The Billionaire's Redemption

Chapter 3

I turned to face Susan as he started to leave. I seized the opportunity to appreciate the little form of her shoulders revealed on her halter-neck dress and the tiny necklace that sat on her breast while she pretended not to notice that I was staring at her.

I recalled that necklace. She wore it nonstop since Dave and I decided to get it for her for her twentieth birthday.

"Every day, this place keeps expanding. She murmured as she sank further into her chair and turned to face me. "Business seems to be growing.

I remained silent. I was too enamored of her to notice any of her subtle gestures or expressions. Just by staring at her, my body began to tense. Heat engulfed me and ignited a passion within me.

I blurted the words out without thinking or understanding that my wild idea was already coming to life. "Marry me, Susan."

Susan

I froze, all the tingles that had been coursing through me solely because James was looking away, leaving only laughter rushing up to the surface with a force I was unable to contain. I started laughing loudly and allowed my stomach to thump along with it.

James responded, "Susan," as my chuckle died down but the smile on my face persisted. He continued, "I really do mean it, Susan, marry me."

I laughed again, shook my head and replied, "You're crazy." "Actually, you're a clown."

"I'm for real,"

You can't be, I say. When I turned to face him, he bent his head to the side and gave me a somber expression. I sipped from the martini while whispering, "You're insane," and picking up the glass from the table. "Hmm, strong, just what I need to make me completely insane this evening and get rid of your foolishness."

Why is it ridiculous of me to ask you to marry me?

I drank some more. due to..." I held off on taking another sip from the glass in order to stare at him. "Because we don't get along well as a team."

When I was holding the glass in my hands, James leaned forward in his chair and raised the right corner of his lips into a smug smirk. "Susan, the last time we worked together, we did a great job. You must have remembered it, too.

Bang! Just his suggestive words caused heat to flare inside of me, and a slow hum began in my blood. I felt sick to my stomach and like I was melting inside from it.

I detest this sensation. I detested that James was the one for whom I felt this way. Why had to it be him?

"I'm not doing this with you, James."

Doing what? He asked innocently as if he didn't understand what I was saying.

I'm not teasing you tonight, I promise. It's not going to be you; in fact, I'm waltzing out of this section right now to get myself some handsome dude to drive me home tonight.

Just why did you say that? As soon as I spoke them, I wanted to wince because I sounded envious—or rather, desperate—to make him envious.

In any case, I kept my head held high, huffed, and turned to leave.

I left the VIP area and went to the dance floor where I found a great guy to dance with and started rocking to the music. I shook my hips into the guy behind me as my eyes strayed to the VIP section's exit. I moved away from him and went to the regular bar to order a double malted scotch since I could feel his hardness rising and pressing into my back just from our dance creeped me out.

I completed the first shot and turned to view the man I had just danced with when I felt a hand tap on my shoulder. He said, "Hey," as he sat next to me. You dance like a pro, I must say.

Is that a flirtatious line, ugh? I thought as I grinned and sent a glance his way. He appeared to be a lovely man, but too uncomplicated. He couldn't even look me in the eye, and his ginger hair was a complete mess thanks to all the tousling he was doing with his fingers.

He inquired, "Can I buy you a drink?"

I smiled and said to him, "Buy me two." I sighed and said, "I'd like to forget all about tonight," and he smiled. After downing the two shots he had generously purchased for me, the man put his hand back on my shoulder and started gushing about how much he enjoyed frequenting this particular bar.

The moment he touched me for the first time, I shimmered away, and he then placed his hand on my waist. When I heard him yell, I turned to see James standing behind me, bending the man's fingers just as I was going to gently peel them away.

One guideline for flirting with women is to wait to touch them until they initiate contact. In a harsh, stern voice that sounded stern, he added, "That just makes you sound like a creep. "Now leave quickly."

James grinned, pulled out his handkerchief, and wiped his hands after we were alone at the bar.

I looked at James and murmured, "I didn't need you to save me, James," before turning back to face the bar.

He sat next to me and said, "But Susan, I need you to marry me.

Never again."James … I'm not interested in whatever game you believe you're playing.

"I need a wife; this is not a joke."

I let out a stern chuckle. You will marry a woman who will be extremely unlucky.

He scowled as though he was genuinely perplexed and questioned, "Why?"

I answered him, "Because you will drive her insane," and then got up and started to go. James was directly behind me as I left the club. I grabbed my shoulder the instant he touched it, turned it around, and made him scream.

He said, "Susan, it's me," with a hint of hurt in his voice.

"I know," I responded. "Remember how you showed me this move? to defend oneself? I reminded him that I was just eighteen at the time, grinned, and let go of his hand. James, leave me alone. I really do.

I did not care that my cheeks were burning from the flush of his unexpected proposal as I walked away from him at that point.

Whatishisendgame?

James Nicholas and I were too close. The man for romance and love wasn't him. Charming women and playing around are both acceptable, but not love.

So why did he ask me to be his wife?

As I concentrated on cleaning my lens and getting ready for the upcoming photo shoot with my newest clientele, James's thoughts constantly raced through my head. For a year, the photographic company I worked for collaborated with Page Six, managing all of their picture and video shoots for whatever publications they were producing.

James was only one of several famous people I had to take pictures of the next week. I cleaned the lens and then pulled out my phone to check my daily agenda.

I looked at the time. I was confident that our model for the day had left the dressing room as the shoot's start time drew near. I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck to help relieve some of the strain as I made my way to the studio.

As I opened the door to enter, everything seemed to be dead silent, and I wondered where the rest of the team had vanished.

The shouts of "Surprise!" from the crowd inside startled me, causing me to shriek and stumble back. James was crouching down in front of them, clutching a bouquet of flowers, and flashing a heart-tickling smile.

In his smooth voice, he murmured, "Marry me, Susan." He grinned at me while nibbling on his bottom lip. His eyes twitched at the edges, and his gaze grew smokey enough to raise the temperature of my cheeks.

"What on earth do you think you're doing?" I asked him as I got nearer.

"Wed me, Susan... Until you respond positively, I won't stand up.