My Billionaire Fling by Maci Dillon
SOPHIA
My incessant alarm wakes me from my slumber.
When it abruptly stops and starts again, I’m awake enough to recognize it’s my phone ringing, not my alarm. It’s Sunday and it was almost sunrise by the time we fell asleep. I roll over to find Gabe missing and his side of the bed is cold. The first night I allow him to stay in my apartment, and he flees before I wake.
I huff, making my way out of bed to the shower. When drying myself, my phone buzzes again, and the front door of my apartment slams shut. “Hello?” I call out, unsure what the fuck is going on.
What sounds like the blinds are being pulled in the living area echoes into my room. “Hey, babe, it’s me. I went for coffee.” Gabe enters the bathroom with a strange expression on his face.
“What’s wrong?” An uncomfortable feeling replaces the exhaustion I woke with.
“Get dressed, we need to talk.”
“About what? What's going on, Gabe?”
I follow him into the living area bathed in darkness when the morning sun should be filtering through. My phone continues to ring in the bedroom, but my feet won't carry me to pick it up. My heart threatens to lurch from my chest, the all-too-familiar feeling of bad news on the doorstep. That's when I notice the newspaper on the bench, and gravity pulls me to it.
My gaze follows Gabe as he retreats to the bedroom, returning moments later with my phone in hand as I pick up the paper. “I think you should take a seat, Sophia, before you open that.”
With shaky hands, I take my phone from Gabe and notice missed calls from Jarett, Roman, Maxine, and Kelli, plus many unknown numbers which are cause enough for concern.
As I unfold the Daily News, I take a seat and my eyes widen in shock. My mouth falls open—it's dry, and I gasp for air as if an elephant is sitting on my chest, squeezing the life out of me.
The headline reads, Billionaire Sophia Evans Caught Sleeping with Clients.
The front page is a collage of images of Gabe and me together, leaving his hotel, dancing at the gala benefit last night, and behind closed doors at Incontro. The largest is of us walking hand in hand into my apartment in the wee hours of this morning.
How the fuck did they even have time to print and distribute this?
The earlier blanket of fear wrapping its ugliness around me turns to anger. Violation of my personal life is one thing, but false accusations made public that threaten to tear apart my empire are beyond fucked up.
Gabe stands peering out the window as I put two and two together and join him at his side. He pulls me into the crook of his arm, his strong hold is somewhat of a comfort as I peel back the blinds to reveal a media frenzy below us at the entrance of my apartment.
“This can't be happening, Gabe,” I whisper as tears form in my eyes. Gabe turns to me and pulls me in for a crushing hug, squeezing the last of my angst-filled breath from my body.
“I hate to say it, but I may or may not have made things worse when I went out for coffee.”
“How is that possible? Do you not understand what they’re accusing me of?” We have contracts in place for protecting our clients, lengthy legal documents outlining every possible definition and example of sexual harassment and more. Now I’ve been accused of sleeping with a client, which goes against everything I personally believe and all the causes I publicly advocate for—child slavery, sexual assault, and workplace harassment.
No, it couldn’t possibly get any worse, no matter what he thinks he’s done.
“These photos are all of us, Gabe. And you’re not, nor have you ever been, a client of mine.”
Fuck.
The day I asked Kelli to look into him, had she missed something?
Of course not. Running a name through the database pulls any information for current and past clients, including close contacts.
Loud banging on the door tears my focus from the clusterfuck at hand. I march toward the intrusive sound but Gabe cuts me off and pulls open the door. He looks ready to pounce, but Jarett rushes him the moment he sets eyes on him.
“What the fuck have you done, asshole?” Jarett grabs Gabe by the shirt collar and plows him roughly into the wall.
“Enough!” I scold them both as Kassidy rushes past to show her support in a bone-crushing hug.
“Why didn’t you answer my calls, Sophia? I’ve been worried sick.” Jarett pulls me into a comforting embrace, and I allow him.
“I woke up to the phone, and by the time I showered and got my wits about me, Gabe was back with the newspaper, shutting this place up like Fort Knox.”
“Why, so he can hide from what he’s done?” Jarett looks pissed, and I’m confused as to what the fuck is going on.
“Tell me what the fuck you’ve done, Gabe.”
His usual cocky grin falls and is replaced with a stern look. I’m looking between the three of them when Gabe’s gaze falls back on me. “I did it to protect you. I figure if the press think we’re in a committed relationship, this whole frenzy will turn in a different direction.”
“How committed, Gabe?”
“Marriage, that’s how fucking committed,” Jarett pipes in, his words laced with anger. Kassidy glances at me, and I stare back at her, unable to lock eyes with Gabe.
Marriage?
“I run a multi-million-dollar business, Gabe. Marriage isn’t the answer. There’s a reason I have always kept my personal life separate from my professional persona.”
“And look how that turned out for you,” Gabe spits back at me, causing me to flinch.
“It’s all over the news, and they’re basically broadcasting from outside your apartment. Gabe going out for coffee today is what has implicated him even further, possibly destroying your career forever, and now the bastard thinks he’s going to marry you.”
My face falls into my hands in despair and I make a mental note of all my contacts with local and national media outlets. First, I know I should contact Kelli, although missed calls make me think she’s aware of the situation we’re facing. Next on the agenda is to call my legal team and media department.
All before my morning coffee, the day after the most successful fundraising gala I’ve run to date.
Jarett crosses the room and switches on the television. Immediately an image of Gabe and me at last night’s event fills the screen.
