The Russian Billionaire’s Secret(92)
? Aisha Brooks
All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any many whatsoever without the express permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters are all productions of the author’s imagination. Please note that this work is intended only for adults age 18 and over. All characters represented are age 18 or over.
Table Of Contents
Chapter 1: An Indecent Marriage Proposal
Chapter 2: A Reputation To Follow You Home
Chapter 3: The Man He Could Be
Chapter 1
An Indecent Marriage Proposal
Debbie switched the bar's sign to open and settled in with her magazine. Her father's bar had opened religiously everyday at noon except for Sundays. Upon inheriting it three years ago, she had kept with his tradition despite the fact it was normally empty until three. These long quiet hours were her solace in a busy world.
She was about halfway through the feature article when the bell above the door chimed. Her heart dropped into her stomach as she put it aside and stood up. In walked Jessie Bridges, cowboy heir of the one of Montana's wealthiest families. That would have been more impressive in his home state, but even here in NYC, it had aided in his well known escapades with beautiful models, actresses, and woman of less repute.
“Isn't a bit early for you?” Debbie asked. “Or are you using my bar as a rendezvous point with another married woman?”
“Can we skip the crap today, Debs?”
“Maybe,” she said placing a beer down in front of his usual spot at her bar, “are you going to quit calling me that?”
“Not a chance in hell, sweetheart,” he chuckled.
His laugh vibrated through her as he took a long swig of his beer. It was easy to see why ladies seem to fall over themselves for the chance to be his next mistake. Jessie was easily one of the best looking men Debbie had ever met. He stood tall and years spent working on the ranch back in Montana had left him with a sculpted figure with muscles that hadn't faded due to the NYC lifestyle. Sure, his boots and hat looked a little out of place, but to women who grew up in New York's well-to-do families, it offered a sense of exoticism and the unknown.
Debbie herself might have been attracted to him if she hadn't become immune as she watched him take woman after woman home. Among the ladies, he was legendary for being a lady's man when he was with them. She had heard their claims about his skills in the bedroom and how he had made them feel like the only woman in the world during their time spent together. It always ended though and usually with Jessie going missing for a few days until the sobbing woman in question quit coming to look for him.
Debbie wanted a man in her life that would make her feel like the only woman in the world not just until he grew tired of taking his pleasures from her body, but forever. If a man wasn't in it for the long haul, he could take his pickup lines to another bar.
She picked up her magazine and settled back onto her stool behind the bar. She could feel Jessie looking at her, but tried to ignore it. He had checked her out a hundred times before and had even attempted to make her swoon. It had never worked. She looked at him over her magazine and met his gaze. His blue eyes didn't look quite as bright as they normally did.
“What? Did one of your ladies break your heart for a change?”
“You must believe in miracles,” Jessie chuckled. “It's well known that the only place my hat hangs indefinitely is my own.”
“Then why the sour look like there's a fly in your beer?”
“Money.”
“What the fortune run out or are you being sued for child support?”
“Damn, you make me sound like some sort of frat boy who doesn't know how to keep his seed to himself.”
“I'm sure plenty of women have met your seed, Jessie,” she laughed laying aside her magazine. Years of working in the bar had given her an ear for gossip and as a strong believer in what goes around comes around, she knew Jessie's luck had finally ran out. It was written all over his face.
“Keep your day job, Debs,” he laughed. “You suck at being a comedy and your psychic powers are lacking,”
“Well, I don't need to be a psychic to know that something isn't going your way.”
“Eh, I'll figure it out. I always do.”
“What's on your mind?”
“Awww,” he mocked. “I didn't know you cared.”
“I don't, but I don't want your depressed cowboy syndrome spreading through the rest of my patrons when they start arriving.”
“You have the thickest skin of any woman I've ever met. If you were nicer, you'd be married by now.”
“What? Married to a man who was only happy when I was stroking his ego or he was screwing around with a woman who wanted to stroke his much smaller ego? No, thank you.”
“You’re a beautiful woman. You could have been married by now if you were nice.”
“Screw being nice. I'm real and if a man can't handle that, then he isn't much a man is he?”
“Don't you get lonely?”
The question stung. Sure, she got lonely from time to time and she wasn't against having the occasional one nightstand when the mood hit her. She was always more discreet than Jessie was and the mood hit her few and far between. Most of the time, she didn't need a man around.