Good Girls Do It Well (A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance) (6 page)

I knew where she lived. It would be easy to stroll up to her house and ring her doorbell. We also know plenty of the same people. If I wanted to, I could make a couple phone calls and have her number within an hour. I had my ways of being able to contact her easily but I wasn’t going to do that. I wasn’t going to make an effort to contact Sarabelle. I knew that when the time was right, she would come to me. She wasn’t the kind of girl that you could pressure to do what you wanted. I would have to be patient if I wanted to get her into my bed. Much more patient than I would have been willing to be with anyone before her.

Not the type of guy who would ever sit around pining for a woman who I may or may not ever see again, I went back to living my life the only way I knew how. I worked hard during the day and played even harder at night. My evenings were filled with parties in exclusive VIP rooms, where I talked with envious men and danced with beautiful women, several of which ended up spending the night with me. Something was different, though. Before setting my sites on Sarabelle, taking these women home would leave me feeling like a stud but I wasn’t feeling it any longer. These conquests that used to leave me feeling so full of life were now leaving me feeling hollow and empty. I didn’t know what was happening. All I knew was that I didn’t like it.

As the holidays approached, I set out to do some Christmas shopping for my mother and sisters. When it came to gifts for them, I never had any clue as to what I should buy them. Normally, I would have my assistant pick something up for them but I wanted this year’s gift to have a more personal touch. Not wanting to deal with all the people in a busy mall, I decided to shop at Pamela Robbins, a beautiful little boutique store in the Scarsdale shopping district.

I walked into the store with no idea as to what I was even looking for. I didn’t know what my mother or sisters liked or have any clue what they may have needed. I decided the best thing to do would be to walk around the store and watch to see what others were buying for the women in their lives. If there was something that seemed to be more popular than others, I’d pick it up for them. I was only strolling around the store for about ten minutes when I looked up and saw Sarabelle and her sister standing right in front of me. They were shopping and didn’t notice me so I decided to make my presence known.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” I said in a voice that was much more booming than I had intended it to be. Both girls looked up at the same time, Sarabelle looking as though she had seen a ghost and her sister smiling once she saw me, giving away that Sarabelle must have said something to her about me.

“Hey, I’m Lexi,” the twin said to me. “And I’m pretty sure you already know my sister, Sarabelle.”

Sarabelle started to blush as she looked down at the jewelry in the display case.

“Yes, the two of us have met. So what brings the two of you out here today?”

“We’re just looking around,” Lexi told me. “Trying to kill some time. What about you? Doing some Christmas shopping for a special lady?”

“Yes, several special women actually. I’m shopping for some gifts for my mother and sisters. The problem is, I don’t have any idea what I should be looking for.”

At that point, Lexi looked at me and shot me a wink. “That's a shame,” she said. “I need to run to the restroom real quick but Sarabelle is excellent at picking out presents. I’m sure she can help you choose something they’ll love!”

Sarabelle looked at her as though she was begging Lexi not to leave her but didn’t want to actually say the words out loud. Her sister just smiled and walked away, leaving Sarabelle alone and looking nervous.

“So here we are again,” I said to her in an attempt to break the ice a little bit.

“Here we are,” she replied. It was apparent that she didn’t have much to say to me. She looked like a deer caught in headlights.

“At least this is under much better circumstances than the first time we met.” I joked.

“Which circumstances were those?” she asked. “When you came onto me with one of the worst pickup lines in history or when you helped me in the garden?”

“I was referring to the garden but, wait, the worst pickup line in history? Do you really think it’s that bad?”

“You can tell me what you’d like for breakfast? Really?”

“Okay, so maybe you didn’t like it but I always go for what works.”

“That really works? Women really fall for that?”

“Well, you didn’t so I guess the smart ones must not go for it but yeah, it definitely works.”

Sarabelle rolled her eyes and went back to looking at the items in the display case.

“So, was your sister right? Are you really good when it comes to picking out Christmas gifts for people?” I asked her.

“That depends. I’ve always been able to pick out fantastic presents for my friends and loved ones. Of course, I know them all very well. I don’t know a thing about your mother or sisters so the results may not be as good. Why don’t you tell me about what they like so I can help you narrow things down a bit.”

“That’s a good question. I’m not really sure what they need or what they would want. I want to get them something that they’ll actually use on a daily basis rather than something that’s going to get shoved into a closet or put on a shelf never to be seen again. I love my mother and sisters to death and really want to be able to give them something thoughtful and useful this year.”

“Hmmm, that doesn’t really make things easier. Can you tell me about what types of things they like to do? Is there anything they do on a daily basis?”

“Let me think. Oh, I can tell you that my sisters love going into the city. They don’t go every day but they go as often as they can. They hate driving through the city so they take the bus or subway. That keeps them outside quite a bit during these freezing winter months. They are always buying beautiful coats so they don’t need anything like that.”

“What about a nice pair of gloves and a scarf? Are those some things they might need?”

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of them wearing gloves or a scarf.”

Sarabelle nodded and led me away from the jewelry counter and over to the area that held the winter clothing. Never in my life would I have thought about buying them gloves or scarves but they made sense. They would be practical gifts that would get plenty of use. It would also show that I had been paying attention to them all these years. Sarabelle pulled out a few different pairs of gloves but none of them really fit my sisters styles. I thought she would become frustrated but she was very patient and kept looking. She must have gone through thirty pairs before coming across a pair of black Diane von Furstenberg gloves that were perfect for my oldest sister. After a little more searching, she also found a purple pair of the same style for my youngest. I realized that she and Sarabelle were about the same size.

“Would you mind trying on the purple glove so I can get an idea of what it might look like on my sister?”

“Sure,” she replied as she took one of the gloves and slid it onto her hand before doing the same with the other glove. I have to admit, the gloves were stylish and looked like something that both of my sisters would wear. I’d still have to find something for my mother but this was an excellent start. “So what do you think?” she asked.

“I think my sister will love them,” I said as I took her hand, still inside the glove, and brought it up to my mouth, kissing it lightly. Sarabelle blushed and looked away from me in embarrassment. “I want you to know that I appreciate your help today. I’d love to thank you by taking you out to dinner tonight. What do you say?”

CHAPTER 7

Sarabelle

Talk about putting me on the spot. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. He seemed like he was being sincere. Maybe he really did want to take me to dinner for no other reason than to thank me for helping him out. My heart wanted to believe that but my brain was telling me to get real. This was the same man who had tried using his sleazy tricks to get me into his bed just a few weeks ago. He is notorious for being a player and saying whatever he has to say to get what he wants. I know that I shouldn’t fall for the tricks of a playboy but I couldn’t help it. Looking into his eyes, I could see no hint of deception whatsoever.

“Fine, you can take me to dinner tonight. Just don’t go throwing any of those cheesy pickup lines around this evening, okay?”

“You have my word,” he promised.

We continued looking around the store, picking out a few more items for his sisters before looking at some jewelry pieces for his mother. I loved the way he spoke about his family. He didn’t have a bad word to say about any of them. I could tell that he loved them very much and they were very close and tight-knit. It was exactly the way my family used to be. I longed to be a part of that type of dynamic again. One day, it would happen, I just didn’t know when.

My sister had to have been watching our every move because she managed to stay away until the very last moments of our shopping, only popping up as Christian was about to check out the items he was purchasing.

“Oh, there you two lovebirds are. Looks like the shopping went well then?” she asked sarcastically.

“It was fine,” Christian responded. “Your sister has a knack for knowing what other people will like, even if she doesn’t know them personally. She could probably make some kind of business out of that type of skill.”

“I told you she knew what she was doing. My sister might not be good at much but she can shop for other people like it’s nobody’s business.”

“I agree but I have to get going now. I’ll see you tonight, Sarabelle. Will 7:00 be good for you?”

“7:00 will be fine,” I replied as my sister turned to me, her eyes full of questions. “I’ll explain later,” I whispered into her ear to prevent her from asking any more questions.

As we drove home, Lexi would not shut up about the fact that Christian Wilde said he would see me at 7:00 and kept asking what that meant exactly.

“Lexi, it’s really nothing,” I protested. “I helped him find some presents for his mom and sisters and he’s grateful for it. He wants to take me to dinner as his way of thanking me for my help.”

“Yeah right! Guys like Christian don’t just take you to dinner to thank you for your help. Guys like him take you to dinner as the appetizer before taking you back to his place to use you as the main course.”

“I assure you that’s not the case here. He knows that nothing is going to happen. I made that perfectly clear inside the store. This is a dinner and nothing more. I’d appreciate it if you’d stop trying to make something out of nothing.”

“Fine, I’ll shut up. I still say you’re wrong but whatever.”

Back at home, I paced in my room debating what I was going to wear. I didn’t think the evening would count as a date so I didn’t want to get too dressed up. At the same time, I couldn’t imagine him taking any girl someplace that wasn’t entirely upscale, which would require me to dress as nice as possible. I didn’t want to but I yelled for Lexi to come in and help me.

“I have no idea what to wear. I don’t want to give him the wrong idea, you know?”

“Well, where is he taking you Sarabelle?”

“I have no idea. He just said dinner. I know he’s going to try to impress me by taking me somewhere super nice. I don’t know what to do.”

“Let me ask you a question Sarabelle. What would be so bad about giving him the wrong idea?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean what if this guy actually likes you? What would be so bad about him being the one you finally decide to give yourself to? You know you can’t play the sweet, innocent girl forever.”

“But I am innocent. There’s a reason I’ve never had sex. I’ve always said I wanted to wait for someone special to come along and I’m not going to just spread my legs for the first guy that tries to charm them open.”

“I get that, but I could think of a lot of guys who would be a worst choice for your first time that Christian.”

“Maybe so but it wouldn’t be special. I want it to mean something. If I had sex with him, what would I be? I’d just be another number in his list of conquests. I’d be nothing more than another notch to add to his bedpost. That sounds really sweet and romantic, doesn’t it?”

“Sounds like a pretty good time to me.”

I rolled my eyes and kept looking through my closet for something to wear.

“It’s pretty obvious that he just wants to sleep with different girls every night. I want my first time to be with someone I marry and can start a family with. It wouldn’t work.”