Mister Moneybags(47)
“I made this for you,” he said proudly.
“What is it?”
“It’s a goat. You can’t tell?”
“Oh, I see,” I lied. I couldn’t tell what it was. “This is all your handiwork?”
“Yes. I’ve been taking lessons from a master whittler. By the time he’s through with me, I plan to whittle you the world, baby.”
“That’s really not necessary. Why do you feel the need to continue that part of your façade?”
“It’s not about that…at all. I think I accidentally developed respect for an art I’d originally made a mockery of. And now, I truly enjoy trying my hand at it. I’m also in a very disturbing, one-sided competition with a ten-year-old YouTuber.” He cracked a smile. “Is that weird?”
“Yes.” I laughed. “But you’re a little eccentric and weird yourself… in a good way. So, it fits.” I looked down at the barely recognizable goat. “This is precious, though. I’ll cherish it even more than the first one, because it’s really yours.”
“Good.” He winked.
After we finished our meal, my attention turned to a couple who’d just arrived. They were sitting diagonally across from us. The woman was tall and gorgeous and much younger than the man. Her blonde hair was parted to the side and pulled back into a low bun. A thin strand of pearls lay atop her champagne-colored, satin, sleeveless top. A bright red Birkin bag that I knew must have cost in the tens of thousands sat on the ground next to her seat.
When the woman’s date got up from the table, her eyes locked with mine before she started to type something.
Dex’s phone suddenly vibrated, prompting him to look down and check it. He then turned around and looked straight at the blonde. She was now smiling directly at us.
What the hell?
“Fuck,” he whispered under his breath.
“That woman just texted you?”
He gritted his teeth. “That’s Caroline.”
Caroline.
My stomach sank. Suddenly, the woman who had seemed attractive seconds ago became ten times more gorgeous in my mind—more threatening. I realized the mouth that was curved up in a smile was the same one that had been habitually wrapped around his “beautiful cock.”
Riddled with jealousy, I asked, “What did she just text you?”
Dex knew he wouldn’t be able to get away with hiding it, so he simply handed me the phone.
Caroline: So, this is the reason you won’t fuck me anymore…
I gave it back to him.
Caroline noticed that he’d shown me the text and began typing again.
When his phone buzzed, I asked, “What does it say?”
He reluctantly turned the screen toward me.
Caroline: Make sure you tell her that you like anal play.
A rush of adrenaline hit me. “Oh, really?” I huffed. “Good to know.”
Dex looked like he was getting angry. “She’s fucking with you, Bianca, because she sees you checking my phone.”
When Caroline’s date returned to the table, the texting stopped, and her attention turned back toward the older man who was wining and dining her.
“I’m sorry,” Dex said.
“It’s fine. We can’t change anything that happened before we met.”
He could clearly see that I wasn’t really okay when he said, “Let’s get out of here.”
“No. Then she’ll know she upset me. I don’t want to give her that satisfaction.”
“Yeah, well, the alternative…staying….is making you miserable. I’m not going to accept that.” Dex placed a wad of cash on the table to cover our bill and signaled for me to follow him.
I forced my eyes away from Caroline as we passed her table and exited the restaurant.
We made our way into the Town Car, and Dex instructed Sam to just drive around for a while until we knew where we wanted to go next.
Dex took my hand in his. “I’m really sorry about that.”
“You don’t need to apologize again.”
“I’m glad we at least got to eat before she showed up.”
I stared out the window for a bit before I said, “I’ve never been a jealous person. I wish it didn’t upset me so much.” It was hard to admit how I felt, but seeing her—especially how beautiful she was—really did catch me off guard. In a weird way, it made me want him more because I suddenly felt insecure and possessive.
“I think it’s adorable that you’re jealous. And it’s also a bit of a relief, because it shows me that you care about me at a time when I really need that reassurance.”
“I’m the one feeling self-conscious right now. She was absolutely stunning.”