Her Billion Dollar Man

Chapter 2

“What do you think?” Ana held the slinky emerald green dress up against her and looked at her friend. They were on their lunch break and they had gone into the clothing department because Ana had a hot date on Friday and wanted something to wear.

“Don’t you have enough clothes?” Debra asked her in exasperation. She had been looking at skirts to wear for the summer because her summer clothes had done their time. Even though the season was halfway over she still needed some things. She was not like Ana who had her salary plus someone who gave her money every month to spend, she had to fend for herself and it was just her salary she had to live off. Ana had told her with her beauty she could get a man to maintain her but she never want to live like that. She valued her independence too much to go that way.

“One can never have too many clothes or shoes,” her friend told her wisely. “What do you think?”

“I think it is definitely you.” Debra told her, looking at the short blue and white flared skirt critically.

“You should get that,” Ana suggested reaching for another dress. “As a matter of fact my treat,” she took the skirt from Debra and added a floral dress her friend had been eyeing as well.

“Ana I can’t,” Debra protested thinking of how much her friend had done for her so far.

“One day you will be doing the same for me.” Ana told her airily going off to the cash register.

*****

“My brother said I could invite someone to the press party on Saturday night can you come?” it was Tyler and he had called her just as she got home. She frowned as she wondered what he was doing calling her so late. She had given each of them her number for them to talk to her when they were not feeling so hot or if they had a problem.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea Tyler,” Debra told the boy gently, easing off her shoes and sitting on the faded sofa, reaching down to rub her instep.

“Please it would mean so much to me if you would come,” his voice was pleading and she was reminded that as much as they would like to believe otherwise, they were still kids.

“Don’t you have some other girl your own age to ask?” she said teasingly.

“The girls I know would want to be asked because it would mean rubbing shoulders with my brother and the other celebrities.” He told her scathingly.

“How do you know I am not the same?”

“I know you are not the same,” his tone was confident. “You are the most real person I know and besides you told me that if I ever needed you then I could call.”

“I know what you are doing Tyler,” she told him dryly. “I have nothing to wear to something like that.”

“I could buy you something,” he ventured tentatively.

“Absolutely not,” she told him firmly. “I will find something to wear as long as we establish that this is not a date.” She warned him.

“It is not, I just need you there as a friend.”

“Okay fine. I will meet you there.”

He gave her the name of the hotel and the time and told her that he would be waiting out at the front of the hotel for her.

Debra wondered if it was a good idea as soon as she hung up the phone with him. She knew all of them fancied themselves in love with her and William was always saying it to her but she had seen it as harmless. They were just children looking for a person in their lives to replace the ones they had lost and she could relate to that.

With a shrug she went into the bathroom to take a shower.

*****

“I need to borrow a dress,” she told Ana as soon as she reached work the next morning. It was Friday and even though it was almost ten o’clock the place was already filling up.

She told Ana about the press party and her invitation.

“Isn’t he a little too young honey?” Ana teased her.

“Don’t start,” Debra said in a resigned tone. “I picked up the phone so many times to call him and tell him it was not a good idea and I put it back down. I hate to disappoint him and add myself to the list of things gone bad in his life.”

“Isn’t he loaded, so to speak?” Ana asked her skeptically.

“Money has nothing to do with low self esteem and I have a feeling he is still reeling from his parents’ death.” Debra said sadly.

“I think you are way too involved girlfriend but who am I to judge? Come on over later and I will let you wade through my vast array of clothing.”

*****

 She arrived at eight and he was there waiting for her looking very dapper in a three piece dark blue suit. She got out of the old Toyota and handed the keys to the valet who was not used to parking a vehicle like hers. The hotel was a five star luxury hotel and she had often passed by on her way to the center.

“You look great!” he told her, his eyes widening as he looked at her. She was wearing a fiery red dress that she had chosen from out of the bulging closet in her friend’s bedroom. She had been told to keep it because it fit her generous bosom better than it ever did hers. “One of the several reasons I hate you honey,” she had said with a laugh. The bodice clung to her and hugged her like a second skin and the skirt came down to her knees in a swirl of material. She was also wearing small gold knobs and very high black heels.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she told him with a smile. “Okay let’s do this,” she put her hand through his arm and felt him bristling with pride.

“I am going to be the envy of every guy there including my brother.” He said smugly. Debra glanced at him sideways and had a feeling that this was the reason he was doing all of this, to get back at his brother for some reason. She decided to let it go for now but she was going to have a talk with him pretty soon.

Debra felt a frisson of excitement go through her as they entered the room. She was never one for celebrity worship but she saw several familiar faces, ones that she had seen on television and in the papers and she wondered if she was as nervous as she felt. “Relax, they are just stupid people,” Tyler muttered, obviously resenting her being so impressed by them.

“People who have tremendous talents,” she whispered to him. They were milling around and drinking champagne and there was music playing in the background.

It was then that she saw him. He was in the middle of a group of people and he was laughing at something one of the women said to him. She was hanging on to him and so were several others who were looking at him as if he was the best thing that had ever come their way. He looked up suddenly as if he was aware of her gaze on him and his eyes narrowed as he took in his brother at her side, holding on to her. He excused himself and walked over towards then. Debra felt when Tyler stiffened by her side and she had a feeling that if he could walk away just then, he would have.