Page 239

“It doesn’t matter,” the billionaire said huskily. “I think I have a good idea anyway.”
Chapter Nine
Fredericka
LIFE TOOK ON YET ANOTHERdifferent turn, and this time it was marked by the comings and goings of the Russian billionaire in my life. Moving to Florida, the greatest thing that worried me was that we’d eventually drift apart, and that it would hurt me.
But the opposite happened.
The distance between us actually made our friendship stronger, and there wasn’t a day that I didn’t talk to him over the phone. Most weekends, Sergei also flew over to visit me, and every time he did I’d put up a token protest.
You’re spending too much money. You don’t have to visit me all the time. I don’t want to cause you any trouble at work.
But the Russian billionaire only brushed off my every excuse, and whenever he did, I didn’t try too hard to convince him otherwise.
Before I knew it, the day I turned the big three-oh came, and it was also the first time that the Russian billionaire had canceled on me out of the blue. To be fair, he did try to call me several times, presumably to explain his reason for canceling, but even so.
“That’s like theeighteenthtime your phone rang,” Alyx remarked in amusement from across the table.
For my birthday, I had reserved one of the private rooms of a popular Japanese restaurant downtown. I had also planned to finally introduce Sergei to the girls tonight, but obviously that plan was moot, and it was yet another reason the Russian’s billionaire standing me up had me so bummed.
“Aren’t you going to answer it?” Anneke de Konigh prompted. Blonde and blue-eyed, she was a cool Dutch beauty made famous by her connections to the royal family of Contini...as well as the fact that she was married to Italian billionaire Marcus Ravelli.
“No,” I answered shortly, glaring at my phone. I knew I should silence it, but...Ilikedhearing it ring, liked to imagine that it was the sound of the Russian billionaire begging my forgiveness. “Anyway, let’s not talk about him—-”
“What? No, we have to,” Alyx protested. “He’s the most interesting thing to have happened to you, and you’ve been so closemouthed about him. Seriously, it’s like the paps know more about you and Sergei Grachyov than we do.”
“Which isn’t right,” Anneke added primly, “since we’re your best friends.”
I made a face. “You guys are horrible.”
“Come on,” Alyx wheedled. “There must be some deets you can share with us.”
“What do you want to know?” I asked helplessly.
“Have you hooked up with him yet?” my cousin asked right away.
I gasped. “No!” But I couldn’t help turning red at the same time, and my friends crowed at seeing my expression.
“You’ve made out,” Anneke said slyly, “haven’t you?”
“No.” But my face turned even redder as I uttered the lie.
“Oh my God,” Alyx half-moaned, half-laughed. “I can’t believe it!You, my super-conservative cousin, actually made out with one of the world’s greatest heartbreakers!”
“Don’t confuse him with other billionaires,” I immediately protested. “He’s nothing like Yanna’s husband!” And by that I meant Constantijin Kastein, a billionaire married to one of Alyx’s high school friends, and who had once been known as Netherlands’ #1 Playboy.
“Whatevs.” Alyx simply waved my protest away. Leaning forward, she asked eagerly in a whisper, “Did you make it to second base? Third base?”
Again, my flushed expression gave me away, and Anneke and Alyx gasped simultaneously.
“Really?” Alyx looked stunned and impressed at the same time.
“And to think,” Anneke murmured pensively, “you kept telling us you were never going to have anything to do with a younger guy.”
“It was justonce, okay?” Both of them sent me dubious looks, and I groaned. “I’m not lying. It was really justonce. Okay?”
“What makes him different from the rest?” Alyx asked with undisguised curiosity. “I mean, that Russian professor you were crushing on was hot, too, wasn’t he? Why didn’t that push through?”