The Billionaire's Sextape: An Adult Billionaire Romance (9 page)

              “So you think that this man is worth it? I mean… haven’t you only just met him?”

              “I have only just met him. You’re right. But I’d like to at least give it a chance. And it has nothing to do with his fame or fortune. I really like him. Also, I do think it’s time that I left anyway. I have been saving up to go to college to become an English professor. I also want to become a novelist. Those dreams have never left me. I’ve almost finished paying back what I needed to pay back, and I feel like it’s finally time for me to move on.”

              “So, you’ve come here to say goodbye?”

              “I have. And to say thank you for everything. It’s so hard to leave something that has become your whole life for so long. But this is definitely my time. I’m sorry for telling you this so abruptly. I probably should’ve given you some warning, but I didn’t quite decide it officially until today.”

Greta stood up, so Delilah stood up too. “Well, Lilah. It has been a pleasure. I’d love to say that I’m happy to see you go – but I’d be lying. It always sucks losing one of my girls. Especially one that I like as much as you. But you’re a smart girl, and I’m glad you’re going to do something else with your life.

I have always had great faith in you. In fact, I’m surprised you lasted this long with us. I thought you’d be gone earlier. You’ve been a great addition to the family, and the girls will all be sad to see you go. I’m assuming you’re not staying for your shift tonight?”

              “If you don’t mind, I’d prefer not to.” It was the last thing that Delilah wanted to do. Once she had the idea in her head that she was leaving, she suddenly felt that she didn’t have the heart to go up and pretend any longer.

              “That’s fine. Go and say goodbye to all the girls, and do come back and visit.”

              “I will. Thank you, Greta.” Delilah couldn’t believe how good Greta had been with everything. She hadn’t expected it to go down so well.

              “No problem.”

Delilah turned to leave, but as she opened the door, Greta called her name.

              “Lilah?”

Delilah turned around. “Yes?”

              “You do know this means that if things don’t work out for you that you won’t be able to come back here? I only take on girls who take this seriously. I know that you girls won’t stay forever, but if I know that you’ve got it in your mind to go, then I’ll constantly be expecting you to leave. So this is it. This is final.” The kindness in her voice had gone, and a sharpness had replaced it. Her eyes no longer seemed warm.

Delilah gulped. This was it. There was no turning back now. “Yes, I know. Thanks Greta.” Greta never replied, so she quickly closed the door and ran out. She went to tell the rest of the girls and was awarded with hugs from some and standoffish ‘whatever’s’ from others.

But this was what she had expected. They hadn’t all been good friends there. Melissa ran up to her and hugged her tightly.

              “You did it!”

              “I did it. That was scary. But it went okay. I think. Well, there’s no turning back now. Greta was very nice, but she also told me that I wasn’t welcome back if I changed my mind.”

Melissa whistled. “Well, that’s a bit harsh. But maybe it’s a good thing. You don’t want to come back. It’s all about moving forward.”

              “Thanks, Mel. Good look with your interview, and come over later this week for that pizza.”

              “I will!”

Leaving Betsy’s was the strangest feeling that Delilah had ever experienced. The further away she walked, the more real it started to feel. The music from the place became softer and softer, and when she turned around, she could barely make out the bright lights, other than a distant blur.

It was still early, and she messaged James to tell him that it was done. She figured that no matter what happened from there on out, she was still glad that this part of her life was over. James replied immediately to say that he was sorting things out and that he’d pick her up for lunch tomorrow.

She had assumed that they would be going on a dinner date, and there was something soothing about the fact that it was just lunch. It made it easier to deal with. 

With the rest of the evening still ahead of her, Delilah wasn’t sure what to do with herself. She had no friends to call because they were all at Betsy’s, and the only person she really wanted to see was Melissa anyway.

So when she got home, she poured herself a deep bubble bath and climbed in with a glass of wine. She let the bubbles form around her and she closed her eyes. She hadn’t felt that relaxed in a long time.

That night, she slept soundly. When she woke up, she did an hour-long yoga session by herself in her living room. It was a practice she used to do every day but had gotten out of lately. She had forgotten just how good it felt to stretch her body.

She used to be so good at some of the poses that she even considered one day becoming a yoga teacher. But today, she was surprised by how little she could do and how stiff her body had become.

She made a mental note to start doing these classes daily. After that, she showered, had breakfast, and went for a walk. She passed the local café, ordered a coffee to go, and spent the next few hours idling around the area.

There was so much to think about – would she be going to college soon? Would she have enough time for a part-time job? Would she have enough money to get herself through college? Did she still have the same determination and drive to become a novelist?

Did she still have novel ideas in her mind, or had she shoved them too far back? Those were just the questions relating to her work and study situation. Then there were still the questions regarding James – of which there were too many.

She thought through all the questions methodically, and then she tried to clear her mind as she walked back home. By the time she got home, she only had an hour until lunchtime, and she was feeling better.

She put on a pair of jeans, a nice shirt, and a pair of sneakers and pulled her hair up into a high ponytail. It was a simple look, but she didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard.

She also knew that her white shirt looked good against her dark skin. It was a little trick she had learned through the girls at Betsy’s – finding clothes that complemented you rather than sticking to trends.

The doorbell rang on time, and when she went to answer it, James stood handsomely in front of her. He’d also chosen jeans and a t-shirt, but he’d added a black leather jacket which made him look immediately rugged and edgy.

              “You look beautiful,” he said.

              “Uh… thank you.”

              “Girls must hate you.”

              “Why?”

              “Because you make jeans and sneakers look amazing. Wow, nice place.”

              “Thank you. This was my parents’ place. The one I couldn’t let go of. It’s nothing special, but it has something about it, doesn’t it?”

              “It does actually. So, are you ready to go? I hope you’re hungry,” he said.

              “Please, I’m always hungry,” she replied.

              “Oh really?” he asked, while she grabbed her cardigan and locked the door behind them. “Is that because of your old job? Did you guys have to always stay skinny or something?”

Delilah laughed, “I can’t speak for the other girls – they might’ve done that – but not me. I’m always hungry because I love food – probably far too much.”

              “My kind of girl.”

James took her hand and she smiled at him. “Is everything okay?” she asked as they got to the car. She climbed inside, and he answered once he was inside.

              “Yeah, I think so. I’ll explain on the way.” He started the car and began to drive. Then he explained that the video had gone viral very quickly. “Everyone was talking about it, Lilah. Everyone. My phone has not stopped ringing, and I can barely go onto social media anymore without seeing my name everywhere.”

Lilah hadn’t realized this. She wasn’t even on social media, so she wouldn’t have known. She told him this.

              “Whoa! You’re not on social media? Not even Facebook? Twitter?”

              “Nope. I tried once but I didn’t see the point. I mean, I have no family, and the only friends I have are at Betsy’s. I didn’t want to socialize with the outside world while I was still working there, and I sure as hell didn’t want to see any of my old school friends.”

              “Maybe you did the right thing – because let me tell you, the internet world is brutal. Wow! I actually thought you would know all this, so I’m going to have to fill you in. Everyone was talking about it, and everyone wanted to know who you were. They dubbed you ‘The Mystery Girl,’ and it didn’t take long for someone to mention you were from Betsy’s.”

Delilah could feel her heart begin to quicken. “What? They already know? Oh no! I’m sure that didn’t go down well.”

              “Well, it wasn’t what I wanted, but we both knew that the truth would come out, so I was prepared for it. Anyway, I got called by so many magazines and newspapers that I finally agreed to sit down with one and have an interview.

I chose more of a high profile magazine rather than a gossipy one because I didn’t want them to twist my words. And I’d done an interview with them before, and they were very nice.”

              “All this has happened since I last saw you?”

              “Oh yeah. The internet doesn’t stop for anyone. It’s been madness. But that’s what it’s like – you’ll see, once we’re together a while it will all die down. When we break up, they’ll go a little crazy again with the media, and then they’ll forget about it and move on to the next person. Trust me – I’ve been in the limelight long enough to know.”

              “So how did the interview go?”

              “It went well. I told them the truth. Well, the truth that we had decided on. I told them that we had met at a café where we were both getting coffee. I said that we hit it off immediately and ended up sitting and drinking our coffee together. I mentioned that I then asked you out on a date.

Only after that did I find out where you worked and how you only worked there because of a family tragedy and the huge debt that came your way. And then I said that you had quit because you wanted to make the relationship work.”

              “It’s a good story. Did they buy it?”

              “Well, we’re in the papers this morning. And the headline was: ‘James and his Pretty Woman, Delilah.’”

              “’Pretty Woman?’ So that’s who we’re being compared to? I never even thought of that.”

              “Yeah. I’m your Richard Gere it seems. Well, Julia Roberts, are you ready for some lunch? We’re here. Just be prepared for some camera flashing if anyone does spot us, and remember, we are here on a date – so we mustn’t talk about our big plan. As far as they are concerned – we’re a couple.”

              “James, I’ve been pretending for many years. I can certainly do this. Also, I’m too hungry to care about much else.”

James laughed and the two of them made their way to the restaurant, James holding her hand the whole way. Delilah tried to smile, but she couldn’t help how nervous she felt. They found a secluded table in the far corner and sat down. Within minutes, someone had already asked if he could take their photo.

              “Well, at least he asked – most of the time they take the photos without asking, which means you end up in the papers looking like you’ve seen a ghost. Some of those flashes are so bright,” James was telling her.

The moment he told her that, she heard a click and saw a flash to her left. Someone had quickly taken a photo and then scurried off. The same thing happened a few seconds later. Delilah giggled, “This is so weird for me. So my boyfriend is quite the celebrity, isn’t he?”

              “I guess.” Delilah could see that he looked a bit uncomfortable, so she took his hand and squeezed it.

              “Don’t worry. We’ve got this. So, what are you going to have?” she asked as she opened the menu.

              “I was thinking of maybe having the avocado, bacon, and feta on a baguette. I had it the last time and it was amazing. I told myself that I’d try something new, but now I’m not so sure. It really was that good.”

              “Seriously? When I have a pizza, I always go for those toppings. I’m going to join you but have it on rye.”

              “I must warn you, Lilah Delilah – the sandwich is huge. This is not one of those fancy places that give you tiny, but pretty, portions.”

              “Oh, you underestimate me, Mr. Gere. First of all, I’ve never been to places like that. Secondly, I have never not been able to finish my food.”

              “Oh, this I’ve got to see.”

              “You’ll see. You’ll be eating your words along with your sandwich.”

By the time the food arrived, Delilah was surprised to see that a full hour had passed and yet it had only felt like ten minutes at most. James was very easy to speak to, and she was amazed she felt so much affection towards him. He was the type of guy that she had always said she didn’t like – he was good-looking and he knew it.