King of Deception: A Secret Billionaire Romance (Billionaire Kings of New York Book 1)

13. Deeper

Abel

The full moon cast its silver light over my garden on a warm Sunday night that I’d decided to spend at home. Walking slowly, I was accompanied by an amused Dylan. He ran and slowed down in alternations, wagging his tail, exploring the bushes and flowers surrounding the walkway before making rounds around my legs again.

“And when did you adopt him?” Ella’s sweet voice flowed through my earbuds.

“Uh—Well, it took a while for me to get over Millie’s passing. That was five years ago.” I solemnly remembered my sweet German Shepherd. “So… Adele gave him to me the following Christmas.”

“Aww.”

“Yeah, it’s never easy. But my little sister knows I’m a sucker for the bastards.”

“They do feel like family, don’t they?”

“They are family.”

Dylan barked, leaping up and scratching at my pants. She heard him and laughed. “Where are you now, anyway? It sounds so quiet.”

“Just taking a walk around the house.”

“Speaking of which, am I ever gonna see your place?”

Holding my breath, I squeezed my eyes shut. “Sure. Soon.”

“You’re not ready.”

I tittered, “Um…”

“It’s okay. It was silly of me to ask.”

“Hey, when’s your birthday?”

“It’s actually funny. I was born on the first of January.”

“Really?” I drew it out.

“Yeah,” she giggled. “Haven’t had a proper birthday since I was sixteen.”

“And you say you’re not a party girl.”

“Well, that came out wrong. It wasn’t me who—”

“Hey, you don’t need to explain anything to me,” I chuckled. “You heard the stories.”

“King of Heartbreakers? Yeah, what was that about?”

Hanging my head, I ruffled the hair on the nape of my neck. “Eh—I went through this phase where I was a bit of a loose cannon.”

“Easy to imagine.”

“Hey!” Taking a turn, I saw Dylan curiously paw at a plant, and I gently pushed him away.

“I mean… you’re cute—”

“Cute?”

“You were young, weren’t you?”

“I was cute,” I laughed.

“You still are.”

“Cute doesn’t cut it anymore. Someone recently told me I was hot.”

She laughed. “Then what happened? Did someone take you to church one day?”

I sat down on a bench, placing one leg over the other and patting my thigh for Dylan to jump up. He sat next to me, resting his head over my hand while his big eyes stared up at me.

“I guess… I tasted my own poison. College, the night before graduation.”

“Ouch.”

“Right?”

“What was her name?”

“Jennifer.”

“Hmm. And what did Jennifer do?”

“Oh, no biggie. I only caught her on the floor in the middle of all the packed boxes in my room… naked… with Sam.”

“Ow.”

“Samantha,” I elaborated.

“What?” she drew it out and chuckled. “No way!”

“Turned out she’d been using me to get her parents’ approval.”

“No. For how long?”

“A little over a year? It’s embarrassing.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Well, I mean… I didn’t mind her being bi if that’s what she is. It just felt a lot like cheating because she never actually told me.”

“And the parents?”

“Well, they’d already paid for her education and a brand new apartment under her name in downtown Washington… where they’d also used their connections to get her a big job.”

“An apartment and connections. Do you know anyone who’s not rich?”

Tilting back my head, I stared at the bright, clear moon. I could see every line and gray patch. “Now that I think about it… no.”

“What about your family?”

“They’re doing well.”

“What does your sister do?”

“You mean when she’s not busy vying for the attention of her next flame?”

She laughed. “Hey, that’s judgy.”

“I guess I can get a little overprotective. After all, she’s still so young, and I worry about her.”

“It’s her choice. She’s not a kid.”

“Oh, miss hung-over-every-birthday-since-sixteen. Of course, you’ll take her side.”

“Are you shaming me?”

I chortled. “Not even remotely. Just teasing you. So, what’s your dream birthday like?”

“Whoa,” she audibly sighed. “I haven’t thought about it. I mean, most people ask about your ideal date.”

“Of course, but we’ve already established that that’s with me.”

She giggled, and my heart skipped a beat. “You’re full of yourself.”

“That hurts,” I joked.

“You know what Lexi says?”

“Lexi…”

“Alexander? Alex? My best friend?”

Clearing my throat, I felt a tad uncomfortable. “Mhm?”

“The one who’s with James? His boyfriend?”

“Right,” I tittered, mentally kicking myself.

“We’ll get to that in a minute,” she said, and I didn’t understand. “But he actually thinks that the perfect date should be with someone who has lots of money.”

“Do you agree with him?”

“Not really. I think it’s irrelevant. In fact, I’ve never really dated anyone with that much money. But I know how to have fun.”

“And does James have a lot of money?”

“Not by the standards of your friends, no. He doesn’t live near Central Park, and you’d never meet a celebrity at his parties,” she giggled. “But yeah, he’s well off.” After pausing for a while, she lowered her voice as if carefully probing. “So… are you a John Lennon, Abel?”

“A what now?”

“A jealous guy?”

“I—” There it was, and I was taken aback by the confrontation that came too soon. It was a moment of truth that I had to deal with like a mature adult. I took a deep breath and cleared my throat. “Define jealous.”

“The way you got Jude kicked out of that wedding, I believed you were helping me… but then you go speechless whenever I mention Alex’s name, and I feel like I have to remind you that… we’re only ever going to be friends.”

“No, it’s—” What was it, really? Come on, Abel. Mature, remember? “Okay?” I forced the confession out of my lips, and the words came out slowly, “I can be a little jealous.”

“Define ‘a little’?”

“I’m not paranoid or anything—”

“What are you, then? Say you see me with a friend having coffee.”

“I have coffee with friends all the time,” I casually said.

“A guy calls me late at night to complain about his girlfriend?”

“Why can’t it wait ‘til morning?” I chuckled.

“Because they just had a fight?” she elaborated. “And she stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her,” she added a bit of lighthearted drama to her tone.

“Wow, poor guy, huh?” I tittered before licking my lips, giving myself a moment to breathe.

“It happens, though.”

I had to think for a moment. What I had with Ella was too good to ruin over a hypothetical situation. “I wouldn’t risk upsetting you over something like that,” I admitted.

For a few seconds, she didn’t say anything. “But you’ll be upset?”

I felt like I was being cornered. I hadn’t been in a serious relationship in a very long time, which meant that I hadn’t had my patience tested for the answer she was requesting. “You’ve asked enough questions,” I smiled. “Can I take my turn now?”

“I have nothing to hide,” she sounded playful. “Ask away!”

“Are you seeing other people?” My heart stopped in anticipation of her response.

And then it was as though I heard her smile before I heard her voice. “I… am not.”

Relief took over me as I let out the quietest exhale I had ever mustered. “Will I see you tomorrow?”

“Only if you let me pay this time.”

“Are you my sugar mama?” I sniggered, and she laughed.

“I just might be.”

*

The next morning was filled with back-to-back meetings. Following the last one before lunch, I went into the private dressing room attached to my office. Like every time, I changed out of my French suit into a pair of old jeans and a tee. I also switched shoes, and on my way out, Iris smirked.

Tapping lightly on the corner of her desk, I said, “One hour. Call me if anything comes up.”

“Of course.”

I felt her eyes burn a hole in my back as they followed me until I disappeared.

In the park, I waited at the usual location. Five minutes passed. They became ten and then fifteen. The vendor clicked his tongue, and I turned to look at him.

“I think you should call ‘er, man,” he slowly shook his head.

Furrowing my eyebrows, I pulled the phone out of my pocket and took a few steps away from his prying ears. I checked my messages, nothing. Dialing Ella’s number, I heard the ring repeat itself like pointless noise before it eventually stopped. Texting her, I typed, Hey babe. Stuck at work? Let me know. I’m at the park.

Another five minutes passed with no response, and I was beginning to worry. It wasn’t like her to disappear like that. If she were in a meeting, she would have at least texted me.

Concerned, I marched out of the park and walked back toward the office. In less than a minute, I was driving my car out of the underground parking garage, heading to Ella’s work. I didn’t care if she saw me in this pricey vehicle. I could always explain it later. What mattered now was for me to find her safe and sound.

“Ella Rose Boraine?” the receptionist’s forehead wrinkled. “Well, she’s not in the building right now.”

“When did she leave?”

“I don’t know? A friend of hers showed up here a little while ago and—”

“How long ago?”

“I—I don’t know,” she insisted. “Half an hour?”

“Who’s the friend?”

“Um—A man? He didn’t leave his name. He seemed pretty upset.”

Frustrated, I sharply exhaled. “What happened? Can you tell me anything?”

“Sir, I don’t know. Alright? All I saw was him making quite the scene down here in the lobby with security. Ms. Boraine came out of the elevator running. She grabbed him by the arm and said, ‘let’s go home and talk about this’ and they both rushed out of here.”

“Oh my God,” I whispered to myself before spinning on my heel and dashing outside.

I tried to call her again, with no luck. I texted again, Ella, are you okay?

Behind the wheel, I urged the traffic ahead to make a path for me. Unfortunately, the unforgiving mid-day traffic of the New York streets didn’t seem to care that I was losing it. Nor did it consider the fact that Ella could be in danger. I knew very little about Jude, but if my character judgment skills were any good, that man was ready to do anything to gain the upper hand.

At the first sight of a car sliding out of its spot, I slowed down and quickly parked before leaping out and running.

Did I have any other choice?

I let my legs race against time while adrenaline did what it did best—blind me from anything and everything that could distract me. Zig Zag drills helped me avoid possible collisions with innocent passersby, while brief leaps and jumps over various obstacles prevented me from stopping.

When I finally arrived at Ella’s building, I bolted past Mike—the street seller—who hollered, “Uh-oh!”

Pressing the elevator button, I saw that it was still on the twelfth floor. Something inside urged me to head for the stairs instead, so I did.

As I took two steps at a time, I tried my best to keep count of the floors I’d passed. Two. Three. Four.

Be there. Be okay.

Five… six.

Finally standing at her door, I knocked and rang the doorbell simultaneously. There was no response, so I tried calling her again. The silence was disrupted by the rings of her phone at the other side of the door. She was there. Something was wrong.

Something was terribly wrong.

“No! What are you doing? I said no!” I heard a distant scream.

Next thing I knew, I was officially breaking and entering.