Waking up on the Billionaire's Bed

Chapter 3: Facing the Consequences

Venus woke up the next morning in the VIP suite, sprawled across the massive bed. For a moment, she got confused about where she was as she stared at the high ceiling and luxurious surroundings. She wondered how her life had taken such a bizarre turn. One minute, she was nursing a massive heartbreak, and the next, she was sharing a fake relationship with a billionaire.

Yeah, she had finally figured out Jared’s identity. With the luxury of the suite and the way he carried himself, she had gotten over the shock of sleeping with a stranger and used the very useful tool for modern mankind, Google.

She was shocked when she found out that her very fake boyfriend was a very famous football player and a billionaire from a wealthy family.

From the information on Google, Jared could totally live the life of a prince without working but he had a passion for football since he was young and joined an international club while in University. Apparently, he was planning to retire in a year after one last game.

Shaking her head, she climbed out of bed and padded into the adjoining bathroom. The luxury was unreal to her, marble counters, a rainfall shower, and fluffy towels that probably cost more than her entire wardrobe.

By the time Venus made her way to the living area, Jared was already there, sipping coffee and scrolling through his phone. He looked effortlessly handsome in a white button-up shirt and jeans, his hair slightly damp from a shower.

“Morning,” he said without looking up.

“Morning,” Venus mumbled, making a beeline for the coffee machine.

“Sleep well?”

Venus glanced at him over her shoulder. “As well as I could, considering having my heart broken by my boyfriend of two years, whom by the way I was going to propose to, and sleeping with a stranger. And what’s more, I am currently living with said stranger”

Jared chuckled, finally setting his phone down. “You’re going to have to lighten up Venus if we’re going to sell this whole ‘happy couple’ thing.”

“Oh! I’m perfectly light,” Venus said, pouring herself a cup of coffee. Deliberately misinterpreting his meaning.

“Sure you are Sunshine,” Jared said with a smirk. “But we’ve got work to do. I told my family I already have a girlfriend so they should not bring those messy women to meet me or they will make her jealousy. And as expected, they did not buy it. So, my family is expecting photos, and probably some videos and we need to make it look convincing.”

Venus groaned when she heard that, already regretting her hasty decision to fake-date this guy. “Photos? Already?”

“Welcome to my life,” Jared said. “We’ll start with a casual stroll around the ship. Hold hands, smile, that sort of thing.”

“You make it sound so easy when we’ll be like monkeys performing in a circus,” she muttered.

“It is easy,” he replied. “Just follow my lead and you will be fine”

An hour later, Venus found herself walking hand-in-hand with Jared along the ship’s sunlit promenade. Every so often, he’d point out a shop or a restaurant, leaning close to murmur something in her ear. Venus couldn’t help but blush a little when he got that close. I mean she wasn’t a piece of wood and no matter what, this guy was handsome and sexy, and above all the memories of the two of them going at it two nights ago somehow had started to resurface. She couldn’t stop her heart from beating a little faster.

To anyone watching, they looked like a couple deeply in love.

But to Venus, it felt like a performance—a surreal charade she wasn’t sure she could keep up. Her face was almost cramping from the smiles. She had to make it look real while her heart was in pain and the messy one-night-stand memories were not helping. It was not an easy performance.

“Try to relax,” Jared said, squeezing her hand. “Pretend all these people are melons that can’t see or hear you.”

“I feel ridiculous,” Venus whispered.

“You’re supposed to,” Jared teased. “That’s half the fun.”

Despite herself, Venus couldn’t help laughing at his stupid remark. Putting his arrogance aside, Jared had a way of putting her at ease.

But her moment of levity was short-lived. As they rounded a corner, Venus spotted a familiar figure in the distance and she stopped in her tracks. Her heart sinking to the bottom of her feet.

Joel.

He was walking arm-in-arm with Sarah, looking every bit the picture of a happy couple. Venus’s stomach churned and she almost vomited last night’s dinner. The hand holding Jared’s tightened unconsciously.

Jared realized that something was wrong with her and followed her gaze and immediately tensed. “Is that him?” He asked in a deep, husky voice.

Venus nodded, her jaw tight. “Yeah.”

Without missing a beat, Jared pulled her closer, wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned towards her face. “Play along,” he murmured.

Before Venus could understand what he meant, he leaned in and kissed her. Full on the mouth. It wasn’t a quick peck or a polite gesture, it was a full, passionate French kiss that left her breathless and slightly dizzy. It was because her brain stopped functioning and froze for a while that she didn’t push him away.

When they finally broke apart, Venus blinked and looked up at him, her cheeks burning and eyes dazed and a bit blurry.

That look almost made Jared’s heart stop beating. It was almost the same kind of look she had in bed when they had s*x.

“What the hell was that for?” she whispered.

“Making it convincing,” Venus’ whisper brought his mind back from the gutters and Jared replied, his voice low, yet with a little more huskiness than usual and a bit restrained. “And judging by the look on your ex’s face, it worked.”

Venus subtly glanced back, not making it obvious, only to see Joel staring at them, his expression a mix of shock and jealousy. Venus couldn’t understand, what was he jealousy for? He cheated first. He should have expected their relationship to end the moment she found out, and from that point on they had nothing to do with each other.

Sarah on the other hand, was frowning as if she had just swallowed a fly. It was clear that she was not pleased with the attention Joel was giving Venus.

“Well,” Venus said, turning back to Jared. “That was…effective. It kinda feels like sweet revenge.”

“Glad you approve,” Jared said with a wink. “Though I don’t suppose that was enough revenge for you Princess.”

“It is indeed not enough. He took me for a fool and I will not take that lying down.”

“We can talk about it in the future then.” Jared replied as he took her hand again and went back to their suite.

Later that evening, Venus kept replaying the day’s events in her mind. Jared’s kiss had been unexpected, but it had also stirred something in her, something she couldn’t understand.

She was just starting to unwind when Jared walked into her room, carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses. “I figured you might need a glass to feel better after what happened today.”

“I believe I need something stronger, but wine will have to do for now. I don’t want a repeat of the other night just because I got drunk.” Venus said.

“To surviving day one,” Jared said as he chuckled, pouring her a glass.

Venus accepted it with a small smile. “Surviving is the right word.” She had indeed survived the first day of her heartbreak and her fake relationship as Jared’s girlfriend.

They sat in companionable silence for a while before Jared broke it.

“You know,” Jared said, swirling his wine, “you’re not half bad at this fake girlfriend thing.”

“Thanks…I think,” Venus said, raising an eyebrow.

Jared chuckled. “I mean it. You’ve got this mix of sass and charm that’s…refreshing.”

Venus snorted. “And you’ve got this mix of arrogance and charm, that’s infuriating.”

“Fair enough,” Jared said with a grin. He had a comfortable feeling when he was with Venus, something he had never felt with anyone else before, not even his ex-girlfriend.

For a moment, they just looked at each other, the teasing banter giving way to a quiet connection that non of them were aware of.

Venus was the first to surrender and broke eye contact, clearing her throat. “We should probably call it a night. Tomorrow’s bound to be just as exhausting.”

“Right,” Jared said, his tone lighter again. “Sweet dreams, sweetheart.”

Venus gave him an eye roll, but small smile tugged at her lips as she retreated to her room.

As she lay in bed and relieved the events of the day, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was in way over her head. Jared was charming, no doubt about it, but she couldn’t forget the reality of their arrangement.

This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be.

But as she drifted to sleep, her thoughts lingered to the way his lips had felt against hers.