Gambling For The Virgin:A Dark Billionaire Romance(175)

"Oh, the usual. They're still being hard asses about that loss," she  whispers, sliding her hand down my chest and guiding her fingers to my  crotch. By now I already have a massive hard-on, and I'm only  half-listening to what she's saying. Hey, don't look at me like that;  when it comes to sex, I'm a one-track kind of man.

"Fuck ‘em," I whisper, running my fingers through her hair and yanking  on it. She throws her head back and I press my lips against her neck,  slowly kissing her skin in a downward line that leads straight to her  breasts.

"They'll come around," she says, placing both her hands on my neck and  sighing heavily. Somehow, I don't like the way that sounds. They'll come  around; what does that even mean? Does she care that much about what  these assholes think?

"Fiona, fuck, forget about them," I say, looking her straight in the  eye. "Who cares if they come around, or if they hate us for all  eternity?"

"I care," she tells me, and I just blink my eyes, staring at her in disbelief.

"Why?" Really, why? Why would a normal person worry about bullshit like  this? Sure, I get it that having your name dragged through the mud isn't  that much fun, but it shouldn't be that important.

"Why? Because it matters, Danny!" She cries out, rolling to the side and  sitting up on the couch. Folding her arms, she purses her lips and  looks at me with exasperation. "I don't like being accused of …  of  everything that's wrong with the world!"

"I don't like saying this …  But I told you so."

"Well, you're used to it! You have all the attention, and people love  you! You lost that game, and I'm the one being blamed for it!" Okay,  fuck, what is this? Are we actually fighting? We've never had a fight  before, and I can't believe that our first fight is about the fucking  media. Jesus fucking Christ.

"Okay, Fiona, I don't know what's got into you, but you have to forget about --"

"Forget, forget! That's all you know how to say. I can't forget; I can't  walk around as if this isn't happening. No matter what they say about  you, you still have your career, your contract …  Everything! And what do I  have? I'm just another overworked twenty-something being massacred by  the news because I dare to exist!"

Well, fuck, I don't even know what to say. I try and reach for her, but  she swats my hand away. Before I think of anything to say, she gets up,  tears welling up in her eyes and walks upstairs to the bedroom. I go  after her, but by the time I'm walking up the stairs, she's already  coming down, her purse against her chest.

"Fiona, I--" Without allowing me to say a fucking thing, she walks past  me and goes straight for the door. She bolts out, slamming the door on  her way out and leaving me alone in the apartment.

I stand there, looking around completely dumbfounded. I just got home,  for fuck's sake. I drove here as fast as I could, anxious to be with  her, to feel her naked body against mine …  And now this! I feel angry,  but I don't even know to whom I should direct that anger-if to her, to  me, or to the media. Forget about money, fame, or even the Super Bowl. I  just want things to work out with Fiona.

Is that too much to ask?





138





Fiona





THE END IS COMING.

Four words, and they are written with such confidence that they sound  like the truth. I'm standing outside a newsstand, holding the latest New  York Daily Journal in my hands, and that's the headline over a picture  of me running out of Trump Tower. That was yesterday, right after my  fight with Danny. Somehow, there must've been some paparazzi waiting  around for something to happen, and I guess they got what they wanted.

I left the house for a walk, thinking that it'd help me clear my head,  but now I wish I had just stayed home. I read the article, my fingers  trembling with each sentence.

Twenty-two-year-old Fiona Barnett was seen yesterday leaving Trump Tower  in a hurried state. Judging by the way she left, completely alone, it  seems that her fiery romance with the Nailers' quarterback star is  coming to an end.

An intern at Price Coopers, Fiona saw her chance to climb the social  ladder when Daniel Manning asked for her number on live TV, minutes  after accidentally crashing into her. What started as an invitation made  out of pity for a young girl, turned into a nightmare for Daniel  Manning. After somehow dazzling the Nailers' quarterback over dinner,  Fiona Barnett soon started taking credit for his success, and even moved  to his high-rise condo at Trump Tower.

Still, there's hope for Nailers' fans. It seems that Daniel Manning  finally came to his senses, and a separation seems to be imminent.



The article goes on and on, blaming Danny's faltering performance and,  somehow, putting me as the main culprit behind the rise of a vain  society. Like, seriously? I don't even know if they're really talking  about me, because this is total garbage. They went as far as digging  into my personal life, and a few passages are particularly vicious.



Friends with some of New York's crème de lá crème such as the wife of  the notorious St. Alban's prince, Connor d'Avington, and the wife of  billionaire Apollo Kane, it seems that Miss Fiona will stop at nothing  to achieve the same thing her friends have: a high-status marriage.



I feel like killing someone right now. Or crying. I'm not sure which.  Feeling lightheaded, I place the newspaper back on the rack and start  walking back home. People are staring at me in the same way they used to  do when I started dating Danny, but now …  Now it's different. New York  feels hostile. Maybe it's all in my head, but it seems that when people  look at me, they're not smiling.

There she goes, that gold digger, I can almost hear them think. And  maybe it's true. Maybe I let myself be swooned by the media because I  wanted to be something I'm not. I mean, look at all my friends …  They've  all found their Prince Charming, and they're living in mansions and  palaces. And I'm just fighting trying to survive my internship while  trying to scrape enough money to pay the rent of the apartment I share  with Becca.         

     



 

Maybe my romance with Danny was just an illusion. And maybe the  newspapers are right too; maybe I'm hindering him, distracting him while  he should be focusing on the playoffs. God, I feel so worthless right  now.

I start walking faster, desperate to get home as soon as I can. I think  I'll just sit down in front of the TV, put on some Grey's Anatomy and  forget about the whole world while drowning in ice cream. Sure, go right  ahead and add walking cliché to the horrible list of things people are  calling me. See if I care.

I'm so distracted that I don't even notice there's someone blocking the way to my building, so I just bump against him.

"Sorry," I cry out, taking a step back and realizing that the person I  bumped against is Danny himself. My heart sinks inside my chest; after  yesterday's fight, what other reason is there for him to drive here?  He's breaking up with me, oh God. This day is quickly going downhill.

"Fiona," he says, his eyes locked on mine, and a sad smile on his lips. "I had to see you."

Before I can let him break up with me, I just take one step forward and  wrap my arms around him. I press my face against his chest, closing my  eyes as I feel the tears making their way to my eyes.

"I should've listened to you," I whisper, making one tremendous effort  to choke down a violent sob. "I'm so sorry …  I really am. I let the press  come between us and now …  I'm sorry, Danny."

He just holds me without saying a word, placing one hand on the back of  my neck and holding me against his chest. I try not to cry, but it's  getting harder; just thinking that this might be the last time he holds  me against him hurts too much.

"I let myself be seduced by the fame …  I know. I should've listened to  you," I say, almost desperate. Now that he's here, I know the truth; I  was a fool, yes, but I love him. And not because he's rich or famous,  but just because of the kind of man he is.

I don't want to lose him.

"Fiona," he whispers my name, and I grit my teeth as I imagine what his  next words are going to be: it's all over. I can already hear them  echoing inside of my head. "It'll be alright. I promise you." He pulls  back from me and I just blink my eyes, not sure if I heard right.

"What …  do you mean?"

"Make sure you're up tomorrow morning. And turn on your TV," he tells  me, leaning into me and kissing the corner of my mouth. I just stand  there like an idiot, and he smiles and walks to his car. I watch him get  in without a word and, as he drives away, his words make my heart  flutter with hope.

It'll be alright. I promise.





139





Danny





I stroll inside the Nailers' conference room with my head held high, and  the whole room falls silent as I walk up to the microphone. All eyes  are on me right now, and every single person inside the room is  expecting me to drop a bomb. They're right, I'm about to do that, but  it's not the kind of bomb they're expecting.