Page 30 of Loving a Billionaire

“No. I’m just waiting to meet a woman at the beach. Why? What’s up?”

“Wh-what? You are meeting a woman – on yourown? That doesn’t sound like the Austin Reeder I know.”

Austin laughed. “No, it doesn’t, but that’s all right. I felt I was stuck in a rut, and I needed a change.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear it. I was actually calling about that one woman you asked me about the other day.”

“Talia?”

“Yes, that one.”

“Have you found out anything about her?”

“No. That’s why I’m calling. To let you know that everything I’ve tried is a dead end.”

Austin grinned. “Well, my friend, luck is on my side, because she came back.”

“She did?”

“Yes, and that’s who I’m meeting tonight.”

“Did she tell you how she knows me?”

Austin shook his head and chuckled. “Yes. She told me the whole story.” As he explained it to his friend, his smile continued to widen. Images of Talia floated through his mind, making him more anxious. Her beauty was intoxicating, and he wanted to sample her passionate kisses once more. But it was more than that. Last night, he wasn’t a billionaire, and she wasn’t a woman desperate for money. They were two lonely souls enjoying the evening together. She made him laugh, and that pleased him almost as much as her passionate kisses.

“She’s a friend of Kalama’s?” Ariki’s voice wavered.

“I guess. But Kalama was the one who recommended me.”

“Hmm... That doesn’t sound right. I didn’t know Kalama had women friends.”

Austin shrugged. “Apparently, she does.”

“Do you think Talia is lying?”

“Why would she lie?” Austin shook his head. “She was a distressed woman, and that’s exactly how she acted that first afternoon in my suite. No, I don’t think she’s lying.”

“So, you’re really going to help her?”

“Of course.”

Ariki tsked on the other end of the phone. “My friend, you have always been the kind of guy who helps abandoned animals. I suppose you’ll always be that way.”

Tilting back his head, Austin belted out a laugh. “I suppose you were being polite just then, right? So why did I take it as an insult?”

“Take it however you want it. I’ve always known you to help the underdog.”

“Okay, I’ll take it as a compliment.”

“Well, I’ll hang up now and let you enjoy your evening. Let me know if you need me to set you up with another woman.”

Austin relaxed and looked back up the street, hoping to see Talia’s car. “No, I think I’ll be fine for a while.”

“Good. Don’t let her take advantage of you.”

Ariki hung up before Austin could reply to his friend’s remark. Why would Talia take advantage of him? Was it because he offered her money? He’d known people who’d used him to get to his money, but Talia wasn’t like that. Even when she thought about being a call girl, at least in her mind, she was working for the money.

So what if Austin liked to help stray animals? Women like Talia just shouldn’t do that for a living. She had too much going for her, and he wouldn’t let her give up her morals just because she was desperate.