Mr. Trouble: A London Billionaire Standalone (London Billionaires Book 2)

by Nana Malone

  “Tell him to go fuck himself,” Nick said in a low, gravelly voice before kicking one of the guys right in the groin, sending him sideways, before blasting the second guy’s face with a firm head butt that sent a wave of pain through Nick’s nose.

  He made a quick exit back out into the corridor. He was going to have to watch his back for a while. It wasn’t going to be easy shaking that little weasel off his leg, after all.

  He returned to his desk, straightening his shirt, and noticing a slight rip in the arm seam. He rubbed his nose and was relieved to find no blood smears on his fingers. It hurt like hell, but things could have been a lot worse.

  His blood simmered. First this asshole had threatened his family, and now they’d come after him. He punched out an angry message.

  Nick, Nice try. Your goons hit like pussies. I told you I’m out. Did you not understand when I said I’M DONE?

  A reply buzzed on his phone just seconds later.

  Simon, We’ll see what your brother has to say about that.

  Ice settled in his veins as he dialled Chris’s number. When his brother answered, he said without pausing for breath, “Get yourself somewhere safe. I can’t cover for you. It’s getting messy. Get out of town if you can.”

  “Nick, you know I need to pay first or they’ll always be looking for me.”

  “This time, this is the smart choice. I can’t protect you any more. “

  His brother hung up on him. Nick could only stare at the phone. After everything he’d done for his brother, the little shit had hung up on him.

  “You all right?” Marnie asked, returning to her desk. She was blowing into the lid of a take-out cardboard cappuccino cup.

  He shut down the emotion, put the mask on as usual. He had to put on his best performance.

  “Yeah, everything’s fine,” he said, casually, before rising from his seat and saying, “I think I need one of those myself.”

  “Oh,” Marnie said, pointing to his sleeve. “Your shirt’s ripped. Were you fighting with the boys in the school yard?” She asked.

  “Something like that,” he said, heading for the door of the coffee room. “You should see the other guys.” If only she knew he wasn’t kidding.

  32

  Nick made his way to the Tube station after work. It had been the longest day, constantly calling his brother and getting no answer. Visions of those bulldogs towering over pathetic little Chris, who’d never landed a punch in his life, circled his mind all day.

  “Nick,” came a quivering voice from a doorway. He turned to see a shadowy figure, hood pulled up and blood stains on his sleeves.

  “Chris. What the hell?” he rushed to his brother, yanked the hood down and examined two bruised eyes and nostrils stuffed with tissue paper. “I take it you didn’t get out of wherever the hell you were in time. I’m so sorry, mate. This plan isn’t working out. You need to leave London. There’s no other way.”

  Chris sniffed, the bunches of bloodstained paper sucking upwards into his nostrils. With a muffled voice he said, “You have to give them what they want, bruv. He said if he doesn’t hear from you within 24 hours he’ll pay mum a visit.”

  Nick tried to drag in deep even breaths as the rage mounted. “Shit.” He sucked in a long breath, rubbed his forehead and looked his brother square in the eye. “Do you even care about what I’m risking? What I’m giving up?”

  Chris stared at him. “But I need you, Nick.”

  “You always do.”

  Nick hardly slept that night. Dreams of Selena’s warm legs wrapped around him as she groaned in pleasure woke him several times, followed by cold sweats at the thought of what would happen if the shit hit the fan and she found out he’d done a deal with Simon, the man she most despised in the world—the man who had tortured her and scarred her for life. She’d never go near him if she ever found out. He’d never smell her Chanel Mademoiselle on his own skin after making love to her ever again.

  I’ll find a way out of this. I have to. If he fobbed Simon off with various details for the next few weeks, protected Selena as much as he could, then resigned and got a bit of distance, maybe there was a chance they could be together. Or he hoped so anyway. Selena wasn’t like all the other disposable flings he was used to. There was something about her energy and ambition that got under his skin. It was as if she reflected what he wanted to be, what he could have been, if he hadn’t had such a rough start in life.

  He shared her fire and drive. But he liked her vulnerability as well. And the biggest surprise to him was that he felt vulnerable too, but for once it was welcome. She was softening his hard edges, he could feel it already. All the shit he’d been through, protecting Chris and struggling to drag himself up, it almost dissolved into the background under the weight of the blissful hope he now felt when he was with Selena. He wanted more of that positive glow she seemed to emanate. She was addictive. And he knew she wanted him too. He was fueling her positive glow right back. This partnership could really go places. As long as he didn’t fuck it all up before take-off.

  His insides ached at the thought of never touching her skin or holding her if their flight into the future was grounded due to technical difficulties—namely his dumb-ass undercover project to well and truly shaft her.

  He shuffled into the bathroom, rubbing his eyes, and showered, letting the hot water coax him into the waking world, ready for the day of work. And then he remembered he had breakfast plans with Selena. Immediately, the bleakness of the upcoming day brightened. But only marginally. If he didn’t think of something, she was going to get hurt. And if he wasn’t smart, his brother might get killed.

  He turned under the warm waterfall of the shower, closing his eyes and visualizing that first day when he’d seen Selena. When she had flashed him those big blue eyes his breath had halted. He remembered not being able to take in any of the words coming from her lips, instead he was instantly under their spell.

  She was sexy without even knowing it. Who else could turn a business meeting about cosmetics into the sexiest damn thing he’d ever seen? No one. With his mind still on her lips, his visualization merged to the next most memorable thing she had done with her lips, in Paris. Yeah, the kissing had been electric, but when she eventually took him in her mouth that night it was like explosions, earthquakes, fireworks, sirens, heaven and hell all fighting it out in one room. Control was harder and harder to hold onto. The touch of her tongue on his skin as it made circles around the tip of his length.

  The memory alone was enough to make the base of his cock tingle. He was hard as rock, his heart pounding and his breath catching in short bursts. He reached down and grabbed his cock, pulling in long, slow motions, images of Selena’s naked body rolling through his mind like a pornographic slideshow. It was the best damned show of his life. She was the pinnacle of perfection. Her curvy ass, full tits and flat stomach, they were all he could see. His pace quickened as he was ready to explode. He pumped hard and fast, losing his breath and feeling more desperate for Selena than ever. He slammed one hand onto the tiles for support and bent forward slightly as energy rushed through his body like a tsunami. With a groan he exploded and panted, trying to catch a breath, his body shaking. He was hooked. He needed more of her. He just had to persuade her to let her guard down. And breakfast was the perfect opportunity.

  Nick arrived first at Soho House. He needed a membership to get into this place, and his modest salary would have the owners laughing so hard they’d probably take pity and give him a charity doggy bag.

  He waited by the entrance for Selena, watching all the suits arrive to discuss business over bacon, rolling his eyes as their chatter of stocks and shares tickled his ears while they breezed past. He was ambitious, yeah, but he would never become what he considered a corporate robot. Never. Flash living was not something to be proud of in Nick’s eyes. When he eventually made it into a highly paid position, which he sure as hell would, the first thing on his ‘to-do’ list wouldn’t be to buy a sports ca
r or a Rolex, it would be to finally move his mum out of the slum she called home. The trappings of wealth, in his eyes, were all very nice, but he never wasted a moment pining for them.

  Selena’s chauffeur-driven car eventually pulled up and he swallowed and straightened his tie as she put one tan-coloured high-heel out of the door first, before emerging fully and giving him a modest smile. His stomach lurched. She looked incredible, again, wearing a simple tight-fitting dress. Those dresses make it hard for a man to concentrate.

  “Hi,” she greeted him with a quirk of a smile. “You’re nice and early.”

  “Can’t keep a woman waiting,” Nick said, holding open the door for her.

  Inside the converted Georgian townhouse, they chose a table next to a wall of glass, which was so well polished you could hardly tell it was there. Mental note, don’t walk into the fucking wall. The glass overlooked a terrace with a magnificent view of city rooftops.

  “It’s a bit chilly today, so let’s not bother with the terrace,” Selena said. “Have you eaten here before?”

  Nick cleared his throat and replied. “Nope, apparently I’m not a member. It’s shocking really. I must rectify that,” he teased.

  She giggled. “It’s nice here,” she quickly said, admiring the plush studded leather chairs and dozens of lamps casting rays of light, which bounced off all the highly polished metal fixtures and fittings. This place suited Selena. It was upmarket, without being unattainable. She may have been richer than Croesus, but she didn’t flaunt it.

  A waitress approached and threw her arms up to see Selena. “Miss Day. How nice to see you.”

  “Selena, remember?” she said, laughing and smiling so enthusiastically she bared each pearly white tooth. “I don’t do all that formal stuff, Gemma. You don’t have to stand on ceremony with me.”

  “I know,” the waitress replied. “It’s just habit. I never would have called your father by his first name and half the people in here are, well, they like things served to them a certain way. Anyway, what’s new with the business? Any samples headed our way? You know we loved that concealer. And we’ve all been using your eyebrow pallet.”

  Selena laughed and said, “I’ll send out some goody bags for you and the girls. I’m sure there are leftover samples from London Fashion Week.”

  Gemma clasped her hand to her mouth. “Fabulous. I’ll tell the girls. If you don’t ask, you don’t get,” she gave Nick an enthusiastic grin before turning her attention back to Selena. “Anyway, honey, what can I get you?

  As Nick listened to Selena’s conversation he couldn’t help but think she was as far from typical as it gets for a rich kid, billionaire, who’d been handed success on a plate. It was almost as if she’d been designed for a different life, a modest life, but had been thrown into this elite existence and was making it her own. That’s what he liked about her. Well, that , and everything else. He could identify with that, with his own ill-fitting life. He felt trapped in a life story that was never meant to be his.

  Selena hadn’t even looked at the menu but she knew what she wanted. “I’ll take the avocado, fennel…”

  “Grapefruit and chilI,” Gemma finished for her.

  She smiled and nodded. “Exactly that.”

  They both turned to Nick expectantly. He looked up from the menu. “Pancakes, maple syrup and bacon for me please.”

  Gemma smiled, nodded, and was about the leave, when Selena held up her hand to halt her. “Actually, that sounds really good. I’ll take that as well. Scrap the avocado stuff. But I’d better take a Hard Green smoothie on the side as well.”

  Gemma raised her eyebrows at Selena before winking and then leaving.

  “That’s more like it,” Nick said, with a laugh. “Get some carbs in you.”

  Selena smiled and there was a moment of awkward silence.

  “So, we’re here,” she said. “This is what you wanted.”

  Nick held her gaze intensely as he replied, “Well, this is great, but it’s not exactly what I intended. Breakfast was your idea, remember? Next time, we’ll sip cocktails into the night.”

  “What makes you so sure?” she asked, raising one eyebrow.

  “My lady prefers champagne?” he asked with a laugh. “Why did you come this morning?”

  “I—I don’t like to disappoint people.”

  “Hmmm.” Nick replied with a sarcastic nod of agreement. “Yeah, so it’s nothing to do with the connection we obviously have?”

  Selena smiled and played with the spoon on the table, avoiding his gaze.

  “Why pretend there’s not something there?” he asked softly, still smiling.

  “It’s just, look at you. And, look at me,” she said, rolling her eyes and laughing.

  He frowned. “What do you mean?”

  Selena rolled her eyes. “You’re so good looking, and I’m…” Selena replied, her cheeks colouring slightly as she dropped her gaze to the table and ran a hand along her scar, as if suddenly remembering it was there and trying to hide it.

  Was she bloody serious? “What the hell?” Nick sat forward. “You’re stunning.”

  Flustered, Selena said, “Look, thank you. But you know there’s a difference between us. And Paris. I’ll chalk that up to me getting an assist by the city. But I don’t think I’m the kind of girl you usually date or what not. And I don’t want people talking. There will be people who think you’re with me out of pity. And let’s face it, I’ve got to keep a clean image. Shades of Chic is in my hands and I don’t want gossip getting in the way. If they see you with me, they’re bound to just assume you’re only with me for money, or whatever, because I’m not the supermodel type you would probably be with.”

  His voice went quiet. “That’s not what I was expecting you to say,” Nick said, scratching the back of his head. “First of all, who are they? And why do you care so much about them? Who cares what other people think? You’re amazing at your job, any idiot can see that. It has nothing to do with your personal life. And secondly, if people think I’m after you for your money, they’ve got it so wrong. I didn’t struggle all my life just to ride on someone else’s coat tails.”

  Selena’s face softened as her eyes met his. “What kind of struggles have you been through?” she asked.

  Nick shifted in his seat. How much did he tell her? If she ran a mile after his Oliver Twist tale of grief, poverty, and his brother’s crimes then so be it. It would hurt like hell, but he had to be true to himself, to an extent.

  “Where do I begin?” He said with a sigh. “I’ll give you the highlights. My dad ran off, my mum married again and he died, leaving me and my little brother to be her crutches. She’s been severely depressed ever since. I’ve asked her to move into my flat so many times, but she won’t leave the house. It’s in a really bad area, but it’s where she and Mike were happy together. It’s as if she doesn’t see the junkies shooting up in the stairwell or hear the smashing windows. Her kitchen window is boarded up, for Christ’s sake.”

  “That’s terrible,” Selena said, shaking her head gently.

  “As soon as I saw my way out, I took it. I got a scholarship to Westford Academy. I erased any evidence of my history, of where I came from. Walthamstow is different now from when I grew up. The Farlow Estate is still there though, hidden away on the edges of town. I’m not that guy anymore.” He sucked in a breath. “And my brother, I won’t even fill you in on all that, not yet anyway. Let’s just say he gets himself in the most stupid, dangerous situations…” Nick shook his head before continuing. “He—he’s an addict. He’s wanted. I don’t know where he is right now, but I’m trying to help him get out of the mess he’s in. There. That’s the story of my messed up family and why I haven’t been able to get further in my career. But I will.”

  Selena sighed and reached out to touch his hand.

  “You can run now if you like,” Nick added. “I wouldn’t blame you.”

  “I’m not going to run,” she said, “it’s not your fault all tha
t stuff has happened. If it helps at all, my family is pretty messed up too. I mean, you know all about Simon.”

  Nick’s back stiffened to hear the name Simon come from her lips. He had been so wrapped up in the conversation he had almost forgotten about that prick. Should he just use this opportunity to tell her everything and call the cops about his fear for his family’s safety? His heart quickened at the prospect of coming clean. He cleared his throat. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  “Oh yes?” she said, smiling. The food arrived and her attention was diverted to the juicy bacon and plump, warm pancakes. “I’m all ears.”

  He faltered. No words came. She looked happy. He couldn’t bear the thought of twisting that gorgeous smile into upset. “Oh nothing. It can wait.”

  She took a sip of her green smoothie—or ‘swamp water’ as he called it.

  “It’s full of nutrients,” she said, rolling her eyes and laughing.

  They ate, smiling, and catching each other’s eyes every few seconds. When Selena giggled and licked a drop of maple syrup off her finger, it sent a burst of heat through his veins. Watching her eat was a turn on. Damn.

  When they finished up, she placed her hands on the table. “We should really get back to the office.”

  His heart sank, but what the hell could he do? The hour had been too quick. She was slipping out of reach again. He never even got close enough to smell her.

  They walked to the office in silence, tension coiled around them and crackled like a lightening storm. As they entered the building, Nick sucked in a deep breath. They entered an empty corridor and before hesitating he grabbed Selena’s hand and pulled her towards a door.

  “What are you doing?” she asked. “Someone will see us.”

  He opened the door and checked the room behind it. Empty. Dark. Perfect.