The Bad Billionaire's Seven Kiss Negotiation

Chapter 7

“God damn it Caris, stop wriggling,” Nedra complained as she pushed back at her friend in the back of the limousine.

“I can’t help it, I knew I should have gone commando under this thing. The thong is riding way to high,” she grumbled as she twisted in the seat. “Also, I’m going to throw up. After tonight my entire life is forever changed.”

“Did you sign the prenup yet?” Analise asked seriously

“Nope,” she shook her head, “I told both Killian and Garth I wasn’t signing it until Boone finished his review and he said he had something else he was checking into. I’m not a divorce lawyer so I want to make sure I’m not setting myself to be screwed later.” According to Killian and their multiple conversations since Wednesday, he hoped they never had to use the prenup. He had expressed his desire on many occasions this be as real a marriage as one with two people who fell hopelessly in love.

“I can’t believe you haven’t boned him yet,” Nedra said with a grimace.

“I haven’t even kissed him properly and it just seems weird, like really weird. It’s weird right?” Caris felt strange about the entire thing. “I feel like he’s purposefully holding back as if lulling me into a sense of security.”

“I’m more curious as to what Malachi Blackwood, Spawn of Satan, is going to say when he calls you tonight. He’s either going to double down on wanting you or you’ll never hear from him again.”

She shrugged, “he’s nothing to me so I don’t care. I’ve tried ignoring his calls, changing my number, and even once when he was a d**k to me, sending him a cease and desist and yet, he still calls. Maybe this will be the thing to finally get him off my back.”

“Why are we all so scared of him?” Analise asked, “he’s just a man.”

“No, he is not just a man. He is the devil incarnate and we all know it. He is as gorgeous as he is dangerous. He does what he wants when he wants and how he wants with no regard for anyone else.”

“Remember when he got caught screwing his professor on her desk and some students walked in?”

They all spoke together, “get out, I’m not done!”

They all giggled together.

“He’s a scary son of a b***h. I wouldn’t want to be on his bad side, I’ll tell you. I think Garth is on his bad side. Killian mentioned something about Malachi’s father working for him at one time and they fired him. I didn’t get too much of the details because there are things, I don’t need to know but if he’s out to get them, maybe it’s why he’s been interested in me all along.” She remembered Killian saying he could be using her to get to Garth and it rankled somewhat.

“He has said more than once you make his d**k hard and whether it’s to get back at your family or something else, it enough to be running for the hills. If I were under his intense chasing, I’d be in a convent in Ecuador or somewhere praying for my soul.” Analise made a face, “sorry Caris but he is single-mindedly focused on f*****g you. Maybe if you slept with him, he’d go away.”

“Not sleeping with him. My luck he’d make a tape.”

“True,” Analise nodded her agreement. “He’s a rake.”

Caris sighed as they pulled up to her mother’s house. “Well, here we are.”

“It’s not a guillotine,” Nedra mocked her, “it’s fine. Three years of your life and you can walk if it’s so bad. My parents had an arranged marriage and they’re on year fifty.”

“Your parents are both the most wonderful people on earth. Fate brought them together because there was nobody else, they should be with.”

“Maybe you and Killian were meant to be? After how sweet he was on Wednesday night with you? Admitting your parents tainted his image of you and how he wants to take it slow, so you don’t have regrets. Maybe he’s a good guy.” Nedra shrugged as the car came to a halt. “You’re a great person Caris. You deserve a great guy. Maybe he’s the one you should be with. I’m just saying, don’t panic just yet.”

Analise gripped her hands, “they’re only announcing the engagement tonight. You’re not getting married tonight. You still have three more weeks before the ceremony.”

“Right,” she swallowed as her stomach rolled. Everything felt wrong and she didn’t know why but she was grateful to have her friends with her. “Let’s do this.”

Before she even knocked on the door, the housekeeper had the door pulled open and the three women moved inside. “Your parents are with their guests in the grand salon.”

“Is Killian here yet?” she asked quietly.

“No, Mr. Young is delayed.”

He had messaged her to say he was going to be a bit late as they’d had an issue at one of their offices and he’d flown out to Seattle to deal with it. He was flying back in time for the party, but he had suggested she go with the girls, and he’d meet her there.

Maris poked her head over the banister rail above and Caris saw her right away. “Why are you skulking?”

“Mom wants me to stay upstairs but I just wanted to see what you were wearing,” she whispered from her perch.

“Why do you have to stay upstairs?” Nedra made a face of irritation

Maris shrugged before she gave Caris a thumbs up and disappeared back into the darkness of the rooms overhead.

“She is really weird,” Analise whispered, “she needs help.”

“Caris, there you are,” Aileen came out and followed their gazes up the stairs, “what are you looking at?”

“Nothing, I was just hoping to catch a glimpse of Maris.”

“She refused to wear the outfit I had designed for her. Said it was bad enough you were selling your body to protect hers, but she wasn’t coming to the party dressed like a prom queen. It was a perfectly suitable dress.” Aileen grimaced as she looked Caris up and down, “I take it your friend designed this one as well?”

“Nope, bought it off the rack at Nordstrom’s,” she took immense pleasure in the disgust on her mother’s face.

“The girls look amazing in it,” Analise made a show of looking down Caris’ cleavage and then jumped back as Aileen swatted at her.

“Do not embarrass me in there,” Aileen hissed at the three of them. “Now go, mingle and pretend to have fun. Killian’s helicopter arrived at head office about an hour ago so he should be here shortly.”

“Fine,” Caris rolled her eyes at her mother’s retreating back and immediately led the parade to the bar.

“She needs to get laid or something. She’s always so damn high strung.”

Caris screwed her face up at Nedra, “ew, that’s my mom.”

“Do you think they still do it after all this time?”

“I’m going to vomit. Officially done with this conversation.”

Analise lifted her chin, “who is he?” The three women all turned to look at a man talking to Garth. The man saw them staring and tapped Garth’s forearm before stepping away.

“I don’t know but he’s coming this way,” Caris said as she sipped the glass of whiskey the bartender passed her.

“Caris, correct?” The man was very handsome with big blue eyes and blonde hair so light it was nearly white.

“Who wants to know?”

The man chuckled, “he didn’t lie. You’re feisty.” The man extended his hand, “the name is Ice.”

“No, it’s not.” Caris shook her head. “Not a man alive whose real name is Ice.”

“It is. My father was a huge Top Gun fan. My name is Ice. I’m Killian’s best friend.”

Analise elbowed her and she groaned, “Ice, this is Nedra and Analise, my two best friends.”

As they made pleasantries Caris let her eyes roam around the room. She knew many of the people here because she’d been dragged to many functions like this in the past. Her eyes connected with a pair of blue eyes suddenly stepping into the room and she smiled automatically.

“Aw, she likes him,” Ice mocked her smile as he watched her look at Killian across the room. “It’s almost cute.”

Killian beelined for them ignoring the hand upheld by Garth and immediately offered an apology, “Caris, I apologize I’m late. We had some weather, so the flight was delayed.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek gently, “I see you met Ice.” He looked to his friend, “I hope you’re behaving.”

“I haven’t embarrassed you yet.”

“Today or in general?” Killian asked with a half grin.

“Just today. I embarrass you most days with unbridled glee,” Ice taunted with a slap on the shoulder. “What are you drinking Kill-Joy? It’s your night.”

“Get me a scotch, would you?” He was looking Caris over, “dance with me?”

“Sure,” she passed her glass to Nedra and moved with him to the floor.

She slid into his arms, and he held her close, one hand tight to his chest.

“Caris, you look incredible. I mean, you’re always beautiful but wow. The dress was made for you.” He reached up and tugged a spiral of hair and watched as it bounced back to its regular shape. “I swear every single hair on your head tonight has a curl of its own. It’s fantastic.”

She rested her cheek against his shoulder, “thank you. You look rather good yourself in your tux.”

“I had to get dressed up, I’m getting formally engaged tonight.”

She chuckled as he whispered in her ear, his breath warm and increasingly familiar. “How exciting for you.”

“It is,” he tilted her head back so he could look at her face, “you really are beautiful. I adore the fact you don’t cover a single freckle on your face. I don’t think you would be you without them.”

“Thanks,” she felt the blush staining her cheeks.

“Your eyes remind me of a cat we had when I was a kid. Green and serious and taking in everything and missing nothing. They even have little flecks of yellow in them.”

She smiled, “you’re flirting again.”

“I am,” he agreed his smile wide, “but I’m also being very honest. I’m fortunate enough to have the most beautiful and smartest woman in the room in my arms. I know a gift when I see it.” He leaned down and she let her eyes close as he kissed her mouth softly. “Come home with me tonight?”

“What?” she opened her eyes incredulously.

“Do you like me?”

She giggled at his question, “yes, I think I do like you but not because you’re plying me with compliments.” She held his gaze seriously, unable to remove the smile on her face, “why the change?”

“You put this dress on for me. I know this red dress anywhere. You put it on for me,” he repeated his claim, “Which means, you like me. You remembered what I said about it.”

She looked down at the dress she’d worn to the Christmas gala the year before and smiled, “maybe I remembered you saying something about it. Mom didn’t remember it either. Just goes to show it’s not what I was wearing back then but the fact it was me.”

“She’s a fool for not recognizing the greatest gift in the world is you.” Killian said with a smile, “you are breathtaking and I can barely think straight with you in my arms.”

She linked her hand around his neck and touched his hair softly, “so you’re just ready to throw caution to the wind?”

“Sweetheart,” he lowered his mouth to her ear, “if you can’t tell from dancing with me how much I want to throw you over my shoulder and just leave, then we have a problem.”

She felt his hand at her waist adjust her against him and her eyes widened as she felt the hard length of him against her middle. “Killian,” she whispered burying her face in his neck.

“As soon as they announce our engagement, let’s get out of here.” He kissed her ear.

“Deal,” she giggled as buried her face against his chest. “This is crazy.”

“You knew what you were doing when you put this dress on.”

“Maybe,” she didn’t reveal to him she was testing him to see what his response would be. She knew she looked good and needed to see if he was really as controlled as he was displaying all week. She looked back at him. “I just wanted to see if you would actually remember the dress.”

His fingers were under her chin as he looked in her eyes, “I memorized every single stitch of it. I can’t wait to take it off.”

The sound of commotion in the foyer made them both look up in surprise.

“Wonder what that’s about?” Killian leaned sideways to see if he could see into the area outside the salon.

“Caris!”

She lifted her eyebrows up incredulously and looked to Killian, “Boone?”

She made her way to the foyer with Killian in tow and she realized Analise and Nedra were hot on their heels.

“Boone, what the hell?”

“You are not marrying him.” Boone pushed past Garth who couldn’t hold him back. “No f*****g way.”

Aileen glared at Caris, “Caris what is going on? Are you sleeping with your boss?”

“Incest isn’t my thing Aileen,” Boone growled at her. He pointed to Garth, “Find a quiet room now for us to talk or I’m going to start right here, right now, with all your guests watching on.”

Virgil stepped in flanked by a woman Caris could only describe as statuesque. Immediately she knew this woman was her grandmother.

Aileen went pale, “Amber?”

“I believe my grandson suggested a quiet room. Before we completely upend my granddaughter’s life, can we please find somewhere less populated to talk?”

Caris looked to Garth who looked very pale, “Garth, what did you do?”

“Nothing,” he motioned for them to walk away from the group now congregating and towards his office at the far end of the house. “My office is this way, please let’s go sort this out away from public eyes. I’m sure it’s a simple misunderstanding.”