Marriage Of Convenience: A BWWM Billionaire Love Story (3 page)

BOOK: Marriage Of Convenience: A BWWM Billionaire Love Story
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Put
me down,” she ordered Mathews and he lowered her gently to her
feet. She limped away calling for her mother as she went. Nobody
answered but when she knocked on her door and opened it her mother
was in bed, oxygen mask on, eyes closed. If it wasn’t for the
loud sound of her breathing, Leila’s heart would have stopped
with dread. She opened her mouth to call out but then closed it
again. She figured her mother could rest while she whipped her up
some soup.


What’s
wrong with her?” a voice asked from behind her startling her
quite badly. She turned around on one foot to glare at Jonathon.


What
are you doing here?” she snapped at him. Jonathon took a step
back his face falling.


I’m
sorry, but I wanted to make sure you didn’t fall…and you
looked worried so...” he said.

Leila stared at him,
“How old are you?”

Jonathon looked up at
her in surprise, “What?”


Sometimes
you act like a ten year old with poor impulse control,” she
said then instantly regretted it. She didn’t know him well
enough to be making these types of judgments. He opened his mouth to
say something but she got there before him. “I’m sorry. I
shouldn’t have said that.”

Jonathon laughed wryly,
“Actually you’re not the first person to tell me that.”


Really?”
she asked mostly to make up for being rude.


Yeah.
My grandfather says that all the time. Not in those exact words of
course but…” he shrugged self-deprecatingly.

Leila didn’t know
whether to commiserate or laugh. The sounds emanating from the room
changed. Her mother’s breathing got quieter; Leila turned
around to see what was up.


Leila?”
her mother said hoarsely.


Yes
mom, I’m here,” Leila said limping forward.


What
happened to you?” she asked faintly.


We
hit her with our car but she’s okay,” Jonathon piped up
with the answer. Not that anybody asked
him
.


You
hit –“ Raychelle Masters began to struggle up on her
elbow but Leila hurried forward and pushed her back down, ignoring
the pain in her leg.


Lay
down mama, I’m fine. I’m just gonna fix you some soup
okay. Would you like some?” Leila said striving like hell to
distract her mother who was still looking distressed.


Are
you sure you’re okay Leila?” she asked.


I’m
fine. I promise mama. Now lie back so I can get you that soup,”
she said straightening up to glare at Jonathon before striving to
walk out without limping. She was concentrating so hard she didn’t
realize that Jonathon was not with her until she was halfway down the
hall. She looked back at the open door of her mother’s room,
expecting that he would appear at any moment but nobody did. She
hesitated between going to the kitchen to warm up some soup or going
back and dragging Jonathon out of her mother’s room. In the
end, she went with the soup; she didn’t
think
Jonathon would hurt her mother…

*****

Jonathon sat down on
the chair next to Leila’s mother, taking in the oxygen tank and
the labored breathing and the general weakness of the woman before
him.


Is
it lung cancer?” he asked.

She glared at him as if
he’d done something really wrong so Jonathon went over his
words, searching for the faux pas.


What?”
he said at last when he couldn’t find it. Leila’s mother
dislodged her oxygen mask.


You
go around asking total strangers what’s ailing them all the
time boy?” she asked.

Jonathon straightened
up. “I’m sorry. You’re right. Hi. My name is
Jonathon Leary. Pleasure to meet you. And you are?”


Raychelle
Masters. What are you doing here boy?” she asked and then put
her mask back on so she could breath.


Hello
Raychelle. I thought I’d sit here with you since your daughter
seems more worried about your health than her own. We hit her bike,
not hard, but she did fall down. We wanted to take her to the
hospital but she insisted on coming here instead…to see you I
guess. Do you have a nurse or something? Or are you all alone?”

Raychelle glared,
moving her oxygen mask. “What would I need a nurse for? I can
take perfectly good care of myself!”

Jonathon smiled, “I
see where your daughter gets it.”

Raychelle gave him the
thousand yard stare but chose to save her breath rather than ask the
obvious question. They sat in curiously companionable silence until
Leila limped back into the room with a tray of soup and bread as well
as a cup of fresh juice. She glared at Jonathon just on principle
before setting the tray down on the bedside table and perching on the
side of the bed.


Can
you eat a little?” she asked her mother.

Raychelle moved the
mask off her face and nodded, reaching out for the bowl. Leila beat
her to it. She spooned some of the soup up and held it out to her mom
who glared at her before opening her mouth.


I
can feed myself,” she growled raspily.


Sure
you can mama; still it’d really make me feel better if you let
me feed you,” Leila said soothingly as she cut a piece of bread
off and dipped it in the soup until it was nice and soggy. She held
it out to her mother who opened her mouth obediently.

When the meal was
finished, Leila glanced at Jonathon who was still sitting in the
chair, staring at them. She lifted her brow inquiringly, wondering
why he was still here.


Can
we take you to the hospital now?” he asked. Leila sighed
tiredly as her mother turned to glare at her.


Go
Leila,” she whispered.


I
can’t leave you alone like this,” Leila said.


Call
Sheila then; or Carlyle from next door. I’m sure I heard him
playing his loud music this morning. He must be back from touring.”

Leila hesitated;
Carlyle was friendly enough; he worked as a roadie for a rock band
and when they weren’t on tour he was a bartender at a club.
Which meant he was home during the day. Still Leila hated to disturb
him; he would come if asked and sit with Raychelle but that meant he
wasn’t resting or whatever he did before work.

Sheila had class, Peter
had school; their mother was a nurse at the local hospital but she
was probably working or sleeping…there just wasn’t
anyone who was free to watch her mother all day. And what with the
looming hospital bills, Leila didn’t think she’d be able
to employ a full time nurse.

Leila took a deep
breath. She had to be Scarlett on this one and think about it
tomorrow. Right now she was injured, she had to get back to work and
she couldn’t leave her mother alone. She limped to the door and
opened it. As soon as she did, Mathews was there, hand on her arm.


Where
are we going?” he asked.

Leila sighed and
pointed at the door across from them, “There.”

Mathews released her
arm and patted it, indicating she should stay where she was. He
walked to the opposite door and knocked. Carlyle opened the door with
a smile on his face. Obviously he was expecting someone else; his
face fell significantly when he saw the six foot one Nordic male
standing politely in front of him.


Er…”
he said.


Hey
Carlyle,” Leila called from her doorway.

Carlyle’s smile
returned at full wattage, “Hey Leila! How are you?”


I’m
good, how are you?”


Great.
What’s up?”


I
have a favor to ask,” Leila said.


Hit
me,” Carlyle replied sliding past Mathews and closing his door
and then coming toward her.


Could
you possibly stay with my mother this afternoon? She’s not
feeling too well and I have to go back to work.”


Sure
thing doll, not a problem.”

Leila sighed with
relief. “I owe you one Carlyle”, she said gratefully.


Ah,
fuggedaboutit,” he said strolling into the apartment and
immediately running into Jonathon. “Hey dude,” he said
and his eyes slid to Leila for an explanation.


This
is Jonathon, and Mathews, they kind of hit me with their car,”
she said wryly.

Carlyle’s face
instantly frowned with concern, “What? When?”


Just
now actually,” Leila said sheepishly.


Get
out. Are you okay?” Carlyle asked coming forward to touch her
arm.


I’m
fine. A little banged up. Nothing some whiskey won’t cure,”
she said.


I’ll
have it waiting for you when you get home,” he promised with a
light pat on her shoulder.

*****

Mathews and Jonathon
insisted on driving her back to work after she’d cleaned up,
wrapped her ankle in a bandage and changed her clothes. They insisted
on taking her bike with them to be repaired, promising to have it
back to her by the end of the next day.


That
guy Carlyle…is he your boyfriend?” Jonathon inquired.

Leila just fixed him
with a look but did not deign to reply. As they stopped in front of
the office building housing her office, Leila tensed, wondering if
they would insist on escorting her to her desk. But Mathews just let
her out of the car and saluted her as she limped into the foyer. She
waved at them, heaving a sigh of relief when they drove away. Talk
about persistent…


Leila!
Your 2pm has been waiting for half an hour,” her assistant said
standing up to meet her.


Oh,
where is she?” Leila asked.


Conference
room,” Martha said.


Okay
then. Back to work,” Leila said collecting her file and limping
away.

*****

Leila decided to get
herself checked at the local clinic before going home. Her leg was
sprained and she was advised to stick to sensible shoes for the next
few weeks. Her arm did not need stitches just some gentian violet.
They gave her some antibiotics just in case and turned her loose.

Carlyle was waiting
with the whiskey as promised and her mother was feeling well enough
to sit up in the living room and watch TV without losing her breath.
The oxygen tank was next to her just in case but according to Carlyle
they’d had a great afternoon. The lingering smell of pot
permeated the apartment and Leila studied her mother and Carlyle
suspiciously. Had they been smoking the stuff? And how would that
affect her mother’s chest. Still, her mother was smiling for
the first time since she collapsed so she wasn’t sweating it
too hard.

She downed the first
glass of whiskey and then lay back and put her feet up. Carlyle had
been kind enough to whip up a casserole, so dinner was taken care of.
They sat around shooting the breeze, eating and drinking. Carlyle
told them about life on the road and how much sex he allegedly had
with fangirls looking for access to the band. Raychelle called
bullshit but Leila was willing to take him at his word. After all
what did it hurt if he was exaggerating a little. No females were
hurt in the making of his yarns so…

*****


Mom,
I think I’ve found her,” Jonathon said when he spoke to
his mother on the phone later that night.


Found
who?” Jaime Leary asked, obviously poised to be either excited
or perturbed.


The
girl; the one who I can marry,” Jonathon said.


What
makes you say that? Because the last three times you told me you’d
found someone they turned out to be a bust…don’t make me
say Britney Marshall dear,” Jaime said.

Jonathon winced,
“Please mother, no need to go there. This one’s
different.”


They’re
all different. What was the one with the red hair called?” she
reminded him. Jonathon closed his eyes.


At
least give me the benefit of the doubt that I learn from my
experiences,” Jonathon said.


Three
times Jonny! Three.” Jaime repeated.


Okay,
well you don’t have to take my word for it, come to Atlanta.”


Not
right now dear, you know your father’s memorial is coming up.
The Widows, Orphans and Disabled Firemen’s Fund is holding an
event this weekend. Did you forget?”


No,”
Jonathon mumbled because he actually had. His mother was very active
in that community which was great, it kept the memory of his father
alive. But it was also terrible because it kept the memory of his
father alive. Sometimes Jonathon felt like they were living in a
bubble situated just post-9/11 where they re-lived over and over
again the day his father failed to come home from work. He still
missed his father; his booming laugh and the way he was always ready
for anything, be it wiping the dishes after dinner, playing soccer
with Jonny after school or rushing into a collapsing building to save
its occupants. He always felt inadequate to fill his father’s
huge shoes; he just wasn’t the man his father had been.

Of course, this was
severely reinforced by his grandfather who treated him like an errant
child, not to be trusted with adult business. James Maitland was a
movie star whose star had shone bright in the nineteen forties and
fifties. He’d starred in several Hollywood features and made a
buttload of money which he then proceeded to invest really wisely. As
a result, he’d turned a few million dollars into a billion
dollar empire which had its hand in several cakes. He was behind the
production of some major box office hits, plus several emerging
businesses that had grown to be household names. He’d never
married, but one of the starlets he’d slept with had gifted him
with a daughter in the late sixties. They weren’t exactly close
but Jaime Maitland received all the perks that having a billionaire
for a father could provide…except having that father in her
life on a regular basis. Her mother was not a successful actress and
eventually died of a drug overdose when Jaime was eighteen. She moved
to New York from Los Angeles to attend the Lee Strasburg Theater and
Film Institute at the aegis of her father. Mostly though, she just
wanted to get as far away from him and the life as possible. She’d
grown up surrounded by Hollywood excess, sex, drugs and rock n’
roll and she was sick of it. She had a love of the arts and wanted to
do something in that line but she wanted to do it away from the empty
noise and artificiality of her life in Los Angeles.

BOOK: Marriage Of Convenience: A BWWM Billionaire Love Story
10.28Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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