Page 149 of Handsome Devil
“Is that what women say?” I said neutrally.
“Usually. Smart, self-made women, for the most part. Like you. But you haven’t tried that line on me yet.”
“I haven’t tried any line on you yet,” I told him.
“True.”
“And I won’t be using that one. I’m impressed by money. Actually, I’m more impressed by the things that money can buy. I enjoy life’s luxuries. At least, I thought I did. But then I went to that damn high school and realized that the family I’d been born into, which I thought was wealthy, was simply… comfortably well-off. And honestly, until I just sat in that Bugatti, I thought Jesse Mayes was wealthy.”
“Well, I guess there’s wealthy, and then there’s wealthy.” He sipped his wine. “And then there’s wealthy.”
“Yes. There is.”
He studied me as I ate. “Does it feel strange? Becoming a billionaire overnight? I always wondered what that would be like. Not being born into money but coming into it later in life.”
“Well, I’m not a billionaire. As you know, our agreement leaves me firmly in millionairess territory, after the divorce.”
“You’re the wife of a billionaire, sweetheart. It’s pretty much the same thing.”
Hmm. I also wasn’t sure how I felt about him calling me sweetheart.
“Then I guess I’ll have to get back to you on that,” I said. “But so far, yes, it’s strange. I’ve never lived in a world where everyone you encounter is potentially there to service you.”
“Is that the world I live in?”
“Of course it is. As soon as anyone hears you’re a billionaire, it changes the conversation. It changes the whole dynamic of the interaction. Don’t tell me you’re unaware of it.”
“Unaware…” He seemed to consider that carefully. “No. I’m not unaware of it. But it is difficult for me to fathom anything else. I know it must change the conversation. But I’ve never experienced anything different.”
“Well, maybe you should. It might do you some good.” I watched him eat his steak as I sipped my wine. “We could practice right now.”
His eyebrow went up a little. “And how would we do that?”
“Hmm. We could pretend that I’m the billionaire. And you’re just a hot boy toy I took out for dinner tonight.”
His eyes held mine.
“Okay,” he said. “Let’s do that.”
I kinda laughed. “I was joking.”
“Feel free to take the lead,” he said, very seriously, when I just kept eating. “I’ve never been on a date with a billionaire before. I’m a little nervous.”
“Oh, you’re doing fine,” I said, slipping right into character. Maybe this would be fun? “Tell me again, what is it you do for a living?”
“I play football.”
“Do you? I’m not surprised. You look like an athlete.”
“Actually, scratch that. I play hockey.”
“Well, either one works for me.” I sipped my wine, studying him. “Why did you scratch football for hockey in high school?”
He broke eye contact for the first time—deliberately. “My father played football in college. I wanted to be just like him. Until I didn’t.”
Interesting. “Tell me more.”
He took a swig of his wine. “Maybe another time. We’re on a date. I’d rather flirt with the gorgeous billionairess.”
