Page 23 of The Billionaire and I

“Wow.” Jenny gently stroked the luxurious material. “That’s… That’s real nice of you, Coley.”

“It’s my pleasure.” I meant it.

The elevator doors opened, and I swept Jenny out into the lobby where, lo and behold, the Windsor sisters were sitting and having a glass of wine, watching the sunset. Their eyeballs almost popped out when they saw her in the dress.

“Ladies,” I said.

“Hey, Florence. What’s up, Greta,” Jenny said, grinning at them as we passed.

Amari did a double take when he saw how gorgeous Jenny looked, but true professional that he was, he recovered quickly.“Mr. Bryson. Ms. Jenny. You two are looking your best. The car is waiting out front.”

“Thanks, Amari.” I nodded.

“Yeah, thank you.” Jenny grinned at him.

“I think everyone’s as impressed as I am with you in that dress,” I said as I opened her car door for her. Even Greta and Florence were speechless.”

“Ha, I don’t know.” She shrugged. “At least I looked fancy when I saw your nosy-neighbor ladies.”

“Yes, I enjoyed that, too.” I smiled as I pulled out onto the road, setting the Porsche’s navigation to the party. The Prestons were hosting it at a fancy Back Bay restaurant.

“Shirley seems real nice,” Jenny said. “I’ve never had a personal shopper before.”

“Shirley’s the best,” I agreed. “She’s been with me forever. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

“You should buyhera present.” Jenny nodded. “Like a tropical vacation or something. Or a four-thousand-dollar dress.”

“That’s a good idea. I usually give her chocolates at Christmas, but I could get her something for her birthday. She always remembers mine.”

Jenny scowled at me. “You get herchocolatesfor Christmas? I met Shirley for ten minutes, and I could already tell that she would do anything for you. She’s going back to organize your office, and it’s seven o’clock at night! Screw the chocolate. Get her a Porsche.”

I laughed. “You’re good at spending my money, Jenny! Lots of creative ideas. I like it.”

She laughed, too. “Sorry about that. I just think you should reward good people, ya know? Good people are hard to find.”

“True, very true.” I reached over and grabbed her hand, then held it for the rest of the ride.

The cocktail hour was in full swing when we got there, with the typical well-dressed Preston crowd. Jenny hitched up her dress, then fluffed her hair. “This is a fancy party, huh?”

“Fairly fancy,” I agreed. “The Prestons are an old-money family. You’ll probably see a lot of Chanel suits and pearls tonight.”

She looked confused. “On the men?”

I laughed. “No, the women—Chanel suits are classic Boston rich-white-women wear. I’ll show you.”

She hesitated before we walked in.

“You have nothing to worry about,” I assured her. “You look gorgeous, Jenny. You’re the prettiest girl in the world.”

“Cole,stop. You’re so silly.”

“I mean it.” I grabbed her hand again. “Shirley was right.”

We headed for the bar, and I did not imagine it—every single dude in the restaurant checked out Jenny from head to toe. Shewasthe prettiest girl in the world, and I was so lucky she was my date. “What do you want to drink?” I asked.

“Something fruity. With a straw, so I don’t mess up my lip gloss.” She motioned to her face.

“I’m on it.” I turned to the bartender and ordered a bourbon for myself and a rum punch with a straw for Jenny. She slurped her drink down fast, and I followed suit. I wasn’t going to let her outdrink me.

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