A Billionaire's Game (Ellsworth Brothers #2) (6 page)

The next day, Jill gingerly, picked up her soaked and
charred pants. There was a hollow dripping sound that filled the room. The
sizzling sound of burning embers had finally dissipated. “Ugh” was the only
comment that came to mind.

“Hey, babe. How do things look?” asked Drake upon entering
Jill’s charred apartment.

“Black and sooty.” She dropped the pants on the scorched
carpet and fell into Drake’s arms. She titled her head up and rested her chin
on his chest with a sigh. “I wish I had a magic wand and could make all of this
disappear.”

Running his fingers through her hair he pulled her up to
his mouth and gave her a soft kiss on her lips. Jill kissed him back and opened
her mouth so their tongues touched. Quickly the heat between their bodies rose,
and Jill’s arms were around his neck. He lifted her up, hands cradling her ass,
and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist.

Ending the kiss, Drake said, “Babe. As much as I want you,
and I want
 
you, this isn’t a great
place to get it on. There’s water and charred furniture everywhere.”

Jill leaned her head on his shoulder and blew out a
frustrated breath. “You’re right, I know, but making out and having sex with
you is so much more fun than cleaning.” Jill slid down Drake’s body and stood
in front of him. “Like I said, I wish I had a magic wand.” She turned, groaned
and put her hands over her face.

Drake put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her body
back into his. Into her hair he said, “Your wish is my command.”

“Wha…?”

“Your wish is my command. Come with me sexy lady, and I
will make all your troubles go away. Do you have any specific requests to make
as far as what you want your place to look like or have?”

“Drake. You don’t have to do this.”

“Of course I do. You need help, and I can provide help.
It’s easy. Just tell me what you want, and I’ll make it happen.”

“This is unreal, I mean, really, it’s too much. Every day
I counsel my clients on how to compromise and separate their needs from their
wants. This is crazy. You just snap your fingers, and you get whatever you
want.”

“That’s the fun of having money. You get to spend it.”

“Ha. You, sir, spend too much on me.”

“Impossible. Anyway, this is a done deal. Let me make a
couple calls, and within a few weeks your apartment will be better than you
could ever imagine. Any special requests?”

She glanced into his eyes and stated firmly, “Nothing
pink.”

“Got it,” he said, grinning. He punched his phone a few times
before he put it to his ear. When the person on the other end of the call
picked up, Drake wandered into the hallway to discuss the plans for rebuilding
and renovating Jill’s apartment.

Jill went into her bedroom and opened her closet. There
she found her wheelie suitcase untouched and ready to pack. She opened drawers
and pulled out essentials like underwear, bras, T-shirts and socks. Next she
went to her closet and pulled out several pairs of jeans, shoes and
long-sleeved shirts. She found her favorite sweatshirt and threw that on top of
the growing pile of clothes.”

“Babe, I can buy you new clothes,” Drake said upon
entering the bedroom.

“That’s ridiculous. I don’t need new clothes.”

“Have you smelled them? Even though the fire was contained
to the living room, it doesn’t mean everything else is okay. The smoky scent
you’re smelling isn’t just from the other room. It’s on your clothes too. Leave
the suitcase too. It’s going to have a smoky odor as well.”

Skeptically, Jill picked up a shirt from the pile and
sniffed. He was right. It smelled like smoke. She grabbed her favorite pair of
jeans and sure enough, it, too, smelled like charred living room.

Sighing, Jill looked at Drake and wailed, “Crap. What am I
going to do? I have nothing to wear—literally.”

“Let me take care of you, babe.”

Jill looked into Drake’s blue eyes, as calming and warm as
a Caribbean sea, and melted. “Okay. Yes, I could really use your help. Thank
you, Drake, for your kindness, for thinking of me, for calling your friends to
fix my place… for everything, really.”

“It’s truly my pleasure, Jill. Thank you for letting me do
this for you.”

Jill leaned over the pile of smoky clothes and kissed
Drake on the lips. It wasn’t a lustful kiss, but one that conveyed her
appreciation and maybe, just maybe, that she thought he wasn’t such a bad guy
after all.

Jill stood and walked into her bathroom. “Let me get my
toothbrush, shampoo and stuff.”

“Babe. We have everything you need at the hotel, and if
there’s something you don’t have we’ll just call down to the desk, and they’ll
get it for you.”

Frowning, Jill shut the medicine cabinet door and exited
the bathroom. “Okay, okay. I guess I’m done then. Let’s head out and get some
food. I’m hungry.”

With that, they left the charred apartment, closed and
locked the door and walked down the stairs to the street level where Drake’s
black Porsche Cayenne waited, driver at the ready.

“Where to, Mr. Ellsworth?”

“Saks, please. And we’ll need you to wait until we’re
done. I’ll text you as we’re about to finish, so you can meet us at the store
entrance.”

Slapping Drake on the arm, Jill whispered, “He’s your
driver; why do you make him call you Mr. Ellsworth?”

Drake didn’t respond. He pulled her into his arms and
kissed her passionately.

~

 
Within minutes
they arrived at the high-end store, exited the Cayenne and entered the
glittering showroom.

As they neared the women’s section, a sales associate
greeted them and inquired if her help was needed.

“Yes,” Drake responded promptly. “This beauty needs help
creating a new wardrobe. Hers was lost in a fire. Get her everything she needs
from jeans and shirts, to dresses and shoes and lingerie. Everything will be
charged to my account.”

Aghast at the distressing news of the fire, the woman put
her arm on Jill’s shoulder. She nodded at Drake showing him that she understood
his instructions. Then the woman ushered Jill toward the clothing racks that
held everything from sportswear, casual looks and work clothing.

Three and a half, long hours later, Jill found Drake sitting
in a chair, legs crossed and talking on his cell phone. She was wearing new
designer jeans with a comfy lightweight sweater and light brown, leather,
knee-high boots. Her look was updated and chic without being too pretentious.

“What do you think?” Jill asked as she twirled in a
circle.

“Smashing.” Drake stood and gave her a quick kiss on her
lips. Glancing behind Jill, Drake saw a staff of four associates all carrying
two and three large bags full of clothing.

“It looks like we’re ready to go. Oh, Miss, one more
thing,” Drake said addressing the sales woman. Please send over a set of
luggage to the Grand so that Ms. West will be able to transport her wardrobe as
needed.”

“With pleasure, Mr. Ellsworth,” the woman responded.

Speaking to Jill, Drake said, “I’ll text Benny to come and
meet us at the store entrance so we can get back to the Grand.”

“Sounds good,” Jill answered airily. Then she turned and
thanked the sales associates for their help.

~

When they arrived back at Drake’s suite, the bellhop placed
Jill’s multitude of bags in the bedroom.

“Will there be anything else, Mr. Ellsworth?” inquired the
20-something man wearing white gloves and the standard bellhop’s uniform.

“That’s all, Daniel. Thanks for your assistance.” Drake
reached into his pocket and pulled out a 50. “Here’s a little something for
your effort.”

When the door closed behind the bellhop, Jill hissed, “You
gave him a $50 tip?”

“Sure. I always do.”

“You always tip the bellhop 50 bucks?”

“Relax. It makes ’em happy, and I feel like I’ve done my
part in supporting the economy.”

“Drake,” she said with a sigh but then stopped. “Never
mind. I guess I’m not used to having so much money tossed around so casually.
The whole shopping excursion just about made me pass out.”

“That’s to be expected, what with your job counseling
people in debt.”

“I guess so, but still…” Jill paused but then thought
better of herself and changed the subject.

“Tell me everything,” Jill said to her friend who had just
returned from three weeks of blissful time away with her new husband.

Thea’s smile lit up her face. “It was… wonderful, no,
amazing. No, it was phenomenal. It was everything I could have hoped for.
Landen planned the whole thing. You’ll never guess where we went first, so I’ll
just tell you. We spent the first week in Iceland.”

“Iceland!” Jill interrupted incredulously.

“Yes. Iceland. It was gorgeous. They have hot springs
there that soothe you body and soul. And the hikes we took were breathtaking—The
cliffs and ocean and food. It was like something out of a dream.”

“Then what?” Jill asked, grabbing a bottle of water from
the fridge in Thea’s kitchen. Thea had moved from her apartment just outside
the city to the loft that Landen owned situated on the banks of the Mississippi
River.

“He took me to Ireland!” Thea exclaimed excitedly.

“I’ve always wanted to go there. I’m so jealous.”

“It was stunning. The people are so friendly and genuine,
and the countryside was so lush and green. We rented bikes and rode to these
quaint little towns with pubs and charming inns.”

“Did you know this water was bottled by little old men in
Switzerland?” Jill interjected.

“What?”

“This bottle of water. It says here that it was bottled
the old fashioned way at the source of the spring. That means little old men in
lederhosen had to climb a mountain to get the fresh spring water to put in this
bottle. Hope they didn’t spit in it or anything.”

“Jill, what is wrong? You seem very out of sorts.”

“What? No. I’m fine really. I’m sorry. Please continue.
Where were you? Oh yeah, you were in Ireland hunting leprechauns.”

Thea wrinkled her forehead in disgust at her friend’s lame
attempt at humor.
 
“Do you want to
hear about the trip or not?”

“Yes, yes. Please tell me more. I’m focused now. Really.
Go ahead.”

“So, after a week in Ireland we boarded another flight
bound for… drum roll please…”

“Well…?”

“For Paris!”

“Paris! That’s so exciting. You’ve been wanting to go
there for… well, forever.

“I know! It was so amazing, Jills. We stayed in a suite in
the heart of Paris, walked along the Champs Elysées holding hands, saw the Arch
de Triumphe and went to the Louvre. I know it’s cliché, but the Eiffel Tower
was so beautiful, especially at night when it was lit.” Thea sighed and grabbed
her phone to show her friend some pictures from their honeymoon.

“I’m hungry,” Jill said, standing and walking into the
kitchen for a second time. “I suppose you don’t have any food on hand since you
guys have been gone for three weeks.” Jill peeked her head in her friend’s
refrigerator. A muffled, “Hey, you’re well stocked! Nice,” came from the
kitchen. Backing out Jill emerged with cold cuts and cheese, mustard and mayo.
“Where’s the bread?”

Thea answered her friend’s odd request and wondered why
she was behaving so flighty. “There should be some fresh loaves in the pantry.”

“Do you want a sandwich?”

“No thanks. I’m good.”

“When did you have time to go shopping?”

“I didn’t. Landen had his cleaning woman stock the shelves
for us just before we got back.”

Shaking her head, Jill said, “Figures. I guess if I had a
woman I would have her do that too. Dang! You’ve got every type of chip known
to man in here.”

“Yeah, Landen likes to snack, and he can afford to do it
too. He has the metabolism of a hummingbird. He’s like you in that respect.”

Her mouth full of sandwich, Jill replied, “I don’t have
the metabolism of a bird. That’s ridiculous.”

“Yes, Jills, you do, and if I didn’t love you so much I’d
have to hate you.”

Jill grinned in reply.

After more stories of their adventures and dozens of
pictures later, Jill stood, stretching her arms over her head. She let out a
groan and patted her stomach. “That sandwich was amazing, but now I need to use
the facilities,” she said, emphasizing the last word.

“The guest bathroom is around the corner, first door on
your left.”

“I’m not a guest. I want to see the inner sanctum, you
know, where you guys let it all hang out.”

Laughing, Thea pointed to the master suite. “Through that
door to the right. You can’t miss it.”

“Got it,” she said, walking into Thea and Landen’s
bedroom. “Swanky,” she exclaimed.

Thea stood up shaking her head at her friend’s
description. She understood her friend though. When Thea first met Landen, she,
too, was overwhelmed by the opulence and grandeur of the place. Everything was
top of the line; from the appliances to the furniture to the accessories like
bedding and linens, not to mention the incredible view of the river. Slowly
Thea had gotten used to it and now it was just a part of her everyday life. For
all that Landen had, though, he was down to earth and practical. None of this
stuff fazed him. He was just as happy in a simple countryside cottage in
Ireland.

She stood looking out at the river as she ruminated on how
much her life had changed since a year ago when she had started working for
Caroline Ellsworth, Landen’s mother, afflicted with Multiple Sclerosis. Thea
had been hired to care for her. While in the role as caregiver she had met
Landen and the rest, as they say, is history.

Thea turned when she heard the front door open, and her
husband entered the loft. She couldn’t keep the smile off her face as he
approached her and bent his head down for a long warm kiss.

“Hey, you. Welcome home. How was your first day back at
work?”

Pulling off his suit coat, Landen walked into the master
bedroom and threw it on the massive king-sized bed.

“Actually, for as long as we were gone it wasn’t too bad.
I mean there was a shit load of email messages, and I’ve got meetings all day,
every day this week, but Melissa kept my schedule clear for today.”

“How is Melissa working out?” Melissa was Landen’s new
executive assistant who’d just been hired a few months ago.

“She’s great. Organized, prompt and on top of everything.”
By this time Landen had stripped off his tie, unbuttoned his dress shirt and
walked into the bathroom. He stopped short when he saw he wasn’t alone. “Uh,
Thee, why is Jill in our bathtub?”

“What? She’s where? Is she naked?”

Walking out of the bedroom he repeated, “Jill is in our
bathtub. She’s got your headphones on, and she’s rocking out to some song from
the ’80s, I think. Thankfully, she’s still got her clothes on and there is no
water in the tub.”

“She’s been acting weird all day. I can’t figure out what
is bugging her. I’ll go talk to her.”

Thea walked into the bathroom and sure enough, there in
their marble bathtub lay her friend—eyes closed, stretched out,
headphones on, lip syncing to something by Van Halen. Thea bent over and lifted
one of the headphones from Jill’s ear. “Hey, Jills. What ‘cha doing?”

Jill grinned. “I’m just checking out the accoutrements.
Did you know this tub is made out of marble? It’s probably imported too.”

Thea sat on the edge of the tub. “Enough already. Tell me
what has you acting so strangely? And, don’t tell me nothing because I know you
and I’ll know you are lying.”

Sheepishly, Jill turned off the music, removed the
headphones and climbed out of the tub and sat next to her friend.

“Okay. You’re right. I’m sorry I’ve been so… so out of it.
Something happened which caused something else to happen and I was worried
because I know you’re not going to like what I have to say.”

“Jills. You’re talking nonsense. You can tell me anything.
I promise I won’t get mad.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t make any promises.” Jill stood and
walked into the living room.

Landen was standing in the middle of the room, shirt open,
his muscled chest on display.

“Sorry about that, Landen. I was just checking out the
digs.”

“No problem, Jill. Glad you enjoyed yourself. How have you
been? We haven’t seen you since the wedding.”

“Good… good. Well, actually, not so good. There was a fire
in my apartment.”

“What!?” They exclaimed in stereo.

“See. I told you that you wouldn’t like what I had to
say.”

“Are you okay?” Thea asked with concern in her voice. “Do
you need anything? Where are you staying? Why didn’t you tell me this three
hours ago when you walked in the door? What am I going to do with you?”

“It’s okay. I’m okay. I have a place to stay. I have food
and clothing too. My bike was not damaged, so I still have wheels. So, there is
nothing to worry about.”

“Jill,” Thea admonished. “Where are you staying?”

“Well, that’s the part that I didn’t want to tell you.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. So, you know Landen’s brother?”

“Westin?”

“No, the other one.”

“Drake!?”

“Yeah, him. I’m staying at his place.”

Thea looked at her husband, who had an expression of
disgust on his face.

Thea responded, trying to keep her voice calm. “Jills, we
warned you about him. You need to stay away, far away.”

“I know, I know. I know what you said, but since the
wedding I’ve gotten to know him a lot better and, well, I don’t think he’s such
a bad guy. I don’t know what everyone is so uptight about. Sure, he’s cocky,
but what guy isn’t? At least any guy that is as good looking as he is.”

“Jill,” said Landen, inserting himself into the
conversation. “I’ve known the man all his life. I’m an expert on all things
Drake. He is a player. He’s devious and he’s reckless. He goes through money
like water and keeps coming back asking for more. My father and I are at the
point of cutting him off completely. He doesn’t work. Like I said, he’s a
player.”

“Listen, I appreciate your concern, but I can handle this.
Maybe you don’t know everything there is to know about your brother. When was
the last time you spent any length of time with him? Maybe once, just once, one
of you could stop bitching about him and stop and have an actual conversation
with the man. You might be surprised. I know that you don’t agree with me and
that’s fine. I guess this is just going to be one topic that we are going to
have to agree to disagree on. Thee, I’m really sorry, but you know me. I don’t
put up with shit from guys. Why can’t you trust me on this one?” That said,
Jill moved to get her jacket and leave.

“Wait. Jill, don’t leave like this. Let’s talk about it
this.”

“It appears there is nothing left to talk about,” she
replied and walked into the hallway. Grabbing her bike, Jill pushed the
elevator call button repeatedly and when the elevator didn’t arrive right away
she headed down the stairwell, bike resting on her shoulder.

Thea went to Landen and he wrapped his arms around his
bride. He kissed the top of her head and whispered, “I hope she knows what
she’s doing. I really don’t want to see someone you care about get hurt.”

Thea looked into Landen’s eyes and nodded. Slowly, a tear
fell from her eye and she sighed, hugging her husband close.