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I folded my hands on my lap, a little annoyed. “Most women don’t like when men order for them like that.”
But he only flashed me a smile. “The ones I know do.”
What, call girls?
The barista dropped a coffee in front of me, along with some cream and sugar. Wanting something to do with my hands that wasn’t punching James, I added a little to my drink and stirred.
“So. You wanted to talk business.”
“I wanted to talk business,” he confirmed. He cleared his throat, sat back, and crossed his legs. “As you know, my app company has had…quite a bit of success over the last few years.”
“I don’t need to hear the whole spiel. I’ve read the UCLA alumni letter.”
Another smile. “What I was about to say, was that right now, I’m interested in spreading my money around a little, taking some chances on some small businesses that could use a little bit of angel investing.”
“And my spa is one of them?”
“Normally, it wouldn’t be. Too small-scale. But with you, Shania, there’s something of an X-factor.”
“Which is?”
“Well, you, obviously.”
I didn’t know exactly where he was going with this, but I already didn’t like it.
“And as I’m sure you know, I’ve always had certain feelings for you.”
“No kidding. Feelings that were extremely unrequited.”
“As you made clear many, many times.”.
“Evidently not enough times,” I shot right back.
“Well, after you hear my offer, you might find yourself having a change of heart.”
I said nothing, wanting him to get right to it.
“The proposal is this,” he said, folding his hands together and sitting forward. “I finance your spa. I provide the startup money, equipment costs, and the first year of rent and salaries.”
“What? You want to just pay for everything?”
“Not everything. I mean, I expect profits at some point.”
“Profit,” I said. “So that’s what this is about.”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “This is about you.”
“Tell me what you mean. And get right to it.”
“I finance your spa. And in return, you and I come to an arrangement.”
“What kind of arrangement?” Deep down, I knew the answer. I didn’t want to say it out loud.
“You move in with me,” he said. “And you become my…well, stay-in companion.”
My jaw nearly hit the floor. “Tell me that doesn’t mean what I think it means.”
“It means that you’ll live with me, you’ll be taken care of by me, and in return, you’ll take care of me, too.”
I was so shocked, so disgusted, that I didn’t even know where to begin. I wanted to scream, I wanted to throw the damn coffee in his face.
“Think about it. You’ll have your business, of course, and more than that you’ll have the kind of lifestyle a woman like you deserves, Shania. Do you know how much money I’m worth?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Not nearly enough for me to consider something like this,” I said, my voice razor-edged.
“Think about what you’re saying. Think about what you’re throwing away.”
“I don’t need to think about it. Not even for a second.”
He said nothing, his own eyes narrowed into little slits. “You know there will be consequences for this. And this isn’t like college where you can run tattling to the administration.”
“Oh, now you remember what our relationship was really like back then.”
“One final chance. And then you’ll find out how hard I can make things for a nobody like you.”
A beat of silence, then I said it: “Fuck you.”
Calmly, he cleared his throat, took one sip of his coffee, and stood up. “See you around. And enjoy that coffee—you’re going to find it’s the last thing that ever comes easy to you.”
And then he was gone, and I wasn’t sure what was steaming more, me or the coffee.
I felt so terrible about the whole thing that “terrible” didn’t even being to cover it. I was more than only offended. I was angry, and I was scared.
Something told me that he was going to make good on his threat. And I could only imagine what he’d be capable of.
Chapter Twenty
SHANIA
The point of the evening was to have some fun, to get away from the stresses of planning the wedding and have some drinks with some friends. For once, the eight of us had managed to make a low-key night of it, renting out a VIP room at Voyeur in West Hollywood. We’d all gotten so used to having our nights interrupted by unexpected guests and paparazzi that we almost didn’t know what to do with ourselves.
After a few drinks, however, that changed. Noah and Pepper and Sam and Will all broke off and got into couples mode while Theo and Katy hit the dance floor, each of them having some fun with a few different dance partners. I watched for a while, trying to see through the crowds if they were going to pair up. Who knew? Maybe it wasn’t too late to add one more couple to the wedding.
