Billionaire's Secret: The Complete Series

by Simone Sowood

  Marla made a scoffing noise and we both looked at her.

  “It’s fine, Jenny. Stop stressing about things you can’t change,” Marla quickly said.

  I forced a smile at her and said, “You’re probably right.”

  “Who wants a drink? Wine, beer, tea? Sorry, I don’t have any tequila.” The mention of tequila made me think of the phallic bottle Collin had given me and I blushed at the memory.

  “Tea is good, I think we’ve all had enough to drink tonight,” I said.

  Collin

  “Blake, you stupid asshole, you need to do a better fucking job at keeping that shit out of my club.” I tried to control my voice, but it felt so good to vent. I’d already unleashed a long, verbal attack on Blake, each word relaxing me a little bit more.

  The hulk of a man sat in the middle of my office sofa, warping it. I didn’t care how big he was, I paid him to keep control of that type of troublemaking scumbag in my clubs, and his failure had resulted in Jenny’s friend getting hurt.

  I kicked at the sofa’s leg.

  “Come on, man. He couldn’t tell,” Daniel said.

  “Stop defending him.”

  “Of course I’m going to defend him, he hasn’t done anything but cover your ass for the past three years.”

  My eyes flared at Daniel. I knew he was right, but right didn’t matter right now. We both turned our heads to Blake, who was sitting looking at his meatball hands.

  “You put him on the banned list?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Enough with the sir bullshit.”

  Blake angled his face to mine and gritted his teeth. Even sitting, he wasn’t far off my eye level. “Yes, Collin.”

  “Sorry, man. Daniel’s right. It wasn’t you. I was just blowing off steam.”

  “Why don’t you go blow it off in the person it’s directed at?” Daniel asked.

  “What the fuck does that mean?”

  “I mean go fuck your ex-girlfriend,” Daniel said, his voice strained.

  The corner of Blake’s mouth quivered, a rare movement on his normally stony face.

  I glanced around the room for a reason to stay but couldn’t come up with one. Without another word, I grabbed my suit jacket and fled the room.

  Jenny

  The three of us sat around Marla’s perfectly polished ebony dining table, sipping peppermint tea. By this point it was nearing two in the morning. Sam and I decided we were crashing at Marla’s, even though she hadn’t offered.

  Sam said we were staying there, whether she liked it or not and Marla didn’t have the balls to say no to Sam. Either that or she knew resisting Sam would be a waste of time.

  “Okay, enough about Abbie. Spill, Jenny, what’s going on with you and Collin?” Sam asked, her eyes boring into me.

  “I don’t know.”

  “What do you mean you don’t know?” Marla asked.

  “I mean, I thought it was just a few night-time calls but…”

  “But all those feelings you used to have for him are bubbling back to the surface.”

  I stayed silent, mulling over Marla’s words.

  “I couldn’t get back with him. He hurt me too bad.”

  “Yeah, you’ve never gotten over him. You realize that, right?” Marla asked.

  A lump formed in my throat, preventing me from answering her. It was late at night, and too much had gone on that evening.

  The attack on Abbie; the way Collin had handled the situation. The way Collin was so concerned about my mother. The way Collin had said ‘this thing between us is anything I want it to be, as long as you don’t want marriage and babies.’

  The way he’d abandoned me years ago, when I thought he was coming home to me from London after six months. He’d never even had the decency to phone and tell me to fuck off. Instead it was nothing, nada, radio silence from him.

  I couldn’t fight my tears anymore and soon I was a blubbering mess.

  Sam and Marla each rushed to my sides, passing me Kleenex and rubbing my back.

  “I don’t know what to do.” I had to suck air into my lungs before saying each word through my blubbering.

  “Honey, you don’t need to think about this now. Let’s go to sleep, and you’ll see it with fresh eyes in the morning,” Marla said. Practical Marla.

  “Sweetie, I know you think thirty is old, but it isn’t, I promise you. There is no urgency in your decision. If you want to follow your heart, then follow your heart,” Sam said. She almost made me smile.

  “But what if he leaves me again? Like last time? He’ll leave Chicago as soon as he’s ready to open another club in some far-off city.”

  “You don’t know that. But like I said, there’s no point stewing over it tonight, that’s not going to accomplish anything,” Marla said. At least her voice was soothing, even if her words were harsh.

  “The thing I’m hearing from you is that you care about him. A lot. I know I didn’t know you when you were with him before, but from where I’m sitting, it’s pretty clear those feelings never went away,” Sam said.

  “Yeah, but the hurt he caused her never went away either, did it?” Marla said.

  I felt like I had a little devil and angel sitting on each of my shoulders, and my head shook trying to figure out which one of them to listen to.

  Sam said thirty wasn’t old. Maybe she was right, plenty of people don’t get married and start families until their late thirties. Just because that’s where I wanted my life to be at this point doesn’t mean it has to be. I am not a failure for not being married by thirty. I am normal. A deep sigh shuddered from my chest. I was normal because everything in my life didn’t turn out the way I’d expected it to.

  My phone chimed, a text from Collin. I guessed he was probably getting off work.

  Hey baby, thinking about you.

  My heart both leapt and stopped. The message left me just as confused as I was in the moments before I read it. Was he thinking about me because he cared, or because he finished work and was looking to hook up? I tapped out a reply.

  What are you thinking?

  Marla let out a sigh of disapproval in my ear. Sam patted my back.

  I’m thinking I need to find you, are you at home?

  Though my heart pounded in my chest, it still didn’t answer the question stewing in my head.

  No, at Marla’s, am staying here tonight.

  This time it was Marla who patted me on the back.

  Where does she live? I’ll pick you up.

  I didn’t know what to do. It was probably the first time in my life I didn’t have an answer. Sam squeezed my arm, giving me the prompt I needed.

  Okay come get me.

  Marla walked away in disgust as I typed in her address. I couldn’t not go. I had to find out where this would lead. If he thought about me the way I thought about him.

  I never thought he’d be marriage material these days, especially to be a father. After all, he as much as told me that. But I didn’t know. Maybe he’d change his mind for me. When we were in college we used to talk about what life would be like in our thirties, and it always involved kids and a golden retriever.

  But maybe once you have as much money as him, maybe a normal life in the suburbs loses all its appeal.

  Collin

  In the car on the way to get Jenny, Raylene phoned for the fourth time that night. I hit reject and turned my phone off as we pulled up to Marla’s address. Right now I wished I’d never heard Raylene’s name. No, I always wished I’d never heard her name or seen her face in my life. What a mess.

  I’d been meaning to find out which of my employees hired her to work at the Honolulu club in the first place, so I could fire the fucker.

  Raylene texted.

  Careful, or we’ll take you down along with your money.

  What the fuck did she mean by we? I deleted it.

  Jenny looked amazing as she opened the door to the backseat of my Maybach. Her eyes were ringed red like she’d been crying, her hai
r was disheveled and her body slumped with fatigue. The sight of her like that made my heart thump.

  It reminded me of all the times when we were young and I used to take care of her when she was sick, or hungover or upset. Her little body would melt into my arms and let me make her all better.

  I flipped up the armrest and reach across the backseat to pull her close to me.

  “Where to, boss?” my driver, Mo, asked. I loved Mo, he’d been with me for four years now. Took me everywhere and never asked questions.

  I liked loyal people around me, and rewarded him handsomely for it. And in his case, I knew he sent the bulk of his money directly to his mother and sister in Morocco. It made me happy to know I was doing something to make a real difference in someone’s life other than my own.

  I looked at Jenny. “Where do you want to go? Home or my hotel?”

  “Can we get breakfast from room service?” A massive smiled spread across my face and I kissed her cheek.

  “Of course.” I turned my head towards the driver, “My hotel, Mo.” I loved having a driver. Even though I didn’t drink and never had to worry about driving after a few, I loved the ease and lack of stress of having someone drive me around, and drop me off at whatever door I wanted dropping off at. Who wants to waste time looking for a parking spot? Fuck that shit. I’d rather be sitting back here relaxing, with Jenny in my arms.

  * * *

  I fixed us each a cup of decaf, and Jenny and I sat side by side on the drab gray hotel sofa, but our bodies remained apart.

  “So,” Jenny said.

  “So.” She glanced at me, the flash of her amber eyes sending me back in time.

  “I can’t thank you enough for what you did for Abbie tonight.” She stared into her coffee mug.

  “Stop thanking me for these things. Of course I would do anything for your friends or family.” She shook her head, as if in disbelief.

  “Baby, I know a lot has passed between us, but I still care about you.” She very nearly dropped her mug, I took it and set it on the coffee table.

  “I, um…” She looked in the opposite direction. “I never understood why you stopped contacting me. Just kind of left me hanging, you know?”

  It was my turn to shake my head. I didn’t know the answer to that either. To why I let things between us drop. Fun. Party. Money. Massive ego stroke every night. All of that mixed together in a bad way, and things ended up the way they did.

  I reached over and put my arm around her shoulders, pulling her towards me. Her body went limp, and she let me drag her into me.

  I put my lips to her ear and in a low voice said, “I don’t know, baby. I don’t know why things ended up like they did.”

  She groaned and flipped her legs over mine, so she was sitting across my lap. I pulled her closer to me and rested my chin on the top of her head, inhaling her coconut shampoo.

  “It really hurt, the fade. How could you do the fade on a three-year relationship?” My gut churned at the pain in her voice. She still carried the pain around. Though it still weighed pretty heavy on my shoulders too. Mostly for doing it to her. Why did I treat her the way I did? She didn’t deserve it.

  “I don’t know, baby. I don’t have any answers. It was just life getting in the way.”

  Jenny’s breath sped and for a moment I thought she was going to cry. Instead she inhaled deeply and twisted her head to face mine. She glanced into my eyes and then leaned her face against my chin, the way she used to do when she needed comforting.

  How much had she changed? How much had I changed?

  “You never told me what you’ve been up to all these years,” she said into my neck. I rubbed my hand up her back, resting it between her shoulder blades.

  “I’ve gone all over the world opening new clubs. Some high-end that need my face there to please the VIPs, some low-end I don’t publicly attach my face to. It’s been a blur, to be honest.”

  “Is that why you don’t drink?” My hand fisted on her back. Fuck. I hadn’t wanted this conversation right now. But I couldn’t stop picturing Harlan in her arms.

  “You know how it is. Things get out of control when you’re mingling with big wigs in a club every night. It’s best I don’t touch it in the first place.”

  “And did something prompt that decision, or did you have some amazing foresight?” Fuck, fuck, fuck. This was not where I wanted tonight going. I couldn’t tell her about all the shit that’d gone on. I’d lose her for sure, and I’m not ready to let her out of my arms.

  Before, it was me ignoring her. But the thought of having those tables turned did not appeal to me for one second.

  “It’s late, we should sleep.”

  “What? That’s your answer? Trying to change the subject? It must be a good story.” Jenny never missed anything, ever. I loved it.

  “I think it’s a long story, and better left to be told when we haven’t just had the night we had with Abbie and we’re rested.” She sighed, a long, drawn-out sigh that came from deep down in her core.

  “Fine. I’m exhausted. But I want to hear it over breakfast.” I patted her back and kissed the top of her head.

  “I promise.”

  It was nearly four by the time we went to bed. Not the spare bed in the second bedroom she’d slept in when she’d stayed her that first night. She stripped down to her panties and snuggled up beside me in my very own bed.

  In only my boxers, I put my arm around her and held her tight against my body.

  Just feeling her delicate little body against mine soothed me. It actually made me feel better than I’d felt in years. Almost like I belonged somewhere again.

  After so many years of two months here and three months there, I’d lost a complete sense of home and where I belonged. Which is the main reason I stayed so long in Honolulu: it’s a tropical paradise. I kind of thought I’d settle there and make it my home. Instead Raylene happened and the whole thing got out of control.

  I squeezed Jenny tight and all thoughts of Raylene went from my head.

  “I missed you.” Her voice was so quiet I wondered if I’d imagined her saying it.

  “I missed you, baby. I really have.” I pressed my lips to the back of her head and inhaled her scent. For the moment, everything was good.

  Jenny

  I laid snuggled against Collin, as if I’d never been out of his arms. My body slotted straight back into where it belonged. I breathed deep and summoned my courage.

  “Collin?” I started tentative at first, “What’s going on between us?” My heart fluttered, scared of what his answer would be. Whichever way he answered. Being back in his arms made me feel so complete, but I couldn’t bear the thought of him hurting me again.

  Would the pain of the last seven years carry on through the next seven? Could I ever forgive him for the way he’d treated me?

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Well, what do you want this to be?” Somehow it was easier talking in the dark, facing away from him but with his arm around me for strength.

  “Right now? I want this to be about you in my arms.”

  “But is this just a few night-time calls for you? Sex for old time’s sake?” I could feel him smile behind me and I nudged my butt against his belly to try to coax out an answer out of him.

  “I don’t think so.”

  My heart swelled and burst in my chest at his words. He must have felt the way I did. At least the deep connection feeling.

  But I didn’t think he understood the pain he put me through. Would it ever be possible for me to get over that? Even if being in his presence did make me happier than I could remember being in all the years since I last saw him?

  My hands clutched his arm, conveying all the emotion I couldn’t vocalize. For the moment, all the pain he had heaped on me melted into the mattress underneath us. My body was light, his arm grounding me to him.

  Exhausted, I started to be lulled to sleep by the rhythm of his breath against my back. Right now, I felt like I was exactl
y where I wanted to be. Moments away from sleep, I sank heavy into the mattress when Collin broke the silence.

  “Baby?”

  “Yeah?” I said, my voice heavy with fatigue.

  “Do you want to go down to Texas in the morning and see your mom?” That jolted me awake and for a moment I was too floored to answer. Instead I gripped his arm tighter, wordlessly thanking him for everything he’s done for me in the short amount of time he’d been back in my life.

  “Of course,” I said, my sleepy voice gleeful.

  “We’ll leave straight after your room service breakfast. I’ll have the jet positioned up here and ready. He got out of bed and reached for his phone, typed a quick message, then got back into bed.

  “I can’t believe everything you are doing for me.” It was a thought I couldn’t state enough times to him, mostly because I didn’t understand why he was doing it. He wrapped his arm back over me and squeezed me tight.

  “I told you, stop thanking me. It’s the least I can do for you. I would do anything for you. After…”

  I waited but he didn’t finish his sentence. After what? After the hurt he had caused me? After the way he still felt about me? I needed to know. I wanted to put everything out on the line, but was too scared he’d get pissed off and stop my mother’s cancer treatment.

  Fuck it, my mind couldn’t take any more whirring.

  “I, uh.” I steadied my nerves to carry on. “It seems like the past seven years of your absence never happened.”

  “It does seem that way, doesn’t it, babe?”

  I sucked my lips between my teeth, scared of everything we had just said. But however scared I was, my heart was elated. Its thumping had taken over and all thoughts of fear faded away the way our relationship had faded years ago.

  My legs cried out in a sudden need to feel him between them. To turn what we’d just said into a physical act.

  The beginnings of an erection pressed against my back, and I leaned back into it to encourage it further.

  Collin let out a light moan and rolled me onto my back. His lips found mine and through our emotions and fatigue, our kiss was slow. Our lips lingered together and our tongues took a slow pace in exploring the other’s mouth.