The Teacher's Billionaire

this was the last he expected. “What? No. What are you talking about? Where did you get that idea from?”
    “I heard you,” she began her voice cracking. “You didn’t have to sleep with me to keep me from going to the press.” She wiped a tear off her cheek. “All you needed to do was ask me. I would’ve have told you that.”
    Shit she knows.
How was he going to defuse this situation? Obviously she overheard his conversation with Phillips. Raking a hand through his wet hair, he moved toward her. But stopped when she moved away putting more space between them again.
    “Maybe you should add acting to your resume. You’re very good at it.”
    Taking a deep breath he slowly exhaled. He knew his silence was damning, yet he didn’t know how to explain. He couldn’t deny what she’d heard. Still, he hadn’t been acting either.
    “Let me explain. Please,” he pleaded. “Phillips was worried about what you might do before Warren made a formal announcement. He asked me to keep an eye on you. Make sure you were happy.”
    Dylan moved towards the counter again. This time to grab a towel to wipe the rain from his face. Yet Callie again moved further away. Her insistence on keeping distance between them cut him deep.
    “And you felt you just had to go along with him.”
    “If I didn’t Phillips would have found someone else to do it.” His explanation sounded so cold even to him. He could only imagine how horrible it must sound to her.
    Callie moved to the door and yanked it open. “Please leave.” Her voice was soft and cracked with emotion. “And next time you see him make sure you tell Phillips he has nothing to worry about. I won’t tell a soul.”
    He didn’t want to leave. Not like this. “Callie, yes I agreed to help Phillips but I do...”
    “I don’t want to hear it, Dylan. Just go,” she said interrupting him.
    Just leave.
If that was what she really wanted there was no point in him staying. Without another word he walked back out into the pouring rain.
    Leaning against the closed door Callie gave into the tears she’d been holding back. Gut-wrenching sobs racked her body. Slowly she slid down to the floor.
    How could she have been so stupid? She should have known something was up. Men like Dylan Talbot didn’t fall for women like her. Maybe in books and movies they did but not in the real world.
    Lucky nudged her with his nose as if to comfort her. Hugging the dog close Callie sat and cried till no more tears would come. Physically and emotionally exhausted she stood and headed to her bedroom. Right now she wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed and block all thoughts of Dylan from her mind. But the minute she saw the neatly made bed memories of their time together in it hit her head-on like a freight train.
    I can’t sleep in here tonight.
Callie grabbed a pillow and headed back to the living room. However, even this room contained painful memories. She could vividly picture them sitting in here eating ice cream and listening to music that night after the baseball game.
    “Unless I plan on sleeping in the bathroom tonight, I am just going to have to suck it up,” Callie said tossing her pillow on to the couch. Every room in the apartment except the bathroom contained memories of her time with Dylan. Plopping down on the couch, she forced her eyes shut and prayed for a dreamless rest.
    ***
    Why were they playing Bon Jovi at the fundraiser?
It seemed like an odd choice of music for this event.
    It took Callie a few seconds to realize she was dreaming and that the music she heard was her cell phone. Dragging herself off the couch, she retrieved the phone from the kitchen counter. Warren Sherbrooke’s name glared up at her from the phone’s screen. Sighing she pressed the talk button.
    “Callie how are you feeling today? I was worried when Elizabeth said you left last night with a migraine.”
    Callie had almost forgotten the excuse she’d given Elizabeth for leaving early.
    “Better, thanks. Just a little tired,” Callie lied hoping she sounded more convincing to Warren than she did to herself.
    “I had hoped to visit with you today, but when I called Dylan’s he said you’d already gone home.”
    She could hear the unasked question in her father’s voice. He was wondering why she’d bolted from the city so quickly. There was no way she was telling him the truth, so instead she lied again.
    “The earlier train was cheaper.”
    It’s not a complete lie
. The train