Page 16 of Billionaire Hunt

I giggled. “You? Seriously? Really?” Did you get those boobs in med school? Is what I really wanted to ask her.

“What, I can’t be fantastically attractive and smart?”

Her nasal voice made me want to cover my ears and scream.

“I wouldn’t describe you as either to be honest...first impressions and all,” I gave her a nasty smile.

She narrowed her eyes at me and I knew we were going to get into a verbal sparring match when Erik said, “Time out, ladies. You both have your wiles...”

I glared at him and he laughed.

“I’ll call you later, Misha. I have some business to attend to now.”

“I can only guess what type of business,” I said under my breath as Candy huffily walked out leaving Erik to follow her.

Erik laughed and turned to me. “Not many women make Candy jealous.”

I made a gagging face and he laughed again. “I’ll call you soon. Thanks for meeting up with me.”

He then walked away and as he walked through the door, he glanced back at me and gave me a parting smile.

I couldn’t help myself. I smiled back. Clearly, Erik was an outrageous flirt and probably a womanizer if Candy was any indication. I would keep him at arm’s length because I really didn’t want to get sucked into his form of seduction. I would keep things light and impersonal. After all, I didn’t have time to be seduced, I had a life to rebuild. Not to mention, I wasn’t interested in being one of many women whose company Erik enjoyed. But, I thought as I gathered my things, I didn’t necessarily have to be Erik’s conquest...he could be mine. With that intriguing thought, I focused on my design ideas with thoughts of Erik and me in compromising positions on my mind.

* * *

A few days later, I found myself at Erik’s house. It was even more breathtaking in person, if not a little grubby. The previous owner hadn’t left it in the best condition. It was going to be a huge undertaking. That made it almost as exciting as the money I would get from taking on the job. Almost.

Erik wasn’t there when I arrived. Instead I was greeted by his personal assistant. To my surprise, the personal assistant was a guy named Simon. I thought I was going to meet another bombshell like Candy. Simon was efficient, short, and meticulously dressed. He had a delightful Boston accent and we chatted about being transplants in South Florida.

“I don’t miss the cold,” he was saying as he took me to the pool house. He opened the door and I looked around.

“I don’t miss the cold either, “I said, spinning in a circle, admiring the pool house that was probably 100 times the size of my grandmother’s old New York apartment.

“It’s impressive, isn’t it? I’ve been trying to convince Erik to let me live in it as part of my benefits package.”

I laughed, but apparently it wasn’t a joke. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“More serious than a heart attack. I would even take a pay cut to live here.”

“It is pretty sweet. Can you imagine being this rich?”

“No, that’s why I took this job, so that I could live vicariously through Erik.”

“I don’t blame you. It sounds like a pretty sweet gig.”

He nodded. “It is. Erik pays great. I get days off whenever I feel like it. He’s pretty undemanding.”

“Funny...I would have figured he’d be the opposite.”

“He’s pretty easy-going; the only problem I have is screening text messages and phone calls from interested ladies.”

Figures, I thought crossly. And then I reminded myself that I didn’t care. Erik was just my employer. What he did in his free time wasn’t any of my concern.

“So he’s pretty popular with the ladies?” I tried to sound nonchalant.

“They won’t leave him alone. I guess that’s the drawback of being a billionaire.”

Billionaire? I tried not to react to that statement. I’d known just from looking at the property that Erik was loaded, but a billionaire? Wow, I had literally hit the jackpot. A client with unlimited funds! I could make his home look spectacular!