ROMANCE: Billion Dollar Question (BWWM Billionaire Bad Boy Romance) (African American Alpha Mail Order Bride New Adult)

by Aisha Brooks

  “Hey…I just gotta say somethin’ to you,” he said, embarrassed and looking at the ground. She closed her book and sat up, patting her bed.

  “Okay. Come on over.” He fumbled with his hands, nervous and anxious.

  “I just gotta tell you how much you mean to me and Devon. I just don’t know what our lives would be like without you. You can be real crazy at times, but you’re alright. I’m going to miss you a whole lot,” he said.

  Her heart folded into itself and she felt a warmth fill her body. She and her brothers did not discuss their emotions, but this sense of worth and acknowledgment for a brother she raised like a son, reiterated that all of her hard work was worth it all. She had missed out on a lot during high school; parties, boyfriends, even her Junior prom when she couldn’t afford the tickets and dress, football games, movies with friends…but she had kept a picture of her family as the background on her phone from the very first day she had bought it to remind her of her purpose and reason for being.

  “Thanks, kid,” she said, a nickname she had developed for him as a child, as he was always by her side. She took in a deep breath, “You are kind and important; do not ever forget that. I would not have ever done these things for you and Devon if I didn’t believe in your own potential. When I leave, I will always only be a phone call away. But, you need to know that the brunt of the responsibility will fall onto you now, and you need to watch over Devon and take care of him as your own. This might, and most probably will, mean putting him before yourself.” She waited for the truth of this to sink in, and saw Leo nod slowly.

  “I just get real mad at mama sometimes over it all.” She turned his head and looked him dead in the eye.

  “Don’t ever say that and do not ever live your life with resentment in your heart. Our mother does what she can. We’re family. We pull our own weight. We do our best and then move on from there. Do you hear me?” He nodded again, slowly.

  “But what if I wanna go out on a date?” Alicia laughed.

  “Then you go, but you bring Devon with you.” He shuddered at the idea.

  “I got you. I will make you proud.” And she knew he would. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

  “Get outta here, kid. I gotta finish reading this. But, you remember, to also make yourself proud.”

  Two weeks later, she was packing up her small high school room, going to the University of Chicago months earlier than other incoming students to do an internship and begin a side job on campus.

  The University of Chicago had been her first choice because it was only a few blocks from their apartment, and, an extremely prestigious school. She planned to major in Business and was truly ecstatic to begin her studies in the fall.

  Chapter 2: The Beginning Of A Future

  Alicia’s college career went as she expected. There were parties and football games she attended, but certainly not as much as her fellow coeds. She had devoted one year to a serious relationship with a boy who was studying law, so he was as devoted to success as she was. She had actually met Clinton at a college party. Alicia had given herself permission to go out and have fun one Friday night, something that was usually hard for her to do; letting loose seeming like a sin at times. She had sipped enough beer to quench her guilt and forget many of her inhibitions and sat outside with her friends and laughed uncontrollably, not truly remembering what it was they had originally began laughing about.

  “You girls want to play a round of beer pong?” a handsome gentleman had asked from afar. She had jumped up, grabbing her friends’ hands, feeling dizzy at first, but agreeing. While they set up the table, she had walked over to the barbecue to grab a burger to help absorb some of the beer she had drank too quickly on such a hot day. The one gentleman she noticed from campus followed her over to the food.

  “Will you play on my team?” he asked, sipping a beer himself. She was thankful on days like this for her vibrant, curly, short hair; naturally beautiful that looked its best short, she glanced around and saw most of the other girls sweating profusely, desperately trying to figure out what to do with their long locks and how to keep their makeup from sweating off their faces. Alicia was lucky enough, she knew, to have a natural air of beauty to herself; she never wore much makeup besides a bit of mascara.

  “Sure. I’m Alicia,” she had said confidently as she extended a hand. He had taken it gracefully.

  “Clinton. Let’s go win this.”

  After winning their beer pong game, they had exchanged phone numbers. She was happy that he hadn’t gotten the impression that attending parties was one of her pastimes; in fact, many of their dates were spent in the library or at their local coffee shop, quizzing one another or writing papers. He was as refreshing as the tall cups of coffee they would order, a dark roast who always wore glasses and sweaters with collared shirts underneath.

  She made sure to visit her family at least once a week, and found true solace in the fact that Leo had kept his promise to remain on the right path and guide Devon. He worked on weekends and had won a full ride to Madison for basketball. She had cried when, over for dinner one Sunday, he had told her the news. He was embarrassed and shocked, having never seen his older sister cry before.

  “Oh kid, I am just so proud of you,” she had said and her mother had again, been a weeping ball of emotions, folded into herself as a young child does.

  “I’m so lucky to have such great kids, despite our obstacles and challenges,” she had reminded them.

  A few weeks later, when Alicia had brought Clinton home to meet the family, her brothers had been as reserved as she imagined a protective father would be. They had been polite, but not overly so, looking him up and down, until Clinton had called them on it. One aspect she had loved the most about him was that he was not only as devoted as she was to his future and studies, but as blunt and honest as well.

  “Hey guys, I get it. I’m supposedly the ‘bad guy’, dating your sister and all…but I promise that I have the best intentions, and that I won’t hurt her.” Her brothers had loosened up a bit after that, and they had eaten home cooked meal of steak and potatoes, a luxury her mother must’ve saved up for, for at least a paycheck or two.

  She was genuinely happy and content in her life, proud of her life and accomplishments. She hadn’t missed a class in all four years and while others looked forward to getting drunk on weekends, she sincerely looked forward to her classes. She enjoyed them immensely and one teacher, a calm and collected, strong, independent woman, had taken her under her wing the first few weeks at the school and showed her the ropes of the business courses and world.

  During her senior year, she had done an independent study with her and Diane, as she had come to call her, even helped her land a job at a prestigious business after college. She hadn’t known how to thank her, really, except for inviting her to a meal at her mother’s apartment.

  Her mother, again, had wept when she and Diane had told her the great news, and she could see the look of honor and admiration each brother had in their eyes, the emotion cloaked deep inside the dark brown.

  “I cannot express to you enough how taken aback I have been with your daughter. She is truly going places,” Diane had said, helping herself to another dinner roll. She watched her mother think and ponder what she was going to say next and what followed was a true act of expression that Alicia herself had never witnessed, and that sat within her soul for the remainder of eternity.

  “Diane, let me tell you my truth, and this is something my children have never exactly heard from my mouth, verbatim. I was a devoted child, devoted to my studies and boyfriend, Alicia’s father. When I became pregnant at 16, my mother kicked me out. I didn’t have anywhere to turn, so I turned to the man I loved…who, in essence, turned me away. So I moved in with an aunt and had no other option than to drop out of high school quickly and work. It was the biggest tragedy of my life; not Alicia’s father leaving, or any of the other men in my life, not the degrading jobs that I’ve had to take o
n, not even my own mother kicking me out…dropping out of high school, ‘quitting’, as it is called, broke my soul. I loved school. It was everything to me, and I tried my hardest to instill this into my children. I fell in love with Leo and Devon’s father, but he passed away at an early age, and I continued on, kept on keepin’ on and kept living life, just for the success of my children. So, now to see it all come to fruition, to see my daughter land a dream job and my son receive a scholarship to Madison, and to witness Devon do well in high school, makes my heart so filled with love and pride, it takes my breath away at times. There is no other mother in this entire world that is more proud than her children. It makes every horrible situation I have ever been in worth it…and then even more.” There was a silence at the dinner table, their small and old wooden table bringing all social classes together, all paths of life, bringing everyone together.

  “You need to give yourself some credit too, mama,” Alicia pointed out, finally breaking the silence. Her mother threw up her hand.

  “Let me give you each your credit,” she insisted. She smiled, her warm dimples lighting up her beautiful face; similar to the lighthouse that guides the way for sailors, her mother’s face had always guided her, being her beacon in the darkness when she felt lost or that she couldn’t achieve her goals or dreams.

  “You did it, girl,” Diane said as she had leaned over and squeezed Alicia’s hand.

  Chapter 3: Preparation Before Success

  Just as quickly, it seemed, as she had moved into her college dorm room and then housing on campus, she was moving out. She and Clinton had met at their favorite coffee shop only a few days before, him confiding in her that he had been accepted into his first choice of Law School. She was ecstatic for him, but also hesitant, knowing that it was in New York.

  They had talked for hours, weighing their options. They ended up deciding that a long distance relationship would most likely be extremely difficult for both of them, especially when they would both be so focused on succeeding in their paths. They had kissed for the last time, his hands grabbing her face across the table and pressing his lips firmly to hers.

  “You are an amazing woman,” he said, and she had seen in his eyes that he truly meant this in his heart.

  She had been upset, but not discouraged. She missed him immensely as she packed up, especially when she got to their pictures and his old sweatshirts. She held onto them, a reminder that there were true and honest men in this world, much like her brothers.

  Her mother had offered up the idea that she move back home for a bit, but Alicia was too enthusiastic to finally be on her own. She had worked every summer, long and tedious hours, in order to save up for her first apartment, still only a few blocks from campus and her mother’s. The commute to work would be a bit longer, but she could bike to the train and study on the ride. She had a plan and she had no doubt she would follow through with every aspect of its action.

  Her mother helped her set up in her modest apartment. She had a small kitchen, bathroom and living space, where she placed her bedroom and dresser in the corner. She hung a simple, bright cloth between her bed and dresser and her couch and tv, making a makeshift bedroom.

  She and her mother had traveled to Goodwill to get her some suits to wear to work, Alicia insisting that they be longer pencil skirts, in order to keep some of her style in place. She had splurged on a pair of heels and a friend had given her an old briefcase and she had found a slightly used laptop on Craigslist, and felt ready to begin her first career that upcoming Monday.

  Chapter 4: A Man With A Mission

  Alicia woke up earlier than needed that Monday, sipping a cup of her favorite coffee in order to prepare herself for the day ahead. She felt hesitant, for the first time since beginning college; she was afraid people would see through her Goodwill purchased clothes and hand-me-downs, especially at such a prestigious company.

  There weren’t many times in her life when she allowed herself to divulge in these thoughts and let them consume her, primarily because there wasn’t much she could do about it. However, she had a fear of feeling less than, regardless of all the hard work it had taken her to take a path that some were fortunate enough to be born into. She had knocked down doors that were, many times, left open for the richer kids in the suburbs whose mothers stayed at home to raise them. She reminded herself that she had been the one selected for this position, no one else.

  She had met Mr. Arthur on her second round of interviews at the company, and had loved his calm demeanor. Although very elderly, he had described a family business that he ran from the bottom up, a sentiment that resonated within her deeply. His son, he said, worked just as hard, if not harder than himself, and this was obviously a sense of pride within the old man. This was a family that was very similar to her; a hard working family, and she reminded herself of this when she became nervous as she prepared herself for the commute.

  She slipped on her favorite suit purchase, a long black pencil skirt, button up white shirt and red cardigan, the red looking beautiful against her sweet tea skin. She added a light gloss to her lips that day and a bit more volume in her hair and put on some pearl earrings Clinton had given her, being probably the most expensive gift she had ever received, and headed towards the train.

  After an hour long commute, she arrived and took the elevator of the sky rise to the 100th floor. She was guided to wait in the lobby, and so she did, briefcase firmly in hand. She stared out the window, jiggling a foot nervously.

  “Ms. Marshall,” she heard, after having been waiting for ten minutes. Her eyes darted from the view out the window, admiring the tall and strenuous buildings, and glanced at a man standing before her. Her heart caught in her chest and she gasped quietly.

  Before her was a man who, she could tell instantly, was extremely self-assured, his arm extended, with a smile spread across his face the way a hand caresses its lover. His eyes, the same golden color as her skin, shined, and she glanced at his carefully manicured hand which was engulfed in the most expensive suit she had ever laid eyes on. His thick dark hair was combed back, a piece or two endearing themselves to her by going against the grain and poking out, onto his forehead.

  “Hello,” she said quickly, as she stood up, practically stumbling on her usually reliant and firm feet, shaking his hand. The warmth and strength of it sent a chill down her spine.

  “I’m Mr. Arthur, I believe my father hired you?” he asked. He motioned for her to follow him. She did so obediently. He turned to look at her as he talked while briskly walking down the hallway. She noticed as the women of the office paused in whatever it was they were doing to catch a glimpse of this younger Mr. Arthur; although they saw him daily, his beauty was still something to be admired. She also noticed that they looked her up and down, evaluating any potential threats.

  “Yes, yes he did.”

  “I hate to be the one to tell you that my father stepped away from his position a few days ago. He was going to call you and tell you personally as he really sees some true potential within you, but I told him I could easily explain it all to you upon your arrival.” Alicia was saddened by this as she had felt a strong kinship with the elderly man.

  Mr. Arthur continued on, “My father told me all about you, and I too am extremely impressed with your educational background and application. I just want to hear more about you personally, as I will be your boss from here on out.”

  He turned and smiled as they reached his office and she followed him inside. He turned and closed the door then sat down at his desk, reclining in his leather seat. She sat across from him. She caught her eyes glancing at his left hand, smiling when she didn’t notice a ring.

  “Your father seemed like such a great man. What is it you’d like to know about me, Mr. Arthur?” she asked, crossing her legs. He leaned forward on his glass desk, clasping his hands, a bright, gold watch catching itself in the sunshine.

  “Tell me about yourself. Why our company?” She went on to weave him her story,
being truthful and honest; his presence making her feel like this was not only okay, but accepted. He had eyes that spoke to her and that made her feel at ease. She didn’t feel vulnerable at first as she normally did divulging so much information, and not once did she sense a flicker of judgement on his part; if anything, she saw admiration and respect in his eyes.

  “Quite an impressive story,” he said once she had finished. He reached into his briefcase and handed her a few folders. “What I would like to do is have you handle these three clients this week. I would like you to type up a business proposal for each of them and pitch it to me by the end of the week. If I like what you’ve done, we’ll go on from there with some bigger jobs.” Alicia was elated; to receive clients in the first week of working there was a great feat.

  Mr. Arthur continued on, “I would like to point out that my father spoke extremely highly of you, so you are being given an opportunity here that no other new hires are being offered. This may cause a lot of tension and animosity; I hope it doesn’t, but it may. I imagine you will handle yourself quite well with this, if it does occur,” he said and he smiled.