Her Forbidden Billionaire

“The thing is… You know my boyfriend. He’s really cute and a special guy. In my view I haven’t dated any man like him.”

“And?” Raina pushed forward.

“He wants me to come with him and celebrate Christmas with his family. I told him that I had plans with you, but he persisted. He even gave me his mother on the phone and the woman really wanted to meet me. I am so sorry, dear. I truly am.” Veronica finished, holding Raina’s hands.

Something broke inside Raina’s heart. It seemed to her that this Christmas would be the one of paper-flavored Mexican food in a carton box with a plastic fork and knife. “No, it is perfectly fine with me. I hope you have a blast. And you have to send me pics.”

“Really? No hard feelings?” Veronica’s face lit up for the first time since Raina entered the threshold.

“No.” She smiled and hugged her best friend. Yes. She was going to be alone. She was going to throw a party all alone and prepare dinner all by herself and watch the old classic movies on TV covered with her blanket and listen to loud music from the squares all on her own. Perhaps she would find some pizza delivery guy to have a great laugh with.

“Wow! I am so relieved. Would you believe that I didn’t sleep last night from concern? Thank you for understanding.”

“It’s nothing really. We are going to have a Christmas of our own when you return,” Raina said.

“For sure, yeah. Now let me get the coffee.” Veronica stood up and went to the small kitchenette. After a minute or two she returned with two steaming cups. One red for the host and a white one (Raina’s favorite) with a pig on the side for Raina.

They talked on and on about Veronica’s boyfriend, dating, the grocery store, the new strategy, the employees and they even gossiped on some mutual friends. Apparently, Lisa Cooper, who had been the ultimate bully and mean girl in elementary school, had been seen in company of an old sugar daddy whom she dated. And later on Veronica had found out that she was going out with not one sugar daddy, but five at the same time.

“The poor guy will die when she fondles him down there.” Veronica laughed.

They talked some more and drained their cups. Raina glanced at her cell and saw that it had been three whole hours since she had come here.

“Time flies fast indeed. I have to go, business is waiting for me,” Raina said standing up.

“You with that business head of yours. Find a guy and then you will see the kind of business I mean.” Veronica started giggling and Raina did too. They pecked on the cheek and hugged each other for farewell.

“Call me when you arrive there, okay? And say hi to your boyfriend for me.”

“Yeah, of course,” Veronica said waving. “But I am sure that we will see each other again before I go.”

“Okay. We will surely be in contact.” Raina waved back and ran down the stairs she knew so well.

Once again Raina Barnes was outside and was greeted by a pinch of the cold wind on her cheeks. It bit her skin and that made her think of winter and the upcoming holidays. The enthusiasm was sensed in the people walking by, whistling a merry tune and the decorated stores. She didn’t know if it was just her, or indeed America was living with the winter spirit. Everyone looked the best versions of themselves and strove to get more free time with family and friends.

Raina slid the key in the lock and opened the door, finally entering her lovely apartment. She took off her clothes and went into the bathroom to take a bath. She stayed there for two hours, enjoying the bubble bath with a novel by some romance writer she didn’t specifically like. Raina lacked romance in her life and she wasn’t going to let her brain be poisoned with the fictional words of some author.

When she was done she looked herself in the mirror. Raina considered herself a beautiful girl with long wavy hair, black captivating eyes, chocolate skin and a slim figure. It wasn’t a coincidence at all that she got side looks from guys when she passed.

She dried herself off and left the bathroom. Raina dressed in new white pants and a yellow shirt. Putting a CD of a rock anthem in the player, she went to her kitchen dancing. Mumbling the deep lyrics under her breath and humming the melody, she observed the contents of the fridge and found that she had just enough for a delicious sandwich. Thanks to the growl in her stomach, she realized that she was dead hungry.

Some ham, two slices of cheese, a slice of tomato and mayo all stuffed between two pieces of bread landed onto a white plate. She carried it to the sofa and pushed the on button on the remote control. There was nothing really of interest. Some talk shows with guests she didn’t even know, some politics stuff, a couple of TV shows and movies and that was probably it. She turned it off and instead fetched the laptop, placing it in her lap. She booted it and searched for some tips, tricks and other helpful advice for the grocery store. Understandably, the Net showed some fantastic results which left her mouth agape and completely blew her away. How didn’t she think of that? She thought to herself when she saw the best do-it-yourself decorations for the windows that were allegedly a hit with the customers.

She took out her yellow notepad and started scribbling a list under bullets. Her mind worked at a high speed, making her oblivious and ignorant of everything around her. In that moment, only she and her grocery store existed. No one else. She was halfway through when something rang, startling her.

Firstly, she turned to the phone at home, but realized that it wasn’t the source of the ringing. Absent-mindedly she saw her cell phone’s screen lighting up. In all the concentration she had forgotten the sound of her cell.

Standing up, she took it in her hand. The caller was unknown and the number was too long to be an American one. Who was this? Did her mother finally take pity on her and find courage to pick up the phone to ask her daughter of her well-being and health? Or was it her stepfather, who although wasn’t her biological one, had some manners and if not love, some respect for her? She was torn between picking up or not. She eventually opted for the first one.

“Hello?” There was an obvious shade of uneasiness in her voice.

“Who is on the line?” A deep male voice called from the other side. It wasn’t familiar to her. Was it a mistake? Did she win the lottery?

“And who is calling, may I ask?” The tone of her voice became harsher. If that gentleman was calling her, he should as well present himself.

“My name is Dean Franklin, madam. Do I have the pleasure to speak with Ms. Raina Barnes?” The guy showed a caring side; he spoke warmly and approachable.

“Yes. It is indeed Raina Barnes speaking. Do you need anything of me, sir? How can I help you?” She turned on the polite switch in her mind. There was something pleasant in his voice that she particularly liked. She couldn’t exactly pinpoint what it was, but simply she found his voice attractive.

“Does my name ring any bells, Raina Barnes? Have you met any Dean Franklin in your life before?” He chuckled into the phone, which made goosebumps appear on her chocolate skin.

Her mind raced to connect the name to a face or an event or something. Who was this guy? She quickly went through her classmates in elementary and high school, co-workers, friends, acquaintances… It was definitely becoming awkward now as sweat sprung on her forehead.

“Sir,” in the same second she uttered the word, the family name appeared before her eyes. “Dean Franklin? The Dean Franklin?”

He laughed whole-heartedly.