Page 53 of Owned By a Billionaire

After I laid Evie down, I returned to the party, and Bethany came over with her new boyfriend by her side.

“Mother, you’ve put on weight,” Bethany said. “Maybe you should visit that gym that Carson’s running.”

“Not interested in gyms. I’ll stick to my walks.” What Bethany would never know was that sex kept me in shape.

“I’d like to introduce Sweeney.” She gestured at her young, twitchy boyfriend, who I imagined had sniffed enough cocaine to start his own party.

I nodded at him, and he leaned in and kissed me. He stank of alcohol and strong, sickening cologne that was probably some famous footballer’s signature blend.

“Pleased to know you, ma’am.”

He bowed, and I nearly laughed. I couldn’t tell if he was having a dig at our class or if he was serious.

Bethany looked back at me. “So, you’re a great-grandmother. How does that feel?”

“No different from being a mother or grandmother.”

“She’s too gorgeous to be a great grandmother,” Sweeney added.

I returned a tight smile at his cockney-embellished compliment. “Anyway, nice meeting you. I must go over and greet some of the new arrivals.”

I left them before Bethany, who was clearly drugged to the eyeballs, uttered another word. Nonsensical drug babble got on my nerves.

Cary was talking to a young, blonde, and busty woman. Her face lit up as he spoke. A sudden prick of jealousy swept over me, as I observed just how invested he was in that conversation.

Guests chatted with me, but I hardly heard what they were saying. I simply nodded and smiled on automatic, something I’d become accustomed to from years of practice.

Cary hardly acknowledged me, and when I finally caught his eye, he appeared to excuse himself and then strolled over. “You’re looking lovely as always,” he said in what sounded like a token pleasantry.

“Who is she?” I asked, without returning the compliment.

“Oh, she’s someone’s daughter. I didn’t really ask.”

“You looked riveted.”

After holding my stare as though searching for words, he broke into a smile. “Oh, Caroline, there’s only you. You know that, don’t you?”

“She’s pretty and kept touching your sleeve.”

He tilted his head. “Are you jealous?”

“Stop playing games.” I turned my back and walked away.

Chapter 17

Cary

Thatnight,Iknockedon Caroline’s door, something I never normally did, as her bedroom was also mine.

After giving me the cold shoulder for most of the night, Caroline absented herself from the party as soon as most of the guests had left. Her oldest daughter, along with her rock-star boyfriend, had to be thrown out after the boyfriend’s drunken stumbling about nearly obliterated an entire shelf of Murano glass. The staff had to keep moving things from out of his way like they might for a curious toddler, which I found rather amusing. Their loud presence had livened things up a bit. Not that Caroline had seen it that way. Instead, she’d rolled her eyes and whispered something to security, who’d then asked them to leave. Bethany didn’t go silently, either, as she’d landed a few passing shots. She’d pointed and yelled, “You’re all a bunch of stuck-up, arse-licking knobs!”

I entered the bedroom and being slightly drunk, I ignored Caroline’s tetchy mood. Skye, the young blonde, was harmless enough, despite her brazen flirting. And I wasn’t exactly encouraging her when she invited me back to her place.

I’d cheated one time too many, and the thought of my wicked past sickened me.

With Lilly, cheating had been a necessity after her libido faded. She even turned a blind eye to my occasional dalliance, which made the act of seduction easier. Especially with the youngish Italian neighbor who, bored with her husband, had become my guilty secret.

As things were now, I didn’t need to stray because Caroline fulfilled me in every sense of that word.

---