Page 56 of Wrecked By You
“Oh.” She peered through the window at my home. “Modest home for a billionaire.”
I shrugged. “It’s just me. I hardly need a mansion with eight bedrooms and twelve and a half bathrooms.”
Not to mention those places were meccas for the underbelly of society. Showing off my wealth had almost gotten me killed. I’d made a stupid immature mistake when I’d been too young to know any better.
Now, I knew better. Which was the reason I lived in a three-bedroom home in a family-oriented neighborhood, chose not to own a dozen sports cars, and left getting ferried around in limousines to Ash.
“It’s nice.” She nibbled her lip. “We can’t go to Ginny’s.”
“No.” I pressed the phone button on the car and scrolled down the screen until I reached the number I was looking for. I hit Dial.
“Thank you for calling Kingcaid Los Angeles. Nichole speaking, how can I help you?”
“Hi, Nichole. This is Johannes Kingcaid.” They knew me well at this particular branch, and I’d met Nichole several times. “Is the penthouse suite free tonight?” If it wasn’t, then I’d stay in Ash’s suite. He kept one in the hotels he visited the most. If I had the choice, though, I’d rather not.
“Oh, hi, Mr. Kingcaid. Let me check for you real quick.” A pause. “Yes, it is.”
“Great. Hold it for me. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Of course, sir. Will you need anything else?”
I pressed Mute and glanced at Ella, whose eyes were bugging out of her head. “Walk of shame, or do you want me to have our designer-store manager drop off a selection of clothes?”
“Designer clothes?” She shook her head, glancing down at her jeans and blouse combo. “I’m good.”
I unmuted the call. “Nothing, thanks, Nichole.”
Cutting the connection, I reached for Ella’s hand again. Her fingers trembled in mine.
“Second thoughts?” I asked.
“No. None.” She smiled at me. “Penthouse, huh? There are some benefits to being a billionaire, then.”
My own lips curved a little. “When the situation calls for it.”
“It’s nice not to have to worry about money, huh?”
“Oh, I worry about money.” I flashed a sidelong glance at her. “When Dad put me in charge of building the Kingcaid nightclub business a few years ago, he had these grand plans to open a branch in every big city in the US, and move internationally within three years. But I didn’t want to do that. Throwing money at things is all well and good, but where’s the sense of achievement if you get your success that way? I want to make it on my own steam, so I run my business separate from my own personal fortune and the fortune of my family. Every branch must be profitable in its own right within twelve months. I cross-subsidize from the more successful clubs during the startup phase, but after that, those clubs have to stand on their own or they’re done.”
I stopped rambling, then realized she hadn’t said a thing. I risked another glance. Ella was staring at me. Her lips were parted, and she blinked a few times in succession.
“What?”
“You… I… Just that you’ve never shared your thoughts like that. Not with me. Your drive and your determination to succeed on your own are inspiring, Johannes.”
She brought our joined hands to her lips and kissed the tips of my fingers. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, my groin warmed, and something akin to pride swelled in my chest at her praise.
“Thanks.”
She chuckled. “This is so weird.”
I frowned. “Weird how?”
“This. Us.” She waved her free hand between us. “I’m not sure how we got here, but I’m glad we have.”
“I’m unconventional.”
“You can say that again.”