Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Bella
Unlike Simon, I didn’t have a plan. I was winging it, hoping and praying for a miracle. Maybe I could find a well-paying permanent job here and get my own apartment. Even if it was a tiny studio, I wouldn’t care as long as I didn’t have to leave the city.
The sound of Simon’s alarm startled me as I was in the middle of a very deep sleep. He rolled over, shut it down, and when I opened my eyes, he was staring at me.
“Good morning.” His finger swept across my forehead.
“Mhm. Good morning.” I smiled.
“I have a meeting at eight,” he said.
“Then you should probably get moving,” I smirked.
“I don’t want to.”
“Poor billionaire.” I smiled. “Forced to go run his empire.”
“Development company,” he said.
“Whatever.” I grinned.
“Whatever?” A smile perched on his lips.
“Buildings, money, and men in expensive suits sitting around a conference table pretending everything is an emergency.”
“That is an incredibly offensive description of Montclair Development Group.” He chuckled.
“Is it accurate?” My brow raised.
“Pretty much.”
He threw the covers back and climbed out of bed. My eyes fixated on his muscular body. He caught me staring.
“See something you like?” he smirked.
“Go take your shower.” I threw a pillow at him.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He winked and disappeared into the bathroom.
I lay there for a moment and stared at the ceiling.
I was in Simon’s room, in his bed. I’d walked past his room over a dozen times since I’d moved in, and now I knew what it felt like to fall asleep beside him.
I climbed out of bed, gathered my clothes from the floor, and went to my bedroom where I slipped on my robe.
I was sitting at the island with my hands wrapped around the warm mug of caffeine I desperately needed when Simon stepped into the kitchen.
He looked incredibly handsome in his black suit and crisp white shirt, his cologne filtering through the air.
He walked over to the coffee machine and brewed himself a cup of coffee.
“Here.” He reached inside his wallet, pulled out a credit card, and handed it to me.
“What’s this for?” My brows furrowed.
“You’re going to need a formal dress for the charity event Saturday night. Go out today and buy one. You’ll need shoes too.”
I looked down at the card and then back at him. “You’re giving me your credit card?”
“Yes.” He tipped the cup to his lips.
“To buy a dress?” I asked.
“And shoes,” he smirked. “Why are you looking at me like I just handed you a live grenade?”
“Because I can buy my own dress, Simon.”
“I know you can, Bella.”
“Then why would I use your credit card?”
“Because I’m asking you to go with me.”
“Just because you asked me doesn’t mean you have to dress me.”
“I’m not dressing you. Although, if you’d like me to—” He smiled.
“Don’t do that. Take it back.” I held the card out to him.
“No,” he said.
“Simon.” I cocked my head.
“Bella.”
“I’m serious, Simon.”
“So am I.”
“I have dresses,” I sighed.
“Formal dresses?” His brow arched.
“Yes.” I nodded.
“For a black-tie charity event?”
I opened my mouth and then closed it.
“I am not going into some ridiculously expensive store and charging thousands of dollars to your credit card,” I said.
“Why not?” His brows furrowed.
“Because it’s weird.”
“What exactly is weird about it, Bella? Enlighten me.”
“You handing me your credit card and telling me to go shopping.”
“Would cash make you more comfortable?” he asked.
My jaw dropped as I stared at him.
“You’re making this far more complicated than it needs to be.” He laughed. “Just take the damn card and go shopping.”
“How much?” I asked.
“How much what?”
“Can I spend?” I replied.
“Whatever the dress and shoes cost.”
“That’s not an answer, Simon.”
“It’s the only one you’re getting, Bella.” He walked over to the sink, rinsed out his mug, and placed it in the dishwasher.
“What if I find one that’s five thousand dollars?”
“Buy it.”
“Ten thousand?” My brow arched.
“Buy it.”
“Twenty?” My eyes narrowed.
“If you find a dress you love that costs twenty thousand dollars, Bella, buy the damn dress.”
“You’re insane, Simon Montclair.” I stared at him.
“Possibly.”
“I don’t like this.” I shook my head.
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want you thinking you have to buy me things.”
“I don’t. Listen, Bella, I want you with me Saturday night.
This event is my obligation, not yours. I’m the one asking you to spend an entire evening getting dressed up, making small talk with people you don’t know, and smiling through boring as fuck conversations because you agreed to be my date.
The least I can do is buy you the dress and shoes for the evening. ”
When he put it that way, it was harder to argue with him. I turned the card over between my fingers.
“What happens if I lose this?”
“You won’t.”
“You don’t know that. I’m very good at losing things.”
“Then I’ll cancel it.”
“What if I go on a shopping spree and bankrupt Montclair Development Group?” I smirked.
“Now that I’d like to see.” He chuckled.
He leaned over the island and placed his hand on mine.
“Go shopping, Bella.”
“You’re bossy, Simon Montclair.”
“I’ve never claimed otherwise.” He winked. “I have to get to my meeting. Have fun today.”