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Chapter 17: Wine Makes Everything Better
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The Billionaire Escape Plan Chapter 18: Alex Makes an Offer
"Shit, are things really that bad?" I ask Lucy. How am I ever going to show my face again?"Just keep your head down, and they'll get over it soon enough," my roommate tells me. "Who cares what they think, anyway? You're not the one who did anything wrong. They'll figure out you aren't pregnant when you don't pop out a baby nine months from now.""I know, I just..." I shake my head. "I just hate that other people are talking about this. I hate it. It's hard enough without them.""That's what wine is for - and what I'm here for. So go ahead - scream your head off. Cry your eyes out. I won't judge, I promise. In fact, I'll probably join in.""You know what's funny?" I tell her. "I haven't cried a single drop since I found out. I'm pissed at him - so pissed that sometimes I can't even think straight - but I haven't felt like crying at all. Is something wrong with me?""Something's wrong with all of us," Lucy says with a shrug. "But I don't know. People deal with these things differen
The Billionaire Escape Plan Chapter 19: In Which I Attack Madison Harris
No. Fucking. Way.I try to shut the door in her face, but she throws her hand against the door, stopping me."Please, Mae. Can we talk?""I don't need to hear anything you have to say," I tell her, glancing over her shoulder. I'm half expecting Wes to be here, skulking in the bushes just behind her or something.I try to shut the door again, but damn, the girl is strong. Big boobs must give you super strength or something because otherwise, I should be able to take her - I've definitely got a few pounds on her."Mae, please," she says."It doesn't matter," I tell her. "Nothing you say will change anything."Though Madison and I crossed paths many times growing up - you can't avoid crossing paths with anyone in this town - she and I were never really friends. She was a year ahead of me in school, and the only extracurricular activity we had that overlapped was chorus. She was a terrible singer - but she was really only in it because she thought the vocal training would help her a
The Billionaire Escape Plan Chapter 20: The Escape
Maybe if I make Alex pancakes every morning for a year, I might begin to pay him for what he's done.I tried to tell myself I could survive my breakup in Haverton, but sometimes life has a way of beating you over the head with the truth when you're being too stubborn to see it yourself. Alex offered me an escape - and the moment I made the commitment to go, I realized just how perfect that escape would be.I'd be escaping the rumors and busybodies, of course, as well as my well-meaning mom. But this impromptu trip will also get me away from my normal life for a bit, something I didn't realize I so desperately needed until the opportunity was right in front of me. I mean, this breakup has turned my entire life upside-down - a fact that's still sinking in - and I need to take some power back. I was about to get married. Commit the rest of my life to someone else. Now I'm free. I want to live it up. Do something crazy. Embrace the unknown.And what better place to do that than in a pen
The Billionaire Escape Plan Chapter 21: Alex's Penthouse is Seriously Insane
Alex's hand on my back sends a strange shiver through me."We go first," he says quietly into my ear, and his commanding rumble of a voice sends a strange shiver through me. "Tillman will be up a few minutes later with our luggage."I don't know why my cheeks are burning. Maybe it's because I've just made it even more obvious that I don't belong here. Or because of the way Alex is leaning close to me - the way his hand is placed against the small of my back - makes me look even more like one of his women.I quickly step into the elevator, hoping to avoid drawing any more attention to myself. It's immediately apparent why we are riding up first - the elevator is far too small for three of us and a luggage cart. The close quarters also mean I'm still standing very close to Alex. Any other time, I might not have noticed it, but after what just happened in the lobby - and after the events of the Night That Shall Never Be Mentioned - I'm all too aware of his nearness. I can feel the heat
The Billionaire Escape Plan Chapter 22: Everyone Should Get Dirty Now and Again
Say something! the voice in my head says. Keep the conversation going! If I'm going to stay here, then I need to be able to talk to him without having images of the Night That Shall Never Be Mentioned flashing in my head the whole time."Uh, I've never slept in a bed that big," I blurt. "Or stayed in a room this fancy. It's a little intimidating."He chuckles in that deep, rumbling way of his. "Intimidating? It's only a room.""And I'm a girl from Haverton. They don't have rooms like this back home." I look up over my shoulder at him. "Can you honestly tell me that the first time you set foot in this place you didn't feel...well, overwhelmed? Or out of place?"He rubs his chin, his thumb brushing along his stubble. "Maybe a little. But not enough to refuse to stay here." His blue eyes drop to my face. "You'll get used to it, Mae. I promise."I smile. "I don't know. I'm still a small-town girl at heart. I'm definitely going to enjoy the penthouse life for a few days, but I don't th
The Billionaire Escape Plan Chapter 23: How Much Can Friendship Handle?
When Alex is looking at me like that, there's only one thing I can think of to say."Thank you," I tell him softly. "For everything." Suddenly, I need him to hear it again. To know how grateful I am for all of this - and for him."I've told you before, Mae," he replies. "You don't need to keep thanking me.""Yes, I do." I twist my hair in my hand. "And I'm sorry for all the times I've teased you about your suits or your cars or about how different your life is now.""Mae," he says, "I've known you a long time. I know when you're actually upset about something and when you're just playing around with me. If I didn't enjoy it, we never would have been friends in the first place.""You're far too understanding.""No, I just need someone to keep me grounded. You were right before - I've come a long way from that Haverton kid.""That's not a bad thing.""It is if the people back home don't recognize me anymore.""They recognize you," I insist. "We recognize you. You don't need to f
The Billionaire Escape Plan Chapter 24: Never Too Late
Sometime later that night, we're both trying to pretend like everything's normal again."What would you like for dinner?" Alex asks me.I shrug. "I could eat anything.""I don't have much food here. But there are some nice places within walking distance.""What do you mean by ‘nice'?" I ask. I glance down at my T-shirt and jeans. "I'm not sure I brought the proper wardrobe for the restaurants you're used to. I don't suppose you'd be down for ordering a pizza? There must be some good pizza places around here.""Actually, I don't know," he says. "It's been a while since I've had pizza."I eye him suspiciously. "How long is ‘a while'?"He shrugs. "A year or two."I gape at him. "A year? How have you survived that long without pizza?""There are plenty of delicious places - ""Back in high school, I once saw you eat two large pizzas all by yourself. You love pizza. And now you're telling me that you haven't had pizza in a year? When you live in the pizza capital of the world?""
The Billionaire Escape Plan Chapter 25: Doing It Wrong
Alex looks at me expectantly. I feel like I need to say something."It's too late for me," I tell him. My hand stills on the guitar strings. "I mean...well, I've made my decision, and I'm fine with it now. I don't think I would have been suited to that sort of life anyway." My eyes drift around the room. "I'm not sure I could have done this.""This?"I gesture at the room around us. "Come to a big city all by myself. Lived in a place like this. Faced the great unknown. I mean, I went to college thirty miles from the town where I grew up. And moved back within a mile of my parents the moment I graduated. I can't imagine myself doing what you did. Not everyone is that brave."His eyes search mine, but I can't tell what he's thinking. I used to always know what he was thinking, but not anymore."You're brave too, Mae," he says finally.I snort a laugh. "Not this kind of brave." I mean, the main reason I'm even here right now is that I'm not brave enough to face the people back home.
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