Between Two Billionaires (BWWM Menage Romance)
Page 1
Contents
Copyright
Books By Imani Chambers
Between Two Billionaires
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Special Excerpt
Thank You For Reading
More Reads by Imani Chambers
Copyright © 2015 Imani Chambers
All rights reserved.
Written by Imani Chambers
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BOOKS BY IMANI CHAMBERS
Bride For The Alpha Billionaire
Between Two Billionaires - Part One
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BETWEEN TWO
BILLIONAIRES
Imani Chambers
Chapter One
"Ma'am your boarding pass please," the flight attendant said as I stepped forward in the queue.
I snapped back into reality, handing her over the shiny white pass, she scanned it and handed it back to me and I walked down the jet way to board the plane, toting my small leather carry on bag behind me. I found my seat and was thankful I got the row to myself. I sunk back and let out a deep sigh of relief that I had made it this far, now I just had to survive the plane trip.
I was feeling uneasy but it was no surprise, I hadn't returned to Chicago in ten years. I was sickened at the thought, I still remembered my parents as if I had seen them yesterday and not like they had died in a horrific car accident a decade ago.
I hadn't had the strength to go back again, even with all the time that had passed I still found it hard to deal with the loss and I didn't ever want to be reminded of that very real, raw pain again. If it wasn't for Troya, I would have never even considered returning.
But she was my sister after all and she was expecting her first child - I had to face my fears and be there for her, she didn't have Mom and Dad to support her after all. I can't say she had an easy time convincing me. Troya didn't know it but there was more than just the obvious reason for me never wanting to go back to Chicago.
The other reason, or reasons was Thomas and Eric. The boys had been my best friends since kindergarten and going up we had been completely inseparable. As long as I never had to face them again, I'd be okay, that's what I told myself. The truth was I had abandoned them when I left to go live with my grandparents ten years ago, I just cut them right out of my life without so much as an explanation as I did with almost everything I loved. I was just sixteen at the time, young and dumb and stricken with grief. But still, what I did was inexcusable and to this day I still feel guilty.
I had been dating Thomas for six months before the accident and it had put a strain on our tight knit trio. The dynamic had changed, Thomas and I wanted to spend more and more time alone together, we weren't just best friends anymore - we were in love. Eric seemed to lose interest in us as well, despite me being the girl in the group, it was always Eric who was regarded as the misfit. He was the son of billionaire shipping magnate while Thomas and I came from middle class families.
Growing up Eric having money had never been an issue but as he became a young man that began to change. He realised that money equated to power and control and he used that to his advantage, he had become a complete jerk, arrogant, big mouthed and rude. He had also become famous for his womanising and wild parties - none of which Thomas or I were invited to. He began distancing himself from us that year, choosing his new, wealthy friends instead. Eric had slipped so far away from us that he didn't even show up for my sixteenth birthday. I was hurt that he had thrown away our life long friendship but I thought he'd come around so I let it go. Thomas, however thought it was inexcusable and confronted him.
I remember going to Thomas' house that night, waiting for him on the steps outside. He came home bloody nosed and black eyed, cursing that he'd never have anything to do with that 'asshole' again. I took his side, after all he was my boyfriend and Eric had chosen not to be part of my life anymore.
It was what happened in the next few weeks that would change my life forever. It was a Tuesday night, Troya and I were at home and Mom and Dad were driving back to Chicago after a conference an hour out of the city. They were late, hours late and I began to panic when they didn't pick up my calls. Around midnight a policeman showed up at our house. He told Troya and I that our parents had been involved in a collision car accident and died instantly on impact. I couldn't even explain the way I felt when I heard that my parents had died, I relived that moment in my head over and over but still I don't have the words.
From that moment I became completely numb to everything. I didn't want to talk to anyone, not even Thomas. My grandparents decided to move us to Atlanta to live with them. Troya put up a fight but I agreed, all I wanted was to get as far away from any reminder of my pain. Eric hadn't called me or made any attempt to contact me about what had happened. I don't know what it was but I felt like I needed to see him before I left.
I waited at his house for hours until he finally came home that night. He told me he was sorry and ashamed that he hadn't gone to see me and I told him I forgave him. The next few hours are a blur to recall. I was in Eric's bedroom, we were kissing, next thing I knew we had just had sex, Eric had taken my virginity and we were confessing our love for one another. I had never had sex with Thomas because I wanted to save myself, but that night I let Eric take my virginity without reservations.
I could put it down to grief but even I know there was more to it than that. I loved Thomas with everything in me but then I also loved Eric, I loved them both but I knew I couldn't. So when I left Chicago, I left them behind. Thomas made many attempts to contact me in the first year after I left, I didn't have the guts to face him so I never replied. As for Eric, I never heard from him again, I sometimes wonder if that night ever happened but all it takes is a single flashback for me to recall the longing I felt deep in my belly as we made love for the first time.
"Vodka soda," I told the hostess as she came by with the drinks cart. I smiled and thanked her as I took the small plastic cup and took a long sip.
I was going through a sort of quarter life crisis right now, my past problems aside. My long term boyfriend and coworker, Jamal had proposed to me a month ago and I had realised there and then that I didn't want that life. I said no which subsequently broke his heart and drove me to quite my position at the law firm. I wanted change in my life but I didn't know where to begin, I didn't want to marry the safe choice and work a boring office job. I wasn't sure what it was exactly I was looking for but I knew I needed excitement and passion, none of that I was getting before.
I really had no excuses to blow off spending a couple of months in Chicago with Troya, apart from the obvious. But even I knew that I had to face my fears, I wanted to change and I knew the only way to do that was to dive head first into things. Just as long as I never had to see Eric or Thomas again, I had no idea if they were even still in Chicago but I seriously hoped they weren't.
The plane finally touched down and I made my way through arrivals to find Troya and her husband Ramone waiting for me. I ran to her ditching my bags on the linoleum floor and wrapping my arms around her big swollen belly.
"Hey little sister!" Troya said holding me close, "I've missed you."
"I know, me too," I told her, "you look amazing by the way, eight months pregnant? That's insane!"
"Amazing? More like a fat whale, but yes being pregnant is the greatest thing in the world, I get to eat as much as I want without people judging me or at least judging me in secret," she
said laughing.
"I can't wait to meet the little guy," I said grinning.
As soon as I saw Troya my fears melted away. I hadn't seen her since Christmas and I hadn't realised how much I'd missed my big sister until this moment. Ramone walked up to us carrying my bags.
"Oops, sorry Ramone!" I said hugging him.
"Good to see you Kiara, I know Troya is going to love having you here," he said, "shall we get going then?"
Troya and I walked behind him, our arms linked as we caught up. Troya and I didn't look very similar in our physique, she was almost six foot tall and naturally slim that even at eight months pregnant she looked like a supermodel. On the other hand I was only five foot six and had a more of a curvy figure, in all the right places of course. We both had our black hair relaxed and wore it long past our shoulders.
As we drove from the airport to Troya and Ramone's new house my reservations about being back in Chicago came flooding back. At the very least I was happy they lived on the other side of town to the one we had grown up in.
"What do you think?" Troya asked as we walked into the large foyer of her new home.
"Very nice!" I said as I looked around the room, it was spacious and tastefully decorated.
"Five bedrooms! Perfect for a family and room for guests too," Troya cooed.
Troya had done well for herself, she met Ramone at the hospital where she worked, he was a head surgeon and she was a junior nurse. It was love at first sight apparently, they were married within a year and another year later voila, she was pregnant. I was happy that she was happy but right now my mind wasn't focussed on settling down like hers was.
"I'll show you your room, come," Troya said beckoning me towards the stairs.
I followed her up nosy-ing the photographs on display in the hallway. I found myself fixated on one photograph in particular, it was a wedding photo, I picked it up from the shelf and inspected it further. What I saw shocked me.
"I would have told you Kiara but I wasn't sure if you would have wanted to know," Troya said when she saw what I was looking at.
"Mr Donovan and Mrs Penn got married?" I asked in disbelief.
"About three years ago..." Troya said.
"Wow."
"I wasn't sure if you knew or if I should tell you. I know you don't want anything to do with Eric or Thomas, for whatever reason...that's why I kept it to myself."
"They hated each other," I said referring to Thomas and Eric.
Mr Donovan was Eric's father and Mrs Penn was Thomas's mother and from what I was gathering right now, the two of them had married each other.
"Not anymore, they're brothers now, well, step brothers. Last time I saw them they were living even living together," Troya said, she was searching my face for a reaction.
I didn't know what was more surprising, the fact that Thomas and Eric were now step siblings and apparently best friends again or the fact that Troya seemed to be friendly with them still.
"I had no idea. I didn't even know you kept in contact with them..." I said, "show me this room then," I tried to change the subject.
Troya let out a sigh and kept walking until we came to the room. She opened the door and I eyed up the cosy guest room.
"Are you upset Ki?" she asked looking at me with concern, "I'm sorry, honestly I didn't think you'd care, I grew up with them as well ya know? I don't get what your deal is with them, as far as I know it's all on you."
"Why? What did they say?" I asked suspiciously.
"Nothing! Geez, don't be so paranoid. Neither of them has talked about you in years, we just don't mention you, like ever. Plus I don't see them that much, they're busy jetting around the world and running their tech company."
"They have a company together?" I asked even more shocked at the news I was hearing.
"Yeah, Lomify, have you heard of it? Well of course you have, you haven't been living under a rock."
"They own Lomify?" I asked feeling confused as hell right now.
Lomify was the biggest music sharing app in the world, everyone had it on their computers, tablets and smartphones.
"Thomas came up with the idea and Mr Donovan gave him the money to start it, along with Eric, they're both acting CEO's," she said it so nonchalantly as if it were no big deal.
"Okay...well..." I didn't know what to say at this point.
"Well what? You should really get in touch with them Kiara, whatever issue your holding onto, well, it's been ten years girl, you've got to let it go," She said fluffing up my pillows on the bed.
"Mm...maybe. Thanks for the room sis, it's perfect," I told her smiling.
"No problem, I'm just happy you finally made it back."
Chapter Two
I woke up the next morning feeling unrested. I had been tossing and turning all night. Being back in Chicago had done something to me, for the first time in years I dreamt about the boys. I dreamt of Thomas and how I had never known anyone so genuine and loving. I dreamt of Eric and his cocky dominance that led me to his bed that night. It was as though being so close to the scene had brought back all the memories, the one's I tried to forget, they were now with me, more vivid than ever.
I walked down to the kitchen and found Troya sitting at the counter, she was reading some pregnancy book while she sipped on a cup of tea. She was already showered and ready for the day in a yellow sun dress.
"Morning sleepy head," she said brightly as she looked over at me.
"Hey," I said walking over to her, I was still in my pyjamas.
"I made you some coffee, it's in the pot there."
"Thank you!" I said cheerily as I poured myself a cup.
I inhaled the rich coffee aroma and took a long sip, instantly perking up from the caffeine.
"So the housewarming party is tonight, I told you that right?" she said looking over at me.
"Oh right, yeah you did tell me, I forgot though. What do we need to do?" I asked her as I took a seat next to her at the counter.
"I've pretty much got it covered Ki, Romone and I went grocery shopping yesterday, we're just going to have a simple grill up."
"Okay, cool. Well let me know if you need me to do anything," I told her.
"I will. I was thinking we'd just go pamper ourselves though, this is probably the last time I'm going to be prioritising my hair and nails for a while," she sighed.
"Oh that is bullshit, plenty of Mom's still look hot, it's not a death sentence Troya," I told her, "but I am definitely down for a trip to the salon!"
"Awesome, I'll call and make an appointment, you better go get ready."
"Alright," I told her downing the last of my coffee and gong back to my room to get ready.
I lay out a cream colored cotton pencil skirt with matching crop top on the bed and went to my room's en suite to take a shower. I stood under the hot water for a while letting it run over me as I soaped my body up with rose scented body wash. I felt like something in me had shifted since I'd arrived back in Chicago, a heavy, lingering feeling I'd had for the last decade had suddenly been lifted off me. It wasn't what I expected, if anything I thought returning here would open old wounds.
After I'd pulled back my hair into a ponytail and done my make up I went downstairs to meet Troya. We got in to her white SUV and headed for the local mall, blasting Destiny's Child and singing along like we were teenagers again.
"How are you feeling Kiara?" Troya asked me as she focused on the road, "being back and all, is it as bad as you thought?"
"Actually, I was just thinking about it earlier. It's not like I thought it would be, I was scared that I would be flooded with painful memories but actually I'm okay," I told her.
"I'm glad to hear it. I'd really like to visit Mom and Dad's grave site with you, if you'd be up for it," she said.