Yes, Mr. Van Der Wells (Not Another Billionaire Romance) (41 page)

“I think I gave you too much credit.” He shakes his head at me, buttons his jacket. “You have no idea what makes a relationship. And I don’t have the time right now to give you a lesson. I have a life to get to.”

“Oh, that’s rich. Like you have
any
kind of knowledge and experience on relationships,” I yell at his back as he turns and begins striding off. “You’ve only ever been in one,
one
, and it was a
farce
. Mine might have been abusive, but at least it was
real
. When I picked you up a few weeks ago, you were running for your life, damn near naked in the streets of New York, from the angry throw-knives of another woman’s
husband
. So YOU KNOW
NOTHING
, JON
SNOWWWW
!!”

He doesn’t respond, doesn’t break his stride, walking until he disappears around the corner to the foyer. Seconds later, I hear the closing ding of the elevator.

Vibrating with indignation, I stand there glaring into the path where he walked. I’m so angry with him I could scream. He’s unreasonable. He’s incorrigible. He wants me to bow yet he won’t bend.

Sure, he’s offered me the world. But maybe I’m not ready for the world. Maybe all I need at this point in my life is someone with a little bit of patience and understanding, someone who isn’t just thinking about their own heart, but mine, too. He’s more worried about how
I
might hurt him, but isn’t taking into consideration that
he
might be the one who hurts me.

‘
He already is
,’ Rational Lotty points out.

Pacing the length of the kitchen, I contemplate his offer. No, not the first one, the one that includes a serious future with him, but the second one, the one that doesn’t include him
at all
.

Normally, I’d cling to my pride and insist I work for it, but I have to admit it’s a good offer. An apartment and a plane ride free of cost. This will speed up the process of my grand escape plans. Best of all, I won’t have to keep watching over my shoulder for Andrew.

Picking up my cell, I tap out a quick message and hit send.

Me:
Offer accepted. The 2nd one.

His reply buzzes in almost immediately.

Noah:
Arrangements went in motion two minutes ago.

T
WENTY-
T
WO

K
IERA:
Last night: Best evarrr
.
M is rough & bossy & wild & I lav it!

Me:
I guessed that. Look at him. U couldn’t have expected anything less than rough & bossy & wild.

Kiera:
Maybe caz I’ve been burned b4? Meet a dude, he looks like he’s gonna be good, only 2 end up being a total waste of a lay.

Me:
Well, I totally nailed it with Muscles, but completely underestimated Noah.

Kiera:
Whoa! U stubborn fools finally did it? What was he like?!

Me:
I think I’m still in shock. Best. Sex. Ever.

Kiera:
Better than A?

Me:
WAY better than Andrew. Noah’s expertise caught me off guard. Was expecting average, but gurrrrrrl he OWNED my body last night.

Kiera:
Damn. Am getting a clit hard-on just imagining him in action.

Me:
I think I’m love with him.

Kiera:
Whoa! WHOA. What? U said u were *falling*. One night with the billionaire & suddenly u r *in* luv?????

Me:
Shut up. His sexual prowess last night just sealed it.

Kiera:
U told him?

Me:
Of course not! R u crazy? And I won’t. Ever. He’s a jerkfaceasshat. We fought this morning. He offered 2 help me get setup in Brazil. I accepted.

Kiera
: So that’s it then? U r really moving there?

Me:
Yeah.

Kiera:
Kool. Good luck. Gotta go. Packing. Spending da rest of da week at M’s.

Me
: R u mad at me?

No response.

I tuck my phone into my sports-bag and glance over at Muscles. “I think your girlfriend is mad at me.”

Eyes on the road, hands on the steering wheel, he grumbles, “Not my girlfriend. We’re just hanging out.”

“She’s spending the rest of the week at your place,” I point out.

“Yeah. Hanging out.”

Stubborn stupidhead
. “She says you’re wicked in bed.”

“Your loss.”

I scowl at the side of his face. “I should kiss you right now, you bullheaded arrogant, sexy piece of macho-man ass.” 

This time his lips twitch. “Oh, I
dare
you to.”

I glare at him, contemplate doing it, but I don’t. Before, I would do it to piss him off, nothing serious. But now that I’m aware of how he feels—or
felt
?—I’m afraid kissing him would do more harm than good. And I don’t want to lead him on, confuse him. Not while I’m fairly certain I’m in love with Noah Van Der Wells. So, I dismiss the dare, cut the crap, and zip my lips for the rest of the drive to VDW.

Mike isn’t waiting for me outside the building as he should be, so Muscles escorts me up to Noah’s floor, leaving me once I’m out the elevator. Has Noah called off my protection? Is he
that
vexed with me?

The lanky, bespectacled assistant stands and grins his geeky grin. “Nice to see you again, Miss Cooley. Mr. Van Der Wells is in a meeting at the moment. You may have a seat over there unt—”

“A meeting?” I glare at the kid and his eyes widen, no doubt wondering what he said wrong. “It’s one o’clock.
My
hour. One o’clock is my hour. He’s not supposed to be in a
meeting
.”

“I, uh—I don’t—I,” Lanky Geek stutters.

But I’m already stomping off in the direction of Noah’s office. His glass walls are one-way, so I
know
he sees me coming. And he better not lock it with his fancy remote control.

Slapping my palm against the smooth glass, I shove the door open. Noah’s eyes are on mine long before mine are on his, proving he’s been watching me since I got off the elevator.

Perched at the edge of his massive desk, feet crossed at the ankles, hands pressed down on the desk, one eyebrow acutely arched. He looks so damn edible right now, I could eat him from his toes upward, the sexy bastard.

He stares. I stare.

He waits. I wait.

Is he thinking what I’m thinking? About last night? Is he feeling what I’m feeling? Pure, adulterated love/lust/arousal?

A movement, a flash of blonde, tugs at my attention, forcing my I-want-to-do-you-so-bad-right-now stare away from Noah and down to…Sienna?

So swept up in Noah’s green lust, I didn’t even notice the beautiful
bitch
seated in one of the two chairs in front of his desk.

An icy blue glare pierces me over a bare, tan shoulder. “My God, Noah,” she sneers, whipping her head back around to him. “You’re still encouraging this little girl?”

Noah doesn’t answer. Just continues to stare at me, deliberately impassive.

Moving further into the commodious office, I stop at Sienna’s chair and rest my hand on the back of it. My thumb brushes her shoulder and she recoils as if I have Ebola. Exactly the reaction I expected. Her glare intensifies, but I remain unintimidated as I ask her, “What’s your hour?”

She blinks. “I’m sorry?”

“What’s your hour?” I ask again, cool and easy. “See,
my
hour is one o’clock, which is right now. Along with the bonus of all the hours he’s at home. Watching television with me, eating with me, pounding me into various positions for a full sixty minutes straight. So, what’s yours?”

Eyes narrowing into the tiny slits, she looks as though she wants to launch at me like a wild cat and claw my eyes out. Her blonde head jerks as she transfers this glower to Noah. “
Is she serious
?”

But Noah’s eyes have yet to leave me. He says to me, “I didn’t think training was still on today.”

Tilting my head to one side, I jut my hip out and plant a hand to it. “You say I’m the young, naive one, yet you’re the one who perpetually acts out like a petulant brat. We had a little tiff this morning, so you went ahead and assume training is off and the world is over and zombies will take over the earth by midnight and Jon Snow will reincarnate as a werewolf. You see? Age doesn’t necessarily mean
maturity
.”

“Training? What kind of training?” asks Sienna.

My gaze dips to her again. “Listen, right now I couldn’t care less if you’re his frickin’ gynecologist. This hour belongs to me, so I suggest you reschedule whatever this is. A blowjob under the table as a prescribed cure for his syphilis? Reschedule around my hour, please. And thanks.”

“My God, Noah,” Sienna sneers yet again, getting to her feet, her height only slightly intimidating. “This…
thing
is so beneath you and so illiterate she doesn’t even know what a gynecologist is.” She eyes me up and down with contempt. “Men don’t have gynecologists, you dumb little twat.”

Shifting my gaze to Noah, I smile something saccharine. “Oh, I know that.”

Noah finally breaks his impassive stare, sends his eyes to the ceiling, and shakes his head. “She meant it as an insult to me, Sienna. You have to appreciate her…
humor
. And she’s right, it’s her hour. We were through anyway, so you can go. I’ll discuss your suggestions with Q.”

Sienna steps up to him, her eyes going all soft and sultry, her hand touching his bicep, sliding down to his elbow. “You know we were nowhere near
through
. We had things to discuss, and now we have things to
do
.” As if I’m not there, she softens her voice and tells him, “Get rid of her.”

A snort leaves me as I move in front of the chair she’d been sitting in and plop down in it. “Even the birds can tell you in a chirpy little song that that’s not gonna happen.”

Sienna steps back, glancing between Noah and me, assessing.

I’m idly adjusting my tank—which doesn’t really need adjusting—over my perfect girls, and this act predictably draws Noah’s gaze to them.

“What is this?” Sienna finally asks. “Are you telling me this nonsense between you and her is serious?”

Noah opens his mouth to respond, but I beat him to it. “Serious
ly
. I take my training hour serious
ly
. There’s nothing complicated about that. You’re more obtuse than I thought you were, Sienna Sullivan. Bombshell of New York? Hmm. Nothing but a cliché of a woman, as far as I can see.”

She spins on Noah and glares. “You’re just going to stand there and let her talk to me like that? She’s a…
nothing
! A nobody. So the help gets a chance to suck a billionaire’s cock and suddenly she thinks she’s royalty? She is—”

“That’s enough, Sienna!” Noah snaps, straightening to his full height, towering over the both of us. “I said you can
leave
. Our meeting is over.”

With a huff, Sienna snatches up her handbag. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you. You’ve obviously lost your mind with this…plebeian trash. Expect me over tonight. We’ll be
talking
.” And then she storms out of the office, a cloud of animosity in her wake.

Noah stares down at me in irritation, and I idly—consciously—tap two fingers on my inner thigh, staring up at him.

“Your mouth will—” He breaks off, shakes his head, as if thinking better of what he’d been about to say, and then strides off to the mini-room section of his office to change. “Meet you in the gym.” 

This time I don’t stay to watch and salivate and be tempted.

I leave.

“Concentrate, Lotty!” my trainer barks at me. “I did
not
teach you that. You can’t reach for the throat of an attacker this much taller than you. You’ll get blocked, backhanded to the side, and possibly beaten to shit for even trying.”