The Bad Boy Billionaire: What a Girl Wants by Maya Rodale Page A

of his focus. But I took a deep breath and reminded myself that he was my partner, not the boss of me.
    “I won’t be alone,” I said. “I’ll have friends with me.”
    “I don’t want you to go,” Duke said softly. “Not when I can’t protect you.”
    We both glanced down at his hands. They were still bruised and swollen from the beating he’d given Sam the other day.
    “So come with me,” I said. Again.
    “I can’t .”
    I laughed bitterly. “We had a deal, you know.”
    His eyes flashed. He winced. He remembered.
    “We had a deal,” I repeated. “I would pose as your fiancée to help you score that investment funding if you would be my hot date for this reunion. And now you’re reneging on the deal we made. You wouldn’t have your big party if it weren’t for me. Because you’re so notoriously unreliable, aren’t you? Don’t hold up your end of the bargain, do you? Maybe if I was some big-shot investor or whatever.”
    I was so angry that he wasn’t going with me, that he had broken a promise, that his big shot job always came ahead of mine, and just . . . argh! I stalked off to our bedroom and slammed the door behind me.
    “Jane . . .”
    “I’m going,” I shouted at the door. “With or without you.”
    D UKE WOKE ME up the next morning. He’d gone ahead and ordered room service breakfast—a steaming pot of coffee along with pancakes, bacon, and a side of fruit.
    “I’m sorry,” he said sincerely.
    “This is quite an apology,” I said, eyeing the feast before me. He poured me a cup of coffee, added some milk, and handed it to me.
    “I figured you’d be more amenable after you’ve had coffee and something to eat,” he said.
    “You are a genius, aren’t you?” I said after a sip of coffee.
    Duke just grinned. God, he was so handsome, especially when he grinned like that. Like a charming, devil-may-care, up-to-no-good-and-he-liked-it rogue. I couldn’t quite resist. I was still a little mad at him from our fight the night before. But the romantic gesture of breakfast and his smile started to make me feel better. Slightly.
    “I’ve been thinking and I had an idea. Let’s go to my party. Wait—drink your coffee and hear me out,” he said when I opened my mouth to protest. “And then we get a car to take us out to yours.”
    “That’s sweet, Duke, but it won’t work. I mean, just the tunnel traffic alone could take hours. I’ve thought about this. You go to yours and I’ll go to mine and then we can meet up later and tell each other all about it. In bed.”
    “If we’re in bed, we’re not going to be talking.”
    Our eyes met over the breakfast table. I had wicked thoughts. I know he did, too.
    “I want to be there for you,” he said.
    “I know,” I replied. I did want him there with me.
    “Well,” he sighed. “If that’s really what you want.”
    “I think it’s best.”
    “I’ll get a driver to take you out there and bring you back to me.”
    “Thanks, Duke.”
    “Will you come down to Wall Street to ring the opening bell with me? It wouldn’t have happened without you Jane, and I can’t imagine that moment without you by my side.”
    “Of course,” I said, smiling. This was a great reason to be late for work. “I’ll be there.”
    “Thanks, Babe.” Then Duke checked the time on his phone and swore. “Shit, we have to leave here in thirty minutes.”
    “So much for this breakfast,” I said with a sigh as I headed off to the shower. After blowing out my hair, I dressed in one of my sweater sets, a pleated skirt and black patent wedges. It wasn’t the most practical of outfits, but Duke’s driver would pick us up or we would just get a cab—right?

 
    Chapter Eleven
----
    E VEN UNDER IDEAL circumstances, getting from the Upper East Side down to Wall Street would be time consuming. We were not under ideal circumstances. The subways were still shut down. Cabs were scarce. Buses were slow, crowded and confusing.
    “Where is your car and