Longing For The Beach Billionaire Daddy
Chapter 34

*Shelby*

The dark sky seemed even darker through the tinted windows of the black car that Michael had sent to pick me up. He sounded urgent on the phone; when I’d told him that we needed to talk, he’d told me we had a lot to discuss, but he didn’t want to talk over the phone.

Eventually, I agreed to have his driver pick me up and take me to his penthouse.

Secretly I was glad that he suggested meeting in person. I didn’t want to go over everything and why I’d left without saying goodbye, with my two roommates listening to every word of our conversation.

Lin acted as though my life was more interesting than all of the reality TV shows she binge-watched every weekend.

The car was just as luxurious as I should have expected after seeing all of the amenities that the Astor family was used to, but I still was surprised at how supple the leather seats were as I slid across them for my long ride across New York.

It was nice to spend the drive relaxed and not on the edge of my seat, afraid the cab driver was going to hit a pedestrian trying desperately to cross the street. I reminded myself not to get comfortable with this type of luxury, it wasn’t going to last.

“Is there anything I can do for you to make the drive more comfortable, Miss Hatton?” Michael’s driver called back from the front seat.

“No, everything is perfect, thank you,” I answered.

“There are snacks and beverages stocked for you if you change your mind.”

There was sparkling water in the cupholder next to me, mysteriously maintained at the perfect temperature. I cracked the seal and let the bubbles tickle my throat as I watched the skyscrapers pass by my window.

I should have guessed that Michael’s penthouse would be on the upper east side, but I couldn’t help but stare at the buildings and how extravagant everything seemed compared to my dumpy little neighborhood.

The driver pulled to a stop in front of a tall building and got out to open my door for me.

The night sky was littered with stars, which were muted by the bright lights of Michael’s building. A doorman dressed in a uniform opened the front door for me and escorted me to the elevator, where he pressed the button for the penthouse and backed out with a lift of his hat.

I rode the elevator in silence, my heart beating increasingly faster as I passed each floor with a ding of the elevator.

I couldn’t help but wonder if Michael was angry with me for leaving the Bahamas without so much as a word. I hoped it hadn’t hurt him, but after my fight with Lauren, I couldn’t stay, and I knew that Michael and I could never have a future together, especially when his only daughter hated me.

Worst of all was the reason I was at his home in the first place. I couldn’t let him risk his reputation for me. That photographer didn’t need to have the opportunity to take more pictures of us together. I was convinced I wasn’t worth the risk.

The elevator stopped at the top floor, and the doors slowly slid open to reveal Michael’s front entry, a set of floor-to-ceiling glazed glass doors. I rang the small buzzer, and a few seconds later, Michael’s unmistakable form approached the glass.

“Shelby,” Michael said with a warm smile as he slid the door open to reveal his face.

*Shelby*

The dark sky seemed even darker through the tinted windows of the black car that Michael had sent to pick me up. He sounded urgent on the phone; when I’d told him that we needed to talk, he’d told me we had a lot to discuss, but he didn’t want to talk over the phone.

I was relieved to be greeted so warmly. I had told myself over and over again on the ride over that I couldn’t pursue anything with Michael, but as soon as I saw him, I had to fight to suppress my feelings for the man.

“Micheal, it is nice to see you again. Thank you so much for sending a car, although you really didn’t have to.”

“I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted to,” Michael said, reaching out his hand to me.

After a slight hesitation, I took it, and he led me into his penthouse. The interior was decorated in a modern style with sleek lines and crisp edges, giving the entire space a clean and wealthy feel. A large statement dining room table took up a large portion of the space.

It was glowing from the tiny flames of tealight candles spanning the entire length of the table. The light flickering off all of the surfaces added a subtle softness to the sharp lines of the room. Micheal pulled out a chair for me.

“I don’t know if you have eaten, but I had my chef prepare a little something before he left for the night.”

“I can always eat,” I said with a small smile of thanks before he disappeared into the kitchen.

He returned with two artful plates of filet mignon and asparagus spears. He set a plate in front of me and the other in front of the chair directly across from me. He poured a generous glass of wine for each of us before taking his seat.

“This is absolutely beautiful,” I said as I glanced around the room.

“It is, isn’t it?” Michael said looking around the room, too, before continuing. “Honestly, I tend to forget how nice this place is. Typically, when I am in New York, I get so wrapped up in work that I forget to enjoy it.”

“Well, you should slow down more often,” I said, not exactly sure how friendly to be with the man I’d almost slept with and then ghosted.

“Well then, to more happy nights,” Michael said, raising his glass to me.

I sighed, not picking up my glass to meet his.

“Michael, don’t you think we should talk about the photographer? We can’t act as if nothing happened.”

Michael sighed, too, and set his glass back down on the table.

“I know that we need to talk about what happened. I am sure you have a lot of questions for me. I’m honestly surprised that you even agreed to come here after everything my family and guests put you through. I just wanted to spend some time with you before we had to talk about all of that unpleasantness.”

I was shocked that Michael was worried about me not showing up; he always seemed so confident and put together. The entire time I had been worried he wouldn’t want to see me again when he was worried about the same thing.

“I was afraid you wouldn’t want to see me again,” I admitted sheepishly.

“Shelby, I would have to be crazy not to want to see you again.”

Heat burst into my cheeks, and I was thankful that the light was low enough to hide my blush.

“I have mentally kicked myself every day for not going to you right after I got back from chasing off that photographer. Then, when I woke up the next day, I found out you were gone, and it was too late. After that, I figured you needed some space, understandably. Your vacation was anything but relaxing,” Michael said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“I should have at least stayed to say goodbye, but at the time, I didn’t feel as though I could stay.”

“I found out from some of my staff that you and Lauren were heard getting into an argument. No one knew what it was about, and I couldn’t get a straightforward answer out of Lauren. What did she say to make you feel as though you needed to leave?”

I looked down at my plate and took a slow bite, trying to decide just how much of the fight with Lauren I wanted to disclose to her father. The meat was so tender it felt as though it melted in my mouth; I swallowed reluctantly before speaking.

“Lauren found out that I was Todd’s previous girlfriend. She obviously wasn’t happy about it, and things got pretty heated. I didn’t want to stay after that.”

Michael stared at me as though trying to get me to go into the horrible things his daughter had actually said to me. It was hard for me to understand why I still felt the need to protect Lauren from her own shitty behavior, but I held my tongue anyway.

“Shelby, I know there is more to it than that.”

“None of that matters anymore,” I said, looking down at my plate again to avoid his piercing gaze. “We are going in completely different directions in our lives, and I doubt that we will ever cross paths again. We are from completely different worlds.”

“You are right,” Michael responded, watching me carefully. “You two are completely different. She is turning into everything I hoped she wouldn’t, and you, Shelby, well, you are… real.”

The silence between us was only interrupted by the soft clinks of our silverware against our plates.

“I wasn’t able to catch up with that photographer,” Michael said softly, almost ashamed.

“I know,” I responded, finally lifting my eyes to meet his.

“What do you mean?” Michael’s eyebrows furrowed together, clearly confused by what I was alluding to.

“Right before the flight I was on took off, an unknown number sent me a picture of us in the cove.”

Tears started to well up in my eyes. Michael jumped up from his side of the table and was next to me in an instant. He grabbed my hands from where they were resting on my lap.

Even as upset as I was, the feeling of his hands on mine made my entire body feel warm.

“Shelby, why on earth did you keep this to yourself? If I would have known that he was blackmailing you, I would have had someone standing guard at your apartment day and night.”

“I thought that if I disappeared, they would leave you alone, but whoever it was, they found me. That’s why I came to find you at your office today.”

“What do you mean they found you?” Michael asked, concern flooding his eyes.

“Someone followed me back to my apartment. I ran down the street, but they must have noticed where I lived because the next time I opened the door, there was a box waiting for me.

Michael stared at me, absorbing every word I spoke.

“The picture was inside of the box with a note that said, ‘Tell Michael he is running out of time.’ That’s when I decided I needed to come and find you. I am so sorry, Michael. I thought this would all just go away if I walked out of your life.”

“That son of a b***h!” Michael cursed.