The Billionaire and Me - Complete Series: BWWM Alpha Billionaire Romance (8 page)

For our honeymoon we could
’
ve gone anywhere in the world.  Blake had even promised me that we could see any far off corner of the world that we could possibly dream of.  It felt like no corner of the world was off limits.

Despite this promise I felt I did not want to go off to see some new part of the world.  I suppose in some way that could have sounded ungrateful.  It was not a lack of gratitude that motivated me but more of a wish that I wanted to see my
own
country.  I wanted to see the famous land marks and places in America that I had never seen before.  I suppose some part of me did sound a bit petty for wanting to stay in the country
this
time.  There were so many land marks that I had never seen before.

Imagine seeing the General Sherman tree!  A tree that was growing when Jesus walked the earth!

Another part of my reasoning behind it is I wanted to see some of the locations and artifacts I had studied so much about in school.  I suppose as children we all dreamed about living back in a different time period and being able to see what tools people used not only to survive but to thrive.

I knew of various doll companies making historical dolls that focus on particular eras of time.  I wish those had been popular or had been made when I was growing up!  I know my sister and I would have begged our mother for them.  As a girl I had liked changing my doll
’
s clothes and playing Laura Ingalls Wilder with my sister.  I suppose almost all girls do.

For the time being we were staying inside the honeymoon suite of an old hotel that had been built around the 1920
’
s.  The hotel had quite the history about it and some of it was tragic.  The hotel had been listed as
“
absolutely fireproof
”
yet history had a way of proving them wrong.  When the hotel burnt down in the 1940
’
s it was re-built with many of the same aesthetic features that the original hotel had.

Many years later the hotel was once again remodeled to bring it up to code.  For the most part most of the furniture and lighting were reproductions as it would not be safe to have original pieces in the hotel.  It wasn
’
t the fear of theft that motivated them but rather the fear of lead based paint and other things that could harm guests.

While the 1920
’
s style wasn
’
t something that I would personally pick I did enjoy seeing some of the pieces as they were quite attractive.  It made me think of those pictures I had seen of my great-grandmother in the styles of those days and wearing T-strap black shoes.  Despite the ugliness of the racism and segregation of that time period she still allowed herself to stay beautiful and with a kind heart.  If I had been in that position I don
’
t know if I would have felt the same.  It made me both admire her and yet feel sad because she grew up in such an era.

I had perched myself on the corner of the bed and flipped through a few pamphlets I had picked up in the lobby.  A boldly colored one was about the hotel
’
s history and the occasional alleged ghost tour.  There was no mention of how many people, if any, had died in the fire.  Many people had hoped that no one had died and the ghost tour was just something to drum up attention.

Other pamphlets had text and large and brightly colored photographs about popular tourist spots.  Everything seemed bigger and bolder than the last and I didn
’
t know where to start looking.

Blake came into the room and chuckled when he saw me looking over everything. 
“
Did you get all those tourism brochures from the lobby?
”

“
You
’
d be doing the same thing if you didn
’
t know where all the tourist hot spots were,
”
I told him with a grin.

“
Not
all
of the hot spots,
”
he retorted and then laughed.

“
Oh, so there is some part of the world that is still a mystery to the great billionaire Blake?
”

“
If I knew where everything was where would the fun be in seeing and learning about them?
”

We both laughed at that and Blake came up next to me.  He took the pamphlet from my hand and asked,
“
Where do you want to go for our honeymoon?
”

“
I
’
d like to see more of the States,
”
I admitted.

Blake nodded,
“
Then where too?
”

I paused and thought about it.  Blake had asked a very good question as I had never considered that little fact until now.  Finally I said,
“
Would you believe I
’
ve never seen Plymouth Rock?
”

Blake grinned at me and chuckled lightly,
“
Really?
”

“
Yes and what
’
s so funny?
”

“
It
’
s going to be a surprise when you see it!
”

I acted skeptical and folded my arms across my chest,
“
Uh-huh?
”

Grinning Blake nodded and quickly kissed me. 
“
Get dressed and I
’
ll take you there today.
”

Blake was not kidding when he said it would be a surprise.  I knew that the area around Plymouth Rock had been more or less fenced off and was for viewing only.

The open building around it reminded me of those old Roman temples with their tall marble pillars.  High above the pillars something was engraved into the marble that I couldn
’
t quite make out.  I had thought it must have been some sort of design that had been weathered away by time and the elements.  I did wonder at first if the pillars and designs had been brightly painted like the old statues in Rome.

Stepping around the pillars made me feel as if I were going back into time.  After all, how often did you see such pillars around and about in everyday life?  I felt I could have easily been back in ancient Roman times when people looked down upon the spectacles below them.

I knew Plymouth Rock now safely rested at sea level and was encased by a black fence.

I could hear the sound of the sea roar in front of us and see the waves come crashing against the rocks surrounding the land.  I did rather enjoy the smell of the sea and the sight of the waves.

Around us stood a small gathering of people which surprised me.  I surely did expect to see more people around and about wanting to see this famous rock.

Beside me Blake was quietly snickering.

“
What is so funny?
” 
I questioned him.

“
I
’
m just waiting for your reaction.
”

I had imagined Blake was waiting for me to look at the rock and marvel at how big or weathered it was.  I thought to myself that there was no harm in amusing him and went to the black fence to comment on the supposedly large size of the rock.

The joke, however, was on me when I looked down.

Below me was not the large or impressive looking stone I had imagined it to be.  Instead a weathered small rock with the year 1620 etched on it stared back up at me.  I certainly had not expected that!  It was really nothing like what we had been taught in school.  In school we had always imagined the rock to be this gigantic and larger than life object that was depicted in paintings.  At first I wanted to blame the small size of the rock on erosion but perhaps it really
was
that small.

“
That
’
s
it
?
” 
I blurted out.

The moment I had spoken Blake burst into gales of laughter.

A few others who had come to see the rock also turned to look at us.

“
Got another one, huh?
” 
A man asked.

“
No one ever expects it to be so small!
” 
Blake laughed. 
“
I said the same thing when I was a kid and I saw Plymouth Rock for the first time.
”

“
You were waiting this entire time for me to be surprised, eh?
” 
I asked him.

Grinning Blake nodded. 
“
It never gets old seeing people
’
s first time reactions.  My personal favorite is
‘
where
’
s the rest of it?
’”

Going over to Blake I nudged him in the ribs. 
“
Alright wise guy.
”

Still chuckling lightly Blake nodded and slid his arms around my shoulders. 
“
Okay, let
’
s go see some of the other sights.  It
’
s a good thing that we have plenty of time as it can take more than a week to see everything.
”

“
Really?
” 
I asked.

Blake nodded,
“
I have been here more times than I
’
ve got fingers and it feels like I
’
ve still got more to see and learn about.  When I was a kid my parents used to vacation here every summer.  We
’
d always see something new and different.  As a kid I never really appreciated or even enjoyed it.  To me it was something that I was being separated from my friends and dragged along to.  As an adult I can enjoy and appreciate it more.  I do hope my parents know that now.
”

“
I think they do,
”
I replied. 
“
They took you there for some great learning opportunities and you did learn, didn
’
t you?
”

“
Yes, of course!
”

“
Then something was done right.
”

Touring Massachusetts was fun and Blake was right in that you can be there for a week and still not have seen everything!  I was grateful that I had these chances but also wish my family had had the same opportunities when I was growing up.  At the same time I had debated if I would have appreciated them as much back then as I did now?

I had asked Blake if I could buy a disposable camera to take sightseeing pictures?  It was unusual but some places still did develop film!

“
Why not use your phone?
” 
Blake asked, as he appeared clearly confused by my seemingly strange request.

“
Where
’
s the fun in that?  Holding a camera, a real camera, in your hands is quite the experience.
”

“
When I was a kid I once held my mother
’
s vintage camera in my hands and dropped it.  I wasn
’
t allowed to hold a camera again for a long time.
”

“
I
’
m sure you won
’
t drop this one,
”
I told him. 
“
Besides, I
’
d feel bad if we used something really expensive and it got lost or stolen.
”

Blake appeared to be thinking about that.  As much as I had learned how to adapt into his circle we had still been born and raised in two separate worlds.  While Blake could have easily afforded a new expensive camera I could not.

Finally he said,
“
Do you think we can find a place to develop the pictures?
”

“
There are still some big name drug stores around that will.
”

Grabbing my hand Blake smiled and nodded,
“
Let
’
s go pick out a good disposable camera then!
”

There weren
’
t any real name brand cameras at the store we had gone to and Blake and I sure did look for one.  I was about to admit defeat when Blake spotted a store brand camera.

“
It
’
s not much but it might work,
”
he said before handing it to me.

“
It
’
s worth a try,
”
I said. 
“
You can still take pictures on your phone.  It seems like there
’
s nothing that those phones can
’
t do.
”

Blake chuckled,
“
I
’
m still waiting for one that has a laser beam that can scratch my butt from Mars.
”

I looked to Blake, surprised at first, but then I started to laugh.  He did have a way to surprise me by saying things that I didn
’
t expect him to say.  It was one of those things that I loved about him.

“
Why not see about inventing one then?
” 
I shot back.

“
I love it when you come up with come backs like that!
” 
Blake laughed. 
“
The only bad thing I can think about old cameras is you never know if your photo turned out good or poorly until the film is developed.
”

“
It
’
s something that has plagued photographers since time began.  However, sometimes it
’
s also a part of the fun mystery.
”

“
I imagine so.
”

After paying for the camera I had convinced Blake to stand outside of the building for me to take a photo of him.

“
My beloved husband can be the first picture on the camera!
” 
I said.

Blake nodded and smiled. 
“
Let me step back so my head doesn
’
t get cut off.
”

That was also one of the hazards of having a disposable camera.  It would be easy to accidently crop someone
’
s head off.  That would not be good for a first attempt at photographing my husband with a piece of
“
archaic
”
technology.

Doing my best to center Blake as much as possible I told him to smile which he did.  As soon as I snapped the photo a woman called out Blake
’
s name and came running to him.

I looked to see a pretty woman wearing an expensive looking pink outfit and matching stiletto heels.  She had dark strawberry blonde hair that hung free and bright blue eyes.  She was also adorned with glittering jewelry that could have easily cost me a year
’
s pay.

For a moment I felt horribly out of place being dressed in street clothes.  They were not cheap clothing but not nearly as expensive as her outfit looked.  That morning I had felt good about myself in a cheerfully embroidered peach blouse and pants with red roses embroidered on the pockets.  My shoes were out of place as I had decided to go for comfort and durability over fashion.

Blake also looked surprised to see this woman show up and hurry to him.

“
Oh, hello Ellen,
”
Blake said.  He quickly looked to me and gestured for me to step forward.

I did so while wondering why he suddenly seemed so reserved.

“
Ellen, this is my wife Amanda,
”
Blake said.

Ellen
’
s once cheerful demeanor faded as her smile quickly melted.  If I didn
’
t know better she was glaring at me through her mascaraed eye lashes.

I stuck out my hand to be friendly but was left hanging.  I felt a bit awkward as I pulled my hand back and looked away.

At first I blamed it on her knowing that I was
“
new money
”
and therefore not a member of their club.  As much as I had seen it and adapted to it people still surprised me.

Obviously not
all
wealthy people were like that and treated me in such a way.  The day after our marriage a very well off elderly woman even invited Blake and I over for homemade cookies and tea.  It just seemed that the not so nice wealthy folks were out numbering the nice ones.

This time, however, I did once again jump the gun with my assumptions and conclusions before any evidence had been presented to me.

Ellen surprised me and perhaps even Blake by coolly saying,
“
You never told me you got married.
”

If Blake was surprised he recovered very quickly and said,
“
Amanda and I were married very recently.
”

I began to suspect he was becoming uncomfortable and just saying these things to make polite small talk.  I normally wasn
’
t one to shy from small talk but this time I was.

I felt Blake
’
s arm wrap around my waist as more polite small talk was forced.

Through snippets of conversation I was able to piece together that Blake and Ellen had some sort of connection in the past.  What type of connection this was I wasn
’
t positive but I had my suspicions.  At the very least I thought they had been co-workers or even partners.  Another possibility was that they were somehow romantically involved.  I
prayed
she was not one of those stop at nothing ex-girlfriends who would do everything in their power to make life impossible for their ex-boyfriend and anyone he was with.  I had seen enough crime shows and read enough books to know to do what I could to steer clear of them!

“
So, how have you been?
” 
Blake asked as he kept his arm around my waist.

Ellen didn
’
t look to happy about the change of subject.  Rather than comment on that she said,
“
I started up my own business.  It
’
s a fashion business that
’
s doing quite well locally that I
’
m hoping to expand.  I don
’
t suppose you
’
ve heard of
Ellen
’
s Bright Couture
?
”

“
I don
’
t follow the fashion blogs,
”
Blake said.  He looked to me,
“
You?
”

“
I
’
ve never heard of your business but I
’
ll be sure to keep an eye out for it!
” 
I said with forced eagerness.  In an effort to make a friend I said,
“
Where did you come up with that name?
”

“
I like bright colors,
”
Ellen replied stiffly. 
“
I find blacks and browns to be quite drab.  I want my customers to stand out!
”

“
I
’
d enjoy to see some of your pieces sometime.
” 
I didn
’
t know why I had said that.  Perhaps it was a last ditch effort to pacify her and make a possible friend.

Needless to say
that
plan had failed when she sniffed and said,
“
Someone like you couldn
’
t afford my designs.
”

“
Ellen, that
’
s not nice!
” 
Blake said loudly as if he were scolding a child. 
“
You really shouldn
’
t say such things to people let alone my wife!  You know what they say about being nice to them on the way up.
”

At first I thought Ellen had only disliked me for not being a part of
her
clique, but then I began to wonder if she and Blake had been romantically linked somehow in the past?  It was entirely possible and I wondered how to ask Blake about this without seeming like I was prying into his business and the past?

I suppose it was an effort to be polite when Blake said,
“
Amanda and I are busy.  Come on, let
’
s go.
”