Free The Sweetest Kiss: A Billionaire Love Story by Kate Ward

wrong way but don’t you feel that the only reason you are able to do this is because you have money? I mean look at all the celebrities, I was forever doing pieces on them supporting some charity. It seemed all just a ploy to get in the good books of the public. You know, live wild at night and by day look after the furry animals.”
    He chuckled. “Yeah, I guess it could be taken like that. But I don’t have any other agenda. This is all I do.”
    “But don’t you think it’s easier because you have money? I mean, money gives you the time to do these things. If a person is living hand to mouth. All they can think about is surviving themselves. Everything else has to take a back seat.”
    “True. But what if I do nothing? People would say I was just spending my money frivolously. Either way I don’t win.”
    She nodded and we went inside building.
    “Hey Jane, this is Hayley, I’m just going to show her around.”
    She was on the phone, she just gave a curt nod and we continued on our way. As I gave Hayley a guided tour of the place I thought about what it would be like if it did work out. If after a week the chemistry between us became so strong that I wanted to marry her, what then? Was she the one for me? I could see a future beyond the week, but could my family? They had always been adamant that if you were going to marry, you should marry someone who already had wealth. That way the chances of them just marrying you for your money were a lot less. It was hard to tell who liked you for you. I’d had friends in the past, or at least so-called friends who acted as though I walked on water but then when it came down to needing their help, they would have all manner of excuses.
    And as for my father. We were so different from each other. After my father had one failed marriage he never married again. In his mind, fool him once, okay. But fool him a second time and there was no third. So he didn’t even give women a chance to fool him a second time. Instead my father just had lots of one-night stands, seeing how many women he could get through before he kicked the bucket. It was all a game to him. Work hard, play harder. In many ways it had been my father that had given my family a bad reputation. I couldn’t be like that. I couldn’t work my way through a line of women, breaking hearts and sleeping with them just for the sake of it. Just because I had money and women knew it.
    Emily was different, and from what I could tell… so was Hayley. They had a small-town charm to them and yet both of them were from the city. They were both guarded, and smart. I didn’t for a moment think I was going to pull the wool over Hayley’s eyes. That’s why I’d told her who I was. It was better to be up-front and lose her than lie and never have a chance with her. I’d made that mistake once. Though with Emily it was because I knew she had a deep dislike for my family. I had picked up that vibe from Hayley too, but it seemed less. Like she had just learned of the animosity her sister had and she was still trying to determine if it was baggage she needed to carry.
    What were their parents like? That had to be a factor in why they were so feisty.
    In many ways after seeing my own parents fail in their marriage I wanted to try harder in relationships. It made me want to be better, yet it also made me not want to dive into any relationship. The woman had to be right. I thought back to my parents’ marriage. I truly thought they were going to be together forever. We were in our early teens when they divorced. It was brutal. People say that kids get over it. They grow thick skin and are better for it. But that’s all a lie. It shows up later in your life through different vices. Drink, drugs, womanizing, bad business, and more. My parents had supported each other. My mother wasn’t from a rich background and maybe that was why my father was always harping on about marrying someone who was wealthy. If they didn’t have money,