The Billionaire’s Over 40 Love

As she was rummaging through the makeup bag in her purse she heard the door open and glanced up into the mirror only to be greeted by Sophia’s  angry face.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” she asked. It was at this point that Faydra no longer found humor in the girl’s crazy obsession with Cal, it was now weird and creepy.

“Did you follow me in here?”

“So what if I did. I needed to tell you—girl, to girl—that you should stay away from Cal. He picks random street urchins—” the word burned in Faydra’s mind “—and adopts them, fu*king them and making them look like idiots before he dumps them, claiming that he’s too passionate about his work to take the right amount of time for them. He’s done it a dozen times and he’ll keep doing it so just do yourself a favor and leave before he does.”

“And where do you fall into this? You’re not an urchin?”

“No, I’m the classy, hardworking one that he keeps coming back to when he realizes he can’t find the perfect woman in the club or wherever he found you.”

“A children’s clothing store,” Faydra said calmly, trying to lower her blood pressure. She thought of the only thing that could make Sophia feel like an idiot.

“Excuse me.”

“He ‘found’ me in a children’s clothing store. It’s a boutique, and I work there. I helped him shop for his niece and that was that. I was here today to have lunch and talk about starting a contract with Queens. We need a media presence and you guys are the experts.” Sophia was busy trying to figure out if she believed Faydra, but in the meantime, her face contorted into one of plain embarrassment. “But since I’ve seen your absolutely unprofessional outbursts three times today, I think I might chance it and take my business elsewhere.”

“Such a shame…” Sophia tried to force the words but they didn’t work, they came out flat and irritated.

“Goodbye, Sophia.” Faydra walked out of the bathroom and quickly to her driver who was in the same spot waiting for her. She let him lead her to the car where she practically collapsed into the backseat.

She fought off tears as they pulled away from the building. An exhausting experience and one filled with so much hostility from a woman she hardly knew that she wondered if there had to be some truth to the stories she told. Why else would a woman be so obsessed with a man, if he hadn’t done something wrong to her? What if she’d been one of his women and was now living to prevent anyone else from being with him. Faydra also considered the possibility that the delivery was wrong but the message was true. Did he bring a different woman to his office frequently to have lunch and show off to his office?

There was no way for her to know, and she didn’t want to worry about it. Even if she pretended not to hear what Sophia had said, she would still have to deal with that impossible woman. And obviously, given their lunch date at the taco truck—he spent more time with her than just at work.

Faydra thought about the other things that concerned her: the money spending and the fact that an interracial relationship took so much work. She remembered the way the woman at the front desk looked her up and down with disgust in her eyes. The negative thoughts flooded her so much that she felt she was drowning when the car pulled up at Elite Boutique. She thanked the driver and let him help her out of the car.

She took a deep breath before the man drove away, promising herself that she would leave the negativity and pain that the lunch had brought out inside the car. Instead, if Candace asked she’d tell her about the delicious lunch, amazing view and the hot make-out session in the elevator—all three of those things she’d be glad to remember forever. Unfortunately, doubt had a way of taking up residence long before the happy memories did—and she was its next victim.