Marrying My Billionaire Hookup - Nadia Lee Page 0,39
weren’t for the family resemblance, I might’ve assumed he was Jo’s other suitor—that Aaron Korvid guy.
It strikes me again how familiar that name is, and I make a mental note to look him up as soon as I’m done here.
Another man, this one in a suit and a Daffy Duck tie, of all things, says, “Angel’s right. Anybody with a lucky lottery ticket can get it.”
Does he not know you’re more likely to get hit by lightning? Perhaps he knows a lot of extraordinarily lucky people.
“Or earn it yourself.” A woman in a pink dress, seated next to the man who demanded to know what I bring to the table, is giving the previous two speakers a stern look.
“Who cares about money? What else, man?” From the voice, I recognize it’s Hugo who just spoke. Was it not enough for him that I recognized his—and apparently the other men’s—need to cling to the irrational belief that Jo’s still a virgin?
Fine. I’ll give them another plus. “I’m also fairly well connected.”
“So you network really well, so what? I network well too. I network all the time with my customers,” an older man in a Manny’s Tacos shirt says. There’s a comfortably rounded woman next to him in an identical shirt.
Jo buries her head in a guacamole bowl, her fork moving. Her face is cast downward, so I can’t see her expression, much to my annoyance. She’s probably hungry. She’s eating for two. I do wish she’d speak up on my behalf. But realistically I’ve accepted she won’t, not after what happened at Starbucks…and especially based on what Yuna told me. We’ll have to talk privately after I get her family’s approval.
The man who burst into outrage first at my announcement that I got Jo pregnant sneers, “Everyone likes to brag how they know a guy who knows a guy, but really, they don’t know shi—uh, anything.”
Are they serious? I need to prove I actually know people, too? I refrain from exhaling harshly. I’m here to win them over, not annoy them. Yuna said the family is half the battle, and I agree. If I can convince them, it’ll be easier to convince Jo.
Yuna’s advice flashes through my head. They’re going to want to see you do the right thing, so show them you’re the perfect choice for their darling daughter.
“I’m friends with at least twenty governors, among other people. Does that clarify things for you?” I say.
Mr. Duck Tie shrugs. “Hey, when I write to my congressional rep, she writes me back. So what?”
“Do you have your congressional rep on speed dial?” I ask. “Are you on a first-name basis with her spouse?”
Duck Tie looks away.
“I train the mayor’s wife in the gym,” Angel says dismissively. “You aren’t impressing us much. Anybody can say they know governors. Woohoo. So what? How do we know any of it is true?”
They want proof? I’m not calling a state governor just to make these skeptics happy, but I know a simpler way that I can actually prove it’s true immediately. “My brother owns Z, and I can get you all in through the VIP lane.” The bouncers and security there know me, and they’re used to seeing me show up now and again.
“And have us take one of the VIP lounges on top?” Hugo asks, his eyes wide.
“Of course,” I say, wondering where else he thinks my guests would go after entering through the VIP lane.
“No kidding. That club’s the bomb,” another man says.
“Has the best music, the best liquor and definitely the best girls.”
I study their faces, not quite believing what I’m hearing. These people are more impressed with the hookup to Tony’s club than me knowing heads of state or the fact that I’m worth a couple of billion dollars. Not that Z isn’t an amazing club, but…really?
Before they get derailed, the older man who demanded to know what else I bring to the relationship clears his throat. Given his age, he probably doesn’t go clubbing, and he probably doesn’t care about the VIP lounge. “That’s nice and all, but I’m afraid I’m not satisfied.”
“All due respect, sir, but this isn’t about your satisfaction. It’s about Jo’s.” I say it calmly, despite mounting irritation. Screw winning her family over. I’m just going to win her over. That’s going to be easier, based on their irrational reaction.
He gives me a cool look. “You’re right, but as her father, I believe I deserve to have some