Claimed (The Billionaire's Command #2)
Victoria Villeneuve
When I got off the phone with Mark, my heart was pounding. Had I really just done what I thought I did? I had. I had taken him up on his offer, and now I was going to pack up my life and move to San Diego.
I couldn’t believe it, in a way. This was basically the opposite of how I did things. I was the analytical type. I would generally make a pros and cons list whenever I wanted to make a big life decision and agonize over it for weeks before finally making my call.
But this, this had only taken days. I hadn’t made a list of pros and cons. I hadn’t even thought of one in my head. I made this decision based on my gut instinct, and my gut instinct told me I wanted to be with Mark Selzer.
He had swept me off my feet in Hawaii, tracked me down in Minneapolis and after a second night of the most amazing sex I’d ever had in my life, offered for me to come live with him in San Diego. It’s funny how things come to you when you least go looking for them. I had sworn off men for good after my last relationship ended in disaster, and yet after only one real date I had found myself falling for Mark.
Just to add to the crazy, it turned out he was the heir to the largest resort company in the country and was worth billions of dollars in his own right. Oh God, Lisa’s going to be so excited, and then want to kill me at the same time.
Lisa was my best friend, who always wanted me to date guys, probably so she could live through me vicariously, since she was happily married. She was away on business and getting back the next day, I hadn’t even told her about Mark finding me here in Minneapolis.
My head began to spin. Everything was happening so fast. I didn’t really do fast. I liked to take things slowly, take calculated risks. I wasn’t the type of girl who moved halfway around the country for a guy.
He did offer you a raise though. That was true, but what if the relationship crashed and burned? I’d have to find another job, in a new city where I didn’t know anyone, in an economy that could only be described as ‘complete shit’.
I needed to do something useful. I needed to do something practical, to stop thinking about how crazy this was. I went to my computer and opened Craigslist. I needed to find a place to rent now, after all.
Browsing through what I could only describe as exorbitantly priced apartments, I began to calm down. This was going to be fine. People moved across the country all the time. I was going to make more money, this would be a great opportunity for advancement, and there was nothing that said that Mark and I had to take things quickly. We could move slowly. It was going to be fine. I was going to be fine.
*
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
I wasn’t sure exactly what Lisa’s reaction would be when I told her about Mark, but now I knew.
“You’re dating a fucking billionaire? And you’re moving to San fucking Diego?” Lisa’s language always got a wee bit more colorful when she was excited. “Oh my God, Caroline, I want your life. Seriously, I’m going to murder you and steal your identity so I can be you.”
“I’m pretty sure Mark knows what I look like now,” I replied, laughing. “So you’re not mad I’m abandoning you for California?” I asked while we sat in our favourite coffee shop during our lunch break the next day.
“Of course I’m mad! I’m fuming! But I’m way happier for you than I am mad. Of course you have to go. I mean, Minneapolis isn’t filled with billionaires that want to date you, that’s totally a demographic you need to stick with.”
“Yeah, I dunno. I’m kind of wondering if it was the right thing to do.”
“Of course it was! You said it yourself, you like the guy. You’ll make a ton more money there, and you’ll get to go out with someone you like. Maybe it doesn’t work out. You just come back here, and you’ll have a hell of a story to tell, and hopefully some awesome jewellery to hawk.”
I laughed. “Well, hopefully that won’t happen. I do like this guy. I didn’t really expect myself to date anyone new. I haven’t dated anyone in over a year now, I’ve pretty much forgotten how it goes.”
“You’ll be fine, Caroline. Don’t worry about it. And remember, I’m always just a phone call away. And I promise I’ll come visit, especially in the winter.”
“Thanks, Lisa. You’re a good friend.”