by Kayla Hensen
Rebel Bachelor: Billionaire Bad Boys
Copyright 2019, Kayla Hensen. All Rights Reserved
Cover: Bonnie Paulson
Editor: Samantha Wiley
Duncan Williamsworth has never met a woman who could turn him down. All that's about to change when he meets sophisticated Penny Reynolds, investment manager for the Sinclair family. She has his number and it's not credit and debits.
Duncan wants nothing more than to play hard and earn his father’s trust. His first mission? Acquire the Sinclair fortune in a hostile takeover. It won't be easy but Duncan has an ace up his sleeve.
Penny Reynolds has seen enough rich bad boys to notice the signs. Beige suit, turned up collar, and a smug smile. As Duncan manipulates her, she goes on the offensive. If he thinks he'll use her to get to the Sinclairs, he has another thing coming. She'll beat him at his own game--or will she?
A smart girl willing to play his game. A rebel player with a reputation he’s desperate to prove right even if it’s very wrong. Will love distract both of them from their ultimate goals?
Chapter One
Hello, Hamilton Springs.
Duncan and his two brothers had arrived back in the legendary town by the sea. Swaying palm trees, sandy beaches and attractive women, the elegance of the place was apparent the moment their private jet landed on the lit runways of the airport. It didn’t take long to get accompanied by colorful drinks with umbrellas. Food was plentiful. Pubs and restaurants were in a class all their own.
Man, it was good to lay down roots where their grandfather had gotten his start. In fact, they moved into the family mansion, the Williamsworth estate. Duncan sat out by the luxurious pool at a shaded table and read the newspaper. Relaxed with his legs crossed, he wore a white polo shirt and tan pants. With sunglasses on, he was the epitome of cool, calm.
Still, his heart raced with excitement.
The Sinclairs were back in town. Not only were they the richest family in all of Hamilton Springs but Duncan always had a little rivalry in college with their son, Christopher Sinclair. Now he sat on the board of Sinclair Enterprises and Duncan couldn’t deny he wanted to take it. It’d be like taking money from a baby. He just needed a plan good enough to sink Sinclair and obtain their company for himself.
Duncan rubbed his jaw thoughtfully, a smirk on his face.
“Oh, that’s not good.” His older brother, Matthew, sat across from him at the table. “You’ve got that ‘I have a plan’ look all over your face.”
Duncan folded his hands across his lap and shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Matt.”
His brother laughed. “Sure you don’t. Whatever you’re up to, I hope it’s girls and not anything serious. Dad was serious when he said it was time for you to go straight. No more plans, no more bailing you out.”
Right. Duncan had heard it all before. He was a disappointment to his dad because Duncan hadn’t realized his ‘full potential’. Whatever that meant. Girls, fast cars, obtaining buckets of cash, somehow that wasn’t good enough for the Williamsworth family. Duncan didn’t get it. What more could he do?
“Nothing huh?” Matthew gave him a knowing grin.
Duncan splayed his hands in surrender. “You know I’m helpless to every whim I have, Matthew. I have no self-control.”
“You don’t have to play into Dad’s hands, you know. Stand up, be your own man, prove him wrong. For some reason, you’re only interested in proving him right.”
“I live life my way. Not his. If he can’t understand that… Maybe this family is too small for the both of us but it won’t be me who leaves with his tail tucked between his legs.”
Matthew sighed and hung his head in comical resignation. “I tried. He and Mom get in tomorrow night, so just be careful. They haven’t been home to Hamilton Springs in years. They’re going to want to settle in, throw a party. Best behavior, brother.”
Duncan loved a good party but maybe not one his parents had thrown. Still, it’d be nice to meet some pretty woman in beautiful dresses. There wasn’t anything better than that as far as he was concerned.
“Always. When have I ever done anything I shouldn’t?” This time he chuckled. How ludicrous could he be?
As he said it, he heard the roar of a motorcycle returning. Ah, baby brother had returned from his morning drive. Duncan pointed his thumb toward the sprawling mansion as if he could see young Jackson returning. “At least I don’t drive a motorcycle. At least I went to college. I excelled, actually. And what’d it get me?”
Matthew rose up from his seat and pointed his finger against the table. “That’s only half the battle, Duncan. What we do with that knowledge, how our behavior is in the society, that means a lot to Dad because of how Grandfather raised him.”
The saintly politician who walked away from billions of dollars to save the world. How many times had Matthew told this story? Grandfather was a great man, a noble man. Duncan wasn’t. He was okay with that, so why wasn’t everyone else?
“You’re boring me.” Duncan picked up the newspaper and gave it a hard snap as he unfolded it. Matthew gave up on him, finally walking away. Good. It had been a boring conversation anyway. He was ready for something else to happen.
When he turned to the society pages, Christopher Sinclair’s ugly mug smiled back at him. Hello, what was this about?
“An engagement party?” Duncan muttered to himself. Chris Sinclair, the bachelor himself, was getting married? And the party was tonight? What a location to start his plan to go after Christopher and his family’s money. Their company. Duncan wanted it so bad, he could smell blood in the water.
Duncan needed to get in. Because that was going to be some party. And he loved nothing better. He tossed the newspaper down on the table and hurried back to the pool house he called his home—at least for now. It was bigger than most middle-class ranch style houses and decorated like a sea side mansion with bright blue and light green accents.
He picked up the phone and dialed a number. The woman lounging in his bed beginning to stir with the sounds of his arrival. Duncan would make sure to give her what she wanted in a minute.
“Yes, hello. What will it take to get me an invitation into the Sinclair party tonight? Money’s no object. Who is maintaining the guest list?”
Chapter Two
She balanced her laptop bag over one shoulder and a pile of manila folders and colorful binders in another. The Sinclairs were nothing if not old school when it came to how they liked their financials organized and with the news that Logan Sinclair was getting in over the next few days…
Well, Penny might’ve been his assistant but she hadn’t met him in person yet. He had a reputation for being difficult to work for, had high standards and while Penny enjoyed working for him remotely, she was terrified to meet him. Now, she had numbers to crunch, parties to organize, and she had a pile of board meetings to keep on top of on his behalf.
Talk about stressful. Penny worked more than she didn’t. She rarely got to spend more than a few hours at home when she wasn’t sleeping and some days she really missed her cat, Klous. A sweet orange and white tabby male that loved to cuddle on her toes. She’d give anything to scratch his head, binge watch movies, and eat bowls of popcorn with her friends.
But no, Penny knew right now she had to focus on her career. She wanted to make it big in the executive assistant world. Best way to do that was keep Logan Sinclair happy and that meant staying on her toes. She needed to keep her eyes on the prize—develop a stealer reputation and impress Logan so much, he sang her praises.
She hurried through the Sinclair Enterprise office complex, which was really just a sixty floor skyscraper. Logan’s office was at the very top but wasn’t something he ever was in, considerin
g his relocation to Sweet Falls, but when word hit he was returning—at least temporarily—the atmosphere in the building changed. It went from being dull and quiet, to excited and enthusiastic.
And fear. Penny couldn’t forget about the fear.
She opened the door to his office and walked into the sprawling room, which was more like an apartment. Big, with giant windows that overlooked the beaches of Hamilton Springs. Sitting areas with plush sofas and chairs came first plus a mini bar. A closet and bookcase lined the left wall. Over on the right was a private room. Rumor was Logan slept there sometimes when he just couldn’t make it home after a long day.
More speculation was he didn’t even eat. He just lived off of energy drinks and coffee but Penny didn’t believe anyone could actually do that.
She hustled over into Logan’s private conference room, and nearly dropped the binders as she set them down on the long black table. So shiny, Penny felt like she smudged it just by looking at it. Fanning out the colorful folders at the head of the table, she gave it the once over. It looked great.
Penny checked her watch. Less than twenty hours until he arrived. She had so much to do.
When she walked through the office, her phone binged and there was only one person it could be:
Hi Penny,
Please sync my calendar and send me an itemized agenda. Make sure tomorrow I have time to meet with Mr. and Mrs. Withers to go over our joint venture plans.
Logan
Penny quickly replied that she was on it. She hurried over to his desk, sat down in the most comfortable leather plush chair on the planet, and fired up his laptop. As the cloud synced, Penny tapped her fingers onto the desktop. Once done, she pulled up the calendar and began to paste the agenda into Logan’s itinerary template. He was nothing if not… precise.
Yes, that was a good way to put it.
She was nearly done when her phone pinged again. Penny nearly grunted. When Logan was awake, he rarely left her alone. Which was great… It kept her busy, right? She was earning her salary and to be fair, it was very generous, but Penny would love to enjoy some coffee and maybe a cinnamon bun.
Hi Honey,
Missed you at family dinner. Hope you’ll call us soon. I’m starting to forget what you sound like.
--Mom
Penny rolled her eyes and turned her phone over so she couldn’t even see the display anymore—that would show her mom a thing or two.
She highlighted the heading in the template and bolded it. Quickly, she fired it off in an email and let Logan know she’d get with Mr. Withers assistant. A billionaire himself, he had slowed down considerably since his heart attack. Now with his first grandchild born, rumor was he would be taking steps even further back.
If only Logan would do that when he got his first grandchild. Officially everyone knew Christopher was chairman of Sinclair Enterprises but that didn’t mean Logan was ready to retire. On the contrary, Penny was busier than she had ever been.
She cleaned up the desk, turned off the monitor, and pushed the chair back where she had found it. When her phone rang instead of blingging, Penny sighed in frustration. This was always how it went. Her mother sent an email and two minutes later followed it up with phone call to see if she received it. All a ploy, Penny was sure, to get her on the phone. Because, well, it worked. She answered it without looking. “Mom—”
“Um, no one has ever called me that before.”
Penny cringed. It was a man. “I’m sorry I was… expecting another call. How can I help you?”
“Penny, right?”
“Right. Yes.” Penny hurried down the hall toward the elevator.
“Great, this is Duncan Williamsworth. I heard there’s a party for my old buddy Chris tonight. Congrats on his engagement and all. I’m only in town a few days but I’d love to get on the guest list. My friends say you can help me with that.”
Penny twisted her lips in a deep scowl. The guest list had been finalized for weeks and she wasn’t about to just add someone to the list just because they called and asked about it.
“I can hear your silent hesitation. Do me a solid. I haven’t seen Chris since his recent trouble and engagement. I just want to be there for my bro, know what I’m saying?” He laughed and Penny was taken with the husky way he talked. It was low and quiet, like he was a serious guy. She liked serious guys.
“I’ll have to see if I can fit you in.”
“Oh come now, Ms. Reynolds. I think we both know they have the room. One more on the guest list won’t hurt anyone.”
“You don’t need a plus one?”
“Not at all. I’m here to visit my old friend and show my support.”
Her phone binged again and it was Logan. Penny’s blood pressure hit the roof. “All right. I’ll add you to the list that’s being checked at the door.”
“You’re amazing, Penny. Truly. Thank you. Oh, and let’s make sure Christopher is surprised. It’s going to be a night to remember.”
Penny nodded and hung up the phone. The doors to the elevator opened for the tenth floor and she got off. Glancing at her phone she saw a new list from Logan. Her eyes widened as she read it. She might not even get a chance to eat lunch if he didn’t slow down. Lucky for her, he’d be traveling home soon.
With luck, he’d be too distracted to give her a million things to do. And with luck, the party would go off without a hitch. Penny had very set goals for her life and it involved working and being ambitious. Doing the best she could do.
It didn’t involve things like dating or listening to low, husky voices on the phone. It was nice though, there was no denying that. Maybe one day, Penny thought. She stepped around the corner and into the conference room. No one was in yet except for her. It’d give her a minute to collect her thoughts.
But her phone rang and this time, Penny did look at the call display. “Hi Mom. I’m sorry I didn’t email you right away. Sorry I missed dinner…”
Chapter Three
He wasn’t much of a tux guy.
Black trousers, a white shirt with the top two buttons undone, no tie, and an off black blazer with a pair of sunglasses clipped onto his pocket was Duncan’s go to outfit. It never failed. His black hair combed back. He looked cool, suave, way more together than Christopher Sinclair had ever been.
As his limo pulled up to the Sinclair estate, Duncan adjusted the cuffs of his jacket and peered out the window. He feigned disinterest but man, the Sinclair estate made his family’s own look like the Barbie Dream House. The sprawling mansion could’ve been a palace with a rolling landscape that looked like a national park. If national parks came with multiple swimming pools, tennis courts, and immaculate gardening.
The Sinclairs got their reputation honestly and knew how to flash their money in people’s faces. Of course, Duncan couldn’t claim innocence in that department, either. Now it was the Williamsworth family’s chance to shine and that meant Duncan was going to take the Sinclairs down a notch or two.
It’d be great if they weren’t even in the running. He didn’t think he could go that far but Duncan would give it his best shot. His old man would have to recognize him if he was able to do that. Maybe he wouldn’t be the forgotten son—always in Matthew’s shadow.
He exited the limo and fell in with the crowd heading up the lit front steps toward the mansion. As expected, the women’s dresses were gorgeous and the men looked equally dapper. Duncan walked with confidence among the couples, some he knew,well, most he knew of.
“Name, sir?” The distinguished older man asked him at the door. He held a tablet in his hand.
“Duncan Williamsworth.”
The man’s eyes crinkled slightly, almost like he had bit into a lemon. The rivalry between the two families was legendary by the older generation, Duncan knew this, but it had been a bit like the cold war. Neither family stated so publicly.
“I do see your name here on the list,” the man said with surprise. He taped his stylus to the screen. “Welcome to the party
, Mr. Williamsworth. I do hope you’ll enjoy yourself.”
“Anything for old Chris, right?” Duncan slapped him on the back and continued on into the foyer of the home.
And what a home it was. More like a museum that seemed to stretch on infinitely. Glossy floors and high pillars and beams decorated the place almost to excess but it stopped just sort of being gaudy. Waitresses carried around trays of drinks and finger foods, light music played at just the right tempo and volume. Everything had been accounted for and preplanned.
Except for him. That they hadn’t been able to count on.
“Duncan, is that you?” Jordan, an old friend from college asked. Beautiful as ever with ruby red lips and silky blond hair, she touched his elbow in a soft way. “Well, it is you! I didn’t know you were in Hamilton Springs.”
“Just got back.” He kissed her cheek. “Nice to see you. You’re gorgeous as ever.”
She laughed. “You old flatterer! Let’s do lunch sometime.” Jordan eyed him up and down like he was a piece of meat. Duncan couldn’t say he really minded.
“I’d love that.”
“I’ve got to say, I wouldn’t expect to see you at a party for Chris. You guys hated each other through college. I guess neither of you are harboring a grudge.”
Duncan winked at her. “We’ve evolved.”
“You sure have. Well, save me a champagne later and we can catch up.”
Nothing would make him happier. He bid her farewell and moved further into the room. He waved to people, gave them his patient wink if they were of the female variety and enjoyed working the room. Over by the baby grand, he leaned against the top, surveying. He kept his eye out for Christopher along the stairs and on the top balcony. So far there was no one. Too bad, Duncan thought. It could really liven the party up.
So far it was your standard rich people fare. Hello. Goodbye. Aren’t you attractive? I am, I’m filthy rich. You too? Duncan loved to play the part but underneath he felt a little bit dirty. He moved on, drink in hand he hadn’t had before and headed out to the patio.
