Beauty and the Billionaire (A Once Upon a Billionaire Novel) Page 3

  Soon after surviving that, Mira excused herself to rest and gain some composure before having to face Hunter. Plus, she didn’t bring clothes to have fancy dinners with rich men. Penny had assured her it wasn’t a formal thing, but she felt like she needed to dress up for some reason.

  After going through everything she brought, Mira managed to put something together that looked a bit dressier. Still casual, but once she fixed her hair into a neat bun on top of her head (after several tries) and accessorized, she felt ready to face him. Maybe. Either way, it was time to go. Mira took a last look in the full-length mirror, inhaled, and headed for the dining room.

  CHAPTER 6

  Hunter had never taken that long to get ready for anything in his life. And you couldn’t even tell in the end. He snorted, staring at his reflection. Clothes he’d rejected were thrown on top of the chairs and sofa on one side and his bed on the other, which he’d deal with later.

  Suits felt stuffy and uncomfortable, though he’d worn them enough in the past. T-shirts and jeans looked lazy. A blazer over a T-shirt made him look like a college student. And the button-down shirt he now had on made him want to squirm.

  After glaring at his reflection, Hunter tore the shirt off, tossing it on the bed with all the other rejects, and crashed onto a chair, covering his face with his hands. It only reminded him of his scars as his fingers slid across the surface. It wasn’t really the clothes. He knew that. But he had to wear something.

  A second later, someone tapped on his door. “What is it?” Hunter said with his face still covered.

  Jimmy entered, surveying the clothes strewn around the room. “I’m just coming to see if you’re headed down, so you get there before Mira.”

  That brought Hunter out of his stupor. In the ordeal of trying to get dressed and tame his hair, he’d forgotten he needed to arrive in the dining hall before she did. He bolted up, his eyes darting over the shirts thrown around.

  “Here.” Jimmy picked up a black T-shirt, shook it out, and tossed it over. “Wear that.”

  “It’s not too plain?” Hunter glanced from the shirt to Jimmy.

  “It’s only a casual dinner in your home…isn’t it?” Jimmy raised an eyebrow as if daring him to contradict.

  Hunter pressed his lips tight, pulling the shirt over his head. Jimmy was right; he had no reason to be this nervous. Mira was working for him and he was doing this because…because…his conviction trailed off. He didn’t know why he was doing this, but it was too late. A T-shirt would have to do.

  He shooed Jimmy away, then bolted for the dining hall down the quickest path, getting there with just enough time to sit and make sure everything was as directed before Mira appeared.

  She stepped into the hall slowly–apprehensively–her head tilting up to take in the room. Her mouth parted, maybe in amazement, and Jimmy ushered her to her seat at the other end of the dining table.

  This had to be a carefully orchestrated event if it was going to work. He’d thought through how to handle this, and Jimmy was there to leap in should Mira try and go off-script. The low lighting made it tough to see detail, but he still found his eyes tracing her curves in the skinny jeans she wore before she sat down. He pushed that thought out. When had he even noticed she had curves? He stopped short, his memory betraying him. He’d noticed when he was spying on her dusting the picture frames, that’s when.

  Hunter took a breath, focusing on her face as Jimmy helped her push up to the table, snapping a starched napkin and laying it on Mira’s lap. She looked across the table at him curiously. There was no going back now.

  Mira peered over where she could just see the outlines of a face way on the other side of the room-length oak table. Her eyes were still adjusting to the serious lack of light in that room. A few votive candles lit up her place setting, but hardly any illuminated Hunter. And other than a fire several feet behind him, there was no other way to see. Maybe she should have brought a flashlight.

  Plus, there was a giant centerpiece on the table with flowers that only allowed her to see part of Hunter’s face. She forced a smile, trying to ignore the weirdness. After a moment of dead silence, Mira said, “Thank you for inviting me to dinner.” Even if she worried he was looking for easy prey.

  Before Hunter could reply, Jimmy and Courtland came out near his seat, carrying trays. “I hope you’re hungry,” Jimmy said, setting a bowl before her. “This is just the first course.” He winked, waiting a beat before disappearing into the back again.

  Mira sniffed. Probably French onion soup.

  “How have you found everything?” Hunter asked.

  Mira swallowed. He would ask a question when she had food in her mouth. “The soup is delicious.”

  She could see a bit better now that her eyes had probably dilated to the size of a nocturnal animal’s, and she thought he smiled.

  “I meant the house,” he said, “your room.”

  “Oh…sorry…it’s all perfectly fine. I have what I need.” She’d just have to get over feeling scared in her room at night.

  “And work…you have what you need there too?” He took a sip of red wine. Mira noticed she had a glass too and wished she’d seen it sooner.

  “As far as I can tell, though…” Mira stopped, telling herself it would be better to just make small talk and not go off-road. He was her employer and she didn’t want to annoy him.

  “Though, what?” Hunter said.

  Mira immediately wished she’d kept her trap shut. “Nothing. Everything’s going well.” She focused on her soup, hoping that would be the end of it.

  “If you have a concern, you need to tell me.” His voice turned sharp, and Mira tensed, holding her soup spoon midair.

  “It’s not serious.”

  “Then what is it? Tell me.”

  Mira tried to swallow, but her mouth went dry. He wasn’t really asking. It was in his tone that he was used to people complying. The question mark was just part of the syntax. Mira took a quick sip of wine before answering.

  “When I was dusting in the gallery today,” she started, “I noticed that the frames and paintings need some cleaning.” He didn’t interrupt, so she hurried on. “You probably know I worked for a museum previously and I’ve learned a thing or two about taking care of fine art. You might want to have them done professionally, but I could clean them to an extent myself. I just noticed they could use some love.”

  Hunter’s eye widened briefly, and Mira ventured to try and peek around the centerpiece, still only catching one part of his face. She now saw he had a scraggly beard and thick dark hair that came down past his chin. But the one brown eye she could see pierced through the centerpiece.

  “And you want to do this?” he said.

  Mira shrugged a shoulder. “I love art. So, yes, I wouldn’t mind…if it’s all right with you. I realize those are valuable paintings.”

  Hunter grunted. “They’re all yours. I don’t have a problem with that.” His spoon clanked against the bowl, so Mira ate more of hers before it went cold. He sounded like he didn’t care if she destroyed the paintings, which was not what she expected. She fully expected him to say no. After all, he didn’t know if she knew what she was doing or not.

  Jimmy and Courtland cleared the soup bowls, then brought in the main entrée, which was roasted chicken and vegetables and potatoes, which made Mira’s mouth water. Apparently, she was hungrier than she thought.

  They ate in silence, Mira wrestling with the bone in her chicken breast. It was hard to eat it politely. She finally realized Hunter was staring at her, candlelight flickering across his face. She couldn’t read his expression in the dark, but she saw him motion with his hand. “Would you like some help?”

  Mira blushed, but she already looked silly, so why not? She started to get up to bring her plate to him, when he snapped, “No!”

  Mira fell back in her seat, wide-eyed, as Jimmy rushed over. “I’ll take care of it,” he muttered, giving her a quick smile. She leaned back as he dealt w
ith her meat like she was five years old. “That should make it easier.” He held up the bone in triumph. Mira thanked him, her face at ten-thousand degrees. When she dared to look up, Hunter was gone.

  CHAPTER 7

  Sunlight streamed in his room and Hunter groaned, his eyes flickering open. His face was squished into his pillow and a blurry figure stood by the window with his hands clasped behind his back. “Morning,” Jimmy said.

  Hunter groaned again, flopping over to his other side.

  “I know it was a rough night,” Jimmy continued, ignoring Hunter’s ignoring him, “but it’s a new day and the perfect time to start again.”

  Hunter snorted. Long night, indeed. He ran from the dining hall, having what he thought might be a full-fledged panic attack because Mira had dared to get out of her chair. She didn’t even stand up all the way and he’d fled. Jimmy had helped him calm down and he’d eventually crashed asleep, completely exhausted. From dinner. Not even a complete dinner. In fact, his stomach growled from hunger now.

  “I’m pathetic,” he said, the pillow smothering his words. “Just leave me alone.”

  “Now, now, you’re not pathetic. A little gun shy, but that’s hardly surprising.”

  Hunter lifted himself up enough to twist around to see Jimmy. “A beautiful woman needed help with her chicken, and I ran the other direction. What would you call it?” He’d helped plenty of women with much more than that.

  Jimmy’s mouth twitched, threatening to smile. “I’d call it a practice run.”

  “And what did Mira call it?” On top of running, he’d also left her alone in that dark dining hall to eat by herself. He never would’ve abandoned a date like that before…not that she was a date. Because she wasn’t. But it was still beneath him.

  Jimmy shrugged. “Mira’s a nice girl, Hunter. And I think an understanding one. So stop wallowing and try again.”

  Hunter growled, falling back on his pillow. “What am I supposed to do? Ask her to have dinner again?”

  “Wouldn’t hurt.”

  Hunter glowered into his sheets. “Why would she agree to? I know I wouldn’t.” If he’d gone to dinner with some fruitcake who left halfway for no real reason, he wouldn’t be tempted to go for a second run.

  “She might not…but if you invite Mira, personally, I have a feeling she’ll agree.”

  Hunter peered over at Jimmy through hair that had fallen across his face. “How am I supposed to do that?”

  Jimmy’s eyes lit up in amusement. “Once upon a time, you were very good at asking women to dinner.”

  “Once upon a time, I had my whole face,” he mumbled.

  “You still do.” Jimmy came around the bed, meeting Hunter’s eyes. “You can still avoid being seen and ask her.”

  “By phone?”

  “I have a better idea.” Jimmy wagged a finger at no one in particular. “I think you should do this in person. It’ll mean more. Besides, I think we can both agree she deserves an apology.”

  Hunter held Jimmy’s gaze, unable to argue with that. After deliberating a few moments, Hunter finally pushed himself up, brushing hair out of his eyes. “Fine. What did you have in mind?”

  Mira had finished dinner in her room after Jimmy and Courtland were nice enough to carry it up for her. They all assured her over and over that she’d done nothing wrong. But there had to be a reason Hunter got up and bolted from the table.

  She sighed as she dusted furniture in a back corridor, frustrated by the evasive stuff. Hunter wasn’t under obligation to deal with her. In fact, it was a total surprise he wanted to. But if he was going to deal with her, then he should deal with her. Not disappear at the drop of a hat. Or chicken bone.

  What was worse, she felt like she’d been stood up when it wasn’t a date. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it wasn’t that. Yet, she still chafed at finishing dinner by herself, alone in her room. Mind you, she’d taken advantage of it and called her dad, who was surprised to learn she’d met her employer. But having Hunter walk out on her still stung in a weird way.

  Mira jumped at the sound of throat-clearing, swiveling around. Hunter stood behind her, half his body hidden by a door. He was in the same crimson, tattered robe she’d seen him wear that first night and what looked like loose-fitting, black track pants and a T-shirt. And she noticed his shaggy hair could use a brushing. She pulled her headphones off, pausing the music. “Sorry…can I help you?”

  “Do you have a moment?” Hunter’s brown eye flicked over her, and he almost looked…shy.

  “Of course. What do you need?” She gripped her dust cloth, her heartbeat picking up. What if he fired her?

  “Nothing.” He swallowed, avoiding her eyes. “I came to apologize…for leaving like that last night.”

  Mira waited a beat before speaking herself. “I didn’t mean to offend you.” She had no idea what she’d done exactly, but it was totally unintentional.

  “You didn’t do anything wrong.” He kept averting his eye, his hand clenching and unclenching.

  “I think I must have.” Mira took a step closer, and he tensed. He reminded her of a cat one of her friends had once. He’d bolt any time she tried to approach him. The only way it worked was if she waited for him to come to her.

  Hunter forced a partial smile. “I promise you didn’t.”

  When he didn’t say anything else, Mira said, “Well, it’s no big deal. Don’t worry about it.”

  He searched her face, maybe looking for signs she didn’t mean it. Satisfied, he held her gaze steadily for the first time. “Come to dinner tonight, then.”

  Mira inclined her head. “Is that a question…?”

  His eye flicked over her again, this time looking slightly confused. “It’s a request.”

  “Oh…” Mira arched her eyebrows in mock understanding, folding her arms.

  His eye narrowed and he shifted his weight. “Well…will you come or not?”

  Mira gazed up at the ceiling, taking her time. “I’ll have to think about it.”

  Hunter blinked, then gritted his teeth. “Fine. Do what you want.” He slammed the door, leaving Mira alone with her dust cloth.

  She smiled in satisfaction, put her headphones back on, and got back to work.

  CHAPTER 8

  “She’s not coming.” Hunter fumed, pacing his bedroom. He’d risked being seen in full light for absolutely nothing. Jimmy leaned against the doorframe, arms folded, head tilted to one side. “She’d obviously rather eat alone.”

  “That’s not technically what she said. And I think you’re looking at this from the wrong perspective.”

  “And what perspective is that?” Hunter paused his pacing, glowering across the room at Jimmy. Mira had shown zero interest in meeting with him again. Despite that, he kept thinking about the glow of her bronze skin and the way her jeans hugged her hips.

  “The unreasonable one.” Jimmy pushed up, taking a few steps forward. “You might want to remember that overreacting is what got us here in the first place.”

  “I’m not overreacting!” Hunter flung his arms in the air.

  Jimmy closed his eyes a second, blinking them a few times before focusing on Hunter again. “Look…I’d like to offer an alternate explanation for your exchange today.”

  “And what’s that?” Hunter walked to the window, unable to stop moving.

  “I think Mira was just teasing you.” Jimmy held his hands out, shrugging.

  Hunter’s breathing slowed and he turned back around. “Teasing?”

  “Yes, teasing. You used to do it yourself a long time ago.” Jimmy perched on the edge of the trunk at the end of the bed. “It sounds to me like she was just being playful. And, frankly, she had a point. You didn’t exactly ask her to dinner. You basically commanded her to come.”

  Hunter stared down at him. “I asked.”

  “Did you?” Jimmy raised his eyebrows, his forehead wrinkling.

  Hunter glanced around, strangely unsure with Jimmy staring at him, waiting for an an
swer. “I said…come to dinner tonight…” He wanted to defend himself but as he repeated the words to Jimmy, his argument fell apart. Hunter crashed into a nearby chair, dropping his eyes to the floor. “I guess that’s not really a question.”

  Jimmy half smiled, rose from his seat, and placed a hand on Hunter’s shoulder. Hunter didn’t want to admit it, but he felt instantly reassured. “I think she’s just giving you a hard time,” Jimmy said. “And maybe rightfully so. I suggest putting your best foot forward, so you’ll be ready when she shows up.”

  Jimmy had more confidence in that happening than he did. But Hunter nodded anyway. He’d do what Jimmy suggested, even if it sounded like a waste of time.

  Round two, Mira thought as she swiped on another coat of mascara. As much as part of her thought about skipping dinner that night on principle, a bigger part was intrigued by her elusive, skittish boss. And she wondered what would happen that night. Would he bolt by the entrée? Slam a door in her face? “Request” her audience the next night?

  She couldn’t help it and smirked. Hunter had looked totally perplexed by her reaction to his “asking” her to dinner. Last time she checked, questions and demands were two different things. But she was getting the feeling he didn’t know that.

  In any case, she put her light brown hair in a loose bun and figured out another dressy casual outfit from the clothes she brought. Not that he could see her the night before, anyway, but she wore something else just in case. Her white blouson top, jeans, and flats would have to suffice. Oddly enough, she thought her clothes were in much better condition than what he seemed to own.

  Not sure why she was trying so hard, Mira slicked on some lip gloss, and checked herself in the mirror. This was not a date. He was her employer, she was cleaning his house, and she only needed money to help out while her dad couldn’t work. She would fulfill her contract and leave and that would be it. Besides, what would a crazy rich guy like Hunter Masseron want with her anyway? Based on the photos she saw online she was definitely not his type.