The Billionaire's Challenge (4 page)

“
Would
you like to see a movie?” He stirred me from my thoughts.

“
Sure.”

When
we finished our coffees, we got back in the car and started driving.
I watched the AMC theater pass by, and I wondered if we were heading
to the IMAX, but we passed that one too. Soon, we were out in the
country. Unless we were going to a movie in a different city, he was
heading in the wrong direction.

After
we were about ten miles outside of the city, Garret pulled off of the
main highway, and we began ascending a steep hill that looked to lead
into an under developed neighborhood dotted with extravagant
mansions. It was at this point that I realized he was probably taking
me to his mansion.

Sure
enough, we pulled up to a rod iron gate with the initials GF welded
onto the front. I laughed at my own inside joke, thinking about how
GF meant girlfriend in text speech. Sometimes I was so immature.

Of
course, when we drove through the gate and my eyes landed on the
expansive mansion in front of us, my silly thoughts were replaced by
awe. It was far more house than one man could ever possibly need,
spanning at least the length of four normal houses.

“
Home
sweet home,” Garret commented, gauging my reaction.

“
That's
a lot of house,” was the only thing I could think of to say.

He
gave me the grand tour, leading me through rooms that were as big as
my entire apartment. For as luxurious as the mansion was, I felt
horribly bad for the person who had to clean it.

I
tried to vary my responses to the rooms he showed me, using “Wow”
and “It's beautiful” and “It's huge”
interchangeably. There wasn't much else to say. The last room he took
me into was his theater. It looked like a miniature of the real
thing, with a screen about half the size and rows upon rows of red
upholstered seats.

“
I
tried to keep it as close to the original as possible,” Garret
told me. “You can sit wherever you like, and I'll get the movie
rolling. Would you like some popcorn or nachos first?”

“
No,
thank you,” I replied, realizing I would probably never stick
fatty food in my mouth while he was around. Even the thought of it
made me nauseous. In fact, he would probably be a good diet motivator
from here on out. Thinking about how I could never have him in my
current physical condition certainly made me want to lose weight.

“
How
about a mixed drink or some wine?”

This,
I did want. But again, calories. “I'm fine, thanks.”

Garret
disappeared back up the sloped walkway, leaving me alone to find a
seat. It seemed only natural to sit smack-dab in the middle of the
theater, and so I did.

After
a few minutes of waiting in dim silence, the screen lit up with its
first preview. It really was like a theater, I thought, surprised to
see the movie trailer. I never watched previews before movies at
home, but I supposed if he wanted the real theater experience, then
it was a part of the process.

Garret
returned and settled in beside me, raising the arm rest that
separated us before leaning across me to put a bottled water in the
cup holder on my opposite side. Why he didn't hand it to me instead
of leaning over, I didn't know, but I didn't mind. My heart sped up
at his closeness, and I felt a strong need to reach out and touch
him.

Soon,
he settled back into his seat, opening his own bottled water to take
a quick sip before placing it in the cup holder. After that, he was
pretty much immersed in the previews.

I
watched them with much distraction, thinking about how close he was,
only inches away. My mind wandered to every naughty thing I had ever
wanted to do in a movie theater but had either been too shy to or had
an unwilling date. Most of the men I had dated were prudes or pure
vanilla. None voyeuristic or kinky like me. I imagined that Mister
Sexy Blonde Adonis was probably the same way. Not that it mattered. I
couldn't have him anyway.

Finally,
the movie began rolling, dragging my attention back to the screen. My
stomach turned as I recognized the actors and the flick. It was a
romantic comedy. I hated romantic comedy. In fact, I hated romance of
any kind ever since my divorce. Why were we watching this? And then
it hit me. He must be gay. That would explain why the media had never
caught him on a date with a girl. And possibly why he was so media
shy. It all came together rather quickly. Even in his street
clothing, he looked immaculate. His hair was perfectly styled, his
clothing fashionable. Of course, he was way too pretty be straight.

A
sigh of relief passed my lips as I sank into my seat with a smile. I
had always wanted a gay friend. Maybe hanging out with him wouldn't
be so torturous after all. I wouldn't have to be subconscious
anymore, or worry about other girls around him. For the first time in
his presence, I felt completely at ease, as if I were hanging out
with any of my other friends.

The
movie progressed as expected, with ups and downs as a confused couple
worked through their differences towards a happily ever after. While
I didn't particularly enjoy the movie, I did enjoy the sound of
Garret's carefree laughter as he soaked up all the campy jokes.
Towards the end of the movie, the couple ended up in bed together for
a night of passionate love making that the entire movie had built
itself up for. My face flushed at the sex scene, though I knew I
shouldn't be embarrassed watching it with Garret.

Suddenly,
he shifted in his seat, and I felt a hand on my thigh. My entire body
went rigid as my eyes fell to Garret's fingers placed ever so lightly
on my slacks. Why was he touching me?

Soon,
the fingers began to crawl up my leg, and I thought my heart might
explode from my chest if they reached their destination. Higher they
went—higher than a man who was gay would be willing to take
them. My head swam with bells and whistles and warnings. All day, I
had been fantasizing about this, but now that I was pretty sure it
was happening, I didn't know if I actually wanted it. Garret was so
much younger than me, and we had just met. Was this the real reason
he had brought me here? It must be. He must have thought I would be
an easy conquest for him.

My
hand clamped on top of his, ending its ascension up my thigh. This
was not going to happen, I decided. If Garret thought I would bed him
after coffee and a movie, he was sorely mistaken.

To
my surprise, Garret didn't withdraw his hand. He simply left it there
for the remainder of the movie, with my hand resting on top of it in
fear that he would proceed if I moved. I was never happier when the
movie was over, hoping he would go to turn it off, but instead he
turned to me with a warm innocent smile.

“
Did
you like the movie?” Garret asked.

“
I'm
not typically fond of romantic comedies,” I admitted, trying to
keep the anger from my voice.

“
I
thought all girls liked romantic comedies.”

“
I'm
not all girls,” I cautiously reminded him.

“
Then
what do you like?”

“
Horror.”
And
porn
.
I quickly tried to silence my subconscious. It felt like an epic
battle was raging inside of me between my mind and my body. The part
of me that hadn't been touched in nearly five years wanted to let him
have his way, but my heart knew better. If I had sex with him now, I
would only regret it later. Or would I?

“
We
can watch something else, if you like,” Garret suggested.

“
It's
getting late. I think you should take me home.”

For
a moment, we just sat there staring at each other. I could feel a
tightness in my chest as the tension built. Would he be angry that I
was rejecting him? I was certain few women ever had. Probably none
since he became rich.

“
You
don't like being touched, do you?” he asked finally.

Were
we really going to get into this? “No, I don't.”

“
Why
not?”

“
For
one, because I'm fat. And for two, I just met you.”

A
short laugh escaped his lips. “You really need to get some
self-confidence. You're a strong beautiful woman.”

“
Flattery
will get you nowhere with me, Garret,” I warned.

The
laugh that escaped his lips this time was less than amused, an
admission of his rejection. “I apologize.” He pulled his
hand away. “I thought there might be something between us.”

“
There
was until you put up the arm rest,” I tried to lighten the
mood. Pissing off a multibillionaire when I was locked inside his
ridiculously large mansion probably wasn't the best idea.

He
didn't seem to find the joke funny. “How long has it been since
you've been with a man?”

“
That's
a rather personal thing to ask.” My brow furrowed at the fact
that he wouldn't let it go.

“
You
just seem so guarded.”

“
I
am guarded,” I cut him off.

“
Why?”

“
Because
I know what this is. You just brought me here because you wanted to
have sex. That's obvious to me now.”

“
That's
not true,” he said defensively. “I brought you here
because I wanted to spend time with you. I thought you might enjoy
watching a movie with me. I'm sorry if that upsets you.”

I
sighed. “Take me home, please.”

“
Fine,”
Garret huffed, pulling himself to his feet.

The
tension kept us silent all the way back to the office. I had offended
him greatly and knew he wouldn't call again. Part of me felt bad for
it. The other part was glad it was over.

That
night was restless, filled with regret and worry. Had I really done
the right thing by rejecting Garret Fabel? I had passed up a chance
of a lifetime, to have hot mind blowing sex with a man five years my
junior with the body of a Greek God. I doubted I would ever get such
an opportunity again.

The
weekend was dull and boring. I stayed home watching High School of
the Dead. It combined horror, zombies, and anime. Three of my
favorite things. While getting lost in the show helped to take my
mind off of Friday night's mishap, every non distracted moment was
still filled with Garret Fabel. And the more I thought about him, the
more I regretted not giving in to his desires.

When
Monday rolled around, Charlise and Mrs. Eddison both wanted the
scoop. I lied and told them that Garret had taken me to coffee
because he wanted to coach me through an interview that one of the
papers was going to do on our charity date. This ticked off Mrs.
Eddison a bit since it related to his PR, and she had the nerve to
mumble something about me switching sides. It only made for a worse
Monday. Charlise, on the other hand, became disinterested the second
she realized there was nothing juicy to dish. I was grateful for her
disappearance into the back. My mood was already sour and I just
wanted to be left alone with my work.

Sometime
after first break, there was a delivery of flowers. The bouquet was
absolutely adorable. A dog made of white carnations sticking out of a
basket filled with orange and yellow daises. I immediately assumed it
was for Mrs. Eddison. Her husband was the only one who would buy
something so extravagant.

However,
when the delivery man went to set them up on the desk, he said they
were for me. A knot quickly formed in my chest. There was only one
person I could imagine would send me flowers. Sure enough, the card
attached was signed from Garret Fabel. Why, I wondered. I had been so
rude to him. I just didn't understand.

On
the back of the card was a message that read, “Meet you at five
o'clock.” This made my heart beat even faster. Persistent
little shit, I thought with a smirk, graciously accepting the gift
and sending the delivery man on his way.

Charlise
came from the back, ready to take the basket to Mrs. Eddison.
“They're mine,” I told her.

“
They're
so cute.” She turned the basket around so that the carnation
puppy was facing her. “Who are they from?” Her mouth
dropped open as she read the name on the card, and then she squealed
with unmerited glee, as if the bouquet had been for her instead of
me. “O M G, Garret Fabel sent you flowers, Mia. He must really
like you.” Charlise looked genuinely happy for me, but I
couldn't help feeling that it was fake.