Love And Money (Love Series - Book 2) Read online

  “Let’s get this over with,” Caden says out loud to his reflection in the mirror, after he's finished adjusting his tie.

  He rolls his eyes and takes a deep breath before putting on his tuxedo jacket and his watch. He despises attending charity events with a passion. He hates the snobbishness that permeates the air and the shallow talk that’s void of any real meaning that circulates among the wealthy that he is forced to associate with. He hates the air of importance that rich people exude because he believes it’s fakery. He doesn’t believe for one second that having money makes anyone more important than the next person. As far as he’s concerned, anyone can obtain money. It’s the content and character of a person’s soul that makes them special or important in his eyes.

  He doesn’t care about who’s just bought a new yacht or who’s secretly screwing who behind their spouses back while they’re off on business trips. He doesn’t care about who has the most money in their bank accounts and what kind of fancy car someone is driving today. He dreads having to listen to all the nonsensical issues that wealthy people find so interesting.

  He may have a lot of money and he may have a very powerful father - hell, he may be powerful himself - but he doesn’t feel like he is part of the group. He was raised with the best of everything and he’s never wanted for anything his entire life, but he doesn’t feel like he’s entitled to anything. The feeling of a lack of entitlement is what he finds makes him different from what would be considered his peers.

  When he sits among his father’s friends and business associates, and he listens to the way that they arrogantly speak about themselves and their immense wealth, he feels like an outsider, even though he and his father are just as wealthy, even more so at times. He feels out of place and like he doesn’t quite belong. He hates the feeling.

  He feels much more comfortable with people that aren’t as wealthy and who just work regular nine-to-five jobs and work hard for their living. He just can’t relate to people that are born with silver spoons in their mouths, even though he would be considered one of those people. He just views life differently than those that would be considered just like him.

  He grabs his car keys and locks up his condo. He slowly makes his way to his car. He just wants to go to the charity event and get the night over with as quickly as possible. He will have to have a couple of drinks to cope with the night, and hopefully, it will be over before he knows it. He can’t imagine that he will have any semblance of a good time. He never does.

  * * * * *

  Harper and Olivia pose on the red carpet. The flashes from the photographer’s bulbs are blinding, but Harper can’t get enough. Having her picture taken for the world to see is a bit overwhelming and makes her feel a little bit self-conscious, but she pushes her feeling aside and keeps on smiling for the cameras.

  She keeps wondering if she’s smiling too big and if the photographers are getting her best side. All the thoughts that run through her mind are all new and feel strange. The thoughts that fill her mind happen so quickly that it’s hard to process them all.

  It’s her first red carpet event and she’s loving every second of it. She never knew that she would enjoy being in the spotlight as much as she does. It’s an intoxicating feeling and she now understands what the stars feel like and why it seems they purposely seek the paparazzi out for the attention.

  She glances over at Olivia. Olivia casually smiles for the cameras and she seems very at ease. It’s no wonder; Olivia has been to many events and has walked the red carpet many times in the past. Olivia is very comfortable in front of all the cameras.

  Olivia notices her looking at her and she grabs her hand. “Relax,” she whispers in her ear. “Just smile. You look gorgeous.”

  She is grateful for her friend’s reassurance and support. As much as she’s enjoying walking the red carpet, she is happy when her friend leads her into the venue and away from the photographers.

  When they step inside, her breath is taken away. The place has vaulted ceilings and crystal chandeliers. The paintings that adorn the walls are so beautiful that she has a hard time pulling her eyes away from them.

  The décor and everything about the place screams money. She has never been inside a place so beautiful and so elegant. She feels like Cinderella going to the ball. She imagines that she feels exactly like Cinderella felt when she attended the ball and met Prince Charming.

  When they enter the ballroom, she looks around at all the people milling around and seated at different tables. The women are dressed in exquisite gowns and are draped with loads of expensive jewelry. She watches as women make gestures with their hands as they talk and how their jewelry catches the light and shimmers. The shimmering jewelry mesmerizes her. She wonders how much money in fancy jewelry is contained in the room.

  The men look dapper in their tuxedos, sitting and standing next to the women that they have accompanied or have accompanied them. She admires the way that their suits are perfectly buttoned up or unbuttoned showing their cummerbunds. All the men look clean-shaven with every hair in place. The men look just as put together as the women do.

  She can’t help but notice the smell of the mixture of expensive perfume and cologne in the air. The smell is fragrant, but it’s not overwhelming enough to give her a headache. The smell that fills her nose is a nice one, not repulsive in the least. So this is what money smells like, she thinks in her mind.

  Olivia interrupts her thoughts and says, “Let’s find our table. My parents are probably here already.”

  “Okay,” she replies, trying not to stare at the people in the room too much, but she can’t help it. She doesn’t want to seem like some kind of weirdo, but she’s experiencing something for the first time and she wants to look at everything and examine it.

  She follows Olivia through the ballroom to their table. As they approach the table, she notices that Olivia’s parents are already seated and look comfortable. When Olivia’s parents see them, they stand up to greet them.

  Olivia’s parents hug them both and welcome them to the table. She is grateful that they are happy that she has attended the event with their daughter. Olivia’s parents have always treated her as if she was their very own daughter since day one. She thinks of them as surrogate parents. Olivia’s father especially. He has taken, in many ways, the place where her biological father should have been and she’s thankful for his presence in her life. He’s provided her with a lot of fatherly advice and guidance over the years that she wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. Olivia and her parents have been a godsend in her life. They’re good people and treat people as they would want to be treated. They have raised Olivia to do the same. She is happy to be able to spend time with them, as much as she is happy to spend time with her best friend.

  Olivia’s mother goes around the table and introduces everyone surrounding the table. When she introduces the man sitting next to her, she can’t help but notice his good looks. He’s introduced as Caden Mason, and for some reason, she takes note of his name. She quickly forgot most of the people’s names at the table as they were being told to her, but not his. His name registers and sticks. When he shakes her hand upon introduction, a shiver goes through her.

  “Nice to meet you,” he says and smiles.

  “Nice to meet you, too,” she says, feeling herself start to blush.

  What’s wrong with you? she thinks. It’s not like you’ve never met a good-looking guy before.

  She glances over at Olivia, who has a big grin on her face. Her friend is very aware of her reaction to Caden Mason. Not much gets by Olivia. She smiles back at her friend and gives her a look that means don’t make a scene. Her friend just shakes her head and starts to talk to her father. She is glad that Olivia isn’t going to say anything. Olivia loves to put her on the spot sometimes and she is glad that this is not one of those times.

  She is glad when the charity event begins and she can focus on what’s happening and what’s being said, so she can forget about the man s
itting to her left. She tries to concentrate on what’s being said and done at the front of the room, but she is distracted. She is distracted by the smell of Caden’s cologne and the closeness of him. She doesn’t know why, but he’s caused a physical reaction in her and it makes her squirm in her seat. She glances over at Olivia who is watching her.

  “Let’s go to the bathroom,” her friend mouths across the table.

  She nods her head yes. She is grateful to leave the table and get away from the feelings she has from sitting next to Caden Mason and being so close to him.

  When they are in the bathroom, Olivia asks, “What’s up. You’re squirming in your seat. I’ve known you long enough to know that something is going on. What is it?”

  She knows that Olivia is just playing dumb. She’s knows that her friend knows exactly why she is squirming in her seat, but she plays along. She never keeps anything from Olivia, so she just blurts how she is feeling. “It’s the guy next to me. Caden, I think his name is. I’ve never felt like this before, but I’m insanely attracted to him. It’s weird how I feel. What do you know about him? Anything?”

  “Well actually, I know Caden very well. We’ve practically grown up together. His family is extremely wealthy and he comes from one of the most prominent families in the city. He’s a really good guy and he’s definitely easy on the eyes,” Olivia says, while touching up her lipstick in the bathroom mirror.

  “Is he single?”

  Olivia turns and looks at her. “Wow, you really do have the hots for him?”

  “I’m only wondering, that’s all.”

  “You want to ask him out?” Olivia says, while fluffing her hair.

  “I’m just looking to have fun for the night. I’m not looking for a husband or anything. I just want to know what his story is.”

  “Well, he’s been with this girl named Madison for like forever, but I don’t know where their relationship stands now. I haven’t really seen or talked to Caden in awhile. I used to see him at the country club all the time, but lately he’s been really involved in the companies that his father owns. He’s been too busy to socialize, as of late. He’s not here with Madison tonight, so that might mean he’s single. You’ll have to ask him,” Olivia says and winks at her.

  “I just might,” Harper replies and smiles mischievously, while pulling out a tube of lipstick from her purse.

  Harper slowly puts on her lipstick and thinks about Caden. Even though she acted confident in front of Olivia and said that she would speak to Caden, she’s actually extremely shy. She has a hard time approaching men that she finds attractive. They have to approach her first. It’s most likely that she won’t say a single word to Caden at all the entire night. Plus, what could she and he have in common? He’s wealthy and she’s poor. The divide between them is huge.

  When they get back to the table, she notices that Caden is staring at her. She smiles at him before quickly glancing away. As she takes her seat, she wonders what he sees when he looks at her. She wonders what he thinks behind his amazingly gorgeous hazel eyes. She wonders if he’s thinking about his girlfriend, Madison.

  Halfway through the night, the lights in the ballroom dim and music starts to play. The formal part of the evening, which contained speeches about the charity being fundraised for and a delicious dinner of food that Harper had never tasted before, is over. It’s now time for everyone to let their hair down and the party to begin.

  She watches as ball gowns sweep by, heading onto the dance floor and towards the bar, where alcoholic drinks begin to flow in abundance. She imagines the conversations that are being held between the dancers on the dance floor and at the bar.

  Before she has realized what has happened, she finds that she and Caden are alone at the table. She curses Olivia under her breath for disappearing on her and leaving her alone with Caden. She is not unconvinced that Olivia has left her alone with Caden on purpose. Olivia loves playing the role of matchmaker and never misses an opportunity to do so.

  She starts to feel nervous and awkward and begins squirming in her chair again. She feels like she has to say something to Caden to break the awkward silence that sits between them.

  “So, this is one heck of a party,” she says, awkwardly. She immediately starts to wonder if she’s said the wrong thing and sounds stupid.

  “I guess so. These things aren’t really my thing,” Caden says and smiles at her.

  “Why is that?” she asks, taking a drink of water to distract herself from how nervous she feels speaking to Caden.

  “They’re just a bit stuffy for my tastes,” Caden replies. “Do you usually attend a lot of charity events?”

  She searches her mind for the right answer. Should she say she does? She doesn’t want to let on about where she comes from, so she lies. “Every now and then. You?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. I’ve been to so many charity events that I’ve lost count, actually. There are so many things that I would rather be doing, but my father insists that I come. My father thinks that attending these events is a good business move.”

  “Is it?” she asks, curiously.

  “I hate to have to say this, because I wish it weren’t true, but yes. My father and I have met some of our best clients at events like this.”

  “What is it that you and your father do?” she asks, feeling her nervousness start to wane.

  “We have several different businesses. We’re in real estate mostly, but we have other small successful businesses running on the side.”

  “Sounds interesting,” she says and looks at him.

  They lock stares and as she looks into his eyes, she feels a spark run through her. He is so handsome that it’s almost unbearable. The sudden urge to reach out and touch his face comes over, but she resists. She can just imagine what his reaction would be if she, a complete stranger, would do something like that. He would probably run, screaming for the hills, to get as far away as possible from her. He would deem her a nut job and that would be the end of that. She doesn’t want him to run away. She wants him to stay right where he is.

  “It actually is really interesting. I love it. Business it my passion,” he says breaking their stare and glancing at the guests dancing on the ballroom dance floor.

  “That’s awesome. I think that you should do what you love and then work doesn’t really feel like work, does it?” she replies.

  Caden looks at her, searches her face, and acts surprised at her response. “You want to go and get a drink?” he asks after a moment of silence.

  She wonders what he was thinking when he looked at her so strangely and decides that what she’s said was obviously the right answer. “Sure,” she says, surprised at his invitation.

  “Awesome,” he replies and pushes back his chair. When he stands up, he offers her his hand to help her stand from her seat.

  When she places her hand in his and her fingertips touch his skin, another spark runs through her. What is this? she asks herself, but she welcomes the sensation. What does it mean? she wonders. She decides that it’s just a physical response to what she already knows - she’s attracted to Caden Mason.

  She follows him to the bar. When they get to the bar, she orders her signature drink, an Amoretto Sour. Caden orders a Scotch on the rocks. She watches him take his first swig of his drink and she wonders if he’s like the drink his chosen to order. She wonders if he’s strong and smooth. She wonders if he’s as warm as the drink must be making him feel.

  They stand at the bar and get to know each other better. She makes sure to focus the conversation mainly on him and his life. She doesn’t want to get too deep into herself, because she doesn’t want to reveal the details of the life that she lives. She doesn’t want him to know that she doesn’t come for a successful family like he does and she surely doesn’t make nearly as much money as he does. She doesn’t want him to know that she makes minimum wage and survives on the meager tips that she receives from the customers that visit the restaurant she works at.

&
nbsp; After a couple of drinks and light conversation between them, which includes a couple of good laughs, desserts begin to be brought out.

  “We better go and sit back down,” Caden suggests, drinking up the last of his drink.

  “Yeah, you’re right, we better get back,” she agrees and follows him back to the table.

  When they reach the table, she can’t help but notice the look on Olivia’s face. Olivia’s huge grin is confirmation that she was right. Olivia was playing matchmaker when she disappeared from the table and left her and Caden alone.

  She squints and gives Olivia the evil eye, but she’s not really upset. She’s enjoyed the time that she’s spent talking to Caden. Olivia was right, Caden does seem like a really nice guy and she’s glad that she’s gotten to get to know him a little bit better. She wouldn’t mind further conversation with him in the future.

  While they eat the delectable desserts, placed in front of them by the servers, conversation at the table picks up. Most of it is background noise to her, but her ears perk up when Olivia’s mother asks Caden if there is a special woman in his life and when he is going to get married. Before Caden can answer Olivia’s mother’s question, Caden’s father answers for him.

  “I hope that my son will be married very soon. I expect that he will be marrying a woman that comes from a successful and wealthy family, such as ours. I expect that he will be marrying a woman that is acceptable and meets the high standards and morals that I have instilled in my son. When it happens, I expect it to be a power-filled union that is one for the history books. I expect it to be the wedding of the century.”

  She can’t help but notice that when Bill Mason looks at his son, Caden avoids his father’s gaze. She is curious about Caden’s response to his father’s statement, but it causes her to look down at her plate. The whole conversation makes her uncomfortable. She is happy when the conversation moves to another subject, but she can’t get what Caden’s father said out of her head.