The Billionaire's Unlikely Bride (2 page)

             
“We should plan to have kids around the same time and then they can get married and we can be related.”

             
“Yeah, it would be nice to be related.” I smile at her wistfully.

             
“Here are your drinks ladies.” Peter passes me a drink and I thank him. Our fingers graze when I take it and we smile at each other.

             
“So Brittany tells me you’re from Iowa?”

             
“Yeah, Des Moines.”

             
“Cool.” He nods at me. I know he has nothing to say about Iowa. It’s funny. The rich crowd can always talk about a vacation in almost every country in the world but none of them ever had a word to say about Iowa.

             
“Yup. It was me and about a million corn fields.”

             
“Well, I like popcorn.”

             
“I like popcorn too.” I smiled at Peter. He was a lot nicer than most of Brittany’s other friends. I had never really been comfortable
around most of them. They seemed more concerned with comparing new shoes and handbags than talking about anything substantive. And I certainly didn’t fit in, I didn’t know my Gucci from my Mossimo and had never owned a designer pair of jeans or shoes.

             
“We should get some soon.” Peter watched me as he spoke.

             
“Yes, we should.”

             
“Maybe we can grab a movie.”

             
“Maybe we can.”

             
“Omg, you two, I am going to scream already. Just plan a date already.” Brittany flapped her arms around as she screeched at us. Sometimes she reminded me of a teenager as opposed to a
25-year-old
girl. I think it was because she was spoilt. She was my best friend and one of the best people I knew but she
acted like a little kid sometimes. It was her dad’s fault. He always gave her everything she wanted. In fact, it was because of her that I had been able to live with her
rent-free
for soo long. I’m pretty sure that he didn’t really want that. Though, I wasn’t really sure. I’d only met Mr. Rosewood about 5 times and he’d never really paid much attention to me.

             
“Elle, will you go to a movie with me next week Friday.”

             
“Yes, I will. Thank you for asking Peter.” And then we all laughed.

             
“C’mon guys. Let’s go dance.” Brittany grabbed our arms and dragged us onto the dance floor.
Laughing I followed her and we all started to dance. It didn’t take long for a tall man to grab her and they drifted off on the dance floor to bump and grind. The music playing was all top 40 R&B and I tried to keep up.

             
“I’m sorry,” I apologized. “I’m not the best dancer.”

             
“You seem like a good dancer to me.” Patrick grabbed me around the waist and proceeded to grind into me. I tried not to flinch away from him. I wasn’t really in
the habit of dancing intimately with strangers, but I didn’t want him to think I was making a big deal of the way he was moving.

             
“You’re a really good dancer Elle.” He whispered into my ears. I felt his hands on my butt and nearly jumped. Somehow we had made it to the side of the dance floor and he had me pushed up against the wall as we were dancing.

             
“I wish you had a skirt on.” He grinned at me as he continued grinding into me. “I’d lift you up right now and then you could wrap your legs around me.” I tried not to look too shocked at his words. Maybe he thought I was turned on by his talk, I mean it’s not everyday a modern day Don Juan wants to be with you. I tried to ignore him and just smiled as I danced.  It was when he started nuzzling my neck that I knew I had to take a break.

             
“Sorry, I, uh, I need the bathroom.” I pushed him away and almost ran off the dance floor.

             
“Yeah, I need to take care of things too.” He grinned at me and followed me off of the dance floor. I nearly cringed but tried to keep my face calm. Maybe it was me. Maybe I was more of a prude than I thought. I hadn’t dated in over a year and because I didn’t believe in casual sex, I also hadn’t made love in that long either. While I didn’t know Peter well enough to know whether or not I could see him as a husband, maybe I should at least think about a casual relationship with him.

Chapter 2

             
We got home around 1am. We all were going to brunch at Brittany’s dad place the next day and knew we couldn’t show up with a hangover. I let Peter give me a long kiss as we said goodbye and
had to put up with Brittany’s squealing all the way home.

             
“I knew you guys would hit it off.”

             
“Yeah, thanks for the introduction Brit.”

             
“So, I should tell you something, prepare you for tomorrow.”

             
“Uh, yeah?” My heart started beating.

             
“So Olivia…” She paused.

             
“Yeah?”

             
“She’s a bit of a snob and a bitch?”

             
“Okay.” I was puzzled as to why she was telling me this.

             
“So she may not approve of you and Peter.”

             
“Oh, okay.”

             
“I just want you to be prepared. Just in case she’s mean.”

             
I laugh. “Oh Brit, it’s okay. She has nothing to worry about.”

             
“Well, if you guys get married she’ll be your mother-in-law.”

             
“That’s a big if Brit.”

             
“Well, you should…”

             
“Hey, I’ll worry about it if it comes to that, ok?”

             
“K. Night Elle.” And with that Brit went to her room to call Mark before she fell asleep. It took me a while to get my makeup off before bed. I thought about trying to write for a bit but dismissed it. I then thought about Olivia. What if Peter and I did start dating, how would I feel if she hated me? I laughed to myself, Brittany had been encouraging me in stupidness, it was highly unlikely that Peter Branford, a billionaire, was going to fall in love with me and want to marry me, very unlikely indeed.

             
             
             
             
             
***********

             
We got to the Rosewood house a little after 11am. Brittany’s dad had his driver come and pick us up. Elliott Rosewood lived about an hour out of Manhattan and I absolutely loved Brittany’s childhood home. It reminded me of my home: only much grander. I was excited to see Peter in the daytime to see if we had a real connection or of it had just been the alcohol that had him acting so friendly towards me.

             
We walked into the entryway with the housekeeper Mrs. Heath there to greet us. Brittany gave her a big hug. “Mrs. H, I’ve missed you.”

             
“It’s been too long Ms. Brittany. You must come home more often.”

             
I nodded my head in agreement. I would love to come here more often with her.

             
“Where’s Dad?” She questioned
Mrs.
Heath.

             
“In his study as always Ms. Brittany.”

             
“Okay, let’s go say hi to Dad Elle. Thank God Olivia isn’t here yet.” I followed Brittany as she
went running up the stairs. My heart started pounding as we walked towards the study.

             
“Dad,” Brittany rushed into the study and gave her dad a hug. Elliott Rosewood stood up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “How’s my princess?”

             
“Good daddy. Elle’s here with me.” She nodded towards me.

             
“Hi Mr. Rosewood.” I smile at him.

             
“I think you can call me Elliott now Elle.” He smiles back at me but seems a bit reserved.

             
“Okay Mr. Ros, I mean Elliott.”

             
He lets Brittany go and comes over and gives me a hug as well. “I may as well give my favorite girl’s best friend a hug as well.” He says as his puts his strong muscular arms around me. He draws me close to him and I put my arms around him too. As he squeezes me close to him, I am aware of my breasts pressing against his chest. He feels warm and solid. We hold the hug a little longer than polite and then he lets me go. I feel a sense of loneliness as he lets me go.

             
“How are you Elle?” He looks at me intently as he asks the question.

             
“I’m pretty good, thanks.” I stare back at Elliott. It was easy to see where Brittany got her good
looks.
He was gorgeous, about 6 feet with dark hair and blue eyes. He looked as if he hadn’t shaved in a few days and the stubble made him look really sexy. He was 45 and looked every inch of his years. He was mature, intelligent and reminded me of George Clooney.

             
“Elle’s going to be married soon Dad,” Brittany started babbling excitedly.

             
“Married? Really?” Elliott looked at me in surprise. “Well congrats. Will I get to meet the lucky man?”

             
“I’m not really…” I started.

             
“It’s Peter, Olivia’s son.” Elle interrupted me.

             
“Peter?” he questioned. “Olivia didn’t tell me he was dating anyone.”

             
I blushed, “Well that’s because we aren’t actually dating.”

             
“
Ha-ha
, okay so I exaggerated a little. They aren’t getting married yet, but I’m pretty sure that once he gets to know her a bit better it’s going to happen.” Brittany grins.

             
“I see, so you want to get married Elle?”

             
“Well, not at…” I start again.

             
“Of course she does dad. We’re not all like you you know.”

             
“I see.” Elliott looks as though he doesn’t want to be in this conversation.

             
“And they already had their first kiss,” Elle bursts out. “I tell you it will be marriage soon.”

             
I went to die of humiliation. I didn’t want Elliott knowing all of my personal business. I didn’t want him to judge me.

             
“
Well good luck to you on your impending nuptials Elle.” Elliott smiled at me but his eyes looked at me curiously. I wish I knew what he was thinking. The fact was that I had had a crush on Elliott for years, in fact from the first
time;
I’d ever seen him. He’d been the only man who had ever made my heart race just thinking he was nearby. In fact, the first time I had met him, I hadn’t know
that he had been Brittany’s dad. It was the single most exciting night of my life and yet it could never happen again.