In the Billionaires Club (8 page)

Her dress was so short that Gin had to hold the bottom as she slid onto the chair, and once she did she couldn’t cross her legs or her entire ass would be showing. She caught Vinnie smiling. “Why is it the hottest dresses lead to the most awkward moments?”
 

“I think it’s charming, actually,” Vinnie replied. He then turned to Rich, who was halfway down the bar. “Rich, rum and Coke for the awkward lady.”

Gin hit him on the arm. “Don’t be a jerk.”

“Rich, rum and Coke for the girl showing off her hot legs.” She hit him again, but she had to smile how he was having fun with her. “Rich, rum and Coke for the young woman in the Versace dress.”

Gin stared at Vinnie. “This is Versace?” She glanced down and touched the fabric and then looked at him again. “How do you know this is Versace?”

“Are you kidding? The look is iconic. I haven’t seen that piece, though. It must have come from a major boutique ahead of the big shows. I like it, though. It’s like Versace wanted to take the Hurley dress and turn up the heat to make it more contemporary.”
 

Vinnie finally looked Gin up and down. He took in everything from her heels to her bare legs to where the dress barely covered her ass to the top that showed off her chest. It was odd, though—his was a look of appreciation, not creepiness or lust. He finally turned away and grabbed his drink. “It’s gorgeous, but you need an amazing body to pull that dress off.”
 

Gin laughed at Vinnie’s comment, which she was sure he didn’t realize had a double meaning. “Oh, I don’t know. I have to think that it wouldn’t take much effort to pull this dress off me.” She loved how at ease she was with Vinnie. He was like Lisa. Gin could make absurdly inappropriate jokes with him.

He smiled but didn’t look at her and didn’t reply. Rich slid a rum and Coke in front of her. “So how was Venice?”

“It was wonderful! Thank you for asking.” She proceeded to describe the weekend to Rich and Vinnie, not mentioning the bed on the plane or the shower in the hotel.
 

Vinnie listened patiently, and when Gin finished, replied, “So things are good with Phillip?”
 

Gin frowned. “Yeah. Why would you ask that? I know you think he’s all about the conquest, but he was attentive and wasn’t at all this aggressive ‘fuck me now’ type.”

Vinnie nodded. “I’m glad. You deserve to be treated right. I noticed he left earlier, though. I have to admit I assumed he dumped you.” The way Vinnie casually said it hurt.
 

“No,” she said cooly.

Vinnie turned to her. “Look, Gin. You’re spunky and nice and you don’t seem to be like ninety percent of the women who come in here, all looking for a big wallet attached to a man.” He looked at her body again. “The kind of women who would not only know that they’re wearing a fifty-thousand dollar Versace dress but would make sure to strut around reminding everyone of that fact.” He turned to his drink and sighed. “So I apologize for implying that you will be taken advantage of. I really hope that you have a wonderful future with Phillip. I’m just worried about you. That’s all.”

“Thank you, Vinnie. I appreciate your concern, but I know Phillip. He’s just all compartmentalized. There’s the Phillip that lives in the business world, and then there’s the private Phillip, who is sensitive and concerned about me.”

Vinnie nodded. “Yeah. Those aren’t the same guy. I get it.” He yelled down at Rich, who had wandered off to serve someone else. “Barkeep, my drink is empty. The service here is horrible.”

“And did you say this dress was fifty thousand dollars?”

Vinnie turned to her and smiled. “Somewhere around there. Did Phillip set you up with Jules?”

“Yes. For the weekend trip, and then she gave me a few more pieces for special moments.”
 

“So Jules gives you a dress that will undoubtedly be worn on some major awards show red carpet and tells you to save it for a special occasion, and you wear it to a bar?”

“Pretty much.” Gin felt stupid. She had no idea what she was doing. She was out of her element in the world of extreme wealth and celebrity.
 

“I say this with complete and utter sincerity—” Vinnie looked at her and raised his now full glass. “I absolutely love that you are wearing that dress here. You are exactly what this fucking club needs. Someone who just lives life without all the bullshit.” He took a long drink.

Gin smiled. “Thank you, Vinnie. I have to admit that I’m not feeling particularly confident right now. Phillip is all busy with work, and I feel like I’m in over my head. I don’t know what to say or what to wear.” She leaned toward Vinnie with a conspiratorial glance around the room. “Do you know what I call the dress?” Vinnie shook his head. “Classy slut.”

Vinnie laughed. “I’m sure you’re not the first person to describe Versace that way.” He glanced at her body in the dress again, and this time Gin felt like there was a glimmer of something like primal appreciation. “You look amazing in that dress. Extraordinary even.”

Gin looked at Vinnie. She couldn’t figure him out. He was so nice but also sarcastic. He looked like he was her age, maybe late twenties at the oldest and yet he had this old sad soul. He had to make a good living bartending at the Billionaires Club. Did he make six figures? Probably. But he dressed like a factory worker.

The only consistent thing about him was an air of loneliness.

Inspiration hit Gin.
I’ll set him up with Lisa
. The idea was perfect. Lisa liked bad boys, and Vinnie was this sarcastic loner bartender who hung out with billionaires. She would love that. Plus, she had a good soul and, if nothing else, she didn’t mind jumping right into bed with guys she liked. Maybe all Vinnie needed was to get laid.
 

“What’s so funny?” Vinnie asked.

“Nothing, just thinking of my friend.” Gin decided to do it, but she wouldn’t tell Vinnie. She’d just introduce them and let Lisa’s charm do the rest. “Rich,” she called down to the bartender.

“Yes, Gin?”
 

“Can I have a card for a friend? She really wants to see what Sal’s Place is like. I promise you she will be a wonderful guest.” Gin crossed her chest with her index finger.

“I’m sorry, Gin. Only members can hand out cards.”

“Jesus, Rich. Your service
is
horrible,” Vinnie interjected. “Give the girl a card.” Rich stared at Vinnie, rolled his eyes, and then went over and brought a card to Gin.
Thank you for being a rule breaker
, She thought. As she held the card, she realized that Phillip had never given her a card to return. He had forgotten as he left.

“Oh shit. Phillip forgot to give me a card,” Gin blurted out. “Can I have another one, Rich?” Rich stared at her and then looked at Vinnie. Vinnie shrugged, and Rich went over, and came back with another card.
 

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Gin said to Rich. She then leaned over and kissed Vinnie on the cheek. He smelled of bourbon. “Thank you, too,” she whispered. She swore that Vinnie blushed, but he didn’t say anything. He just nodded and took another sip of his drink.

chapter eleven

Gin logged into Inky and the first thing she saw was the photo of her and Phillip outside the hotel in Venice at the top of his photo feed. He had posted the photo from some European celebrity rag. He added a short caption: “Having fun in Venice!”

Gin felt her chest go tight.
He didn’t even mention my name or that we are dating
. She looked at the photo. Sure, her hair was a little messy, but she actually thought that it was a good photo of her.
I look happy.
And that thought calmed her a bit.

She just had to wait for Phillip to get back from New York and segue from work hard to party hard. She added a comment to the photo. “Way too much fun!” and then closed her laptop and went to bed.
 

Her cell phone rang a little after eight the next morning. She was running around getting ready for work but stopped cold when she glanced at the screen. It was Phillip.

She answered with a warm and enthusiastic “Phillip!”

“Ms. Langdon?”

Time stopped as she whispered, “Yes?”

“This is Mister Rogers executive assistant. He wanted me to tell you that he won’t be seeing you any more.” Gin nearly dropped the phone. Breaking the awkward silence, the woman added, “I’m sorry,” and then hung up.

Closing her eyes, Gin tried to make sense of what had just happened. Her emotions were a mass of hatred, anger, pain, betrayal, and a deep sense that she had been used. A sob broke through and Gin wiped the tears from her cheeks that she hadn’t even realized had fell.

He’s just another asshole. Good riddance
, she told herself. But he wasn’t. He was rich and handsome and charming in a kind of innocent way that she was growing to love. Gin felt a new kind of loss, like she had missed out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and that just made her feel worse, because she didn’t want to feel that way.

“I’m not a whore,” she said out loud, wiping away the tears and standing straight. Tossing the phone on her dresser, she stumbled back to her bed and sat down. She started to cry again.
Stop it, Gin!
She squeezed her hands into fists.
Okay, he used you for sex. Vinnie was right. You were a conquest. The moment he fucked you in the shower, the relationship was over.
That line of thought led to an ever harsher self-assessment.
What did I do wrong? Should I have waited?

Gin stood up and marched over to her phone.
Fuck you, Phillip. I did nothing wrong. You’re just an asshole.
She dialed Lisa’s number
 

“Heya Gin. What’s up?”

Gin took a deep breath and then whispered, “Phillip dumped me.”

“Holy shit. That asshole. Did he say why?”

“I didn’t talk to him.” Gin paused to get herself together. “He had his fucking executive assistant call me to tell me.”

“Jesus fucking Christ, Gin. That’s not even asshole, that’s like douchebag-prick-who-may-be-an-asshole-on-a-good-day behavior right there.” She quickly added, “Are you okay?”

“Not really.”

“Well fuck him. He’s a total dick. You deserve way better than that asshole. Fuckin’ billionaire thinks he can just buy you with a trip to Venice. Fuck him.”

Gin laughed a bitter laugh. “Well, he did buy me with a trip to Venice.”

“No!” Lisa’s tone was stern and serious. “He bought you with lies about his feelings, his intentions, and what you meant to him.
You did nothing wrong
.”
 

Gin started crying again. “Thank you, Lisa. I needed to hear that.”

“Oh, I’m not done. That fuckhead didn’t have to spend a dime on you, and you would have acted the same way. You know why? Because you’re a good person, Gin. You were interested in Phillip the person, not Phillip the billionaire, and you know the worst? He treated you like someone he
had
to buy. He didn’t know you at all, Gin. He just wanted to fuck the hot girl in the tight dress, and he acted the only way he knew how to do just that.”

Gin laughed through her tears. “Well, I
was
kind of interested in Phillip the billionaire.”

“God, I love you, Gin. Some guy tramples on your heart, and you drop a self-effacing joke.”

“You’re the best, Lisa. Thank you.”

“No. You’re the best, Gin. I have to get to work, and you do, too, but don’t hesitate to call me if you need to have someone hear you vent about how Phillip has a small dick and you didn’t want to live with that anyway.”

“He actually had a very nice dick.”

“You’ll find a better one. Now go punch some pillows or something and get back on your feet.”

“Love you, Lisa.”

“You, too, Gin. Be strong. Love will surprise you. Just remember that.”

Gin placed the phone back on the dresser.
A billionaire will be a tough surprise to top
, she thought.

chapter twelve

Gin held up the cards in front of Lisa’s face. “What do you think? If Phillip’s there he’ll be totally shocked, as he doesn’t know I have the cards, and I can just strut by without even acknowledging him. It will totally piss him off.”
 

The two of them were at a strip mall cafe near Gin’s apartment. Lisa had arrived in grand style, spending a good five minutes raging about men, rich douchebags, and billionaires with tiny dicks. Gin let Lisa vent, and she had to admit it made her feel better.

The previous two days were tough, and it wasn’t until that morning that she was really able to grasp what was wrong. After all, she had only known Phillip for a week. Why should she be as devastated as if they were dating for years? The answer, of course, was that he was rich. She wasn’t grieving over Phillip. She was grieving over the idea of Phillip.

Gin was quite proud of her ability to examine her feelings objectively. The interesting thing was that it opened her up to an odd kind of shallow hope. Why couldn’t she win over another billionaire? The previous time she was in the Billionaires Club, every man in the room stared at her walking through. And here she was with a card to that very club.

And if she didn’t find someone during the next visit? Well, she was sure that Rich would give her another card. She was a kindred spirit with the two blue collar working class bartenders. She’d hang out with the single billionaires and if that eventually didn’t work out? Well, Lisa was right: She’d find love. It’s just that she
really
wanted to find love with a billionaire.

She only felt a little guilty at her shallow desire.

Lisa grabbed one of the cards and looked at it. “How’d you get two cards to the Club?”

“The bartender is a nice guy named Rich, and he gave me two. Which reminds me, I want to introduce you to this guy I met. He’s around our age, and he’s fucking gorgeous. He’s single, too. I don’t think I told you about him. His name is Vinnie.”

“Wait. Vinnie. The alcoholic bartender?”

“Oh, I did tell you about him.” Gin backpedaled, worrying that her matchmaking was already doomed. “He’s not an alcoholic. I was just kidding. You just have to meet him. Please trust me. He’s smart and funny and hot.”