I Married a Billionaire by Melanie Marchande Read Free Book Online

sock, I could feel the heat of his skin on my foot. Suddenly, my mouth was very dry.
    In the low light, his eyes looked dark. It was impossible to tell if his pupils had really grown large, or if perhaps something else was growing -
    No, no no.  Snap out of it, Maddy!
    I pulled my foot away abruptly, clearing my throat and straightening up in my chair. The spell was broken.
    His car arrived a few minutes later, and I let him lift me to my feet and lead me outside, his hand resting on the small of my back. Yes. There it was. And so soon, too.
    Later on, our relationship would be described as "whirlwind." I was sure of it.
    He had a place downtown, at one of those high-rise buildings with a doorman. An actual doorman. In this day and age. I caught his eye and nodded, tittering and leaning on Daniel's arm. Playing just slightly more drunk than I really was. The doorman nodded and favored me with a knowing smile.
    The elevator ride seemed to take ages. A heavy silence permeated the car. I ran my fingers through my hair, my head still buzzing with the wine and the thrill of deception. The doorman thought we were an item.  Everyone  was going to think we were an item. There was a certain perverse joy in the whole thing, I had to admit.
    "What's so funny?" Daniel said, and I realized I was grinning like an idiot.
    "I don't know," I said. "Just, everything."
    He seemed slightly bothered as we finally reached our floor and stepped out into the hallway. I wasn't sure what I'd said or done to offend him. Then again, it could have been any single thing I'd done, or a combination of all my missteps finally come home to roost. What if he was regretting his decision to choose me? The thought made me feel sick to my stomach - because of the money, I was almost sure. And of course I never liked disappointing anyone.
    He unlocked the front door, and we both stepped inside.
    The front of his apartment looked like a furniture showroom. My shoes clacked on the polished hardwood floors as I walked down the hall, past a little table made of sleek black wood, with a small live bamboo plant on top of it. It was situated as if it might be a place for the mail, except that putting the mail there would ruin the illusion of a perfect design magazine home. Deeper into the room, there were two spotless white couches sitting face-to-face on either side of a gray runner rug that led towards a massive fireplace. I stepped out of my shoes and sighed, resisting the urge to rub my temples.
    "I'll be back in a moment," said Daniel, heading towards the loft staircase that I assumed led to his bedroom. "Make yourself at home."
    I collapsed on one of the sofas, slumping in a very unladylike fashion not befitting of my elegant apparel. The ceiling looked like it was a thousand miles away. I shivered a little, hugging my bare arms. Excessively high ceilings always made me feel cold, for some reason.
    Daniel came back down the stairs two at a time, his tie gone, shirt un-tucked, and sleeves rolled up to the elbows. "Can I get you something?"
    I shook my head. "I think I'd just like to go to bed."
    He hesitated for a moment. "Of course. Tomorrow, if you don't have other plans, I was hoping you could stay over and work on our story for the INS interviews."
    "Sure," I said, getting to my feet. "Which way?"
    "You can have your pick of the two guest rooms. Here, I'll show you."
    He walked ahead of me down the hallway, opening the first door we encountered. "Here's the bathroom. I've put out some fresh towels." He moved on to the next door, pushing it open and flicking on the light. "This is the main guest room."
    I peeked in. It was every bit as sterile and un-lived-in as the rest of the apartment. "Okay," I said.
    "And here's the other. It's a bit smaller, but some people prefer that."
    I followed him further down the hall.
    At least this one looked a little bit like a normal bedroom. It was cozy, just the right size, and there wasn't a bamboo plant in sight. "Yeah,