Page 6 of Damaged Billionaire Daddy (The Lanes Series #1)

Chapter six

Richie

“Trust me, I didn’t anticipate being here this long,” I said into the phone, looking around the small boutique with annoyance clear on my features.

If there was anywhere that I didn’t want to be, it’s here, but Rylie hadn’t exactly given me much of a choice in that aspect.

Then again, I never have much of a choice, in general, when it came to her.

“Is this to your liking, sir?” I looked up, as the owner came back towards me with a long, silky dress draped over her arms. The color looked off to me, but it was something I could picture my sister, Rylie, wearing with her pink hair draped off in the weirdest hairstyle that she managed to find in a vogue magazine or something.

“That’s fine,” I answered, pulling the phone away from my ear, so I didn’t have to listen to her talking nonstop about all the things she wanted me to get her while I was out of town. She did the same thing every time I left, yet somehow, I had yet to get used to it.

“And how many more dresses did you need?”

“As many as I can get.”

I put the phone back on my ear, just as the bells signal that someone had entered the shop. Shock overfilled me when I recognized the girl that I slept with just a day or so ago. Quickly, I pulled off to the side, so she wouldn’t see me, not needing another unnecessary complication.

“Rylie, are you finished talking?” I asked, my voice almost a snap which had nothing to do with her.

She stopped before continuing. “Well, now I am. What are you even down there for again?”

“I’m taking over a business from this old couple.” When I peeked around the corner, the girl was right in front of me with something in her hand, and she looked just as surprised to see me as I did her. “Rylie, I have to go.” I ended the call before she could say anything else.

“Don’t end the call on my account,” the girl said quickly, looking incredibly uncomfortable.

“Look,” I started, oh so familiar with these kinds of conversations. “I’m sure that you…”

“You’re not sure of anything, and I can guarantee you that what’s about to come out of your mouth is wrong.

You should probably keep it to yourself.

” She picked up a dress, not even looking at me which, for some reason, made me want to talk to her.

“We fucked, and that’s it. I’d never planned on seeing you again, and clearly, you’re here for business and won’t be here long.

Let’s pretend like this never happened.”

Even though she was saying exactly what I wanted to, the words made me feel a certain way and made me frown, although I didn’t voice my agitation towards her. “Right, no need to make this any more complicated than it has to be.”

She smiled, and I hated myself for wanting to see more of it. “Exactly, Mr. No Name.”

That’s what she’s been calling me?

The boutique owner came back, offering me another dress. “Just wrap up everything in her size. I’m leaving.”

I didn’t send the girl another look as I walked out, although I desperately wished I had.

* * *

I gave myself one more glance over and was pleased with the way I look. Charles had stressed that this was more of a casual thing, not business. But a business tycoon, like me, knew that at the end of the day every outing was business.

My version of dressing casual was a pair of jeans that I had to buy in a nearby store because I hadn’t thought to bring any with me and a button down white shirt with the collar tucked down.

Usually, I went out of my way to slick back my hair but hardly find a reason to and left it vaguely wild although I’d run a comb through it a few times.

If anyone I knew saw me, they’d think I’d completely converted over to being country as long as they didn’t look at my car. Which couldn’t be farther from the case. I was just a man of good perception and dressed to my environment.

Throwing the door open, I stepped out and locked it before looking at the restaurant that Charles had invited me too.

It was nothing special, a far cry from the five-star restaurants with Michelin rated chefs that I was used to, but I did have to admit that there was something cozy about the environment.

When I walked inside, the hostess immediately smiled at me. “Table for one?”

“Party for Charles.”

She nodded and looked at her notepad. “One moment.” She disappeared, and I stuck my hands into my pocket, waiting patiently for her to return.

“Where is he?” I heard a familiar voice and frowned before turning around, seeing the same girl that I’d been intimate with. Where is he? Was she talking about me?

“I hope you’re referring to someone else,” I stated and watched as she turned around, entire face scrunching up once she noticed who I was. “You know, you’re kind of starting to act like a stalker, following me around. What happened with you being okay with this being a one time thing?”

This wouldn’t be the first time that I’d dealt with a stalker.

Once women found out how useful I could be to them, it was pretty hard to get them to go away.

I’d thought this girl would be easy, seeming as she made it clear that she didn’t want anything to do with me, however I should have known better.

She was just a good actor.

“For the record, I’m not here for you.” She turned away from me.

“It’s a small town but not that small.”

“It has to be if I’m seeing your face again before you’ve managed to return home.”

A smart remark lingered on my tongue, but I was stopped of saying it when the hostess comes back. If I’d thought her smile had been sweet when she’d seen me, it was even bigger the second she laid eyes on my companion.

“Hey Kandis! Long time no see!”

Kandis was her name? I didn’t know why I would have expected something more seductive and feisty like Syndney or Isobel. Her name was so plain compared to the spitfire that I’d realized she was.

“Lois.” Kandis acted like she didn’t see me as she hugged the hostess. “I know. I haven’t been back in forever.”

“Well, your grandfather is in the back. Mr. Lane here is also joining you all.”

My brain started to work quickly, as I tried to understand the words that she’d just said. Kandis would be eating with me and Charles? And Charles was her grandfather? This all had to be some kind of joke, right? There was no way that fate was this cruel.

Kandis turned around and gave me a dirty look, as Lois led us to the table. “You’re my grandparents’ new friend?”

“You’re their granddaughter?” I spat back, just as surprised.

“Oh, that’s just perfect.” Her face was like a thundercloud.

I could feel my entire plan beginning to crumble.

Kandis had the opportunity to ruin everything.

Business and personal affairs should always be kept separate, but if she opened her mouth and says anything about what had happened between us, I doubted that there would be any business left to conduct.

Charles hardly seemed like the kind of man who would entertain someone who slept with his granddaughter.

A part of me thought I should just walk out now, but the other part of me was determined to make this deal happen. “You’re not going to say anything to them, are you?” I asked, as we got closer to their booth. “About us sleeping together?”

“As if I’d want them to know I’d slept with the likes of you.” Scorn dripped from her words.

I was both happy and agitated by her words. “As if you didn’t enjoy every minute of it and begged me not to stop.”

The tips of her ears turned red, and I smirked triumphantly while we reached Charles and Nia.

“We didn’t expect the two of you to arrive together.” Charles stood up and hugged his granddaughter before shaking my hand. “Do you already know each other?”

“No,” Kandis answered within a second. “Just met while we were waiting to be brought to the table.”

“That’s a shame,” Nia said. “But it gives you the opportunity to get acquainted. Please everyone, come sit down.”

As Charles sat back down and Nia gestured in front of them, I realized that they wanted Kandis and I to sit together.

“Don’t look so frightened, Richie.” Charles laughed. “She won’t bite.”

“I might,” Kandis commented, glaring daggers at me before sliding into the booth first with me following after her.

A waiter came and took our orders, but my main focus was on Kandis and how good it felt to be this close to her.

She smelled just as good as she did the night before, if not better, and seemed to have picked out one of those new dresses from the boutique earlier which would explain why she was there.

I couldn’t believe I was stupid enough to think that she was some kind of stalker.

Without meaning to, I found myself sending small glances her way throughout dinner as everyone talked and the two of us pretended like we’ve never seen each other before. I didn’t ever go back to be with a woman a second time, but looking at her made me think I would.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that she’s made it blatantly clear how little she wants to do with me.

Regardless, I could imagine pinning her up against this table and fucking her senseless.

“Thank you so much for joining us for dinner,” Charles said again, as he and Nia prepared to leave. “We have to go open up shop, but we’ll be in touch. Bye Kandy-Kane, love you.” They left, hand in hand, leaving just me and Kandis.

“I heard what you said in the boutique.” Her voice was quiet but deadly, as she peered at me.

“What?” She doesn’t mean…?

“You’re just here to try and take my grandfather’s company away from him.

” So, she had heard that. I inhaled deeply.

“If you think I’m going to let you do that then you’re sadly mistaken.

You need to stay the hell away from me and my family because all you do is bring trouble with you.

I know your real intentions, and I will tell them if you don’t heed my warning. ”

She scooted past me. “When he’s ready to pass his company down, it’ll be to me, not some power-hungry fool from New York. I hope I’ve made myself clear.”

Crystal.