Power Play - A MFMMM Reverse Harem Billionaire Romance (You Can't Resist a Bad Boy Book 6)

by Layla Valentine

  “In a way. I’ve worked for them before.” Kelsie was more businesslike now. It was the way she always got when discussing clients. “It’s kind of a weird gig, you sure you want to hear about it?”

  “I’ve been covering the ridiculous lives of the rich and famous for ages now,” I said. “Just try and shock me.”

  Honestly though, the kind of money those people spent on stupid things… Who needed a gold-plated Jacuzzi? Or a portrait of themselves in M&Ms? I had started suspecting a long time ago that when you got to be a certain level of rich, insanity set in.

  A hesitant look crept across her face. She bit her lip. “I honestly probably shouldn’t tell you.”

  That made me worried. “You’re not working for a mob boss or something, are you?”

  “Does Santa Barbara even have a mob?” Kelsie asked, incredulous.

  “I don’t know. I wish it did, I could do a story about them. I think it’s more corporate espionage type stuff around here.”

  Kelsie laughed. “Well it’s not illegal. Not technically.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean? Did they make advances or something?”

  “What? No! God, no.” Kelsie sighed. “You’re not going to rest unless I tell you, are you?”

  “I just want you to be looked after, that’s all,” I said. Kelsie was tougher than she looked, I knew, but it didn’t stop me worrying about her.

  Kelsie stood up and walked over to me. “Look, if I tell you, you have to promise to keep it a secret. I’m not supposed to be sharing this with anyone.”

  I frowned. “If it’s something dangerous, Kelsie, seriously, you can’t expect me to keep quiet. I don’t want you mixed up in anything.”

  “It’s nothing like that,” Kelsie promised. “It’s just a bit scandalous, that’s all. The people involved know it’ll bring a lot of judgment if it gets out.”

  “How so?”

  I couldn’t deny that my reporter’s instincts had perked up a bit. I was curious, now. Maybe, just maybe, this could lead me to a proper story.

  Kelsie crossed her arms. “First, you have to promise not to tell.”

  “I can’t promise that when I don’t know what it is.”

  “Then I can’t tell you anything. I signed a non-disclosure agreement and everything, Gabs. These people are serious.”

  I turned around to take care of the soup. “Get me some bowls, will you?”

  “It really smells delicious,” Kelsie said, eager to change the subject.

  For the moment, I decided, I would let her. I wasn’t about to end the night without knowing what this whole deal was, but maybe I needed to take a more sideways approach.

  Once we had sat down on the couch, I steered the conversation toward food, and Kelsie’s job. A surefire way to get her talking about her newest gig would be to ask her about previous ones. She could never prevent herself from using her current clients as comparative examples.

  “I know that you generally cook for just one or two people nowadays,” I said, “But have you ever done a big group?”

  “I used to back when I was first starting out, you remember,” Kelsie said. “But I wasn’t in charge then. I just did whatever the head chef told me to do. This new job, it’s catering actually, and I’m in charge of it all.”

  “That sounds like a real step up!” I said. “Congratulations. Unless, I mean… Catering for a group of people, that’s different. Maybe you don’t want to do it, I’m not judging.”

  “It’s not that I don’t want to do it,” Kelsie said. “It pays really good money, like I said. And who’s going to turn down a guy like Myer?”

  I hummed in acknowledgement, even though I had no clue who this “Myer” was. I made a mental note to look the name up later.

  “Event catering isn’t my usual thing…” Kelsie paused, scrambling for words. “I like how personal being a personal chef is. I like that I’m giving people a special meal just for them. I know a lot of my clients are stuffed shirts and too damn entitled for their own good. But a lot of them are also incredibly lonely. They’re chasing this wealth because they think it’ll replace whatever else is missing in their lives. And I get to change that. I get to give them something that’s just for them, no conditions attached.”

  “Except for your paycheck,” I pointed out.

  “With my paycheck, I owe them meals. I could give them the same damn salad and spaghetti every night if I wanted,” Kelsie replied. “But I don’t. I learn their likes and dislikes. I pay attention to their health. I give them extra dessert when they’re having a bad week. I take care of them and I show them a little bit of love. I think that’s really special.

  “With catering, it’s different. You’re helping people to celebrate and that’s great. But it’s still kind of impersonal. You don’t know all the guests. I don’t like that aspect as much. But there’s nothing about it that I particularly dislike. I just don’t love it the way I love being a personal chef. Does that make sense?”

  I nodded. “I kind of want to write that all down and print it, Kels. That was really nice.”

  Kelsie blushed. “Thanks, hon.”

  “But you’re willing to do this one because the pay check is so big.”

  Kelsie nodded. “Yeah. And it’s pretty unusual. Not in a bad way. I mean, they send me a list of the preferences each individual guest has, so I can make sure everybody has something they like. And they want it to all be finger food or stuff that can be made into finger food. Like mini canapés, that sort of thing. Mini cupcakes.”

  “I’m picturing that in my head and it looks adorable.”

  Kelsie laughed. “Yeah, it feels like I’m making food for dolls. And of course they want plenty of aphrodisiacs.”

  “Aphrodisiacs, huh?” I said.

  Kelsie snorted. “Yup. The kicker? None of them eat anything. There’s tons of alcohol, but is any of my gorgeous food touched? Hardly.”

  “Sounds pretty unfair to me. Why even bother hiring you?”

  “Because sex is pretty exhausting and they’re gonna need some food at some point,” Kelsie pointed out. Then she froze.

  I raised an eyebrow at her. “Sex, huh?”

  Kelsie clapped a hand over her mouth. “I wasn’t supposed to say that,” she said, her voice muffled by her hand.

  I laughed. I was painfully curious, but I played it cool, not wanting her to clam up. “C’mon, you might as well just tell me the whole story now.”

  Kelsie buried her face in a pillow. “I’m the worst secret keeper ever,” she moaned.

  “Hey now, c’mon, you kept the secret about my blowing Lewis Fletcher at the sophomore Halloween party.” Not my finest moment; I was drunk, he was dressed as a giant carrot, what can I say? It was college.

  “I did manage that, didn’t I?” Kelsie said. Her head popped up from the pillow. “He was a four, Gabs. I’m still ashamed on your behalf.”

  “Because you never had one regrettable hookup. Or ten.”

  “All in the past,” Kelsie said archly. Then she fixed me with a look. “You’re not going to give up until I tell you, are you?”

  I shook my head. “Investigative reporter, remember?”

  Kelsie groaned. “Okay, fine. But don’t you dare get me fired over this. You remember six months ago when I went to visit my mom?”

  “Yeah…I remember.”

  “Well, I lied.”

  I stared at her. As long as we’d known each other, I’d never known Kelsie to lie to me. I’d certainly never lied to her. It made me feel a little hurt.

  “Why?” I blurted out.

  Kelsie looked down at her soup, pushing her spoon through it. “I signed an NDA agreement. I couldn’t legally tell you. And it was my first time working with these people. When a billionaire hires you, you can’t help but think of all the ways he could make you miserable if he wanted to. Y’know?” She gave a little laugh.

  “I know it’s silly of me to think of it that way. But the point is, I was nervous and so I did
n’t tell you. And it paid really, really well. It’s how I finished paying off my car.” She quickly finished her soup and set the bowl aside.

  “So, six months ago, I get hired by this guy, Myer, to run the catering for him one night. He does this every three months with some of his friends. They’re all billionaires, money coming out of their asses. He wants me to come onto his luxury yacht with the rest of the staff, prepare the food, and then I’m taken back to shore in a speedboat once we’re all finished.”

  “And that wasn’t at all suspicious to you.”

  “Sure it was suspicious, but he was paying me a ton of money and he didn’t strike me as criminal. He made it seem like it was a party, and it is, but it’s more than that. I caught a glimpse of some of the guests last time. They try to keep them separate from the staff, but it’s impossible to do that completely on a yacht, no matter how luxury it is, y’know? It’s him, some of his equally rich buddies, and then about two dozen gorgeous women. I’m talking models, actresses, drop-dead beautiful women.”

  “Any A-listers?” I asked. My brain was whirring. A handful of local billionaires and the world’s most beautiful women? I wasn’t saying that I had four, but when you’ve got two and two…

  “No, no award winners or anything like that. There were pageant winners, women I recognized from magazines… They were stunning and you’re looking at them going, ‘Huh, where do I know you from?’ But you’re not going to point at them and go, ‘Oh gee, you won that Best Actress award last year!’” Kelsie explained. “They chose well. It’s women who live the high life, but won’t be stopped by paparazzi on their way in.”

  “And you saw some men.”

  “No, just the owner. I knew there would be men there because of the list he gave me. All first names, but he told me they were all good friends and to take care of them so I’m guessing he didn’t invite his tailor.”

  “Do you still have the list?”

  Kelsie’s eyes narrowed. “Oh no. You are not getting me into trouble.”

  “This could be a huge story!” I protested. “You have to admit what this looks like, Kels.”

  “I know what it looks like.” Kelsie suddenly flashed me a mischievous grin. “Everyone says it’s a sex party. The people I saw, they were all wearing bathing suits. Or, I think some of the women were wearing actual lingerie. But nobody was wearing proper clothing. I think they wait until the staff leave to really get it on, but from what I saw last time, people were already getting pretty handsy.”

  I felt the urge to bounce up and down in my seat. This was it. The scoop I’d been waiting for. A bunch of spoiled billionaires having an all-out orgy on a luxury yacht with a bunch of models? Hell yes.

  Men like this were powerful, and the idea of taking them down a peg sent a bit of a thrill through me. I could finally gain my editor’s respect and be put somewhere important. Maybe another newspaper would want to hire me. Sure, it might be for the celebrity column, but it would be for somewhere more important. Hollywood or NYC. From there I could move onto subjects I cared about.

  “You have to get me onto that yacht,” I said. I could talk to them that way, or at least get names and faces and start from there.

  “What?” Kelsie hissed. Her eyes went wide. “No, no, no, absolutely not!”

  “If you help me, we can make a ton selling this story,” I pointed out. I didn’t have to give the story to my own paper. I could sell it to anyone that I wanted, and Paul would know that as soon as he saw what I was writing about. He’d pay me anything I wanted. “I’ll split the profits with you, fifty-fifty.”

  Kelsie chewed on her lip for a moment. This was why, despite all her partying in college, she’d never gotten herself into any trouble. She’d never turned in an assignment late, and she’d never been the subject of the rumor mill. Her exuberance was calculated. She went skydiving only because she knew there was a parachute.

  “Fine,” she said after a minute. “I can hide you in one of the supply carts and you can blend in with the staff until enough time has passed. The guests get onto the yacht at staggered times so nobody at port notices.”

  “Will I need to borrow a uniform or something?” I asked.

  Kelsie shook her head. “We might just be staff, but we’re expected to dress to impress. Can’t risk offending anyone.” She rolled her eyes. “That’s why I bought the shoes. They’re a present to myself, but they’re also to wear to the event. You’ll look fine once I fix you up.”

  “I just have the one cocktail dress,” I said. I wasn’t about to go in a bathing suit. And definitely not in lingerie.

  “Everyone started out in dresses,” Kelsie said. “It was once things started to get going that everybody started showing more skin. And I know the one you’re talking about, you’ll look great in it.”

  I glanced down at myself. I didn’t dislike how I looked. I hadn’t exactly grown up hating my body, but I’d never thought of myself as beautiful, either. My body simply was what it was. Did I look good enough to pass myself off as a model?

  Kelsie must have read my thoughts, because she laughed. “No selling yourself short here, Gabs. You’re gorgeous, and like I said, you’ll fit right in. That cute little bob, those big brown eyes, and those boobs? You’ll knock ‘em dead.”

  “Thanks,” I said, feeling a little uncomfortable at the praise. I enjoyed working out and I’d inherited my mom’s genes so I knew that at the very least I was in shape. “So when is this thing, anyway?” I asked, mostly to change the subject.

  Kelsie got that mischievous look on her face again. “Tomorrow night.”

  I almost choked on my mouthful of soup. Tomorrow night? That wasn’t a lot of time to prepare. On the other hand, it meant I could get the story out quickly. And it meant less time for one of the people involved to somehow get wind of our plan.

  “Okay. Tomorrow night. So we’ll drive to the place and you’ll have an extra supply cart and I’ll just hop inside?”

  “I’ll put the linens on top of you,” Kelsie said. “It won’t be fun, though. And it might get bumpy.”

  “I’ll manage.” I would do more than just manage. For a ticket out of the sleepy, no-news slump I’d been in, I would have crossed a damn mine field.

  Kelsie nodded. “If you’re sure about this…”

  “Trust me, I’m sure. You just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”

  Kelsie didn’t look convinced. “This isn’t exactly your usual stomping ground. And I’m not talking about the money. You weren’t a party girl in college, either. And we’ve been to, what, two clubs since we graduated? Are you sure that you’ll be comfortable with the stuff you’ll see there?”

  “I can carry some pepper spray, if it makes you feel better.”

  Kelsie rolled her eyes. “I know you can defend yourself if you need to. I just don’t want you to spend the evening feeling awkward and wishing you hadn’t gone. You’re my best friend. I want you to feel safe.”

  “I’ll be fine.” This wasn’t like going to a regular party where I would be trying to have fun—and even then, I usually ended up either stealing the person’s pet until it was time to go. This time would be different. I’d be on the job. I’d be trying to get information. “I’m actually a little excited for it.”

  Kelsie sighed and rolled her eyes up to the heavens. “Lord help me,” she mumbled. “All right, fine, I’ll help you.”

  “Yes!” I set my soup aside and launched myself forward, wrapping her up in a huge hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I owe you so big for this!”

  “Don’t thank me yet,” Kelsie pointed out, hugging me back. “It ain’t over till it’s over. Thank me once we’re home free.”

  I pulled back and grinned at her. Excitement coursed through my veins like fire. I hadn’t been this excited about a story in ages. Finally, I was on my way to a real scoop.

  Chapter 2

  Liam

  If you could show me a businessman who said that end-of-quarter parties weren’
t boring, I’d show you a filthy liar.

  The crazy office parties of the ’70s and ’80s and had long since faded away. They were nothing like the boring, stuffy corporate crap I had to deal with.

  If I was being honest with myself, and I always tried to be, I needed to blow off some steam. I’d been working too hard. Jason was always telling me to be more laid back and I usually ignored him. But when Cody and Cameron were telling me to take a break? That was probably when I was spending too many late nights at the office.

  I’m a billionaire, for Christ’s sake. You’d think I could sit back and drown in dollar bills. But when you actually care about running your company properly, it means you have to sit down and do the work. So I did. I covered every aspect of my company and tried to be as hands-on as I could. Drove Laura, my secretary, nuts. Although she usually forgave me when I handed her a bonus.

  Anyway, I knew I’d been working too hard. I hadn’t been out to a bar in weeks. Now it was all building up inside of me and I was standing in the middle of this dull party and trying not to split too early. It wouldn’t look good if the boss left after just one drink. I had to make nice—especially with investors and the board.

  The problem was that I was bored. I needed a new element in my life. I still liked my job—I wouldn’t have stuck with it if I didn’t. Plenty of people would have been happy to buy the business from me, and I could have lived off the proceeds for years. But I liked working. So it wasn’t that, it was just…something else. Something was missing.

  My phone buzzed and I dug it out of my pocket. Jason. He was already at the dock, because he was an impatient bastard with a paranoia about being late. I wasn’t kidding; if the guy ever ended up getting engaged, I knew we’d be in for months of nightmares that he’d be late to his own goddamn wedding.

  Still, Jason’s impatience could be my ticket out of this party. The clock said eight fifteen. I’d been at the party for just over an hour. I ran over a mental list of all the important people there. I’d spoken to everyone I needed to.