The Billionaire and the Cleaner (7 page)

“There is. I’m not a nun or a virgin or anything.”

Kent
waited for
her to speak.

“His name was Frank, and I thought I loved him.”

Chapter Seven

Lana had never intended on talking about her past boyfriend.
Kent
shared so much with her even though he didn’t need to. The trust he displayed
made her wish for the same kind of ease to share all of her troubled thoughts
with him. Biting her lip, she stared out of the window. The only way for her to
talk with him about Frank was if she wasn’t looking at him.

“What about Frank?”
Kent
asked.

“He was my last boyfriend. I thought he was amazing. He
worked in a bank as some kind of accountant. I met him in the supermarket, and
we hit it off. He asked me out on a date. I jumped at the chance to see him. I
was a fucking fool. I can’t believe I gave so much of my life to him.” She
shook her head remembering how quickly she’d fallen for his charm. Frank had
been heavily built with brown hair and the kindest eyes she’d ever seen. He
knew what to say to make her feel special. All Frank had been doing was
spinning her lies. Frank knew what to say, even though he never meant anything
he said.

She wiped the tears from her eyes, shocked by their sudden
appearance. Lana thought she’d cried all the tears possible for Frank.

“He really broke your heart,”
Kent
said.

“Yes, Frank broke my heart. I was the fool for trusting
someone so deeply. He was the first guy I really loved. When we were together
everything felt amazing. I thought life couldn’t get any better. I went out
once, and I saw him with another woman. They were dancing together, and their
tongues were down each other’s throats. I believed him when he said they were
fooling around. I later found out she was the woman he really wanted. I was just
a distraction. The other woman had a lot more money, and she was prettier than
I was.” Lana recalled the moment he’d brought up her past and her lack of
skills and money. Frank had also criticized her about her inability to help him
move up in the fields at work.

“Wow, what a jerk,”
Kent
said. He’d eased the car into
a space toward the side of the road. She turned to him, wiping the tears from
her eyes.

“He was a total ass. I’m sorry. I thought my tears were all
gone.”

Kent
pulled her
into his arms. She went to him willingly. His comfort meant so much to her.

“Do you want me to find this asshole and get him fired from
his job?” he asked.

She laughed. “He’s not worth the time.”

“You’re worth the time. I hate the fact he’s hurt you. These
tears would be wasted on a guy like him,”
Kent
removed her hands and wiped
the tears away with his own fingers. “No more tears for that jerk. You’ve got
me, and you’ll always have me.”

His words made her yearn for so much more.

You’re just
friends.

For the first time since they’d become friends Lana
regretted her decision.
Kent
was such a nice man, and she was attracted to him.

Shaking her head, she moved away out of his arms. “It was a
long time ago. I appreciate your threat, and if it ever happens again I’ll let
you know.”

Kent
continued to
stare at her. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m much better.”

He put the car back in gear and eased back onto the road.

“Frank has been out of the scene for some time. There are no
other men in my life.”

“You work and bake. That’s all.”

“There’s nothing wrong with doing nothing else but work and
bake,” she said.

“You’ve got me now, and I’ll make your life much better.”

She laughed. “You’re conceited.”

“I’m telling the truth. I know what I’m doing.”

Lana shook her head. “Get me to this exhibition. I think
looking at art will be easier to deal with than listening to you.”

After a few minutes passed,
Kent
started talking about his
family.

“I’ve got two brothers and two sisters. All four of them are
settled down with families.”

“You’re the only one single?”

“Yes, see why I need you tomorrow? My parents are going to
be talking non-stop about settling down.”

“I’m a perfect distraction.”

“Exactly,” he said.

“Where do you come in? Are you the oldest or youngest?” she
asked, intrigued.

“Seth’s the oldest. Then I was born, followed by Eric. Dawn
and Sophie come next in the line. My parents were childhood sweethearts. They
fell in love during high-school, and my mom was pregnant with Seth at
seventeen.”

“Wow, you’re a big family.”

“Seth’s two years older than I am.”

“Your parents sound amazing,” she said, wishing she had some
great family story to tell him. She didn’t even know who her father was. Her
mother slept around to earn extra money to drink her way to the bottom. There
were times she’d seen some of the guys from school leaving her mother’s bedroom.
That was the most embarrassing of all. They bullied Lana during school, and yet
they were sleeping with her mother when they got the chance.

“They really are. However, being forty-five without children
is horrid for them. They want me to have the same as what they had. It drives
me crazy.”

“They want what’s best for you.”

He nodded.

Kent
fell silent.
She didn’t push him even though she was desperate to know what he was thinking.

“During high-school and college I was in love with my best
friend, Tonya. She was amazing. I loved her, and we were a couple. I talked
with her about everything. There were no secrets between us.”

He pulled up outside the art exhibition.

“She’s married to Seth.”

Lana gasped. “Is that one of the reasons you’ve never
settled down?”

“My family thinks so, and so does Seth. I thought it was a
reason, but I don’t think it is. I haven’t found the right woman to spend the
rest of my life with. Tonya can’t change who she fell in love with. I wasn’t
the guy for her.”

He turned the engine off. There were no tears in his eyes,
but there was a frown on his face.

****

Why did he share that with her?
Kent
didn’t like people knowing he
was vulnerable. Tonya had broken his heart, and he’d seen the guilt in her eyes
during the numerous visits he’d made to his family home.

“I’m so sorry,” Lana said.

“Don’t worry about it. It was a long time ago. We’re here.”
He took the keys out of the ignition then made his way around to her side of the
car. Lana was already out, waiting for him.

“Thank you for telling me.” She wrapped her arms around his
neck and held him close. Her soft breasts pressed to the front of his shirt. Tugging
her in tight, he ran his arms over her back. It wasn’t enough, not nearly
enough for what he wanted to do with her.

He held her, relishing the closeness.

She smiled up at him. Her face was flushed. “Are you taking
me inside?”

“Yeah.”
He took her hand and
led her inside.

“I’m so happy to be with you,” she said.

“I’m happy to be with you, too.”
Kent
had to admit he enjoyed their
time together even without the sex.

Together they walked into the small art exhibit. He spotted
several of his friends including John.

“There are a lot of people here.” She moved closer to his
side. Placing an arm at her waist
Kent
escorted her through to the
bar.

“Do you want anything to drink?” he asked.

“No, tea or water will be fine,” she said. His friends
hadn’t spotted him yet. He didn’t want them to see her. Once they saw her,
they’d try to stick their noses into his business. He liked to keep his
personal business private. Also, he liked keeping Lana to himself.

The barman served them both some iced water.

“I need to go to the ladies’ room.” Lana handed him her
drink. He showed her to the bathroom before making his way over to his friends.

John stood with his wife, Samantha. Blake and Arnold were
alone.

“I didn’t see you come inside,” John said.

He shook his friends’ hands then gave Samantha a kiss on the
cheek. “I’m here with someone,”
Kent
said.

“I hope it’s not that awful Cherrie. Have you seen her exposé
in the papers?” Blake asked.

“I’ve seen it, and it made me feel sick to read. There is
only so much of my friend’s sex life I need to hear,” John said.

“It’s nice to know you’re not all show and tell kind of
guys,” Samantha said.

“No, I’m here with someone else. She’s a friend.”
Kent
chanced a
look behind him. Lana hadn’t come out of the bathroom.

“You’ve got a female friend, or
is
that code for fuck buddy?”
Arnold
asked.

“She’s my cleaner. We’re friends. That’s all.”

His friends paused, and their smiles fell.
“Seriously?”
John asked.

“She’s different. I don’t want you guys to ruin this for me.
Lana doesn’t want anything from me but friendship. She’s amazing, and I love being
with her.
 
There’s nothing else going on,
so don’t try to make something out of it that’s not there,” he said. Looking
behind him Kent spotted Lana coming out of the bathroom.

“I’ve got to go.”

He moved to her side. Her glass of water was still in his
hands.

“Where’s yours?” she asked, pointing at her water.

“I drank it.”

Lana looked behind him. “Those men are glaring at you,” she
said.

He looked to where his friends were glaring at him. “They’re
my friends.”

She raised her brow.

“It’s rude not introducing you, I know.”

“Then why aren’t you?” Her smile was still wide even as she
looked at him.

“Because I want you to like me afterwards,” he said, teasing
her.

Laughing, Lana slapped him on the arm. “I like you, Kent.
Your friends won’t make a difference.”

“You haven’t met them.”

“Then introduce me, or are you embarrassed by me?” she
asked.

Cupping her cheeks in his palm,
Kent
forced her to look at him. “Never
think that. I’m not embarrassed by you at all.” Taking her hand in his
Kent
took her
over to where his friends stood. Their eyes were wide as they stared at her.

Lana didn’t look anything like his other women. For one, she
was a cleaner. Most of the women he dated were models, actresses, or heiresses
of some kind. Next, he dated slender women. Lana wasn’t slender. Lana was all
woman
with curves, breasts, and hips. They all gazed down
the length of her body. The skirt and jumper she wore only highlighted her
plentiful curves.

Kent
introduced
her to his friends. For several seconds none of them spoke until
Kent
cleared
his throat.

They all stumbled over themselves, smiling and laughing.
Samantha pulled her in tight. Lana looked a little freaked at first before she
wrapped her arms around each of them.

“I’m going to take her to have a look at some of the art
work,”
Kent
said.

They said their goodbyes and then moved toward the first
landscape.

“How was that?”
Kent
asked, suddenly nervous about
what she thought of his friends.

“Your friends are very affectionate people,” she said.

He’d sensed her nerves around them. “They’re great. I love
them.” He’d never admitted his affectionate feelings toward his friends before.

Taking her hand, they walked around the exhibition together.
There was nothing outstanding about any of the artwork.
Kent
held zero
interest in the art. He preferred the beautiful fresh-faced woman in front of
him.
Kent
tugged her in front of him. Resting his hands on her hips and his head on top
of hers he looked at the art work. She was tense to start but slowly relaxed
against him.

No other woman left him feeling so calm and relaxed. Part of
him wanted to fuck her while another never wanted to spoil their moments
together.