69 Million Things I Hate About You (Winning the Billionaire) Read online

  She tried again to pull her arm from the actor towing her up front until she spotted Cole winding his way through the crowd, heading straight for her.

  “Actually, I think I will join you,” she said, surprising the actor as she stopped tugging against him and instead started pulling him in her wake.

  They’d almost made the stage when Cole caught up to them.

  “Wait, Kiersten,” he said, reaching out to take her arm.

  “Unhand her, sir!” the actor said, apparently deciding to milk the situation for all it was worth. He thrust her behind him and drew his wooden sword. “The damsel is mine!”

  Cole stared openmouthed at him for a moment and Kiersten’s consternation turned to flat-out amusement. No arrogant king-of-the-boardroom attitude was going to get him out of this one. She gave him a half smile, eyebrow raised in challenge. She could almost see him working through his options. He smiled back and her heart jumped. What in the world was he doing?

  He stepped fully on the stage and grabbed the sword of an actor standing nearby. “The lady is mine.”

  Kiersten was pretty sure her jaw hit the deck.

  Cole struck a classic fencing pose and began to duel the hapless actor to the wild cheers of the crowd. Kiersten put her hands over her mouth, certain she was witnessing the definition of “shocked and awed” playing out before her.

  “Go for it, Mr. Sexy Pants,” someone from the audience called.

  Well, someone had recognized him. Cellphones were being raised all over, and flashes from the cameras lit up the audience. If that hashtag hadn’t been trending before, it sure as hell was now. Kiersten tried to hold back her laughter as Cole thrust and parried while the poor actor danced in circles around him. Cole finally jabbed forward, sticking his sword beneath the armpit of the actor who fell to the stage in an overly dramatic and greatly cheered death throe.

  Cole marched over to her, wrapped an arm around her waist, and hauled her to him. The crowd cheered with many shouts of “kiss her” tossed their way.

  Cole gave her a wicked grin, his eyes gleaming. “Mustn’t disappoint the crowd.”

  Before she could say anything, he descended; his lips pressed to hers as he bent her over his arm. She wanted to push him away, fully intended to push him away. But when her hands came up to grasp him, they draped around his shoulders instead, holding on while molten sparks shot through her body. She had jumped from a car to prevent this very thing from happening and now all she wanted to do was cling to him like a monkey on its momma. Good God, the man could kiss.

  Her head swam, though to be fair that could have been from hanging half upside down. Somehow, she didn’t quite believe that. Or her heart wouldn’t be pounding so furiously and every nerve ending in her body wouldn’t be on fire and begging for his touch. Like it or not, she had to admit it was just him. He was kissing her giddy in front of the whole world, and she didn’t give even half a flying fuck, as long as he kept doing it.

  Another actor clapped him on the back, leaning in to say, “That was awesome, man. The crowd loves you,” before moving to the front of the stage to deliver his lines.

  Cole pulled away and stared down at her, his heated gaze sending a fine tremor throughout her body. He leaned in again, but another spattering of catcalls seemed to remind him where they were. He stood her upright, then scooped her up in his arms and strode off stage to thunderous applause. Kiersten expected him to put her down the moment they were clear, but he kept right on marching.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “What did you think you were doing?” he asked back. “What possessed you to jump out of a moving car in the middle of traffic and run off like that?”

  She bit her lip, weighing her answer. Telling him she’d been moments from making out with him in the back of his car wasn’t something she really wanted to clue him in on.

  “Well, technically, the car wasn’t moving. And give me a break. This is New York. If I waited for traffic to clear before crossing the street, I’d be stuck staring at the opposite side forever.”

  He snorted, but he still didn’t put her down.

  “I can walk, Mr. Harrington. Please put me down.”

  He frowned at her, but he did as she asked, though he kept firm hold of her hand until they’d reached where Luke had the car double-parked. They got in, and Luke pulled back into traffic while Kiersten and Cole sat silent in the backseat.

  Why wasn’t he saying anything?

  She finally couldn’t take the silence anymore and cleared her throat. “You take fencing lessons as a kid also?”

  “No.” He grinned. “Last year, down at the club. Best in my class.”

  “It shows. Thanks for winning the duel.”

  That got her a grin. “You’re welcome. You want to tell me why you felt the need to bail so desperately you risked your life to do it?”

  Oh. So they were going to get real, huh? Not at all what she wanted to talk about. “I wasn’t bailing. I just…needed some air.”

  “That’s what vents and windows are for.”

  Her phone dinged, and she glanced at it gratefully. Any excuse to end that conversation was welcome.

  Or maybe not. The text from Izzy was a screenshot of Izzy’s Twitter feed…showing a picture of Cole kissing Kiersten. And followed by a WTF??? Yeah. Not one she was going to be able to explain well.

  “Something wrong?” Cole asked.

  Kiersten sighed. Not like he wasn’t going to find out the moment he logged into any of his accounts anyway. She showed him the picture.

  “Looks like hashtag MrSexyPants is trending.”

  Cole snorted. “I’m sure the PR department is thrilled.”

  “Are you?” she asked, the words slipping out before she could stop them.

  “Naturally. Good press always makes me happy. And that was definitely one of the more enjoyable ways of going about getting it.”

  She scowled at him, and he chuckled. The car pulled up in front of her building before she could say anything else.

  “The car has come to a complete stop. You may now exit the vehicle,” he said with a mischievous grin that both made her stomach do flip-flops and made her want to punch him in the arm.

  “Thanks,” she said, with as much sarcasm as she could layer on.

  “Good night, Kiersten.”

  “Good night, Mr. Harrington.”

  “That’s Mr. Sexy Pants,” he said, pulling the door closed before she could respond.

  She rolled her eyes and headed in, glad he couldn’t see the smile she wasn’t able hide.

  …

  Cole tossed in another handful of chips and looked over at Brooks, waiting to see if he’d fall for his bluff. Brooks eyeballed him then matched his bet. Christopher Lachlan, friend, colleague, and newest member of their billionaire poker club looked back and forth between the two of them and folded.

  “I’m certain you’re both lying through your pretty capped teeth. But since I’ve got squat, I fold.”

  Harrison Troy, another buddy from their college days, had made his first million by the time they were sophomores. By the time they graduated, Harrison had offers from every major tech firm in the country. From several countries. Now he did something uber secret for a private space firm. And had more than enough money and balls to add to the pot, plus some.

  Brooks and Cole called, and they showed their cards. They groaned, while Christopher just laughed.

  “You boys are having an off night.”

  “Ah, it’s not Cole’s fault. I’m sure Kiersten switched his coffee to decaf when he wasn’t looking.”

  That surprised a laugh out of Cole. She actually might have. It would explain why he’d been dragging so badly all day.

  “Or maybe he’s exhausted from being…what was it…hashtag MrSexyPants?” Chris said.

  “Hey, it’s a dirty job…”

  Harrison shook his head. “Leave it to you to turn something like showing up in full medieval drag, or whatever th
e hell you were wearing, into a PR move that most people would kill for.”

  “I was Louis XIV. Nowhere near medieval anything.”

  “It frightens me that you know that,” Chris said.

  Cole just laughed.

  “So, she’s still trying to get herself fired, huh?” Harrison asked.

  “Apparently. It’s the only explanation I can come up with for why my perfect assistant has suddenly lost her damn mind.”

  “And then there’s this,” Brooks said, opening up the pool’s spreadsheet on his phone and tossing it on the table. “Just about everyone in the office is betting on who will break first. I’m betting on him.”

  “Thanks,” Cole said.

  Brooks laughed and started shuffling the cards. “Sorry, man. She’s smarter, cuter, and has more motive than you.”

  “Motive?” Cole asked.

  “Have you ever tried working for you? I’m amazed all your employees aren’t on revenge sprees before they jump ship.”

  Cole snorted. “Just deal the cards.”

  Cole’s phone rang. His mom. He excused himself from the table and took the call.

  “Hey, Mom.”

  “Cole, how are you?”

  “I’m good. In the middle of poker night with the guys, though.”

  “Well, I wanted to remind you that I’m coming into town tomorrow.”

  He frowned a little. “I wasn’t going to forget.”

  “Yes, but you’re always so busy. I thought the reminder wouldn’t hurt.”

  “I didn’t forget, Mom. But remember, I’ll be stuck in a meeting for most of the afternoon, so I’m going to send a car to the airport for you. I thought we could meet up for a late dinner after my meetings. And then the next day, I’m all yours.”

  “All right, dear. I’m sure I can find something to do to occupy myself. Okay, get back to your game. I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you.”

  “Love you, too, Mom.”

  He clicked off and went back to the game, though his mind wasn’t really on the cards.

  “Mom still coming to visit for a few days?” Brooks asked.

  Cole nodded. “I’ll be in meetings all day. I hate to leave her on her own for most of the day.”

  Brooks snorted. “Yeah. That might not be a good idea. The last time she was alone in my apartment, she feng shuied the whole place. I still can’t find half my shit.”

  Cole had to laugh at that. Still, though, he’d rather his mom wasn’t left to her own devices for too long. Not because she couldn’t handle being on her own, but because when she got bored, she started to meddle. And she was a formidable meddler. Critical of everything, and while he was sure it came from a loving place, the last thing he wanted was to come out of his meeting to find that his mother had given everyone the day off because they looked overworked, or worse, find an array of suitable young women she might find acceptable as a daughter-in-law. He needed to find something to keep her occupied.

  An idea finally occurred to him and he couldn’t help but smile.

  “He’s got that evil-genius grin going on again,” Harrison said, nodding at Cole.

  “I’ll take the genius part, but evil is a totally subjective term.”

  “Uh huh. What devious little idea put that particular smile on your face?”

  “I’m going to kill two birds with one stone.”

  He glanced at Brooks and grinned again. “I think Kiersten is about to meet her match.”

  …

  Cole sat watching the emotions running across Kiersten’s face. Incredulity. Confusion. Anxiety, maybe. Suspicion seemed to be uppermost in the cocktail.

  “You want me to hang out with your mother all day?” she asked.

  “Yes. I’m stuck in meetings, and I don’t want her alone in her hotel room all day. I just need you to keep her company, take her to a museum or something. Out to a nice lunch. You have the company card. Put anything she wants on that.”

  “Okay,” she said, her tone implying there was a catch somewhere. And there was. She’d never met his mother before. He loved his mother, but the woman could drive the pope to murder.

  Cole’s intercom beeped, the front desk informing him his mother had arrived. He smiled and ended the call he was on, standing up as his mother entered the office. Kiersten stood as well, moving to the side so she was out of the way until he needed her.

  “Mother,” he said, coming to her with his arms open. His mother could drive him up the nearest wall on the best of days, but she was still his mother. Every time he hugged her a part of him was transported back to his childhood, before his success and all the money. Before their lives had changed so drastically.

  Before Piper had gotten sick.

  He flinched from the thought. Despite being separated by ten years, he’d been close with his sister. She’d been kind of a second mom, and he’d adored her. He still missed her.

  He gave his mother one last squeeze and stepped back. “How was your flight?”

  She shrugged. “We didn’t crash, so I suppose I can’t complain too much.”

  But she would.

  “My air vent stopped working ten minutes after the plane left, and they refused to let me change seats, and the sorry excuse for a meal they have nowadays wouldn’t have satisfied a bird. I’m starving.”

  He smiled indulgently and gestured to the seat in front of his desk.

  “So,” she said, settling her purse on her lap. “You’re going to abandon me on my first night in the city. Again.”

  “Of course not.”

  Her eyebrows raised in a gesture he recognized as one of his own.

  “Have you done the unimaginable and canceled your meetings?”

  “If I could have, I would have. But no. However, I have the next best thing for you.” He held his hand out, and Kiersten came forward, with one of those smiles on her face that lit up a room.

  His mother’s eyebrows rose again. “You’re giving me a person? I believe that is illegal, dear.”

  Cole chuckled. “No, Mom. This is my assistant, Kiersten.”

  “What happened to the other one…Mary…Maria…whatever her name was?”

  “She left. Kiersten has been my assistant for several months now.”

  She glanced at Kiersten. “Stand up straight, dear.” To Cole, she said, “You’re going to foist me off on your assistant?”

  “If I thought for a moment it would be tedious for you, I wouldn’t even suggest it. But Kiersten happens to be one of the most intelligent, entertaining people I know. I’m sure the two of you will have a great time.”

  “Really?” His mother looked Kiersten up and down with a speculative gleam that Cole didn’t like. “Are you the one making out with him in those pictures splashed all over the internet?”

  Kiersten’s mouth dropped open, and even Cole was at a loss for words for a second.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Kiersten said, her voice only slightly hesitant. “It was just a PR stunt.”

  “Hmm,” she said, glancing at them both. “Interesting choice for a marketing campaign. Well, it’ll be better than sitting around my hotel room all day I suppose.”

  Cole tried to hide his smile. If Kiersten didn’t quit after a full day with his mother, there was nothing that would make her do so.

  “Well,” he said, coming around his desk to help his mother up. “You two ladies have fun.”

  Kiersten nodded, her smile strained. “I’ve got a few ideas, Mrs. Harrington, but if there is anything in particular you’d like to do, let me know.”

  “Well, we’ll see what you had planned before we make up our minds, shall we?”

  Kiersten nodded, gave Cole an uncertain look, and followed his mother out the door. He waited until they left before he laughed. Oh, this was going to be interesting. He almost wished he could go with them, just to watch the show.

  Chapter Twelve

  Kiersten rubbed the bridge of her nose, trying to rid herself of the headache that had formed about thirty seconds aft
er leaving Cole’s office. She couldn’t believe he’d stuck her with his mother. She had to give it to him, though. This one might make her throw in the towel.

  The woman was insufferable.

  Kiersten tried the Met, but Mrs. Harrington had already seen everything. She’d suggested all the usual touristy things, but this wasn’t her first time in the city, of course, so none of that flew. She didn’t want to use the company box at the theater to catch the new show. Nothing was acceptable.

  Kiersten had hoped feeding the woman would help. Maybe her blood sugar was low. Cole definitely got hangry when he needed food. So they were currently sitting in Mrs. Harrington’s favorite restaurant, and she had still found fault with everything. She hated the table, so they’d had to switch. She wasn’t happy with the menu and requested a special dish, which of course they wouldn’t accommodate, which started another tirade. She was, at that moment, in the bathroom, probably cussing out whatever poor attendant had the misfortune of being in there over the quality of the toilet paper or something.

  Kiersten had a feeling the woman was just bored and upset that the son she’d come to visit didn’t have the time to be with her and Kiersten was the lucky recipient of her bad mood. Yay.

  The waiter came by and Kiersten ordered another bottle of wine. “Make it an expensive one.”

  “That bad, is it?” Mrs. Harrington asked.

  Kiersten looked up as Mrs. Harrington sat back down. “No, of course not,” she started to say, but Mrs. Harrington waved her off.

  “I know I’m not always the easiest person to be around,” she said.

  “Oh, not at all. You’re…fine.”

  Mrs. Harrington gave a delicate snort and Kiersten wanted to kick herself. She should have been able to come up with something better than you’re fine.

  The waiter returned with the wine and poured.

  Mrs. Harrington raised her glass to her. “My son is paying, isn’t he?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well then.” She looked up at the waiter. “Leave the bottle.”

  Kiersten grinned, genuinely amused for the first time that day. Mrs. Harrington took a deep drink and sighed. Time to get real. No reason not to. If she pissed Mrs. Harrington off, what was Cole going to do? Fire her? She sure as shit hoped so.