The Billionaire Princess (4 page)

Feeling a bit like a criminal sneaking into somewhere she didn't belong, Sara walked into her room and closed the door.  Exhaling the breath she'd been holding, she leaned back against the bedroom door.  She'd made it.  Their secret was safe.

Two hours later Sara stood at her bathroom sink.  She knew someone was up, she'd heard voices but she'd remained locked in her room.  How could she ever face Christopher again?  Or Jake?  Yeah, sure Jake knew she wasn't a virgin, but that didn't mean he wanted her sleeping with his best friend either.

And she didn't want to imagine how Christopher must see her now.  What kind of woman had a one-night stand with her brother's best friend?  Not someone like her. 
At least not before last night.  Somehow though, she hadn't been able to help herself.  For more than two years, she'd stayed clear of men, content with building a name for herself in politics.  Then in a matter of hours, she'd gone from simply dancing to waking up next to a complete stranger, naked.

Okay, maybe not a complete stranger, she reasoned.  Still they didn't know each other that well.  Prior to this weekend, she couldn't even remember the last time they'd seen each other.

I cannot stay in here all day.
  Even if she didn't come out for any other reason, at some point she needed to eat.  At the thought of food her stomach rumbled. 
Come on.  You're a Sherbrooke.  Sherbrookes don't hide.

After one last glance in the mirror, Sara marched out into the living room only to find it empty.  The sound of movement in the kitchen told her someone was nearby.

The barest hint of cinnamon mixed with the aroma of coffee tickled her nose when she walked into the fully functional kitchen where Maureen O'Brien sat with a steaming coffee mug in front of her.

“You must have stayed up late last night,” Maureen said after greeting her. “I just finished breakfast, but I can make you something.  Dylan and Christopher ate all the French toast I made, but I can make more if you want that.”

Before she could stop herself, Sara looked around again for either of the two men.  “Where is everyone?” she asked even though she only cared about the current location of one particular individual.

“Dylan and Callie went to the beach.  Christopher left for the airport about an hour ago.  Jake and Charlie are still in bed.”

Jake and Charlie were still in bed, no big surprise there.  They'd gotten married yesterday.  As for Dylan and Callie, it made sense that they'd gone to the beach.  Both enjoyed it, but didn't get there often, living in the city.  Christopher's departure though seemed odd.  It didn't seem like him to leave so abruptly.  Then again what did she know?  With the exception of the previous night's activities, she'd never spent more than an hour with him at a time.

“Don't worry about it, Maureen.  I'll call for something.”  While the penthouse apartment in the hotel had a complete kitchen, it also had full access to the hotel's amenities, which included two five-star restaurants.

“That's silly.  Let me make you something,” Maureen said waving her hand for added emphasis.

The French toast and coffee from earlier did smell delicious, and Jake had told her what an excellent cook Maureen was.  “If you really don't mind, some of that French toast would be great.”

As Maureen cooked she chatted away about the wedding the day before and Hawaii in general.  Sara was grateful that the woman didn't mind that she did little more than nod in agreement.  At the moment she couldn't handle an in-depth conversation with anyone.  All her thoughts remained centered on the previous night's events.  The fact that she'd slept with Christopher seemed like a dream or a scene out of a movie.  She'd avoided men for two years yet after a few drinks and a single kiss she'd lost all of her common sense and her dress.  How was she going to face her brother?  No matter what, she couldn't let him find out. Who knew how it might affect his friendship with Christopher?

“I wish they'd invited your parents,” Maureen said.  She placed a plate piled high with slices of French toast in front of her.  “They should've been here.”  Maureen sat down across from her.  “Your mom will be heartbroken.”

Sara nodded in agreement and reached for the maple syrup.  Heartbroken wasn't the only adjective that came to mind.  Furious also ranked up there.  Her father wouldn't be pleased either, but he would understand far better than their mother.

“I'm glad I'm not the one who has to tell them,” Sara said. 

“Tell who what?” Jake asked walking toward the table.  “Is that French toast I smell?”

The hunger she'd felt a few seconds earlier disappeared at the sound of Jake’s voice. “Tell Mom and Dad you got married.”  She kept her eyes on her breakfast when she answered. If she looked at her brother now, she feared he'd know something wasn't right. While he'd never guess the true cause of her unease, he'd hound her until he got the information from her.

“They'll understand eventually.” He took a seat on the other side of the table. “Where is everyone else?”

“Callie and Dylan headed to the beach and your friend Christopher left for the airport after breakfast,” Maureen answered, placing a plate piled high with slices of French toast on the table.

“Left? I wonder why? I figured he'd stick around for the weekend.” Jake dug into his breakfast with gusto.

Sara kept her eyes down.
“Probably business. You didn't exactly give anyone time to plan for being away from work.”

“Sometimes it’s fun to be spontaneous, Sara.  Admit it, even you had fun yesterday.”

A flicker of apprehension coursed through her as the memories from the night before blossomed in her mind. “I guess.” She popped a piece of French toast in her mouth and hoped Jake would change the subject. She didn't want to discuss the events of last night with anyone, ever.

Sara finished a portion of her breakfast and then stood.  “Maureen, that was delicious, but I cannot eat another bite.”  She picked up her plate, prepared to carry it into the kitchen.

“I'll finish it up for you.” 

Sara shook her head.  She didn't know where he put it all.  “It's all yours.”  She passed the plate to him.  “I'm going to read my emails.”

Her beeping phone on the desk greeted her when she re-entered her room.  Picking it up she saw one text message from a number she didn't recognize.
Thought you'd be more comfortable if I wasn't around when you got up,
the message read.

That caused an unidentified emotion to wash over her, and she hit delete.  No one could ever see that message.

Christopher immediately recognized the ringtone coming from his phone.  Everyone in his contact list from his mother to his housekeeper had their own distinct ring.

For half a heartbeat he considered answering, but then he hit ignore and let the call from Jake go straight to voicemail.  They hadn't spoken in almost three weeks.  Not because Jake hadn't called, but rather because Christopher had been avoiding all communication with him.

Dropping the phone onto his desk, he turned his attention back to his computer screen.  Despite his efforts to concentrate, he couldn't shake the guilt and shame eating away at his conscience in a way he'd never experienced before.

He considered Jake
Sherbrooke one of his closest friends.  In all the time they'd known each other, Jake had never treated him as anything other than an equal, even early in their friendship when he'd been nothing but a Cal Tech freshman from a small town in Wisconsin on a full academic scholarship.  And how had he repaid him?  By breaking the one unspoken rule between men—sleeping with your best friend's little sister.  Admiring Sara from afar was one thing, but he'd gone way beyond that.  While she brushed the whole incident off as no big deal, it was a huge deal to him.  And now that it had happened he didn't know how he'd ever face his friend again.  Until he was confident he could talk to Jake without blurting out the truth, he figured it best to avoid him all together.

Christopher reread the line on the computer screen and prepared to finish the document, only to be interrupted by a knock on his office door.

“Yes,” he said, annoyance at the interruption slipping into his voice.

“I'm working on your calendar for next week before I leave,” Caroline—his sister and executive assistant—said, walking into the room.  “Do you plan to attend the literacy fundraiser Senator Healy's wife is co-sponsoring next week?”

With everything else, he'd forgotten all about the invitation he'd received from David Healy.  While he received similar invites all the time, this one had been made in person when he'd run into David weeks earlier.  During a round of golf they'd started discussing Christopher's company and how he might be able to assist with a new education initiative David had helped prepare, which was to be voted on soon. When the game ended, he'd invited Christopher to the fundraiser being held in Rhode Island.  At the time he'd said maybe, but hadn't thought about it since that afternoon.

Sara worked as David's chief of staff, which meant she might be in attendance.  His pulse raced at the thought of seeing her again.  Since she'd walked out of his bedroom, he'd thought about her frequently.  That morning he'd forced himself to leave Hawaii before either she or Jake got up.  While part of him had wanted to stay as far away from her as possible, another part couldn't help but want to see her.

Several times since then he'd picked up his phone, intent on calling her.  Unfortunately he couldn't come up with a good reason to do so.  The fundraiser was both a blessing and a curse.  It gave him the perfect excuse to see her.  At the same time though he feared what would happen when he did.

Only one way to find out.
  “Thanks for reminding me.  Yes, I plan on going.”

Caroline's fingers moved over the tablet in her hand.  “Do you want to leave that morning or the day before?  Right now you have nothing scheduled for the day before.”

“Tell Jim to be ready to fly the day before.”  A full day to adjust to the time difference between the West coast and the East coast would be useful.

***

Sara accepted the glass of Pinot Noir from the waiter and took a sip while Mia Troy spoke.  Although the actress spent her days in Hollywood now, she had strong ties to New England.  Like Sara she'd been born there and had attended Harvard University for a short time before moving to California to pursue an acting career.  Since then she'd become a vocal political advocate supporting many politicians, including President Sherbrooke.

“If I was going to be here longer, I'd say we should have a girls’ night out,” Mia said, sounding as if the idea had just come to her.

Although she didn't intend to stay in Rhode Island long, the idea of a girls’ night out sounded nice.  She couldn't remember the last time she'd gone out with some girlfriends.  Part of the reason was her job.  During the senator's campaign, she'd kept her mind focused on getting him elected.  Now that he was in office, it was her responsibility to make sure everything ran smoothly and that he eventually got re-elected.  With all that, there wasn't a lot of time for socializing.

Sara couldn't place all the blame for her nonexistent social life on her job though.  She had free time, but chose to avoid society.  Even before Phillip Young entered her life she'd known people sometimes associated with her only because of her last name.  Thanks to her relationship with Phillip though, that fact was branded on her mind and, as a result, she now distanced herself from people, both men and women.

“I'm leaving in the morning, though,” Mia said.  “I'm expected in Rome on Saturday for the start of a new movie.”

“Some other time maybe,” Sara
said, her voice the right combination of disappointment and understanding.

Not long after, Mia excused herself, leaving Sara alone for the first time all evening.  Since she had entered the ballroom hours earlier, she'd been surrounded by people.  Some she'd known for years, while others she'd only met after she started working with the senator.  And while she shouldn't feel alone in such a crowded room, she did. Put in the same situation a month earlier and she'd feel at ease. 
Ready to mix and socialize with everyone there.   Politics was in her blood.  However, since her brother's wedding, she'd been thinking about the one thing both her brothers had but she didn't. Someone to love and who loved her in return regardless of anything else.

Tonight's
all about politics and money
.
Don't forget that.
  And a big part of politics was socializing so right now she needed to do some of that.

“I hoped to see you here tonight.”

Sara froze in her tracks.  She hadn't heard his voice in more than two years, but she recognized it immediately.  Phillip.  Before turning around, she slowly counted to ten.  “I'm Senator Healy's chief of staff, so it’s expected.” She forced herself to use a courteous tone, even though more than anything she wanted to toss her drink in his face.

“I'm glad you're here.  Why don't we find a table and sit down?  Catch up.” 

Phillip took a step closer, and she could smell his aftershave.  Her stomach rolled at the scent and memories of their relationship sprang from their hiding places.  She'd rather sit and visit with a rattlesnake than her ex.  “I don't think so.  We don't need to catch up.”  When she ended their relationship, she thought she'd made her feelings crystal clear.