Accidentally Married To The Billionaire - Part 3 (The Billionaire's Touch) Read online

  “I had to see you one last time.”

  “You saw me. Now go.”

  “I’m not over you,” he said. “And I want you back…more than anything.”

  She flashed him the ring on her left hand. “Um, married. You had your chance. You blew it! So get lost.”

  “Losing you was the worst thing to have ever happened to me,” he said voice wavering. “Do you ever think what could’ve been?”

  Marj swallowed hard. “We can’t dwell in the past.”

  He stared into her eyes. “I love you so much. And I’m not giving up on us. You were the best thing in my life.”

  “Then you shouldn’t have thrown it away. How is the mother of your child, by the way?”

  “We broke up.”

  “So you want me back? Newsflash! Not happening.”

  “I think we were meant to be,” he said, his lips hovering inches from hers. “And I think deep, down inside, you feel it too.”

  His lips crashed against hers and Marj pushed him away.

  “No!” she said. “How dare you?”

  “You didn’t feel that? The chemistry between us is amazing. It’s like the Fourth of July or something.”

  “No, I didn’t feel fireworks. Luke, I don’t love you anymore.”

  He chuckled. “Good. Because I don’t love you, either. And I didn’t break up with the mother of my child. Actually, I married her.”

  She looked at him stumped. “What?”

  “I got what I came for. Now I’ll be leaving.”

  “A kiss?”

  He smirked. “Best damn kiss of my life!”

  “What?”

  “That kiss just landed me twenty thousand dollars. I’m going to take my family to Hawaii on a well-deserved vacation, then use the rest for a down payment on a house we’ve been looking at.”

  Marj could feel her face turning red. She slapped Luke hard. “You did this for money! You ass!”

  He laughed.

  Jerk!

  Luke blew her a kiss as he walked off.

  She stood there stunned. How was that kiss worth twenty thousand dollars? She glanced around and didn’t see anybody. She then looked up and saw a man in the tree hiding in the branches and leaves. It looked like he was holding a camera.

  Son of a bitch!

  Paparazzi.

  He was little and puny. Marj was sure she could take him on. She had to get that camera at all costs. So like any good corporate wife who would protect her husband’s reputation at all costs, she started climbing the tree to ambush the dangerous predator.

  “What the hell?” the thin man said.

  “Bursts of light lit up the night as he kept snapping away.

  “Are you stumped, I’m coming up? Well, I was a tomboy when I was a kid! You’re just lucky I don’t have my sneakers!” Marj roared.

  Fueled by adrenaline, she moved up with lightning speed, and pushed up with her feet, sliding her hands up the tree, and pulling herself upward. She kept sliding and shimmying her feet up, just like the way she used to when she hung out with all the guys as a kid. It’d been years since she climbed a tree, but it was like riding a bike, you never forget how. However, it was a little more tricky all glammed up with stilettos.

  Her heel suddenly got caught on a branch. She yanked it and continued to stalk her prey, the elusive paparazzi.

  She lost her balance and stumbled sideways, but she quickly pulled out of it, like a bad tailspin.

  “Just stop!” the man declared. “You’re going to get all scratched up! Or even worse! Get a runner in your pantyhose.”

  “If this gets out, the headlines are going to read, ‘Hostess Leaves Party, Climbs Tree, and Singlehandedly Ties Up Trespasser.’”

  “That’s way too long for a headline!”

  “How about, ‘Corporate Wife Smashes Camera’?”

  He chuckled. “How about Out-of-control Socialite Goes To Jail?’”

  “And you thought my headline was long?”

  “Your dress is hiking up! You’re flashing your neon pink thonged underwear!” the photographer said. “And I got it all on film!”

  “Not for long!”

  “You’re crazy!” he shouted. “And you definitely have some anger management issues!”

  “I wouldn’t have to manage my anger if deranged stalkers like you didn’t make a living by chasing down celebrities and shoving cameras in their faces.”

  “Hey, there was no shoving involved. I did it from up here safely. And technically, your husband is the celebrity, not you.”

  “You know what I mean,” she said.

  “Just go away!”

  “Nope! If you’re going to play with fire, then prepared to get very, very, very burned!” Marj’s dress snagged on some leaves. She unhooked herself without ripping her dress, then clambered to the next branch.

  “How did you get past all the security and cameras anyway?” Marj asked.

  “Wouldn’t you love to know?”

  Marj made it to the branch he desperately clung too, and reached for him. When he whipped out his cell phone, she whacked it out of his hand with the heel she was holding.

  “No! Ouch! That hurts! Don’t hit me with your stiletto! An assault with a deadly weapon can land you in the slammer, lady!”

  He dropped his cell phone.

  “Now the camera!” Marj said.

  “No!”

  Marj was relentless. They started to wrestle in the branches when…

  Snap!

  The branch broke, and they both tumbled to the ground with a thud, leaves raining on top of them. The man let out a long moan, and Marj noticed she was on top of him. She lifted her head and looked at him.

  “Enjoy the ride?” the photographer asked with a wink.

  “Typical man.”

  He bit his lip hard. “Um, this is kind of awkward.”

  “Think?” Marj retorted. “Now please get your hand off my ass. Unless you want a short right hook.”

  He quickly removed his hand. “Oh, right. It just kind of accidentally landed there. Sorry.”

  She blew out a long breath.

  “Hey, are you as turned on as I am?” he asked.

  A twig snapped and Marj stared up at a very shocked Brandon.

  He cocked his head. “Turned on?”

  “Oh, hi, honey,” she said. “Don’t worry. I’m okay.”

  “Yeah, because I took the brunt of the fall!” the photographer yelled.

  “Oh, Mrs. Cates,” Brandon said. “I’m dying to hear why you’re on the ground on top of a complete and total stranger.”

  Marj cleared her throat. “This isn’t what you think. We fell. Um, off that big branch.” She pointed upward.

  “And the plot thickens. Living childhood memories?” Brandon asked. “Going back to your tomboy days? Catching toads? Climbing trees?”

  “Just another ordinary day in my crazy life,” Marj said. “But as you can see, I can handle any obstacle life throws my way.”

  He held out a hand to help her up. “What’s going on?”

  “Um, just doing my wifely duties.”

  “Seriously? In a tree with a stranger? Should I be worried?”

  “No! I promised to love, honor, cherish, and protect you. So I’m protecting you, just like I promised Elvis I’d do in that wedding chapel!”

  “What does that possibly have to do with being outside and falling out of a tree when you’re supposed to be hosting a party?”

  “That photographer hid up in the branches. He took pictures of my ex trying to kiss me. And I stress the word try. Because I adamantly said no.”

  “I can attest to that,” the photographer said. “She wasn’t falling for his bullshit.”

  Brandon shook his head. “Not good.”

  “Quick! Destroy the camera. Smash it into smithereens.”

  “Whoa. Wait a minute lady! That camera took me a whole year to save for!” the man shouted.

  Brandon grabbed the camera and took out the me
mory card, then handed the camera back to the photographer.

  “Thanks,” the man said. “But can I please have my memory card back?”

  “No, you cannot,” Brandon said. He then threw the memory card into the nearby water fountain.

  “Hey! That card cost me a hundred bucks!” the man yelled.

  “And so did these shoes!” Marj said, looking at her broken heel.

  “I’ll sue!” the photographer yelled. “Not to mention, your wife assaulted me with her stiletto! I was scared for my life. I might even press attempted murder charges.”

  “Attempted Murder? I didn’t want to hurt you. I just wanted…”

  “Those damning photos.”

  Brandon shot him a cool, calm look. “You start trouble, and I’ll press charges for trespassing on my property. And just in case you don’t know, I have the best lawyers in town. They will eat a sleazeball like you for lunch.”

  “No! Please don’t. I can’t afford to go to court again.”

  “Maybe I won’t press charges if you talk. Who hired you?” Brandon asked.

  “The same woman who hired your wife’s ex to come here. Lena Cates. I readily admit I work for a sleazy tabloid show. I need dirt to get paid, okay? People love tabloid journalism. I have to be intrusive to get my job done which I’m sure you know.”

  “Just get to the point.”

  “Luke was supposed to bring Marj out here under the tree, and somehow sneak a kiss, so I could capture it. It’s not nice, and it’s a dirty trick. But I somehow have to feed my five kids!”

  Marj handed him back his cell phone she picked up off the ground. “Here you go. And I do apologize for my behavior. Charging up a tree wasn’t one of my most glorious moments.”

  “And I apologize for copping a feel on that gorgeous ass of yours,” he said.

  “Get him out of here!” Brandon said. “Before he really does need to file attempted murder charges.”

  His security guard nodded.

  When Brandon turned to look for any other reporters, the scandalous photographer held his phone up to his ear and mouthed, call me.

  Uh…

  Security came and dragged him off. Marj explained everything to Brandon, and he was very understanding and believed every word he said.

  “It was the Wicked Queen,” Brandon said. “She’s been trying to sabotage this party from the start.”

  “She wants to rattle me,” Marj said, dusting herself off. “She wants me to think I can’t handle this kind of life.”

  “She wants to drive a wedge between us. She wanted me to be mad you kissed Luke. She wanted your party to fail. To get us fighting. So you’ll leave.”

  “I didn’t kiss Luke. He just came at me so the photographer could get a good picture.”

  “I know, honey. I’m aware of their sneaky tactics.”

  “Are you mad?” Marj asked.

  “How can I be mad at you when you’re so chivalrous? You climbed a tree for me!”

  She smiled. “And they say chivalry is dead.”

  His lips curved in a grin. “Obviously, they haven’t met you.”

  Life wasn’t a fairytale like they often joked, but sometimes, it sure felt like one. Especially when she was staring up into Prince Charming’s beautiful eyes.

  “You are a dream come true,” he said. “I’ve never met anyone like you before.”

  “Of course not. Corporate wives don’t climb trees while hosting an elegant event. Unless they’ve had lots and lots and lots of wine.”

  He laughed, then picked a twig from her hair. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Luckily, we weren’t that high. And he cushioned my fall. Let me go back inside and freshen up. And I’ll get right back to the party.”

  “You went above and beyond for me,” he said with a gleaming smile.

  She kissed his lips. “I swore to love and protect you.”

  “Even if it means slaying dragons?”

  “Yes. This princess is a fighter and will slay any mighty, ferocious dragon that attacks your castle. We can’t lose your kingdom now. Not when we’re so close to beating the Wicked Queen.”

  “We still have a long quest ahead of us,” Brandon said. “I’m certain my evil stepmother won’t give up easily.”

  “Then suit up in the strongest armor you can find, my brave knight.”

  He softly kissed her lips.

  “You’re in good hands, honey,” Marj said. “I’m multi-talented, you see. If I’m not dragon-slaying, then I’m marrying drunken billionaires.”

  He grinned as she smiled.

  Chapter 2

  Marj checked the time on her fitness tracker. Brandon had been on the phone for thirteen minutes. It was a business call, of course, and probably of vital importance. The whole thirteen-minute phone call situation would be considerably less obnoxious if they weren’t in the process of leaving on their overdue honeymoon.

  At first, she’d smiled indulgently. Of course, he could take a call now before they left for the airport. Except that call had continued for the entirety of the drive, and now they were in the security line and Marj, instead of snuggling up to her hot husband while she waited, was playing Candy Crush on her phone. Brandon was successful, no-nonsense, and more than occasionally, a total workaholic. This trip was about reconnecting and becoming a real couple.

  They’d gotten married on the spur of the moment because a marriage of convenience would secure his inheritance. Otherwise his stepmother, the Wicked Queen as Marj called her, would get the company that Brandon’s father built and meant to pass on to his only son. Meant to, if said son complied with his father’s last wish and got married by the time he turned thirty. Since he’d spent most of his time running the company as interim CEO after his father’s death, Brandon hadn’t exactly been beating the bushes for potential brides—relying instead on his high-powered legal team to break the condition of the will. The will was ironclad and the timing was critical. So when he and Marj met in a hotel bar in Las Vegas, they decided to tie the knot and leave the Wicked Queen out in the cold.

  There was the awkward, inconvenient time when Marj was trying to continue working and pretend her life hadn’t changed by marrying a rich guy and falling for him. Then there was the even worse time when Brandon was constantly at work, seldom saw Marj, and was being basically targeted by his too-perfect new assistant who wanted to get him into bed. He’d resisted, and Marj gave him a lot of credit for that, but those husbandly bonus points were dwindling away rapidly with every minute he spent on that phone call. He had promised so faithfully that he’d leave his phone in New York, that he’d at least put it on silent and only check it twice a day.

  She scolded herself inwardly for being stupid and insisting that, oh, why shouldn’t he be able to use his phone? She wasn’t so insecure that she couldn’t let him have his phone on vacation. Until it interfered with the chill. There was officially no chill in the TSA line listening to Brandon Cates go over the same marketing decision for the third time.

  She wanted to whip the phone out of his hand and bellow, “He’s the boss, damn it, now do what he said! Quit asking questions!” Then she wanted to charge into the public restroom and throw his latest Samsung smartphone down the auto flush toilet. And his smart watch and his smart-anything-else that could distract him from her for the next four days. It was going to be a week in absolute paradise. Having his undivided attention was going to be heavenly.

  She had ogled the resort online every night since he told her that he’d had his secretary (the new one, since the too-perfect blond had been permanently reassigned elsewhere in the company) book them a casita there for a much-needed romantic getaway. It was the ultimate in perfection—turquoise water clear as glass, soft white sand beaches, huge fluffy beds and deep Jacuzzi tubs and an outdoor shower that was probably meant to wash all that white sand off one’s designer swimsuit but was actually going to be used for much naughtier purposes.

  Unless he intended to spend the vacatio
n making love to his electronic devices. She tapped her phone screen and messaged him. If you’re going to be playing with your battery-powered toys all week, I’m going to the duty-free store to buy a vibrator, Cates. She hit send and gave him a sidelong glance as he checked the message on his screen. She saw him grin, and it was like a punch to the gut. That blazing, sexy grin. He was mostly an all-business poker face kind of guy so when he smiled or laughed it was a major win. Her message had gotten his attention and made him smile. She felt like she’d won the lottery. Granted, they had way more money than some measly state lotto jackpot.

  He held up one finger to indicate that he’d only be a moment. She tried to muster an eye-roll, but she was just too smitten. The smile had done her in. Her exasperation had melted away, and she sidled up to him and leaned her head on his shoulder while he talked. Brandon shifted the phone to the other side so he could put an arm around Marj and press a quick kiss to her temple. As soon as he was off the phone, he leaned in and kissed her and whispered, “You’re a complete angel of patience, and I owe you a full-body massage.”

  “Now that’s more like it,” she said eagerly.

  They stood hand in hand, waiting to present their boarding passes and ID’s to the TSA. Marj grimaced and bent to unbuckle her Jimmy Choo strappy sandals. She was about to go barefoot in an airport. She winced, trying to smile gamely.

  “You should’ve let me take the private jet,” he said.

  “It’s under repair for another two weeks. I’m not waiting, Cates. Besides, these tickets were such a good deal. I could not pass them up. It’s like against my religion to skip a bargain and do the extravagant thing.”

  “Like those shoes came from Payless?”

  “How do you even know that Payless is a thing?”

  “Because when you came home with them you danced around and swung the bag and said, ‘there ain’t nothing like this at Payless where I used to shop.’ I remember.”

  “It must’ve been the dancing that stuck out in your mind. I do know how to shake that ass.”

  He shot her a devilish grin. “Yes, you do. Now go barefoot on that filthy carpet before they think we’re conspiring and decide to do a cavity search. I could live without a digital exam of my rectum at the airport.”