Page 8 of My Arrogant Millionaire

»Of course. You were in Forbes?«

»And not just there. Do you know the billboard at Times Square? The one with the guy in gray underwear and the game controller?«

»Holy shit, that’s you!« she exclaimed, and I had to laugh. »You really are a nerd! What’s with the controller?«

»I have a game development company.«

»That’s every big boy’s dream, right?«

»You can say that again.« For the first time, our conversation didn’t feel like the light banter filled with dirty innuendos. It was real. More real than many other things in my fast-paced life.

»And who are you, Grace Stone? I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but...«

»But you did. And that’s really naughty, Mr. Game.«

Alright, she didn’t want to delve deep into the conversation. I could understand. This morning, she had sounded genuinely hurt when Sonia Price had brought up this Mel person. I could empathize with not wanting to reveal everything to a stranger, because that’s what I was. Nothing more.

»I’ll briefly ignore how hot it makes me to hear the word ›naughty‹ from your lips... You just googled me,« I dryly replied to her statement, as I saw her scrolling through her phone on the side.

»Hold on, InTouch calls you Mr. Sexy Game! I’m sorry, I’ve withheld a title from you.«

»I forgive you,« I replied.

»Then I’m dealing with a real celebrity.«

I wanted to tell her that she should treat me like before. Like a guy who lived in the apartment across from hers and found her interesting, sexy, and damn cute. Somehow it bothered me when she treated me like many women did, dazzled by the money and the spotlight that was directed at me. »But don’t think that now that I’ve revealed your true identity, I’ll let you off the hook, buddy.«

»Little buddy?« I let out a relieved snort. She wasn’t like the others; I had already been aware of that. »I’ve heard many names, but not that one.«

»Why did I know that clichéd line would come from you?«

»I’m shameless and not too proud to do anything to get you to say yes to me.« Finally, she laughed again, and I pressed the receiver closer to my ear. I wanted to hear it again and then one more time, as often as I could until I’d had enough.

»Yes to you or to getting to know each other?«

»Getting to know each other involves me.«

»Hm…« she made that sound again and thought out loud. Even though distance separated us, it felt as if she were sitting right in front of me. At the same time, she was much too far away. I wanted to touch her, hear her laughter without any bridging, challenge her, and draw out the evening as long as possible.

»Okay, let’s do it differently. Write a pros and cons list by tomorrow. Then we’ll see which side prevails, and you can finally dive into the wild nightlife with Baron Spencer.«

»You’re talking about yourself in the third person? Definitely a point for the con side.« She brushed back a strand of hair. »But okay, the abs and your rear view, two solid points for pro.«

I held back a laugh. »Only two points? I’m disappointed.«

»Don’t flatter yourself too much, Mr. Midlife-Crisis.«

»Sherlock, Mr. Midlife-Crisis, Mr. Sexy Game… you have quite a few names for me, even though you act like you don’t want me, Honey,« I replied softly. I heard her soft breath and then a muffled yawn. As if she wanted to say goodbye as little as I did, she hesitated, and we enjoyed a moment of shared silence.

»I think you should go to bed now,« I whispered and heard a frustrated grumble. »Agree to a date, and we’ll have the whole night,« I added.

»I’ll write that damn list, then we’ll see.«

»Do that.«

»Good night, Crisis.«

»Good night, Goldilocks.«

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