The Night I Ensnared a Billionaire

Nova Blair had downed three drinks and was feeling pretty buzzed.

She was at the bar, surrounded by a sea of folks dancing and flirting on the dance floor. The whole place was charged with a vibe of temptation.

She'd been hanging out at the bar for a solid three hours, constantly checking her phone and drowning her sorrows in booze every time she saw her ex's photos with another woman, all lovey-dovey.

Thinking about bumping into that no-good ex of hers at the class reunion the next day was really getting to her.

She'd come to the club hoping to find a hot guy to cheer herself up, but even after three hours, no luck. Not a single guy had caught her eye.

Nova finished her martini in one last gulp. "So much for the fanciest club in the city, can't even find one decent guy." She sighed, left the bar, and walked straight into a tall dude on her way out.

"Ouch!" She looked up, ready to snap at him, but she bit her tongue when she saw his face.

"Hey—" She sobered up a bit as she checked him out.

He was towering, easily over six feet, all dressed in black with a couple of shirt buttons undone, showing off his sharp collarbones. He had this chiseled, cold look that was undeniably hot.

Nova thought to herself, wow, he's a looker.

Totally her type.

She licked her lips as she met his intense gaze.

Nova herself looked sharp in a fitted dark dress that showed off her figure.

Total babe – that was Tristan Alastair's first take on Nova.

He definitely liked what he saw.

It looked like Nova caught the hint of desire in his eyes too.

She still had a playful smile, "Hey handsome, got a light?"

Tristan casually took a lighter out of his pocket and handed it over to her.

Nova thanked him with a smile, took out a cigarette, leaned back against the wall, and lit it like a pro, blowing out a puff of smoke.

Afterward, she gave the lighter back to Tristan.

He put it away with a grin, "You know, smoking isn't a great habit for a lady."

His voice was rich and smooth, kind of magnetic.

Nova squinted a bit, "What's with the old-school thinking? Since when is smoking a guy or girl thing?"

She was half-smiling, speaking in a laid-back tone.

Amid the swirls of smoke, Nova's allure was amplified, even as her face became less distinct.

Tristan watched her for a second, his smile growing, "I like your wild side."

Nova didn't reply immediately, instead, she crushed her cigarette in the trash can and threw it away.

Nova flashed a sly smile, "You into this? Then how 'bout we head to my place tonight?"

Her voice was relaxed, a bit tipsy, and oh-so-flirty.

Nova wasn't shy about it; she just threw out the invite.

This guy was way hotter than her ex – the one who did her dirty.

And something about him got her all fired up like never before.

She kinda of wanted to mess around with him, no strings attached.

Tristan looked her over, his eyes squinting slightly, "You're a little drunk, aren't you?"

Nova smirked playfully, "Do you think a drunk person can't feel real desire?"

He didn't expect her to be so blunt, "Desire for what?"

Her lips were teasingly close to his, her eyes dancing with mischief, "What else do men and women desire from each other, except, you know, the obvious?"

The scent of her perfume mingled with the alcohol was subtle yet captivating.

It was a fresh, distinct fragrance that seemed to cut through the haze.

Tristan took in her scent and studied her boldness with a quirk of his eyebrow.

"You're suggesting a sleepover?" he asked, half-teasing.

Nova backed away just a hair, her laughter even more enticing, "I've got a feeling you're thinking the same. We're on the same page, right?"

Tristan teased back, eyebrow cocked, "Am I the first one you've asked tonight?"

Even with the buzz from the drinks, Nova understood him loud and clear.

"You're in luck; you're the first. And you?" she shot back with a playful grin.

Tristan's lips twitched with amusement, "What do you think?"

His gaze was intense as he cornered her against the wall, his hand framing her face, the other tilting up her chin.

Nova's cheeks flushed, and her heart picked up the pace.

"Answer me. How many have there been?" he whispered, his fingers brushing her lips.

Her eyes, slightly glazed, looked up at him, "Words don't do this kind of question justice, do they?"

She grabbed his hand, and in the boldness that only comes with a few drinks, she snuggled into his arms, murmuring, "Why not check it out for yourself?"

Tristan just smiled, not saying a word.

She was definitely tipsy, but he was drawn to her like a moth to a flame.

She had a scent that made him want to skip the small talk and get straight to... other things.

Nova held his gaze, feeling a wild rush she couldn't quite tame.

She challenged him again, a playful taunt in her voice, "What's up? You chicken? Or do you think I can't foot the bill? Let's make it simple, how about we charge by the hour?"

Seeing how handsome this gigolo was in front of her, spending some cash to have him accompany her for the night seemed like a pretty good deal.

Tristan's eyes narrowed dangerously as he stared at Nova, and he asked in a measured tone, "What did you say? Charge? "

By the hour?

What did she think he was?

A gigolo?

Or a male escort?

Leaning against the wall, Nova was losing her patience. Was this dude playing dumb? This place was crawling with gigolos. Even with a buzz, she was clear, "Look, you're easy on the eyes, so I'll pay by the hour. Just keep me company tonight and make me happy."

Her voice was sultry, but to Tristan, it sounded like a provoke.

No woman had ever talked to him like that before. He grabbed her chin, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "I'm not some cheap thrill. You can't afford me."

He squeezed a little too hard, and Nova winced.

Nova's brow furrowed; she was running out of patience. Waving her hand dismissively, she snapped, "You're fussing like a lady. Can you even deliver? I'm not gonna know if you're worth it until you show me. What if you're all talk?"

Now Nova's head was pounding, and she was getting more and more annoyed.

Tristan, with a taunting smirk, locked eyes with her. "Let's find out then. But be careful, you might not be able to handle it."

Next thing she knew, he was carrying her over his shoulder.

In the dark room, with her head spinning and her senses fuzzy, she clung to Tristan instinctively.

He didn't say a word as he pressed her down on the bed, his cool lips silencing her protests with a kiss that was a mix of booze and wildness.

Nova felt completely overpowered, her fingers gripping his sleeve the only part of her that could move, like a tiny boat lost at sea, her mind completely consumed by his fiery kiss.

When she woke up the next morning, her body felt like it had been through a war.

She squinted against the glaring sunlight and sat up with a throbbing headache. The messy bed and his tie made her freeze – she'd actually spent the night with a gigolo!

And they hadn't stopped all night...

She felt a twinge of regret. Why had she let herself go like that? Damn the drinks for making her lose control.

Tristan, who had been awake for a while, watched the play of emotions across her face and laughed quietly.

He felt a weird urge to poke fun at her.

"Not happy with my performance?"

"Although, you seemed pretty into me from the start. I must have given you quite the deal. Let's settle up."

Nova's face burned with embarrassment. She was the one who wanted to hire a gigolo, but now it felt like she'd been played.

Watching him act all innocent after getting the upper hand made her blood boil.

But she couldn't lose her temper.

She took deep breaths.

Stay cool.

And then she reminded herself, this was all because of that awful ex and his new girl!

"Hey, your phone was going off a bunch."

Tristan was already getting dressed to leave.

He just wanted to chill out last night, didn't expect a wild night like that.

Nova looked up and saw the scratch marks on his back, her face got even hotter.

She reached for her phone to hide her embarrassment.

She didn't notice the mirrors all around the bed, but Tristan saw her shy look in them.

That actually piqued his interest.

Nova saw the flood of messages from her ex and his new flame on her phone, reminding her not to miss today's reunion.

As Tristan was about to walk out, Nova had a quick thought and stopped him.

"Wait."

"What's your name?" she asked, kinda stiff.

Tristan turned and gave her a casual look, "What, you want a sequel or something?"

"No, just be my fake boyfriend for the day, same as last night, by the hour!"

"I'll pay you for both days together."

Tristan wasn't thrilled, he was about to say no – his time wasn't cheap.

But seeing her expression in the mirror, he thought it might be fun.

Playing pretend boyfriend for a day? This chick was gutsy.

"Okay."

Nova was relieved; Tristan was a knockout, way better than her ex Ashton. But she couldn't just grab a taxi, could she?

No way would a big-shot CEO be caught dead in a cab!

She thought about renting a fancy car just to flex and it hurt more than paying for the gigolo!

Tristan was pretending to do up his buttons, just to watch Nova squirm. Everything about her was written all over her face.

He smirked a little, finding this pretty entertaining.

"You're willing to drop big money for a day with me, so I won't disappoint."

"The name's Tristan Alastair, don't forget it."

"I'll handle everything, you just take it easy."

Nova couldn't believe her luck.

Was this hitting the jackpot?

A full-service package, it seemed.

It seemed he really was a very professional…

Gigolo…

"Mind if I get the cash first?" Tristan said.

Taking gigolo to the next level must be tough.

"Okay, here you are."

"Look, I'll head to the reunion spot first. You get the car and meet me there." Tristan said.

Tristan watched Nova's face change shades and figured she was overthinking again.

"I've got this," Tristan added.

Nova took a quick peek at the time, briefed him on his cover story, and their fake romantic how-we-met tale, and then dashed off.

Left Tristan alone in the room, he looked at the number on the screen and made a call.

"Meeting's been bumped up."

Nova went all out, hair, spa, the works, head to toe, all to slap her ex's face with her glow-up.

Just reached the door, and there's that voice.

"Nova, thought you bagged a rich guy? Why still rock up in a taxi? He ditch you already?"

Selena Voss was all snuggled up to Ashton Wilde, casually showing off her new bling.

"Ugh, what's that smell? Oh, just someone's garbage mouth."

Nova spun around, hand over her nose like she just noticed they were there.

Ashton's eyes were glued to Nova's figure in that sleek black dress, clearly impressed.

Shame he never had his chance!

"Nova, please don't tell us you're hiding some old sugar daddy and just made up that whole handsome, rich CEO boyfriend story?"

Selena was being salty, especially after catching that look from Ashton.

She knew, everyone knew, Nova's looks were top-notch, and Ashton, well, he wasn't over her.

Nova didn't miss a beat, "Selena, old sugar daddy? Your favorite? So what? Better than your pussy boyfriend. "