Mr. Garnet: A Mr. Billionaire Short Story Read online

  “But you need to clean up before the town hall meeting.” She lays a hand on my cheek. “You look like you haven’t slept in ages.”

  “I haven’t slept in weeks,” I respond, lifting my suit jacket from the back of a chair.

  The elections were not the only thing that kept me up at night. It’s Dixie who has been messing with my head.

  When she walked out of my condo that night, she left something behind, memories that plague me day in and day out.

  I push those memories to the back of my mind for now and allow myself to be congratulated with handshakes, pats on the back, and hugs. Then my mother pulls me aside for a pep talk.

  “Clyde, from now on, your life will be different. You’ll be responsible for making this town a better place. I hope you know that you can’t continue living the life of a playboy.” A dark cloud crosses her features. “You cannot repeat the stupid mistake you made two weeks ago.”

  My mother was horrified when the story about me and Dixie somehow made it out into the open. But a few phone calls and the exchange of large amounts of money buried it before any damage was done.

  “I hope I’m not about to make a mistake.” I rub the back of my neck. “I don’t know if I want this.”

  Fire explodes in my mother’s eyes. “What do you mean you don’t know if you want this? The position of mayor?”

  I nod. “I thought I did, but now that I’ve got it, I’m not so sure anymore.” I’d like to believe that one of the reasons I’ve been very successful in business is because I follow my gut. At the moment, my ego is celebrating, but deep down inside, it doesn’t feel right.

  My mother pulls me into a room where we’re completely alone. “Don’t be a fool, Clyde. This is a big deal.”

  “To me or to you?” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “The truth is, I wasn’t sure from the start. The only reason I did this was because of you.”

  “You think I pushed you into running for mayor?” Her face tightens with anger.

  “No, but I wanted to give you something to be excited about. I also thought it might be exciting to be mayor, but I honestly feel nothing.”

  “Do you know how ungrateful you sound right now? Do you have any idea how many people you’ll be letting down if you pull out?”

  “Actually, if I decide to pull out, I’d be doing them all a favor. They deserve someone who’s passionate about this role.” I lean against the wall, an ache blooming in my chest. I hate that I’m disappointing her. “I’m more passionate about my businesses than being mayor. I’m sorry I realized that too late.”

  “But this is your hometown, Clyde. You can’t let the people down. You can’t let me down.”

  “If I accept this position, it will be for the wrong reasons. I don’t think I can live with the guilt. Someone else deserves it more than I do.”

  “Is it because of that New York prostitute, who claimed to be a virgin?”

  “Don’t you dare,” I say through clenched teeth. “Don’t call her that.”

  “Why not? What else do you want me to call her?” My mother folds her arms in front of her chest. “Even if she were really a virgin, which I don’t believe, what kind of brainless woman sells her virginity online?”

  “She had her reasons and they’re none of our business.” Still fuming, I rake a hand through my hair. “I’m out, mom. I won’t do this. I’m sorry that I can’t be the son you want me to be.” I step away from her. “I’ll announce to everyone that I’m not taking the position. I’m flying back to New York tonight.”

  My mother is so shocked by what I said that she refuses to speak to me until after I give the speech, during which I apologize to everyone for not stepping up to the plate, but I also promise to continue supporting this town in every way I can.”

  “I thought you were joking,” she says before I get into my car. “How could you do this to me?”

  I attempt to hug her, but she gently pushes me away. “This is not about you. It’s about me.” I kiss her cheek. “I have to go. There’s someone I need to see.”

  * * *

  I stand outside Dixie’s apartment for an hour before I find the courage to ring the bell. As I expected, she’s shocked to see me, but I’m just as shocked to be here. I was so sure of my ability to fuck and forget.

  I never thought I would come looking for her. The time we spent together was mind-blowing.

  “What are you doing here?” She tightens the cords of her bathrobe. “It’s midnight.”

  “But your fairytale doesn’t have to end at midnight, Dixierella.” I wink. “May I come in?”

  “I don’t... How did you know where I live?”

  I shove my hands into my pockets. “I have your name and surname and I know people in high places.”

  Without saying a word, she opens the door wider and allows me to enter into her world.

  “Nice place,” I say and turn around to face her. “I’m sorry to be showing up this late.” I’m not only talking about the hour of the day. What I mean is that I should have come sooner, not long after we parted ways.

  “It’s fine,” she says, but her brows are knitted in the middle. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to correct a mistake.” I move closer to her, feeling the warmth of her body, inhaling her intoxicating scent.

  Emptiness fills me when she steps back.

  “I have nothing more to sell,” she says. “You already bought my most valuable asset.”

  “You have so much more than that to offer.” I reach for her hand and pull her toward me. “Dixie, I tried to forget you, but I failed miserably. And I rarely fail at anything.” I move my face closer to hers. “The mistake I made that night was letting you walk out of my place after the things you did, not only to my body, but also to my heart. Especially to my heart.”

  “Oh, Clyde.” She blinks several times as though to chase away tears. “I thought I was the only one affected by that night. I had no idea that you also—”

  “Does that mean you’ve been thinking about me?”

  “Every day.” Her eyes are shimmering now.

  That’s all she needs to say for me to do what I’m about to do.

  For the first time in my life, I’m driven by my heart and not my dick.

  It starts with a kiss, but it doesn’t take long before our clothes are scattered around us on the floor, and I’m inside her again. This is it. There’s no place I’d rather be.

  DIXIE

  Two years later

  I giggle as Clyde moves the sponge to the place between my legs and cleans me, his gaze glued on my face. Then he rinses me off and spins me around. What happens next makes me dirty all over again, but in a good way.

  “At this rate we’ll never leave this room,” I say when we dry ourselves off finally. “What’s the point of coming to Bali if we spend most of our time indoors? It’s all your fault, Mister. You are insatiable.” We’ve been in Bali for a week now and we’ve not been able to keep our hands off each other.

  He comes to kiss my neck. “Don’t pretend you’re not.” He reaches for a crisp, blue shirt. “We actually do have to go out today. We’re invited to a cocktail party.”

  “Really? Who invited us?”

  “People I do business with.” He pulls on his shirt and suit jacket, transforming into the powerful businessman I fell so deeply in love with. “It’s a formal event. I got you something to wear. Have a look in the wardrobe. It’s your birthday present.”

  “You’re just so full of surprises, aren’t you?” I walk into the massive walk-in wardrobe, where I find a huge pink box.

  Before meeting Clyde, I didn’t really like surprises, but when he walked into my life, I became a different person in more ways than one. The biggest change is that now I celebrate my birthday. Clyde refuses to treat the day I was born as any other day. Even though it’s the day that reminds me of my sad childhood, he says it’s the best day of his life because I came into the world to be with him. The trip to Bali is al
so a birthday present.

  “I just can’t help it,” he says. “I love making you happy.”

  I bring the box to the room and open it to remove a midnight blue, flowing chiffon cocktail dress with a floral bust. It’s a designer piece.

  “I love it.” I cross the room to give him a kiss. “You know my style so well.”

  “It’s beautiful, but you’ll make it look even better.”

  I smile to myself as I get dressed. I rarely wear designer clothes, but the dress makes me feel like a new person. And the look on Clyde’s face when he sees me in it makes me melt.

  “We need to go, babe. The party starts in less than thirty minutes and we’re walking there.”

  “I’m done.” I unravel my braid quickly, put on a pair of leather sandals and follow him out of the hotel suite.

  To get to the party, we have to walk along the beach, so we both remove our shoes.

  “You dropped something,” Clyde says ten minutes into our walk.

  “I did?” I turn to look where he’s pointing behind us. “What?”

  “That.” He points at something sparkling in the sand.

  I bend to pick it up. In the palm of my hand is one of the most beautiful rings I have ever seen, an oval cut red garnet surrounded by diamonds. “Someone else must have dropped it. It’s not mine.”

  “Yes, it is.” I look up to find him grinning down at me only moments before he sinks to his knees. “It’s a Garnet original piece. I had it designed for you.”

  “Clyde?” I glance from him to the ring. “Are you—”

  “I am. I can’t think of a more perfect place or day to ask you to be my wife.” He takes the ring from my shaking hand. “Give me permission to make this day special for you. I no longer want you to be sad on your birthday.”

  I swallow the tears inside my throat and sink to the ground in front of him, my heart so full it’s hard to breathe. I put my hands on both sides of his face and kiss him hard.

  “Is that a yes?”

  “No.” I shake my head. “It’s a hell yes.”

  He pulls me to him and kisses me again. “I love you, Dixierella.” He reaches for my hand and slides the ring onto my middle finger.

  “I love you, Mr. Garnet,” I say, my voice smothered by tears.

  We hold each other for a long time until I pull away with tears of joy in my eyes. “Hey, we need to go to the party. We’ll be late.”

  “It’s all right if we don’t make it on time. They’ll forgive us. It’s our engagement party.”

  I tilt my head to the side. “What do you...you—”

  “I rented an entire resort for our friends and family members. I flew them all in last night.”

  “Who—what?”

  “Everyone is here. Samantha, Mrs. Briggs, and all your closest friends who work at the orphanage. And a few of your employees, but not everyone. We wouldn’t want your business to suffer. My mother is also here.” He pauses when he sees the look of panic on my face. “Don’t worry, she’s happy for us. She has finally accepted our relationship, not that she had a choice.”

  I can’t believe he did all this. He made it seem as though this trip was just for us.

  “You flew them all in?” Tears trickle down my cheeks. “What kind of man are you?”

  He pulls me to his side. “The best man for you, I hope.”

  “I don’t think there’s a word good enough to describe you.”

  We both laugh as we walk side by side into our beautiful future. When we reach the resort and I see all the people who came to celebrate with us, I can’t stop crying.

  At the back of my mind, I wonder what my life would be like if I had not sold my virginity online. But Clyde likes to tell me that fate would have brought us to each other some other way. I think he’s right.

  Later, when we’re back at our resort, I tell him that I’ll pay for our honeymoon.

  Aside from the ten thousand dollars he gave me for Mrs. Briggs and a couple of thousands that Samantha and I spent to get our business off the ground, I still have most of the money he paid me for the first night we spent together. When we started dating, he refused to take it back.

  “I won’t take no for an answer,” I say. “And just so you know, we’re going on a cruise around the world.”

  “Is that so?” He encircles my waist with his strong arms. “And what will I get in return for agreeing to your choice of honeymoon?”

  “You already have everything I had to offer.” I kiss him hard, enjoying the feel of his stubble on my chin. “Especially my most valuable gift.”

  “And what’s that?” He nibbles my lower lip.

  “Forever,” I say. Then I allow my future husband to sweep me off my feet.

  THE END

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