Dirty Aristocrat(18)

He grinned. 'Make up for it by having breakfast with me.'

I jerked my head back. 'What, now?'

'Sure.'

'I'm all sweaty and smelly.'

'Don't you know? Guys love sweaty smelly girls,' he teased.

I laughed.

'How about I meet you back here in twenty minutes?' he suggested.

I hesitated and thought of Ivan's reaction.

'It's just to that little café across the road. They do the most amazing blueberry muffins I've ever eaten.'

I turned and looked to where he was pointing. It was practically across  the road, and it looked warm and cheerful inside with yellow lights,  wooden tables and chairs, a long counter full of all kinds of baked  goods, and waitresses in white shirts and short black skirts.

I bit my lip considering his offer. Well, I had nothing better to do.  Why shouldn't I go? After all, Ivan spent his night with Chloe.

I smiled. 'OK, see you here in twenty.'

'I'll be waiting right here.' He grinned broadly, so obviously and sincerely pleased that I instinctively warmed towards him.

I waved and jogged up the two flights of stairs. I let myself into the  apartment as quietly as possible, almost tip-toeing into my room. I  showered, moisturized my face, dried my hair, and got into my new  purchases; jeans, blue and white sweater, and cowboy boots. Then I  slicked on some lipstick and opened my door.

All was silent and there was no movement at all inside the dragon's den.  It did feel as if I was sneaking around, but honestly, Ivan was like a  bear with a sore head first thing in the morning, and I didn't relish  telling him I was having breakfast with Ralph. I scribbled a note and  left it propped up on the kitchen island.

Ralph was seated on the long cream sofa in the lobby. He looked like he  was playing a game on his phone. When he saw me coming, he stood up with  a smile.

'How do you manage to look so good so early in the morning?' he asked.

I smiled at him. 'Tell me your secret and I'll tell you mine.'

He laughed. 'Keep that up and lunch and dinner are on me.'

'So what's the story with the frosty bugger?' he asked with a sideways glance.

'Every dog should have a few fleas,' I said firmly.

He looked at me quizzically. 'What does that mean?'

'Nobody's perfect. He's frosty and cocky, but his heart's in the right place.' I smiled. 'He rescued me.'

'Right,' he said, and held the door open for me.

As we walked across the road towards the café, he had his hand  solicitously and lightly placed on the small of my back, but as soon as  we were on the other side he dropped his arm. I was impressed. It was  exactly the kind of Southern courtesy my mother had taught me to expect  from a man.

He moved ahead of me, opened the door, and held it open for me. Hmmm  …   more brownie points. We sat at a table by the window and ordered  blueberry muffins and coffee. I had a cappuccino and he had a tall  latte.

The muffins arrived and they were a hair's breath away from being as  good as my grandma made them, he was easy to talk to, and he kept the  topics light. I was feeling totally relaxed and happy when Ivan suddenly  loomed next to us.

He didn't look at me. He put his hands on the table and stared  aggressively into Ralph's face. 'You're obviously a thick bastard. Here,  let me make it clearer for you. She's out of bounds. Now fuck off.'

Ralph was cool in that stiff British way. He leaned back and said, 'You  don't own her, Greystoke. And last time I looked you're not my father,  or my boss, so you don't get to tell me what to do.'

'Well, I've got news for you, shithead. She's my ward. So you don't get to date her unless I fucking say so.'

At that point I shot up. I was furious. 'No, Ivan. You don't get to say  who I date. I'm only your ward as far as managing my inheritance.  Nothing more.'

He turned to me, his eyes glittering savagely. 'If you just hang on for  one minute I'll deal with you.' Then he turned his attention back to  Ralph. 'If I see you with her again, I'll punch your lights out. You've  been warned.'         

     



 

To my utter humiliation, Ivan then grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of  the restaurant with him. Everybody was looking at us in amazement. I  was so embarrassed my face was flaming. Never in my wildest nightmare  had I dreamed I'd be in a situation where two men were squaring up over  me in a café full of ogling customers. Once outside, I let him pull me  along until we were past the glass fronted shop window before I jerked  hard at his hand.

'Let go of me, you brute,' I yelled. I was desperate to kick his stupid, sexy legs.

He stopped and turned towards me, his jaw tight.

'How dare you embarrass me like that?' I demanded furiously.

'Awww  …  my heart is bleeding.'

'What is the matter with you?' I exploded.

'What is the matter with you?' he countered.

'I was having breakfast with Ralph. He's a friend. It was an innocent  thing until you came barging into that café to harass us. I am so  humiliated I will never be able to go back there again. For your  information Ralph is a perfect gentleman. Unlike you. He never tried it  on once with me. And here's something else for you to think about, you  big tree. I really don't appreciate you thinking that you can run my  life or pick my boyfriends for me. I'm old enough to pick my own, thank  you very much. Now, let go of my hand before I cream your corn,' I  roared.

'I'll let go when you stop behaving like you've been given cornbread for brains.'

My jaw hung loose. People were passing us on the pavement and giving us a  wide berth. 'If you must know I happen to love cornbread, so when you  get a chance to get off Twitter, you  …  you troll you, you might want to  come up with a more inventive insult,' I yelled in frustration.

He let go of my arm.

I rubbed it. 'What have I done that is so bad, anyway? I had breakfast with a neighbor,' I demanded.

'I think it's a phenomenon called karma. You know, what goes around  comes around. Since you're now worth over a hundred million, you've  become the target for every fortune hunter in the country.'

I shook my head in disbelief. 'Wow! I can't believe I'm hearing this. So  you assumed that Ralph is a fortune hunter? Just like that. No  evidence?'

'No,' he stated clearly. 'I didn't just assume. I know he is. He's a  city boy who hasn't made any money for more than a year. He's had to  take a third mortgage out on his flat, and his credit cards are all  maxed out. He hasn't a bean to his name.'

The first sensation was one of hurt. The knowledge that the lovely,  ordinary life I had dreamed about was never going to be mine. From now  on I was always going to have to examine the motives of everyone who  came into contact with me. You can either have good friends or you can  have money. I covered the wound with indignant anger.

'You had him investigated? How dare you poke your nose into other  people's business like that? So what if he's poor. It doesn't make him a  bad person.'

'I didn't have him investigated. Just ran a credit check. Anyway, I  don't know what you're so mad about. It's what you should have done  before you agreed to go for a cozy muffin breakfast with him.'

The suspicion that I had been bottling up bubbled over. 'Maybe I should have you investigated.'

His eyes narrowed. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

His voice was suddenly deadly quiet, but I had got this far and I wasn't  backing down. 'Maybe I should have you investigated. Find out why  you're going to all this trouble for me when you don't even like me.'

He crossed his arms. 'I told you why I'm doing it.'

'The deathbed promise to Robert to take care of me? Or maybe  …  you're so eager to marry me for my money. It is a lot, isn't it?'

His eyes widened comically. Then he laughed, a sarcastic, arrogant  laugh. 'That's rich. Really rich. You are accusing me of being a gold  digger?'

I shrugged. 'Why not? You're making love to Chloe while asking me to marry you.'

He looked at me strangely. 'I don't make love to Chloe. We have sex. I  fill up all her orifices and ejaculate in them. Her pussy, her mouth,  her ass.'

My mouth dropped open at the last orifice he mentioned.

He smiled wickedly. 'Why, Tawny honey,' he said in an irritating parody  of a Southern accent. 'I didn't know you were into ass play. All you had  to do was ask.'

'I am not, and if I was you'd be the last man I'd ask,' I gritted furiously.

He threw a fake grin. 'Shame. It might have been real fun filling up your cornbread eating ass.'         

     



 

'Trust you to be as disgusting as possible. However, I noticed you didn't deny wanting to marry me for my money.'

'That's what our pre-nup is for, darlin'. I don't take yours and you don't take mine.'

'Yes, but I bet being married to me would mean you could live better and bigger, wouldn't it?'

His expression changed. He paused as if debating whether to tell me  something. It was hard for me to know what was going through his head.  Finally, he said, 'Come on. I want to show you something.'

'Forget it. I'm not going anywhere with you,' I said stubbornly.

'It might clear up the misunderstanding you have about me and my  …  er  …  intentions towards you.'

I hesitated.

He turned and began to walk away. For a few seconds I hesitated, then he  turned around and cocked an eyebrow, and I knew I was going to follow  him. How could I pass up such an intriguing offer to know my husband to  be?