Page 50 of The Billionaire and I

I’d never been serious about a woman before. I had zero interest in forming attachments; I’d always believed a romantic relationship would weigh me down. But I didn’t feel that way about Jenny. Because she was an escort, she was wildly differentfrom the wealthy society women I usually “dated,” if that’s what you could even call it. But it was more than that. Jenny wasn’t the type of person that you got to know—she just sort of happened to you.

Me.She’d just sort of happened to me. And I didn’t know what that meant, except that I couldn’t quite remember what I was doing before I met her.

And I had zero idea what I’d do after her job ended, and she was long gone.

Luckily,James was at the reception. But Audrey was nowhere in sight. Jenny went to the ladies’ room while I found my friend at the bar, double-fisting bourbons. Without a word, he handed me one. I watched, alarmed, as he knocked his back and immediately ordered another.

“What happened?” I asked. “Where’s Audrey?”

“She quit.” He ordered another drink.

I didn’t understand. “She quit…?”

“Me.She quit me.”

“Oh fuck, James. Are you serious?”

He shrugged. “I’m serious about getting shit-faced.”

“What’re you going to tell everyone?” I asked. “We’re supposed to go on the trip tomorrow.”

“I told Todd she’s sick.” He eyed his crystal tumbler, assessing the amber liquid inside. “I’ve decided that, for tonight, this is how I’m handling it.”

“I’m sorry. That sucks.”

“You’re telling me.” He held up his glass. “Anyway,cheers.To Todd and Evie. I hope somebody around here lives happily fucking ever after.”

“Uh…yeah.” I tipped my glass toward his. “That’s quite the toast.”

He muttered something unintelligible. Before James could order another bourbon, I pulled him away from the bar into a quiet corner. “What happened? Why’d she leave? I thought things were going great.”

He shrugged. “Her mother showed up at the wedding. Did Jenny tell you?”

I nodded. “She said the mother’s bad news.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“What did she want? Why did she try and crash the wedding?”

“She’s after money. I’ve given her plenty to shut her up, but she keeps threatening me to get more. But I handled her today.” James sounded sure of himself. “She won’t be back.”

“But still, Audrey’s upset?” I asked.

“Yes, she’s beating herself up about it,” James said. “She said she had no business accepting the job in the first place and that she’s put me in danger.”

“She quit because she wants to protect you,” I deduced.

“Exactly. She thinks she’s not good enough for me. She says her mother will keep coming back and that it’s not safe for me to be with her,” he sighed. “Don’t tell me Jenny’s pulling the same crap with you.”

“We haven’t gotten that far,” I admitted. “Jenny hasn’t told me anything about her past.”

“Interesting,” James said. “Maybe she’s better off than the rest of us and doesn’t have one.”

“That’d be a neat trick,” I agreed. “But I don’t think she’s that lucky.”

“Probably not.” James downed the rest of his bourbon.

The prospect of watching my friend drink until he fell over wasn’t very appealing. Suddenly, I felt tired. I wanted to findJenny and just go home. “We’re probably going to head out early—hope that’s okay.”

---