My Billionaire Cowboy

Chapter 7

After Bruce and Kate kissed their goodbyes, Kate closed the door behind him. She could not believe she had practically spent the last twenty four hours with the man.

Thinking about last night suddenly made her feel nervous. Bruce was everything she wanted, everything she needed in a man. But what she was not sure of was whether or not she needed a man. If one had asked her even a month ago if she would be considering seriously dating someone, she would have laughed in their face.

She was all about her career. There was so much she wanted out of life and she was not sure that being involved with someone was where she needed to focus her time. It was bad enough she had gone to work the day before and was unable to concentrate on any of her tasks. She was unable to even stay at work and left to not only have lunch with Bruce, but spend the evening with him as well.

It was as if they could not get enough of each other. They were practically absorbing one another’s energy. It was not enough to call or text, they had to be in each other’s presence and that had already taken up one day of her life.

A panic spread over Kate. What was she thinking? Meeting the man’s parents? Going to a gala ball as his date? Spending the night at his house and him spending the night at hers? She had barely known the man a month. It was the true definition of a whirlwind and she was now feeling like she was in the eye of the tornado, being swept up into something that she could not necessarily get out of.

She showered, all the while her mind turning the situation over and over. The fact that he was a millionaire did not scare her. She was not attracted to him for the money. Kate had never really been the type to be enamored with material things. When he confessed, it had not made her care for him any less. She did not feel one way or another about his money. It did in fact make her wonder why he wanted to be with her. She was effectively in transition in her life. Why would a man that was established want to be with her so badly?

They had so much in common, yet appeared to be such an odd couple. Wanting to be with him was now a craving, an urge that made her body call for him. It was like craving sugar. Once you ate the cookie, it made you feel good, you got a rush, but you also came crashing down afterward. The crash was what she was afraid of.

Being with Bruce was exhilarating. He made her feel like a princess and it was just exactly what she wanted a man to do for her. Taking her on excursions and diner dates and even the appearance at the gala was like a dream. Sending for her with limo rides and impromptu dinner dates, it was all an attempt to show her that he cared and wanted to spend time with her, but she was not sure that it was not too much.

As she got dressed, she saw her phone light blinking. It was a message for her from Bruce telling her that he missed her and that he wanted to see her again.

She smiled at the thought, but suddenly felt suffocated. He wanted too much too soon. She was not sure that she could give what he was asking for. She simply sent him a smiling face and said that she was looking forward to seeing him again as well.

Kate tried her best to get Bruce out of her mind. She had to focus because today was the day she had to meet with a potentially lucrative client. She wanted to make sure she was on top of her game and that she would give the best presentation possible. Thinking of Bruce was taking over her mind.

And now, she was starting to question her decision to let Bruce get so close so quickly. She would have to think about it later. Today, she had to focus on work and her career. She could not give her energy to anything else right now.

*****

When her client walked in, Kate considered herself to be on stage. She wowed her client with her expertise and her sense of fashion. After talking and getting to know one another for the consultation, the potential client signed on and became a paying client. Linda, Kim, and Kate celebrated with a glass of champagne and some Belgian chocolates, their normal celebratory ritual.

Signing a new client was invigorating. She loved the fact that she worked hard and it paid off. She wanted to feel that exhilaration more and more. It was like a high that she did not want to come down from.

Kate’s day was packed with meetings as well. She had calls back to back and it felt like she had to make up for taking a day to work from home the day before.

She barely had time to pay attention to the vase of flowers Kim brought in to her office. The red roses in a clear vase sat on the counter in her office until she got a break in between her third and fourth phone call. She took a breather, ate a small snack and chugged down some mineral water.

“Who are the flowers from?”

Kate looked up to see Linda peeking in the office.

“I did not even get a chance to look at them. I’ve been swamped with phone calls all afternoon and I did not get the chance to check them out.”

Kate stood up and walked over to the arrangement. She found the card, opened it, and figured out that it came from her new beau.

There was a strange feeling of flattery and feeling unsure.

“It’s from Bruce.”

“Ah, we are on a first name basis now.” Linda came over to smell the roses.

“Well, we are kind of dating.”

Linda closed the door behind her. “Wait. When did this happen? Dating?”

“I’m not sure. I’m just not sure about anything. Look, I have to finish one more call. Can we table this and discuss it over coffee?”

“We are definitely discussing this over coffee.”

Kate finished her last call and signaled to Linda that she was ready to leave. They walked down the block to their local coffee shop.

“Tell me everything. Please don’t leave anything out.”

Kate began to share. “It just started out as me going by to fit him for the gala. He’s this charming man who is great to talk to. He’s easy going and fun to be around. I like his spontaneity. That night, he asked me to go out to eat, I did. It turned in to dinner, dancing, a date to the gala, dinner at an exclusive restaurant, sleeping together, meeting his parents. You get the picture.”

Linda practically slammed her coffee cup on the table, the hot liquid spilling over.

“How long have you known this guy, Kate?”

“That’s not the point. Things like this can happen rather quickly when things are right.”

“Really? This is so unlike the calculated, analytic girl that I know. I kind of like it.”

Kate was surprised. “What?”

Linda sipped her coffee. “I like it. I like the fact that you have decided to throw caution to the wind and go for it with this man that excites you. It’s like a steamy romance novel.”

“You can’t be serious. You actually think this is a good idea?”

Linda grinned. “I’m always telling you that you should live a little. Well, today my friend, you are living.”

“Oh, is that what that is? Living?’

“Yes, my dear. Living. Have some fun for once. Why do you have to over think everything? Are you having fun?”

“Yes,” Kate replied.

“Does he seem to be a good guy?”

“Yes. I’ve even met his parents. Everything on the family front seems normal.”

“Okay,” Linda replied. “Are you happy?”

Kate thought about what Linda was asking. Asking someone if they were happy always seemed so subjective. There could be so many different reasons for someone’s happiness.

“I think that I am.”

“When I ask that question, it means are you happy. With yourself and where you are in life? You can’t depend on him to make you happy. People will disappoint you every time. But are you happy in your life period?”

Kate nodded. “I am happy. Life has been good thus far.”