Page 41 of My Mystery Billionaire

I grin and with one finger of the other hand I show her quite clearly which button on the remote I am pressing. I look up at the art, saying “Behold, my beauty! I bring you art.”

And since I knew what would happen, I fix my eyes on her gorgeous face and watch the transformation as she sees my ceiling descend toward the center of my studio.

I have always left the center of my space vacant. And if ever any piece of furniture makes its way there, at night I just move it back against a wall. My bed descends into the heart of my studio and Beatrice gasps.

I have very rarely heard her whisper or even moan except during sex. She just naturally has one of these big Broadway stage voices that would never need a microphone. But now? She whispers, “Gadzooks,Hendrik! The bed is on apulleysystem?! Did you do this yourself? Ineversuspected anything was there except a ceiling that looks like Michelangelo painted it!”

As the bed settles squarely on the floor, bedding intact, I laugh and laugh at Beatrice’s flummoxed expression.

I don't think even Jared has seen this bed come down from the ceiling. Interesting that he, in all these years, has never asked me how I sleep.

He must assume that I sleep on the sofa.

I stand up with a flourish and wave an arm toward the bed. “Welcome, my Lady Fair, toourvery own Ritz Carlton suite.”

Then to my surprise, she stands up, turns to face me with her arms crossed across her voluptuous chest. With a stern, scolding look on her face, she demands, “Okay, Hendrik, Henry, Hank, Professor! How long did you think you were gonna wait for us to properly inspect and test out your Ritz Carlton bed? Empty your brain onto my lap with that answer, all right?!”

Then as she often did, she jumped me, roaring with her trademark guffaw.

“Gah-ahh-ah-ly!” I exclaim.

She locked lips with me and groaned, as she held my eyes in hers.

I saw the first tears pop out of her eyes.

I pull away from our kiss to ask, “What is it? What's wrong, my beauty?”

“I just never thought you lived like this. When Craig put all sorts of ideas in my head about you maybe being the elusive billionaire Hank Enders, I imagined you lived across the river on a big estate of your own. And that was why we never went to your home. I imagined that you had a house full of Playboy girlfriends fawning over you. I imagined you never brought me home because you were married with eight kids roaming around.”

That really tugged my heartstrings.

Don't feel guilty. Just come clean.

“I have only had two women in my life. Carly was the first, and I've told you about her.”

She asked me, “And who was the second?”

Why do I have a lump in my throat? Have I been that secretive? Is she messing with me?

I study her face.

Nope. She's dead serious.

“My beauty, there’s no ‘was’ about the second one. She's a woman named Beatrice Wills. I'm not sure you've ever met her even though she works in the same company you do. I know it's a big company, but still and all …Jeevers! You must have run into her in the hallways at least once, right? She's tall and luxuriously curvy. And if you haven't seen her, maybe you've heard her. She has this gigantic infectious, contagious laugh—you just want to laugh with her even though you don't know what the joke is. And certainly, she's got a nerdy reputation at the company that you’ve heard about. Heck! Even I know she's got a reputation among those hundreds of geeks as the All-Seeing Eye ...”

Please laugh. Please.

In one of her oh-so-rare whispers, “And what else? Maybe I have heard of her …”

Ah, whew.

“Well, let me see what you might have heard. I know that she picks up strangers at clubs. I'm not sure if she's still doing it, because quite frankly? I hesitate to ask. I also know that she can put away mountains of food if it's just the right kind. I know that she can talk for hours about tech without giving any secrets away. I know that she has a heart as big as her voice—I saw that when Papa was in the hospital.”

So smart guy, figure this out: Why are tears still rolling down her cheeks?

“So, my love, have you ever heard of her?” I look at her but I realize I’m holding my breath.

“Yeah, she does sound like someone I know,” and she breaks that grin of hers that fills me up with happiness every time I see it.

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