A Kiss To Remember..1(A Billionaire Romance) (5 page)

“Hey, sunshine, where are you going?” A hand grabbed my arm. It was Eyan.

“Please, Eyan, let me go. I am not in a good mood.” I looked down. I didn’t want him to see me crying.

“Come on, Trisha, they were just kidding.” He came forward and cupped my cheeks in his palms and lifted my chin up. “They are just college kids. They don’t know how to act with a cute woman like you.”

“Why do you want me to be with you when you can get hundreds of sexier girls than me?” I asked him directly. I never understood why he wanted me around.

“Because you are special, Trisha. You’re not like them. You are like untouched fruit. So clear and focused. You are innocent in ways you can’t imagine. I knew it from the moment I saw you.” His hand reached to my chin and pulled it up. He looked in my eyes, piercing to my heart.

I searched in his eyes, and I could only see the care, compassion and truth.

“I can’t go back there, not now. I’m sorry.”

“Okay, it was my fault. I didn’t expect them to behave like idiots. I am extremely sorry for that.” His voice was genuine.

“It’s okay, Eyan. I don’t belong here. Let’s forget this.”

“Please give me a chance to make up for this,” he pleaded. “Promise me you will come with me tomorrow.”

“Where?” I was not in the mood to accept any of his offers.

“Definitely for some work.” He chuckled.

“I don’t know if anything is pending,” I said.

He softly brushed his lips on my cheek. “Don’t think so much. It’s a deal, we’re meeting tomorrow for dinner.” And he simply walked away.

I stood there looking at his back. I’d been so busy looking in his eyes till now. His chiseled back looked like someone put one muscle on another with the lines between those. He looked so hot, so mesmerizing. It was far after that when I realized I had accepted an invitation for a date.

Chapter 8

“Are you crazy? Why are you going on a date with him? I’d already warned you about his character.” Melissa frowned at me as I looked in the mirror one more time.

I didn’t have many options, but I chose my best dress for that evening, a red satin cocktail dress. I also bought matching a bag and round-toed heels so I wouldn’t end up like the other day. I adjusted my breasts upward a little,, looking in the mirror. I was happy to look with what I saw.

“You aren’t even answering me.” Melissa reached for my hand and stopped me from twirling around like a teenage girl. “Why are you going out with him?”

That was the question I had no answer for. I didn’t know why I’d agreed to after the humiliation I’d faced in front of his friends. Maybe because he’d asked nicely.

“This is not even a date. He just asked sincerely for dinner.”

“What if I ask you to slap yourself tomorrow? Sincerely?” She looked at me, through the mirror, her brown eyes holding a hint of suspension.

“That doesn’t even make sense, Melissa.” I turned around to face her, reaching for her shoulders to pull her in a light embrace. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll take care of myself. And I remember what you said about him.”

She always acted motherly, and I liked it, but sometimes it was too much. But I could never hurt her. She was a gem and my only friend in town. When I was in need, she was the one who helped me.

“I just want you to be safe, Trisha, nothing else.” She wrapped me tightly in her arms. “You are like Sarah to me.” Her face softened.

“I’m not eight years old. I’m twenty-three.” My brow cocked.

“Really, and how much older do you think I am than you?” she asked.

“Fifty-five.” I giggled. I knew she was way younger than that. She had an eight-years-old daughter and I never knew her age, really, but she must be in her early forties.

“What the fuck?” She pushed me away and slapped my shoulder. “I’m just turning thirty next March.”

“You really don’t look like it,” I said. She looked older than she was.

“It’s a long story. Some other day, maybe. Just tell me if you’re sure about this.” She held my shoulders, looking into my eyes.

“Sure about Eyan?” I muttered.

She nodded her head.

For starters, I wasn’t sure about myself. What was really happening to me? I’d only known the guy for just three or four days and I’d already said yes to most of his demands. Whenever I was with him, something invisible pulled me closer to him. The way he talked, the way his lips darted to the left whenever he smiled, the way he looked at me with those hypnotizing eyes. Everything was unique, captivating, giving me the feeling that I was wanted by someone. But I hadn’t thought about where it was really going. When I was with him, I had no time to think about anything else.

“The last few days have flown like air.”

“I just don’t want to regret sending you there, Trisha. I can’t see your life ruined like others,” she said, sincerity clear in her voice.

“Don’t worry. I can handle this. This is not something serious I’m jumping into.” I was clear about this. From the things I’d been through, I’d experienced life more than any other girl of my age. “Now stop worrying and tell me how am I look today?” My eyes traced my curvy figure in the mirror. I actually thought I was looking good.

“Just like Cinderella.” She grinned.

I smiled back at her.

A car stopped outside. My eyes darted to the window. It was the same Ferrari, and in the driver’s seat, Eyan was sitting with black shades adorning his masculine looks.

“Looks like your Prince Charming is here.” Melissa’s eyes darted to my face.“Look at you, you’re blushing.”

“No, I’m not.” I tried to straighten out my face, but the smile was hard to hide. “Okay, I may be, but I think I should leave now. I’ll meet you tomorrow morning.” I hugged her lightly and walked out.

***

“Hey, sunshine.” Eyan jumped out of the car as soon he noticed me. He greeted me with a light hug and opened the car door for me.

He looked beautiful in his plain, white shirt. His sleeves were rolled up way more than usual, showing the curves of his biceps. His honey colored-hair was ruffled, as usual. But it all gave him a distinct look I’d never seen in any other man. He was smelling sweet, and I suppressed the urge to taste him.

“Good evening, Eyan. Where are we going?” I asked curiously.

“At least let me have a good look at you.” A brilliant smile appeared on his face. How could he be so mesmerizing every time I met him? He held me at arm’s length and his eyes started going over every inch of my body.

My face turned red. I had always been a simple, shy girl. But the way he looked at me made me felt special.

“You are looking so yummy. It would be hard to concentrate on road now.” Light words, but he pulled me straight into him. Maybe women liked to be praised from hot men like him.

“Whatever.” I wanted that conversation to end, because it was affecting me in ways I’d  never thought of. I never thought someone could seduce a woman just with mere words.

“What would you like to do before we start our work date?”

“Is it a work or date?”I giggled.

“Have you wanted to go out on a date with me?” He smirked.

“No, you said that.” He was implying some other meaning in my words.
Smartass.

“I said work date. Now you’re putting words in my mouth.” A strong and firm smirk appeared on his face.

I slapped his shoulder. “I would like to have coffee first. Let’s go to the bistro where we met first—indirectly. We can grab some stuff from my office and then we’ll go on the work date.” I winked at him.

“At your command.” He bowed his head and directed me to the car.

In no time, he was pushing the gas hard. I kept looking at the road from his convertible. It was amazing to ride through in real Ferrari. I’d only dreamed about it, but it was becoming a fact in my life.

***

The bistro was as crowded as it could get during office hours. We were lucky to find one table in the corner.

“What would you like to have, my lady?” Eyan asked. It was a self-service bistro, so someone had to go and grab the coffee.

“Hazelnut, with extra cream. Make it a double, please.” I licked my lips. I just loved the coffee from there.

“What are you having?” I wanted to know his taste.

“Not quite not sure. I don’t come here very often.” He was looking at the menu.

“Let me order for us, then.” I smiled at him and went to the counter. I was not sure about his taste so ordered him the same coffee as mine.

With a brief chat with the counter girl, I returned with two cups and a brownie on a tray. But I couldn’t believe eyes. It was hard to believe what I was seeing. Eyan was kissing a girl in the cafe.

I lost my balance and dropped my coffee tray. The sound echoed to every corner and everybody started looking at me.

I tried to regain my balance. I could remember all Melissa’s words. What was I really thinking when I’d thought of going out with him, when Melissa warned me again and again about him. I was taking it too seriously while he was just taking it casually. I was acting foolish, thinking about something could ever happen between us.
How could I be so stupid and naive.

Though he was not my boyfriend, I felt betrayed, insecure, cheated on.

He pushed her away when our eyes met. I looked at him once and then walked out of there. I needed to clear my thoughts. Thank God my office was there, so I could hide from him. I walked straight to my office and sat at my desk, holding my head in my palms. It was too much to take in.

My phone was buzzing again and again; it was from Eyan. But I didn’t want to talk with him. He was a jerk after all. He was with me and then he was kissing a girl in public. How could he do that so easily?

Chapter 9

“Trisha,” Eyan was standing in front of my desk. Thankfully, it was almost the end of the day and people were hurrying home. Though there were very few left, they were looking at him curiously. After all, he could be the next model for any magazine in the world.

“Hi.” I didn’t want any scene in the office when my boss could see me. He was the last person I wanted to see that evening. He’d just broken the fundamental law of any near thing to a date.
Dude, you can’t kiss a girl in front of another girl when you are supposed to be with her.

“
Why did you run off?” He was clueless. How could he be? I’d stormed out of there seeing him kissing a girl and now he was there asking why I’d left him.
What the fuck?

“Just like that.”My words were dry.

He pulled a chair and sat in front of me. “Don’t try to fool me, Trisha. Why did you leave when the evening was just starting?”

“What would you have done if you saw me kissing a man in front of you?” I asked.

“Why would you… Aren’t you single?” he asked. Then something flashed through his eyes. “That—you’re talking about Nita. She is a friend from school. We used to date each other, but there is nothing left between us. She still thinks I’m the same old cute guy from high school. She just can’t get over that. But don’t worry, there is nothing going on between us. I’m single.” He leaned on the table.”Trust me, please. There is nothing between us.”

“I really don’t care if you are engaged to someone. It’s not like I’m trying to get to you,” I said furiously.

“Did it hurt you?” he asked.

“What would you feel if I start kissing someone in public when we are supposed to be on a date?” I felt like throwing the coffee mug sitting on my desk at him.

“So it was kind of date, then.” He chuckled. He leaned back on the chair.

“And you messed it up. You kissed a girl when you were with another one,” I blurted out. I didn’t like the way he’d acted with that girl. Any justification was not enough to excuse his action.

“Okay, listen. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that and she just came and kissed me. I can explain things to you about her. Let me show you something.” He pulled my laptop in front of him. He opened his Facebook and searched for Nita. He scrolled through thousands of her pictures and stopped on one. “See this,”

I tilted the laptop back and checked the pic he was showing. There was a couple; both were around twelve years old. They both were wearing pink shoes and pink t-shirts. The boy resembled someone, especially his honey-colored hair.

“Oh, my God, is that you?” My eyes darted back to the picture and his face.

The color of his face had turned dark.“Unfortunately, yes. It is me, and she is not ready to delete that pic from her Facebook account. She had posted hundreds of pictures of me. She thinks that we will end up together. Well, that was the plan when I not even had a driving license. But things have changed. She is just clinging onto that one too long.”

“You should clear things up with her. A woman’s heart is a delicate thing, a very delicate one.” The words flowed heavy. I had a distinct past which I wasn’t so proud of.

“I should and I will.” His words were laced with sincerity. “But please, let me make it up to you. I’d planned a great evening, but I think I need to do more than this. What about tomorrow? A real date-date?”

“Are you sure, Eyan?” I wasn’t sure as this as the evening had blown up. He was attractive, smart, funny, but we’d only known each other for few days and jumping into a date was kind of odd to me.

“Don’t worry. It will be just a date. I wouldn’t take advantage of you. Now at least let me drop you home.” He stood there waiting for me to get up.

I followed him in a dilemma about whether to go with him next time or not.

***

He brushed his lips gently on my cheek when we stepped out of the car as we reached my home. I felt the warmth of his body entering mine. It was intimate; I could feel my core shaking and shuddering under his influence. How could I control myself? I had been single for so long. Not even a casual date. My body was craving him.

“I’ll let you know about tomorrow later.” I controlled myself. “Also I have some work to finish.”

“Don’t say no. Evy will be back tomorrow night, and then you will get too busy to find any time for me. I’m not taking no for an answer. Be ready—a car will be outside your door tomorrow morning,” he said and waved goodbye.

***

I was woken up by the horn of a car outside my house. It was very annoying, and that was a bad way to start my day.

I’d rented a small house in a suburb, it was two blocks away from Melissa and even my office was only six blocks away, easily reachable through the public transport. The most important thing about my house was the peace it brought me. It was not far away from my office, but not too close to traffic.

I forced open my eyes to take a look at the alarm clock; it was showing ten. “What the hell?” I threw my sheet away and jumped out of bed. It was way later than my usual routine.

I checked my cell, and it was full with messages and thirty missed calls from Eyan. Holy rap, how could I sleep like that? The car driver was getting impatient; it could be very well Eyan blowing the horn.
I should have been ready by now.

I walked out of the house in my pajamas. I wanted to stop that stupid horn and I was going to scold Eyan for disturbing the whole neighborhood. My forehead was creased and I was about to let loose on that stupid man. But, to my surprise, it wasn’t Eyan,. It was some kid honking for his friend. But a limo was standing outside my house, too. The moment I came out, a chauffeur walked over to me and gave me a note. I looked at him as he walked back to the car.

Good morning, sunshine. Get ready for our evening date. And don’t bother to pick up clothes. There is a surprise waiting for you at our destination. Just come with the chauffeur after you wake up.

I gazed at the chauffeur leaning against the limousine. He didn’t even look like a driver. If I didn’t know, I would have thought that the limo was his.

“Hi.” I waved my hand.

He smiled back at me.

I ran inside and washed my face, and changed into a pair of jeans and a top. I combed my hair a little and grabbed my shoes. I wasn’t sure what Eyan’s plan was for the date. And where was he was taking me. But I had decided to take a break from work and to enjoy my day.

I hopped in the limo. I didn’t even notice what road we were traveling on. I was buried in thoughts about Eyan.

“Ma’am, we have reached our destination.” The driver’s voice startled me. Last night had passed sleepless, as most of the night I was thinking about Eyan and if I was doing the right thing agreeing to the date. But by the wee hours of the morning, I gave up on my doubts and decided to go with the flow.

“Sorry, where are we? Where is Eyan?”

“I don’t know, ma’am. I was told to drop you here,” he said, keeping his face fixed like a stone.

I god out of the car and Eyan was standing there, grinning at me. He was just wearing a sweatpants and a t-shirt, but still he looked so damn hot. I could eat him just like that.

“Hey, baby, you finally made it here.” His grin turned into a soft smile. “Though it is not as early in the morning as I had planned, we still have enough time.” His eyes darted to his wristwatch.

“Sorry, I slept in a little extra today. Where are we, by the way?” I gazed around.

“We are taking a long spa day and then going for dinner.”

“But…” I didn’t get him. “What will we do till dinner? The spa wouldn’t take that much time.”

“You bet.” He just smiled and pulled my hand to walk with him.

We were at the finest spa center in Carmel. I remember Melissa mentioning it once. I had never even thought of coming to this place before. The building was huge and its interior was all of glass and falling water. The air was filled with some sweet aroma. Some classical instrumental music was playing in the background. It was the perfect place to get relaxed.

“How much does it cost?” I asked in curiosity. I knew it wasn’t going to cost him much, but I wanted to know.

“Don’t think much about the money, just enjoy.”

“I’ve to pay you back. I can’t take it as a gift,” I said. I knew it would put a dent in my salary, but it was fine for just one time.

He pulled me closer, pushing his nose in my hair. “You can pay it back by other means. Damn, you smell so good.”

I could feel his hot breath across my neck, his scent around my face. I pushed him away, “Repeat what you just said and see how creepy that sounds.” I giggled. “And I’m paying you back only with money. Don’t even think about anything else.” I grinned at him as we entered the massage section.

I was surprised when I entered the reception room. It was totally different than outside. It was a blend of modernism and natural tone. Everybody working there was uniformed and had tablets in their hands. Even for the waiting room, they had arranged the tablets and not newspapers. But the natural tone kicked in when I looked at the place. It was complete wooden; even the reception desk was made up of wood. No glass or concrete were used; at least I couldn’t see anything made up of it.

“Hi, Eyan.” A tall, handsome man came and shook hands with Eyan.

“Hey, bro.” Eyan did his boys’ thing, shake hands and then punch the next one.
Geez, how could they hit each other?
“Meet Trisha. She is helping Evy in the wedding arrangements.” He looked at me. “And Trisha, meet Tyler.”

I smiled at the tall man. He was handsome—tall, muscular, brown eyes. But compared to Eyan, he looked too mature.

“Hi, welcome to our family spa.” He smiled at me, his eyes going over all my features a little too much. “So, Eyan, how much discount you want this time?” He smirked at Eyan.

“Hundred percent. This lady insisted to pay me back the money I’m going to spend here. And I don’t like a beautiful woman spending money when I’m around.” Eyan chuckled.

“Whatever you want, Eyan. This whole spa is yours today.” He slapped Eyan’s shoulder, hard.

Eyan looked at his face in anger. I thought something went wrong between them, and tension rose in my body. But then Eyan laughed and hit his brother on his chest with a fist.

“You want a match? Like old times?” Eyan asked.

Tyler laughed. “Not today. A bit busy, but maybe some other time.”

***

Eyan had arranged a special spa treatment for me, called a mother of pearl treatment. Eyan was right—that was the lengthiest spa treatment I’d ever taken. It was exotic, a body rejuvenating and relaxing treatment. First my whole body was covered in some paste—they called it ancient mud—then it was scrubbed, and then the massage. I was too relaxed to think about anything, not even about Eyan.

He had opted for some other massage and was in the adjacent room to mine They even took care of my head and face. Goddamn, I was in heaven that day. I didn’t even notice how long I had been there. Spending three or four hours for body recovery, I was feeling very positive.

After that, one of the spa workers came with a lovely dress and a note in her hand.

A sunny dress for my sunshine.

It was a yellow evening gown, so beautiful and expensive. I had never worn such a dress before. I couldn’t have that; my mind rang with alarm. I simply refused to wear it and changed into my old jeans. I couldn’t accept any gift from Eyan.

Eyan came looking for me and was very surprised to find me in my old tank top. “What happened, sweetheart? Don’t you like the dress? We can pick up something else if you want, on the way.” He was anxious.

“No, the dress is very beautiful but I can’t take it. It’s very expensive and I am not used to accepting such gifts. Rather, I don’t take gifts. ”

I neatly packed the dress in the original box so Eyan could return it. “You can return it now.”

“But why? It was a gift. Remember Evy wanted me to give you a gift?” He shrugged his shoulders .

“Sorry, Eyan, I don’t take gifts.”

His arms reached and hold my shoulders, and he turned my face to him. “Trisha, it’s not costing me anything. If you are worried about the money, then please don’t be. I earn enough that I can afford this much.” I looked in his eyes; there was sincerity. Still, I couldn’t take the gifts from him.

“Sorry, I was being rude. I just don’t like gifts in general.”

“Whatever you want. You can quickly change your clothes at your house and we'll head for dinner.” His words were cold. He was angry with me. He released my shoulders and started walking outside.

I felt like I own him the real explanation. I didn’t like gifts. He had arranged so many things for me, and I was constantly declining them.

“I’m sorry, Eyan, but let me tell you real reason…”

“I’m listening,” he replied dryly.

I sighed hard. I was opening up to a person after a very long time.

“The roots belong in my childhood. My father died when I was very young. My mother wasn’t working before that. When he left us, it was difficult. We felt better if we could get a good meal.” That was a real difficult time for me. We had a home, but never had a complete meal. Mom had to work for hours to get us good food. Even the thoughts of that time tore up my insides.”