Billionaire in Rehab: The Complete Series

by Claire Adams

  "But you do," he said. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be testing out this idea of staying in Vegas on every person you meet."

  "I might not have Dana Maria's confidence, but I'm getting there," I said. "That's why I'm not narrowing my options down to the safe path."

  "That's not confidence," he disagreed. "That's the long term affect of being stared at by men. She thinks she's in control, she thinks she confident, but she's really just begging for attention."

  "You were paying attention to her when I arrived," I said. I swallowed and wished I had the words back.

  Jackson laughed and poured himself more wine. "Like I pay attention to the label on a wine bottle. Then, I drink what I want and toss it away. And, trust me, there are better vintages than her."

  He smiled and I knew it was supposed to be a compliment. I smiled back and sipped my wine while my skin crawled. Jackson was perfect on the outside– a handsome gentleman, a professional golfer known for his grace under pressure, and a widely coveted and charming date.

  He just was not the man for me.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  Fenton

  As soon as we stepped out of the elevator, I noticed people looking at my sister. The looks on their faces said they had the exact same thoughts as Jackson just had up in the suite.

  "You could have changed clothes up in the suite, Dee," I said. "I didn't mean to rush you out of there."

  "I'm perfectly comfortable," Dana Maria said. "Plus, it’s gotta be good for your reputation. Fenton Morris seen in broad daylight with an exotic dancer. Fits right into the image of the party boy fighter, doesn't it?"

  "Except for the part where you're my sister," I said.

  "Since when do you care what people think?" she asked. "Besides your buttoned-up roommate."

  "Her name is Kya." I grabbed Dana Maria's arm and steered her through the gathering sea of interested faces. "Why can't you call her by her name?"

  "For the same reason I'm not going to put on a conservative dress to have lunch with you. That's not me. This is what I like to wear and I don't call people by their given names unless they are actually my friends," Dana Maria said.

  I yanked open the door of the waiting cab and tucked my sister inside. "You're telling me you wouldn't be more comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt? Or a dress with less lace and tight straps?"

  My sister shrugged. "Maybe, but I've got a gig right after lunch."

  My shoulders tensed. "You need a chaperone?" I asked.

  Dana Maria laughed. "No thanks, baby bro. I've got my own muscle. There's nothing for you to worry about."

  She changed the subject, and I ended up telling her all about the fight and the after party. I stopped before I confessed anything about Kya, but somehow my sister guessed it.

  "You know she'll just drop you as soon as she finds someone better," Dana Maria said. She twisted the wrapper to her straw around her finger and pretended it was an engagement ring. "Oh, you shouldn't have gotten such a big diamond! No, I don't mind that you're a balding lawyer because you are so rich and your family is so well known. We'll get married on the 13th green, and our lives will be just like a cardigan catalog."

  I wadded up a paper napkin and threw it at her. "Very funny. But you don't know the first thing about Kya. She's different than she looks."

  "I'm sure she is," Dana Maria said. "The only problem is that in the end, she's going to think she should marry someone that looks just as catalog perfect as her. And, when she realizes his surface doesn't match what he's really like underneath, she’ll find out she was dead wrong."

  Her dire warning chilled me for a minute before I dismissed it. Kya was different and my sister was right, I shouldn't care what other people think. "You're only saying that because of Mom and Dad."

  "What do they have to do with you and your girl from the good side of town?" Dana Maria asked.

  "Dad was handsome, charming even, and Mom loved him until she realized all he cared about was himself," I said. "You think she was stupid for falling for him in the first place. Like she could have known he would just walk out on us one day."

  "Exactly. Mom thought she had found someone who liked the same things, came from the same background, and wanted the same things in the future. He made her think that, but it was all just a lie. He just wanted to use her for a while, and when he got bored, he left."

  My sister stopped as the waiter brought our burgers. I took my time adding mustard and just the right amount of pickle relish, not willing to say anything. No one had been hurt more by our father leaving or our mother's death than my sister. On top of the pain, she had me to worry about.

  "I'm sorry, Fen. This is supposed to be a celebration. You kicked ass last night and you're on your way up. Here's to you, baby brother!" Dana Maria raised her glass of beer and toasted me.

  "Thank you," I said.

  "Can you believe how far you've come? I remember when your fists were the size of walnuts. You couldn't knock out anything bigger than a squirrel."

  "Until grade school," I reminded her.

  "Flying Fists Fenton," she laughed. "I wonder what all your grade school teachers think now that you're on your way to the title fight."

  "They'd probably still lecture me on staying focused."

  "That's all I'm saying. I know you've got your eye on the hot agent, but you've got a title to win. You can't be getting distracted now," Dana Maria said. She punctuated her words with a French fry.

  I snapped the fry out of her fingers and popped it in my mouth. "I promise I will stay focused on the title fight, Ms. Morris."

  "Good. Now, I hate to cut this short, but I've got that private gig to get to." She had the waitress wrap up her mostly untouched burger so I could take it with me for a snack.

  "Still starving to feed me?" I asked.

  "I'm not about to dance on a double cheeseburger," Dana Maria said.

  "Your last dance?" I asked. "You could retire and let me take care of you for a while, you know."

  "Come on, Fen, you know I like my independence. Don't be like everyone else and make the mistake of thinking I'm only dancing because I can't do anything else. I like it and it pays very well. I'm not afraid of liking the attention, I'm not embarrassed at showing off my body, and I'm not about to find something boring to do just because other people think it’s more respectable."

  "Yeah, I thought you would say that." I kissed my sister on the forehead. "And, I love you for it."

  I was still chewing over everything my sister said when I got to the gym. Kev seemed to appear out of nowhere. He was lucky I didn't knock his teeth out. Even crazy fans knew better than to surprise me by now.

  "Whoa, you've gotta be hungover if I'm able to get the drop on you," Kev said. "I mean, I know I'm hungover from last night's festivities, but I'm not the one that has to get back in the ring."

  "I'm not hungover, I'll be fine," I said.

  "Yeah, I wondered if you were just playing it up for the cameras last night," Kev said. "Gotta say I was jealous of you and that Sienna. God, she is hot, and she was all over you."

  I headed to the locker room, but Kev followed me. "It was all for the cameras. None of it was real."

  "Real, fake, I wouldn't care if she was made entirely of plastic," Kev said. "She's hot, you're hot, and the publicity from her reality show is red hot. You should invite her to be your date to the fight promotion party. Think of all the free publicity that would buy you. Plus, her sexy friends."

  "I didn't really think she was that hot," I said.

  "Seriously? But she was still there when I left." Kev waggled his eyebrows at me.

  "I sent her home. Nothing happened."

  Kev jumped in front of me again. "Nothing happened with her, but something did happen, didn't it? Oh, I knew it! That's great, man, that is so great."

  I wiped his hands off the front of my shirt. "What is great? What are you talking about?"

  "You can't lie to me, man, I know you. You were with Kya last night. I love i
t! I love you two together. I mean, you and Sienna made for a hot reality show couple, but you and Kya, that's for real. I saw you two looking at each other from across the party."

  "You have no idea what you're talking about. You were wasted last night," I said.

  "Wasted or not, I recognize a connection when I see it," he said. "And you two connected that first night in the club."

  "You were wasted then, too," I reminded him.

  "Come on, now. You were matching me drink for drink until you met Kya," he said.

  "Can you please let me get ready? Aldous is not going to let me slack off, even the day after a win. I've got to stay focused if I want to win the title fight, and the last thing I need is you thinking you're a better matchmaker than a manager."

  "I agree," Aldous said. He held open the locker room door. "Especially about the not letting you slack off part. You've got thirty seconds to change and get to work."

  It was a relief to work my sore muscles, stretch them out again, and get out of my own head. The harder I worked out, the more the world retreated and I did not need to worry about focusing. There was nothing else. Just me doing what I was born to do.

  "Looking good there, Morris," a voice interrupted.

  I spun around and came face to face with Mario Peretti again. He was dressed for the sparring ring with a towel around his neck and a smirk on his face.

  "Congratulations on last night," my rival said.

  "Thanks. I hear I'll be seeing you in the ring for the title fight."

  Mario nodded. "Speaking of seeing people; I met a woman named Kya Allen the other night. If you see her would you let her know I'd love to take her out for dinner? She's just the kind of trophy I'd like to take home on top of the title."

  Both Aldous and Kev had to hold me back. Mario threw his head back and laughed as he left.

  "Don't let him get to you," Kev said. "Remember the part about staying focused?"

  "Sure, yeah, I'm fine," I said. I blinked back the red haze. I could not wait to face Peretti in the ring again. I would show him who I was. And, I'd make sure he knew Kya belonged to me.

  After the work out and the run-in with Peretti, Kya was all I could think about. I headed back to the Tropicana and punched the elevator button. If she wasn't back from her dinner with the golfer, it would be hard not to go after her. What was one more scene in a restaurant besides extra publicity?

  "Oooh, there you are, honey bunny!" a woman shrieked.

  I stepped back as Sienna and her onslaught of bright lights and cameras cornered me at the elevator bank.

  "Just the man, the sexy, sexy man I was looking for," Sienna said. She kissed my cheek and tried to plant one on my lips.

  I pulled my head back. "Heading over to the Tropicana's new night club?" I asked.

  "Not unless you're coming," Sienna purred. "I bet you've got killer moves."

  I shook my head and hit the elevator button again.

  "No, silly, I came to find you. I hear the big party promoting your fight is tomorrow night," Sienna said. She leaned against me and toyed with the collar of my shirt. "It is tomorrow night, isn't it?"

  I knew she was fishing for an invitation. She was already on the list, but she wanted to be my date. I just nodded and got into the elevator. "Yeah, maybe I'll see you there."

  "Maybe? He's so superstitious," Sienna said to her nearest friend. "Can't get involved before a big fight, otherwise he'll get distracted."

  I was glad when the doors closed and I was alone. Sienna was just trying to explain away my disinterest. But she was right. It was not necessarily bad luck to get involved right before a big fight, but it was definitely distraction.

  Still, all I could think about was Kya.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  Kya

  I tried not to wait by the fire until Fenton got back to the suite. I left out a bottle of wine and two clean glasses and made sure the lights were dimmed. Then, I went into the master bedroom and pretended to work on my laptop. After the door opened and he came back, I forced myself to wait a full two minutes before I went out to the living room.

  "I thought maybe you were still out with the golfer," Fenton said. He grabbed a plate and piled leftovers from a burger joint on it. "One of those glasses for me?"

  "Yes. If you want it," I said. I sat down on the white sofa and opened the bottle of red wine.

  "Sure, sounds good. Are you having any, or did your golfer spoil you with the expensive kind?"

  "We drank a nice bottle," I said. "But this is the expensive stuff."

  "So, how did it go?"

  I put the glass of wine in front of him and then sat back before sipping my own. "Good. I think I've got him convinced to negotiate with a power tool company. Hopefully, the contract will be signed tomorrow."

  "You're seeing him again tomorrow?" Fenton asked. He dropped the leftover burger on his plate and picked up his wine.

  "Maybe. I don't have any other plans," I said. I gave in to the impulse that had been nagging me ever since I saw him. My hand slipped across the wide expanse of his back and rubbed up so my fingers could tangle in his black hair. "I thought I might be tired and want to sleep in after tonight."

  He turned and pinned me with his laser blue eyes. "About that, Kya, I think we might have to slow down."

  I pulled my hand back and dropped it in my lap. "I understand. You don't need any more distractions before the title fight."

  "Exactly. Please don't read anything more into it," he said.

  "I won't. But I think I'll take my glass of wine and head for bed." I stood up.

  He grabbed my wrist and stood up. "I don't know how to do this, Kya."

  "Say goodnight?" I asked him.

  "No," his lips quirked in a smile despite his serious tone. "I don't know how to balance whatever this is and work. It’s always been nothing but work for me. It should be nothing but work until the title fight, but–"

  The kiss was a sudden combustion, burning hot and bright, until we finally broke apart. Fenton was out of breath and I was blushing. He ran a hand through his black hair and gave me a rueful smile.

  "So, after you made fun of me for balancing work and life, you're having the same problem," I said.

  "We're having the same problem." He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me tight.

  I tipped my chin up so I could see his bright blue eyes. "Then, we need to set a few rules."

  "Rules? Ah, fuck it," Fenton said. "Will you be my date to the fight promotion party tomorrow night?"

  I laughed. "Fine, you're not one for rules, I get it. Yes, I'll be your date tomorrow night."

  He kissed me one long, last time and then said goodnight. I closed the door to the master bedroom and did a silent dance of joy. Fenton wanted me to be his date! Not just waiting for him in the suite, not just there at the party, but there with him for everyone to see.

  I fell asleep with a smile on my face, but woke up early in a fit of terror. A big party with lots of paparazzi was more pressure than my limited wardrobe could withstand. I had nothing to wear.

  Fenton laughed when I joined him for breakfast. "Then, you won't mind that Kev had the same thought. He's bringing over a designer friend of his and she's bringing a whole rack of dresses for you to try on."

  "You told Kev I was going to be your date?" I wanted to pinch myself. I had not just dreamt it, it was really happening.

  "Maybe 'told' is too strong a word. Kev was already conniving for us to go together. Either you or that reality star Sienna," Fenton said.

  My heart sank. Sienna was the leggy blonde Fenton had draped all over him after his last win. She was the obvious choice for the event.

  "You don't have to take me just to be nice," I told him.

  Fenton gave me a funny look, but before he could say anything there was knock on the door. Kev burst into the suite followed by a long rack of dresses. A shy woman with stick straight blonde hair and a sweet smile came in last and waved at me.

  "Kya,
I want you to meet Sandi," Kev said. "Not only is she a stylist to the stars, but she is a dress designer. She assures me she'll find you something perfect to wear tonight. And, we get to watch."

  Sandi shook her head at Kev. "I said you are not allowed to watch. Nice try, though."

  "And, nice try getting out of going to the gym with me. It’s cardio day, and you owe me a few miles, at least," Fenton said.

  Kev was dragged from the suite and it took a few minutes before his desperate pleas disappeared down the elevator.

  "Now, let's have some fun," Sandi said. She grabbed my hand and twirled me around.

  "I, I just woke up. I'm a mess," I said.

  "Who cares about that," Sandi said. "You're perfect. I bet I'll hardly have to alter the sample sizes." She went to the rack and pulled out a sapphire blue dress with a fringe skirt. "So, tell me how you and tall, dark, and tough met."

  "Fenton? We met through work," I said. Sandi handed me the dress and expected me to try it on right there. I slipped out of my robe and was glad I had at least put on a matching bra and underwear before leaving the master bedroom.

  "Kev says you've got this opposites attract thing going on, but I don't really see it. Seems to me you and Fenton Morris are on the same page," she said.

  "Then, you're the only one," I said. I blushed bright red when I realized the only sense of my style she had was the racy black lace bra and underwear. "I'm more conservative and he's more infamous."

  "Yeah, I'm not sure I believe his hype. Kev certainly doesn't. Do you know those two have been friends for 12 years? Fenton has always been there for him even when Kev was, well, Kev," Sandi said.

  "Twelve years?" I asked. "I don't know why, but I always assumed Fenton was more of the lone wolf type. He is always surprising me."

  Sandi smiled at me, but then frowned at the dress. "And, I hear you are always surprising him. Which is why that dress simply won't work. We need something a little more risqué."

  I slipped out of the sapphire dress and took the pale lavender one she handed me. In the morning sunshine, it was iridescent. I tried not to love it before I even put it on.