The Billionaire's Smile

I smiled and glanced at Elliot, whose expression made mine falter. Beneath his impassive façade, his eyes burned into me with intense fury, striking me with the gravity of what I had just said.

He was pissed, and suddenly I was afraid—not of Elliot, but of what James would think about me, say about me, when Elliot denied our relationship and called me out as a liar.

Patting his chest and smiling wider, I pleaded with my eyes for Elliot to play along. After an eternal moment of Elliot’s soul-reading stare, his gaze softened, and the corners of his mouth turned ever so slightly upward.

“Hi, James,” Elliot said, giving James a firm handshake. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Likewise, Mr. Vince.” James offered him an awkward smile.

“Wait, you two know each other?” As the words escaped my lips, I recalled a conversation James and I had had about his project with Elliot Vince a few months ago. I also remembered that Elliot’s company used James’s dad’s firm for all their land deals.

Shit, shit, shit! I cursed myself for my poor memory, for playing this childish jealousy game, and for getting into Elliot’s car to begin with.

“Yes, dear,” Elliot said. “James has advised me in the past, helped clear the way for some contracts and deals.”

“Always a pleasure to help.” James gave a slight bow of his head and then stood straighter.

“It’s a shame that last one didn’t work out,” Elliot said, flagging down the hostess. “We’ll get ’em next time.” He winked at James.

James fidgeted in his place, and an emotion danced across his face, a strong one. At first, I thought it was fear, but then it seemed like anger. By the time James glanced at me, his expression had turned to a mix of nervousness and desperation.

Wait, is this jealousy? Is he jealous of me? Just thinking about the possibility made my heart skip a beat.

“I don’t want to keep you from your meal,” James said when the hostess came over. “Have a great dinner.” After he shook hands with Elliot, James turned to me, gave me a tight smile, and led Elizabeth to the bar.

My biggest desire was to run after him, and I fought back a tear that wanted to form in the corner of my eye. With a gentle tug on my arm, Elliot guided me to our table and pulled out the chair for me to sit. A chill ran down my spine as I prepared myself for Elliot’s rage.

But his expression softened after he took his seat. “Is James your ex?”

Fearing I would vomit words if I spoke, I just nodded my head.

“It was serious?”

I nodded again, but I couldn’t stop my eyes from welling. The breakup was still too fresh, too raw, and all those emotions started coming back up.

After a pause, Elliot asked, “Why did you do that?” His tone was harsh, causing me to look up at him. “Why did you play with him?” His blue orbs blazed, and the air suddenly became thin.

Fear prickled at the back of my neck, compounding the chaos within me. I pressed my lips together, trying to keep from bursting into tears right there in the middle of the restaurant. I placed my napkin on the table and moved to get up, but his hand on mine stopped me.

“Helena.” Elliot’s voice was firm, but then he sighed. Softly, he said, “Answer me. Please. I have to know.” Pain filled his eyes, twisting my heart with empathy, but it was gone after a blink.

Pulling my hand away from his, I complied. “James was the love of my life, my Prince Charming, the fairy-tale love I always dreamed of.” I released a heavy breath. “At least, I always thought so.” I met his gaze before adding, “A part of me still does.”

Elliot leaned forward and nodded his head, encouraging me to continue.

“He’s the son of my father’s best friend, so we grew up together. He’s a few years older than me, and oh, how I looked up to him.” I chuckled. “He was like a god, you know? He always took care of me and was always there for me—especially when my mother passed away.”

This was usually where someone would offer their condolences, so I paused. But Elliot just stayed silent, staring at me like he was watching the most fascinating show on television, so I kept speaking.

“That’s why I became a dentist. I wanted to follow in her footsteps. My father wanted me to get into law like him, so when I didn’t, there was friction between us. And James was there. Both our fathers always dreamed about us getting together, and then I dreamed that too.

“When I went off to college, it happened. We dated all through my undergrad and dental school. Those eight years were perfect; everything was perfect—and then it wasn’t.” I dabbed away a tear with my napkin, sniffling, before continuing.

“Just before graduation, two months ago, he broke up with me for no reason and publicly announced his new relationship with that stunning supermodel.” I locked eyes with him as I said, “He hurt me, and I wanted to hurt him back. I’m sorry for using you like that. It was childish.”

Elliot leaned back in his chair, waved away the server when she came toward our table—for the second time—and sighed. He scanned my face intently before one corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk. “She’s not that stunning.”

And with that comment, the tension between us lifted.

Elliot accepted my apology and agreed to play out the ruse for the rest of the evening, which was filled with fancy food, exquisite wine, and comfortable conversation—perhaps because I did all the talking.

He was a perfect gentleman, inquisitive, attentive, and considerate. When I found I couldn’t make a decision about dessert, he ordered everything on the menu. Had the server brought us the bill, I would have insisted on paying half, but no bill ever came.

“Thanks again for helping me out,” I said in the SUV on the way home. “But may I ask why? You seemed really upset with me.”

He turned away from the window to face me. “I just don’t like games. They hurt people. And when I thought you were doing it just to hurt him, it did make me angry. But then I saw how much you love him.” He shrugged. “Your motives were pure, so I helped.”

No other word was spoken until Hans pulled up to my home and opened the car door for me.

“Thank you for the lovely evening, Mr. Vince, but I’m afraid I cannot in good conscience be your girlfriend anymore. I’m in love with someone else.” I kept my tone light and playful, hoping to elicit a smile, but I got a smirk instead.

“I understand, Dr. Duppont. Good luck to you.”

He extended his hand, and I shook it before stepping out and waving goodbye to Hans.

As they drove away, I categorized the evening as one of those stories you share at parties. One person might say they helped a basketball player, and I would be able to say I fixed the tooth of the country’s most influential businessman, who then took me to dinner as thanks.

Of course, I would leave out my shameful moments.

After I puffed out a breath, I walked into my home and went to bed, certain I would never see Elliot Vince again.

***

Four days later, I stepped out of the building after a long day of work and immediately spotted Elliot’s car out front. To my surprise, my heart actually skipped a beat, but then I reminded myself that he worked in this skyscraper too and that he wasn’t here for me.

And if he were, it wouldn’t matter; I wasn’t ready to give up on James and me.

I walked in the opposite direction of his car, but I only made it three steps before someone called out my name. Turning, I saw Hans moving toward the back door and opening it. He smiled, tilted his head, and gestured for me to get in.

Thoughts that I had messed up the restoration and that Elliot was upset with me flooded my mind, making my heart freeze as a chill ran down my spine. I stepped carefully toward the SUV, and when I neared the door, Elliot’s relaxed demeanor eased my growing panic.

“Come in, Helena,” he said with his commanding tone before sliding over for me.

I obeyed, and Hans closed the door behind me. But out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Hans didn’t move away from the door; he was waiting, which meant he knew this would be a short conversation.

This can’t be good. I swallowed hard and met Elliot’s penetrating gaze, and in a flash, something danced behind his blue eyes. Was that playfulness?

“Helena,” Elliot said, “would you be my girlfriend?”