Candy King

by Christine d'Abo

  God, how the hell was he supposed to respond to that? Andrea had taken a piece of his heart with her, and he wouldn’t insult Simone by denying it. And yet…

  And yet that void had shrunk in recent years, leaving room for someone else to move in. Someone like Simone.

  She wiped the tears away and chuckled. “I don’t know what I was expecting. We met through a sugar daddy site. Even if Kayla and others found love there, the odds were never really in our favor.”

  He wanted to deny her words, but knew he couldn’t. “Just because it didn’t work out with me doesn’t mean you won’t find love. Maybe even with someone else from the site.”

  She shook her head before he was even finished speaking. “God no. I’d never intended to be someone’s sugar baby. I don’t have issues with it, but that wasn’t what I’d wanted for a relationship. If I was going to be with someone, I want it to be because they want me in all parts of their life. But it was fun, and I’d like to thank you for giving me a glimpse of what being with…”—she swallowed as she looked away— “of what being a part of a temporary relationship is like.”

  Without thinking, he pulled her into his arms, not wanting to see her cry. “I’m so sorry.”

  “You don’t need to be. You were honest about what this was and what it could be when we started. I was the one who tried to make it more.” She pressed her nose to the side of his neck and took a breath. “You need to go to her. Reach out to see if there’s a chance you can be with her now.” She pulled away from him, spun around, and marched out of his bedroom.

  Dylan should have chased after her, but his feet might as well have been nailed to the floor. He was unable to do anything but listen as Simone gathered her things and left. The air in the condo changed the moment she was gone. As though he’d been released from a spell, he bolted from the bedroom and ran out into the far-too-empty living room.

  She was gone, and he knew that even if they saw one another again, things would never be the same between them. With his face still wet with his tears, Dylan stared at the door for a moment longer, before going to the bathroom to have a shower.

  Life would go on. It always did.

  Even if he felt as though the remaining piece of his heart had just walked out the door with Simone.

  * * * *

  Simone didn’t say a word to the Uber driver the entire drive back to her apartment. She tipped him well and gave him a perfect rating just because he hadn’t tried to engage her in conversation. Ignoring the few people she passed, Simone headed straight into the elevator, then down the hall to her door.

  The moment she was safely inside, and not a second sooner, a sob ripped from her chest. It was so loud, so painful, that she pressed both hands to her mouth to try and prevent any others from escaping.

  Oh, fuck you, Dylan Williams. Fuck you.

  She should have known that telling him that she loved him was going to cause problems. And yet, given how close they’d gotten, what he’d trusted her enough to do to him in bed, Simone had foolishly thought that maybe they had a real chance. She couldn’t have known that it wasn’t that he couldn’t love anyone. He just couldn’t love her.

  It took her a few minutes to pull herself together. Only then did she carefully toe off her shoes and head to the fridge. There was an unopened bottle of wine that had her name on it. She didn’t bother with a glass, instead drinking directly from it. What the hell was she going to do with herself now?

  This was her fault. She’d been a fool to think that she’d be one of the lucky ones who ended up finding their happily ever after because of the sugar daddy site. That wasn’t ever going to be her fate. No, the only way things worked out for her was for her to make her own magic.

  Looking over at the table, she saw her laptop sitting there charging.

  Yes, that was precisely what she needed. With the wine bottle in one hand, she grabbed her computer and headed over to the couch. Falling onto it, she took another long drink from the bottle and turned the computer on. Despite what had happened between them, Simone was a professional and still had a story to write. While she wouldn’t say anything negative about the development, she had no such qualms about taking on the sugar daddy site.

  She didn’t need to reveal Dylan’s name to expose the sham that was his site. All she had to do was tell the truth. Carl would eat this shit up, and she’d get good placement in the paper. Or even better, she’d skip print and angle for a prime place on the website. Dylan’s clientele was primarily online—what better way to hit her target market.

  Opening a new Word document, she began to type, even as her heart continued to break.

  Chapter 23

  Dylan had done his best to ignore nearly everyone who reminded him of Simone in the week since their fight. She’d been thankfully unavailable as the final week of work on the development was getting done. He needed to be as focused as he could be on every little detail now that they were getting down to the wire. Jonathan hadn’t been around either, but that wasn’t surprising. No doubt he was licking his wounds and trying to figure out if he could get any of his money back from the wedding bookings.

  Looking over the project schedule, he shook his head as Michael, the foreman, came over. “I know it’s busy today, but we really need to make sure the plumber is done by this afternoon. I need to have the electrician come so he can finalize the kitchen and we can be ready for the building inspector to look things over.”

  “It’s going to be tight with the new changes, but I think we’ll get there.” Michael shook his head. “God, he’s back.”

  Dylan looked up to see Simone’s dad standing in the doorway. “Shit. I’ll handle him.”

  “Thanks. His suggestions have turned out well, but if he says anything else, I think I’m going to lose my shit.” Michael shook his head. “I’m outta here.”

  “Coward,” Dylan said as Michael bolted in the other direction, giving Dylan the finger as he went.

  You’re a coward.

  Dylan shook his head to clear Simone’s voice and headed over to her father. “Mr. Leblanc, it’s good to see you again.”

  “I told you, call me Gerald.” He looked around and frowned. “Is Simone here? I thought she was going to be around today.”

  “No, I don’t think there’s really anything else she needs from us to do the story.” There’s nothing else that I can give her. “We’re in the final phase here, getting a lot of bits finished up today. I don’t really have a lot of time to give an updated tour.”

  Gerald looked at him, his gaze narrowing. “I wasn’t looking for a tour. I was looking for my daughter.”

  Dylan couldn’t bear to think about Simone. His heart was still bruised from what had happened between them. “As I said, I don’t think she’ll be here much anymore. The construction is just about finished, and then we’ll have the grand opening. I suspect her story will be out into the world at that point.”

  Gerald looked confused for a moment before nodding. “Sure, that makes sense. She’s probably at home writing.”

  “Probably.” Dylan hoped that was all she was doing. He couldn’t quite shake the feeling that she might still be upset at him. That he might have broken her heart when that was the last thing he’d ever intended. “You can look around a bit, though. I think the crew is on a break right now. Just make sure you’re careful. This is still an active construction site.”

  “Thanks. I wanted to see if everything still made sense.” Gerald shoved his hands in his pockets as he looked around. “I needed a second opinion.”

  “About what?”

  “Applying to live here.” He shrugged as he looked over his shoulder. “I’m not expecting any special treatment or anything. But I wanted to maybe see if I should put my name on the waiting list.”

  Dylan was about to ask him who he was waiting for when a blond woman walked in. It took him all of
three seconds to realize that she was Simone’s mom. The family resemblance was beyond striking, to the point where he knew this was what she’d look like when she reached her fifties.

  “That’s your ex-wife?” It was more than a little weird to see the two of them and realize that they were divorced. His parents wouldn’t be caught dead together in the same building, let alone side by side. “You invited her?”

  “I always ask Linda to be around when I have to make major decisions.” Gerald waved when she looked his way. “She’s one of the few people I trust.”

  “I thought you were divorced.”

  “We are. I left her because I saw how much she was suffering because of my mental illness. I wasn’t going to put her or Simone through any more of that shit. I moved on so she could live her life the way she needed to.” He smiled sweetly at her as she came close. “There’s my girl.”

  “Sorry I’m late. You didn’t tell me that parking would be such a nightmare. I had to circle the block twice until I saw a spot, and then I cut off some dude in a truck in order to steal it. I’m sure my car will be keyed when I get back.” She grinned in an all-too-familiar way and stuck her hand out. “Hi there. Linda Leblanc. Nice to meet you.”

  Dylan shook her hand instinctively, doing his best to keep his face as impassive as he could. “Dylan Williams. A pleasure to meet you. As I said to your husband, most of the crew is on a break, but this is an active construction site. If you’re going to look around, please be careful.”

  “We will. I’m more than a little curious about your development, given everything Gerry has told me.” She crossed her arms, looking more like she was giving herself a hug than that she was upset. “So far I have to say I’m really impressed.”

  “They actually took my advice about a bigger island for food prep.” Gerald smiled, nodding his head in the direction of the kitchen. “Wanna see?”

  “Oh my God, you mean you’re actually going to get your dream kitchen?” She chuckled. “Okay, let’s go. I’m sure I’m going to be jealous by the time we leave.”

  “Jealous? I hope you’ll be able to come over and do some baking for me.”

  Dylan watched as they wandered in the direction of the kitchen, unable to get Gerald’s words from his head. He’d left his family, walked away from his wife and daughter because he didn’t want his life to hurt theirs. He couldn’t imagine Gerald knew what the impact of leaving Simone was, how she’d felt abandoned and needed to prove herself to him with everything she did in her life.

  It was strange, some of the reasons people did what they did, thinking that they knew better than another person what they wanted or needed in their lives. Andrea had done that to him, had taken their collective happiness and, without a thought for him, crushed it. But it was all for the greater good, for some higher purpose. Who the hell was he to stand in the way of someone else’s hopes and dreams?

  No one, that’s who.

  Didn’t you just do the same thing to Simone?

  He pushed that thought away as quickly as it popped into his brain. He was allowed to be selfish here. They hadn’t made any arrangements, had any formal commitments beyond what they’d agreed to for their sugar daddy relationship. In that way, he’d done everything exactly as he’d told her he would. His money for her time—and nothing more.

  It wasn’t his fault that her heart had gotten involved. He hadn’t set out to woo her or win her over. They were mutually assisting one another, and that was it.

  And sure, maybe he’d had a great time with her. He enjoyed her company, and she was able to make him laugh. Yes, the sex was pretty fucking amazing. She didn’t question or hesitate to help him explore some of his kinks, even as she shared some of her own with him. The way she’d made him laugh in bed at his own ridiculousness, even that made him smile.

  They were supposed to be sugar baby and sugar daddy.

  Or journalist and client.

  The entirety of their relationship was supposed to be transactional. He’d been up front and super clear about not letting his heart get involved. She’d been clear in her understanding, yet she still fell in love with him.

  Shit.

  Dylan squeezed the edge of the table in front of him and let out a shaky breath. Shit, he’d really fucked up here. Simone was wrong when she’d said that he was still in love with Andrea. That wasn’t it at all. He honestly hadn’t thought about her in ages, not since he’d started talking with Simone online. And that was the rub—he hadn’t set out to get involved in a relationship with someone. But he was maybe a tiny bit in love with Simone.

  And he’d thrown that away.

  Double shit.

  Unable to ignore the ache in his chest, Dylan pulled out his phone to see if there was a message from Simone. Of course, there wasn’t, and he was a fool to think that something would have changed between now and when he’d last seen her.

  Really, he was probably overwhelmed with everything that had been going on. Too many things on his plate and not enough time to adequately process everything. And yes, even if he had feelings for Simone, that didn’t mean that a relationship was the best thing for them. That had worked out like crap with Andrea, and his desire to avoid dealing with that level of heartache hadn’t changed.

  No, he needed to stick to his guns. There was nothing wrong with wanting to remain a bachelor, with wanting to merely drift from woman to woman, leaving when things got to be too close for his comfort. Just because he’d done to Simone what her father had done to her and her mother didn’t mean that it wasn’t the right choice.

  What he needed to do was move on. Find another date on the sugar daddy site, go out, and have a good time.

  Closing his active conversation with Simone, he opened the page, scanned through the list of women who’d favorited his profile, picked someone who looked the complete opposite from Simone, and sent her a message.

  There. What was the point in being the Candy King if he didn’t take advantage of his creation? Slipping his phone into his pocket, he did his best to ignore the laughter coming from the kitchen and focused on next steps.

  Because the last thing he needed was to focus on what he couldn’t have.

  “Try not to peek. Just…careful. Watch your step.”

  Dylan’s stomach bottomed out as Jonathan led a blindfolded Sarah through the door. What the hell was this? Grand Central? “Hey.”

  Jonathan waved, a grin plastered on his face. “I know, I know. I’m supposed to let you know if I’m coming over.” He nodded toward Sarah and mouthed, “Surprising her.”

  It was impossible to take his eyes from them as Jonathan moved her into the heart of the room, his hands firmly on her shoulders. After their fight, Dylan hadn’t thought he’d ever see Sarah again, let alone with his brother. She’d been rightfully hurt by what he’d said, and the fact that she was here gave Dylan a glimmer of hope for his brother. A group of workers came in and started to laugh as they moved upstairs. He didn’t know what his brother had planned, but if giving him a moment of privacy would be helpful, then he’d do it.

  Without a second glance, Dylan rushed over to the crew. “Hey, guys. I know this is a pain in the ass, but can we give them a minute? Coffee’s on me.” He pulled his Starbucks gift card from his wallet and handed it over.

  They all smiled and nodded, heading out the way they had come in. Dylan skirted around the edges, doing his best impression of someone who wasn’t hanging on every word that was spoken.

  “Jonathan, what’s going on?” Sarah stepped out of his grasp, pressing her hands to the side of the blindfold. “Can I take this off?”

  “In a minute.” Jonathan let out a little sigh, letting his arms fall to his side. “Now, I know things have been bad between us. That’s on me. I screwed up, and I want to apologize. You were right when you said I was selfish. That I wasn’t thinking about you and your needs. I hope you’l
l be able to find it in your heart to forgive me.”

  Sarah bit down on her bottom lip but didn’t say anything.

  “I needed you to know that you make me a better man by being in my life. What I’m about to show you isn’t meant to try and convince you to change your mind about marrying me. This is happening regardless of that. But I needed you to know that you were the reason for this. It’s my gift to you, not as my future wife, but for being an amazing woman.”

  It was then that he reached up and pulled the blindfold from her face, revealing the converted space. Sarah’s mouth fell open as she looked around, taking in all the details. “Is this…? What is this?”

  “You’d mentioned about wanting to run a housing project that melded meditation and wellness with a safe environment for people with mental illness to live. We had a building we’ve converted for just that purpose. I’d originally intended to give it to you as a wedding present, but now…it’s because you’re an amazing person.”

  Dylan was full-out staring at this point, unable to tear his gaze away from Sarah’s face, her tears, or his brother’s look of regret. In all the years he’d seen Jonathan in relationships, not once had he seen him this raw or honest about his feelings. This was different. He was different.

  This time, maybe he was really in love.

  Dylan’s stomach twisted as his phone chirped. He immediately fished it out of his pocket as he held up his hand. “Sorry. Sorry.”

  Without another look, he bolted for outside, checking the message as he went. The moment daylight hit his face and his gaze landed on the message from the sugar daddy app, Dylan realized he’d made a terrible mistake. The words shining up at him did nothing to fire his spirit or even bring a smile to his face.

  Hey there, sexy.

  I’d love to get together for a date night. I charge $200 for dinner and show. Less if you only want to talk. Let me know when and where and we can have fun.