Billionaires in New York Boxed Set: Billionaires in the City Books 1-3 Laura Burton (books to read this summer .TXT) 📖

“Yes, Mr. Marks.”

“What do I have on the agenda today?” He walked over to his walk-in closet and grabbed a pair of brown leather shoes.

“You are meeting your father for breakfast. Lunch with Emily Stewart. And your flight leaves this evening.” Before David could process, he noticed his phone vibrating on the bed. He picked it up and smiled at the name flashing on the screen. “Hi there,” he said charmingly.

“What is Joffrey doing here?”

“We talked about this last night.”

“And I told you that I didn’t need anyone to protect me.”

“Emily, if you’re going to be my wife….”

“Fake wife,” she corrected. David clenched his jaw.

“Then you’re going to need to look the part. There’s no way I would let my wife walk around without security.”

Emily seemed unable to argue. When they ended their conversation, her question echoed in his mind.

“And I suppose you expect me to come and live with you too, then?”

David held his breath as he considered it. How did neither of them think to discuss their living arrangements? He grinned as he remembered why. She was too busy distracting him. She sat, curled up on the couch, with her feet tucked under her legs and her hair fanned out over her shoulders. He said something funny, and her chest heaved up and down as she laughed in response. She touched his arm briefly and threw her head back with a chuckle after saying something witty. Their time could have been better spent exchanging ideas on how they were going to navigate the next few weeks. But it was getting late and his brain had been sluggish.

They agreed to meet for lunch the next day. Emily said she had to go into the office for the morning and deal with some “loose ends.” Whatever they were.

David was able to hand over his work to his team for the rest of the month. Yet, being like his dad, he preferred to wear smart attire even when he wasn’t going to work. He looked at himself in the mirror again, this time wearing his shoes. Is this too formal? he wondered. Both times he met Emily, she wore a figure-hugging outfit with high heels. He figured if he rolled up in a limousine wearing denim, he’d look underdressed for the occasion. Something about his outfit did look wrong, though. He pulled off his tie and unbuttoned the top of his grey shirt. Then he relaxed his shoulders and pointed to himself in the mirror, practicing a smoldering look on his face. He broke into a grin.

That’s more like it.

David pressed a hand to his stomach as it growled angrily at him. And as if his kitchen staff had spider senses, the doorbell rang, then a small woman pushing a trolley laden full of food entered his bedroom suite.

“Breakfast. Thank you, Marie,” David said as he glanced at his watch, his father would be arriving soon. He popped a mini croissant into his mouth. Having traveled to most countries across the globe, David had enjoyed many traditional breakfasts. However, he was most happy with a continental. Nothing settled a grumbling stomach as well as a buttered croissant and glass of orange juice.

David sat in the empty penthouse and peered around the oversized room with his brows knitted together. Despite having a team of staff waiting to jump into action on his command, David was always alone. He’d attended a private boys’ school in London and having no inclination to sneak off with the other classmates to the girls’ school two blocks away, David never had a girlfriend. Leaving school only posed more obstacles in his way to finding a companion. Girls roamed around in packs, it was near impossible to get to speak to one alone, and no one taught him how. By the time he reached adulthood, David’s family wealth was well-known, and he had Joffrey and Robert assigned as his security, to follow his every move. It made it difficult to have a casual drink with a new girl, or even approach one to ask on a date. There was online dating… But his father strictly advised against it. The question remained: How does a billionaire find a date? He inwardly chuckled at the thought of billboard posters along the freeway with his portrait and the words, Who Wants to Date a Billionaire? across the top.

Harold, a school friend, had taken over his father’s business in the entertainment industry. The glitz and glamor of Hollywood demanded a lot of media attention. It wasn’t long before his friend was known as one of the richest producers in the industry. Apparently, Emily introduced him to his wife, Julie. The two had been happily married for five years and to this day, Harold continued to praise Emily for her matchmaking skills.

Emily, however, had set David up with the oddest women. Why had she not found him a “Julie”? Were women like that so rare? Were June, the geriatric actress, and Mandy, the fortune teller, the best she could offer him?

He clenched his jaw. But that wasn’t part of the plan anyway. And besides… had he already found his future wife? Had she been sitting right in front of him that first day he’d met her? He wondered if that was why the other women felt so wrong. No one compared to Emily. The week had been wasted, when he could have spent that time getting to know her.

David’s mind ran away with him as he fantasized about Emily, and he lost track of time. He berated himself and decided to leave. Grinning like a fool and letting his staff tell his father he’d changed plans, he made his way down the elevator to the lobby.

Chapter Seven

Fly Me to The Moon

“Jaqueline, can you come in, please?” The white door to Emily’s office opened slowly and Jaqueline stuck her head through.

“Get me the Faulkner file when you’re done, dollface.” Julian’s voice trailed into the office. With her cheeks flushed, Jaqueline looked quizzically