Page 6 of Bribed by the Billionaire Bad Boy

He laughs. “Like you’ve not witnessed it firsthand. I’m most insufferable when I’m playing an outlandish role in theater.”

I’m not so sure about that. “I don’t have the time or energy to put into playing a lead, andcertainlynot one with singing parts.”

“Why not? You have a nice voice. Can you not keep key?”

My stomach knots, every inch of my body on fire. The horrible idea that this man might be flirting with me whispers in and out of my head. I squash all thoughts ofthatbefore they have a chance to breed. “I’m taking seventeen credit hours and have a job. I’m not putting the stress of lead on myself.” I try to pick up my pace and escape him, but he doesn’t even sweat as he keeps up with me effortlessly.

“How many hours do you put into your job each week?”

“What?” I shoot him a glance.

Lex rolls his eyes away from me. “It couldn’t be more than part time, so that’s probably around twenty hours. How much do you make? Ten? Fifteen?”

I wish I made fifteen an hour. Heck, I’d take ten. I makenineand can usually just barely scrounge up fifteen hours a week on top of everything else.

At my silence, he continues merrily along. “Let’s say fifteen. That’s three hundred dollars a week. Both semesters are thirty weeks, and we’ll be performing in the spring.”

Correction.

Wewill not be. My heart stops as this guy fishes a wallet out of his back pocket, then plucks three crisp hundred dollar bills out.

Who in theheckkeeps that much money on themin hundreds?

He holds the money out to me, and my pace screeches to a halt.

“Consider it a down payment for this week.” There’s no humor in his eyes, just that ever-present challenge and a touch of rich cockiness, like this much money is nothing to him. “When we get the parts, quit your job, and I’ll pay for your time.”

“What’s wrong with you? I’m not an actress. What do you want out of whatever you’re trying to offer? You realize you’re suggesting you’d pay me ninethousanddollars, right?”

“More than that. You’d not be taking breaks from your job even when you take them from school, so—”

My eyes bulge, and my head aches. “That doesn’t answer my question. You cannot be so rich that nine thousand dollars is nothing to you. This is one heck of an expensive joke, and I don’t have time for you to mess with me.”

“First, I am that rich. Second, this isn’t a joke, and I’m not messing with you.”

I blink at him, my brows knitted.

He sighs, taking my hand in his and setting the bills against my palm. “I heard you playing piano this morning.”

I rip my hand away from him, and the money flutters to the ground, giving me a heart attack as I launch after it.

He heard me? I didn’t see anyone. How does he know it wasmeplaying the piano this morning? Did I completely miss him?

Lex continues like I’m not desperately trying to catch three scraps of paper on a breezy August day. “I’ve never heard anything like it. Then, just now.” He stares down at me.

I glare up at him on my knees, my braids falling over my shoulder and my glasses askew. I fix them, clutching the money against my chest.

“You’re a natural. I’m interested. I want to see more. But clearly you need some incentive.”

I hold the money back out to him, my jaw tight. “I’m not interested in being your entertainment.”

“My entertainment?” The humor that glimmers through his eyes makes a chill race down my spine. “Calypso.”

My name is too smooth and soft on his lips. I can’t breathe as it whispers from him.

“You don’t get it.”

Yeah, I don’t. I’m not trying to hide that fact either.