Billionaires in the City Bundle

Julie yelped and sucked on her fingertip. A metallic taste flooded her mouth, and with a moan she jumped to her feet. She sped across the room to the kitchenette, then rummaged one-handed through the drawers. 

The phone rang, prompting the cat to screech and bolt out of the room. Probably off to his favorite hiding place underneath the bed.

“Yes, yes, hello,” Julie called out as she accepted the call. Her fingertip throbbed and she hissed against the pain as she sprayed the wound with antiseptic.

“Are you okay?” a worried voice crackled out of the speaker. Julie fastened a Band-aid on her finger and took a breath. 

“I’m fine, Emily, just pricked my finger again.” 

“Oh, that must mean you’re making another dress.”

Julie collapsed back into a chair at the dining table and made some adjustments to the controls on the sewing machine.

“Hmm,” she said with a needle between her teeth. She finished fastening the last safety pin on the pink chiffon material and positioned it to sew. As she stepped on the pedal the needle bobbed up and down faster than a woodpecker hammering against a tree. 

“Listen, I have a new client, and I think you’re really going to like him,” Emily’s voice barked over the sound of the motor. Julie stopped and stared at the phone intently. 

“I don’t know…,” she began, unsure. 

Emily and Julie attended Oxford University together and had been roommates. When they graduated, Emily ventured out to New York while Julie spent a year in Paris, working for one of Estelle’s fashion lines. After building a rapport with the high-maintenance models, she landed a role in the New York office. 

Emily was her best––and only—friend in the city. 

“I’m five minutes away from your place. Are you home?”

Julie considered the idea of concocting a lie: She was at an underground party across town, or maybe volunteering at a soup kitchen in the Bronx? But she knew Emily would see right through it. “I can pick up some food? What are you in the mood for?”

Julie thought about it. What mood was she in? The pain in her finger dulled and gave way to the ache in her temples, and the back of her neck was tight. She spent all day hunched over the sewing machine and forgot to eat. Her stomach growled.

“We can order takeout,” she mused aloud, warming to the idea of a visit.

“Great, and I’ll pick up some Cinnabons for dessert.” 

Julie rolled her eyes and ended the call. Emily was obsessed with cinnamon rolls. Perhaps they reminded her of home? Or maybe Emily just had a sweet tooth.

She flitted around the apartment in an attempt to tidy up. When the buzzer sounded, she scanned the room quickly before letting Emily in.

“Hey, girl.” A plume of perfume covered Julie and caught in the back of her throat as Emily threw her arms around her. 

“What are you doing tonight? I’ve got you a date.”

“That fast? Emily, when I said, ‘I don’t know,’ I didn’t mean, ‘go ahead.’ I’ve got work to do.” 

Emily flicked back her sleek brown hair and raised a hand. She was having none of it. That was Emily. Despite being nearly a foot shorter than Julie, she was the bossy one. And Julie often found it impossible to argue, once Emily had a plan in mind. 

Julie glanced over at the half-made dress lying on the table and bit her lip. She had to finish it before the weekend was out, but the stiffness in her neck had her rolling her head side to side with a moan. 

Emily placed a Cinnabon bag on the counter and strutted to the table.

“It’s a beautiful day to fall in love, you know.” Her false lashes fluttered, and she grinned at Julie, while resting her hip against the table.

“You don’t still believe in that, do you?” Julie rooted through the Cinnabon bag and pulled out a roll. It was still warm. 

Emily squared her shoulders and placed her slender hands on her hips. 

“Well, I am a matchmaker. It would be terrible if I didn’t believe it.” Her voice was soft and musical—a stark contrast to Julie’s deep voice. 

Julie devoured the cinnamon roll and licked the frosting off her fingertips. Emily has a point, she thought.

“Well, I’ll need your help. I have no idea what to wear, and you need to tell me about this guy. I hate blind dates.”

Emily clapped her hands, her black and silver painted nails sparkled in the setting sunlight as she offered a gleeful smile.

“Oh, don’t you worry, I came prepared.” 

Emily left the apartment for a short while and returned with a mountain of shopping bags. 

“He’s a high-profile client, and we need you to look the part.” 

“You mean, less like a poor seamstress and more like a Hollywood actress?” Julie asked wryly. 

“Exactly.” Emily nodded as she pulled out a long maroon gown. 

“I’m the woman in the red dress? How cliché.” Julie walked over to inspect it. Boning to the bodice, refined darts from the waist to the bust. The skirt was heavy, perhaps weighted at the hemline. It was exquisite.

“I can’t accept this.” Julie looked up at Emily, who was brimming with pride. She knew she chose well. 

“Of course, you can. How many dresses have you made for me over the years? I owe you.” 

She ushered Julie out of the room toward the bedroom and instructed her to try it on. 

“So, what is he like?” Julie shouted through the closed door as Emily waited on the other side. She fiddled with the fastenings on the back of the gown and unzipped it.

“He’s an introvert, like you,” Emily replied, her voice muffled. Julie undressed out of her sweat pants and shirt—the same clothes she had been wearing since Friday and stepped into the gown.

“Tall? Hair color? Eyes? Hobbies?” 

“He’s taller than me.”

“Most people are––” 

“Brown hair but sort of golden in the sunshine, dark brooding eyes.”

Julie shrugged the sleeves up to her shoulders.

“Hmm. Keep talking.” 

“He’s in the movie business.” 

Julie sucked the air in through her teeth with a hiss. She didn’t like dating men like that. 

“Don’t you dare judge; he’s a total sweetheart.” Emily pushed open the door and gave Julie a reproachful look. Julie feigned horror and attempted to work the zipper, but her arms wouldn’t bend that way. Emily tutted and walked over to her.

“Let me do it,” she said as she yanked on the material, forcing Julie’s posture to straighten.

“You need to stop hunching like that; it’s bad for your spine.” 

Julie turned to look at Emily, who gasped and raised her hands to her mouth. 

“You look breathtaking.” Her eyes glistened. 

Julie swallowed and looked back at herself, feeling self-conscious. Yes, she made extravagant dresses every day. But that was for high-end women, with enough class and demure to carry off the look. Julie was just… Julie. She preferred comfort over class, and the red designer dress did not accurately reflect her bank balance. 

“Emily, don’t you think this is mis-selling?” 

Emily chuckled.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re not an insurance policy.” She marched out of the room. “Take a shower, and I’ll order us some food,” she called back.

Julie sighed heavily, wondering what Emily had gotten her into. She was going on a date with a rich bachelor who probably dated Academy Award-winning actresses, and maybe even half of New York. But Emily did say he was an introvert and sweet. Perhaps he was the tortured, yet brilliant screen-writer who rubbed shoulders with high-profile people but didn’t feel like he belonged in that world. It’s only one date, Julie thought to herself as she prepared to take a shower. She grinned and stepped into the steam.

She never thought she'd fall for a billionaire, but fate had other plans.

Julie was just an ordinary girl, happy to blend in and stay out of the spotlight. That is, until her best friend set her up on a blind date with a handsome and mysterious billionaire, Harry. Suddenly, Julie finds herself thrust into a world of private jets, exotic vacations, and designer dresses.

But it's not all glitz and glamour. Julie and Harry are being stalked by an unknown and dangerous person, threatening to tear them apart. As they work to uncover the identity of their tormentor, Julie can't deny the passion she feels for Harry - a man who's as sweet as he is commanding.

With danger lurking at every turn, Julie must navigate the high-stakes world of the ultra-rich and powerful. But the question remains: can their love survive the chaos and media frenzy that comes with dating a billionaire?

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