Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
E lisabetta
The week has gone by in a flurry. I spent what felt like hours looking at different color options for logos, trying to come up with ideas for Oasis Paradise, and still, I feel slightly nervous about the trip. I’m not really sure why Liam wants me to go. A part of me wonders if it is because he wants to have his wicked way with me. Maybe it is an excuse to get me into his bed once and for all.
I stare at the suitcases in front of me as I wait for him to get our tickets so that we can check in for our flight. I'm nervous, and I'm not really sure that going on this trip is the smartest decision I've ever made, but it is exciting. Even Skye was taken aback when I told her what was happening. Skye, Lyla, and Juniper all believe that the entire trip is just a way for Liam to get into my pants, but I’m not gonna let that happen. Definitely not.
"Okay, so we're all checked in," Liam says as he comes up to me. "Our flight leaves in a little over three hours. Would you like to get something to eat or drink?"
"No, I'm okay, thanks." I stare at him. He's wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a crisp blue shirt that brings out the blue in his eyes. He looks gorgeous, of course, and I've noticed several women staring at him as we've walked by.
"So, did you bring a bikini?" he asks me, and I stare at him.
"Did you bring a bikini?"
"Oh, yes," he says, laughing. "I brought five! A white one, a blue one, a red one, a black one, and—" He cackles. "Sorry, I meant briefs."
"Okay, then, so you're saying that we're gonna have time to go swimming."
"I'm saying that we're gonna have time to indulge in everything the island has to offer because that's the point of the trip."
"The point of the trip is for us to go swimming?"
"The point of the trip is for us to spend time on the island to ensure that it has enough to offer that guests would be interested in."
"Oh, that makes sense," I say, feeling slightly goofy.
"And I mean, it doesn’t hurt that we'll both be there." He smiles. "Don’t you agree?"
"I don't know what you want me to say to that, Liam."
"I want you to say that you think I am the best boss you've ever had in your life."
"You know what's crazy? You're the only boss I've ever had in my life, and I still don’t think you're the best boss.
"I mean, let's be real, you're lucky to have me. I bet you I'm the best assistant you've ever had in your life."
He chuckles. "I think that I'm going to have to pretend I didn't hear that comment."
"What? At least I haven’t quit on you like all the others."
"That is true." He nods. "So, did you have to tell any men that you're going to be gone for the week?"
"No. Did you have to tell any women, like Lucinda?"
"We're not going because she was gonna show up and… Lucinda would have no issues with me going on this trip."
"Would she have issues if she knew you were going on this trip with me, though? I stare at him.
"What do you want me to say to that? Would you like me to say she would have issues, or would you like me to say she wouldn't have issues?"
"Why would she have issues if she wasn't your woman?"
"I don't know. Why would she? You tell me. Would you have issues if I was going on this trip with someone else?"
"No, I absolutely wouldn't care."
"You wouldn't care?"
"I wouldn't care whatsoever. You could go on any trip you wanted anywhere in the world with anyone you wanted, and I couldn't give a flying fuck."
"Whoa," he said. "What's up with your language?"
"Sorry, it just came out. I didn't mean that. I meant that…" I let out a sigh. "Sorry, it's just been a long week."
"Why is that?" he asks, his eyes narrowing. "Is everything okay? Did you hear from your dad?"
"No, haven't heard anything from my dad, but I did speak to my brother, and he's a little worried about what's going on."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, my dad cut off my stepmom's credit card, and when I tried to make a purchase at Cartier yesterday, and it didn't go through." I frown.
"Okay, and what does that mean?"
"I mean, a $10,000 purchase didn't go through. That's nothing. So, my dad really is having financial difficulties, and I'm nervous because he didn't even alert me to the fact that my card wouldn't work. And what's gonna happen to me? Am I gonna be in the street? It's not like you're paying me that much. I doubt you're paying me enough to even cover my bills."
"Is that your way of saying that you want a raise?"
"That's my way of saying that I'm screwed."
"So you think you're gonna marry someone, then?
"I don't know," I say, shaking my head. "I mean, I just don't know."
"That is something you'd be okay with, marrying a stranger?"
"I don't wanna talk about it, to be honest. You know what I mean? Like, it is what it is. Right now, I'm just focused on the task at hand and the job that I'm doing for you."
"Would you feel bad kissing me and touching me knowing that you were going to become engaged to someone else soon?" he asks me.
And I frown. "Why would I feel bad about that? It's not like…" I pause.
"It's not like what?" he asks.
"It's not like you would care, right?"
He stares at me for a couple of seconds. "I mean, I think we both know the answer to that."
He looks at his watch. "Okay, shall we go and get something to eat or drink?"
"Sure, whatever you wanna do."
We walk towards a bar and sit before he hands me a menu and leans back in his chair.
"So, do you look more like your mom or your dad?"
"Um, I guess my dad. I mean, I can't even really tell you what my mom looks like." I bite down on my lip and look to the side. "It's one of the things that I've always hated about growing up. When my mother died, my father told me he was so upset that he got rid of every picture because he couldn't stand to look at her, so I never really knew what she looked like, and it killed me. It absolutely killed me.
"I don't really wanna talk about my mom, to be honest," I say. "It was really hard growing up without a mom, and it's one of my biggest regrets in life. Like, I wish that I could've saved her, you know? I wish that I could be granted a wish from a genie because that would be my one wish, just to have kept her alive so she could've been in my life and could've…"
I pause. "Sorry, I'm not trying to bring the mood down. Shall we talk about something else?"
"You're not bringing the mood down," he says. "Sometimes life is complicated and hard, and it's okay to acknowledge things that have hurt us."
"So why don't you acknowledge something that's hurt you, then, Liam? I mean, we're constantly talking about me, and I feel like I don't really know that much about you."
"Well, what do you want to know?"
"Why do you never wanna get married? Why do you care so much about business? Why are you here with me right now, going on a work trip?"
"Because I'm trying to figure out if this is a good deal," he says, grinning.
"Okay. And the other questions?"
"I don't know what to say. I'm not that deep of a thinker. I just like business, and I like making money."
"And while your heart's never been broken, you've never been upset or hurt?"
He stares at me for a couple of seconds. "When I was younger, I had a group of friends," he says, "and we all went to a very fancy, very rich school. My friends were from families that had long, hyphenated names and manors in the countryside, and they were distant relatives of the royals.
"And I remember I met this one girl, and she was really cute. She seemed to like me, and I liked her. One night, we went to the pub to get some beers, and we snuck a kiss, and I thought to myself, 'Wow, how did I get so lucky that this beautiful girl, who was funny and smart and really well respected, liked me? Me, Liam Gallagher. I wasn't really anyone, you know? And then I found out that she didn't."
I look at him for a few seconds, and I frown. "What do you mean, you found out that she didn't? She didn't what?"
"She didn't like me like that. She found out that even though I went to this rich, fancy school, I was there on scholarship and didn't have a pot to piss in. And she wasn't going to become the third cousin of Prince William or a distant relative of the Duke of Marlborough. She wasn't going to have an estate in the country if she married me."
"Married you? You were that serious?"
He laughs. "No, but when certain people date, there's always an end goal in mind. I mean, haven’t you dated someone thinking, where is this going?"
"Yeah, but generally, I'm thinking about where is this going tonight or next week," I say with a laugh, "not where is this going as in will we get married. Am I going to live in a five-million-dollar penthouse on Fifth Avenue?"
He chuckles. "Is that where you wanna live?"
"No. I don't really care where I live, as long as I'm happy. I mean, honestly, if my dad's broke, then I can't afford where I live now. I'll move out. That's okay. I'd even live in a place like yours."
"You think I live in a crappy apartment?"
"I don't think it’s crappy. I mean when I first saw it, I was surprised and thought it was a little shittt,” I say honestly. "It took me aback when I saw it because it wasn't fancy like I expected it to be. It was normal, but it was nice. It was lived in, and even those cartoon character throw pillows had a story to them."
"They do." He nods. "Thank you for saying that."
"For saying what?" I stare at him in surprise. "What are you thanking me for?"
"Thank you for seeing me as I am and not for who I could be."
"I don't really know what that means."
"It means that I'm thankful for the fact that even though I have a shit ton of money, you don't expect me to spend it all.”
“I mean, as long as you're giving to charity, then hey, who cares what you spend it on, right?"
"I don't know that I actually give enough to charity," he says, looking at me. "Does that make you hate me?"
"No. I mean, I don't know how much you're giving."
"Do you want to know?" he asks.
"No, maybe not. I don't want to judge you."
"You'd judge me?"
"Yeah, because if you told me that you're a billionaire and you're only giving like ten grand a year, I'd say you're a jackass."
"Fair enough," he says. "I give a little more than that, though."
"I'm glad to hear it.
"So, Elisabetta Franco, tell me something else about you."
"Wait, you didn't even finish telling me the story about that girl."
"She dumped me and dated my friend." He grinned. "It didn't work out, and now she wants me back."
"What?" My jaw drops. I hadn't expected that part of the story. "She wants you back? Oh, my gosh. She's not Lucinda, is she?"
He stares at me for a couple of seconds and bursts out laughing. "No, she's not Lucinda. Definitely not."
"Good. I mean, you wouldn't give that girl a chance again, would you?"
"Not in a million years," he says, shaking his head.
My phone starts ringing then, and I look at the screen. My hearts starts racing when I see it's my dad. I show the screen to Liam, and he frowns.
"You can take it if you want."
"Thanks," I say.
"Hey, Dad. How's it going?"
"Is that you, Elisabetta?" He sounds upset.
"It's me. What's going on?"
"The banks have called in all my loans." He sounds like he's stressed out. "I'm afraid none of your credit cards are gonna work after tomorrow, and oh my gosh, I just don't know what to do. I'm so sorry, darling. I didn't expect for us to ever be in this position. I've made some bad business deals and?—"
"What do you need me to do, Dad?" I say, chewing on my lower lip. I can see that Liam is listening to the conversation, but I don't care. He already knows what's going on, at least partially. He knows as much as I do.
"I may need you to marry someone. I know that's not what you want, but it's the only way I see to save the business, the only way that I can take care of the family and?—"
"I'll do it." I don't know where the words came from, but I say them. "Find me a husband, someone that can invest in your business, and I'll marry him, okay? I gotta go now, Dad."
I hang up and look at Liam. He looks angry.
"What the fuck?" he says.
I press my fingers to his lips. "I know you're not gonna understand, but I have to do what I have to do for my family. But before I get married…" I lean towards him and press my lips against his. "Before I get married, I want to know you in ways that should be a sin."
His eyes widen. "What are you saying?"
"I think you know exactly what I'm saying." I grab his hands and pull him towards me. "The games are done." I chuckle at his expression. "I mean, some of the games are done. I just know that I wanna experience passion with you before I have to give myself to another man forever."