Bidding on the Billionaire (Bad Boys Billionaire Bachelors Club) (10 page)

“I’m
enjoying it a lot,” Mandi said.  She tried to sound happy, but could tell she
didn’t pull it off because Leroy looked at her suspiciously.

“That,
my dear, was not a very convincing endorsement of your Italian dream date.”

“Oh,
it’s a long story. As things turn out it seems that Sergio and I may end up
just being friends after all.”  Mandi couldn’t believe she’d said that out
loud.  It was embarrassing to her to show that she was acting like a simpering
heart and it would probably be embarrassing to Sergio too.  Disclosing it to
Leroy, who she suspected was quite the playboy, was also unwise.

“And
you expected more?”

“I
don’t know what I expected.  It’s really not important anyways, is it?  We are
at the festival and it’s a special occasion.  Hopefully Marshall’s film wins
something.”

“Let’s
get back in,” Leroy said.  “Everything will be starting soon.”  He placed his
hand on the small of Mandi’s back and couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. Mandi
noticed his peculiar expression and wondered what he wanted.  It didn’t take
her long to figure out that she was the target of Leroy’s interests…or at least
the newest one.

Chapter 18

T
he ceremonies were long and made Mandi realize
that she really needed to see more of these cultural films.  She’d only seen a
few of them.  About halfway through the show the first award that Marshall was
eligible to win came up.  It was the Best Director award and it was for his
documentary
Amber Distortion
, a riveting story about a power house man
who’d reached his decline due to his drinking addiction, ending up homeless.

Everyone
was looking up at the emcee with anticipation as they listed who the jury had
chosen as the winner of Best Director.  They started with the jury prize winner
and everyone clapped.  Then they announced the Silver Lion Winner and that’s
when everyone heard the name they hoped they would—Marshall Kent and Foothill
Studios for
Amber Distortion
.  The BBBBCers and Mandi all clapped and she
was so excited for Marshall that she didn’t even hear who won the Golden Lion
award

About
fifteen minutes later the documentary also won a Golden Lion for
cinematography.  What a great day for Marshall in his first trip to the
festival.  Mandi couldn’t help but be annoyed by Benjamin’s response, who
seemed to want to take the credit.  If that was what investors were
automatically entitled to do Mandi would definitely not work with investors as
she branched out into different projects down the road—at least not include
Benjamin.

The
awards were done and the parties were about to begin.  They were all going to
be staying for the party at the venue and Mandi was excited to dance and have
some fun.  She no sooner spun her first step with Marshall, who’d requested the
honor, and she nearly fell over.  Olivia was standing there.  Was she talking
with Benjamin though?  No.  She was hanging all over Sergio, acting like a
desperate simpering cad. 

Mandi couldn’t
believe it and Marshall looked at her uncomfortably, not sure what he could say
to help eleviate her anger.  “If you’ll excuse me, Marshall.  I have to go ask
Benjamin something.”

Benjamin
was standing in the distance and Mandi saw a man who looked every bit as pained
and annoyed as her. “What’s going on there?  I thought Olivia and you were back
together.”

“She
dumped me about five days ago—again, and without explanation.”  Benjamin’s
words were as pained as his eyes.

“You
love her, don’t you?”

“Yes,
but as you can see she doesn’t quite feel the same way about me as she does
others.”  Mandi looked at Benjamin and felt just as defeated as he sounded. 
She desired to go over to Sergio and fight for him, but she didn’t have a claim
on him either.  Sadly, Olivia’s was stronger due to their history—which was more
than six days long.

The
festivities were suddenly sour and there were many different tales unfolding. 
Marshall was networking with new people, Benjamin was slamming down shots of
whiskey like they were water, and Sergio was fighting Olivia off and finally
surrendered.  The two walked off together.  As for Mandi, she never felt so
alone and would have given anything to be back home where she was in control of
her life and more protective of her heart.  Italy definitely didn’t end up
being the romantic place of potential that she had thought it might be.

Leroy
walked up to Mandi and asked if she was okay.  She looked at him and didn’t
have to say a word for him to get her answer.  Her eyes were expressing,
you
are kidding, right?

“Is
there anything I can do?” Leroy asked.

“In
fact there is.  I am ready to be done with this week long date.  Do you think
you could get me back to Benvenuto to get my things and on a flight to NYC,
where life is normal.”

“I’m
on it.  I’m so sorry this has happened to you, Mandi.  You don’t deserve it,”
Leroy said.  He leaned in and gave her a warm hug.  It made her want to cry,
but she fought back the tears.  No one could see her emotional state,
especially Sergio.

Mandi
went to the restroom to organize her thoughts and when she came out Leroy was
standing nearby.  He announced that he had everything ready and they could
leave.

“My
company’s jet is all ready and we’ll be stopping by to collect your things and
then making way back home.”

“Thank
you so much,” Mandi said and she couldn’t have been more sincere either.

“I’m
so glad I can help.  Sergio is my friend, but he can be a real jerk at times. 
I don’t know what gets over him.”

“Yes
you do,” Mandi said.

“I
suppose.  Olivia just seems to have some sort of spell over him.  It’s too bad
because she is not a good person, not like you are anyways.”

Mandi
was aware that Leroy really didn’t know her well enough to state that, but she
didn’t care.  She was torn apart and emotionally shredded.  Any kind words were
welcome.

Chapter 19

M
andi walked up to Benvenuto, praying that it
would be vacant.  She didn’t think she could bare to see everyone’s faces. 
They had all been so kind and inviting to her and now she was trying to sneak
out like a thief in the night to avoid any additional awkward moments.

She
made it to her room with only having to say hello to some of the servants that
were bustling around, cleaning and doing their other tasks.  She quickly packed
up her single bag and didn’t put anything in there aside from what she’d left for
Italy with.  The last thing she wanted was the things that Sergio had bought
for her, including the beautiful butterfly necklace.  They made her feel trampy
and were painful reminders of what she had thought was an amazingly special
day.

Leroy
waited down in the foyer for Mandi and as she made her way downstairs she ran
into Diedre.  “Mandi, where you are going?”

“I’m
sorry.  I’ve had an emergency and I have to get back to New York.  Leroy was
kind enough to help me because Sergio was…wrapped up in something.”

Diedre
gave a knowing smile, but let Mandi’s excuse pass without question.  She hugged
her closely and said she was welcome back any time, with or without Sergio.

“Thank
you so much.  You’re welcome to visit me in New York City too, although my place
is certainly not even a fraction of this place.”

“Bigger
isn’t always better,” Diedre said.  Mandi laughed and turned to walk out of the
door and out of Sergio’s family home forever.  She couldn’t leave soon enough.

Forty-five
minutes later, Leroy and Mandi were on his jet and making their way back to New
York City.  Mandi was exhausted and sat there, somewhat quietly, drinking a
glass of wine and trying to erase all thoughts of Sergio from her mind.  The
ones of Olivia hanging on him were painful, but not as much as the ones of them
getting alone so well—seemingly connecting on a deeper level than what the
“arrangement” had allowed for.

Leroy
was a perfect gentleman on the flight and talked freely to Mandi, sharing
stories of his life with her.  She talked about her past a bit, her mother’s
death, and the gallery—a topic they both had in common.  He mentioned how he
still planned on visiting the gallery and purchasing some art work from Mandi. 
Honestly, Mandi thought he was going to follow-up with a date offer for after,
but he didn’t do anything like that.  He was there for friendship and to help
her feel better.  She was so grateful for him doing that and it meant so much
to her.  She’d been duped and fooled…actually felt like she was a fool more
than she’d been fooled.

Mandi
dozed off for a bit and was glad that she didn’t drift off into any
compromising dreams like she had on the flight to Italy with Sergio.  Her head
was resting against Leroy’s shoulder and he was also sleeping.  They both awoke
to the announcement that they’d be landing at JFK in twenty minutes and were
starting their dissention.  Mandi looked down at her iPhone and it was 2 in the
morning.

“That
went fast, considering,” Mandi said.

“It
did.  Good company like you always helps a long tedious flight,” Leroy said.

Mandi
looked out the window, happy to be back on the familiar turf of New York City. 
She was eager to blend into the landscape and become an anonymous person and
heal her heart.

By
the time Leroy and Mandi got back to her flat they were wide awake and Mandi
invited him in for some coffee.  He’d been so kind to her.  Leroy accepted and
she unlocked her door, gesturing for him to go in. 

It
didn’t take long for Leroy to show Mandi what was on his mind on a bit more
personal level.  He gently placed his hands on her face and caressed it
softly.  Mandi looked at him in his beautiful blue eyes and saw his emotions
clearly expressing themselves.

“I haven’t
thought of any woman since I met you last week at that auction.  It just about
killed me when you bid on Sergio.  I would have bid anything to win a date with
you.”

“Oh,”
Mandi said.  Her heart was racing and she was at a loss for words.

“Sergio
is so lucky and he doesn’t deserve you.  You deserve better. You deserve
someone who sweeps you off your feet and keeps you flying high.”  With those
words Leroy leaned in and kissed Mandi softly and passionately. It was intense,
but not rushed.  It was one hell of a fabulous kiss in fact.

Mandi
wanted to resist, but couldn’t find the words to do so. She’s been so run down
and the roaming hands of Leroy traveling up and down her spine, suggesting
things to her body that she didn’t want to admit were there, was exhilarating. 

Leroy
took Mandi’s hand and led her over to her couch and laid down, guiding her down
on top of him.  Their bodies were pressed together and Mandi didn’t want to
stop him now.  She wanted Leroy to do whatever it was he did that would make
her forget Sergio and the sights of Olivia clamoring all over him.  She wanted
to be swept away and made whole again.  What happened tomorrow didn’t matter. 
It was what was happening right now that gave her promise…promise that she
would be okay when this was all said and done.

“You
are every bit as delicious as I thought you’d be when I first saw you,” Leroy
whispered.  He was tracing his tongue down Mandi’s neck and nuzzling her collar
bone.  It was so sensuous, she let a moan escape. 

He
gently rolled her over on to her side and took his free hand and began
unbuttoning her shirt.  Mandi longed for him to free her breasts, touch them,
and kiss them passionately. The feel of his lips burning on her was so
liberating, giving her the assurance she needed. “So beautiful, so very beautiful,”
Leroy mumbled. “I haven’t stopped thinking of wanting you since you were
snatched from me at the auction.”

“Don’t
stop,” Mandi urged.

“You’re
like a piece of art, perfectly sculpted and something that I long to collect,
to own. Can I have you?”

Mandi
was ready to scream out yes, but was stopped. 

“Not
unless you want a fight,” a voice shouted out. Mandi jumped up and saw one
furious Sergio standing at her front door, which she’d obviously forgotten to
lock.

Chapter 20

S
ergio must have decided that he didn’t want to
wait for an answer from Leroy.  He preferred the fight and he charged up to him
in long strides and grabbed him by the shirt, whipping him down from the couch.

Mandi
was speechless and suddenly felt so awkward, quickly buttoning up her blouse. 
Part of her wanted to protest Sergio’s arrogance at what he’d just done.  Was
he playing games with her?  

Leroy
got up and lunged toward Sergio, but was too slow.  Sergio delivered a jab to
his nose and sent him reeling backward.  He landed in the leather chair and
didn’t move again.  Sergio had knocked him out cold.

“What
the hell are you doing?” Mandi demanded.  She’s suddenly found her voice and
was angry at the gall that Sergio had busting into her place and trying to
control what she did.

Sergio
didn’t answer her. Instead he grabbed her by the wrist and said, “Come on.  I
need to talk to you.”

“There’s
nothing to talk about. The week’s over, and our arrangement’s over. You chose
Olivia and I’m moving on with Leroy. There’s nothing wrong with that and I can
handle it.”

Sergio
began to pace around. His fists were still clenched and you could see the rage
in his eyes, as well as the desire to hit something.  He began to talk in a
very controlled tone to Mandi.  “Everything is wrong with what you said,
Amanda.” 
Full name?  What the hell…does he think he’s my parent?

“Like
what?” Mandi asked.  She was staring at Sergio and not backing down from the
anger that she was feeling too.  He’d messed with her so bad the past few days
and she wasn’t about to let him off the hook about it.

“Because
you and I are…we are…” Sergio began.

“Friends
with a fuck arrangement.  That’s what we are and you made it clear on the way
to Italy and by the end of my time there too. I get it.”  Mandi was shaking and
adrenaline had helped her bitter words escape her lips.

Sergio
paused and looked at her. He’d never seen Mandi acting that way before or being
so intensely angry. “Really?” he asked. “You said you loved me.”

“I
told you that was a mistake, some sort of emotional high from an intense sexual
encounter.  If you recall I also told you that and that it would never happen
again.”

In
a swift change of emotion, Sergio pulled Mandi in closely and was so close that
their noses were practically touching. “Why won’t it happen again?”  Then
Sergio took his hand and slid it into her jeans and under per panties.  He
started to stroke her urgently, reaching her clit and making her lose her train
of thought. “You don’t want this?” he teased, massaging her masterfully and
making her nipples harden from his seductive touch.

“Sex
is different than love,” Mandi countered, but her argument was weak because she
was so responsive to Sergio at that moment. If he kept going she would orgasm
without a doubt and there was nothing she’d be able to do to stop it—even if
she wanted to.  Mandi knew she didn’t want to.

Sergio
continued talking and fingering Mandi, showing how capable he was of
multitasking and persuading others to get what he wanted. “Do you want this
with me or are you going to give it all up?”

“I…”
Mandi said, suddenly shuttering and climaxing.

“See
you need me, you want me. Tell me, Amanda. Tell me you need me,” Sergio said.
“If you do I’ll stay. I’ll be more than your fuck buddy.  I’ll be whatever you
want me to be. I need you in my life. I want you in my life.”

In
another explosive burst Mandi climaxed once again and shouted out.  “I want you
with all my heart.  I love you and I do want this!”

Mandi
was afraid to look Sergio in the eyes after saying that again.  It might have
been the dumbest thing she’d ever done…unless Sergio had finally realized he
may love her too.

“Look
at me,” Sergio said.

Mandi
looked up and stared into Sergio’s eyes, prepared to hear whatever he had to
say.  “Thank you.” 
Well, thank you is a start
, Mandi thought.

Sergio
guided Mandi to her couch and unzipped his pants, allowing his erection to
spring out.  It was huge and he laid her back and entered her, pounding in and
out of her with more vigor than he ever had before, riding her passionately
until they both released together.

Then
Sergio picked Mandi up and began to carry her up the loft stairs to where her
bedroom was.  She tried to protest, starting to doubt if she’d done the right
thing.  “But you and Olivia,” she said.

“Over.”

“Again?”

“For
good. I once thought I loved her, but she’s manipulative and sly. She doesn’t
have the potential to be loving, faithful, or loyal to anyone.  She’s all about
her.”

“You
just let her kiss you in Venice and then you left together.”

“I
didn’t let her kiss me.  She just snuck one off. Then she told me that she had
something important to tell me and asked for some privacy. What choice did I
have?  She is the type of girl to make a scene.”

“And
what was so important?” Mandi asked, realizing that she was still naked in
Sergio’s arms while putting him through an inquisition on his ex.

“She
told me that she is pregnant and the child’s mine,” Sergio commented.

Mandi
squirmed for him to set her down.  He acted like that was not a big deal, but
it definitely was to her.  It was a significant complication in an already
complicated situation.  “Do you think it is?”

“No,
I don’t.  The time doesn’t add up and she was with Benjamin during that time
anyways. She’s still convinced that it is during a time that I made a poor
judgment call.”

“What
did you do?”

“We
hooked up for a weekend. I’d been confused and was just trying to do anything
to get her back,” Sergio said.  He looked embarrassed at the thought of having
to disclose such a vulnerability to Mandi, but she didn’t actually mind. It
made him seem a bit more emotionally attached, kind of like that day at the
orphanage.

“What’s
the plan for finding out?” Mandi asked. She knew there were many ways to find
this out quickly and quietly; however, she didn’t know if it could be done
before a child was born.  That’s what concerned her.

“She’s
agreed to get testing and apparently the oby-gyn can do it once she’s
twenty-four weeks along.”

“How
far away is that?”

“Still
one month.”

“What
will you do if she is pregnant with your child, Sergio?”

“I’ll
do what’s right by the child and Olivia, but I won’t marry her.  They will be
well provided for and I will have a relationship with my child.”

“What
does that mean for us, for our chance?” Mandi asked. That was the big question
and it may have been too early to ask it, but she felt she had to.

“I
don’t know for certain, but there is one thing I do know. I want more than this
stupid arrangement.  I want to be lovers and if I were to have a child today
I’d want it to be yours, not Olivia’s.”

“So,
there is still an us?” Mandi asked, realizing they were still standing on the
top of the loft stairs having a very serious conversation.

“I
hope so.  I’ve always been aware of you and attracted to you in a certain way. I
hadn’t thought much about it because I didn’t see you for so long, but when I
saw you that night of the auction I was immediately drawn to you—quicker than
I’ve ever been drawn to anyone before. It caught me off guard and it scared
me.  Then when you said you didn’t want a relationship…”

Mandi
quieted Sergio with a kiss. She didn’t want to go there again and relive that
moment.  There’s been so many great ones and that one certainly wasn’t.

“No,
let me finish,” Sergio said.  Mandi smiled and looked at him, waiting for him
to continue.  Her arms were wrapped around his neck and she didn’t want to let
go.  “It didn’t take long for me to realize how much I could love you this
week.  You are one of the most incredible women I’ve ever met and make me feel
happier and more relaxed than I’ve ever been before. I can’t have enough of
you. When I’m not with you, I think of you, and when I’m with you, I want to be
wholly consumed by you. I can’t concentrate on work. I just want to spend all
my time with you, be with you, sleep with you, eat with you, shower with you,
and of course, make mind-blowing love with you. I’m out of control, and it’s
not like me. It’s scary.”

“I’m
scared too.  This is new territory for me, but I don’t want to resist exploring
where this can lead.”

Mandi
leaned in and kissed Sergio, sealing the deal that they were going to give this
relationship a go and deal with any obstacles that may come their way
together—even the possibility of Olivia being pregnant with Sergio’s child.