Resisting the Billionaire Collection (27 page)

Damn, damn, damn, damn,
damn.
His thoughts raced.
Slow down, don't be such a patronizing
asshole. 

He led her out back in a daze. All he could
feel now were jitters as she followed him through the darkness of
the back of the shop and then out into the late afternoon
sunlight.

They stood for a moment in silence.
Amazingly, it didn't feel awkward. As tense as he was, still her
demure, self-contained presence made him feel like everything was
okay. It was just like when they had first met and he had dealt
with the angry customer. Something about her had a calming effect
on him, even though he was excited and nervous, more than he had
been in an age, still her presence could make him connect with
something deep and calm inside himself. His true centre, the
essence of who he really was.

He had never met anyone like her before.

Not even...

Could that really be? Not even Melanie? The
woman he had obsessed over day and night for the last year?

Alison stared at him and
felt her heart beat faster. She hadn't been this excited standing
near to anyone in forever. Brad had never made her feel this way;
protected, wanted. Everything with him was
'hey, whatever babe, I'm easy.'
He
had been so understanding of her smoking. If she wanted to quit he
would support her. If she wanted to smoke then that was okay too.
She had been waiting for that cigarette for two hours, but suddenly
she couldn’t care less. All she could feel now were the schoolgirl
jitters as she struggled to find something coherent to
say.

Despite the long silence, somehow neither of
them felt awkward. As tense as Alison was, still the calm,
confident presence made her feel like everything was okay. Just
like when they had first met and he had dealt with the angry
customer. Something about him had this effect on her. She was
nervous, but it was still okay.

"Oh!" She said, suddenly remembering that
she had forgotten to bring up that rescue of his first day on the
job. "I never did thank you."

"Thank me for
what?"
What could you possibly have to
thank me for? 
He thought. He was
stunned. In reality, he wanted to get down on his knees before her
and thank her for being the answer to all his dreams.

She smiled and his heart missed another
beat. 

God, you are such a
perfect gentleman.
She thought, and
couldn't help but smile. There were probably ten other girls
gossiping out front now about her alone time with Daniel. She would
take her sweet time on this non-smoke break.

"Thank you for saving me the other day."

His brow furrowed.

"Remember? You said you were a manager and
totally settled that guy down."

He looked concerned. He remembered alright.
The guy was lucky to leave Tête-á-Tête with a full set of teeth let
alone a coffee on the house. It had been one of the hardest things
he had ever done. The court case and lawsuit would have been well
worth it to teach that guy a lesson. They still would. Couldn't the
ungrateful peckerhead see that he was being served coffee by an
angel?

"That asshole didn't annoy you again did
he?"

"No, not at all."

"Because next time I might not be so nice to
him."

Oh, shut up
Sebastian.
He wanted to clamp his jaw
shut. Everything that came out felt wrong.
This girl is way too classy for that. What are you? Some
caveman who beats up strangers to impress his girl with? Goddamn
it, what is the matter with me?

But Alison felt her heart beat faster again.
 

"It's okay." She said. "He's been really
nice since then."

Daniel glowered. "Not too
nice I hope."
I. Will. Kill. Him.
He thought.

Her heart was pounding now. God, she could
have used those Camel Lights right about then to get herself under
control. What the hell did Mr. Gorgeous mean by that? This sounded
like some kind of crazy jealousy, but they had only just met. Was
she misreading signs? Getting excited about nothing like all the
other silly girls in the shop? Anyway, she was committed to Brad
until further notice.

"I mean it." He said, trembling with
palpable jealousy. "He gives you any trouble, you just tell
me."

She looked down to the ground and his heart
went weak again.

Oh no.
She thought. 
Please no. What
the hell is wrong with me?
There were
tears coming to her eyes again, for the second time this week and
she didn't even know why. She looked around but there was nowhere
to run.

"Are you okay, Alison?" Daniel's voice was
full of concern. Way too much concern for a colleague she hardly
even knew. It only made things worse and the tears began to come
faster now.

Oh my God.
He thought. His breath was lost in his
throat.
Those are tears...

"Alison, Alison, come here. Come over here."
He put his big arms around her and hugged her to his broad chest.
He wanted to make her feel completely protected, totally cared for,
as though nothing could ever happen to her in his arms. He prayed
she wouldn't feel his growing boner struggling to stand erect in
his tight pants.

This is crazy. She needs me. We should be
together. Please God, make this boner disappear, please God. I'll
give a million bucks to save the whales -- anything -- just please
don't let me blow this one. 

She didn’t move for
several seconds. Despite the craziness of the situation, she felt
so safe in his strong arms, so…
loved?

This is crazy. I don't even know this
guy.

She pushed herself away from him. 

Oh God, no!
A jolt of fear ran through him.

"I'm so sorry, Daniel. I don't know what's
come over me. You'll have to forgive me." She turned to flee back
into the shop but stopped as soon she saw MJ glowering at them.

"What's going on here?" MJ asked sharply.
The feisty little redhead meant business but Alison pushed passed
her, making a beeline for the ladies’ room.

"You better not have hurt her." MJ warned
Daniel. He gave her a lost and confused look. "If I have, then I am
so, so--"

"Just shut up and get back to work. I'll
sort this out."

"Yes ma'am." He said. For once in his life,
the cocky Mr. Billionaire playboy was absolutely lost for words. He
wandered back out to the front counter wondering what had suddenly
gone wrong.

God almighty, can't I do
anything right? 
 He
thought.

The café was busy with customers sipping
their freshly brewed coffees but no one needed serving. Sebastian
stood dazed at the counter trying to collect his
thoughts. 

Goddamn it, this whole thing is
crazy. 

At least his boner was well and truly gone.
Two minutes too late, but gone at last.

MJ followed her friend to the bathroom.
Alison was locked in a cubicle. MJ knocked on the door.

"Alison? Alison. I know it's you in there.
What did that bastard say to you? I will so fire his sorry ass if
he's hurt you."

There were sobbing sounds from inside the
cubicle.

"It's not that, MJ. Leave him alone. It's
nothing he did."

"You better tell me what that asshole said
to you or I'm going back out there and can his ass right now." She
was dying to; in fact, nothing could have given her more
pleasure.

The cubicle door opened.

"Believe me, it's nothing he did. Nothing
bad anyway."

"Oh Jesus, Alison. Come on, don't tell me
you're falling for this guy like all those silly little bitches in
heat out there. I thought you were smarter than that. Come on, come
on back outside, get some fresh air, have a smoke and we'll talk
about it. Is it something Brad did again?"

She put her arm around her friend and
escorted her out back.

"Now talk. Come on, out with it. I'm
waiting. Where are your Camels?"

"They're gone."

"Huh?"

"He threw them away."

"Who did?"

"Daniel did."

MJ was taken aback for a moment.

"He said I didn't look like a smoker."

"Is that so?"

"He did me a favor last week."

MJ's expression clouded over. Brad had done
her 'favors' as well. Useless ones, like bringing home stray
animals and then not looking after them or buying her things with
money he didn’t have and then borrowing the same money from her
later on. God, she hated him and every deadbeat, good for nothing,
useless, freeloading guy like him.

"What did he do for you?"

"He pretended he was a manager--"

"He what?" She was livid. "He is so goddamn
fired."

Oh shit, me and my big mouth…

Alison started to back pedal as quickly as
she could.

"He did it for me and he totally calmed this
asshole down. He was so kind, so cool. And he never even spoke
about it afterwards. He totally made it seem like nothing when I
thanked him."

"He won't thank you when he's walking out
the door with his final paycheck."

"Don't you dare, MJ. If you fire him then
I'm walking too."

MJ's jaw dropped. Things were already worse
than she had thought. The slimy loser had wasted no time in fooling
her innocent friend.

"He's just a good guy and well, I teared up
for a moment, like I did with you a couple of days ago. I don't
even know why, MJ. All this crazy stuff with Brad not coming home
for days and never having enough money and, well, I guess it’s
getting to me more than I realized and then Daniel was there--"

"How opportune."

"And he just put his arm around me--"

"He what? Like sleazy, sexual harassment put
his arm around you?"

"God MJ, no, it was nothing like that! For
God's sake he was just being nice. But you know how I am when I get
emotional, it only made things worse."

MJ thought quickly. She knew what a romantic
her friend was. If she fired the guy then it would only make the
situation even more serious. Alison might quit and then it would be
even harder to help her. Hell, she might not even be able to fire
him anyway, unless she could track down the customer who he had
fooled into thinking he was a manager.

“
Okay, honey." She said
softly. "Maybe this guy isn't so bad. I mean, at least he's a
non-smoker, not like that walking bag of weed Brad."

Alison smiled. "Brad doesn’t smoke weed."
She said. But she knew MJ would never believe her.

"I'll let this one go because it's you. But
let's get this straight: the guy is a loser. You got me? In the
relationship stakes at least. A loser. L.O.S--"

"I know how to spell ‘loser’, thanks."
Alison looked at her friend and smiled. She couldn't help but to be
warmed by her friend's genuine concern and by the crazy protective
look in her eyes.

MJ didn’t smile back. "I want you to say it
to me." She said. "Repeat those words and then I’ll be happy."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"No way Josefina. I’m deadly serious. Now
you look me in the eyes and you say those words or Mr. Pretty Trash
Guy is on the streets so fast it'll make your eyes water. Now
repeat after me, 'the trash-boy, Daniel, is a sweet guy, but he's a
goddamn loser.'"

Alison smiled at her crazy, lovable
friend.

“
Okay," she sighed, "if
it’ll make you happy."

"Ecstatic."

"Here goes then." Alison lifted up her head,
took a deep breath, and threw back her beautiful long, blonde
hair.

"The trash-boy, Daniel, is a sweet guy, but
he is just a goddamn loser." It was so ridiculous, so crassly
superficial, so totally MJ in her crazy protective way that she
laughed outright. MJ's face stayed deadly serious.

"Huh?" Alison said. When she looked around,
Daniel was standing right beside her.

Chapter Six

"Hi, uh... I just came back out to see how you are."
His eyes looked hurt, confused. He was struggling with his
emotions. He could see the look of shock in Alison's eyes. She
obviously hadn't expected him to be right there behind her.

"I guess you're doing better now though." He
stepped back inside and left the two women alone together.

It was busy back in the shop so he went
straight back to work. 

Maybe she's just like all
the rest.
He thought.
But she seemed so different.
He
still wanted to believe there could be an explanation for her
words.

"What'll it be, sir?" He asked the young man
in front of him. 

"Tall latte to go."

Alison went to follow him but MJ stopped
her.

"Alison, don't."

"Are you kidding me? We were just so mean to
him!" She pulled her arm from her best friend's grasp and followed
Daniel through to the front of the shop where he was already taking
a customer's order.

She stood next to him, watching him
intently, waiting for him to finish, trying to read his
emotions.

Why is this suddenly so
important to me?
She asked herself.
He's just a guy at work for Christ’s
sake.

She stared at him, tall, strong, powerful,
working away at his station as though nothing had happened.

Jesus Alison, guys have feelings too. Even
guys at work.

As soon as he was free, she put her hand to
his arm.

"Daniel, I'm so sorry." She said. "I really
didn't mean that. We were just joking around."

"Some joke." He said. "You and your friend
MJ have a great sense of humor."