Condemned (Beauty And The Billionaire Geek Book 2) (2 page)

When someone knocked at the door, I slipped my robe back on. Uma led Billy, the computer guy from yesterday, into the front room. When he saw me, he stopped dead in his tracks and stared. Even though I had the robe on, I felt totally naked under his gaze. I pressed my lips together and nodded in greeting.

Marcus put his arm around Billy’s shoulders and led him to the office. After Billy was settled in the office, Marcus had me change into a wispy opaque white negligee and panties. We moved to a different set with a black velvet curtain. This shoot was more subdued than the last one and less risqué.

The time passed quickly. I felt comfortable for most of it, except when I remembered Billy was just down the hall in the office. After Marcus took his last shot, he told me I could get dressed. I went to the bathroom and put on my street clothes. When I emerged, Billy stood with Marcus in the hallway, explaining that Marcus had somehow deleted the scanner’s driver and that Billy had needed to reinstall it. He then said some technical stuff I didn’t understand about why it had taken so long.

Billy went to the kitchen and filled a glass of water from the sink as Marcus handed me a check for eight hundred dollars, scrolled out in his dramatic handwriting.

“I’d like you to come back for a client’s contract next week. It’s a lingerie shoot for a local designer. I sent them your photos. They love your look. We think you’re right for the campaign. The pay is double what you made today. But it’s an outdoor environment. It will be harder, and I’ll have a much larger crew.”

“Sure, it sounds good. What do I need to do?”

Marcus turned to the kitchen counter and picked up a packet of papers. He handed me the contract and explained it briefly while Billy leaned against the sink, drinking his water.

“We’ll be shooting in an industrial park. There might not be a lot of privacy, and the outfits are… rather niche. It’s basically classy bondage gear. You’ll have hair and makeup there and a private trailer. Can I count on you?”

“Eh. Am I going to be nude in public?”

“No, not exactly. The client wants a few topless shots. It isn’t public, just not exactly private.”

I shrugged. “Okay.” It sounded like it would take all day and at four hundred dollars an hour, I didn’t think I could pass it up.

I took the papers from Marcus and promised to bring them back tomorrow after I’d read them. He gave me a friendly pat on the back and showed me to the door while Uma clicked through images on a laptop in the sitting area. Billy came out the door behind me just before Marcus closed it.

I looked up and down the street, trying to figure out which direction would get me to downtown Fremont. I put my hand over my brow, shading my eyes from the sun. Billy took his helmet out of the back of his Vespa and strode over to me.

“Need a ride?” he asked.

“I was going to take the bus home, but I’m not sure which way to go. I’m kind of turned around.”

“I can give you a ride to the bus stop. It’s just down the hill.”

I put my hand on my hip and squinted. He had a nonthreatening vibe about him. His cuteness contrasted with the desperate dorkiness he seemed to exude. It made me like him.

“Sure, why not?”

I got on the back of his scooter and we zoomed through the neighborhood and down the hill to the main business district of Fremont. Curio shops and upscale restaurants mixed with hip clothing stores, bookstores, and cafés. Billy parked his scooter next to a bus stop near a green and gray cinder block drawbridge that crossed Portage Bay. 

The neighborhood was alive with pedestrian traffic. A street musician played energetic Spanish guitar on the sidewalk as Billy helped me off the scooter.

“You want to get a bite to eat?” he asked hopefully.

“Yeah. It’s not like I have anything to do now. Where?” I looked around, having no clue what was good.

“Do you like sushi?”

“Never had it.”

“Really? Where are you from?”

“A small town in California. California isn’t all movie stars and surfers you know,” I said, laughing.

“I know.” He seemed wounded, like I’d insulted his intelligence.

“I grew up in hippie land on the redwood coast. We didn’t get out much.”

“There’s a great place down here.” He pointed to red iron stairs that led below the street. I had to admit, I was curious about where they went.

“Alright. I’ll try anything once.”

As we stepped down the stairs, I could feel his body next to mine. I liked the way he seemed to be magnetized to me, yet he kept his distance. I had a sense that I could get him to do almost anything for me, which was strange because we’d just met. I flipped my hair and giggled, laying it on thick. His eyes grazed over me, and it made me feel invincible.

Billy held the glass restaurant door open for me, and we strolled inside. After Chris’s harassment, and having to leave my home and job to get away from him, it felt nice to have a sweet guy treat me so chivalrously. Billy wasn’t the athletic type I usually went for, but that didn’t matter. He was exactly the type I needed right now to remind me that guys could actually be decent.

We sat at a counter with a conveyor belt full of plates topped with sushi. I was instantly overwhelmed. I had no idea what to do. Billy pulled two plates from the belt and sat them in front of us. “California rolls for the California girl. It’s cooked crabmeat and avocado. Can you use chopsticks?”

“Yeah. We had Chinese food in Leggetville.”

“Okay, let me help you avoid a novice sushi mistake. See that green stuff that looks like putty?”

“Yep.”

“That’s called wasabi. Don’t eat it plain. It’s extremely hot horseradish. What you do is rub some on your roll and then place it at the back of your tongue so it doesn’t burn your mouth. There are less sensitive flavor receptors back there. You get the warmth and flavor without the pain.” He demonstrated as he explained and popped the roll in his mouth.

I picked up a colorful roll with the chopsticks and copied what he’d just done. The flavors burst over my tongue and the horseradish rose into my nose and sunk into my stomach, clearing out my sinuses along the way. My eyes burst open.

“Good?” he asked.

“Yeah. This is amazing. Thanks for showing me.”

I kept eating until my plate was empty and pulled another plate from the belt. Feeling more courageous, I took one of the raw fish looking ones. It was just as delicious as the roll.

“What are you doing in Seattle?” he asked as I shoved my fourth salmon sashimi in my mouth. I chewed, thinking of what to tell him.

“I came here to go to school. Everything kind of turned into a disaster though. Are you from here?” I said changing the subject.

“Yeah. I grew up in Lynnwood. I’m getting a Master’s in computer science at UW. I’ll graduate at the end of the fall semester.”

“Computer science, huh? Are you going to be like Zuckerburg or something?” I said laughing. I plucked another plate from the belt, adding to my growing pile. I hadn’t realized I was so hungry. Billy was easy to be with, and I didn’t mind stuffing my face in front of him.

“You never know,” he said under his breath, taking a sip of green tea. His tone made me wonder. It was like he had a secret or something.

“What?” I asked, wanting to draw it out.

“Nothing.”

“They already invented Facebook, Billy.” I giggled.

“The Internet isn’t like Highlander.”

“Heh?” What the hell was he talking about?

“It’s a stupid sci-fi reference. This show, Highlander, ‘There can be only one,’ Highlander, that is. There can be more than one social network.” He seemed totally flustered, and pink rose in his cheeks. I’d embarrassed him. How adorable.

“That sounds like a great sales pitch.” I didn’t know why I said it when I already had him squirming. He was obviously way smarter than I was. He’d probably seen me naked, and he’d taken me to have sushi, which was my first decent meal in days. I should try to be nicer. 

“I have to work on that,” he said as if he had something to actually pitch.

“You’re doing that again. What is it? Are you building a social network or something?” I wanted to know. Mostly because I could tell he felt uncomfortable. I found it intriguing. I knew guys thought I was attractive, but guys in my life generally had all the power.

There had been nonstop gossip about my mom’s suicide, Claire’s pregnancy and Regan’s bipolar, drug addict antics. Regan had been working on the title of “town slut” until she was sent to a rehabilitation facility two months ago.

Needless to say, the local boys might have liked to hang with me, but they didn’t show me a lot of respect. Still, I knew my life belonged to me. Not even my circumstances could dictate my identity. Nothing anyone said determined who I was inside. I’d always known that, even after mom died, and my grades started to plummet, I knew I had control. I knew I could wallow in self-pity as long as I wanted and then pull myself out again. And I did.

When I decided to move to Seattle, it had been my way of exerting the control I knew I possessed. Unfortunately, moving here had not gone according to plan. Not by a long shot.

“It’s nothing,” he said changing the subject. “What are you studying in school?”

“Oh. I’m just taking general ed. so I can transfer to UW to major in dance. I want to be a choreographer someday.”

“What kind of dance do you do?” he asked, looking at me with hungry eyes.

“Hip hop, modern, some ballet. I’m out of practice since my mother… For the last two years. I’ve only been able to work out once in a while when Stacy could get me into the gym. Or at home, which wasn’t a great option. I plan to get on a decent training regimen when school starts. There is a gym at the community college and they give fitness dance classes. It will at least keep me moving.”

“What happened to your mom?”

“Nothing,” I said, wiping my mouth. He had his secrets, and I had mine. I didn’t feel like talking about it. I’d eaten six plates of sushi and had started to feel like a blimp. I hopped off the chair and started toward the cash register. He followed me and shoved cash at the unsuspecting server. The server took the money and closed our bill.

“I have money,” I said, following him out of the restaurant. He headed up the red stairs, without asking me to pay him back. Fine, if he wanted to pay for my food, good for him. Not like I had an eight hundred dollar check in my wallet.

“Do you want a ride home?” he asked. I thought about it. I didn’t want him to see that I lived in a seedy hotel. Why did I suddenly care what he thought of my living conditions? I knew I liked how he looked at me and how it made me feel. I didn’t want to break the illusion of me as a super glamor girl. If stuffing my face with sushi hadn’t already done that.

“Nah, I’ll take the bus. Look, my bus is here now. I’ve got to go. Thanks for lunch.”

“No problem,” he said behind me as I jogged toward the bus stop.

My line pulled to the curb, and the doors swung open. I glanced back as riders filed out. He stood in the middle of the sidewalk, the guitar player still strumming down the street. The lilting notes mixed with the sound of the crowd and the beating of my heart. Billy’s face was filled with longing and sadness. I felt a pull toward him with such force I almost walked back.

Somewhere deep down, I knew he could touch me in ways I’d never felt before. I shook my head to clear the crazy imaginings and gave Billy a goodbye wave before boarding the bus. I paid and walked to the back where I looked out the window. Billy still stood on the sidewalk, holding his helmet, staring at the bus.

His gaze rose to the window, and our eyes locked. I put my palm on the cool glass and watched him as we drove away. Turning around in my chair, I felt lost and dazed. Why did I care what he thought of me? Why did I feel so connected to this nerdy dude I’d just met?

I sighed and crossed my arms. I had money in my pocket and a belly full of sushi. Even if I didn’t understand my infatuation with Billy Black, it had been a good day.

I made it back to the hotel in the late afternoon and sat at the end of my bed watching television. Agitation itched my brain. I couldn’t sit still. We needed to get the hell out of this hotel. School started on Monday, and I really wanted to move into a new apartment, like now.

Stacy came home as dusk fell and walked into the hotel room, bringing the harsh scent of car exhaust into the room with her. She collapsed into the chair by the window and frowned.

“We need to get out of here,” I said.

“You must be reading my mind.”

“Have you found an investor yet?” asked David as he looked at the website over my shoulder.

“I just finished the code last night.”

“The site is ugly as dick though, Billy. You need to seriously do something about that. But don’t wait to patent this and find investors. What you have is remarkable.”

“I just sent the patent in this morning, and I’m looking into investors today. I know it’s ugly. With work and everything, I haven’t had time to work out the design, besides that, I met a girl.”

“A girl, huh?” he said raising his eyebrow. “Billy, I’ve known you for three years and you have never once been interested in a girl.”