Page 8 of The Billionaire's Temptation

She looked around, arms tightening around her chest as she murmured, “I doubt I could ever get used to this place. It’s huge!”

“You have no idea,” he replied, then put a hand to the small of her back. “Let’s start with this floor, then I’ll take you through the grounds. I’ll show you to the primary suite after dinner. Will that work?”

Clarissa nodded automatically, feeling as if her eyes were bulging out of her head. This was too much! Not just figuratively. But literally. She’d been living in a five hundred square foot apartment ever since her mother had passed away. Now, she’d inherited a fifteen thousand square foot house? A house with thirty bedrooms?! No, thirty rooms just for the servants. She didn’t know how many bedrooms there were on the second floor.

“I don’t know all of the rooms, since I wasn’t bosom buddies with your father, but–”

“Please,” she interrupted, laying a hand on his arm. Instantly, the tension exploded between them. They both froze, staring down at her hand on his arm. She pulled her fingers away, curling them into a fist that she pressed against her chest. “Sorry.”

He cleared his throat and nodded. “What were you going to say?”

She bit her lip and tried to remember. Looking into his icy, blue eyes, all she could think about was how appealing he smelled. The man smelled like pine needles, but better!

“Clarissa?” he queried, his voice soft and husky. The man stepped closer and Clarissa’s heart pounded against her ribs. The man was potent. Too potent!

“Right!” she gasped, looking around. “I was…umm…he’s not my father.”

There was a long silence as both of them considered her statement. “Except…heisyour father. There is a DNA test to prove that.”

She shook her head and he noticed small ringlets. Her hair had been wet when he’d arrived at her apartment. But it had dried now. It was soft, with curls and waves draping over her shoulder.

“This…Arthur Fuque…he donated the sperm. He’s a sperm donor. Not a father.” She cleared her throat and lifted her eyes. “This man…I didn’t know him. I don’t deserve this house.”

He laughed softly. “When you meet your step-siblings, you’ll understand that they deserve it even less than you.” He stepped back and nodded towards the hallway. “Besides, it was his dying wish that you inherit his wealth. He was a bit of a bastard during his life, and maybe this was his way of making amends for some of his past misdeeds.”

He touched a door and shot her a questioning look. “Do you play pool?”

She did. In fact, it was one of the ways in which she’d paid for most of her college textbooks before her mother passed. “I’ve played a few times,” she replied, hedging slightly. No need to reveal all her secrets to Levi just yet.

He pushed through the door to reveal a large, sunshine filled billiards room that was lined with ornately carved wood paneling. There was a massive pool table in the center of the room with a masculine-looking chandelier overhead. There were stools along the walls as well as racks of equipment for a lively game of pool.

“This is amazing,” Clarissa whispered.

“There’s a lot more,” he explained, opening another set of doors on the far side of the room. He led her through a large library with floor to ceiling shelves filled with books, a conservatory, three sitting rooms, a movie theater…not a movie room…this was literally a theater. There were more rooms, some of which she couldn’t even identify, plus a wine cellar with about a thousand bottles of wine. Clarissa wasn’t sure why anyone would need that much wine, but she kept her mouth shut as they walked through an office and several other rooms. There was so much to take in, Clarissa just…kept on going.

Thirty minutes later, the tour concluded. Clarissa’s mind was spinning with all of the details, not to mention the realization that she could become lost in this massive dwelling. The three of them sat down to a delicious meal of herb roasted chicken and rice pilaf with a side of steamed broccoli. It was a simple meal, not really what Clarissa would have chosen for a Friday night, but it was delicious.

The conversation, however, wasn’t as palatable. Mr. Silverman, Ron, explained all of the financial holdings that she now owned. He told her about the tax issues, the international holdings, the legality of transferring everything into her name, and a slew of other issues.

Whenever she felt overwhelmed by the conversation, she turned to look at Levi. He easily translated Ron’s explanation into words she understood.

Ron left after a dessert of vanilla ice cream with a rich, chocolate drizzle. Levi lingered afterwards but, since there wasn’t much left to say, he gave up with a sigh and asked, “Walk me to the door?”

Clarissa looked around, then laughed. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. What if I can’t find my way back?”

He chuckled and she loved that sound. “Are you going to be okay?”

She let her eyes roam over the room. “I don’t know. I don’t have a car in which to run away. And I don’t have the money to get back to my old apartment. So, I don’t really have much of a choice, do I?”

“You have five different cars, Clarissa,” he countered. Then he reached into his back pocket and pulled out several twenty dollar bills. “And now, you have cash in case you need something that isn’t here in the house.”

Clarissa pulled back, shaking her head at the cash laying on the table between them. “I can’t take your money, Levi.”

He sighed and stepped closer. “You are an heiress now, Clarissa. You can pay me back once Ron brings you some credit cards.”

“Why would he bring me credit cards?” she gasped, horrified at the thought. “I never use credit cards.”

He stared at her in shock. “Why the hell not?” he demanded. “And how in the world do you buy things without credit cards?”

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