Submitting To The White Billionaire (BWWM Interracial Romance) (4 page)

I suddenly felt extremely inadequate because I didn’t have any clue about the restaurant or club industry. Sure, I’d been to quite a few but that probably wouldn’t help me much in that arena.

“You’re going to be my right hand. I’m learning about this business just like you are. So don’t feel as if you’re at a disadvantage. I’m bringing in some of the best of the best in the industry and so you’ll be sitting in with me to learn about what it’s going to take. We’ll navigate all of this together. So I hope you’re ready for the ride.”

I gave a small sigh of relief. I knew that if someone spelled things out for me then I could figure it out. Some concepts may go over my head, but I would spend some of my personal time figuring it out.

“I’ll admit that it’s going to be a little out of my element but I’m going to do my best. We’re in this together babe.” I said.

He brought my hands to his lips and gave my knuckles a long slow kiss and it went throughout my entire being. He had the ability to create a flame where there wasn’t any. I gave a content sigh, and it caused him to laugh.

“But that’s what I like to hear. You’re easily one of the most intelligent people that I know, and it comes naturally for you. What you don’t have in formal education you make up for in instinct,” he said.

“
I still would like to get my formal education. I just think that it will make me a lot more confident in the long run. I’ve always wanted to do it, but I didn’t have the time or money.”

“
Well, consider it done. Pick a school and that’s where you’ll go, you already know how I feel about that. We can get the ball rolling as soon as possible, and you can be in classes next semester,” he assured me.

“
You don’t waste any time,” I said in amusement.

“
Life is too short to waste time Camille. If there’s something that you want to do, and you have the means then there’s no reason to wait.”

“
I like the way that you think Mr. Kane.”

“
I love the way that you think, future Mrs. Kane,” he said. “Speaking of getting the ball rolling, it’s time for us to start organizing the wedding. Have you given any thought to where you want to get married?”

Did he seriously ask a woman a question like that? I’d been planning my wedding since I was seven years old. I always knew that I wanted it to be a very laid back ceremony because that matched my personality.

“I’ve always wanted to get married on a Caribbean island. I want to be completely relaxed with the warm air caressing my face. I envision walking down the sandy beach as I approach you at the altar. ” I said dreamily.

“
That sounds wonderful and I will make that happen for us. We’ll start scoping out locations so that we can pick a date and send out invitations. Right now our main priority will be to get our new venture off of the ground immediately.”

“
I’m looking forward to our wedding and I agree with you. We have a lot on our plate right now and we have to focus on the immediate issues.”

His arm went around my shoulder, and his head rested on mines. That moment in the air with him seemed perfect.

*

Our meetings with the advisers seemed to be endless. My brain felt like it was going to explode from all of the information that I was being inundated with. But we’d finally made a decision about the first 3 ventures that we were going to move on. Kyle had assembled his team and some of them were from his father’s business. I knew that wasn’t going to go over well with his dad, but they were well within their rights. The employees signed a non-compete agreement, and this business was in a completely different arena.

I was exhausted, but I was on my way to see Sandy because she seemed like she just needed a friend. I refused to allow my new life to cause me to abandon those that I loved. On my way there, Marcus called me. I was going to ignore the call, but I picked up out of curiosity.

“
Hello?”

“
Hey Cam, I need to speak with you,” he said in a smooth tone.

“
Okay, what’s up?”

“
I need to speak to you in person.”

“
What is it about?” I asked.

“
Like I said, we need to speak about it in person.”

“
It’s that important?” I asked in disbelief.

“
Yes it’s
 that
 important,” he said in annoyance.

I shook my head at my phone, but I knew that I couldn’t ignore his request. I considered him to be my friend and at the end of the day I trusted him. If he said that something was important then there was a high likelihood that it was.

“Okay, I’m headed out your way now. So I’ll be at your place in about 20 minutes.”

“
Alright, come to the one in Oak Park.”

“
See you soon,” I said before I hung up.

My mind began to race with all of the possible things that he could want to talk about. I sincerely hoped that it wasn’t an attempt to get me back. I’d been very clear about where I stood on that subject. He’d ruined any chance for a future with me because he’d made his choice about the life that he wanted to lead. Marcus chose drugs and money over me. I then began to think about my mother, and I hoped that she was okay. I didn’t want her to be a part of my life but I didn’t want anything bad to happen to her either. I increased my speed so that I could figure out what he wanted sooner because I was going to drive myself crazy with my theories.

I finally arrived at his house, and his door was wide open. He was expecting my arrival and so I walked up his stairs and entered his house. From the outside it looked like he had a simple family home. Once you entered his home, it looked like a rich playboy was living there. Everything was expensive, but there was no real style. There weren’t any photos on the walls, and there was no warmth. His hardwood floors shined brilliantly, and his white butter leather section sat in the center of his huge family room towards the 70 inch television.

He rose to his feet once he saw me.

“Hey Camille,” he said as he greeted me with a hug.

I returned it and made sure that our lower halves had some space between them. Once we parted he shook his head and grinned.

“Hey Marcus,” I replied.

“
Come on and take a seat.”

I walked in and took a seat on the opposite end of the couch. I stared at him because he didn’t seem in a rush to tell me what my visit was about.

“Okay you’ve freaked me out enough and you know how I am. So please tell me why I’m here,” I said.

“
I just wanted to tell you the press has been blowing my phone up. They want me to sell them a story on you,” he laughed.

My stomach dropped because I never expected them to contact my friends or ex-boyfriends. All of the peace that I still had from LA had drained from my body.

“But don’t worry baby girl, I told all of them no,” he said.

I gave a huge sigh of relief, “Marcus thank you so much for that. I appreciate you being a real friend because a lot of people would have sold me out.”

“Well I told them no at first, bu then, they called back and offered me $5k if I sold them a negative story,” he said before I was finished thanking him.

I closed my eyes and hugged my arms to my body. That was the absolute last thing that I needed. They were offering a pretty good chunk of change for information about me. Even if Marcus didn’t tell, someone would. Most of the people in our neighborhood knew about my past, and it’s something that I’ve never disclosed to Kyle. I inwardly cringed when I thought about the field day that the media would have if they knew of my illegal activity. It would justify everything that they’ve ever said about me. I wondered if he would leave me over that news.

“But you aren’t going to give them the story right?” I asked to clarify.

He shrugged, “Honestly I could use the money right about now. I can’t afford to turn down 5k.”

“What do you mean you can’t afford to turn down $5k? You wipe your ass with that kind of money,” I said incredulously.

“
Times are hard and I have bills to pay. But of course you wouldn’t know what that was like anymore now that you’re with white dude.”

“
That white
dude 
is my fiancé, so don’t act as if he’s some random man.”

Marcus angrily stood to his feet, “Look, I’m going to give them their story unless you give me 5 grand. It is as simple as that.”

“You can’t be serious Marcus! I can’t get that kind of money.”

He gave an angry laugh, “I don’t know who you think you’re trying to food but we both know that he will never miss that money.”

I stared at him as he stood over me. I tried to find the man that I once knew in his eyes, and I didn’t see him. The look that he gave me was one that he never directed towards me. It was the way that he looked at people that he despised. I didn’t realize how badly my new relationship had truly hurt him. I found that to be funny because he was the one that went off and had a baby. Now I was the bad guy because I was about to marry my prince charming.

“
I can’t just take 5 thousand dollars without him noticing,” I said.

“
I suggest that you figure out a way because I want the money by this time tomorrow or I’m going to be forced to call them and tell absolutely everything. I bet everyone would love to know what the ghetto Cinderella was like before she went from rags to riches.”

I stood to my feet so that I would not feel so intimidated by him. I refused to believe that the man that I grew up with and loved would do that to me. We’d been through everything together, and we never betrayed each other. That would go against everything that we’ve ever stood for.

“No,” I shook my head quickly, “You wouldn’t do that to me. You’re upset, but you still wouldn’t do that to me.”

“
That just goes to show how little you know. Get my money or your face is going to plastered in every local newspaper and I bet some stations will want to pick the story up as well”

“
And what does that mean for you?” I asked, “I’m no longer doing any of those things. My hands are a little dirty, but your hands are extremely filthy. You’re tied to everything bad in my past, and you’re still apart of this life. If you ruin my life Marcus, I’m taking you with me.”

“
See now you’re pissing me off,” he said as he grabbed me by the throat.

I gasped from shock and yanked myself from his grip. He didn’t grab me hard enough to do any damage but it was clear that his jealousy had driven him insane. Marcus had never put his hands on me before.

“Don’t touch me ever again,” I said in an even tone.

“
Just get me my fucking money,” he demanded through gritted teeth.

“
Whatever,” I said as I headed towards his door.

“
I’m looking forward to hearing from you.” His tone had changed to one that you would use with a friend.

I walked to my car in disbelief. Our friendship was completely shattered, and I never thought that was a real possibility for us. Tears streamed down my face as I opened my car door and got in. For the first time ever, I was afraid of him. He always promised to never put his hands on me and to never disrespect me, but I guess all bets were off. I’d seen him act this way with other people before and this treatment was reserved for those that he felt betrayed by. I finally came to terms with the fact that he wasn’t bluffing.

I picked up my phone and called Sandy. I would have to reschedule our girl time because I needed to think my way through the predicament that I was in. I headed back towards the penthouse and took that time to decide what I was going to do. My thoughts went to the pre-loaded debit card with $8,000 that Kyle offered me in case I ever wanted to go shopping on my own. I’d never used it because he already got me everything that I wanted, but it was my get out of jail free card for the moment. I breathed a little lighter, and I was happy that I had a temporary solution to my problem.

Now I would just have to ask him for the card. I wasn’t looking forward to having to lie to him over something so damned stupid. My past was haunting me, and I hated the feeling. I wanted to just crawl into the bed and snuggle with Kyle. He would make me feel better and chase away the feelings that I was harboring.

The following morning went much like the ones that we usually had, but this time my stomach was in knots. My hands shook a little as I ate a bite of my delicious Denver omelet.
  Kyle looked at me and gave me his winning smile and my heart melted. He was such a wonderful person, and I wondered why he chose me. I was full of drama, and I had a horrible past. He could have picked anyone that he wanted but yet he wanted me. I felt fortunate and guilty. But I still had to do what was necessary.

“
Can I have the debit card to go shopping?” I asked.

“
Sure,” he said as he rose to his feet and headed for the room.