Seducing You: How to Marry a Billionaire Three, page 13
“Enjoying the lobster, beautiful?” I say to Ariel.
“It’s scrumptious.” She wipes her mouth daintily with her napkin. “The chicken’s good too, but a little too spicy for me.”
“Too spicy for a southern sweetheart like yourself? I thought you all enjoyed food with a little bite.”
“We do, but those scotch bonnet peppers are killers. We put a little in our shrimp appetizer, but not nearly as much as Chef Desi put in his chicken.”
I give her a patented Brett Dawson smile. “You’ll have to bring me up to speed. I missed everything. So you made an appetizer?”
She nods. “Sebastian and I made grilled shrimp with a coleslaw garnish. It was yummy.”
Man, she’s adorable. I haven’t spent any time with her since the first night, when she begged me to fuck her on the beach. If she only knew how much strength it took to tell her no.
I’d decided not to do the actual deed with any of the women until I’d gotten to know each one, but I blew that with Sienna in the limo today. She and I aren’t meant to be. That was clear during our talk on the beach early this morning. She’s hung up on someone else, and while I’m not, I understand more than anyone what losing love feels like.
Not that Jake ever loved me as anything more than a friend. He looked up to me, and I felt an urge—more so than with the others—to keep him protected. Eventually it evolved into something I believe to this day was love, even though I’d never been attracted to a guy before and I still loved fooling around with women. He probably never would have returned my feelings, but because he’s gone now, there’s always the “what if” questions.
What if we hadn’t stolen from Old Man Larson twenty years ago?
What if Jake were still here?
I might have moved on, might have fallen for someone else. But because of what losing Jake cost me, I never let myself feel anything so deeply again.
And here sits Ariel… Beautiful and sweet and so endearing. With a pussy that tastes like heaven, too.
I could easily take her by the hand and lead her out of here. Except…
On my other side sits Misty.
Misty, who may be a link to Jake. Is she anything like Jake? Not that I’ve seen so far, but she wasn’t raised with him. She was born into riches, never went hungry a day in her life. Of course the two of them would be different.
Plus…for some reason, she seems stuck on River, who isn’t at all interested in her. Alex and Seb both think she’s bad news as well.
And me?
Fuck.
I only want a chance to get to know her. I’m not going to do something stupid and fall right into bed with her. Hell, if I can resist Ariel, I can resist anyone.
Ariel takes another bite of lobster, and I turn to Misty, who’s just swallowed a bite of chicken.
“What do you think?” I ask.
“Of what?”
“The chicken, of course. Do you like it?”
“Oh, yeah. It’s delish. Everything is.” Then she turns away from me.
Damn. Could she be less interested?
What the hell does River have that I don’t?
River, for his part, is sitting sullenly at the other end of the table. He’s glaring at Seb. Why? I have no idea. Riv is quiet and can be moody sometimes, but this is bad even for him.
Clearly I’ve got a lot to catch up on. The guys and I need to talk after dinner.
I’m about to speak to Ariel again when Chef Pierre clinks on a glass. “Did you all enjoy the entrée?”
Everyone claps, and I join in, even though I haven’t tasted anything yet.
“Chef Desi is known in Montego Bay for his jerk chicken, which is why I invited him to be here today.”
Chef Desi, I presume, stands next to Pierre and blows a kiss. “It’s been my pleasure.”
“It’s now time for the dessert, prepared by Alex and Heather and supervised by yours truly. Sweet potato pudding. I’ll remind you again to judge the dish on its own merits and not against the others.”
Staffers set dessert plates in front of us. I inhale and for a moment I think I’m back home for Thanksgiving with the aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg. It looks delicious—an orange square with a golden-brown crust.
“Would you care for wine, Mr. Dawson?” a staff member asks me. “The sommelier has chosen a Viognier. The honey flavor is on the dryer side to enhance the dessert but not overwhelm your palate.”
“Of course. Thank you.”
The staffer pours a tiny amount into my glass. I give it a swirl and then taste it. “Very good.”
He nods and fills my goblet halfway.
I turn to Ariel, whose glass is already full. The staffers know to serve the ladies first. “What do you think?” I ask after she takes a bite of dessert and swallows.
“I think this might be heaven on a plate.”
“You like sweet potatoes?”
“Love them. Mama makes the best sweet potato pie, and Alex had Chef prepare sweet potato pie for our date last night. That one might have been better than my mama’s, but this is in a category all its own.” She takes another bite and closes her eyes.
I imagine the sweet custard floating over her tongue, down her throat.
I imagine her pussy nectar floating over my tongue, down my throat.
Now that I’ve broken my rule with Sienna, keeping sex off the table doesn’t seem quite so important.
As much as I like Ariel, though, I can’t get Misty out of my head. She’s shown me no interest at all—which makes her all the more attractive to me.
Fuck.
I turn to her and smile as she swallows a bite of dessert.
I never could resist a challenge.
EPISODE 108
AND THE WINNER IS…
Sebastian
Seated between two gorgeous women, Brett is in his element. Granted, one of them is Misty, but the other is my little Tweety Bird herself. I hope she’s not in any pain from her injury. Probably not, since she seems to be enjoying herself. I can’t help thinking about that sandwich I mentioned to her earlier. Heather already told me point-blank that she’s not opposed to threesomes. Now if I can just get Ariel on board…
But that’s for later.
Emily is busy talking to Alex, and across from me, River is silent. Not normal River silent, but angry River silent. Is he pissed that I gave him guff earlier? If that’s the case, then he’s mighty pissed, because I’ve been giving it to him our whole lives.
Nah…
Something else is eating at him, and damn… When I tell him about the break-in at his parents’ place… That sure won’t help his mood any.
Brett probably doesn’t know about the break-in yet either since he just arrived.
I finish my sweet potato fluff or whatever it’s called. All I know is that it’s damned delicious, and it’s got my vote. I considered voting for the appetizer to give Ariel and me a shot at winning, but hell, I can’t help it if I have a sweet tooth. Besides, if the dessert wins, Heather wins, and I’m hoping she’ll choose me.
Then again…there’s Ariel.
I feel like I’m caught between a rock and a hard place with her and Heather. Then there’s my English rose, who’s been chatting up Alex all night.
I didn’t think this choice would be so difficult. I ruled out June pretty early because I’m not a fan of the vajazzle, but how do you choose between a sweet strawberry, a hot viper, and an English rose?
I can probably take Emily out of the running since she hasn’t given me the time of day since the first night. Then again, I haven’t looked her way much either.
Yeah, I’m fucked.
The whole idea was to get to know all of them and click with one.
And right now? With June and Misty out of the running for me, I’m left with three.
I give a silent thank you when Chef Pierre interrupts my racing thoughts.
“Ladies and gentlemen”—he clinks on his glass for the umpteenth time—“I hope you all enjoyed this gourmet meal. I know I did. Chefs Katie and Marc are passing out our secret ballots along with pens. Please pick your favorite dish. Pick only one, or your vote will be thrown out. Again, I ask that you judge each dish on its own merits. It’s not fair to judge a dessert against a vegetable, after all. Think about which dish you enjoyed most compared to other dishes of its kind. Make your selection, and then please fold your paper into quarters. A staffer will be by to collect them in a moment.”
I look around. “Where’s Evie?” I ask River. “Shouldn’t she be doing this instead of Chef? It was all her idea.”
“She’s not feeling well,” River says gruffly.
“Again?” I shake my head. “What the hell is going on with her?”
“You think I know?” River looks down at the paper Marc slid in front of him. He picks up his pen and makes a mark.
“That was quick,” I say.
“I know what I like,” is all he says.
I pick up my pen and make a check mark next to the dessert. Is it a better dessert than the jerk chicken was an entrée? Than the callaloo was a vegetable? Hell if I know. I fold the paper into quarters and shove it into the bowl when the staffer walks by.
A few minutes later, Chef Pierre dings on that damned glass again. “The votes are in, ladies and gentlemen. Each of you got one vote, as did each chef who worked on the meal tonight. Before I announce the winner, I want to thank Chefs Katie and Marc and guest Chef Desi once more for their hard work tonight. This event was put together at the last minute, and you all did amazing jobs.” He begins clapping.
We all join in.
“You should all be proud of what you’ve accomplished,” Pierre continues. “This meal was worthy of the finest restaurants in the world. Let’s also thank our brilliant sommelier, Brian, for his excellent wine choices.”
More applause.
Normally this kind of ass-kissing to everyone involved would get on my last nerve, but every minute that Chef talks is more time until I have to break the news to Riv about the break-in, so I’m game for all of it.
Chef continues speaking until the French doors open, and out walks Evie.
Damn.
She looks like she’s been run over by a truck.
But she smiles and touches Chef’s arm.
“Ah, here’s the woman of the hour herself,” Chef says. “Evangeline, I have the winner here.” He hands her a paper.
“Thank you, Chef,” Evangeline says. “Before I announce our winner, I want to remind all of you that the woman who wins will get a date with the gentleman of her choice tomorrow evening. I’ll be planning something else for the rest of you. Originally, Sebastian was scheduled to perform tomorrow evening, but that has been postponed until the evening after.”
All gazes turn to me, and I wave. “I’ll make it worth the wait. I’ve got a new number to debut.”
Heather meets my gaze, her dark-blue eyes twinkling. “I can’t wait!”
My heart bumps against my chest. Man, I like her a lot. But she and Alex were flirting up a storm while they were cooking, and I’ve got to say that sweet potato stuff was delicious.
For the love of God, I’m a billionaire rock star. Why in hell am I acting like a high-school boy with a crush?
Evangeline takes the paper Chef gave her. “Also, I haven’t forgotten that Emily and June also have dates since they weren’t chosen in the drawing yesterday, and Ariel and Emily have lunches with Sebastian and Brett, respectively, since they won the Blind Man's Bluff game. I assure you that everything will happen as soon as I get our schedule up to date.” She unfolds the paper in her hand. “I hope you know that you’re all winners. These dishes were all spectacular.”
Did she even try any of the food? She didn’t show up until we were finished.
“Brett, it’s nice to have you back with us,” Evie continues. “And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for.” She eyes the paper. “It looks like we had a very close race, but the winner is—”
EPISODE 109
FOR REAL THIS TIME
Emily
Evangeline opens the paper and scans it. “Looks like we had a very close race, but the winner is—”
A breeze drifts over the deck and whisks the paper out of Evangeline’s hand.
I hold back a gasp as I realize my heart is racing. Do I actually care who wins this? Our callaloo was a great success, but does it have a chance over Chef Desi’s perfect jerk chicken or Chef Pierre’s smooth and creamy sweet potato pudding?
Doubtful.
Brett rises, grabs the paper from the ground, and takes a look, his eyes widening. He hands it back to Evangeline. “Please. Do the honors.”
She doesn’t bother looking at the paper. “Our winner is Chef Katie’s team. Emily and Misty for their callaloo greens!”
“What?” I gasp out.
Alex reaches for my hand and squeezes it. “Congratulations! And you thought you didn’t have a prayer.”
“I’m stunned,” is all I can say. I didn’t even vote for myself. Not that I didn’t enjoy the dish. It was lovely. I assumed we had two votes in the bag—Misty and Katie—but I didn’t think we had a shot in hell at winning. I didn’t want to give Misty any extra shot at River though.
Which is silly, since he’s acting like a child having a tantrum.
I look across the table at him. He’s rubbing at his forehead, and his face is twisted into a scowl, which doesn’t make him any less handsome, damn him. It’s obvious he knows what’s coming. Misty will choose him.
But Misty’s not the only winner.
I get to choose a date with someone as well.
A few short hours ago, I’d have chosen River. Now? I’m not so sure.
Misty has jumped to her feet and is embracing Evangeline. She whispers something in her ear, and my heart drops.
Uh-oh.
Did we truly win? Or did Misty work it out with Evangeline that we would win no matter what? And if that was the case all along, why did she insist on sabotage?
Ariel gives Misty a smile once she unclenches herself from Evangeline. “Congratulations. The greens were delicious.”
“Emily and I owe it all to Chef Katie,” Misty gushes. “We weren’t sure we had a chance against lobster and jerk kitchen, but Katie made this dish amazing.”
Katie is beaming, of course. She is an excellent chef, and I’m quite happy for her. Her dark eyes are dancing with glee as Evangeline asks if she’d like to say a few words.
“I only want to thank you all again. Especially all of you who voted for our dish. Misty and Emily did a wonderful job.”
“It was your recipe.” Misty gives Katie a quick hug. “You’ve shown us all that simple greens can be something truly special!”
Misty’s exuberance is nauseating, but I force a smile onto my face. After all, I’m a winner as well.
And I get to choose a date for tomorrow evening.
I glance again at River, who hasn’t looked my way all evening.
Does he realize I could pick him as well as Misty?
Does he care?
Apparently not.
“Emily,” Evangeline says, “would you like to say anything?”
Not really, but that wouldn’t be a good look, so I rise. “Just thank you all so much for voting for us. And thank you to Katie as well. I have to admit, I didn’t think simple greens could compete against these other spectacular dishes—and everything was fabulous, so kudos to the lot of you—but you made the callaloo brilliant.”
Katie gives me a warm smile. I almost wish she could choose a date as well. She certainly earned it.
Unless…
I can’t get the idea out of my mind that this whole thing was rigged. Perhaps I imagined that Misty whispered something to Evangeline. She could have just been giving her a hug.
Then again, this is Misty—the same woman who wanted me to help her sabotage the others.
Who the hell knows?
I may as well bask in the joy of victory, I suppose.
Evangeline clinks on a glass to get our attention. “I know you gentlemen are all wondering who these two gorgeous ladies will choose for their dates tomorrow evening.”
“Hell, yeah!” Sebastian roars, holding out his wine glass.
“Easy, Seb.” Alex lets out a guffaw. “Who says they’re going to choose you?”
“Who says they’re not?” Seb says back.
River, of course, says nothing.
Does he know his fate? Perhaps Misty won’t choose him. She already had a private date with him last night, which, of course, ended up with him in my bed.
No. I won’t second-guess Misty. She’s clearly a mess in the head. She could choose any one of the four and it wouldn’t surprise me.
“So, ladies,” Evangeline continues, “have you chosen?”
“I have, Evangeline,” Misty says with a smile.
“Care to enlighten us?” Evangeline asks.
“Of course.” Misty is still standing at the head of the table next to Brett. “I’ve given this a lot of thought. You’re all amazing, and I’m thrilled to be here, so thank you so much for inviting me.”
Bloody hell. I think I might toss that sweet potato pudding right back onto my plate.
“But,” Misty continues, “even though I’d love to choose all four of you, I’ve decided on”—she gazes down the table to River, who’s refusing eye contact with her—“Brett.”
River’s eyebrows nearly fly off his forehead.
He was definitely expecting her to choose him.
Brett rises and takes Misty’s hand. “I’m delighted,” he says. “I promise you an unforgettable evening, sweetheart.”
Sweetheart? Maybe Brett calls everyone sweetheart. Did he call me sweetheart in the hot tub this morning? Goodness, I can’t recall.
I glance at River, and his gaze meets mine. Is that the beginning of a smile edging onto his gorgeous mouth?
I raise my eyebrows at him, but the smile doesn’t form.
