Bigger and Badder (A Caldwell Hope Billionaire Romance)

by Jackson Kane

  Whatever was going on looked messy.

  “Where's Doug?” Gloria gave up all hope of us knowing the band she was talking about. There was more of an accusation in her voice rather than curiosity. She never liked my boyfriend, Doug.

  “Playing cards and getting drunk with the waitstaff in the kitchen probably.” I turned back to the other two ladies, visibly deflating at hearing my boyfriend's name. Between Doug and what I needed to talk with Gloria about, I felt like disappearing too.

  “Forgive me if I'm being a little forward,” Molly said with hesitant care, “but that sounds pretty shitty. You're obviously looking forward to this event.” She motioned at the intricacies of my mask and clothes, then glanced at Gloria for some kind of confirmation.

  Gloria's lips became a thin pale line across her face as she slowly shook her head. She always told me he was boring, didn’t pay enough attention to me and was kind of a jerk. I thought she didn’t like him because he wasn't cool enough in her eyes, but lately I was beginning to see that she might have a point.

  A song came on that sounded eerily familiar, but I couldn't place it. When I saw Molly's face light up, I figured it out. It was the song Luke wrote for her. He premiered it at our place, Black Rocket Records, during his band's reunion show. It was a sweet, catchy, and sorrowful tune that had just started to get radio play. Now the live band played it, probably as per special request from Luke himself.

  The crowd near us on the dance floor parted and the rock star Luke King slid up to his wife on his knees, utterly destroying his fine suit pants in the process. In one breezy motion, he pulled off his mask—which was the same as hers, only his skull was black—and kissed Molly's belly half a dozen times before looking up.

  “Hey, Mama.” Unabashed love twinkled in Lucas's eyes when he looked at Molly.

  My heart melted at the sight of it. I couldn't remember one time Doug ever looked at me the way Luke looked at Molly.

  “Hi, Luke,” I said as coolly as I could. I still got a little starstruck whenever he was around. I had to get over that.

  How do you get over men like the King brothers?

  Richard was one of the most powerful businessmen in the country, and his brother Luke King was full-on rock star. They were Caldwell Hope royalty and heirs—sort of—to their now-deceased father’s multi-billion-dollar fortune.

  It had been a long couple of months. The town had only recently recovered from their insane rivalry. It was a case of billionaire takes all, in that whichever brother knocked a woman up first got all the inheritance for themselves.

  “Hey, ladies.” He brushed his long hair back and smiled pleasantly to both of us. Then he slid down his mask, gave Molly an evil grin, and carefully hoisted his pregnant wife into the air. Molly protested but was giggling through the whole thing. He seemed like the kind of guy who did this stuff with her a lot. “Sorry to interrupt.” He carried Molly off. “My wife and I have a date on the dance floor.”

  Wow. I tried not to swoon. Richard King was hot as hell, but his younger brother, Luke.... How is a man like that even real?

  “Hey, while we have a second…” I approached the sensitive subject tentatively. “…I want to talk to you about something,”

  “What's up?” Gloria said, admiring her ring. She was still aglow from getting the proposal.

  I hated to do this now, but I couldn't wait any longer.

  “I... want to sell you my half of the Black Rocket Records.”

  “Why?” Gloria gave me her full attention. “We're just about to open a second location in San Francisco. Business is doing great right now.”

  Yeah, that’s because I have nothing to do with the decision-making process anymore. I was co-owner with Gloria on paper only. That wasn't her fault though; it was my decision.

  Gloria flipped up her mask to look at me more sincerely.

  “Gloria!” I cried. “Masquerade.”

  “For fuck's sake... I'm leaving the mask off if we're going to talk like adults. The masquerade police can throw me in masquerade jail for all I care. This whole thing's stupid, and my fiancé owns the place, so I'll do as I please!” Gloria declared, loud enough for everyone in the area to hear her. Feeling less flustered, she turned back to me. “Now talk to me. Is this about the concert a few months ago?”

  “No.” And it wasn't… at least not completely. Although not a day went by that I didn't think about my colossal screwup that almost bankrupted us. “It's just... I don't know.”

  Oh God, I don't even have the courage to say it out loud.

  “Are you all right?” Gloria asked, leaning in. She lowered her voice and flashed her eyes down my stomach. Gloria was the only one who knew about my recent miscarriage. “There weren't any—”

  “I'm fine.” I shifted in my chair. Money talk always made me feel so awkward. “Never mind. Will you buy me out?”

  “If this is about money, we can help.” Gloria's black-rimmed eyes brimmed with concern. She was a good friend to put up with my craziness. “Seriously. You don't have to do this.”

  “No, I'm okay.” I blew out my air and smiled genuinely. “I just need to separate myself from the old me and start over, y'know?”

  Richard spotted us and sidled up next to his wife-to-be. He, of course, was dressed nicer than everyone. He wore an exaggerated gothic tuxedo with an opaque glass-and-silver half mask that must've cost a small fortune.

  Only seeing them together did I realize they each wore one half of the same mask. That was really clever and adorable.

  Doug accidentally left the one I made him at home and came in wearing a paper plate monstrosity that he made in the parking lot. I'd spent a month working on them. All he had to do was bring it with him and he couldn't even do that. My blood boiled just thinking about it.

  “The trick to a masquerade party is to keep the mask on.” Richard pressed her buttons with a sly smirk.

  “Oh my fucking God!” Her eyes went wide. She tore the mask off and slapped it on the table. “There. Now it’s on the table.”

  I laughed.

  “Hi, Judy.” Richard was unfazed by her outburst. “Do you mind if I steal my fiancée for a dance?”

  “Actually…” Gloria started, her annoyance falling away and concern again marred her face. “Judy and I were in the middle—”

  “I don't mind at all.” I smiled, offering a chipper tone and stood up. I honestly didn't want to keep talking about any of it. All it did was make me sad. “I need to go find Doug and harass him into at least one dance before he gets too drunk and makes another scene.”

  I didn't relish the idea of finding him, but I couldn't stay at the table with the happy couple any longer. I excused myself and made my way through the dance floor toward the kitchen.

  Now that I saw it up close, I realized the floor was painted to look like a giant jack-o-lantern with gaping block teeth and glowing eyes. I was looking at everything except where I was going and crashed right into someone.

  I bounced off the human wall, then tripped over my own heels. My face lit up in fright and shame. I was going to fall on my ass in the middle of the room, full of the most important people in the state. Senators, TV anchors, the mayor, actors, everyone was about to see me make an utter fool out of myself.

  Then I stopped, hovering in midair for a moment. A pair of large hands had swept me up and pulled me into a dancer's embrace. Of course, I didn’t recognize him because of the mask—which had two horns coming off the forehead, not like a devil but more akin to a Viking helmet. Whoever he was, he gracefully spun me to make it look like we'd been dancing together the whole time.

  “That was close.” His deep voice had the sound of a smirk in it. “Usually I like to meet my dancing partners before I try to pull that move off. Are you all right?”

  “Holy crap. That was incredible!” I caught myself squealing and then forced a little more composure through my voice. “I owe you one, mysterious stranger.”

  My social savior had broad, defined sh
oulders. He didn't wear a suit jacket, just a French-cuffed, button-down white shirt, black pants, and a shiny red lattice-design covered vest. I could feel the hard grooves of his muscled back through both garments. It sent a searing thrill through me.

  There was no way this guy wasn't an athlete.

  His eyes were too perfect a shade of deep blue. I wondered if I could ever find that color in my oil paints at home.

  “Yes.” He smiled mischievously. “You do.”

  Five

  Garrett

  Five Years Ago

  “Nice mask,” I commented, wishing it wasn't there. The half mask was porcelain with an accented tiara and peacock feathers shooting up from one side; it reminded me of something from the Italian Baroque period, but with bright and complementing colors. Among a room full of masks, hers stood out as more intricate and unique; it was easy to tell that love went into its creation.

  I'd noticed her when I walked in but intentionally kept my distance.

  I pulled her closer than I should have as we danced through a hole in the crowd. She was tall and had some curves about her. I liked that. I led her to a quieter section of the dance floor so we wouldn't have to shout at one another.

  That and, if I got any closer to Lucas King, I was going to take his fucking head off. It was a good thing we had these masks on, or else both of us would wind up in the news again. I wasn't about to make a scene right now, not with his pregnant wife around.

  Besides, after that blowout with Heidi a few minutes ago, the last thing I wanted was to draw more attention.

  I needed a distraction.

  “Thanks.” My blond-haired partner smiled proudly. The look was enough to make me miss my next step. I hadn't seen genuine warmth like that in a long time. “I made it.”

  So she was beautiful inside and out it seemed.

  Who was this woman?

  “What happened over there?” she asked bluntly. “That woman looked pissed. Was that your wife?”

  “Yes.” I was a little surprised by her forwardness. “We're in a rough spot right now. I was hoping coming to this event with her would smooth things over, but it’s only made things worse.”

  Heidi and I had been in a perpetual argument for months now. The smallest things set us off these days. I was on my way to becoming a billionaire, and still nothing I did was enough for her. It drove me crazy. I doubted she'd even come home tonight. Not like it would’ve been the first time.

  I hated to think of where she might go, or who she might go to.

  “Did you forget an anniversary?” she guessed. Her voice was light and bubbly. If champagne could talk, it would sound like her. “Or a birthday? You didn't run over the dog, did you?”

  I wished it was that easy. Not the dog part though; that shit would be horrible. I wasn't about to tell a complete stranger that my wife just told me she didn't love me and was only staying because of our daughter.

  “You don't have much of a filter, do you?”

  “I— Shit. I'm sorry,” she said. “My curiosity tends to get me in trouble. I can't help it. Aside from the King brothers, you're the only one here who looks larger than life. In the good way, I mean. I'm obviously not calling you fat!”

  “I'd ask your name, but I guess that would defeat the purpose.”

  “Yes! I'm glad you get that.” She glanced to the side, searching out someone; probably the person who didn't get “that.”

  “Where's your date? You can't be here alone.” I glanced around this time, partly looking for some guy who was standing off to the side fuming that I was dancing with his girlfriend, and partly looking for my wife who might be doing the same, even though I knew I wouldn’t find Heidi. I was doing what I could to hold things together for our daughter, but Heidi made it clear that she didn’t love me anymore. I wish it hadn't come to this; Jackie deserved a chance at a whole family.

  “That is a great question,” my partner said sullenly. Then she chuckled, her hand slid across my back. “Doesn't look like it's our night, huh?”

  “Who knows….” I spun her to the end of my arm, then rolled her back in. Her long blonde hair cascaded over my neck and chest, inundating me with its silky texture and flowery-smelling conditioner.

  I greedily breathed in as much of her as I could. “Maybe it is our night.”

  She tittered nervously, thoroughly at a loss for words. I could feel her pulse race through her white gown. Her plunging neckline shifted when her spine went rod straight, as if noticing my touch for the first time.

  She looked stunning.

  I envied the poor, dumb bastard who this outfit was meant for; obviously the man was a fool for not noticing her enough.

  Song after song, we danced in wordless closeness for a long while. It was perfect. For an hour or so, I could be a completely different person who was just dancing with a stranger.

  “I feel like I should call you something,” she said at last, once we drifted far enough from the rest of the crowd. The ambient lighting was strong enough where we were for me to finally see the emerald hue in her bright eyes. Not even the porcelain mask could hide her sparkling gems from me. “Not your real name of course, but something. Y'know?”

  I didn't think she could get any prettier. I was wrong.

  “Like a superhero name?” I let the absurd fantasy of it all part my lips in a grin. “Sure. Call me Grim. What do I call you?”

  For bringing the naming concept up, she struggled with thinking of one. She had to know that I'd ask her for one as well, right?

  “Rocket.” She sighed, her cheerfulness tarnishing a bit. It made my heart ache with sympathy pangs.

  “Fuck names,” I said dismissively. I wasn't going to call her something that wounded her. “We don't need them. Just for tonight we'll be a man and a woman. To hell with everything else.”

  “I like that.” She smiled again, pulling herself a little closer to me.

  We chased the night away one dance step at a time, and for a while, I was able to let go of all the other crap on my mind. Football was so fucking all-encompassing these days. I felt like it was smothering me. Coach Miller was such an incredible prick about not allowing me any time to get my personal life together. I didn’t know how much more of his shit I’d be able to take.

  Far too soon, all the dancing was done. I held the mystery woman in my arms, not wanting to let her go. We'd slowly marched to the gallows of a decision. Part ways forever as strangers, or leave our broken worlds together.

  It was so insanely tempting to do the latter and just leave it all behind.

  “Thank you.” She looked up at me with wide eyes. “It was a bad night until you came along.”

  “My pleasure.” I softly kissed her hand. A tiny birthmark above her thumbnail caught my eye; it was in the shape of a crescent moon. I whispered into her ear, “You still owe me one.”

  My perfect dancer swayed lightly with anticipation. She wanted me to decide for both of us. The small portion of her face that I could see was eager, but also hesitant. I could only imagine what battles she fought in her head right now.

  Thoughts of my newborn daughter washed through me and I knew that I never really had a choice at all. There was no way I could ever leave her, or be the reason she didn't have a full family.

  My life was different now. My sacrifices were just beginning.

  “Perhaps,” I said, heavily discarding something truly unique and special. I dove desperately once more into her emerald eyes. “In another life we'd have gotten one more dance. Good night.”

  Then I left her forever.

  Six

  Judy

  The Happy Halloween sign hung from the great hall's threshold.

  “Isn't it December?” My voice was so distant that I briefly felt like a ventriloquist's puppet.

  The ballroom floor was painted bright orange and black, like a jack-o-lantern with a great Cheshire grin. I was dancing in the middle of everyone. One wrong step, and I'd fall into the pumpkin's gaping smile and d
isappear forever.

  Everyone wore these elaborate masks, but it wasn't a costume party. They all had on the suits and gowns of a formal evening party. I remembered loving the concept of it, but the name flitted away from me.

  What was that called?

  “A masquerade,” the man I was suddenly dancing with answered the question I'd never actually spoken aloud. “Where's your mask?”

  He twirled me. I felt so small in his arms, so safe. In the mirrored far wall, I could see that I was the only one in the whole dance who didn't have a mask on.

  What happened to mine? I know I wore one. I vividly remember making it myself. Where is it now?

  “I don't know.” Anxiety flooded me. This was a masquerade. I couldn't not have one. What was I going to do?

  “Dance,” the masked man said, pulling me closer. He was tall and broad, and his hands were strong like rough-hewn stone. He had the shoulders and thighs of an athlete; a large one at that.

  Baseball or hockey maybe?

  No... football, that was it!

  It was glaringly obvious now. His mask wasn't a mask at all but a football helmet. He wore pads over his finely tailored suit. “Stick with me and they won't notice.”

  I believed him. How could they possibly see my face if I was dancing? I felt silly for not coming to that conclusion on my own. “But I don't know how to dance.”

  “I'll show you. Then you'll never forget.” My partner masterfully led me around the dance hall. His every step was impossibly smooth and confident. He was amazing. Better than anyone I'd ever seen.

  He moved me like a leaf on the wind.

  I was his completely.

  The music slowed and I got worried. What would happen if we stopped dancing? His body pressed against mine, and suddenly the pads weren't there anymore.

  We were both completely naked.

  “Our clothes!” I gasped, shivering. I looked to see if anyone was looking at us. No one seemed to notice.