by Cherry Kay
THE MONEY TALKS
A BWWM BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE By..
CHERRY KAY
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Summary
Ari was proud to be one of the few female African American business owners in her area.
Because of this she was forever grateful to billionaire angel investor Mark Robinson for taking a chance on her and her ideas.
However, Mark was back in town to check on his investment and it seemed that he was looking to mix business with pleasure in more ways than one.
Could Ari be tempted to indulge in some fun with her powerful investor? Or will she be able to keep things strictly business?
As they often say, the money talks....
Copyright Notice
The Money Talks © 2017, Cherry Kay
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.
Contents
Chapter1
Chapter2
Chapter3
Chapter4
Chapter5
Chapter6
Chapter7
chapter 8
chapter 9
chapter 10
chapter 11
chapter 12
chapter 13
chapter 14
Chapter1
Clarissa
Looking out over the full main floor of dancing, drinking, laughing, and talking people, Clarissa, better known as Ari, sighed in dreamy relief. “We’re a hit! I can’t believe we’ve managed to be at capacity each night we’ve been open! Can you believe it?” Ari asked her manager Brooklyn excitedly. Brooklyn, her best friend of ten years and counting, let a grin slip past his usual intense demeanor.
“All right, all right. Don’t jinx us. Be humble,” Brooklyn said before squeezing Ari’s shoulders and leaving her at the balcony to go help the second floor bar with getting out drinks. Ari took a deep breath to calm her giddiness. Brooklyn was right anyway; if she started basking in the glow of their early success, then she’d lose focus.
Ari checked her watch and realized that the guest artist she hired for the night would be arriving any minute. Ari lucked out by booking a two-time Grammy winner who just happened to move to south Florida and wanted a regular spot to preform. If all went well, then she would be frequenting me jazz lounge and café at least monthly if not on tour. That would bring in fans and add to the lounge’s regular crowd, which of course translated into revenue. Ari could definitely work with that.
Ari walked through the upper balcony and bar area while casually greeting customers along her path. She descended the grand staircase leading to the main floor quickly, yet not seeming hurried. Ari made it out to the VIP entrance of the lounge just in time to see Christine Marie herself step out of her black Mercedes. She looked fabulous in black, form-fitting jeans and a deep red blouse with matching heels. Her thick afro puffed out around her shoulders like a mane. Christine had very exotic African features with high, well-formed cheekbones, full lips, and cat shaped eyes that added to her allure and gave her a mysterious gaze.
“Clarissa my dear, I am so excited to finally be here in Las Olas! My new home, I can see myself crooning away many a night at your lovely lounge.” Christine hugged Ari close, much to her surprise. Ari didn’t expect for Christine to be so familiar. She was a celebrity after all, and celebrities always seemed to be aloof.
“Well, we’d certainly be glad to have you Christine, you drum in a good crowd.” Ari smiled at Christine’s outrageous laugh, complete with a cackle and snort.
“No pun intended?” Christine asked and Clarissa finally understood her unintended joke. Christine became famous for being the only female soul and R&B artist to sing while playing the bongos. Christine laughed at Ari once more as the two were led into the building by the lounge’s security.
“So you’ll be going on in just a few minutes, once the band wraps up their set,” Ari explained to Christina as they walked backstage. After Ari showed Christina to the performer's lounge, she went to check with Brooklyn to make sure things were running smoothly.
Brooklyn caught Ari’s arm just as she was about to head into the kitchen in search of him. His dark brown eyes were relaxed and ready for anything. Brooklyn was the most reliable guy she’d ever known. It’s one of the reasons they had become best friends since the start of college. That and Ari was the only friend there for him when he finally worked up the courage to come out to his parents about being gay. Brooklyn was tall, broad shouldered, with intense dark eyes and the perfect thick black hair that had what was referred to as a “Super-Man curl.” His Puerto-Rican good looks also added to that effect.
“I was just looking for you, the line is getting crazy backed up out there. Everyone is here to see Christine and security is getting jammed so we might have to sacrifice a few guys inside to handle the crowd.” Clarissa sighed and wondered why people thought they could squeeze into a brand new lounge as exclusive as they were becoming, without a reservation.
“Okay, just take a couple of the guys from upstairs then since everyone will gravitate towards the stage when she goes on. I’ll see about hiring extra security for guest nights.” Brooklyn nodded and hurried to go and take care of the security issue. Ari was secretly pleased under the slight pressure of needing to hire more guys on certain nights. This meant that me was quickly rising to be a hot music lounge near the beach, and with this upscale south Florida crowd, Ari could look forward to great business.
Security was able to smoothly manage the line outside after Brooklyn sent the extra guys. The rest of the night went by smoothly, Christine sang an encore and confirmed her interest in singing at me at least once a month. By the time last call came around, Ari was exhausted, but just as giddy as the previous two successful nights they’d been open.
“Hey babe, you want to go get a bite to eat?” Brooklyn asked Ari as he locked up the back door.
“Yeah, that would be perfect actually. I’m starving,” Ari said gratefully as Brooklyn slipped his arm into hers and led her down the strip to his car. The two piled into Brooklyn’s sporty Audi and headed to their favorite late night junk food spot on Las Olas Boulevard. Sheila’s was known for delicious street food with a Caribbean and Hispanic flare.
“So our first week and things are going amazingly well, aren’t they?” Ari asked with excited optimism. Brooklyn finally dropped his professional façade and gave into the excitement.
“Yeah, I absolutely love managing the place. It’s like the perfect setting for so many romances, my heart just sings when I see everyone having a good time,” Brooklyn gushed causing Ari to laugh loudly, drawing the glances of other patrons sitting inside Sheila’s.
“I know; it’s fantastic! We just have to keep it going
now and we’ll be a gold mine,” Ari said happily. Brooklyn asked Ari what she wanted to eat and offered to go and buy the food.
While he was in the front of the restaurant, Ari looked up at one of the televisions and recognized one of her investors for the lounge.
“Here you are my lovely. What’re you staring at so hard?” Brooklyn asked as he came back with the food and sat down across from Ari. She pointed to the television showing a segment on the Entertainment channel. “Isn’t that your sexy, silent investor Mark Robinson?” Brooklyn asked as he stared at the TV raptly. Mark Robinson was on a gossip segment with two leggy blondes on his arms at some benefit for something or other socialites usually attended. The show was making fun of, yet congratulating, him for outdoing himself and finally bringing two “hot” blondes as his dates instead of his usual one.
“He is one fine, fine man. How did you get him to invest in the lounge anyway?” Brooklyn asked Ari as he took a bite of his island wings.
Ari glanced up at the TV once more; of course Mr. Robinson was gorgeous. At thirty-six, he was ridiculously successful for his age and wore it well. He was tall; the only time Ari met him in person, he was broad-shouldered under a deliciously well-fitting suit. He had an intense hazel gaze, his eyes almost seeming gold at times. His hair was a bronze color and had a sexy tousled curl to it. Mark’s face was chiseled and perfectly angular. Sometimes Ari wondered if it was too perfect; in their one chance meeting, he was dazzling, he looked like he fell from heaven.
“Hello? Earth to Clarissa Francis. I know he’s gorgeous, but damn he’s on the TV, get it together.” Brooklyn called Ari’s attention back to him and she smiled in embarrassment.
“I’m sorry, I zoned out there for a minute.” Brooklyn snorted and took a bite of another wing. “Um… Well, you know I went to New York for that vacation after Darrel and I split. My sisters decided to splurge on this really upscale lounge in the city and he was at the bar, just sitting there having a drink all alone. He actually bought me a drink and then we got to talking and I told him I was getting ready to open a lounge. He just gave me the money right then and there, agreeing to be a silent investor,” Ari explained, and Brooklyn sighed dreamily.
“It’s like a Cinderella story.”
Ari rolled her eyes while laughing and threw a napkin at Brooklyn who threw one back.
“You’re always such a sap.” Ari chuckled fondly.
Brooklyn shrugged and then waggled his eyebrows while gesturing to the TV. “I’m a romantic, there’s a difference. Look, Mr. Sexy Investor is going to be in town soon, he’s opening a new hotel on the beach.” Ari glanced up at the TV, and sure enough, E was “readying the south Florida crowd” for Mark Robinson’s visit, doing a whole segment about him, gossip included. Apparently, Mark had a girlfriend he intended to marry… yet he’s always seen with a different woman in pictures. Poor girl, one could only imagine the inner workings of that relationship.
“Well, I’ll always be grateful to Mark for investing in me, but that’s all he is; a silent investor,” Ari clarified to Brooklyn and he gave her a look as if he didn’t believe that for a second. Ari finally took a bite of her crab cake burger and moaned at the delicious flavors gracing her taste buds. “Brooklyn, we have to make it a habit to come here like… every week,” she insisted before taking another bite of heaven.
“Um, that means we also have to hit the gym more and I don’t know if I’m ready for that. With the way you work out, my ass and legs will fall off before we make it back here,” Brooklyn complained, his expression mildly distasteful.
Clarissa couldn’t help but laugh at him. “Well, you’re supposed to feel the burn Brooklyn, that’s how you know you actually burned calories.”
Brooklyn rolled his eyes and then lifted up his shirt, showcasing his impressive abs and pecs, which drew a few catcalls from other, possibly drunk, patrons at the restaurant.
“Honey, I look like this naturally, no need to torture myself.”
Clarissa lightly smacked Brooklyn’s hand and pulled his shirt back down while she glanced over to the order and pick-up counter near the back of the restaurant.
“You’ll get us kicked out you know, sheesh.”
Brooklyn laughed at Ari and called her a “goodie two shoes.” Whatever, at least she wouldn’t get arrested for public indecency.
“So, once me is reviewed as the hottest spot in town and business is steadily booming, are you gonna open another lounge? Oh, you know what you should do? You should open up a coffee house, make it real artsy, host poetry slams and all that good stuff.” Ari almost laughed, but then shook her head, looking at Brooklyn as if he couldn’t be serious.
“I just barely opened me and already you want to branch out? One step at a time, remember?” Brooklyn shrugged and took a sip of his fruit punch, which was delicious as the restaurant made its own natural fruit punch daily.
“It was just a suggestion. You never know,” he mumbled and Ari smiled, giving in with a shrug.
“Well, I don’t know, if the future of me brings in enough revenue where I can open up my own place, free of any outside investors, then maybe I’ll open another lounge, this time in South Beach.” Ari winked and Brooklyn smiled excitedly.
100“Oh my, damn, I’d so manage that one for sure. The Miami Beach crowd is just full of virile young men.” Ari burst into laughter, not believing Brooklyn just said that out loud. She watched as his cheeks grew pink; he didn’t mean to say that out loud either and then they were both laughing.
“You know what? You ain’t wrong, I’d definitely be ‘checking’ on that lounge more often,” she joked and Brooklyn sighed happily.
“It really was a good first few days though. I love me and everything about it. I see only great things for that place.”
Ari nodded, fully agreeing with him. After she and Brooklyn finished their food, he dropped Ari off at her building near New River and Ari made her way to her condo, the exhaustion really setting in. Well, the good thing about owning a lounge was that Ari got to sleep in everyday.
Mark
“Mr. Robinson, the car has arrived for you downstairs and Miss Ivory is here to see you.” Mark stifled a sigh and paged his receptionist to send Roselyn back to his office. Why was she here now anyway? He told her he would be flying out right after work that day. Mark couldn’t chance putting this business trip on hold. So much had to be done before the groundbreaking ceremony in Las Olas, and he didn’t have time for her drama.
The glass doors to his office swung open and in walked Roselyn Ivory. Rose was normally what Mark appreciated in a woman as far as looks: tall, svelte, blonde hair, and nice features with dusty blue eyes. Mark would be attracted to her if it weren’t for her calculating and manipulative nature. She always got what she wanted and didn’t care who she had to step on to get it. The fact that Mark agreed with Roselyn’s father to marry her so that their hotel and resort companies could merge had become increasingly questionable.
“Mark darling, I just wanted to drop in and wish you farewell before you left.” Her voice was dripping with saccharine and Mark would almost rather she dropped her act.
“You didn’t have to Rose. I’ll only be gone a couple weeks, tops.”
She sauntered over to his desk and propped herself up on the edge; her Chanel No. 5 wafted over to him and Mark held his breath.
“I know, but I’ll miss you. I was starting to think we were finally getting things started on our relationship. The last two nights have been wonderful.” To try and appease her father, who had been breathing down Mark’s neck about his “settling down with her already,” Mark took Rose on two dates and made sure it was made public.
Both nights, Rose invited Mark into her Upper East Side apartment for drinks and made it painfully obvious that she wanted him to fuck her. Both nights, Mark passed and here she was again, being so eager to please.
“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, Rose. Thanks for stopping by, but I really have to get going now.” Mark
grabbed his briefcase and started walking toward the door. Somehow, she beat him to it, her body pressed against his and blocked him from the exit.
“It wouldn’t be a proper sending off without a goodbye kiss.” Rose smiled at him, pretending to be shy and she stretched up on her heels, her mouth nearing his. Mark almost rolled his eyes; instead, he leaned down and gave her a peck on the mouth just so she would let him by.
“I’ll call you when I land,” Mark said tersely and walked from the office and down to the elevators in reception. Thankfully, he caught the door to a closing elevator and squeezed inside just in time for it to close before Rose could reach the doors. Mark released a long sigh as the car descended to the garage where his driver was waiting with the BMW.
“Looking forward to sunny Florida, sir?”
Mark chuckled while settling into the backseat. “I would if I were on vacation. You know me though, Paul, always working.”
Paul pulled out of the garage and into busy, yet fast paced New York traffic.
“Well, any old guy like you wouldn’t be as successful if you didn’t,” Paul replied good-naturedly.
Mark smiled absently while checking e-mail and responding to them simultaneously. They reached LaGuardia quicker than he expected.
“Here you are, sir, at least try to get some sun. You haven’t actually visited Florida if you return without a tan.” Mark laughed and thanked Paul, slipping him a weekend bonus before getting out and walking the short distance to his private jet. As soon as Mark settled into the plush cabin, he fired up his laptop to check on his investments and stocks. Suddenly, Mark remembered one night at that rooftop bar, the woman who was opening up a lounge on Las Olas. Perhaps during his time there, he should drop in and see what’s become of his investment.
