The Billionaire Saved My Life - The Finale Read online

  THE BILLIONAIRE

  SAVED MY LIFE

  3

  A Mysterious BWWM Billionaire Romance By..

  SHERIE KEYS

  Summary

  They thought it was fate that brought them together but it seems like it might be human intervention that will tear them apart.

  The damage has been done and it seems irreparable. Is there any possible way for Kurtis and Tanya to still make it down the aisle?

  Copyright Notice

  Sherie Keys

  The Billionaire Saved My Life © 2015, Sherie Keys

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

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  Contents

  Chapter1

  Chapter2

  Chapter3

  Chapter4

  Chapter5

  Chapter6

  Chapter7

  Chapter8

  Chapter9

  Chapter1

  “Tanya! Tanya, honey. I've got breakfast on the table. You have to eat.”

  Tanya's father, Walt Herman, was woken in the early hours of the morning when his only daughter, Tanya, tapped on his door. She had grabbed an overnight bag, called a taxi and sat in the back of it, crying her eyes out, on the long drive out of New York City to her father's house. He had been shocked to see her and couldn't get any sense out of her. He'd wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her into her old bedroom and made sure she got plenty of rest.

  But that was two days ago, and her refusing to eat, or talk about why she was there, was worrying him to the point where he couldn’t sleep either. When he cooked a meal for her, she mostly just pushed the food around the plate and ended up running back to her room, crying. Her father noticed she wasn't wearing her engagement ring and guessed that this sudden visit had a lot to do with Kurtis Reed.

  Walt had taken to Tanya's billionaire boyfriend, Kurtis, not because of his fame and the fact that his name was synonymous with the music industry and platinum selling artists, but Kurtis Reed was a good man. Or so Walt thought. Firstly, as far as he was concerned, this was the man who’d saved his daughter from a burning car. Walt had been convinced that Kurtis loved his daughter and had seen how happy Tanya was with him. Meeting Kurtis had been one of the few reasons to be thankful for her move to the city.

  He had worried about her being in a big city alone but Tanya had done so well for herself. She had always wanted to work in the world of fashion, and she was doing just that. Tanya was a buyer for a boutique in Manhattan and a personal shopper for the New York rich.

  But all her work was now on hold. Tanya needed a break and she needed to evaluate her situation.

  “Okay, I'm up,” Tanya said to her father just as he was about to knock on her bedroom door again. She breezed past him and almost skipped to the kitchen. Her father followed her through, scratching his head.

  “You've changed,” he said, going over to the pan and dishing some scrambled eggs onto their plates.

  “Isn't that what you wanted? For me to pull myself together and stop all that crying?”

  “Well, yes but...”

  “Well, I have, Dad. I’ve pulled myself together.”

  “Just like that?” he asked, putting some biscuits on the table and reaching for the coffee pot.

  “Well, not just like that. But the thing is, I can't dwell on the past. I have to move on.”

  “With Kurtis?”

  “And why are you bringing him up?”

  “Isn't this why you're here? Did you two have a disagreement?”

  “You could say that,” Tanya said, pouring coffee into each of their cups.

  “I could, but why don't you go ahead and tell me what you’re saying. Like the wedding, have you got a date now?”

  “No, Dad, and I don't want to talk about it. I need to call my boss Elena to let her know I'll be back in New York on Monday and I need to contact some of my clients. It's so annoying, I seem to have lost my cell and all the numbers are on there. Oh well, I have my phone book in the apartment. I'll have to call them all when I get back. Then I need to get a new apartment and start saving for a new car. Then I need to...”

  “Wait, wait, wait,” Walt waved a hand. “Seems that since your miraculous recovery you need to do a lot of things. You know what I think you need?”

  “No, Dad.”

  “I think you need to finish your breakfast and start telling me what really happened. For starters, didn't Kurtis buy you an apartment and a new car? Why do you need to move out and get a new car?”

  “It's a long story, Dad.”

  “Well, I'm not going anywhere. Now finish your breakfast before it gets cold. We'll talk later.”

  But Tanya's father would be out of luck. She offered to wash up and while he was out back tending to his vegetables, Tanya took a quick shower and headed out. She jumped into her father's old truck and went for a drive. She had no idea where she was going, but she still felt like her head and her stomach were in knots. Tanya really didn't know how she could begin to tell anyone she loved, especially her father, the terrible truth about why she had to run away from New York. She had to leave her past behind, she decided, and talking about a shameful end to her engagement with Kurtis was the last thing she wanted to do.

  She drove a few miles and thought it a good idea to look at the gas meter. Not too bad, she thought, she could fill up on her way back. Tanya put on the car radio and turned it up high. There was a song she knew and she began to sing loudly. It helped her stop thinking about Kurtis and the whole mess she was running from. Tanya sang and sang, winding down the window and just letting go. No one could hear her. There was no one on the road.

  But the road started to bring back memories. Pretty soon she would be approaching the stretch of road that started all of this; the road that led to the bridge where Kurtis was about to end his life. Initially everyone, the press, her friends and her father included, had said how lucky she was the night her car crashed on that bridge. Kurtis was the hero who pulled her from the burning car, but as time went on and after the two of them had fallen in love, it turned out she was the one who saved him. And she knew that.

  But that seemed like a lifetime away. She pushed on the brake, turned the car around and headed back – before she could start to cry again.

  Pulling up outside her father's house she saw a car parked out in front that she had not seen before. It was a big flashy car, black with tinted windows. Who would be driving such a car she wondered. Whoever was driving it had money. Her first thought was Kurtis but she had never seen him in this car, and after what she'd done to him, he was the last person who would drive here from the city.

  Tanya got out of her fathe
r's truck. She wondered if the car had passed her on the road. She had been singing and getting carried away in her father's truck, maybe this car had gone right by her. As she got to the front door, her second thought was that it could be James McConnagh. After the nasty trick he played on her, he wouldn't dare show his face – would he?

  She flung open the door and thought she heard laughter. The bastard! she thought and raced to the kitchen where the voices were coming from. She stopped, still as a statue, in the doorway of the kitchen when she saw who it was.

  “Girls” she sighed.

  “Hello stranger!” Mae got up and came to hug her. Tanya was frozen to the spot as Kaya and Jeannie both joined Mae in a group hug, and she was in the center of it, “Where you been, girl?” Kaya said. “We all been ringing and ringing you since Friday night. You just took off like that. We were worried about you.”

  “About that,” Tanya said. “I really don't want to talk about it.” She turned around and walked to the living room. The girls ran after her.

  “You what?” Kaya exclaimed. “You don't answer your phone for three days, and you don't want to talk about it?”

  They all sat in the living room watching Tanya, who sat on the big armchair by the window with her legs crossed. She was looking down at her lap.

  “You got wasted on Friday night didn't you, Tanya?” Mae said.

  “Well that much is obvious,” Kaya said. “But how did you get home? You managed to call a cab and send us a text and you couldn't even say good bye?”

  “I did?” Tanya said.

  “What do you mean?” Jeannie said. “Don't you remember sending a text to say you were okay?”

  “No, I seem to have lost my cell.”

  “Well that would explain your not picking up, but what about the phone in your apartment? I practically rang that off the hook.” Mae stood and came over to kneel next to Tanya. She touched her hand. Tanya flinched.

  “Did something bad happen, honey?” she said to Tanya. “A person can't just take off for days at a time without good reason. Something happened between the time you left Rafaelo's and the time you drove to your Dad's. Without your new car, I might add. How did you get here and why did you run?”

  Tanya stood up briskly, crossed her arms and sat on the windowsill. She looked into the faces of all the girls. “Kurtis found me naked in bed with James McConnagh.” She said in one breath.

  “What!?” The girls all spluttered and gasped in a confused state, rushing at Tanya and blasting question after question at her.

  Tanya put her hands to her face, she shook her head and turned her eyes up to the ceiling to try to stop the enormous tears brimming in her eyes from spilling onto her cheeks. She looked at the girls and took a deep breath.

  “You couldn't have slept with James.” Jeannie also looked on the verge of tears. “You just couldn't.”

  “I didn't say I slept with him,” Tanya said. “But that evil bastard played his trump card. He hates Kurtis so much he pulled off an elaborate plan to make it look like I did sleep with him.”

  “Look, I'm confused,” Kaya held her arms open. “You need to start at the beginning and tell us what the hell happened.”

  Tanya bit her lip and then began. “You remember at Rafaelo's, I seemed really drunk, right? Well it was more than being drunk. I worked it out the day later. My drink was spiked. I went off to the bathroom and when I came out, I remember seeing James.”

  “That bastard stalked you at Rafaelo's?” Jeannine said.

  “That's the last thing I remember. The next thing I knew, I was coming round, I was in my bed – with James beside me and Kurtis was standing there; if you'd seen the look in his eyes, the hate, the distrust and the hurt. How could I let it happen?”

  “Tanya, no!” Mae said. “You can't blame yourself. This was indecent assault and we need to call the cops.”

  “No.” Tanya got up and started pacing. “I don't want this getting in the newspapers. And it will. It would be too much for Kurtis to have on his profile. People would believe the worst of me and it would reflect badly on Kurtis.”

  “But how?” Jeannie said. “He's a big boy, he can handle himself. He needs to know the truth.” Jeannie had her cell in her hand, about to dial Kurtis.

  “Jeannie, wait,” Tanya said. “Don't call. This isn't the way he should get the news.”

  “But Tanya, he'll be beside himself. He'll be devastated. In fact, I'm surprised he hasn't called me. Or maybe he's killed James and he's in hiding.”

  “Come on, Jeannie,” Mae sighed. “I thought I was the dramatic one.” She turned to Tanya. “But she's right. His heart will be breaking and you need to tell him, so you guys can work this out.”

  Tanya slumped back into the armchair.

  “You do want to work it out do you, Tanya?” Mae knotted her brow.

  “I'm not so sure anymore.”

  Again all three girls were taken aback by what Tanya said. They needed explanations, and fast.

  “Can't you see?” Tanya said. “The day Kurtis and I met, I nearly died in a fire. That was a bad omen right there. Then, I was never sure about dating a guy that famous and that rich, and remember how he got me to go out with him? It was by luring me to his apartment with a lie. Next, he has all that baggage with Catherine and then, lo and behold, she shows up at our engagement party. And I don't even want to get started on the whole James McConnagh situation. Let's face it: our relationship never stood a chance.”

  “How can you say that, Tanya?” Kaya's voice was soft. “Don't you love him anymore?”

  “Yes, I love him but, you know, sometimes we can't always have the things we love.”

  “Tanya!” Mae grabbed both of Tanya's hands. “Kurtis isn't a thing. He's a person and he loves you. And for crying out loud, you love him. You can't let James win. He wanted to break you up and you're letting it happen.”

  “We need to let this go, Mae. I've thought about this nonstop since the day Kurtis drove away in a fury. When I get back to the city, I'm going to find a new apartment and get back to work. I was doing fine before I met him and I'll do fine without him. He can get on with his life, no more dramas, no more ex girlfriends rising from the dead and haunting us, and no sick bastard enemies who go all out to ruin you. I don't want to be looking over my shoulder every two minutes, waiting for someone or something to give Kurtis and me a reason to doubt each other.”

  “So you're just going to split up with a man who loves you?” Jeannie shook her head.

  “Before we get to talking weddings, yes. It's for the best. And don't worry, when I get back to the city, I’ll call Kurtis and tell him the truth about James. I mean, knowing James he probably called Kurtis already to brag about beating him in his sick game.”

  “James should not get away with this and if you break up with Kurtis, you're letting him win and that ain't right.” Kaya was speaking through gritted teeth.

  “Enough,” Tanya said, standing up again. “I've thought about it long and hard. Kurtis didn't ever leave Catherine, not really. She was snatched away from him. If it wasn't for the accident, they would be together now, married even, and maybe they would already have had a kid. It just wasn't meant to be with me and Kurtis, too many things were stacked up against us.”

  “I don't agree,” Mae said. “And I think you're making a big mistake. I swear you'll regret it.”

  “You know what?” Kaya said. “We have to let her be. She's a big girl and she knows her own mind.”

  “Say what?” Mae turned to her.

  “I'm serious. We came down here because we were concerned about you, Tanya, but obviously you've got it all figured out. When you get back to the city, we'll help you find an apartment, you'll clear things with Kurtis and then you'll get on with your life. Just like you want. And because we're your friends, we'll support you, whatever.”

  They all looked at each other. Mae, surprised at Kaya's change of heart, and Jeannie wondering how the fiery Kaya could sound so calm about ther />
  ***

  They stayed for lunch and kissed Tanya goodbye and hugged her before Jeannie drove them back to New York City.

  “Get a new cell,” Mae said.

  “Don't forget Kurtis will be broken up, so he needs you to tell him everything,” Jeannie said.

  “Take your time coming back, honey,” Kaya said. “Love you.”

  “I love you all,” Tanya called to them as Jeannie drove away.

  “Everything okay now?” her father said to her as he waved the girls off, too.

  “Yeah, Dad,” she said. “Everything will be fine.”

  As the girls sat quietly in Jeannie's car, they were all at a loss for words until Mae turned to Kaya.

  “What were you trying to do? Why did you tell Tanya she was doing the right thing when we all know she's making the biggest mistake of her life?”

  “Trust me. She needs time. She might think she's got it all worked out, but the day will come when she realizes she got this one wrong. You know what she's like with all that Fate business.”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, let Fate guide her. And it will. If this is meant to be, everything will work out. But we got to let it happen in a way Tanya is happy. If we push her and things go wrong again, who knows what it will do to her. This time I'm talking Fate for a change. What will be will be – we just need to be patient and let it happen.”

  “I only hope you're right, Kaya,” Mae said turning her eyes to the road ahead, “I only hope you're right.

  Chapter2

  Kurtis sat in his office. He stood by the floor to ceiling windows on the top floor executive suite of Reed Records and stared out onto the rooftops across the sky. He'd come back to work on the Monday morning after the Friday night that changed his life. He remembered a more carefree time in his life when sleeping with a woman was all there was to it. Just a night of pleasure, satisfaction and he could walk away without any ties and never having made any promises.