Page 29 of Billionaire Retreat

Apparently, he planned to do the same. He was completely clean-shaven with a short military cut on top. It was a different look, and he was rocking it… but I didn’t plan to tell him that.

We stood there in silence checking each other out. Not that he’d be impressed by anything I had on. I didn’t exactly look “hot.” I was wearing plain jeans and a heavy sweater, although it was at least 85 degrees outside today. We were filming a winter scene and between the lights and my wardrobe, I was burning up. My body told me I was burning up for another reason but I didn’t dwell on it. I wasn’t some starry-eyed, horny 22-year old anymore. Things had changed. I had changed.

And I realized with my new-found confidence that I wasn’t scared of facing Griffin anymore.

“You’re looking great,” he said, giving me a warm, but cautious smile.

I ignored it. “I know. Anyway, I got to get back to work. Nice seeing you again.”

I walked away from him feeling powerful. For once, I truly felt that when Griffin was concerned I had the upper hand. But of course, he didn’t give up that easily.

He fell into stride next to me. “So, you aren’t happy to see me? What’s it been? Three? Four years?”

I rolled my eyes. So, he was going to play dumb, huh? Pretend the whole escorting me out of the office with the help of security didn’t happen.

“How’s your mother?” I spit out.

He looked at me curiously. “Fine. Why do you ask?”

I stopped dead in my tracks and stood chest to chest with him, albeit I was several inches shorter.

“Let’s not play games, Griffin. We all know that I showed up nearly four years ago to see you and you didn’t see me.”

“I was told that you left abruptly. When I came out to get you, you had already left.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. “Left abruptly? I was escorted out by your security guards.”

“What?” he said, clearly taken aback.

I narrowed my eyes. I could remember the events of that office visit like it was yesterday, and I found it hard to believe that he didn’t know anything about me being kicked out by his security guards after all these years.

But as I looked in his eyes, I saw no guile there.

“You really don’t know what happened at your office when I came to speak with you?”

He opened his mouth to answer when someone hustled over to me and started pulling me to the set. “We need you, now. Come on, let’s make it rain for this lame insurance company.”

I let her pull me away, but I glanced back at Griffin. I wondered exactly what else he didn’t know. If he didn’t know that I was escorted out by security, he probably also didn’t know that I had arranged to meet him later on. I’d always suspected and knew deep down that Mrs. Wallace had made sure Griffin had never met with me, but that still didn’t explain how he could have sex with me when he was a married man with a family.

I pushed away my burgeoning curiosity and instead focused on looking sad, but not melancholy, for the camera.

* * *

Hours later I made my way to a bar with a few other people from the set. I honestly didn’t know what they all did, but most of them were friendly and seemed like a pretty decent crowd. I was staying with my cousin Kenny again, but I didn’t think he’d want to spend all his free time entertaining me, so I figured I might as well make some friends and I also wanted dirt on Griffin. Just exactly what was he doing there? Why was he hanging out on the set of an insurance commercial? From what I could gather from my recent internet stalking, he was into artificial intelligence and had added to his family’s fortune that way. He wasn’t into insurance or commercials. I didn’t know all the details, but from what I could tell, his money came from advancements in technology. Silicon Valley was more his scene, not L.A. No wonder his mom had an extra $250,000 hanging around.

I found the rest of the group and sat down. A handsome young man with dimples that reminded me of Sadie’s offered me a seat. I tried my best to remember his name. It was something with a J. Jeremy? Jason? Johnny?

Jerry! That was his name. I think he was a production assistant or an intern. I smiled brightly at him, and he offered me a drink.

“Thanks, Jerry,” I said as he handed me a beer. I took a long sip, forgetting how much I liked a nice cold beer. I barely drank at all since having Sadie. I’d never been a big drinker, but given how I was her main caretaker, I liked to be sure I was fully capable of taking care of her at all times, so I rarely drank except for the occasional spritzer at my mom’s house during the holidays.

A few other people joined us and we sat cracking jokes and enjoying good company. The bar was kind of on the dingy side, but had a pretty hip vibe with all the cool global items that adorned the walls.

“So, Nina, I thought I detected a southern accent?” said Jerry as he sat across from me. He was cute. I would guess he was barely 20 though, and he had an adorable baby face. Definitely not my type. Too pretty.

“Yep. Georgia.”

“Born and raised?”