Serenity (Inevitable #5)(63)

"I'm very happy to be staying in this evening," she assured him, linking their fingers together. "As you might have guessed, wild parties and big groups aren't my favorite thing. And if I had wanted that I would have just suggested we take Chad and Julio up on their offer and attend their party. They pull out all the stops on New Year's Eve, so I'm glad I had the excuse of coming here to your place."

Matthew looked relieved. "Okay, if you're positive. But I definitely owe you a long weekend away someplace. Even better, a whole week. Is there some place you've ever wanted to go but haven't been to? I know you've traveled all over Latin America and Europe, but where else would you want to go?"

Sasha gave him a wry smile. "Just to clear up any misconceptions you might have had about my world travels, it wasn't as glamorous or exciting as you might think. Both my father's band and my mother's dance troupe always seemed to operate on a shoestring budget, so there were a lot of cheap hotel rooms and bargain meals. It wasn't like staying at a Ritz Carlton or Gregson hotel, or eating at five star restaurants. But that never mattered to me when I was young. I was just happy to be with whatever parent had charge of me at the time, and doing as much sightseeing as possible in each city."

"Well, now you've got a boyfriend who can afford to take you anywhere in the world, and stay at the best accommodations in town," declared Matthew. "So give that idea some thought, okay? I'm hoping to schedule some time off in the spring."

"I think someplace warm and sunny sounds like a wonderful idea right about now," she answered. "It's been so cold and rainy already and we're only a couple of weeks into winter. And I've never been to Hawaii or the Caribbean."

He grinned. "Consider it done. I'll work on clearing a week in my schedule and then make plans for a tropical getaway. And before you ask where, it's going to be a surprise. Speaking of which," he added mysteriously, "I still need to give you your Christmas presents. Do you want them now or after dessert?"

Sasha patted her belly. "After that amazing dinner I know I won't be able to eat anything else for at least a couple of hours. And I hope you didn't go overboard on the presents, Matthew. Like you did with the food tonight." 

She'd been agog at the display of all the different dishes he'd ordered in from the elite catering company who handled a lot of events for MBI, a veritable smorgasbord of various cuisines - Japanese, Italian, Thai, Indian, Mexican, French, and more. Sasha couldn't recall the last time she had eaten quite so much, and regretted that she hadn't saved a bit more room for another helping of chile rellenos, one of her very favorite foods.

Matthew's grin only deepened. "Depends on what you consider going overboard. I can promise that I didn't buy you a car. Or a twenty thousand dollar watch. Not that I wouldn't be happy to get both of those for you, of course, but.."

"No." She shook her head vehemently. "And you can't possibly be serious that some company really makes a watch that costs so much money."

"Twenty thousand is actually at the lower end of the scale for luxury watches," he admitted. "One year for Valentine's Day Lindsey requested a Cartier watch that cost eighty thousand. And that was just one of her gifts."

Sasha stared at him in disbelief. "Eighty thousand," she whispered. "My God, I barely earn that much money in two years. Wow. I - I had no idea that you were quite that wealthy, Matthew."

"I thought you knew," he replied soberly. "I, um, was named one of the wealthiest men in America earlier this year."

He told her then what his approximate net worth was, and she couldn't even begin to think of a suitable reply. That sort of wealth - in the billions rather than simply the millions - was something she couldn't even begin to fathom. And Matthew - with his goofy grin, easygoing personality, and endearing clumsiness at times - was certainly the most unlikely billionaire she could have imagined.

"Well," she told him a bit shakily, "I'll go on record right now and tell you that the only thing I'd like for Valentine's Day is a bouquet of flowers. And maybe some really good Mexican food for dinner."

He laughed heartily as he pushed back his chair and walked over to her side of the table. "Come on," he urged. "I'll make a note of your wish list for Valentine's Day, but I'm afraid I've already gone a little overboard with your Christmas gifts."

Before she could protest, he was drawing her to her feet, then leading her by the hand to the room that doubled as his office and the massage room.

"Did you buy a new massage table?" she joked. "Because I'm pretty sure the one you already have is the top of the line and - oh."