“Possibly, but only because I think you’ve lost your mind.” I sighed and discreetly rubbed the back of my fingers over my cheek, making sure there weren’t any lingering tears. “I am not afraid to state the obvious when I say that you could get any girl in the UK, and here you are somehow intrigued by me, of all people.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he answered. “And while you offered me one, I’ll offer you one as well. I’m quite picky when it comes to the people with whom I like to keep my company. And here I am, begging to learn more about you and bringing you out of the city with me.”
“That is quite the compliment. However, there’s not too much to learn about me. Just an average gal, dealing with constant bullshit.”
“Perhaps that’s your opinion. I believe a woman like you has a better story than you give yourself credit for.”
“A lot to assume since we just met, sir.”
“Jim,” he corrected me.
“Jim.” I smiled.
“And since it is our fifth anniversary, I’d like to bring my wife to the house in the country.”
“Where she’ll be neglected while her husband works?”
He laughed, and I watched his eyebrow rise above his aviator sunglasses. “The last thing I would want is for my beautiful bride to be neglected.”
“Make sure the fridge is full, and we have a deal. I had a partial city-life breakdown before you showed up, so I’m down for some of England’s gorgeous countryside.”
“And my dungeon, of course.”
“Depends on what you plan on doing with me in your dungeon.” Shit. Too far. That was messed up.
He laughed that laugh again. “She loves food and the dark, kinky stuff. It looks like I might fear the dungeon of the old place.”
“What time do we leave? I left all my shit at the hotel, and I have nothing on me.”
“I disagree, you have too much clothing on you.” He smirked.
“Flirting with me?”
“Perhaps. Hopefully, it’s not too geeky for you.”
“It’s a good look on you.” I stood, him following directly behind me. “I need to head back that way.”
“Which hotel? I’ll have my driver take us there,” he said as he slid his hands into his pockets.
“The most expensive one in town. Forgot the name.”
“I think I know where you’re staying,” he said, his tone drier now. “I have an old friend staying there. You won’t mind if I wait in the car while you get your things?”
“Nope. Where’s this driver at, Mr. Fancy?”
So I was going to stay in the country with some stranger, some very hot stranger who had a driver. The man oozed wealth, so why should I be surprised? Either way, after having a panic attack, I did need to get out into the country.
Maybe for once in my life, something would go well. I wasn’t going to let this slip away. Most girls wouldn’t do this shit—but most girls weren’t me and hadn’t been through the shit I had. I could handle myself with this man. If not, the self-defense classes I’d been taking since leaving Derek would be put to good use.
Chapter Four
Avery
I sat in awe in the back of the Rolls Royce as a blacked-out Mercedes SUV trailed us while leaving the city. Jim mentioned that his job prompted extra security, which made me wonder who the hell the man could possibly piss off in this line of work.
The men in suits who worked for Jim looked and acted like secret agents. Still, while I listened in on their conversations, I realized it was all reasonably casual and proper talk. I concluded that Jim must have just been some rich guy who was probably used to having superfluous things at his disposal, like a security detail. I didn’t know about life as a socialite or a debutant or whatever-the-fuck you called living a lifestyle like this. Don’t think I wasn’t going to ask more questions, though.
For now, I was in a world of wonder, staring out at England’s vast countryside of lime green rolling hills, rolling on into the cobalt horizon.
“Damn,” I said while Jim had his head buried in his phone. “You’re totally missing out on this.”
He smiled while tapping away on his phone. “Stunning, isn’t it?”
“Hey,” I said with a laugh of disbelief, “do you live in that device? Planning on fully kidnapping me and throwing me in that black SUV behind us?”
He pulled his sunglasses off, and his green eyes seemed annoyed, yet somewhat amused with my interruption. “Planning out your kidnapping is quite exhausting,” he said, then stopped while his eyes followed mine when we reached a village that belonged in a storybook.
I covered my mouth, completely overtaken by this scene. “Wow,” I said in a breath of astonishment.
Jim’s eyes locked with mine, and his expression tightened in an unusual, yet attractive way. “You’re right,” he said. “I have been missing the views.”
The car slowed through the village, and now I was torn between staring at Jim’s beautiful face and the cozy town we traveled through. “Where are we?” I asked, knowing I couldn’t peel my eyes away from his endearing expression.
“Bibury,” he said. “My place is out between Cotswolds and Gloucestershire. There is a ton of history here and a lot from the Tudor era. It’s what makes this village so noteworthy, in my opinion. I love being out here whenever I come to London. It’s almost as if time stops.”
“Time can’t stop so long as your phone keeps dinging.” I smirked. “God dang, you are a burnt-out businessman, aren’t you?”
“I just don’t have a life.” He chuckled. “Should I be bold and shut it off?”
I pinched my lips together. I didn’t even know the guy, and I could tell the idea of shutting off the phone was like me losing Addison to Derek. “I’d rather you not die of a heart attack. Keep the thing on.” I shrugged while looking out my window. “It’s not breaking my heart.”
“True,” he answered. “However, I didn’t bring you all this way to abandon you completely.”
“Hey, it’s your life, not mine. If that phone is what gives you the luxury of actually owning a place out in fairytale land, do what you gotta do.”
“Hey.” I turned at the change in his low and assertive voice as he spoke into his phone. “Yeah, turning in now. Listen, I’m going off the grid for a while. You got everything while I take a breather for a few hours?”
I watched his right hand as he ticked each finger against the tip of his thumb. Must be a nervous tick. I didn’t mean to force the man to shut it down. I still had no idea what he did, but between the Rolls Royce, the bodyguards, and the thousand-dollar dinner bill, it all pointed to this man either having been born into wealth or, like my sister, he hustled up his money the hard way. The only difference between him and Britney was that he obviously made quite a bit more money than she did.
Must be fucking nice. The only rise to wealth I was experiencing was living on the second floor of my apartment, which I needed to move out of. I could live here easily. Addy running through those hills chasing those sheep? I laughed at the vision of that.