Falling For the Billionaire Read online

  “Interesting choice of words.” Scott knew his cousin wanted to be there about as much as he did. “Considering who you’ll probably find yourself sitting next to tonight, you look rather relaxed.” It wasn’t a secret that Tasha Marshall wanted in to the Sherbrooke family. She’d flirted and at times all out flung herself at several of his other male cousins in the past. Scott knew for a fact she was in the audience tonight with her mother. He’d seen them step off the elevator together.

  “Maybe she’ll see Colton or Drew and forget all about us.” Derek’s expression remained unchanged as he took a sip from the glass in his hand.

  “Won’t happen. You’re in trouble tonight, buddy.”

  “I could say the same about you. Tasha might decide to bid on you instead when you walk on stage.”

  Scott shook his head. “We both know she not only wants in to the family, she wants the Sherbrooke name too. You have it, not me. Tonight she’ll go as high as she needs to bag you. And you know she will, so why do you look so relaxed?”

  Derek drained the liquid in his glass before answering. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

  “As soon as Mom told me you agreed, I assumed you had some plan to keep yourself out of Tasha’s hands.” Derek would never provide any more information, so asking for more details was pointless.

  “You said plan, not me. I’ll be out there in a little while like everyone else in this room.”

  He couldn’t hold back his sarcastic laugh. “Yeah, right. Whatever you say.”

  Derek clapped him on the shoulder and gestured with his glass. “Looks like they’re about ready for the next sacrifice.”

  Across the room, one of the volunteers was speaking to Daniel Johnson, the second bachelor for the night. As he watched, the volunteer and Daniel began walking toward the door to the ballroom. When the door opened, Rose’s voice flowed inside. “And now I’d like to introduce our second bachelor this evening, Daniel Johnson.” The door closed behind Daniel, muffling the brief bio she gave to the audience.

  “I need something else to drink. What about you? You’re not up for a while either,” Derek said.

  He guessed Rose had put together the order for the night, and he wasn’t surprised to find he was somewhere in the middle at number seven while his cousin was dead last. “Good idea.”

  Two club sodas with lemon later—the powers that be had decided not provide the bachelors with any alcohol prior to their visit to the stage—Scott spotted the foundation’s backstage volunteer heading his way.

  Derek, who’d remained with him, noticed her too. “Looks like you’re up, my friend. Good luck,” he said with amusement.

  “Laugh now. But you’ll get your turn and I’ll be in the audience to watch.” Scott’s comment removed the grin from his cousin’s face.

  The volunteer stopped near them, putting an end to their personal conversation. “Mr. Belmont, if you’d please follow me. The photographer is just taking pictures of Mr. Niven and the winning bidder. Once they’re done, Rose will introduce you.”

  “Anyway I can watch the fun?” Derek asked before Scott and the volunteer walked away.

  Rose and the volunteer with them now had instructed all the bachelors not to enter the ballroom until after their turn on stage. They’d claimed it might be distracting to the audience if they were within view while the bidding was going on.

  “I suppose you could watch from backstage, Mr. Sherbrooke. The curtain we set up blocks much of the audience’s view but not all, so you’ll need to be careful,” the volunteer answered.

  “Wonderful, what are we waiting for?” Derek said, giving him an “I got you” smile.

  The three of them exited the room and walked onto the temporary stage. From behind the curtain, Scott could see part of the audience as well as Rose standing at the podium.

  “Before I introduce our next bachelor, I’d just like to say how overwhelmed I am at the generosity everyone has exhibited so far this evening. It goes beyond what I expected,” Rose said. She waited for the applause to stop before she introduced him.

  “Our seventh bachelor this evening is Scott Belmont. Although originally from Weston, Massachusetts, Scott now spends much of his time in New York City where he works for Sherbrooke Enterprises. However, whenever he can, he escapes to his home in Newport.”

  When Rose finished her short introduction, he stepped into the spotlight, as they’d all been instructed to do, and walked the length of the stage. The ballroom filled with applause.

  Rose waited until he’d stopped next to the podium to speak again. “Once again we’ll start the bidding at five thousand dollars.”

  Scott fought the urge to frown and examined the audience instead. Many of the faces he recognized, and just as his mom had promised women of all ages filled the chairs. Unfortunately, he didn’t know the woman who immediately raised her auction paddle after Rose spoke.

  “I have five thousand dollars, can I get eight?” Rose asked the crowd.

  How would it look if he bid on himself? Scott considered both his mom’s and Rose’s reactions if he did. No doubt it’d be amusing. Well, at least to him. Mom, on the other hand, probably wouldn’t think so. Neither would Rose.

  In the audience, he saw Zoe Laurent raise her auction paddle. Although not as annoying as Tasha Marshall, she’d done her fair share of flirting with him and his cousins in the past. If he could help it, he’d rather not find himself stuck with her.

  “Thanks to bidder number fourteen we have eight thousand dollars. Is anyone here willing to go to ten?”

  In no time, the bid amount increased, and Scott noticed Tasha never once raised her paddle. Later, once this embarrassing night was over, he’d let Derek know how right he’d been. Tasha had her eye and money set on his cousin, so at least in that regard, he was safe. Unfortunately, the most recent bid had come in from a woman who looked old enough to be his grandmother. While he enjoyed spending time with Gram, they didn’t share many of the same interests. He suspected the same was true of the woman sitting at a table in the front row and bidding on him now.

  “Our highest bid is at forty-four thousand dollars, which is also the highest bid we’ve had all night. But I think we can do better, ladies. Is there anyone willing to go to forty-six for some wonderful outings with Mr. Belmont?” Rose touched his shoulder as she spoke to the audience.

  Much to his relief, he spotted a redhead perhaps close to his youngest sister, Juliette’s, age raise her auction paddle. He’d prefer someone a tad older, but chances were he’d have more in common with the redhead than the silver-haired woman in the front row. Now, if Rose would just do whatever she needed to do to bring the bidding to an end, he could get off the stage, get the redhead’s phone number, and call it a night.

  “Excellent. Can I get forty-eight?” Rose asked, obviously not willing to settle for the dollar amount she had.

  Scott held his breath and watched the audience. When no one moved, he started to exhale. No Zoe Laurent or silver-haired grannies for him.

  “Going once.” From behind the podium, Rose paused and glanced around the room.

  Almost out of here. He swept his eyes across the front row, his gaze stopping when he reached Belinda Fleming, or Bebe as she was better known. He’d seen the woman and her husband, Earl, at several of his family’s New Year’s Eve parties as well as at Gram’s parties. The woman didn’t have any daughters or granddaughters, so who was the attractive woman seated next to her tonight? If the family resemblance between the two hadn’t been enough of a clue that they were related, the whispering they were doing back and forth was.

  “Going—” Rose began to speak again, but before she finished Bebe grabbed the auction paddle and her companion’s hand from the table and shot it into the air.

  The unknown woman snatched her hand away and lowered her arm but not before Rose noticed the paddle number and said, “Thanks to bidder number ninety-nine, we have forty-eight thousand.”

  The woman covered he
r face with her hands, although Scott doubted anyone noticed. He only did because he was watching her. Everyone else in the room had their attention focused on him and Rose. Whoever she was, she either hadn’t intended on bidding tonight or hadn’t intended on bidding on him.

  “Going once,” Rose said again. She looked around the audience. “Going twice.” She gave it an extra ten seconds before she said, “Sold to bidder number ninety-nine.”

  Chapter 2

  Heat burned her face and Paige suspected her skin matched the side of a fire engine. How could Aunt Bebe do that? Hadn’t she told her aunt she wasn’t interested in winning any men tonight?

  “They’re waiting for you up on stage,” Aunt Bebe whispered, leaning close to her.

  Paige looked first at her aunt, a woman she loved but at the moment didn’t particularly like, and then up at Scott Belmont and Rose on the stage. So far each winner had joined their bachelor on stage for a kiss and some photos before sitting back down in the audience together.

  “I hate being on stage too,” another woman at the table said. “But you don’t have to stay up there long. A kiss, a few quick pictures, and you can bring Mr. Hottie back to the table.”

  If going on stage was the only problem, she’d march up there now and get it over with. The fact she had to go up there, kiss a man she’d never even spoken to in front of hundreds of people while being photographed was the biggest but not the only obstacle holding her back.

  “The sooner you go, the sooner you can sit back down,” Aunt Bebe said, patting her hand affectionately.

  Leaning closer to her aunt, she whispered, “I can’t believe you did this, Aunt Bebe. You knew I didn’t want this.” She didn’t wait for a reply before pushing back her chair and standing. Thanks to Aunt Bebe she had no other choice.

  Perspiration trickled down her spine and her legs shook, but somehow she managed to climb the stairs. Left foot, right foot, Paige mentally repeated as she forced herself across the stage toward the podium.

  Either Scott was getting impatient, or he’d picked up on her apprehension because he met her halfway, something none of the other bachelors had done. Instead they’d all waited for the women to reach them. Of course, the other winning bidders had made their way on stage in no time.

  Smiling at her, he took her hand. “Relax, we’ll be out of the spotlight soon,” he said, his voice low even though it was unlikely anyone in the audience would hear him. With his free hand Scott indicated to the photographer that he should move closer if he wanted pictures, rather than make them walk back toward the podium again.

  Once the photographer was in position, Scott turned toward her and she knew what was coming. A kiss. Every bachelor and winner had shared one.

  “It’s nice to meet you. We’ll have fun, I promise.” He lowered his mouth to hers, his barely-there beard rubbing against her skin.

  Her ears burned as the heat from her face spread and her stomach twisted itself into a pretzel. She needed off the stage.

  Scott’s lips left hers, and she took in a deep breath but couldn’t seem to unclench her jaw.

  “Let’s go somewhere a little less crowded and talk,” Scott said, and she wondered just what kind of expression she wore. Actually, on second thought she probably didn’t want to know.

  With the inside of her mouth coated in cotton and her tongue permanently stuck to the roof of her mouth, she could only manage a nod. Still holding her hand, he led her back the way she’d come and out of the spotlight.

  “You look like you need some fresh air. How about we go outside to the garden terrace?” he asked when they reached the ballroom floor.

  She’d visited the small garden terrace located off the lobby during her friend’s wedding. Throughout the evening guests had spilled out into it so they could enjoy some fresh air and the magnificent view. With some luck, all the guests tonight would be too busy with the auction and the view on stage to venture outside, and the area would be empty. “Sounds great,” she managed to get out now that she no longer stood in the spotlight with hundreds of eyes staring at her.

  He released her hand and offered her his arm instead as they walked past the occupied tables. Several women called out greetings as they passed, and Scott offered polite replies but didn’t pause to chat. Actually, he seemed as eager as she was to get out of the crowded ballroom and away from the curious eyes.

  When they stepped outside, hot, humid air, a stark contrast to the cool climate-controlled ballroom, wrapped around her. For a moment she wondered if going outside into the heat had been a wise idea. Then she caught a glimpse of the view. From the rooftop she could see the entire city, including the bonfires that had been lit along the river below for the evening’s WaterFire.

  “I don’t know about you, but I find this much better than being inside.” Scott smiled before he continued, humor evident in his voice. “Since we’ve kissed in front of over two hundred women, I should already know your name, but I don’t.”

  She hadn’t picked up on it before, but now, alone without everyone staring at them, she noticed how deep and rich his voice was. “You’re right. It’s Paige.”

  Scott extended his hand toward her. “It’s nice to meet you, Paige, I’m Scott.”

  Considering the man’s entire bio had been printed in the program, his statement struck her as ridiculous. Right away a giggle worked its way out, and she couldn’t contain a smile.

  “Much better,” he said. “You looked like you wanted to cry before. Let’s sit and talk. I doubt anyone inside will mind.”

  “I don’t like being the center of attention.” Paige sat on a stone bench, careful to stay as close to the end as possible, giving Scott plenty of room.

  Scott lowered himself onto the bench as well and then removed his tuxedo jacket. “It’s not my favorite place either.”

  Silence fell between them. She crossed and uncrossed her ankles several times, grateful her long gown made it impossible for him to see her actions. Finally, after what seemed like hours although she knew it had only been perhaps a minute or two, he cleared his throat and spoke.

  “Some of the other bachelors planned out all their dates ahead of time. I didn’t. I thought it’d be better to wait and see what the winner might enjoy doing. But unless it doesn’t work for you, I thought for our first date we could have dinner at the Spiced Pear in Newport and then watch the Fourth of July fireworks. In my opinion, the firework display down there puts the ones in Boston and Providence to shame. We can work out the details for the other three outings then.”

  She’d heard of the well-known restaurant located on Newport’s famous Cliff Walk overlooking the ocean, but she’d never visited. “Sounds wonderful, and I have the holiday weekend off this year.” She’d worked the past three, but this year she had the entire weekend off.

  “Great. I’ll call and make reservations tomorrow and get back to you with the details.” Scott pulled his smartphone from his tuxedo jacket pocket. “What’s your phone number and address? I’ll give you my number too in case you need to call me.”

  She didn’t see any reason why she’d ever need to call him, but rather than tell him that she said, “I left my phone at the table.” When she’d gone on stage, she’d left her clutch on her chair.

  “I’ll send you a text message so you have mine.”

  With a nod she rattled off her phone number. Once he’d saved it in his contact list she said, “And my address is 10 River Road in Lincoln. It’s not too far from here.”

  He saved the additional information. “You mentioned you have the holiday off. Do you work in the city?”

  “Rhode Island Hospital. I’m a nurse there in the CCU.”

  For a second he looked confused, and she expected a question regarding the hospital. Instead he said, “I saw you sitting with Belinda Fleming tonight.”

  Once again heat exploded across her skin. If he’d seen her sitting with Aunt Bebe, had he also seen the way she’d forced Paige’s hand and auction paddle into
the air? “Aunt Bebe asked me to come with her tonight. We often do things together.” When Aunt Bebe invited her, she’d assumed it was because she wanted the company. Now she wondered if her aunt hadn’t planned all along to buy her a man. Paige rolled her eyes. Buy a man, what an absurd idea. “Actually, she’s my great-aunt. She’s my granddad’s younger sister.”

  “That would make Michael Foster your grandfather.”

  Paige nodded. She wasn’t used to a stranger knowing so much about her. Then again, if he recognized Aunt Bebe, he probably knew a thing or two about her aunt, which meant he knew of Aunt Bebe’s association to Foster Oil.

  “I met him last year at my Uncle Warren’s New Year’s Eve party. I don’t think I ever saw him there before then. But I’ve seen your aunt and her husband at several. Uncle Warren has one every year in Newport. It’s one of those long-standing family traditions.”

  Neither bit of information surprised her. “My granddad doesn’t like parties. I’m shocked he went. He tends to keep to himself.”

  “So you and your aunt are close?”

  “Aunt Bebe’s more like a grandmother. She doesn’t have any children, so she sort of adopted my brother and me and treats us like grandchildren. She’s close to my cousins as well but not in the same way.”

  “Does your brother live in Rhode Island too?”

  “Joe and his wife moved to Virginia Beach a few years ago. They don’t visit too often. Most of the time I travel down there to see them instead. I’m actually going in August.”

  “Gorgeous area. I—” Before he completed his sentence the smartphone in his hand beeped, and he glanced at the screen. “My sister says my cousin, Derek, is up next. Do you mind if we go inside and watch? I want to be able to give him a hard time about it later. He stood just off stage when it was my turn, so he can do the same thing to me.”

  She’d read more than once that the Sherbrookes were a tight family. Sounded like it was true. “Not at all. I could use some air-conditioning again. It’s hot out here tonight.”