One Night Stand with a Billionaire

The distinct chime of Jasmine’s ringtone echoed throughout the living room. Aaron didn’t react, probably because his noise-cancelling headphones were currently blaring whatever video game he was obsessed with that day. Jasmine glanced at the clock and saw 3:15 P.M. displayed on its screen. She sighed, already knowing what was coming. Hey girlie. Natalie is gonna be super late. Will u pretty pretty plz come in and cover 4 her till she shows up? Typical. Her boss, Miranda, always asked her first for coverage. She understood why: every single tip went to paying her tuition, and Miranda knew that. But this was her first day off in a week, and she was hoping to spend some time with Aaron after he finished up his game. Still, she needed the money, and with great reluctance, she replied: Sure. I’ll be there in 15. Jasmine locked her phone and got ready to head to the restaurant. She’d been doing this routine for so long it didn’t take more than five minutes for her to get ready. She pulled her blonde hair back into a high ponytail and applied some lip gloss. Customers seemed to like the natural beauty look the best, or at least that’s what their tips said. With her work uniform on and keys in hand, she tapped Aaron’s shoulder. Fortunately, he appeared to still be in a lobby waiting for the next round. He pulled one side of his headphones away, looking up at her. “What’s up babe?” He’d been playing whatever new game this was for four hours today, which was frustrating now that she had to go to work. But every time she was annoyed with him, those big brown eyes melted her heart. “I’m gonna head into work for a couple of hours. When I get back, do you want to hit up a bar or something?” she asked hopefully. He smiled. “Of course. We should go to the Train Station.” “Sounds like a great plan to me.” Jasmine leaned down and planted a kiss on his lips. “I’ll see you tonight. Love you.” “Love you too,” he said. The screen changed, and he went back into gamer mode, staring at his screen as she headed out the door. She hopped into her car, thinking about the nice night they’d have once she was home. Between her MBA program and job, there hadn’t been much time for their relationship. Her intense schedule left her exhausted every day, leading to a long dry spell. She knew that Aaron was getting frustrated, and she wanted to make it up to him. Despite her split focus, Aaron was supportive. He helped keep the roof over their heads, no matter how dingy it was. He even got her little gifts to cheer her up when she worked a double and had an exam the next day. They didn’t have a lot, but they had each other, and that was enough for her. Jasmine spaced out for most of the drive, thinking of ways to repay Aaron. Muscle memory got her there in fifteen minutes. She snapped out of her daydream and walked in, seeing that the place was busier than usual. Was something going on in town? Miranda made sure to keep a schedule of all the events in town since they normally got slammed after a concert or game finished. Jasmine couldn’t recall anything specific today, and if there was something going on, she would have been scheduled. Miranda approached her, her brown hair pulled back in a ridiculously tight bun. The woman was breathing hard as if she’d just come back from a jog. “Thank God, will you cover tables ten through fifteen?” Jasmine gave her a small smile. “Of course, I got this. Take a break.” “Thank you again, Jasmine. You have no idea how much I appreciate you.” Miranda disappeared into the back office, and Jasmine got to work. Miranda wasn’t much older than Jasmine, likely in her early 30s, but she refused to get any more specific. She was a good boss for the most part, and a lenient one at that. It was the only reason Natalie still had a job as far as Jasmine could tell. Nine out of ten times, Jasmine was called in it was to cover for her friend. Natalie was bubbly and got along great with the customers, but she had zero time management skills. Jasmine checked in at all her tables. Most had already put their orders in with Miranda. Now she just needed to keep their drinks full and make sure all their orders got out on time. She listened to their chatter to try to get an idea of what might be going on, but she only heard something about a company moving their headquarters to town. Thirty minutes later, most of the tables had their food, so she started washing silverware and rerolling it while she waited for the customers to finish up. She hadn’t made it through ten sets when she heard the screeching of tires. Outside the window, a car took a harsh turn into their parking lot, clumsily parking in two different parking spots at an angle. Jasmine wasn’t surprised when Hurricane Natalie sprinted from the car to the door, throwing it open with a loud clatter that drew many of the patrons’ attention. “I’m here! I’m here!” she shouted in the direction of the back office. She glanced around and made eye contact with Jasmine. “I’m so sorry, Jasmine. You can go,” she said as she scrambled over to the booth. “I got this. Get some time with your man,” she said with a wink. Jasmine rolled her eyes. “Honestly, I’m impressed you were only an hour late.” Natalie huffed. “I can be punctual, you know.” “I’ll believe it when I see it.” They giggled, and Jasmine took off her apron. “Good luck tonight!” Natalie called. “Thanks, you too!” Jasmine knew she should have stayed; the place was still packed, and they could use the extra hands. But for once, she wanted to prioritize her personal life over her professional one. She drove home, excited that she still had most of the evening to spend with Aaron. She’d also have a little more time to get dolled up and really knock his socks off. The drive disappeared in an instant. She pulled into her assigned parking spot in front of their dingy yellow building. The paint was chipped in places, and some of the plaster on the exterior was gone, but it kept them dry and warm. One day, when she was further into her career, they’d get a big beautiful house that didn’t need pest control visits every month. But for now, a roof was a roof. She walked to their ground-level apartment and stopped. Music was being blasted so loud she could make out the words from outside the apartment. The place had thin walls, but not that thin. Maybe Aaron had decided to do some chores or something; he normally played some sort of music to make it more bearable. When she unlocked the door and walked in, she immediately felt something was off. Most of the apartment was visible from the front door. There was only a small hallway that led to the master bedroom and guest bath out of view. Aaron wasn’t on his computer anymore, or on the couch, or in the kitchen. “Hello?” she called. Her voice was drowned out by the music. Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. The thought of an intruder crossed her mind, playing the music so loud to cover their crime, and it only made her panic more. She grabbed an umbrella from beside the shoe rack and clutched it in her hands. That’s when she noticed the pair of tennis shoes. They weren’t Aaron’s, and they definitely weren’t hers. Her mind refused to process what it was seeing. There was no way Aaron would do this to her. He was loving and cared about her, and sometimes he’d get distracted by his games, but he still loved her just the same. Maybe he’d gotten her new shoes; they were about her size, and her old ones were falling apart. There was no way he’d hurt her like this. Like a zombie, she made her way down the hall. Her mouth was agape, and her feet moved at a snail’s pace. She stood outside the master bedroom door for several minutes, an occasional voice piercing through the deafening music. Jasmine pushed open the door. The lean frame of Aaron’s body was on the bed, moving at the same rate as the intense beat. His back was towards her, and the woman below him was on her hands and knees, her face covered by a thick mess of blonde hair. She was biting into a pillow, specifically Jasmine’s favorite, as she moaned and squirmed underneath Jasmine’s boyfriend. Jasmine walked over and turned off the music. The woman screamed, realizing they’d been caught and covering herself in the sheets. Aaron stared at her like a deer in the headlights. “Get out.”