My Billionaire Fling by Maci Dillon
SOPHIA
Two Months Later - October
“You’re late.”
“Hello, brother, lovely to see you too.” I accept a kiss on the cheek from my eldest sibling, Roman, who’s comfortably seated at the bar, chatting to Maxine.
“Work looks like it’s kicking your ass, Soph.” Max winks at me while preparing one of my favorite cocktails. She’s the best mixologist in the city, and her drinks make headlines in the pub and club scene.
I sigh, knowing it’s not the workload. It’s the midnight calls with a certain man I wish to keep under wraps. “I look that good, huh?”
I’ve no doubt I’m wearing exhaustion like a crown, but what can I do? There’s only so much sea kelp I can expose my skin to without growing scales and gills.
Wednesday nights at Maximum is our mid-week catch-up. I glance over to our usual booth to find my little brother, Jarett, and a few others who sometimes join us.
Taking my dirty cowboy in a boot-shaped glass to the booth, I greet everyone except Claire with a smile. I can’t stand her, and despite all the history between our families, I still don’t understand why she mingles with us. Or why one of us hasn’t cast her to the side yet.
“How are things at the café, Roman?”
My brother is an incredible chef who opted to establish the best café in downtown London instead of opening a five-star restaurant. He’s never been one for the nightlife since he outgrew his rebellion in his mid-twenties, so the hours of operation suit him better, I guess.
“Better than ever. Wait until you check out the new menu we released this week.”
We often meet at Café Zest for lunches throughout the week, but I’ve only made it a handful of times over the past few weeks.
“Where have you been hiding out, Sophia? We haven’t seen you as often as usual,” Jarett grills, his eyes narrowing in on me. A dead giveaway he suspects something is up.
“Not hiding. I’ve been busier than a nun’s vibrator.”
The group roars with laughter.
“Only you, Soph. Only you.” Roman shakes his head.
“Seriously, though, I’m sending out party invites soon. It’s my fortieth in five months.”
I eyeball everyone around the table to make sure they’re listening. My birthday is important to me, and the party will be one to remember for years to come.
“As if you’d ever let us forget,” Jarett chuffs.
Roman adds, “And we wouldn’t miss it for the world. Are you still planning to have it here at Maximum?”
“Of course, Max is giving me friends rates on all drinks for the night.”
“Huh, like you need a discount,” Claire chimes in, and I do my best to ignore her unwarranted rudeness.
Focusing my attention back to Jarett, I ask, “How’s the gallery chugging along?”
“Expecting a new shipment by the end of the week. Brand new artist to the gallery, and a deal I’ve been working on for months.”
“That’s brilliant, J. I’m happy for you.” It’s great to see him smiling, but it doesn’t light up his eyes like it once did.
“Our next public showing event will be the biggest one yet, I imagine. He’s a huge name where many of my big buying clients are concerned.”
The strain in his voice when he talks of his business success is evident as if he doesn’t deserve the right to be happy anymore without Helena at his side.
Despite my best efforts to get him appointments with the finest grief therapists in the country, he’s determined to ride the wave of despair and loss on his own.
Maxine delivers another round of drinks to the table and tells me she’s working on a new cocktail for my themed party, which I’ve not yet disclosed to anyone but her. “I’m excited to see what you come up with. And you better not be working the event yourself! I want you to be partying with me.”
“Already organized the night off. I’ll be partying like there’s no tomorrow.” She winks, making me grin like a fool.
“Will you be bringing a date?” Claire, the nosey bitch asks.
Roman laughs from the opposite side of the table. “Max doesn’t have time to date.”
Oh, it seems I may have put my foot in my mouth without realizing it.
Max and Roman’s yo-yo friends with benefits is rarely discussed, and for the most part, never thought of as part of our lives. Until a moment like this when animosity arises between them, and it’s difficult to miss.
“It’s too far away to say for sure, but I expect so, yes.”
Her answer leaves Roman chewing on the inside of his lip, his expression solemn.
When Max returns to the bar and peeks over at our booth, I offer her an apologetic grin, and she waves me off.
“What about you, Sophia. Bringing a date to your party?” Claire asks without bothering to look my way. If she could take her filthy mind off my baby brother for more than five minutes, I’d be a little more receptive to her. I can all but hear her mind ticking over, waiting to pounce when Jarett shows the first sign of coming out of his grieving period.
“A real woman never tells.”
The truth is, I don’t know if Gabe will be around by then or if the midnight calls and international fling will be a thing of the past come March. And I don’t need a man on my arm. I’m the party, and I’ll be the center of attention with or without Gabe.
Or anyone else.
Tonight, though, I’m happy to sit back and enjoy an evening of banter and fine cocktails with the people I value most in my life.
