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“Of course. I’ll have someone sent over here immediately.” The security guard gave a curt nod, and everyone ran in one direction or another, probably trying to find someone who could fulfill Alec’s request.
“Hopefully that will be better.” He turned to me and smiled.
The waiter then came with more water for me and Alec’s drink. He also had our starter salads. “Let me know if you need anything. I’m Rogen, and I’ll be your private waiter for the evening.”
“I think we’re good here,” Alec answered for me, which I appreciated because I still wasn’t one hundred percent. He looked at me. “Did you pick the menu for the event?” Ah, he was making small talk.
“I did. I love radicchio and blueberries.” I flashed him a friendly smile, though I so badly wanted to ask him why he’d bought my building.
“Very refreshing. So,” he took a sip of his drink. “Do you want to tell me why you ran out on me three months ago? I know you and I have seen each other briefly since, but I’ve always been curious.” His voice almost sounded hurt.
“The night we spent together …” I trembled just thinking about it and took a sip of my water as the security guard came and talked to people who were trying to approach our table, “… was really intense. I … we had said it was only going to be one night. I didn’t know where to put my feelings, so I bottled them up and tucked them away.” It truly was the best answer I could give him.
“But I told you I was open to exploring more.” He drank another sip of his cocktail and picked at his salad.
Suddenly, I wasn’t very hungry. “What is more to Alec Blair? Another night of fucking?” I dropped my voice to a whisper. “A meal, a movie, maybe a night at the opera … or a charity event? We’re seen together in the media, rumors blossom, suddenly I’m dating you. Only you aren’t sanctioned by my modeling agency, and I’m not really allowed to go rogue. We have a list of acceptable people for me to be ‘promiscuous’ with and you aren’t on that list. You’re too high profile, too much collateral. Getting in bed with you would be dangerous, too many people would care. But I did get in bed with you, and no one knew. I made it out alive.” I took a deep breath.
“I see, so I’d cramp your style? Not cool enough, too high profile, not gay or committed enough to be a contender? What? Billionaire bachelors aren’t hot commodities anymore?” His feathers were definitely being ruffled. “How do I get on your agency’s list?”
“I never slept with any of the men I’d dated. I felt good knowing it was all a show. I slept with you. That messed things up in my head.” I finished my water, and the waiter immediately grabbed a pitcher to refill my glass.
“Okay, so you dumped me because I was real.” He seemed amused by this.
“Partly.” My heart began to thud in my chest.
I had to confront him, but I could barely speak about it without wanting to cry.
“And the other part is?” He leaned in, all dominant and amused.
“You’re an asshole.”
“How did you figure that out?” Now he was less amused.
“You bought the building we were going to use as our crisis center today, and you must have known that Every Dream was the only other bidder on that property.”
Oh, my God, I was definitely going to throw up.
I started choking and guzzled more water. I had to get home, and as far away from Alec Blair as I could.
“I have a reason for buying that building, Kylie.” His voice remained calm though heated slightly.
“Was your bid on me tonight to make up for buying it? If so, thank you, but the problem is, we’ll never find a building that size for a price we can afford.” I was about to tear into him, but he stopped me.
“I’ll lease it to you.”
Chapter 16
Alec
The look of shock on her face was priceless. The moment was almost as good as I had fantasized.
“Why? You’re a billionaire, why lease me the building when I could have bought it myself? I had the money, but now …” Her face reddened as she grew angry.
“It’s two hundred years old. I have the building report as I’m sure you do too. You knew what you were up against when it comes to that building. Broken windows, bad plumbing, an outdated electrical system. In order to get the building up to code, you’d spend every single dime you’ve made here tonight to fix it up just enough that the city doesn’t condemn it. Does that help anyone? No, you’d have a barely renovated derelict building that you couldn’t afford to inhabit. I have the resources to do the work on the building and this leaves you tonight’s proceeds and whatever you’d saved up as a down payment to get your foundation up and running properly.” It felt amazing actually doing something good and for a woman, I had more than a passing interest in knowing more intimately.
