Billionaire: Billionaire Romance: Billionaire Tiger (A Billionaire New Adult Shifter Contemporary Romance) (44 page)

CHAPTER FOUR

“Ms. Sterling, I think it’s time you left,” he said.

That was it. I could not hold back my tears. I burst out crying and ran out of the room into the foyer.

Minutes later I was in the carriage as he clinked and swerved in the raining day outside. I felt ashamed. I felt upset and anguish. Most of all, I felt scared that I would never see Leonardo again. I didn’t care if I was cast out of society as long as I got to be with him.

I arrived home and was fortunate enough to not see any of the household on the way to my room. I cried myself to sleep. The next morning I wanted to stay in bed and not leave my room for days. However, that was not to happen. There was a knock at my door.

“Ms. Eudora, your sister wants to see you in the parlor miss,” the maid said.

“Thank you, I’ll be down straight away,” I said.

I got dressed and tried to disguise my red eyes as much as possible and then descended the stairs to the parlor. I opened the door and was shocked at what I saw. My sister stood there with her husband William, Leonardo, and Mr. Holdsworth. I gasped at the sight.

“It’s alright Eudora, come in,” William said.

My sister Annabelle rushed to my side and escorted me to a bench to sit with her.

“Mr. Holdsworth here has brought to light that you have been modelling for Mr. Drivatti is that true?” William asked.

“Yes,” I whispered.

William and Annabelle exchanged looks of shock. Then William continued.

“Is it also true that Mr. Drivatti seduced you during this time and has taken your maidenhood.”

I gasped at the subject. I could not believe I had to discuss this in front of everyone. I began to cry. “No, I mean yes.”

“Well which is it?” William said sternly. He was angry. No doubt I had brought shame and scandal into his house and into Mr. Holdsworth’s house as well.

“No, he did not seduce me. I allowed it to happen,” I said.

Then Leonardo spoke up. “No need to protect me Ms. Sterling. You were innocent in this matter. I seduced you and I mean to make it right,” he said sternly.

Make it right? I thought.

Mr. Holdsworth spoke next and said, “Since this happened under my household I hope that everyone present will keep this quiet so as not to cause scandal at my home and to my good name. After the marriage takes place it will seem like an innocent marriage and nothing more.”

“Of course sir,” William said.

“Marriage?!” I yelled out.

“Don’t worry Eudora we will take care of everything and it can happen first thing in the morning. William has arranged everything and your reputation will remain intact,” Annabelle said comforting me and holding my hand.

I was so confused. I looked to Leonardo for answers but he seldom looked at me. He stood stiff and dutiful to his patron. The men continued talking about me as though I was a business proposition. I sat there in shock trying to process everything. I was being married off to Leonardo, which was a dream come true for me, but not in this way. It was out of scandal and Leonardo had not professed his love for me. It was all so very wrong.

Finally, everyone left and Annabelle told me to get some sleep so that I would be well rested. I went to my room and cried some more. I didn’t know what to make of all of this. It was very overwhelming. I finally fell asleep.

I awoke to Annabelle in my room rushing around with a maid.

“Oh good, you’re awake. We haven’t much time for tea. I have your dress brought in and the maid will do your hair. We are to be at church in two hours,” she said.

It took me a moment to shake off the sleep and it all came rushing back to me. I was getting married today to Leonardo Drivatti the famous painter. He was being forced to marry me, or so it seemed, for seducing me. I was tormented, but I was powerless to stop it. I went through the motions of getting dressed. William and Annabelle were good enough to purchase a white lace wedding gown. It was simple but elegant and I loved it. The maid arranged my hair in a bun with small white flowers and ribbons. I slipped on my small white slippers and then was ready. I sat in the carriage with Annabelle and William silent on the way to the church clutching my small bouquet of flowers. I hoped that Leonardo would be happy to see me. I was so frightened.

We arrived at the church. Walking inside Leonardo stood at the altar with the priest and Mr. Holdsworth at his side. Leonardo did not smile when he saw me. He still had a stern look on his face. I took a deep breath and the ceremony began. I was in a daze the whole time. Then it was over. Annabelle and William kissed me on the cheek.

“The house is in the process of packing your trunks, but you will always have a place to stay with us Eudora,” Annabelle said tearfully. William hugged me and then we all walked outside the church. I had come in the carriage with Annabelle and William, but I was to leave in another carriage with Leonardo and Mr. Holdsworth.

I stared at Leonardo sitting across from me. He only looked out the carriage window. Mr. Holdsworth was rattling on about staying at his estate and how then we would be off to Venice. I only half heard what he said.

We pulled up to the estate and went inside. The maid led me up to my new rooms. I sat there and waited for my new husband for hours. I needed to talk to him. We had not spoken since I was here modelling for him and we had sex. Now I was his wife and confused and scared. I fell asleep on the bed in my wedding gown.

The next morning I awoke to the sunrise. Leonardo was in my bed. He was fully clothed and stunk of brandy. He obviously drank himself into a stupor and deep sleep.

“Leonardo,” I whispered as I nudged him trying to wake him. “Leonardo.”

He stirred and finally awoke. He looked at me and touched my face and said, “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” I asked.

“I have brought you into a forced marriage. I am a scoundrel, how can you ever live with me?”

“It is not forced on my part. I want this. I want you,” I whispered.

“But I took your innocence and made it so that you didn’t have a choice of your own. You could have married a noble man.”

“I don’t want a stuffy noble man. I want a passionate artist, like you.”

His face finally lightened and he smiled for the first time in a long time. “Do you really mean it?” he asked.

“I do. I have thought of no one else since I first met you,” I said. “I am grateful, excited, I’m in love, and I am happy to be your wife. I don’t care if it were forced. I am just glad it happened.”

He pulled me close to him and kissed me. I felt relief rush over me. This was why he had been so distant. He had thought that I was angry for everything that happened and being forced into marriage. He thought he had robbed me of having a good life with another, but that was not the case. This is what I wanted.

That morning we finally had our wedding night. Leonardo took me once more like he had on the chaise lounge only now we had the entire day and night. We never left that room and took all our meals in there. He made love to me passionately and as my true husband. It was all I could dream for.

Over the next week, I continued to model for him. It was strange to sit there. I first sat there as a model with my innocence in tact, when he began the painting. Now I sat as his wife as he finished the painting. It was very unusual. When it was done it was well received and considered a masterpiece. It hung in the gallery at the Royal Academy where we had first met. He titled the painting ‘Innocence Undone.’ I loved that our passionate love affair had been captured in that painting. There was so much story in it, and I almost felt like you could see it on my face in the painting. I cried every time I looked at it.

After the painting exhibition Leonardo took me to his home in Venice. This was to be our permanent home and it was a grand palazzo on the canal. It was the most romantic setting in the world. This is where I, Eudora Drivatti, lived out my days and dreams with my husband, the passionate, sexy, and romantic painter Leonardo Drivatti.

A VAMPIRE MENAGE

CHAPTER 1

“Jesus, Simmons! Would you watch where you’re going! Motherfucker, the only thing that would make you more dangerous is if you were born with wheels on your feet!”

I rolled my eyes at my co-worker’s obvious jab at my clumsiness while I kept drying the newly washed glasses in the grimy bar. Everyone who knows me had their doubts about whether I could work successfully as a waitress/bus boy without breaking every single glass and plate imaginable. But here I am in my third month and this is the first glass I’ve broken.

Of course, I’ve done plenty of other stupid shit since I started this job.

Like accidentally bumping into my boss and pouring a steaming hot Americano all over his brand new golf tee; mixing up the drink orders one night and accidentally giving one of the customers hives because the drink I gave him had a cherry in it and he was allergic.

And then there was the time that I actually caused a couple to break up right in the bar. All because I told the guy that I thought I’d seen him come into the bar with a chick who wasn’t his girlfriend. How was I supposed to have known that his actual girlfriend was not only insanely jealous and insecure, but psychotic enough to try to burn the bar down?

I almost got fired without severance pay for that. But in the end, my boss decided to give me another chance since despite my bad luck and timing on occasion, I’m generally good with the customers and I know how to work the bar and mix the drinks too, if our resident bartender couldn’t come in. And I guess it doesn’t hurt that my boss is also my uncle. You gotta love nepotism.

So here I was on just another typical night putting on my best smile and trying not to cringe at all the seedy, drunken guys that were checking out my ass through my jeans while I waited on them. It has been way too long since I’ve met a decent guy that I can just hang out with. Either that or I’ve just missed out on some seriously good lays with how much I’ve been working lately. Of course, it’s hard to find a decent guy when you live and work in Trinity View, a shabby and seedy neighbourhood in downtown Seattle where people and their good sense came to die on a regular basis. Despite the inherent danger of just walking around this neighbourhood, my uncle’s bar still managed to attract more than a few affluent clientele from influential businessmen, infamous drug dealers and gang members to yuppie types skiving off of Daddy’s latest pay cheque. These are the kinds of douchebags I have to serve every single night.

It doesn’t help either that my uber sarcastic co-worker, Roy, was being his usual jackass self. Don’t get me wrong, Roy’s not a total douche, just a little rough around the edges. He’s kind of a perfectionist, so he gets ruffled around the feathers quite easily when he feels like people are making mistakes around him on purpose just to piss him off. For me personally, I’d say that Roy had more of a God complex than a perfectionist idiosyncrasy. Or he just really needs to get laid. This fact was made all the more apparent with the secretively lecherous looks he was throwing at a good looking male customer sitting by the bar. “Dude, if you want that hottie to twist your body like a bendy straw, all you have to do is say so.” I teased with a sly smirk on my face.

Watching the way that Roy’s face coloured over with a deep crimson was pretty amusing to say the least. “Mind your own fucking business, Ginger. Or just your uncle’s business, since that’s what you get paid for. And take these shots to those guys in the back near the TV.” Roy instructed, handing me a tray laden with shot glasses filled with transparent liquid.

I really hate the fact that this asshole I work with actually knows my real name. I’ve never even told him; it must be my uncle’s doing. The sad part is that I’m not even an actual ginger; the closest I’ve gotten to having red hair is when I accidentally broke a glass jar and spilled ketchup all over my head. That’s right, I’m a 23-year old waitress named Ginger with dirty blonde hair. So instead of giving my parents the satisfaction, I called myself ‘Ginny’ because it sounded so much cooler when accompanied with the surname ‘Simmons’.

I sighed heavily at the ceiling overhead with its large oval-shaped light glaring sharply back at me. I headed over to the table in question and cringed inwardly when I overheard snippets of the men’s conversation.

“I’m telling you, bro, she wanted my dick so bad, I had to charge an admission fee just for her to go down on me!” the first man chortled with the utmost delight. Ew, he actually made me throw up in my mouth just from his words alone.

“With all due respect, that sounds like a work of fiction, my friend,” A second man chuckled through regular sips of his beer.

“Fuck you, Vick! That is totally what happened!” the first man fumed in a drunken slur, slamming his glass of beer down hard onto the table so that it shook a little.

I cleared my throat loudly to get their attention and starting placing the shots down gently onto the rickety wooden table. “Here are your drinks, fellas. Enjoy,” I said sweetly, even though looking at their repugnant faces made me want to barf.

“Wait a second, beautiful,” the first man slurred. I gasped when I felt a warm and clammy hand encircle my waist and pull me down to sit on a lap. A lap infused with something long and protruding that poked me right in the ass. Is that…what I think it is? “Don’t run off so quickly. Stay and play a little while longer with us,” the first man murmured sensually, his hot and smelly breath fanning the edges of my earlobe.

“That’s super tempting, but I really can’t, fellas. A girl’s gotta put food on the table somehow,” I apologized, shooting a meaningful glance at our surroundings.

If my uncle had been here right now, he would’ve blown his top at any of the male customers giving me a hard time. But I stupidly went and insisted that me and Roy could handle things for the night and that he should take my aunt out for dinner and a movie.
Ginny, you are such a fucking moron!
And Roy was just standing behind the bar with Eddie, the bartender, pretending to be engrossed in mixing drinks and cleaning glasses instead of defending my virtue. I take back what I said – the guys I work with are fucking useless!