Page 7 of Date The Billionaire

Jake

I woke up early and insisted on getting some work done over a cup of coffee. The producers had balked and glared at my stipulations but when I threatened them with my departure they soon changed their tune. They still limited my use of the phone and the Internet, but my business was my priority and I wouldn’t let them threaten it.

My hand went to my hair, an old habit I still couldn’t break despite the cut, as a crew of people came into the large bedroom and began to dress a table with fine china, a linen tablecloth with an autumn theme, and spread out jams and butters. They didn’t even ask to come in, but they didn’t even acknowledge my existence, so I guess my privacy wasn’t an issue.

I’d showered and dressed while the camera crew set up, and now we waited for the lady of the hour to come take her place. I tapped nervously at the table top, shifting in my dark blue jeans, an old pair that fit me just right, with a wheat brown knit sweater keeping out the chill in the room.

I had quite a few dates to get through in the coming days, and it wasn’t going to take nearly as long as I thought if we were each going to eliminate three at one time. I didn’t care about the other girls. Laney’s smile and her kind eyes had already caught my attention. This “date” was just a formality as far as I was concerned.

“Look, Jake, you obviously like Laney, but we really need you to set up something with Arabella. She’s our main focus for the next few segments, so we need you to give her some time, okay? Trent and David are playing ball, we need you to get on board with this.” A woman I knew to be a producer came into the room, her blasé manner putting me on edge. I was unsure if her name was actually Carol, so I avoided using it.

“I thought the point of the game was for us to choose who we wanted, and they have to figure out which of us is the billionaire. It would be nice to know I’m wanted for something other than my money.” I gave the woman a wave of my hand, a dismissal I had never used before but the woman put me on edge.

“Oh, like that, are we?” Her red brow pointed, a sign of irritation she seemed to think would bring me into line. Her garish red hair was piled onto her head in an artfully haphazard way that was meant to convey carelessness, but with the amount of hairspray she had in it, you knew it was by design. “You have read the contract, right?”

“I have, yes.” I bristled and wondered if I’d missed something but one of the other producers came in to tell everybody to get out but me and the cameraman, Laney was on her way. The conversation ended, but Carol gave me a side-eyed glance that I knew meant I needed to do as she dictated.

A man came in with a cue card and a single camera on a tripod.

“We just need a few minutes of ‘diary film’, please,” he said, yet another of those that didn’t even bother to look at me.

I sat down in the chair he indicated and waited.

“Why did you choose Laney?” he asked, without even warming me up first.

“Because she seems so sweet and down to earth. I saw her walking down those stairs and she just seemed... I don’t know, real, I guess.”

“Right,” he said without inflection. “Why not one of the others? This is your first date after all, why not one of the more fun ones?”

“Laney looks like she’s intelligent, fun, and full of life. What do you mean?”

“Maybe I should have been blunt. Why not one of the sexier ones that might get their clothes off for the camera?” He looked up now, his gaze nailing me to the chair.

Apparently, I’d done something wrong.

“Because I can get sex anywhere. I’m here to find a wife, aren’t I? The woman I can spend the rest of my life with? Laney looks like that kind of a woman.”

“Okay. That’s all. See you next time.”

The man left then, and I was glad to see the back of him. What stupid questions. Yeah, you can be blatantly sexy, you can put everything you have on display, but to be able to take part in erotic play, to be able to seduce with your eyes and your brain? Yeah, Laney was at the very top of my list.

I’d nearly jumped out of my chair when she bit into the orange slice. She’d looked so confused, uncertain, as we’d first started to play, but when she caught on, her eyes had lit up and she’d followed my lead. Not afraid of sex, smart, and beautiful. Why would I choose anyone else?

With a sigh of frustration, I stood. I wanted to be alone with her, I wanted to touch her and taste her, but I knew this had to go slow. There were cameras everywhere, and I didn’t want to rush anything with her. She was more than just a fuck and a goodbye, this one. She was worth getting to know.

As soon as Laney came into the room and I saw how her eyes were bright and her cheeks were bare of makeup, the frustration fled. She wore a pair of black velour pants and a white cable-knit sweater with a low neckline. Comfy but still sexy, I decided. Just like the woman wearing them.

“Hi.” I took her hand with the simple greeting and led her to the chair directly across from me. “How are you today?”

“Fine. Nervous.” She gave me a wobbly smile that soon firmed into a grin as she took her seat, brushing back a stray lock of her hair. “Those cameras are everywhere!”

I smiled at her conspiratorially. “Evil, aren’t they?”

“Very.” She breathed the word as she picked up a menu at the plate beside her.

“Did you sleep alright?” I was making small talk, my own nerves getting the better of me with her in front of me.

I knew she was the reason my tongue felt tied, and my legs were jiggling almost involuntarily. I’d never reacted to a woman quite like I did to Laney, and I’d barely held a conversation with her that could be called anything but small talk. Yet, here I was, wanting to stroke those long delicate artist’s fingers. I wasn’t sure if she was an artist but she should have been with fingers like that. Slim and elegant, they were tipped with clear nail polish that brought a sheen to the not so long but not too short nails.