Billionaire Games (15 page)

“
S
o you and
your little distraction are really done for good, huh?” Nathaniel said.

“What the fuck are you talking about, Nate?” Simeon looked up at Nathaniel, glaring, and his friend nodded.

“I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, but I have seen it. Simeon Hayes fell in love, and from the looks of it things haven’t turned out so well,” Nathaniel said.

Simeon had never been more impressed with Nate’s gift for understatement than he was now. “Haven’t turned out well” didn’t tell the half of it. Simeon had been hollowed out completely, broken with the longing for Claire.

And worst of all, there was nothing he could do about it.

That last night at her apartment, as he’d held her, he’d made a decision.

He had thought he wanted her to suffer, but when he’d seen her pain in action, he realized he didn’t. All he wanted was for Claire to be happy, to live the life she had dreamed of with a man good enough to give it to her. And so he left, and forced himself to never look back.

“Chin up,” his friend said.

“Forget it, Nate,” he said.

A few hours later, Simeon found himself headed to the penthouse. He spent most nights there, now, and though it was a poor substitute for having Claire—no substitute at all, really—he still craved it.

Very little about the place had changed since she had been there, and Simeon planned to keep it that way.

As he rode the elevator up to it, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about the past, the time with her, and wondering what she was doing. But he wouldn’t allow himself to find out.

He’d kept ownership of the architectural firm, just in case he needed to somehow protect her, but otherwise he had managed to avoid all information about her.

Though he still craved it.

He wanted to know everything there was to know about her, but he couldn’t, wouldn’t, risk breaking down the wall he had structured.

And so he moved through his days, every day more a ghost in his own life, thankful for the time he had had with her but wondering how he’d manage to survive without her.

A question with no answer, so instead of trying to puzzle one out yet again, he went to the balcony, which was just as she had left it. He made his way toward it, but something caught his attention and he stopped quickly and then turned to look at the door as it opened.

Claire entered, almost as if she had walked in from his dreams, and he stared at her, mouth agape.

“Claire?” he asked, not able to keep the surprise out of his voice. The awe and relief either.

“Simeon. How are you?” she asked, watching him through hooded, wary eyes.

As she looked at him, Simeon noticed the little embers of worry in her eyes. He could understand her shock at seeing him. He hadn’t cut his hair as often, shaved as often since he’d seen her last, and he probably looked much like the unkempt street rat he had been before.

“I’ll survive,” he said.

“There’s more to life than survival, Simeon,” she said quietly.

“Yeah. You like to say that. How did you know I was here?” he asked.

Claire looked at him and said, “Don’t be mad, but I asked Alan.”

“I should fire him for that, but I won’t,” he said.

“Thank you.”

“So why are you here?” he asked.

His voice sounded edgy, but he tried to keep any hint of what he was really thinking out. He wanted her to say she was here for him, but as he watched her expression, he knew that wasn’t the reason. He watched her, saw the heaviness in her expression, and he stepped closer to her, concern filling him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She exhaled, then met his eyes again. “I don’t know how to say this Simeon, but I’m pregnant,” she said.

He felt as if he’d been punched in the gut. He’d known this was going to happen, but not so soon. And there was the question of why she was telling him. Maybe this was her payback for what he’d done to her, her chance to return his cruelty.

He breathed out and then finally found a way to speak. “The father. He doesn’t want anything to do with the baby?”

Simeon was torn between disgust and hope. Only a fool would send Claire away, something he himself was guilty of, but Claire and a baby? There was no fucking way he’d be so stupid.

“No. I don’t think he does,” she finally said.

Simeon watched her, realization clearing the fog in his brain.

“Wait. Me? I’m the father?” he said.

She lifted her lips in a humorless smile.

“You always think so highly of me, Simeon.”

“Am I the father?” he asked, his voice stern.

“Yes. I’m a little under eight weeks, so it seems this was your parting gift,” she said.

She didn’t look joyful, happy, any of the ways he had thought she would when he thought of her talking about his baby. But her happiness and his didn’t matter anymore.

“We’re getting married,” he said.

She shook her head. “No,” she said quietly, “we’re not.”

“We are,” he said firmly.

“Simeon, I would never try to keep you from your child, but I won’t play this game with you, not with so much at stake. So whatever this is between us, whatever it was, it ends now. We have to do what’s best for this baby, and being at war with each other is not that. So I’m going to try, but I’m not going to let you control me, or my life. I won’t be a bystander and let you run over me,” she said.

“Don’t try to fight me on this, Claire,” he replied, warning in his tone.

“I will fight you on this,” she said. “I will not marry someone who doesn’t love me, and you have to decide what you’re going to do about that,” she said.

He reached for her, but she moved quickly out of his grasp and he didn’t chase her.

And he stood frozen to the spot as she closed the door and left.

“
T
ake me to the penthouse
,” Simeon said to Alan after he got into the car the next day.

Alan was used to the routine now and didn’t bother to ask him which penthouse. He’d gone into the office, but the day had been a waste. All he could think about was Claire and the baby. Things were different now, and would be different forever, but Simeon felt himself getting stuck in the past.

When he arrived at the penthouse, he went to the balcony like he always did, so tired he could barely stand, but his mind still swirled. Claire was carrying his child. Soon he was going to have something he hadn’t even let himself hope for. But the shit between him and Claire hadn’t gone anywhere, and Simeon wondered if it ever would.

He put his hand on the glass window, remembering that first day. And remembering that inevitability brought him back to the day that had put all of this into motion those years ago.

“I could never love someone like him.”

The words replayed again and again, and Simeon tried to latch onto the anger that had fueled him, the rage and hurt that had given him the fire he needed to build a fortune. He was the aggrieved party; he had been wronged, but Simeon was willing to overlook that and try to build a life with her for the baby.

And she had said no.

She’d ruined him and now she was denying him a chance at a family. Was this another way for Claire to twist the knife, another one of her heartless games? He thought of the time he’d spent with her, the emotion that she had shown. Every time he’d looked at her face, the anger, the sadness, the pure bliss as he had touched her, they had all felt real.

But she’s a liar. That’s what she does.

That old voice sprang into his mind, loud and clear as usual, but unlike usual, not at all convincing.

He told himself over and over again that what he’d seen of her had been a part of her unending play. But something about that felt wrong. Everything he’d seen of her, even her insistence on not marrying him, had felt real, had felt like the Claire he had loved.

What if he had been wrong all these years? What if she wasn’t a liar? What if she was honest and true?

It couldn’t be, he couldn’t have been that wrong about her, couldn’t have wasted that many years…

No. There had to be some other explanation, but as he waited, none came to him. Something else did, though. Suddenly he remembered something she’d said to him once. She’d said there hadn’t been anyone else, that there had only been him. He’d dismissed it at the time, but now he reconsidered.

He curled his fingers into a tight fist as he thought.

Was it possible?

It seemed impossible, ridiculous even. Claire didn’t see her own beauty, but he knew others did. And as surprised as Simeon had been by her virginity back then, he would have been even more surprised if she hadn’t been with anyone since him.

As hurt as he had been, he hadn’t denied himself physical pleasure, and the thought of Claire having done so was something he could hardly contemplate. She was so beautiful, so kind, that Simeon couldn’t imagine her spending all of that time alone. It wasn’t possible.

He tried to reject the idea, but he couldn’t, and the alternative hit him like a punch in the gut.

Simeon might have made the biggest mistake in his life.

It was time for him to find out.

“One more stop and then you can head home,” Simeon said to Alan when they got into the car.

He knew Claire would be home, but he waited for a few moments after he arrived, trying to gather himself. So much hinged on this conversation, but no matter what, he knew his life would never be the same.

He actually knocked on the door this time, and waited, his heart booming in his chest, for Claire to open it.

She did but didn’t invite him in.

“May I come in?” he said.

Claire frowned, the skin between her eyes wrinkling.

“The baby?” he asked.

“Fine,” she said. “The doctor says this is all normal.”

He’d been so preoccupied that he hadn’t even thought about stuff like that. “I’d like to come to the appointments,” he said.

“Okay,” she replied.

When she still made no move to let him in, he asked again. “May I come in?” She hesitated, so he quickly added, “Just one question, Claire.”

She paused for another moment and then let him in.

After he came in, he looked at her long and hard, seeing, for maybe for the first time, the woman she had grown into. She was wise now, stronger than she looked, though she had always been that.

She was also hardened, something he realized was his fault, and something he hoped she would give him a chance to fix.

“What’s your question?” she asked.

“Have you ever been with anyone else?”

She looked offended, probably rightfully so, as she spat, “Why should I answer that question?”

“You shouldn’t. Not if you don’t want to,” he said.

“And why should I think you’d believe me if I answered? You think I’m a whore, anyway.”

“I never said that, Claire,” he said.

“You did. You may not have used the words, but you did, Simeon. So why would you take my word for anything?” she asked.

He heard the hurt that she tried to hide, and hated himself for having done that to her.

“I believe you,” he said, deciding not to explain to himself, figuring that she wouldn’t hear his words or understand his reasons for why he’d done what he had. Hell, he wasn’t sure he even understood them anymore.

Claire watched him, her face tight with anger, and then she finally spoke.

“No. I haven’t. Only you, Simeon. Only you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to rest,” she said.

Even though he’d been expecting her answer, the shock of it reverberated through him. Somehow, though, he roused himself from his stupor and navigated his way back to the SUV and sat inside.

“Back to the penthouse?” Alan asked a few minutes after Simeon had gotten into the car.

“Yeah,” Simeon finally said. “But can I ask a question first, Alan?”

Alan looked surprised and then said, “Sure, boss.”

“What kind of woman do you think Claire is?” he asked.

Alan again looked at him through the rearview mirror, but Simeon couldn’t read the other man’s eyes.

“You know, she asked almost the exact same question about you,” he said.

“She did?” Simeon said.

“Yeah,” Alan replied, nodding.

“What did you tell her?” Simeon said.

“I told her she should ask you herself,” Alan said.

“Are you telling me the same thing?” Simeon said.

Instead of continuing to look through the rearview mirror, Alan turned around to look to Simeon. “I probably should. But since you asked…”

Simeon braced himself for whatever the man might say. Alan had a keen sense for people, and Simeon wondered if Alan’s opinions would differ from Simeon’s own.

“Claire’s one of the good ones,” Alan said. “You can see it in her. At least I can. And you strike me as a rather smart fella, so I think you know it too.”

Simeon waited for a moment longer, watching Alan.

“Thank you,” Simeon finally said, and then Alan nodded, raised the privacy window, and then pulled off.

As he rode, alone in the back of his car, Simeon thought of all that had happened. He’d spent years, years away from Claire, had spent years wrapped up in the anger and blame, so much so that he had lost sight of everything else, even the kind, beautiful woman who had loved him unconditionally. And in his blindness, he had deprived them both of years together.

But they had a chance now. They could be together, he and Claire and their baby.

Simeon hoped it wasn’t too late.

“
C
laire
. They need you in the conference room,” Sydney said.

Instead of coming down, her friend had called, and Claire was grateful for that. She could hear the tremor in Sydney’s voice, and given her own state, she wasn’t sure she would be able to hold it together if Sydney pressed her.

Simeon’s visit the night before still had her twisted in knots. He had seemed so reflective last night, and though she hadn’t had the focus or energy to try to figure out the question behind his question, he had seemed sincere.

Claire shook her head and stood from her chair. She would never learn, would she? She’d thought him sincere before, but he’d proved her wrong time and again. But she had a baby to think about now, so she would need to be strong, be smart, something she hadn’t ever done when it came to Simeon.

So, during the short walk to the conference room, she focused on all the things he’d done, the ways he’d hurt her. He probably had something in mind even now.

He was going to fire her now, destroy her father’s business, try to take her baby from her. She didn’t care about her job, and she trusted her dad to take care of himself. But he wouldn’t take her baby, and he wouldn’t take her dignity.

She was done with Simeon, done with his games, and she would muster all of the strength and resources she had to protect her child and herself. Claire stepped into the conference room and saw Simeon standing, looking exactly as he had that first day. Her stupid heart still pitter-pattered when she saw him, but she ignored it and instead entered and closed the door behind her.

Her sex fluttered with need for him; her body still craved him on every level, but her mind was in control now.

“Yes, Simeon. You wanted to see me?”

“Yes,” he said.

He turned, glanced at her through eyes that were hooded and not lit with any emotion. So he was back to Simeon Hayes, distant billionaire.

Whatever.

“Would you state your business so I can get back to my project or should I start to gather my belongings?”

He looked almost wounded, something she noticed but chose to ignore.

“No need to do either. There’s just another piece of business we need to handle,” he said.

She watched him, suspicious and unsure where this was headed.

“Is this about the baby? What are you planning, Simeon?”

“Take a look,” he said, gesturing toward a folder that lay on the table.

“What is it? What is your trick?” she said angrily, emotion getting the better of her in this moment.

It felt so good to let go. For far too long she had held her tongue, but she wasn’t going to do that anymore.

Simeon glanced at her, looking almost sympathetic. “I understand why you say that, but this isn’t like that. Please just look,” he said.

“Fine. Let’s get this over with quickly,” she replied.

She walked to the table and opened the folder. Then she read, her eyes not believing the words that she was processing. Claire dropped the folder and then spun to face Simeon.

“What your angle?” she said.

He shook his head. “No angle. It is as it says.”

“And what’s your price?” she asked.

“No price.”

“So I’m to believe that you’re an altruist now, that you’re giving me an architectural firm out of the kindness of your heart?”

“You know I’ve never believed in altruism, but the firm is yours.”

“I don’t want your strings, Simeon,” she said.

“No strings, Claire. It’s a gift to you. I want you to have it.”

“Dammit!” Claire exploded.

He look somewhat taken aback, but Claire couldn’t hold it in any longer. She marched to him, finger extended, and then jammed it into his chest.

“You are such a fool, Simeon!”

“A fool?”

“Yes! A fool. I never wanted you to give me anything. I never needed you to give me anything! All I wanted was you! And you left,” she said.

Her voice broke on the last word, and an angry tear rushed down her cheek. She swiped it away, though, and fought back the others that wanted to follow.

She had meant it when she’d said she was done crying.

“Did I have any other choice?” he asked.

“Did you have any other choice but to leave me? Yeah, you had a bunch of other choices, like not breaking my fucking heart!”

“What about you, Claire? And what about my heart? I heard what you said about me,” he said, his voice tight, though Claire could hear the vulnerability underneath.

“What I said?” Claire asked, confused and angry and such a jumble of emotions that she could barely keep herself together.

“Yeah. You said you could never love someone like that. I heard you,” he said, his face twisted into a wretched expression. “I knew what you meant.”

“What?” she asked, completely confused now.

“That day. The day I ended the fucking charade that was our relationship. I heard what you said.”

Claire went silent, wetting her mind to go back, trying to remember. So much of that day and the days after was fuzzy. All she really recalled was before, when she’d been happy, in love for the very first time with a man from her dreams. And then in the blink of an eye, alone, crushed, her heart broken.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said.

“So now you’re going to pretend?” he asked, his expression now angry.

“I’m not pretending. Tell me what you heard, Simeon.”

He scowled at her and then spat his words. “You were on the phone when I got to your apartment. I heard you through the shitty fucking walls. You were saying you could never love someone like that and you were talking about me.”

He stopped and then glared at her. “I always knew you had your needs, rich girl. But I never understood why you lied to me for so long and how you did it so well. But I didn’t care. You could never love me, so I said I didn’t love you.”

It hit her then, the stupid throwaway conversation.

“You’re an idiot, Simeon. A fucking fool,” she said.

“I was. With you I was,” he said, looking almost wounded, but mostly defensive.

“For your information, I was talking to my mother,” Claire said, the memory of those moments before he’d crushed her rushing back. “She said you seemed distant, unfriendly. She wondered why. I disagreed with her and told her that I could never love someone like that, someone distant, unfriendly, not at all like my Simeon.”

She watched his expression as he processed the words, and then she kept going. “But you didn’t hear that part, did you? Couldn’t be bothered to listen or to ask. No, you just jumped to the worst possible conclusion because you didn’t trust me, and you didn’t trust how much I loved you.

“You hurt me because you were scared. But I don’t care anymore. You nearly killed me that day, Simeon. I thought my heart would literally stop beating. And all because you misunderstood.

“Well, I don’t care. You keep your firm and you keep your misunderstanding, Simeon Hayes. If it’s not about the baby, I have nothing to say to you.”