Marry Me For Money: A Billionaire Fake Fiance Novel Read online

  I grinned. “I am full of surprises.”

  “Oh,” she whispered and climbed inside, taking a seat in the middle of the bench seat.

  I sat next to her, my hand resting on her knee. “Would you like a glass of champagne?” I asked, reaching for the bottle.

  “Sure,” she smiled.

  I poured us two glasses, being careful not to overfill and cause a spill on her dress before we even got to the restaurant.

  “I want this night to be special,” I told her, handing her a glass.

  “It already is.”

  I winked. “I want it to be really special.”

  She sipped from her glass, her eyes twinkling in the blue light in the back of the limo. “Where are we going?”

  “It’s a surprise.”

  She giggled softly. “I can’t wait.”

  The driver stopped in front of the restaurant before opening the back door for us. The door of the restaurant was opened by the hostess. I led Hailey through with my hand placed at the small of her back.

  “Good evening Mr. Maddox,” a server greeted us.

  Hailey looked around the empty restaurant. “Are we the only ones here?” she asked.

  I smiled. “Tonight, yes. This night is all about you and me.”

  “Here’s your table,” the server announced, pulling out a chair for Hailey.

  She sat down, a look of astonishment on her face. “You did this?”

  I nodded my head. “I did.”

  “You closed the restaurant for just us?”

  I laughed. “I did. I like privacy, and like I said, I want this night to be special and all about us.”

  She took a deep breath, shaking her head. “It is definitely that. This place has a waiting list for weeks. How did you manage to get the whole place?”

  “I have my ways.”

  I didn’t tell her I offered to give them a free campaign, which was definitely worth more than what the one night of lost business would cost them.

  The server returned with filled glasses of champagne and a tray of appetizers. “Thank you. We’ll be ready for the meal in about fifteen minutes.”

  “I’ll tell the chef,” he said and turned on his heel.

  “You already ordered?” she asked.

  “I know the chef. He is serving up his specialty.”

  She grabbed one of the crab cakes off the dish and took a bite. “Wow! This is amazing!”

  We finished the appetizers; our glasses never empty as the staff catered to our every need.

  “I feel like a queen,” Hailey giggled.

  “Good. I want you to feel like that.”

  The next course was served, a crunchy salad with a homemade sweet dressing drizzled over the top of the spinach and kale leaves. That comfortable togetherness I felt with her was back, minus the nerves fluttering in my belly about what I was about to do.

  When the steak and lobster meal was served, she grinned at me. “I could really get used to this. Is this how it is for you all the time?” she asked.

  I shook my head. “No, definitely not.”

  I didn’t want her to get the idea this was the kind of treatment she could expect as my fiancée. I didn’t have that kind of clout. Well, maybe I did, but I never really used it or tried to.

  “This is amazing,” she said, dabbing at her mouth with her napkin.

  I smiled, enjoying how happy she was. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”

  She nodded her head. “I am. When you said you had a special night planned, I could have never guessed what you had in mind. Thank you so much. You are so good to me.”

  “I wanted to make you happy. I like spoiling you and treating you well.”

  She smiled and stretched out her hand to touch mine. “I would be happy sitting on the beach and eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with you. It’s you that makes me feel special and happy. I like being with you.”

  I stared into her eyes and was convinced she was being sincere, but that little voice in the back of my head kept telling me she was playing me. She may have genuinely liked me, but if I couldn’t give her fancy meals, expensive jewelry and all the rest of the things money could buy, she would definitely not be content with a PB&J by the water. It was sweet, but I doubted it was entirely accurate.

  “I’m glad you said that. Can we skip dessert?”

  Her eyes grew heavy-lidded. “Absolutely.”

  I chuckled. “Not that, not yet. I wanted to talk to you about something. How about we move outside to the balcony. I’d prefer a bit more privacy.”

  “Sure. Is everything okay?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  We walked to the glass doors and stepped out onto the balcony with several patio heaters going. The smell of the sea drifted over me. I loved the ocean at night. It always felt so calm and intimate. The moon was bright and full in the sky, reflecting off the surface of the water.

  “It is absolutely stunning out here,” she said with awe.

  “It is. I have a yacht. Sometimes, I’ll take it out to sea just so I can see the moon and stars without all the interference from the city lights. I love the peacefulness you get when you’re out there with no noise, no people just you and nature,” I said, suddenly longing for a trip out on the water.

  “I’ve only been on a boat a couple of times. Both times were for shoots, so I was never alone. It certainly sounds nice. How come you don’t go out on your yacht more often?” she asked.

  I shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know. I mean, I always say it’s because I’m too busy and I guess I am, but I don’t want to be. I feel like I’m at a point in my life where I want to slow down and enjoy every day.”

  “I can understand that. I was in a similar position last year. I woke up one morning in a hotel somewhere in Europe and realized I didn’t want to travel so much. At first, it had been a lot of fun. I loved the adventure and seeing new places, but after almost ten years, I didn’t want it anymore. I wanted to settle down and relax more, enjoy life,” she said in a wistful tone.

  “Which is why you started doing print ads for me,” I said, getting a better understanding about why she had walked away from her career.

  “Yes, and because I knew modeling was wrapping up for me, and I figured the best place to get into acting was in LA. I had thought I was going to settle in upstate New York. I looked at property over there but then realized LA was my home. So, I came back.”

  “Are you going to stay or are you still thinking of moving to the east coast?” I asked, realizing our relationship may be doomed anyway.

  She sighed. “I don’t know. I want to get out of the city and find a nice, quiet place to live.”

  “You just started your acting career,” I pointed out.

  She smiled. “I don’t know if it’s started, but I can commute. Mostly, I want a place I can go home to that is comfortable and relaxing and away from the daily grind.”

  “I can definitely identify with that,” I said, resting my elbows on the railing as I looked out over the water.

  We were quiet for several long minutes, enjoying the peacefulness and beauty of the evening before she spoke.

  “Terran, do you want to tell me what all this is about?” she asked softly.

  I stood up and turned to face her. “I do.”

  She nodded. “Okay, and?”

  I smiled. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

  “Okay, I’m listening.”

  I took a deep breath, buying me a few seconds to back out. Once I asked her the question, there was no turning back. While I was confident she would say yes, I wasn’t sure I wanted her to. I did, but I didn’t. I wanted it to be real with us. I wanted to have the fairytale. Once I asked her, it was a countdown to the day we parted ways. I wasn’t looking forward to the breakup I knew would be coming. I couldn’t marry a woman who was only after me for the money. I could never live with myself. I did have some standards.

  Chapter 31

  Hailey


  My heart beat hard against my chest as he turned to face me. He took both my hands in his and was staring into my eyes. He was so handsome. I could stare at him forever and never get tired of it. His green eyes looked much darker on the moonlit balcony. His black hair was slicked back in that way I found incredibly sexy, but it was when his hair was wild and untamed that I really found myself drawn to him.

  “Hailey,” he started, and I felt like I was going to burst with excitement.

  “Yes?” I whispered, the anticipation of what he was going to say making me breathless.

  “From the very moment you walked through my office door, I knew you were special. You took my breath away. I’ve not been able to stop thinking of you since that second. You fill my thoughts every waking hour and even when I’m asleep.”

  I smiled, feeling tears welling up in my eyes, but quickly blinking them away. I didn’t want to be too sappy.

  “Thank you,” I said, wanting to wrap him in my arms, but sensing he had more to get off his chest.

  “I brought you here because I wanted to show you how special you are to me. I know what we have between us is unlike anything I have ever felt before. When I look back at our time together, all I can do is smile. I get this warm, fuzzy feeling in my belly, and my heart truly feels full. You’ve brought light into my world I didn’t know was possible. You give me this feeling of being settled and complete. I feel so comfortable when I’m around you. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I love you. I have loved you since the moment I saw you—in person, that day. I want to be with you for the rest of my life,” he said the words that felt like they were wrapping around my heart and squeezing.

  He dropped my hands, reached into his suit jacket and dropped to one knee, holding out a box, before quickly opening it and holding it up for me to see. I ignored the ring and stared at his face.

  “Will you marry me, Hailey?”

  I nodded my head, my hand covering my mouth. I didn’t want to cry, but I couldn’t stop myself. They were tears of complete and utter joy I had never known before. I was too choked up to say the word he was waiting to hear and simply kept nodding my head.

  “Hailey?” he asked the question again.

  “Yes,” I croaked out, finally able to speak around the giant lump in my throat.

  He stood and took the ring out of the box, sliding it on my left ring finger. “You’re going to make me a very happy man.”

  I started shaking my head. “No. You’re making me the happiest woman on the planet.”

  He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close before kissing me. I leaned into him, letting his larger body support mine as I kissed him back with all the feeling I could infuse into the kiss. I wanted to stay like that with him forever. I never wanted the feeling of being so completely loved to fade away.

  “I love you,” I whispered when he pulled away.

  We embraced for several minutes, enjoying the comfort of one another’s bodies. I was glad he had made the moment a private one. I didn’t want to share it with anyone else. I wasn’t into the big displays and the pictures and all that. I already knew the image of him looking up at me and asking me to marry him was going to be forever locked away in my heart and soul.

  “Ready to get out of here?” he asked in a low voice.

  “Yes, I’m going to step into the ladies’ room really quick, and then I’ll be ready to go.”

  He nodded his head, settling in at the table to finish his glass of champagne. The second I was inside the bathroom, I pulled my cell phone out of my purse and immediately hit the button for Mandy.

  “He did it,” I whisper-screamed when she answered.

  “What? Who is this? Hailey?” she asked in confusion.

  I cleared my throat. “He did it,” I whispered.

  “He did what? Don’t tell me he broke up with you,” she started to launch into a tirade.

  “No! He asked me to marry him. I told you, you would be the first person I told, so now I’m telling you. He proposed!” I had to keep myself from screaming the words.

  I heard her scream and knew she was probably dancing around her office or living room or wherever she was at the moment. “I knew it! I knew he was going to do it!”

  “Uh, you just asked if he broke up with me,” I pointed out.

  “Well, that’s only because you were being weird, and you said he’d been weird. And I was thinking it was the signal that your little fantasy was over. That doesn’t matter. It’s not! I can’t believe it! Take a picture of the ring and send it to me. I want to see! Is it big?”

  “I don’t know, actually,” I mumbled, realizing I never even looked at the ring. I had been so overwhelmed by what he said I didn’t care what the ring looked like.

  “You don’t know? He didn’t give you a ring?”

  “Yes, he gave me a ring, I just didn’t pay attention. It is big, now that I’m looking at it. A big diamond with blue sapphires surrounding it.”

  “Ohhhhh,” she squealed. “I want to see!”

  “Okay, I’ll send you a picture. I’ve got to get back out there. He’s waiting for me. I just wanted you to be the first to know and to let you know I plan on spending the next two days being very busy with my new fiancé,” I teased.

  She laughed. “Congratulations. I’m so excited for you. You are set for life once you marry your rich fiancé. You’ll never have to work again if you don’t want to.”

  “Mandy, you know I don’t care about his money.”

  “I know, I know. I was kidding, but you know it’s true. If this acting thing doesn’t take off or if you decide you want to take time off to raise a family, you can. You won’t have to worry about how you’ll support yourself. Your husband makes enough for both of you. Hell, for twenty of you,” she teased.

  I ignored her comment. I didn’t care one bit about his money. I had plenty of my own money, and even if neither one of us had healthy bank accounts, I wouldn’t care. I wasn’t with him for his money. I had dated plenty of wealthy men in the past. There was something different about Terran. Different and special and now, he was mine. I almost had to pinch myself to make sure it was all really happening.

  “I’m hanging up now. I’ll talk to you later,” I said and ended the call.

  I quickly touched up my makeup in the mirror before heading back out to the dining room.

  “I’m ready,” I announced.

  “Did you want to finish your champagne?” he asked.

  I smiled and sat down. “Sure. Do you have any other plans for the night that I should know about?”

  He grinned. “Not really.”

  “Then I guess we can finish our champagne here. I was thinking we could go back to your place for dessert. I have a craving for something different,” I said in a husky voice, reminding him of my promise last night.

  I watched him visibly jerk and knew my words had hit their mark. I liked to make him squirm. I liked knowing I could turn him on and fire him up like he did me. Our sexual experiences had been very vanilla until last night. I may have been a virgin until I met him, but that didn’t mean I hadn’t heard it talked about or seen some of the movies. Hell, I read Cosmo and had filed all the tips and naughty tricks away to be used at a later date. I couldn’t wait to experiment on my fiancé. It was going to take some time for me to get used to saying that.

  He nodded his head. “Actually, we do have one more stop to make.”

  “Really?” I asked, suddenly intrigued.

  He nodded his head. “Finish your champagne, then we’ll go.”

  I grinned. “I like your surprises.”

  He chuckled. “Good, because I think the next one is really going to please you.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t think you can top this. This is out of this world amazing. I could have never imagined this moment happening like this. I can’t stop looking at you. If you find me staring at you, with my jaw hanging open, I apologize now.”

  He winked. “Look all you want. I’
m yours for the looking.”

  I nodded my head slowly up and down, my gaze traveling over his body, noticing the expensive suit that flattered him in every way. He looked good in a suit. Hell, he looked good naked or fresh out of bed. Every day I saw him, I thought he got better looking. I wanted to crawl into his lap and ride him.

  I blinked, realizing I had just traveled down a dangerous road. There were a lot of people around. I crossed my legs, squeezing my thighs together to try and calm my racing libido. He was watching me the entire time. I had a feeling he could sense my discomfort.

  “I’m ready,” I said, my voice husky.

  He nodded his head. “I bet you are.”

  I blushed, standing from the table, anxious to get out of the restaurant and on our way for the last surprise before we went back to his place. I was wet and ready to spend a long night making love to my fiancé.

  I giggled.

  “What’s so funny?” he asked, guiding me into the car.

  “I was just thinking and, in my head, I called you my fiancé. It feels weird to call you that. I don’t think I ever called you my boyfriend and to jump right into fiancé is very hard to digest.”

  “Should we take a step back? You can call me your boyfriend for a while.”

  I shook my head, snuggling against him as he settled into the seat beside me. “No way. Let’s jump forward. I want to call you my husband.”

  He stiffened under me, and I realized I had probably just scared the man. I could have told him I already had the dress in my closet and the names of our children picked out if I really wanted to send him running from the car screaming.

  “We’ll get there,” he said in a strained voice.

  I sat up and looked at him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant I’m excited about our future together. I’m not ready to rush into anything. Please don’t freak out.”

  “It’s fine. I’m excited about the future as well, just not like the immediate future,” he clarified.

  I gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “Me too.”