John Billionaire Ch. 01

I rolled my eyes and kept my attention on Nicole. "We're just friends. We dated for like a week in college, but we're just friends. The media's trying to make something out of nothing."

My words were blaming the media, but a suspicious part in the back of my mind had a theory of its own. Taylor certainly could use the media exposure of appearing to be my girlfriend. Would she have gone so far as to lure me out to lunch in order to trap me into some suggestive photos?

Nicole looked at me, her eyes wary as if she wanted to believe me, but wasn't sure she could trust me. After all, we barely knew each other. "But, she did spend the night, right?"

Instantaneously, I could see how the situation would appear to be, and how bad it might make me seem. Already defeated, I let go of Nicole's hands and let myself sink back into the couch. "Look, Nicole. I want to be completely honest with you about me and about my intentions. I realize that you don't really know who I am. We just met a couple of days ago. But I'll let you make your own choice whether to trust me or not."

The poor girl was half-crying already, but she nodded.

"I told you that Taylor and I dated for a very short time in college. Truthfully, the relationship was doomed from the beginning but the sex was incredible."

Ooh, wrong choice of words. From the new expression on Nicole's face, I had to change the subject away from illicit sex with Taylor if at all possible. But as my mind raced back through my relationship with Taylor, doing so wasn't going to be easy.

"Four years ago we ran into each other again, right here in New York. We had exactly one date, we both got hammered, and we did hook up again. It was comfortable and it was convenient. Now since that time, Taylor has had her busy fashion model life. She's had at least six different boyfriends during that time, and I was never one of them. I myself did date one other girl for about a year during that time as well. But whenever Taylor needed a convenient booty call, I was the phone call. And for four years, we've been friends, friends with benefits. So to answer your question: Yes, Taylor did spend the night. And yes, we had sex. But no, she's not my girlfriend. And yes, I was very, very interested in getting to know you better, Nicole. Not just to get laid. I... uh, well... this is going to sound bad. I already got laid last night. I just felt SOMETHING with you: a connection, a spark, or whatever you want to call it. And I thought you felt it too."

I'd rambled on and on and Nicole just watched me with her stricken expression. The 'girlfriend or not' question was splitting hairs rather thinly. Point was, I'd been sleeping with Taylor. And for most people in today's sense of morality, coming to Nicole's apartment like this made me a 'player' at best.

Now most people, when trying to get themselves out of a hole, wind up talking too much. I'd rambled a good bit but now tried to shut myself up lest I say anything to further damage my chances with Nicole. But she didn't say anything either, just staring at me while seemingly turning things over in her head.

In the end, after many, many long seconds, she simply said, "I think it's time for you to leave."

Before I could say anything, my stomach growled quite loudly.

It almost broke the moment, and I saw a smile tugging at the corners of Nicole's lips. But in the end, she just looked down and pointed at the door.

I couldn't help it, I gently held her shoulders in my hands, and kissed her softly on the cheek. But then with a heavy heart, I quietly stepped away and let myself out the door.

Once in the hallway, I started striding to the elevator, my cell phone already out in my hand as I thumbed it back on.

If she had set me up, oh man was I going to kill Taylor.

***

"I swear I had nothing to do with it!" Taylor pleaded with me, her voice slightly distorted by our intermittent cellular connection.

"You're sure? Paparazzi just like to hang outside Geno's waiting to see if Jonathan Kwong will show up? And who are these 'sources' who say we've been dating for four years?"

"Like I know? I wasn't planning anything."

"Oh, and the whole conversation about me pretending to be your boyfriend helping your career? I'll bet that never happened? I imagined the whole thing!"

Now Taylor's voice took a turn for the pissed off. "Look, I swear to you again that I had nothing to do with it. You can choose to either trust me on that or not. Just stop yelling at me!"

Then my phone triple beeped to let me know the call had ended. She'd fucking hung up on me. And in a spur of rage, I screamed and threw my phone against the wall where the case cracked and fell to the floor. What the fuck did I care? I had enough money to buy the whole damn wireless company!

And then my stomach growled loudly.

Oh, for crying out loud.

***

***TUESDAY***

I awoke to hear insistent rapping against my door. How long they'd been banging outside I didn't know, but the noise wouldn't go away, even after I'd tried drowning it out with a pillow over my ears.

Bleary eyed, I finally staggered out of bed and peered through the peephole. I was rather hoping to see Nicole, or even maybe Taylor. But I was left with my disappointment. Damn lawyers...

I opened up to see one of the distinguished gentlemen I'd met yesterday at Mr. Kendall's law firm. 'Mr. Rubenstein' if I remembered the name correctly. He looked at me quizzically.

"I apologize for appearing at your door unannounced, Mr. Kwong, but your mobile is not answering."

"Oh, yeah. I think I broke my phone last night."

"I see." He glanced up and down at my disheveled appearance. "Are you just waking up?"

"Yes."

"But it's already 10am."

"Well, I don't have a job anymore."

He chewed on that for a second. "Quite right. May we come in?"

"Yes, of course, of course." I stepped out of the doorway and as Rubenstein came in, I noticed the second person for the first time. I wasn't quite sure how I'd missed her in the first place, as she was a statuesque blonde and devastatingly attractive. She was also holding a very familiar stack of folders.

My guests removed their shoes politely (Asian tradition) and then the three of us sat down in my living room, me on the couch and the two of them in my only wing chairs. I looked back at the stack of folders, trying to remember why they looked so familiar.

"Ah," Rubenstein continued. "You left these in the car yesterday evening, an accident I'm sure." The blonde held the folders against her chest and smiled at me. I was still wondering who she was as I looked up at her pretty face and silvery blue eyes.

Rubenstein followed my gaze. "Oh yes, where are my manners. Allow me to introduce Miss Cooper. She will be your new personal assistant."

My eyes immediately flashed back to Rubenstein. "Excuse me?"

"Your new assistant," he repeated. "Given your lack of experience in these matters and with Mr. Kendall's portfolio, the firm decided that you needed a little help in making this transition. As executors of your father's estate, we are given some leeway in making decisions such as this to protect the estate and ensure that it is well taken care of. Miss Cooper comes highly rated and from one of our top agencies. She has extensive experience in all the areas we believe you will need her for."

I glanced back at the gorgeous blonde he was referring to. She definitely didn't look any older than my 27 years, so I wondered how she could possibly have all that experience. And despite her good looks, after what I was emotionally going through with both Nicole and Taylor, I wasn't really in the mood to deal with more interference in my life.

"I thank you for the offer, but I-"

"The decision has already been made, Mr. Kwong. You need the help whether you think you do or not. Now if your issue is with Miss Cooper, I'm sure the agency can provide you with a replacement. But in the meantime, she will work with you to handle your business affairs and also organize your change in residence."

"Residence? What?"

"Jonathan," he started, his voice becoming a trifle paternal and condescending. I noted that he did not refer to me as Mr. Kwong in this instance. "I was a very good friend of your father. And unfortunately he is no longer here to give you the advice you need for a time like this. But there are certain things about your situation that you do need to understand. The first is that a man of your economic status will always face certain risks. And this building simply cannot provide the level of security that you will need. And the second thing is that no matter how hard you worked to achieve what you have, no matter how much experience you have gained in living your life, nothing can prepare you to deal with how much this inheritance will alter your very existence. People you've known for years will suddenly treat you differently."

My mind suddenly flashed to Taylor's insistence on being my girlfriend. And I remembered how all my old coworkers looked at me differently the one day I tried to go into the office. My life, as I knew it, was over.

Rubenstein walked over and actually sat down on the couch next to me. "Jonathan, I've known about you for five years. Your father let me into his secret under lawyer-client privilege. We've kept an eye on you and I know he was proud of how you were succeeding on your own. But now you are responsible for his legacy as well. And for that you will need some guidance."

My mother always told me: When the road bends, your only choices are to bend with it or fall off it. Now it was time for me to adapt to my new life. I looked Rubenstein straight in the eye. "Okay. Let's get started."

"Splendid!"

We literally spent the rest of Tuesday packaging up my entire life and getting ready to ship it across the world, if need be. I signed the necessary documents to allow Miss Cooper to issue directives on my behalf and the law firm to handle many of my other professional needs.

Lunch was ordered in (I really needed to find a way to get out and get to a restaurant or something). We ate while we discussed various issues that I really didn't care about. But eventually, finally, the end of the day came and my unexpected guests left.

***

***WEDNESDAY***

The next day my new assistant, Miss Cooper, came to the door at 9am promptly. "Good morning, Mr. Kwong."

I hated hearing a pretty girl call me that, especially when she was no older than me. "Please, PLEASE just call me John. It allows me to at least pretend that I'm normal."

"I don't know if that would be appropriate, sir. I am here as part of your staff service. 'John' would be rather familiar."

"Oh, come on. Mr. Kwong makes me sound like an old man. And besides, who in the end is paying you? At least call me Jonathan or something."

The cool, professional façade melted for a moment as she blushed. And I now clearly noticed her eyes, which had been a steely grey now fleck into a warmer blue before she schooled her appearance once again. "I can do that... Jonathan."

"Now your turn. May I call you Cassandra?" I asked, referring to her first name which I'd learned yesterday.

"Whatever you wish, sir."

"No, not 'sir'. 'Jonathan', remember?"

"Yes... Jonathan." Her blush was back. However, she quickly reasserted her professionalism once again. Her blonde hair was pulled tightly into a bun and her business suit, while stylishly feminine, was also quite rigid. We would have to work on that. It would look too weird if she were following me down the street in a business suit while I was in jeans.

"So you're the pro. What are we supposed to do first?"

"Well, first off here is your new phone," she handed me the latest and greatest gizmophone which was still astronomically expensive, complete with my own fancy Bluetooth earpiece. "It's already pre-set to block all calls except from those on your pre-approved list. We'll talk later about whom you want to include on that list."

And then she got up and started her own mini-tour of my apartment. "Next we need to do is organize you for a move. Mr. Rubenstein made it clear that your first priority will be selecting a new residence." She turned and reached into a briefcase and pulled out yet another thick folder. I could get to hate the sight of folders, but I couldn't help but notice the tight curves of Cassandra's ass as she bent over.

If she noticed me ogling her, she didn't let on. "I took the liberty of bringing dossiers on several locations, none of them on the general market. Real estate at this level is extremely confidential and extremely exclusive. There's a place on Central Park West that I think will be particularly well suited for you. It's not overly grand, but it will have plenty of space for you and a small staff. The building is well secured and ownership will provide you with cars and drivers at your leisure." I loved how Cassandra pronounced that last word as 'leh-zur' instead of 'lee-zhoor'. Her accent was a soft Australian drawl, and the longer I listened to her the more noticeably sexy it became.

The real estate dossiers were quite elegant. Full color, multi-page portfolios with lots of pictures and lots of luxury features like floor to ceiling windows, rooftop access, and absolutely gorgeous bathrooms. We spent a couple of hours looking over several apartments throughout Manhattan, all in very ritzy areas and all with spectacular views. I could even get a place in the Trump Tower if I really wanted.

We could also branch outside of Manhattan, such as going to the Hamptons. Cassandra also let me know that I had the option of moving into Jonathan Kendall's old place. But the idea of living in the house of a father I never knew quietly creeped me out. I might want to visit it before everything got packed up, but I couldn't live there.

I finally got a break to just zone out in front of the television while Cassandra made a series of phone calls. We would be house hunting tomorrow. As it turned out, I completely ignored the program I was watching and instead thought about just which big screen High Definition flat screen I wanted to get.

Afterwards, we inventoried everything I owned, mostly to set things up for a move. Much of my furniture would be sold off or otherwise replaced with a brand new interior decoration once I had a new place picked out. A part of me felt sad over my meager possessions and the idea that they would no longer be mine very shortly. However, this was more than made up by the giddy notion that I was about to embark on a very big shopping spree. True, a professional designer would likely be making many of the artistic decisions, but I was still the one buying a multi-million dollar apartment and all the furnishings.

Cassandra and I walked over every inch of my (now) seemingly very small place. No item was left un-cataloged to ensure it got routed into its proper box and then destination for later. Now I'm not a short guy by any means; but Cassandra was just as tall as I was. If I had let her keep her heels on, the blonde would be towering over me. And as we continued around the place she eventually removed the black business jacket. My eyes bugged out for a moment once I realized that this girl was absolutely STACKED, her large breasts actually having to be held down by a full bra inside her blouse and making her appear extremely top-heavy over a thin waist.

I wondered, and not for the first time, how Miss Cooper ended up a personal assistant instead of a lingerie model or some other career equally appreciative of her beauty. Or maybe this particular agency was the kind of business I would want to do a LOT more business with.

Still, despite her physical attributes, Cassandra was nothing but professional and didn't flirt with me in the slightest, despite several comments on my part.

By mid-day, once again I would be having my lunch brought to me. A part of me liked the convenience, but I was still sick of eating at home. This time, at my insistence, we ordered pizza. I'd had enough of pretentious lawyer and investment banker food.

As the smell of pepperoni hit her nostrils, I got the first genuine smile in hours out of Cassandra's professional demeanor.

"I probably shouldn't," she wondered, looking at the oil bubbling on top of melted cheese. In the end she compromised, dabbing at the pizza with a napkin to soak up as much grease as possible before joining me. I'd already finished two slices by that point.

We were just finishing up lunch when a knock came at my door. Instinctively I started to get up, but Cassandra waved me off. "It's my job, remember?"

So I sat down and watched as she peeked through the peephole and then opened up the door. "Can I help you?"

"Oh, um... am I in the right place?" The voice I heard was melodious and completely familiar in its shy sweetness.

"Nicole?" I called out from my spot on the couch as I got up.

Nicole was just sizing up this very tall blonde with the big breasts, a badly stricken expression on her face. "I'm interrupting something. I'm very sorry." And with that she half turned to flee.

"Nicole! No, no. Please, come in. Have some pizza."

"You have company."

"Oh, no. It's not what you think." I stood side by side with Cassandra and reached out again, holding both of Nicole's hands as I brought her inside.

"Hello, I'm Miss Cooper," Cassandra offered, holding her hand out for a handshake while I closed the door. "Mr. Kendall's law firm assigned me to Mr. Kwong as his personal assistant. We have a LOT of documents to go over and there will be many changes in his personal life."

Nicole took the hand and allowed Cassandra to shake. But she still looked a little uncomfortable with the situation. "I'm Nicole," she managed to answer. "I live on the 5th floor." Then she turned to me. "I just wanted to talk. To apologize for last night."

Cassandra stepped in smoothly. "Mr. Kwong, I have several more calls to make. I'll just leave you two alone." She turned and smiled kindly at Nicole. "Pleased to make your acquaintance." And with that, she grabbed her briefcase and notebook computer and went into my bedroom before I could correct her into calling me 'Jonathan'.

I brought Nicole over to the couch, letting her sit next to me while she still eyed me a little strangely. "Every time I see you there seems to be another gorgeous woman in your orbit," she commented.

"Like you," I said softly. My heart immediately went back to the way I was feeling yesterday in the elevator, desperate to spend more time with this pretty girl.

Nicole hung her head down, not sure how to act. A long lock of light brown hair fell over her eyes. And before I realized it, I'd pulled back on the hair, tucking it around her ear to let me see her elfin cute face.

Nicole shivered at my touch. "I don't understand it. Why can't I get you out of my head?"

"Probably for the same reason you're inside my head." And without thinking I leaned in and pressed my lips softly to hers. She gasped in surprise but a moment later Nicole flowed back into my kiss, her hands actually coming up and holding my face as she pressed forward, parting her lips to allow my tongue in as my heart leapt in absolute joy.

But as quickly as we started, Nicole pulled straight back shaking her head. "But I barely know you!"

"Then let's change that," I offered.

"But I can't. The whole situation is just too overwhelming for me. And you're cute and all, but... it's just so weird. The fact is, you're not just a cute guy I met in the elevator. You're New York's newest billionaire. And if I go out with you, paparazzi are going to be plastering photos of ME in every trashy tabloid."

Once again I was holding Nicole's hands in my own. "Nicole, do you like me? Do you feel the same spark between us that I'm feeling?"