The Billionaire From Los Angeles: A BWWM Billionaire Romance (United States Of Billionaires Book 9) Read online

  With that, he held his glass out to her, and though she was shocked, she was entranced as well, enchanted by him and his unusual approach, and she laughed and touched her glass to his, toasting him as well.

  “We’ll see what may come,” she answered, not wanting to spoil the fun, sweet mood. “Cheers.”

  “And cheers to you, Tami. Now that we’re old friends, I feel it’s only my duty to tell you how stunning you look in this dress. I just can’t get over it. Is it new? It’s perfect for you. How clever of you to have worn it for such a special occasion as we’ve had today.” He grinned at her and gave her a wink.

  She laughed again, loving his sweet and friendly personality. “Well, I suppose I had to be at my best, didn’t I? For such an auspicious occasion?” she teased him in return and sipped the champagne. It was far and away the best that she had ever had. If happiness could be tasted and swallowed, she was doing it.

  “My goodness, that’s delicious,” she remarked in surprise, looking at the champagne. “I didn’t realize there could be such a difference!”

  “It’s like wine or coffee or chocolate; there is always a difference in quality, but my darling, I would only ever give you the very best, especially today.” He chuckled and winked at her again, and she laughed once more.

  “This is certainly the best that I’ve ever had,” she admitted.

  He leaned a little closer to her, his green eyes intent on hers. “It might be, but you’ll have better, that I can promise you.”

  She raised an eyebrow and looked at him curiously. “And how do you know that? How can you promise me that?”

  “Because I’ll buy it for you. I’ll make sure that you have it.” He looked ahead of them in the distance, their eyes meeting in the mirror behind the bar back. “Picture this. Gently rolling hills nestled into the heart of France, blanketed in pristine rows of green vines, set in a vineyard that has been lovingly worked and handed down through generations over centuries, as each custodian of the great place has perfected his craft of creating the world’s finest champagnes while blending the traditional practices in with the new.

  That kind of time and work and history goes into the best bottles of bubbles in the world, and I can tell you, sitting on the veranda overlooking the estate, sipping champagne and watching the sun set on it all is nothing short of a dream come true. You’ll love it. It’ll be one of our favorite places.”

  “One of our favorite places?” she asked doubtfully.

  “Oh, unquestionably. The family there has been close friends of mine for a very long time. There’s always a feast spread, and the welcoming arms of friends. The halls ring with laughter and song, and the champagne flows in golden rivers. You will love it.” He turned and smiled at her, and there was something in his gaze that she couldn’t quite pin down.

  “Do you know, I can’t tell if you’re kidding or not.” She said it with astonishment. She couldn’t. It was the sincerity that she couldn’t pinpoint. She wasn’t at all certain if he meant it or not.

  “I’m not kidding.” He gave her a wink and smile and sipped his drink.

  Her mouth parted slightly as shock shimmered through her. “But… you don’t know me. You have only barely just met me. How could you say something like that to me and be serious?” She still wasn’t sure that he was serious, but he certainly seemed to be, and she had a sneaking suspicion that he was.

  Shane turned fully to her then and leaned one arm on the bar, facing her and letting his eyes take in everything about her. She suddenly felt the overwhelming sensation that to him there was no one else in the room, or even on the planet, his focus on her was so singular and intense. It was deep and mesmerizing, as a rapture of the deep might be.

  “Tami, I’ve been all over this world several times, and I can promise you that I have seen women of every age, size, shape, ethnicity, socioeconomic situation, and lifestyle. There is very little that surprises me now in my life, but you are different. There is something about you that is rare and quite beautiful. Something that attracted me to you the moment I saw you walk in here, and that almost never happens to me.

  That is why I had to come and meet you, talk with you, find out who you are, and make a beginning for us. That is why I can talk with you about taking you to France and sharing something like that beautiful vineyard with you, because it’s possible, because I can, and because I want to, and I want you to want to, too.”

  She could see clearly then that he was very serious, though he remained in a light and pleasant mood. Her heart began to thrum in her chest. The smallest drops of moisture began to bead up on the tender skin between her breasts. Her breath grew slightly shallow and short as she gazed back at him, knowing that the man before her was entirely in earnest.

  With the slightest shake of her head, she drew in a breath and spoke quietly. “Shane, this was… this was so different, and sweet, and fun, but you should know right away that I’m here to meet someone. I’m here waiting for my boyfriend.”

  He was completely unfazed. “It doesn’t matter why you’re here. It matters that we met. It matters that our paths have crossed, and now we know each other; now there is a way forward. That’s all that matters. He doesn’t matter at all to me.”

  Tami furrowed her brows slightly. “Well, he might not matter to you, but he matters to me, and I’m not the kind of woman who is with more than one man at a time.”

  “I know that,” he replied swiftly, his eyes engaging hers so that she would know he meant it.

  She blinked in surprise. “What do you mean, you know it? If you know it, then what are you doing?”

  A smile crept over his mouth again. “I’m building a beginning. A foundation. I’m giving you something to think about, something that will change your mind when you’re ready to change it, and not before.”

  “What?” she asked in confusion, shaking her head. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m telling you that I know you aren’t the kind of woman who goes for more than one man at a time. That much was obvious the moment that I came over here. It’s one of the reasons I didn’t just offer to buy you a drink or hit on you like any other woman might be hit on by an interested man in a bar. That’s why I handled it all differently. I handled you differently, because you are different. Because you must be handled with care and attention. I know that you’re not alone, but that doesn’t change the fact that I know already as I stand here just what kind of woman you are, and you’re one that I want to get to know.

  You’re one that I want to talk with, to be close to, to have in my bed and in my arms. I know it might seem far-fetched or surprising to you, but it’s my job to read people, to know who they are and what they think at first glance. I’m good at it, and I’m rarely wrong. You…” he trailed off, lifting his hand slowly to her cheek and running his fingertips lightly over the curves of it.

  “You are like a blossoming rose, too tight in the bud with the place where you are in your life right now, too restricted, not in the right garden for you to grow into what you could be. You need to be in the right place and with the right person in order to bloom as well as you could, to experience the fullness of your youth and life and passions. Right now, you are that beautiful rose growing from a crack in the pavement, not where you should be, but making it happen and work anyway. I’m going to change that for you.” He smiled at her and lowered his hand, and it amazed her to feel that the place where his skin had traced over hers was warm, so warm that it took her breath away a bit, and she had to push herself to focus and think.

  “I’m not-” she began, but he touched a fingertip to her full lips and stopped her.

  “Oh yes… Tamika, yes you are. You are breathtaking and beautiful, strong and sensitive, intelligent and loyal. You have a big heart and a clear mind, and you give people the benefit of the doubt. You try your hardest with all that you do, and you, my darling, you have settled for someone who isn’t fit to wash your car, let alone hold you in his arms and attempt
to please you.”

  Shane leaned closer to her then, and her heart nearly raced out of her chest as his eyes searched hers, and his finger moved tenderly over her bottom lip. “And he doesn’t please you, does he… this farce of a lover you give so much of yourself to, this sham of a Romeo. He has no idea how to please you, does he?

  No idea how to hold you and touch you so that you can’t believe that there’s another woman in the world besides you, so that everything in you catches on fire when he’s near. When he’s away, you moan quietly with need for him, aching to feel his lips on yours, his hands on your exquisite body, or him bringing you such intense ecstasy when he takes you to his bed that everything else disappears except that time with him.

  He cannot do that for you, can he? I know he can’t, and I know that I could. You deserve a lover who will treat you as the priceless queen you are, and not some random girl off of the corner who happened to say yes when he poked around asking for tidbits of your time and attention. You are a powerhouse, and you need a man who equals that in every way.”

  A soft sigh escaped her, though she had no idea where it came from. Everything in her was rushing; everything in her was colliding and cascading, crashing together and being ripped apart. There was a warmth in her depths that was slowly beginning to burn, and her mind was spinning.

  “I want you,” Shane whispered, leaning close and brushing his lips against her cheek near her ear as his forefinger moved beneath her chin, and he lifted it slightly. “I want you to come to my bed and let me show you just what you have never known that you’re missing out on. Come with me.”

  For a single second, she wanted to. His words had wrapped a spell around her that she almost couldn’t break free from. He leaned back a little and looked closely at her. His sea green eyes seemed to flash with determination and something like satisfaction.

  “No… no!” She stumbled over the words, wanting to mean them, meaning to mean them, but sounding uncertain somehow, as if her voice had faltered with truth when her mind and her words were trying to say otherwise.

  “I can’t.” She shook her head and leaned further back from him. “I am seeing someone. You’re… you’re really… incredible.”

  He interrupted her, an intensity growing in him. “And you’re exquisite, inside and out. I’m not here to play games with you, Tami. I want you.”

  She cleared her throat and tried to sound more adamant than she felt. No man had ever dismantled her wall of resistance and turned her on so quickly, so completely. “Listen, if I was single, who knows, but I’m not, and I can’t do something like this with you.” She lifted her chin and drew in a deep breath. She had to mean it. She had to sound like she meant it, and she had to make him see that and understand it.

  He might be beautiful and charming and amazing, but she wasn’t on the market. She had to hold her ground and remain true to the man she was with.

  Shane sighed and shook his head. “Don’t make me find another way, because I will.”

  “Is that a threat?” she asked with a warning tone and a sharply furrowed brow.

  “No, not at all. It’s more of a promise. I don’t often desire a woman with the intensity that I desire to have you, Tami. This is a rarity for me, and I’m not about to walk away from you, just because there’s the inconvenience of another man in the way. Everyone has a price, my darling. Everyone. What if I make it worth your while, just to get you into my arms one time, just once, just long enough to show you what you don’t realize that you’re missing out on?” He voiced it as a challenge.

  Frustration burned at her. “Make it worth my while? What are you talking about? Money?”

  “Yes,” he spoke honestly.

  Tami shook her head as anger began to build in her again. “Well, you had me pegged all wrong then. I can’t be bought.” She narrowed her eyes at him and gave him a sharp look.

  “Everyone can be bought.” Shane kept his same even, pleasant, casual tone. It was as if he was having a business meeting or ordering a cappuccino.

  “I can’t be bought,” Tami insisted, pushing her champagne away as some minor evidence of her statement.

  Shane’s eyes were locked on hers. “A million dollars,” he said quietly. She stared at him and did not even blink. “Give me one night with you, one whole night, with no rules, and be all mine for that one night, and I’ll give you a million dollars. That’s easily done for me.”

  Tami stared at him with wide eyes. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I’m totally serious. I’ll have the manager of the hotel arrange it for you.” He looked as if he wasn’t kidding at all.

  “A million dollars to spend the night with me for one time.” She couldn’t believe the words were even coming out of her mouth. She couldn’t believe that he had offered it. She couldn’t believe any of it.

  “Take it. Come with me. Let me show you exactly what you could have, what you’re missing. Come with me. It’s only going to take one night.” He gave her the hint of a smile, and she saw a light return to his eyes again.

  “Absolutely not. I’ll give you a million reasons why I can’,; why I won’t, and they all have to do with the fact that I am with someone else.”

  Shane pressed his lips together in a thin line for a moment and then nodded. “All right. You need time to think about it. Listen, here’s a key to my room. It’s the penthouse here in the hotel. I’ll leave your name with the manager and tell them to show you up when you’re ready. There’s a private elevator for the floor. You’ll change your mind, and I will see you tonight.” He leaned close and pressed the key card into her hands, kissing her cheek softly, lingering there for a moment as his kiss sent electric sparks through her body.

  Then, he leaned back and smiled a bit, sliding his hands into his pants pockets. “I’ll be waiting for you. Enjoy the champagne.” He turned then and walked out of the bar, and she stared after him until his beautiful figure was gone. Then, she looked down at the card in her hand and sighed, wondering what in the world was going on.

  “Who was that?” The man’s voice was sharp and defiant.

  “What?” she asked, jerking her head up. Her eyes were wide again, and they locked immediately onto her boyfriend standing in front of her.

  Chapter2

  The man standing before her was a big man, sturdily built with thick muscles and some excess weight along with the muscles. His large torso, stomach, and arms were a combination of hard work and hard drinking, though mostly that was beer and not much stronger.

  Three of his teeth had gold caps on them, and he thought that it made him look wealthy and attractive, and when he spoke, he often pulled his lips back more so that his metallic teeth would show. His arms were covered in tattoos that spread over his neck and chest, and some of them even wandered down below his belt line.

  His skin was darker than Tamika’s, like the color of coffee in the morning sun, with a slightly ruddy tint to it. His eyes were dark as well, deep brown, and they were narrowed at Tami as he stood before her, his meaty arms flared out like wings as he planted his hands on his wide hips.

  “I said, who was that. You were talking to that man that just walked out of here. I saw you. I want to know who he was and what he wanted. You can tell me, or I’ll go find him and he can tell me.” His voice was deep and demanding.

  Tamika swallowed slightly. She hadn’t expected to need to defend herself or what she was doing. She had been slightly taken off guard. “Maurice! I didn’t see you come in.” She tried to put a strong smile on her face and sit up a little straighter on her barstool.

  “I don’t really know who he was. He was here when I came in. He’s a flashy rich guy who decided he liked me and he wanted me. I told him no.” Tami didn’t want to discuss it any further, and she wished that her boyfriend Maurice had been just one whole minute later than he had been. He would have missed her conversation entirely.

  “He wanted you?” Maurice looked like he was ready to get into a fight. He gritted his
teeth, and his deep voice took on a dangerous tone.

  Tami shrugged. “Yeah, he even said he was willing to pay me a million dollars to spend one night with him, if you can believe that. It was crazy. I told him that I wasn’t alone and that I would never do it.”

  She turned and indicated the seat beside her where Shane had been sitting minutes before. “Why don’t you sit down and have a drink with me?” she asked, thinking it best to change the subject.

  Maurice stared at her. “He offered you a million dollars to spend the night with him?”

  “Yes,” she replied nonchalantly. “I turned him down flat.”

  “Do you believe him?” Maurice slowly took the barstool beside her and waved at the bartender, asking for a beer.

  “No, I never heard anything so forward in my life. I guess there are women out there who would take money for sex, but I’m not one of them. I can’t believe he’d think I would be one of them though. I was very clear about it.” She felt slightly incensed, and it helped assuage some of the guilt she felt about her incredible attraction to him, especially in such a short amount of time.