Dating Games(39)

Julian Gage was completely unknown until Theodore Price, a distant relative of the Vanderbilt family, passed away, leaving the majority of his vast fortune to him. This prompted a fierce contest over the will by Mr. Price’s children, who assumed they’d inherit everything. While Mr. Price didn’t disinherit them altogether, providing each of his three children a rather generous testamentary gift…in most people’s standards…it was nothing compared to the billions of dollars he’d gifted Julian.

Mr. Price’s children tried to allege the will was invalid and that Julian exerted undue influence over an old man who wasn’t of sound mind. However, the court found that his children wouldn’t know whether he were of sound mind, considering they’d rarely spoken to him over the past few decades. Mr. Price’s housekeeper testified to that fact. She also stated that Mr. Price and Julian become acquainted when Mr. Price saw him in a local park and offered to teach him how to play chess, since he seemed interested in the game. I can’t help but smile at the image in my mind of a sixteen-year-old Julian befriending an older man over a game of chess. When I was sixteen, most boys only cared about video games. I can’t see Julian as someone who was ever interested in video games.

Upon Mr. Price’s death, Julian took the helm of the Price-Young empire. Hotels. Restaurants. Commercial buildings. There are hundreds of properties in New York City alone. It’s all incredibly impressive, but what catches my eye is the mention of a non-profit he’s tied to. An organization aimed at helping victims of domestic violence. It certainly piques my interest, another puzzle piece of who Julian truly is sliding into place.

I should have stopped reading there, but the section labeled “Personal Life” grabs my attention and I scroll down. Labeled one of the most eligible bachelors in the country, there are various photos of him posing with beautiful woman after beautiful woman. Models. Actresses. Heiresses. Every single one of them is all legs with barely an ounce of fat, a complete one-eighty from my ample chest and curvy hips. It again begs the question I posed last night… Why me?

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Chloe asks when I push away from the laptop, a sickness forming in my stomach.

“Why would he pursue me if he has his pick of any number of gorgeous women?”

She shrugs, silently agreeing. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt, Evie. That’s all.”

“What do you know about him?” I meet her eyes, unsure if I want to hear her answer.

“No more than what you read about in that Wiki article. There’s no information at all about his younger years. He’s an extremely private guy. People try to get details about him from those he’s closest to, but they all stay tightlipped. There’s a great deal of speculation about why he’s never had a serious relationship, although he’s been photographed with plenty of gorgeous women, as you see. My vote is he’s gay.”

I choke on my coffee. “I accused him of the same thing,” I say through a fit of coughing.

“You did?”

The tense atmosphere slowly wanes. Now we’re just two friends dishing about my date last night. Who cares if Julian has a Wikipedia page? Hell, even I have one because of my position at the magazine, although there’s not much information on it. That doesn’t make me someone worth knowing. Granted, Julian probably has a few billion reasons why he’s worth knowing, but that doesn’t make a difference to me. I’d still find him endearing, regardless of the size of his bank account.

“Trust me. There is absolutely no way that man is gay.”

This catches Chloe’s attention and she smirks. “Is that so?” She crosses her arms over her chest. “I thought you weren’t going to sleep with him. Hell, you said even kissing was off the table.”

“I didn’t sleep with him. We didn’t even kiss.” I waggle my brows.

“You didn’t? Then—”

“I told him my conditions, and he agreed to all of them. I thought for sure he’d insist on kissing me if we’re pretending to date.”

“It is a bit of a challenge, isn’t it?”

“Not to him, apparently. He said kissing’s for amateurs. And after the goodnight kiss that wasn’t last night, I’d say he’s right. Kissing is for amateurs.” I bite my lower lip, reeling in my smile. “And Julian Gage is certainly no amateur.” I fan myself, causing both of us to break out into a fit of giggles.

When our laughter fades, her expression turns serious once more. “So you’re going to do it? You’re going to be his fake girlfriend?”

“I am,” I respond thoughtfully before my eyes harden. “But you can not tell a soul the truth, that it’s just for show. You can’t use this in any of your articles. This is incredibly off the record.”

She reaches across the couch and clutches my hand. “You have my word. If you say it’s off the record, it’s off the record. I like my job.”

I laugh slightly, knowing how seriously Viv takes this kind of thing.

“But I value our friendship even more. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I won’t—”

She quickly holds up her hand. “I know you, Evie. You get attached to people. Hell, you were with Trevor for twelve years.”

“That’s different.”