The Billionaire's Bet Read online

  “I don't have anyone I could leave my daughter with for an extended period of time.” She leaned toward him a bit. “But it is a lovely offer.”

  She had a kid?

  “A daughter, huh? I didn't realize you were a mother.”

  I glared at him as he made an obvious assessment of her physique, clearly impressed. Not that I could blame him. She looked damn good, and I doubted she'd had any work done.

  “How old is she?” He almost sounded like he was genuinely interested.

  “Six.”

  If Briana had noticed Enzo checking her out, she was doing a good job of not showing it. It made me think that her diplomatic talents would be of better use in the UN than they were here, dealing with men like my brother. Then again, I was fairly certain that Enzo and politicians had a lot in common.

  As Enzo and Briana started chatting about her daughter, I lay back on my lounger and concentrated on the feeling of the sun drying the moisture from my skin. Enzo could still chase her if he wanted, but I was out. No matter how attracted to her I was, now that I knew she had a daughter, it was all business and platonic small talk.

  I knew that some of the escorts I'd fucked had probably been mothers. It wasn't that I had hang-ups about being with a woman with a kid. In fact, I had a new layer of admiration for Briana. It couldn't have been easy to work the kind of job she had – with the long nights, uncertain hours, and ever-changing duties – while being a single mom. And she had to be one since she said she didn't have anyone she could leave her daughter with for an extended period of time. I would have put money on her having a well-behaved kid too. A woman who could wrangle my brother like Briana did wouldn't raise a little brat, that was for sure.

  But children were more than just little bundles of joy to their parents. They were a complication. They changed the rules of the game. And that wasn't something I wanted to deal with. There was a reason I paid for sex. Much less complicated.

  The chatter faded away as we each got caught up in our own thoughts. We baked in the sun for a while longer before Briana announced that she would get us more drinks. Part of me wondered if she needed a break.

  I watched her leave. It didn't matter that I told myself she was completely off-limits now. An ass like hers had to be appreciated. Firm and perfectly proportioned with the rest of her body. My cock stirred appreciatively.

  When she'd taken off her wrap, I noticed she had a tattoo of some numbers on her right hip. A date, it looked like. Now that I was getting a better look at her, I could see she also had a tattoo of a rose on her ribcage, just below her left breast. I made a note to ask about them, then I tossed that note in my mental trash can after I remembered that people who weren't interested in other people didn't ask about their tattoos. Especially tattoos in relatively intimate places.

  I glanced over at Enzo, who was also staring at her backside. “The bet's off.”

  He turned around, surprised. “What? Why?”

  “She's got a kid,” I said, frowning. Wasn't it obvious? Why else would I suddenly want to back out?

  He shook his head. “I'm ashamed of you. Just because the woman has a child, you want to deny her the pleasure of our company and a free vacation? It's the twenty-first century, Dorian.”

  “I know it's the twenty-first century.” I injected acid into my tone so he would know I meant business. I didn't like the way he was attempting to cajole me into continuing our wager, and I wanted him to know it. “She's a single mom with a tough job just trying to make a good life for her kid. It isn't fair for us to keep betting on whether she's going to sleep with you or not.” I couldn't help but add, “Even though I still say she won't.”

  Enzo's expression soured further. “Oh you do, do you? But you're not willing to bet on it?”

  Of course, he'd be this pigheaded about the whole thing. That was my brother.

  I sighed and rubbed my nose between my thumb and forefinger. “Don't be difficult.”

  “I'm not the one backing out on our bet,” he shot back. “If anything, you're being difficult, and I'm just trying to conserve the status quo.”

  “And I'm trying to preserve the poor woman's sanity,” I snapped back. “If she were interested in you, don't you think she would have acted already?”

  “I've thought about that.” He leaned back on his lounger, a smirk on his face. “I think she's being coy. Either that, or she doesn't know that she wants me yet and all she needs is a little further...prodding.”

  “You're an asshole, and it's going to come back to bite you in the end.”

  “I'm a realist.”

  I scowled at him. “You can't be a realist when your theories hinge on a colorful imagination.”

  He laughed, clearly enjoying the banter. “No colorful imagination about it, brother. Women like Briana will do anything for enough money. Hell, I'd be tempted to go on the record saying that any woman would do anything for enough money.”

  One of these days, he was going to say the wrong thing, and my self-control was going to snap and twenty years of brotherly frustration would come down on his head.

  “And what kind of woman do you think she is, huh?” I challenged.

  He shrugged and adjusted his shades. “The desperate kind. Come on, Dorian. If anything, her having a kid has made things so much easier. What broke single mom wouldn't leap at the opportunity to earn some money by getting to have awesome sex with someone like me?”

  I shook my head. “One of these days you're going to get decked, and I won’t lift a finger to stop it.”

  Enzo laughed. “Want to bet on it?”

  13

  Briana

  My day by the pool with the Gianelli brothers, apart from Enzo's brief solicitation on his brother's behalf, was so relaxing that I spent the rest of the afternoon in a hazy, warm glow. After lounging poolside and drinking for a couple hours, they'd treated me to lunch at the hotel restaurant before I needed to get back to the office for the last hour of the day to send out some emails and check in on a couple other clients.

  Then I got home and was attacked by my wonderful daughter, who jabbered on to me about all the cool stuff her and Tiffany had gotten up to during the day. I was always surprised and grateful at how much time and energy Tiffany put into babysitting Mikala. She could have parked my kid in front of the TV for the whole afternoon if she'd wanted to, but they always did at least one activity together. Today, they'd read a book together and practiced their times tables, though I knew it would be some time before Mikala was really able to understand them. Mikala had called her friend, but the Averills had been busy. But my daughter hadn't let that get her down. She'd found something else she wanted to do.

  “Welcome home, roomie,” Tiffany greeted from the kitchen. She grinned and offered me a cookie. “M insisted that I make some, even though I told her she could only have one and the rest would have to go in the freezer until later.”

  “You must be energetic today,” I said, taking the offered cookie and biting into it. The chocolate chips were still warm and melted onto my tongue. Yum.

  Tiffany smiled at me and shrugged. “Perks of sleeping in until eleven every day, I guess. Mind if I grab a nap before work?”

  “I formally release you from your duties,” I said with a mock bow. “I'm going to clean while you nap, if that's okay?”

  “Of course. Thanks!”

  Tiffany headed off to nap, and I fell onto the couch, cradling Mikala in my arms. “I hope you weren't too demanding of Auntie Tiffany today,” I said with a crooked smile.

  She giggled. “Of course not, Mommy. I save that for when you get home.”

  I chuckled and tickled her a little, thinking about what I could do as a nice thing for Tiffany to show appreciation for everything she'd done for us. Sure, it could have just been common decency that compelled her to take us in after I left Elroy, but she'd done much more besides that. Looking after Mikala for one thing. Although I knew that she loved my girl like she was her own, I still didn't th
ink it fair that she had to look after her so much. But, with a bigger promotion came bigger paychecks. I was sure I could do something for her in a couple weeks or so. Like maybe paying her back for the two months I'd lived here rent free and ate all her food.

  A knock on the front door tore me from my thoughts. I looked down at the wiggling jellybean in my arms. “Who do you think that is, Mik?”

  “I dunno. Maybe it's Daddy.”

  I smiled big at her but muttered, “I hope not,” under my breath as I went to the door. A part of me hoped it was Dorian, come to officially ask me himself to join him in Hawaii. I still wouldn't be able to go, but it'd be nice to have him want me to go.

  But the person at the door wasn't anyone I would have expected. Gwynne Averill, mother to Mikala's friend Tempest, was standing on the front step. We were friendly, but in the way parents of kids who were friends were friendly with each other. Definitely not super close, although she smiled when I opened the door and then pulled me into a warm hug.

  “Hey, you,” she cooed. “How have you been?”

  “Um, good.” I pulled back from the hug and tried not to frown with confusion. “What's up? Not that I don't mind seeing you, it's just that I haven't had someone just show up at my doorstep for a long time.”

  Gwynne laughed and patted her champagne-colored curls. “Yeah, it's a bit strange, I know. But I had something to ask that I thought would be easier in person than over the phone. Do you have a minute?”

  “Sure, of course. Come on in.”

  In the living room, I asked Mikala to go play in her room for a while. She was more than happy to oblige, and I wondered how the hell she could still have so much energy after her busy day. Thank god she was a well-behaved kid. If she'd been a rowdy brat, I didn't know what I would've done with myself.

  I grabbed Gwynne a bottle of water, and we sat down on the couch to chat. “So, I'm going to Disney with my kids tomorrow,” she began, shooting me another bright smile. “My ex's niece was going to come to, but her mom decided at the last minute not to let her.”

  “That's such a shame,” I said, still unsure what that had to do with me. “Poor kid.”

  “I know, right?” Gwynne shook her head in exasperation. “Anyway, poor Tempest got so excited about the idea of having someone other than her brother with us that she's absolutely devastated. She even made a sing-a-long playlist of Disney songs for the plane ride.”

  My heart went out to her. Poor kid.

  “I was wondering if maybe Mikala would want to come with us?”

  I hesitated, biting my lip.

  She jumped on my hesitation. “I know not everyone can afford something like that, so let me put your mind at ease. She'd be using the passes I've already bought, and Martin chartered a private plane, so that's not an issue. You wouldn't need to pay a thing. The whole thing is on me. You'd be doing me a favor, really. Making sure things didn't go to waste, and making it so my kids aren't at each other's throats for nearly two weeks.”

  “Two weeks?” My head was spinning.

  She nodded. “We're leaving tomorrow and coming back next Saturday. If that's all fine with you, I'd like to take Mikala back to the house tonight so we could leave early.”

  A thousand thoughts raced through my mind at once.

  I wasn't sure I'd ever have the money to take Mikala to Disney, and I knew how badly she wanted to go. Disney was practically her first word. Whenever one of us was sick, we'd do movie marathons.

  But I didn't like taking charity from people. Of course, I wasn’t the one who asked…

  “Are you sure it wouldn’t be a bother?” I asked, my resolve weakening. “Taking an extra kid seems like it'd be even more stressful.”

  Gwynne laughed. “Are you kidding? This is the best-case scenario. Mikala is way more charming and miles better behaved than my ex's niece. And she's like a freaking Energizer bunny. Pretty much the only kid who can keep up with my daughter. Half the kids I know are passed out by the time Tempest is just getting started.” She reached over and put her hand on mine. “It really would be doing me a favor.”

  When she put it that way...

  “Well...” I smiled. “Why not? I think Mikala would be absolutely thrilled. I owe you one though, okay?”

  The relief in Gwynne’s face was obvious. “No, I owe you one.”

  Mikala absolutely lost her shit when I told her she was going to Disney with Tempest. Her only complaint was when I told her Tiffany couldn't come too. Any reservations I'd had were banished to the back of my mind in the face of her excitement. From the moment I found out I was pregnant, all I'd ever wanted was to give her a great life. I'd made some horribly stupid decisions while trying to do that, but this, I knew, wouldn't be one of them. Gwynne was a good person. My daughter would be safe with her.

  It was only after packing up and sending off my daughter that I allowed myself to think about the other side effect of Mikala's impromptu trip.

  I was now free to go to Hawaii with the Gianellis, if they still wanted me. It was like the universe had conspired for me to get on that island.

  Technically, I needed to get Earl's approval, but I doubted it would be a problem. Still, I called my boss before deciding on whether I really wanted to go or not. He was, of course, overly enthusiastic. He said the trip would give me lots of opportunities to get the boys alone and “secure their return business.”

  And that was a big benefit of going. They'd almost definitely return if I stipulated it was part of my agreeing to go. I wasn't above playing a little hardball.

  But would being Dorian's date mean that I'd be expected to be his date in...other ways? And more importantly, would I mind? After all, when was the last time I'd gotten laid? And it wasn't like I wasn't attracted to him. If I'd met him without all the business stuff, and he'd wanted to sleep with me, I probably would've jumped on his dick without thinking twice.

  I supposed the question actually was if I could consider the business benefits as extras, and my attraction to be the main reason to do it.

  After mulling it over for a while, I decided to shelve that thought. I could deal with that when, and if, it came up in Hawaii. Which meant I had one more phone call to make. I took a deep breath and entered the numbers.

  “Briana,” Enzo barked out my name, sounding pleased. “I was hoping I'd get to see you again before we left. Are you free?”

  Always so charming.

  I let a teasing note enter my voice. “Actually, I'm pretty busy packing.”

  “Packing? Whatever for?”

  He sounded more curious than annoyed, so I decided to go for it.

  “Well, I was asked to go to a wedding in Hawaii as some guy's date. I'm not sure if the invitation is still open though.”

  “Fuck yes!”

  I heard a murmur in the background, too low for me to be able to tell what was being said, but I could still recognize Dorian's voice. Little butterflies fluttered in my stomach, and I knew I'd made one of those decisions that would probably change everything.

  14

  Dorian

  Watching Briana's reaction as she boarded the plane we'd chartered to take us to Hawaii was priceless. It made me want to introduce her to all of life’s more elite pleasures, take her to every exotic destination around the world, and shower her in luxury. I'd never seen someone so obviously amazed and grateful to be a part of an experience.

  Even though I could see that she wasn't naive, she still had a childlike joy that appealed to me in a way I found disconcerting. It didn't matter how often I tried to harden myself to it. One look at her wide-eyed expression and all my intentions went straight to my cock.

  I still couldn't believe that Enzo's stupid plan had worked. Well, part of it, anyway. We'd promised her we'd stay at the Rock Bay next time we were in Vegas, and she'd agreed to come with us, but he was far from getting her in his bed. After all, I reminded myself, she was here as my date.

  The flash of possessiveness I felt surprised me, and I found
myself mulling over it as we departed the plane and headed for the car waiting for us. I was glad we'd requested a driver. I was distracted enough that I didn't like the idea of driving in Hawaiian traffic.

  “Are you ready to meet the rest of the family?” Enzo asked on the car ride to the Wailea. “They can be a bit much to handle sometimes.”

  Briana raised an eyebrow. “You mean they're a lot like you, then?”

  Her tone was teasing, but I could sense how careful she was being. I doubted she'd found out about the bet, but she wasn't walking into this blind either. I didn't know how deep her suspicions went, or if I was included in them, but she definitely knew that Enzo was trying to seduce her.

  Case in point...

  “Trust me, beautiful, I'm more than a bit much to handle.” He grinned at her, shifting in his seat until his leg was pressed more securely against hers.

  She rolled her eyes, but her expression was still good-natured. “Awfully sure of yourself, aren't you?”

  “If you were me, you would be too.”

  Even I had to laugh at that one, and some of the tension I'd been feeling eased. We switched over to more innocuous small talk as Briana asked questions about the island and our family.

  Since Enzo had apparently called ahead to give our family a heads up that I was bringing a date, our parents were waiting in the hotel lobby. He promised me that he'd told them it wasn't anything special, so they should just be as polite to Briana as they would be to any other date I brought to various functions.

  When our mother started gushing over her like a mother hen from the moment we stepped inside, I shot a dirty look his way, and he just grinned. He was lucky I'd catch hell from Mom and Nonna if I gave him a black eye.

  “Would you look at you...so beautiful!” Mom kissed both of Briana's cheeks, then engulfed her in an enthusiastic embrace. “My boys never bring me any girls to meet, and it's a crying shame. Bartolo, isn't the color of her hair gorgeous? Oh, Dorian, where did you find her?”