His Hired Mistress: A BWWM Billionaire Romance (3 page)

Jamie’s phone rang, returning her to reality. Her phone was still in the kitchen, she groaned because she didn’t want to move from her comfortable position. Maybe whoever it was would call back later or in the morning. Could she fucking live? Could she have one evening where she didn’t have to solve everyone’s problems? Maybe that was a little unfair because her staff did an amazing job of keeping most of the problems out of her face. If she had to come in to fix something then she was taking over and they didn’t want that. Jamie didn’t micro manage often but if she had to, then her staff was going to feel her wrath.

Why can’t I be one of those people that ignore their phone? My life would be so much easier if I didn’t give a crap about who was on the other end.
Before the call ended she hopped up and sprinted to the phone. When she looked at the screen, she thought about letting it go to voicemail but out of habit she answered.

“Hello?” she said in a voice that sounded more tired than she felt.

“Hey, Jamie?”

“Yes, Pierre?”

“Yep, this is me. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you but you’re a difficult woman to catch,” he said in a voice that didn’t have much bass to it.

“Sorry, I’ve been working like a mad woman. I haven’t had time for anything but work lately,” Jamie said.

“See, how are you going to be with someone and you never take the time? When are you going to let me take you out? Wait forget I said that. I’m going to take you out this weekend. Can I pick you up at eight on Saturday?

Jamie closed her eyes and tried to stop her heart from racing. It wasn’t racing because he made her nervous, it was racing because she wasn’t sure if she wanted to be bothered. Her free time was precious so spending hours with a potential dud would only piss her off.

“Uh oh, you’re quiet, are you telling me no?” Pierre asked.

“No, I’m not telling you no,” Jamie said reluctantly.

“Great, then I’ll see you on Saturday. I’m looking forward to going out with you. Just text me your address and I’ll be there on time. Are you a timely person?”

“There is no other way to be,” Jamie replied.

“I like you already,” Pierre said. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”

“Goodnight.”

Jamie blew wind through her cheeks. She just got suckered into a date with a man and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to go at all. One thing was for sure, he wasn’t driving her to their date; she was going to meet him. Her home was her sanctuary and she wasn't going to let a potential psycho ruin it. How could she be in complete control of the other parts of her life but feel out of her element in the dating world?

Having a man of her own would make her life feel a lot more complete but so few men were on her level. The men that were on her level didn’t want women like her. They wanted stay-at-home wives who would have dinner on the table during the evenings. Her options were limited and the older she got, the smaller her dating pool became.

So now, she had to resort to online dating. Her friends convinced her to do it since she was too busy to meet a man the traditional way. More and more people that she knew seemed to find their mates online. So one night in desperation she joined a paid membership dating site. She looked for a site that was expensive because she didn’t need any Tom, Dick or Harry seeing her profile. Now, she had to give Pierre a chance.

***

The restaurant was dark with leather seats, just the way that Jamie liked it. There was something about wood and leather that made her feel at home. It meant luxury to her. She drank deeply of the red wine that was in her glass. As she let it sit on her palate she could taste the fresh black cherries, black currant and exotic herbs. She rolled it around and could taste the coffee and menthol and there was a hint of minerality. The juicy, fruit-driven flavors of dark berries and cherry were complicated by cocoa, vanilla and graphite and given laser-like precision by vibrant and harmonious acidity.

“Are you enjoying the wine?” Pierre asked her.

“Mmhmm,” she said as she took another sip. “This wine is managing to be both fleshy and acidic at the same time. It has so much depth and complex flavor, I think I’m going to have to buy a bottle to take home.”

“I’ll be more than happy to get you a bottle or two if you like,” Pierre said.

Jamie smiled at her date and shook her head, “You’ve done more than enough. I appreciate the date. You don’t have to buy me expensive bottles of wine, too.”

Pierre looked a little relieved but he didn’t say it, “Oh okay. I’m just doing my best to impress you.”

“It shows,” she smiled.

Jamie wasn’t a gold digger by any means because she had her own funds and Pierre was doing the best he could. He brought her to Perry’s Steakhouse, which wasn’t bad at all, but it was a chain restaurant and the menu could be found online. If he wanted to impress her, then he could have taken her someone exclusive.

Now that she was on the date, she was a little grateful he hadn’t gone all out because then she would have felt bad. The bottom line was that she didn’t like Pierre. He wasn’t a bad guy, just a boring one. She wanted one with a little bit more edge and a lot more power. It didn’t take a psychic to figure out that Pierre wouldn’t be able to handle being her significant other. He was far too needy for her liking.

“So, tell me more about yourself,” Pierre asked.

Ugh, why do men always ask that? How the hell am I supposed to know what he wants to know about? Why can’t he be more specific? Should I tell him about my childhood? Should I tell him about the miles that I’m going to have to run on the treadmill just to work this meal and wine off? Maybe I should tell him the truth about how I feel on this date,
she thought
.

“What do you want to know?” Jamie asked.

“Umm, what’s your favorite color?”

Jamie tried not to scowl at his question. It was a valid question, right? To be so cute, he was quite uninteresting. Not even the cute dimple on the chin of his sandalwood complexioned face could save him. When she first arrived, she was impressed. He was only about ten to fifteen pounds heavier than he was in his photos and that was okay. He had a slight pudge in the mid-section but it was nothing that eating right and some exercise couldn’t fix. She could tell by his build that he didn’t work out often; he was naturally on the thin side.

“It’s black,” Jamie replied.

“Aww come on, black isn’t a color,” he laughed. “You have to like a color.”

“You asked and I told you what my favorite color was. Either you’re going to accept my answer or you’re not,” she replied in a snippy tone.

Pierre blinked a few times and tried to recover from the mild verbal lashing. “I’m sorry, I was just trying to make conversation. If I upset you, that wasn’t my intention. Okay, black is your favorite color. I’m so sorry. Shit, I’ve screwed this up haven’t I? You’re not going to want to go out with me again.” Pierre’s voice exhibited mild panic.

Now he’s apologizing. Where are his balls? He backed down way too fast and he’s about to pee on himself. Ugh. Where are the real men? I don’t need for him to manhandle me but I don’t need for him to start acting like an insecure loon either.

“You’re doing fine,” Jamie smiled. “Let’s just enjoy the evening and not overreact to the small stuff.”

“Okay,” Pierre sighed.

Unfortunately for Jamie, the rest of the dinner went in the same direction. When she arrived home she almost kissed the floor. This is why she hardly ever went out on dates. She wasted a perfectly good Saturday night. It was a night that she could have crawled onto her huge reclining sectional leather sofa and watch TV. Or she could curl up with an amazing Lena Skye book. Sure the stuff was smut, but she loved it! She lived for it actually. It was a guilty pleasure. She needed to keep up with the latest book of Single Ladies, Tamika’s standalone book had been released and she needed to know if Tamika stayed with Reggie or not.

See, now Reggie was a man with power. A lot of people didn’t like him but she loved him. Reggie did what he had to do to make his life better. Sure, he didn’t go through legal means but he was from the streets. Tamika would never be able to understand where he came from because she was sheltered. The sheltered always like to look down on people that were raised in hardship. Their views of the world was completely different so they couldn’t fathom getting their hands dirty to get what they wanted. Whatever the case, Jamie had to find out if Reggie killed Mimi. Oooh, she hoped Reggie killed Mimi. Mimi deserved to die. You don’t mess with a man’s family like that and you definitely don’t mess with his livelihood.

Her thoughts went to Nathan. He was the kind of man that everyone respected and it wasn’t just because of his money. It was because of the way that he carried himself. Nathan possessed a quiet confidence. He was extremely sure of himself so he didn’t have to ask things more than once. When he ordered people around, it wasn’t done with bravado, but it was done with a spirit of expectation. Ugh she loved that. He could bottle his masculinity and sell it. It would fly off of the shelves in droves. Some men were meant to lead and he was one of them.

What are you doing? Stop thinking about that man. He is married and he’s your client. What’s the harm in thinking about him? It’s not as if anything is going to happen. Thoughts become things Jamie.

Jamie considered going to her treadmill to run off her frustration of the night’s events but instead opted for a glass of wine. It was Saturday; she could run in the morning. Against her better judgment she drank her wine and put in a movie. Tonight she just wanted to watch something funny, so she popped in her advanced copy of Get Hard with Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell. Being a publicist had its perks.

Three hours later Jamie’s doorbell rang. She stirred slightly on the couch and groaned. Who in the hell was ringing her doorbell so late in the evening? The only person that ever did that was her granddaddy. The bell rang again and she stood and walked to the door. She looked out the peephole and saw Nathan standing at her door.

What the hell was he doing at her house? How did he know where she lived? She then guessed that he could have gotten that information easily.

She smoothed her hair down and cracked the door open. “Is everything okay?”

Nathan looked so good. Even in a T-shirt and jeans he looked good enough to eat. Jamie had to shake the thoughts from her head and focus. He wasn’t there to be ogled at by her; he was there for business most likely.

Nathan had a slight scowl on his face, “I’ve been looking over some things for the publicity campaign and I have some concerns.

“The concerns have to be spoken about right now? It can’t wait until Monday? Or at least until the morning?” Jamie asked. She didn’t care how fine he was, he needed to respect her space.

“No, it can’t wait. I prefer to get this all settled now so that we can move forward and have a great business relationship.” That’s when Nathan looked at her attire and saw that he could have possibly intruded. “Oh, do you have company?”

“N-no, I don’t have company. I just fell asleep on the couch,” she said as she opened the door wider, giving him a better view inside. She questioned her need to show him that she was home alone. What did it matter to him anyway? He had Stephanie, his trophy bride.

“Can I come in please so that we can talk it over?” he asked.

Here he goes again. He’s put it in the form of a question but he doesn’t expect me to say no. His question is very confident. He knows that I’m going to let him in; he’s practically demanding it. That’s why he came over here at...what time is it anyway?

“Sure, come on in. You’re already here so we may as well get this over with. I’ll do my best to answer any questions that you may have,” Jamie said.

“Great. I’m going to take a seat on this incredibly comfy looking couch. You have impeccable taste Jamie,” Nathan said.

“I know,” she smiled as she followed him and sank into her sofa. “So what can I help you with Mr. Sparks?”

Her heart almost caught in her throat when she noticed the way that his eyes looked at her lips. It wasn’t something that he was doing on purpose—she caught him staring. He wasn’t doing it in an obvious way that was meant to be sexual. It was an interested and observing look. He liked her lips that much was clear, but soon he recovered.

Nathan cleared his throat and opened a leather folder, “I’ve been putting a lot of thought into this and I think I want to go in a different direction. I don’t think that I want to brand myself with my wife.”

Jamie blinked a few times, “I think that it’s the better way to go. This will make the public love you so much more. There is nothing hotter than a man that loves his wife. It makes men feel more comfortable with you because you’re not trying to be a sex symbol.”

Nathan ran his fingers through his hair and sighed heavily, “I don’t know. After giving it some thought, I just don’t want to go in that direction. I don’t want her standing by my side everywhere I go.”

“Well isn’t that how you two operate anyway? You both seem very happy, so why wouldn’t you want to share that with the person that you love?”

“Because, I’m thinking about leaving her. After our divorce, I don’t want the public to hate me. It’s best if I do this on my own and let the fall out with the rest happen.”