of lunch chatting, and me deflecting Iris’s teasing about Eric. But all that does is make me want to see him more. I want to find out if seeing him in person is going to elicit the same kind of response that it did last night. So once we’re finished, I head out to Aurelia’s. I know where it is—every woman in the city knows where it is. Because we all secretly want to shop there. I never thought that I’d actually get to.

I hesitate before I go in. This is a store that celebrities shop in. And rich people. Not me. Not people who just had a failed interview and are wearing a suit that was a hand-me-down from my sister because I couldn’t afford to buy a new one. But Eric said that he’d meet me here at noon, and it’s almost that time.

Taking a deep breath, I go inside. I’m immediately struck by how classically beautiful the store is. The window displays are a curated chaos of flowers making up gowns for Valentine’s Day, but the interior is sparse and white with clean lines and open spaces. It smells delicious and because of the way it’s set up, it almost feels like you’re stepping outside instead of in.

The displays remind me that Eric hates Valentine’s Day, but I still don’t know why. It doesn’t make sense to me. But I’m not sure that’s something that I’ll be able to ask him about so soon.

There’s a woman standing there in a crisp black suit, and she’s looking me up and down. I can already see in her eyes that she doesn’t think I belong here. And I don’t, really. But I don’t see Eric anywhere. Maybe I should have just waited outside. I peek at my phone, and it’s 12:01.

My first thought is that it’s a trick and that he told me to meet him here to embarrass me. But that’s not true. My gut tells me that Eric wouldn’t do something like that. God, the men I’ve dated really are horrible people, if that’s my go-to assumption.

The woman clears her throat and takes a step forward. “Can I help you?”

“Um…no,” I say. “I’m just waiting for someone.”

She smiles in a way that’s not entirely friendly. “I’m sorry, our store is by appointment only.”

“I know, I just—”

“She’s with me,” Eric’s voice comes from behind me.

I turn and smile at him, relief flowing through me. That was probably about to get really awkward. “Hi.”

“Hello,” he says, and the smile he’s giving me puts honest to God butterflies in my stomach. Holy shit. Eric leans down and kisses my cheek softly, and a burst of heat shoots through me.

I guess that answers the question of whether or not I’ll react the same. Just the soft brush of his lips and his hand on my arm has me ready to be back in that club hallway.

“I’m sorry I’m a few minutes late,” he says. “There was some traffic. I trust that isn’t a problem?” He glances at the woman, who’s looking between him and me with a kind of dawning horror.

She’s realizing that she was about to be rude to the guest of one of her really important clients. I watch as she schools her face into a smile. “Of course, Mr. Marshall. Miss Bianca informed us you’d be stopping by. You can follow me.”

---