My Blackmail Baby: Billionaire Bad Boy Romance

by Selena Black

  “I’m not beautiful,” she replied self deprecatingly.

  “I’ll stick with my opinion,” Mark went on.

  Gloria dropped her gaze to the floor for a second before bringing it up again.

  “So …, why are you here?” she asked.

  “Well,” he went on. “Flowers are usually a prelude to a meeting. I know this may be way out of order, but I wanted to know if you would have a drink with me.”

  “It’s not out of order,” Gloria replied too quickly and consciously tried to calm herself down.

  “You’ll join me for a drink then?” he asked.

  Gloria nodded her head.

  “I just need to get my belongings and lock this place up,” she told him. “I was about to do that when you came in.”

  “It was good timing by me then,” he joked.

  “More lucky than good,” she said with a smile. “I’ve usually closed the store by now.”

  She quickly returned to the kitchen to get her coat and bag then returned to the counter. The pair of them then walked to the door and she switched off the lights before they stepped out to the sidewalk.

  “My car is over here,” Mark said when the door was locked.

  Gloria followed him over to it and got in the passenger seat.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “Just a place I know,” he answered, but said no more as he turned the key in the ignition and got the car moving.

  It was no more than small talk that passed between them on the journey and Gloria looked out of the car window when they reached their destination.

  “A steamboat?” she said and laughed.

  “It’s a one hour jazz cruise on the Mississippi if you can manage it,” he said. “I assumed you enjoyed the music after seeing you at the club and it’s a relaxing place to have a drink.”

  “OK,” Gloria agreed.

  The pair of them got out of the vehicle and made their way towards the boat. Mark showed the tickets as they boarded and they went to find a table on the upper deck. The lights of New Orleans reflected off the dark surface of the water and Gloria found herself slightly hypnotized as she watched.

  “The city is beautiful at night,” she said when she dragged her eyes from the river.

  She turned to see it wasn’t the Mississippi that Mark was staring at and she remembered his comment in the bookstore about her being beautiful. The slight flush of warmth spread across her cheeks and she was aware of the quickening of her pulse again. She wondered if the man sitting opposite her was experiencing the same emotions, but wasn’t about to ask. Instead, it was him that spoke.

  “What would you like to drink?”

  Gloria picked up the menu from the table and glanced through the options.

  “I’d normally have a Creole Crusta,” she mused. “But it’s my first trip on a steamboat, so let’s try something different. I’ll have a Creole Coffee Punch.”

  Mark glanced around and signaled to a waiter. He ordered two coffee punches and they were being served as the boat set sail for the trip. There was silence for a few moments as they watched the passing scene, but Gloria eventually carried on the conversation.

  “You didn’t have to do this,” she told him.

  “It seemed like a good idea,” Mark replied with a smile. “You were nice enough to look out for me yesterday …, and I wanted to see you again.”

  Gloria knew it wasn’t just her that sensed the attraction between them the evening before and she experienced the prickle of anticipation that she might be on the verge of something special. A question flashed through her mind and she asked it before she could stop herself.

  “Do you really think it was your wife that set you up last night?”

  Mark shrugged his shoulders when he spoke.

  “Like I said, I wouldn’t put it past her. She’s not exactly happy about things just now.”

  “That you’re divorcing her?” Gloria asked.

  Mark’s laugh was humorless.

  “She’s not sorry about that at all,” he went on. “It’s the terms of our parting that she’s not thrilled about.”

  “Oh,” Gloria let out.

  The discussion was already getting personal. While she was interested in what was being said, it didn’t seem right to pry in to the affairs of someone she just met and barely knew.

  “I guess it can’t be easy,” she commented.

  “I thought it would be,” Mark replied. “We both want out of the marriage and there is a prenuptial agreement in place. I assumed that would make the divorce quick and easy, but Karen doesn’t agree that one million and her belongings is a fair settlement.”

  “One million!” Gloria exclaimed then looked around when she realized she spoke too loud, but saw that there was no one close enough to hear. “Sorry,” she apologized.

  “It’s OK,” Mark replied

  He was talking about sums of money that Gloria could only dream of and she suddenly wondered if she was getting in to something that was way over her head. His last comment certainly showed that they came from different worlds. She picked up her cup to take a drink of the coffee punch and enjoyed the warm hit of alcohol that seeped through her veins. The sound of jazz music started and she looked towards the small stage where the band was playing. The singer’s beautiful voice floated across the deck and she returned her attention to Mark when he spoke.

  “That’s how it started,” he said in a distracted voice.

  The frown creased Gloria’s brow when she didn’t understand the comment.

  “How what started?”

  “My wife, Karen, is, well …, was a jazz singer,” he went on. “I was captivated by her voice when I first heard it and was desperate to get to know her. It seems I didn’t know her quite as well as I thought before I married her.”

  “In what way?” Gloria queried.

  “I thought it was me she loved,” he said. “But it was really the money and luxurious lifestyle she wanted. I was just an easy way for her to get it.”

  The way he talked about money again could only indicate that he was a wealthy man, but his comment saddened her.

  “What is it with the people involved in jazz music,” Gloria said harshly and shook her head.

  “You mean Jack rather than Karen, I take it,” Mark said.

  “I guess,” she replied. “I thought he loved me too when we first met and was flattered that he was interested, but I think all he wanted was someone to bail him out when his stupid schemes went wrong.”

  “What schemes?” Mark asked.

  “Any that he thought could make him rich quickly,” Gloria said. “He doesn’t want to work hard and have a life with me. All he’s interested in is trying to find an easy way to make money.”

  “He sounds like Karen,” Mark went on.

  “Yeah …, well he may be more of the culprit in what almost happened to you last night than your wife,” she told him. “The way you’ve been talking makes it clear you are wealthy. If Jack knew that then I wouldn’t put it past him to try and set up some scam to see if he could get money from you.”

  Mark let out a sigh, but it ended in a short chuckle.

  “What’s funny?” Gloria asked as she narrowed her eyes and stared across the table.

  “We should get Jack and Karen together,” he told her and let out a guffaw. “They sound like a perfect match for each other.”

  “That’s not funny,” Gloria said, but she couldn’t stop her own laugh coming out.

  In a matter of seconds the absurdity and hilarity of the comment brought the mirth to a head and they couldn’t get themselves under control. It was Gloria that eventually managed to calm herself first and she rubbed at her eyes then picked up her cup to take a drink.

  “Maybe a jazz cruise wasn’t the best idea,” she commented.

  “I think you might be right,” Mark replied before finishing his coffee punch. “How about we dive overboard and swim for the shore?”

  “You go ahead,
” Gloria told him. “When you get to dry land just give me a shout and I’ll follow.”

  Mark let out another laugh, but this time controlled himself before it got out of hand. He signaled to a passing waiter, so he could order another couple of drinks and they were both on to their third before the steamboat returned to its berth. They quickly finished them before joining the small crowd of people leaving.

  “Shit,” Mark let out when they got to the car. “I can’t drive now. Why didn’t you tell me to stop drinking?”

  “You’re blaming me?” she exclaimed and laughed. “It was you that was ordering them.”

  “Well, the alternative is to blame myself,” Mark said with a grin. “I’m not going to do that.”

  “So what do we do now?” Gloria asked.

  “A cab I guess,” he replied. “I can just get a taxi to work tomorrow morning and pick up my car later.”

  “Don’t rich guys have a fleet of vehicles to choose from?” she teased him. “Just take one of your other vehicles tomorrow.”

  “Oh yeah,” he replied and rolled his eyes. “I’ll just take my Porsche to work tomorrow. Thanks for the suggestion.”

  “It’s the drink talking,” Gloria told him. “I usually stop at two and you bought me three.”

  He linked arms with her and led her in the direction of the street.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll help you drunk girl,” he told her. “You can trust me.”

  “That’s what they all say,” she teased him and laughed.

  The cheeky flirting was nice and she was growing to like Mark more with every passing minute. The hope that he was experiencing the same emotions flashed through her mind, but she didn’t want to get her hopes up too high that something might happen between them.

  “Come on,” he encouraged her. “We can get a cab and I’ll drop you off at your place first.”

  The comment dampened Gloria’s mood and she pulled on his arm as she came to a stop. The thought of going home wasn’t something she wanted to contemplate and she was even less keen to see Jack. It was over between them and she just wanted their relationship to end. She knew a discussion needed to take place for that to happen, but she really didn’t want to face it that evening.

  “What is it?” Mark asked when he turned to look at her.

  “I don’t really want to go home and see Jack.”

  “Then don’t,” he told her.

  “That’s easy for you to say,” Gloria went on. “You could probably just pitch up at a hotel and pay for a room. I can’t afford to do that.”

  “So, stay with friends,” he told her. “I can drop you off wherever you want.”

  “I don’t just want to dump myself on someone at such short notice,” she said in a resigned voice.

  “Stay at my place then,” Mark went on. “You can have one of the spare bedrooms for the night.”

  Gloria lifted her gaze from the ground to look at him and she knew his bright blue eyes were going to be her downfall as she stared in them. There was no doubt that his comment was simply a genuine offer to help, but she wasn’t so sure she could trust herself to remain in control if she was alone with him. That would be the case if she was completely sober and she was far from that after the three coffee punches she drank. The thought that she was jumping out of the frying pan into the fire went through her mind.

  “I shouldn’t …, you know, impose on you,” she said hesitantly.

  “You’re not,” he replied. “You helped me last night. This is just me returning the favor.”

  The nervousness trickled through her veins as she considered the offer. It was either that or going home and she really wasn’t in the mood to see Jack. She let out a quiet sigh and made up her mind.

  “OK,” she said. “But just for one night.”

  “Sure,” Mark agreed. “Let’s find a taxi.”

  Gloria followed as he led her on and they eventually managed to flag down a passing cab. Mark opened the door to let her get in first and she was all too aware of his thigh brushing against hers when he sat beside her. He leaned forward to give the address then settled back. The driver was a chatterbox and he did most of the talking on the journey to the apartment. It suited them both and they simply answered the questions that were fired at them.

  Mark paid the fare when they arrived at their destination and Gloria looked up at the smart building when she got out of the taxi. It didn’t really come as a surprise to her that he lived in such an impressive property considering the things they talked about on the steamboat and she glanced around at the high-ceilinged lobby area when they walked inside.

  “This is some place,” she commented.

  “I like it,” was all Mark said in reply.

  He led the way to the elevator and Gloria was aware of her nervousness growing as they waited. The ping alerted them that the doors were about to open and when they did, she saw there was no one inside. Mark held out a hand to usher her in the empty space then followed and pressed the button to get them moving. The pair of them faced forward and remained silent, but there was a tension in the air that neither could ignore.

  When they reached his floor, Mark stepped out of the elevator first and moved along the hallway to his apartment. Gloria heard the jangle of keys and watched as the door was opened, but hesitated before she moved forward. She was leaping in to the unknown and doubts clouded her mind about whether she should. The expectation of what might take place between them came to her and it was a stronger emotion than the doubt, so she got her legs moving and walked inside.

  “I’ll take your coat if you want,” Mark said after closing the door.

  He removed his linen jacket to hang it up then smiled at her. Gloria’s hands were shaking as she took off her coat and handed it over. It was placed beside his jacket before he led the way along to a huge living room.

  “Make yourself at home,” he said.

  “OK,” Gloria replied and glanced around the place as she stepped across to an armchair to sit down. “Your apartment is something else.”

  “Thanks,” he said as he moved across to a cabinet. “I’m going to have a whisky. Would you like something?”

  “I really shouldn’t,” Gloria answered. The three drinks she finished on the steamboat were making her head slightly fuzzy and she knew that it would be crazy to have more alcohol.

  “Are you sure?” Mark said and smiled. “A small whisky is a delicious nightcap. I’ll make you something to eat afterwards, so you don’t go to sleep tipsy.”

  “Just one then,” she agreed.

  Gloria suspected that she was getting herself in trouble, but her instincts were telling her to just run with what was happening and see where it ended. She watched as Mark poured the drinks and accepted one of the glasses from him when he moved to the armchair she was sitting on. He then walked to the sofa and sat down.

  “What is your line of work?” she asked.

  “I head up a media company,” he replied.

  “Doing what?” Gloria went on.

  “Mostly advertising campaigns for all manner of products and brands,” he told her.

  She looked around the sumptuous décor of the room she was sitting in and let a grin spread across her face.

  “Maybe I chose the wrong line of business,” she said.

  Mark laughed.

  “It does pay well,” he said. “But the pressure to deliver to demanding clients can be a pain in the ass. I think being a bookstore owner may be a better way of life.”

  “Well, let me know if you ever want to swap places,” she teased him. “I think I could get used to having money for a change.”

  “The bookshop doesn’t pay so well then, I take it?” Mark asked.

  “You saw my apartment,” Gloria replied. “It doesn’t exactly compare to this.”

  She lifted her glass to take a sip of the whisky and it burned her throat on the way down.

  “How can men drink this?” she said and her laugh turned to a cough.

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nbsp; “Maybe we should stick to having something to eat then,” Mark said, but still tipped his glass up to empty it before getting to his feet. “Come along to the kitchen and I’ll make us something.”

  Gloria didn’t finish her whisky and simply put the glass down on the table without drinking any more. She was slightly unsteady when she got up, but wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or simply standing too quickly that did it. More than likely it was a bit of both and she waited a second or two before following Mark out of the living room to walk along the hallway. When he stopped in front of a door she assumed it was the kitchen, but quickly found out otherwise.