Showdown: Tech Billionaires Read online

  I don’t say anything for a long time. My emotions swirl through me. Last night’s kiss was incredible, and there are definitely feelings awakening inside me too. But I can’t be sure Nate is the right person to explore with. “What do we do if six months from now you decide you can’t handle it? Or your attraction to me wanes and you want to move on? Where does that leave me and the girls?”

  He sighs. “I don’t have all the answers, and I worry about the same thing. Still, I think it’s worth taking a chance.”

  Chapter 11

  Lilly

  After we return from shopping, everyone settles in for a power nap. Tonight will be a late night. The girls and Nate are part of the bridal party, and we’re to meet in a suite for hair and makeup at three.

  After an hour or so, the girls and I get back up and get ready for the wedding. I decide to wear my new Gucci shoes with the black, strappy dress I brought for the occasion. I’m not ready to bust out the new dress just yet. But the shoes help me look chic, and they’re surprisingly comfortable. I laugh at the thought.

  I walk the girls up to the hair and makeup suite at the appointed time. It’s a room full of women, and at first glance it looks like the only one who’s nervous is the mother of the bride. She introduces herself as Margo Arnault. I want to fawn all over her. She was the first self-made female tech billionaire—a true tigress. She and her husband created the company that first made it possible for all computers to connect together. She’s a rock star in my book. I hope I can talk to her at some point tonight.

  The girls are shown to a snack table where they can eat some pizza. I’m offered champagne and food, but my dress doesn’t allow for much to be worn underneath, including Spanx, so I need to watch what I eat.

  By five thirty, the bridal party is headed downstairs for some pre-wedding photos here at the house. Caroline looks stunning in a form-fitting dress with beautiful pearls in the bodice and a sweetheart neckline. Her veil is her train.

  When I see Nate standing just outside the building in his tuxedo with a waistcoat, I’m sure my eyes bulge. He is delectable. He joins me as the photographer takes pictures of the girls with Caroline. Katrina is a junior bridesmaid, and Bex is the flower girl.

  “They’re beautiful,” I breathe.

  “They’re their mother.” Nate looks at them with awe.

  “I see a lot of you in both of them, too. You and Cecelia made beautiful girls.”

  “Thank you.”

  My teeth are chattering. I know I’ll be warm once we’re in the barn stuffed with people, but outside, I’m chilly on a cool March evening in only a thin dress.

  “You look stunning,” Nate says, hooking his little finger with mine for a moment.

  My stomach does a somersault. “Thank you.”

  We continue to watch the girls, standing close to one another. I welcome his body heat.

  “What did Katrina say to you about us dating yesterday?” he asks.

  “She was worried you were replacing her mom.”

  “She told me that, too, but she also said you offered some guidance,” Nate tells me. “She wants a say in who I marry.”

  I smile. “That’s my fault. I told her about my relationship with my stepmom.”

  “Tell me about that.”

  I quietly tell him what I shared with Katrina and about her desire to meet my mom.

  “I’d like to meet your mom, too,” he says.

  “I think she’d really like that.”

  The photographer is done with the girls, so they join us as the groomsmen are called up for pictures with Caroline.

  “So many pictures,” Bex says.

  I chuckle. “There will be more after the wedding with everyone and then with only Caroline and Mason.”

  “Katrina says we’ll be in magazines,” Bex says.

  I shrug. “Maybe. It’s up to your dad, really. He’d have to decide he’s okay with that.”

  “I’d like to be famous one day,” Bex announces.

  “Trust me, you’re more famous than you’ll ever want to be. Just like Caroline is famous,” I say, feeling a pang of sadness. The most privacy they’ll ever have is what they have today. When that changes, I can only imagine how difficult it will be.

  “Caroline’s famous because she’s beautiful,” Bex says with authority. She clearly has everything figured out.

  The wedding planner arrives and moves us all around. “It’s time,” she keeps saying.

  We make our way over to the Giordano family church, which is just beyond the barn. It seats more than a thousand people, and it’s stuffed full, with standing room only.

  The wedding planner approaches me. “You need to take your seat.”

  Looking into the church, I’m not sure there’s a place for me, until I see Corrine and Marci waving me over. I give them the just-a-minute sign and get close to Bex.

  “You’re going to do a fantastic job,” I tell her. “You get to go after your sister and just before Caroline. Just keep looking at your daddy. Don’t pay attention to anything else.”

  She nods and grips my hand. “Don’t leave me,” she whispers.

  The wedding planner gets down at her eye level. “We’re going to do this together. I promise. Your daddy and your big sister will already be up front when it’s your turn. I know you can do this.”

  I squeeze Bex’s hand. She’s going to be fine. I point inside to Corrine and Marci. “I’ll be right there, and after the ceremony I’ll come find you. Promise.”

  Bex gives me a nervous nod, and I bend down to kiss her head.

  As I finally take my seat, the music changes and the wedding begins. I look down the aisle at Nate, and he’s staring back at me.

  Marci leans over. “I think someone is smitten with you.”

  I’m feeling a bit smitten with him, but I’m not about to tip my hand until I figure out if that matters. “I don’t know about that,” I tell her with a shrug.

  Katrina and Bex make it to the front without issue, and the wedding is beautiful—all by candlelight with a thousand of Caroline and Mason’s closest friends. Normally that would be a joke, but Caroline has a way about her that makes everyone feel as if they’ve known her forever.

  After the ceremony, I follow the wedding party for a final round of pictures and gather the girls when their part is done. We wait in a private room inside the barn as Caroline and Mason finish their photographs and take a moment alone.

  Nate joins the girls and me, and we wait a few more minutes before the wedding party is announced. Nate is walking in with Greer.

  When the wedding planner insists that I join the guests, I go sit at the head table all by myself. The barn from last night has been completely transformed. The wedding planner has converted it from a casino to an elegant ballroom with black velvet curtains hanging in front of the walls. Beautiful white, cabbage rose centerpieces highlight the tables, and there’s a large dance floor in the center. The excitement in the room begins to increase. Finally, they announce Bex and Katrina first, and the crowd goes crazy. They do a quick dance on their way in, which is obviously choreographed, but I have no idea when they learned it. I’m stunned.

  Nate and Greer are next, and they do the hustle, which has me laughing so hard my sides hurt. Hadlee and Cameron follow, and they do their version of Dirty Dancing, including a lift. Impressive. Emerson and Dillon do a fun little quick-step as they enter, and then the entire wedding party does a dance to welcome Caroline and Mason, who then move right into their first dance.

  Anyone who thought tonight was going to be a stuffy, high-society wedding is already very disappointed.

  When we take our seats, Bex tells me all about her walk down the aisle and how nervous she was, but she’s certain she did a great job dropping the flower petals. The room quiets when Dillon stands with a glass of champagne.

  Dillon is very sweet as he shares that he met Cameron and Mason the first week of their freshman year at Stanford. After college, he and Cameron started
working for some impressive startups, while Mason went to business school at Harvard. Once he graduated, he, too, joined a startup, and after a series of purchases and public offerings, they all had more money than they could spend. Dillon credits Mason for talking them into investing in other startups, which led them to start SHN. He’s quick to note that SHN brought them Emerson, his wife, Cameron’s wife, Hadlee, and her best friend, Caroline.

  “Without Mason’s foresight, we’d be three fat guys drinking beer and talking about girls in a shitty apartment in Palo Alto,” he explains, causing everyone to laugh. “Caroline and Mason, before I finish, I’d like you to turn to face each other. May all your ups and downs come only in the bedroom. To the bride and groom! Cheers to the happy couple.”

  The crowd laughs.

  Emerson stands next. “Caroline, we’ve been friends since you wandered into our dorm room on our first day of school. You’ve introduced many of the couples here, and we’re so excited that you and Mason finally saw what the rest of us did. We all love you both. So, as they say, ‘May the hinges of friendship never rust, or the wings of love lose a feather!’ Ladies and gentlemen, Caroline and Mason. May they live happily ever after.”

  Glasses rise into the air around the room, and there’s a murmur of cheers as everyone drinks.

  Dinner is phenomenal, featuring filet mignon, lobster, and pasta. We eat well, and I’m happy to just sit for a little while.

  Once the dance floor opens, Nate dances with the girls, and I talk to Viviana and Mia. Both are so amazing. I want to pick their brains and talk to them about what I’m working on, but they think I’m only a nanny, so we talk about more fun things like my new shoes.

  “Who would have thought Gucci heels would be so comfortable?” Mia says. She looks down at her feet, which match mine. We both grin.

  “Are you and Nate serious?” Viviana asks.

  I shake my head. “I work for him,” I remind her. “I’m pretty sure he’s seeing someone. I’m just the nanny.” I’m not about to become the gossip, so I’m sticking with the same story I’ve shared with everyone else.

  Viviana’s eyes grow large. “Who’s Nate seeing? Anyone we know? Someone from the company? Maybe Cecelia’s sister, Alicia?”

  “I have no idea,” I say. “But there’s the occasional night he doesn’t come home. He’s not introduced whoever it is to the girls, and he’s devoted to them, so I know he’d do that before he got too serious with anyone.”

  “I was hoping it would be you,” Mia says. “You’re so good for him, and the girls clearly love you.”

  I can’t help but blush. “Thanks. I do love the girls... They’re a wonderful family,” I add. But that’s as much as I’m willing to concede.

  Bex, thankfully, uses this moment to pull me onto the dance floor. The quick beat changes to slow, and Nate dances with Katrina, so I pull Bex close and begin to dance with her. Her movements gradually slow. We’re pretty much just standing on the dance floor when Nate comes over and motions for Rod, one of the security guards, to come with him. Bex is asleep on her feet.

  Rod picks her up to take her upstairs, and Katrina decides she’s tired and will go with them.

  “I should go, too. But I don’t doubt that your dance card will be full all night.”

  Nate reaches for my arm. “Stay. Please.”

  I look at him, and my body tells me to stay, but my brain wants me to leave.

  “I’d like to dance with you and spend some time together without the girls,” Nate adds. “Rod will keep the girls safe. And Yolanda will go up too.”

  The song is another slow dance, and I step in. “I’d like that, too.”

  He pulls me close, and our bodies mold to one another. His hand rests on my bare back, and my head feels light from the rush of emotion.

  “You look beautiful tonight.”

  “Thank you,” I say. “I should be thanking you. Everyone has commented on my shoes.”

  “I’ve heard a few comments about your dress,” he says.

  “Uh-oh. I hope it’s not too much.”

  He pulls me in close. “Oh, it’s lovely, but it doesn’t leave a lot to the imagination.”

  I feel his hardness at the apex of my thighs. “It’s all an illusion.”

  I can feel his lips at my ear. “I want to explore something with you,” he whispers, and my nipples pebble at the thought.

  “What about the girls?” I ask.

  He takes a deep breath. “I think we can be adults, and if it doesn’t work out, we’ll never tell the girls.”

  My entire body stiffens. That doesn’t sound promising.

  “What’s wrong?” He searches my eyes.

  I sigh. “That has an expiration date, and I think it will be too hard for me when you decide to move on. I have to protect myself and remember what I deserve. You’re not hard to care for, Nate. I love your girls; and therefore, I have deep feelings for you. I’m worried you’re going to crush my heart.”

  He looks at me, seeming a little surprised. “I have nothing but respect for you, and I promise this isn’t a game. But I must confess, I don’t know how to date. I met Cecelia when I was young, and we were together until she disappeared. I also don’t know how to manage my daughters’ feelings about this. I worry I’ll screw everything up.”

  I sigh. As usual, he wants to do the right thing. He just isn’t sure how. If I want this—and for good or for ill, it seems I do—I’m going to have to help him navigate. “I guess that means we take this one step at a time and try to have an open conversation as we go. I understand protecting the girls until the time is right, but I don’t want to be a dirty little secret either.”

  He nods.

  When the song ends, the speaker comes to the microphone and announces that Caroline and Mason are leaving.

  They say their goodbyes, and we all throw confetti as they depart. After that, the party winds down. We talk to a few others, and then Nate suggests we walk back.

  We take the long way to our suite, and my stomach feels a little fluttery. It seems like I’ve opened the door to something, but I don’t quite know what it is. On our way up the stairs, we stop at a landing. Nate reaches for my hand. “I’ve been thinking about our kiss, and I want another.”

  His lips crash over mine, and my hand snakes around his neck as we come together. After a moment we hear someone on a floor below us, so we break apart. But Nate holds my hand as we continue our walk to the suite. Once we arrive, he confirms that the girls are sleeping, thanks Rod and Yolanda for their help, and closes all the doors. Then in an instant, our hands are all over each other; we kiss passionately.

  All my feelings for Nate rush through me, flooding over me with such power that my legs feel weak. But he holds me tightly, and I feel completely safe. All is right in this moment.

  He cups my ass cheeks, lifts me up, and pushes me against the wall of his bedroom. My legs wrap around his waist as I press my center forward, looking for some kind of friction. My whole being has come to focus there.

  “Are you sure?” he asks.

  “I don’t think I’ve wanted anything more,” I pant.

  He caresses my breasts through my dress. “You look so fucking sexy tonight.”

  He pulls a strap over my shoulder and uncovers my breast. The cool air hits my nipple, and it becomes taut. Nate buries his face in my chest and begins to suck hard, moaning his appreciation. He takes each nipple into his mouth, nibbling on them until I’m dizzy with desire. I run my hands over his back as he pushes my dress farther and farther down my body.

  “Your breasts are perfect,” he whispers.

  I return my feet to the floor and embrace him. I love the combination of pine, leather, citrus, and now Nate’s natural musk. We kiss again furiously as I undo the buttons of his shirt and rip off his waistcoat and tie. Pushing his shirt over his shoulders, I take in his magnificent chest. I’ve never been able to touch it and feel it. His six-pack is firm and so incredibly sexy. There’s a small tuft of hai
r between his pecs, and I can’t help but lean down and lick his nipple.

  Nate throws his head back. “That really turns me on.”

  Just when I can’t wait any longer, Nate picks me up and takes me to his bed. He drops me on my back and double-checks the lock on the door. We’ll need to be quiet with the girls so close.

  He manipulates my dress over my hips and down to the floor, leaving me with just my lace thong on.

  “You’re already wet,” he says as he rubs my slit. He smells his fingers, and I become very self-conscious. “You smell so good.” He licks them and quietly moans. “You taste good, too.”

  I begin to toe out of my heels.

  “Leave those on.” He kneels, and his hands begin at my calves as he caresses, licks, and kisses his way up my body.

  I hold on to the crisp, white sheets for leverage. My breathing is labored, and he’s barely touched me. I’m close to begging when he finally pulls the thong off and holds my ankles wide, exposing my pussy, which is just begging to be licked.

  He takes in a breath. “You’re so wet.”

  I reach for his pants.

  But he shakes his head. “I want to taste you.” He lies between my legs and sinks his mouth into my core, his tongue flat as it circles my swollen nub. I lace my fingers through his hair as his thick tongue slides into my channel.

  I’m breathless when he stands and drops his pants to the floor. My heart nearly stops when I see his huge cock.

  “See anything you like?” he asks softly.

  I nod. “I’m not sure it will fit.”

  He chuckles. “I guess we’ll find out.”

  I crook my finger at him.

  “I have a better idea.” He lies down flat on the bed and with a sexy smile, crooks his finger back at me.

  I straddle him, facing backward, and he positions my most private part above his face and begins to lick. Two fingers move in and out of my pussy, hitting that special spot just right.