Billionaires Don't Like Nice Girls (A BWWM Romance) by Mia Caldwell Page A

from the pretty, loony girl. Only a dollar. Support the Zeke’s Bend Animal Shelter.”
    Neesa laughed. “That’s the worst barking I’ve heard in my whole life. You could at least look at the people while you’re talking to them.”
    Phae shrugged.
    Sylvie smoothed her hair. “You’re out of sorts because you-know-who isn’t here.”
    “I’m not looking for him.” Phae stepped out of the stream of traffic and leaned against the support post again.
    “I said to quit doing that.” Neesa scowled as harshly as her angelic face would allow. “You’re gonna tear the place down. Here, take my stool. And quit lying. It’s bad for your soul.”
    Phae toyed with the tail of her long braid. “My soul’s perfectly fine, thank you.”
    Neesa began retying a squashed paper flower. “We know you’re looking for Kent. I caught a glimpse of him the other day. What woman wouldn’t be looking? He’s fine as hell. And I hear he’s a billionaire.”
    “He’s not a billionaire,” Phae said. “You know how Miss Eugenia exaggerates.”
    “Guy who looks like that, he doesn’t need money,” Sylvie said.
    “But it doesn’t hurt,” Neesa added with a knowing grin.
    Sylvie waved and flirted at a likely-looking older man who walked on by without stopping. She sighed. “You know you’ve got it bad, Phae. And what’s wrong with that? I’ve never seen you act the way you did at the diner. You wouldn’t have believed it, Neesa. They practically sizzled together. And Phae was all like, ‘Cancel my appointment, Sylvie,’ just because he said so. It was like, ‘Bam!’ and ‘Boom!’ and they were looking at each other like they were gonna take a bite out of something that shouldn’t be bitten in a public place.”
    Sylvie and Neesa laughed at Phae’s disgruntled expression.
    “He’ll be here,” Neesa said, shooing Phae back into the crowd. “Go on now. Put a little spirit into your pitch. Sylvie will do her sexy pout she’s always practicing in her selfies.”
    “I don’t have a sexy pout,” Sylvie said.
    This time Neesa and Phae laughed.
    Phae stepped in front of the gaudy, pink-streamer-covered booth and scanned the crowd. Still no Kent. Where was he?
    “Hear ye, hear ye,” she began with no more spirit than before. “Buy a kiss from the pretty lady. Chapped lips? No problem. Step right up. Fever blisters? Yeah, you’d better move it along. This so isn’t right. But buy a kiss anyway. Only a dollar. I mean, what’s a dollar these days? Come on—”
    Phae stopped short as a pair of strong hands grasped her shoulders and spun her around. Her startled gaze locked onto Kent’s clear, blue eyes.
    “I never can resist a good sales pitch,” he said, his rumbly bass voice making Phae shiver.
    Kent lowered his head slowly and gently touched his lips to hers. She closed her eyes at the feel of his warm breath.
    One of his hands glided to the back of her neck while the other lowered to her waist, pulling her securely against the length of his hard body. His heart pounded as rapidly as her own.
    The sensations were overpowering and she opened her eyes.
    “We’d better make this quick,” Kent whispered huskily against her lips. “Or I’m going to embarrass us both.”
    Unthinking, Phae brought her arms up around his neck as he deepened the kiss. His lips slid with silken softness against her own. So this is heaven, she thought hazily. His tongue lightly touched her upper lip.
    “Okay you two, that’s enough,” said a brusque male voice, unmistakably belonging to her cousin, James.
    Phae and Kent broke apart.
    “I didn’t see you there,” Phae said stiffly to her uniformed cousin.
    She relaxed when Kent smiled and took her hand into his own.
    “You’re kissing the wrong person,” Sylvie called to them. “She’s the barker. I’m the kisser.”
    “Sorry. Honest mistake,” Kent said. “I got swept up in her rousing marketing.”
    Sylvie snorted. “It’s still gonna cost you a dollar.”
    Kent