Free Billionaire's Defiant Mistress by Heather Longton

or ashamed of where she lived and of her friends.
    “Okay then. Come in.” She smiled grimly and hoped he couldn't tell it was forced.
    The carnage in the flat was much as she had expected, indeed it was worse. There were wine bottles and empty beer cans dotted around the living room and half a dozen tinfoil containers scattered over the table, the remains of a curry. There was also the strong odour of stale cigarette smoke lingering in the air, all of which was made worse by the darkness caused by the curtains still being closed. Sarah detected Carlos's revulsion in the way he shuddered and could only take very tentative small steps into the room.
    “Looks like they had a party last night,” she said, as brightly as she could.
    “Clearly.” He made no attempt to hide his sarcasm.
    “I'll go and get changed. Just wait here, I won't be long.”
    “Please don't be.”
    He watched her as she pulled open the door and caught a glimpse of the tiny room she disappeared into before closing the door behind her. Carlos reflected on the days when he had lived frugally – though he had never lived like this. He had been an apprentice as a teenager with his accommodation provided by the football club so in a sense he had always been looked after. Each time he had moved it had been upwards because he had been successful.
    Sarah was gone just a few minutes before she emerged. Carlos did a double-take as he realised it was her natural beauty and youthfulness which enabled her to look so striking in such a short time. Older women would have to spend hours to pull off that kind of look.
    She'd put on a simple navy blue dress with a loose thick belt which hung on her hips and a pair of black ankle boots. Her face was washed, removing all signs of her crying, but the only make-up she had applied was a thin line of lipstick, just slightly darker than the natural colour of her lips but with a glossy finish. Her hair was loosely tied to the back of her head, whilst the shorter hair on her fringe and at the sides hung naturally. Carlos blinked, she looked absolutely ravishing.
    “Let's go then,” Sarah said, in a hurry to get him out of there.
    Carlos couldn't help thinking that had she been more experienced she would have tried to seduce him there and then. She would try to create greater closeness between them and deepen their relationship. Isn't that what a gold digger would do? The fact that she didn't try to seduce him just made him want her. He really wanted her. He could feel the stirring in his loin and thought about getting her into bed there and then. But on consideration of the uncomfortable surroundings and the fact that her room-mates could reappear at any moment, his mind was made up for him.
    “Yes. Let's go to lunch,” he answered decisively and began his movement towards the door as he spoke. “You must be hungry.”
    Sarah said yes with some enthusiasm as she nodded. A part of her was relieved to find him still there, having thought he might have gone during the time she had taken to change her clothes. She was happy for the distraction, even if it would only be for an hour or so, because it meant she wouldn't have to start thinking about her future just yet. Her life had turned into something of a nightmare. Not only had she been fired from her job, she was running around with the most unsuitable man.
    But she reminded herself that she wasn't running around with him, she was simply going out for lunch. And she was going out for lunch with him because she had lost her job that morning. Once lunch was over she would be on her merry way.
    Grabbing her handbag, she briefly thought of herself as Carlos's lover. And as this would be her first and last experience of being his lover she was going to enjoy it, instead of sulking and ruining the experience because of the uncertainty which lay ahead. In that moment she made the promise to herself to turn the memory into something to remember, otherwise the whole sequence of