by Leah Holt
BARE SKIN
A BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE
Leah Holt
Copyright © 2016 Leah Holt
All rights reserved. BARE SKIN: A BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely
coincidental.
Table of Contents
Copyright Page
Bare Skin: A Billionaire Romance
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Also from Leah Holt:
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Epilogue
About Leah Holt
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Cover art: www.cormarcovers.com
Chapter One
Willow
One night, that's all it was supposed to be. An evening to celebrate the next chapter of my life, the turning leaf of all my hard work.
Hopefully.
I could wish for it, I could pray for it. But I knew it took more than that, it took determination, and a backbone.
Both of which I had, both of which I knew were buried and eager to shine. It was just finding my voice, taking control; not standing down and accepting an answer of 'No.'
I was going to fight for it. I had to, there was no other option. This was it, this was my time.
It's now or never, Lo.
Every day I spent countless hours with my face plastered in blank space. Paint turning strands of hair into clumps of sticky knots, and tinting my skin more colors than the rainbow had to offer.
And why?
Because my entire world revolved around my art. The one and only thing that brought me peace, and let the pain of my life disappear into strokes on the canvas.
“Willow, let's go, the cab is here.” Beth barked from the doorway. Her cayenne colored hair was pinned back, sides slick and shiny from layers of hairspray.
The bright yellow dress wrapped her body like a ray of morning sunlight, all while leaving very little to the imagination. Her chest was plumped up so high it almost touched her chin, the second skin faded out right at the crease of her ass cheeks.
Just how she liked it.
Attention, and getting every last ounce she could; doused her self esteem, and purged her veins on a daily basis.
It didn't matter where we went, or what we were doing. If it was going to involve any other set of eyes besides her own, then she flaunted herself like a peacock during mating season.
Beth was my best friend, raised in the same small town as me, but we lived completely different lives. I'm honestly surprised we'd stayed friends for so long. No one else stayed by my side, but she did.
She was a wild fire, fed by alcohol, dancing, and men. Beth never thought anything through, always acting first.
I loved that about her, but I can't lie... I've always worried it would get her into trouble.
My role was to be her ground, her role was to put excitement into my life. She was the spark and I was the fuse.
I'd never been that much of a free spirit. I tended to think twelve steps ahead, and my brain ran through every damn scenario that could ever happen.
Even if the possibility of something happening held the same remote chance as a blizzard in the desert.
But it was always there, eating away at my insides, making the decisions for me. That inner voice, the small scream that would hold my attention and make me run the other way.
Maybe I should've gone into the insurance business?
My keen sense of danger, and faltering need for excitement would've played well in that business.
We were complete polar opposites, but complimented each other in the same breath.
Without her in my life, I probably would have shriveled up, turned eighty well before my time, and ended life living in a small apartment filled with cats.
Don't get me wrong, I love animals. But I never want to find myself having conversations with my cats and throwing them birthday parties.
God no. Not that.
Grimacing at the thought, my nose scrunched tight, head shaking the disturbing image from my head. “I'm coming, I'm coming.” I said, holding a slight edge to my voice. “You know, the club isn't going anywhere.” Popping my feet into black heels, I grabbed my white clutch off the table.
“No, it's not, but the guys might. And I don't know about you, but this vagina,” she said, circling her hand in front of her waist. “Is in desperate need of some attention.”
“My God, Beth. Seriously?” Giggling, I tightened the ponytail high on my head and shifted my A-line skirt.
“Yes, I'm serious. Girl, you know Keith and I broke up four months ago, I don't want to dry out. There's no room for dust in that area, I'm too young for that.”
“You're sick, you sound like a horny dude.”
“No, I sound like a woman who wants to stay active.” Before I could even retort to her comment, Beth's mouth twitched. The telltale sign she had more on her mind. “Are you really wearing that?” Cocking her head, she eyed my body.
“Yeah, why?” Holding my arms out, I looked myself over. A soft blue button-up shirt covered my torso, the black skirt hugged my hips and flared out just above my knees.
What's wrong with this?
No, I wasn't exactly letting anything hang out, and maybe I did look better fit to be sitting at a meeting or behind a desk. But I was never a flashy person. I would choose yoga pants and a tank top over any piece of fabric that could barely pass as underwear.
“Because it looks like you pulled it from your grandmother's closet. Come here, at least let me sexy you up some. We want to pull guys to us, not have them ask us to watch their table because we look like responsible elders.” Her hands flew up mid sentence, fingers popping buttons on my shirt.
Before I could even react, my breast were half out, skirt tugged up above my bellybutton, and she was trying to tear a slit high up on one thigh.
Really? Tits and ass... She always defers to tits and ass.
Like we need the wandering eyes of womanizing men.
“You need more skin, Lo. I don't know why you feel the need to cover your body up this way. You should wear it proudly, it's killer, and it'll get you some cock.”
She totally has the mind of a dude. Who thinks like that?
Only Beth.
Glancing in the large mirror on the
wall of my small studio apartment, I let out a heavy breath. “Did you fix me? Am I no longer boy repellent?”
Tilting her head, her lips curled to one side. “It's better, let's go.” Throwing the door open, Beth walked with the strides of a super model.
Which fit her perfectly, because that's what she was.
Tall, slender, and appearing like she stepped right off the runway no matter where she went. If she was going to the store, she would still fix spikes to her heels, and layer her body in designer clothing.
Her hair was always pristine, not a single strand was ever out of place, like she spent every morning in the salon. While I on the other hand, just enjoyed bumming around in sweatpants and bedhead.
And if I felt the urge to dazzle myself up for a field trip to the grocery store, I would grudgingly throw on jeans.
Modeling fit Beth like a glove, she could binge on the camera lens, and feed her addiction of the eyes with every flash of the bulb.
As for me, I barely broke five feet, had curves that my Aunt Claudette always pointed out as being 'great for baby making,' and a less than full chest.
But I was never out to be eye candy.
Then again, I never really made the effort to be. Plain, that was the best word to describe me. I was plain and unexciting.
Exactly the thing that happened when you're raised by your grandmother, and had a wardrobe that was best left in the seventies.
I know they say trends come back, but not my grandmother's. That one stayed right there, and I was the loving recipient of the time warp.
It wasn't flattering, and I never turned any heads. Unless it was for a good old fashioned point and laugh from the boys I grew up with.
Not exactly the type of attention a young girl wanted, but it was what it was.
Slipping into the taxi, Filamore City was sparkling like a tree at Christmas. Lights were flashing in all directions, people swarmed the sidewalks like schools of fish.
And instead of feeling excited and adventurous, I felt uncomfortable and anxious.
I missed the silence and serenity of my home up state. The woods surrounding the house were soothing, the air was crisp and clean; unlike the badly filtered smog that tried to pass itself off as oxygen around here.
Painting on the back deck of my grandmother's house was a world away from being cramped in my four-hundred square foot studio apartment.
But moving was what I needed. I needed the change, the culture shock, a place to really showcase what I loved to do.
I could do that here, getting away was the only option.
Tonight is for stepping outside my comfort zone. Run with it, Willow.
“So, Lo,” Beth said, dancing her fingers across her knees. “Tonight's our last night of full fledged girl time. We need to make it count.”
Make it count? What is she getting at?
“Isn't that what we're doing?” Squinting my eyes, my brows shot up with concern.
Beth was a whirlwind of ideas and plans, some good, some bad. But none of them were ever one-hundred percent safe.
Life with no boundaries... Must be nice.
“Not yet. We're on our way to the club, but that isn't where our night is going to end. We're going to get drunk, get laid, and you...” Holding her finger out, she tapped my chest. “You are going to remember this night forever.”
“Beth, there's never a dull moment with you. Trust me, I remember them all.”
“Look, you've been here for a month already. And every damn day you're locked away in that apartment. I'm leaving in two days for Paris, and next week is your big meeting with Mr. Investor.” Flashing finger quotation marks, Beth rocked her head playfully. “We're making tonight a celebration for us.”
I didn't want to think about being alone here in this large city. Beth had received a huge contract through Flash Modeling, and was going to be traveling around Europe for six months.
That not only made me sad, but the butterflies I had kept locked away, suddenly wanted to throw themselves out of my mouth like a swarm of locusts.
Swallowing hard, my lips pursed. “This sucks, Beth. I'm going to be lost without you.”
“Shit, Lo, it's not like I'm leaving forever. You'll be fine, trust me. Your gallery is going to take off, and when I get back you'll probably be a millionaire.”
Pulling a smile from thin air, I nodded. “Yeah, I'm trying to be optimistic. But a millionaire... I don't think so.” Shaking my head, the ponytail bounced across my shoulders.
Squeezing my hand, she let out a light squeal. “Here we are.”
Looking out the window, a large sign was buzzing in hot pink. The word 'SKIN' was lit up so brightly, I had to squint just to see the letters.
The line to get in crawled across the sidewalk, disappearing around the corner. And my heart fell into my gut, tiny tornadoes came roaring to life, tearing my stomach apart.
Ugh, that's so many people.
“Holy shit, I don't want to stand in that.” A shiver scaled my spine, strangling my lungs.
Veering her stare, Beth eyed me under crinkled brows. “Lo, we're not standing in that.” Pushing my shoulder, she shoved me out the door onto the street. “We are VIP tonight, Baby. No line for us.” Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she adjusted her dress, and let her long legs lead the way.
I felt so out of place. A small town girl, under-dressed, and absolutely not ready for this type of setting.
The clubs back home (on a good night) only had at most fifty to sixty people. This was insane. There had to be well over two hundred people outside, not to mention however many were already crammed inside the damn place.
Staying close to Beth, I followed her to the red velvet rope cording off the massive hoard of clubbers waiting anxiously to get in. A few hard stares fell on us as we walked by, the whispered grumbles of angry tones hit my ears.
She's going to get us jumped. Cutting the line doesn't seem to be going over well.
Flashing a smile, she leaned in and whispered something into the bouncer's ear, dragging a single finger down his chest.
That was all it took. Unclipping the rope, the giant bulky man pulled it to the side, and guided us in. His eyes ate up her body, teeth biting down hard on his bottom lip.
Beth had made more than a few friends here, and with her modeling career highlighting her name on a few billboards...
She could basically go anywhere, any time, no questions asked.
My chest started to tighten, lungs working to pull in air. I hated large crowds of people, and this was a giant ball of strangers all welded side by side.
I knew that living here wasn't going to be easy. A place where people outnumbered bugs, and personal space was a privilege, wasn't an easy choice for me.
But Beth was here, and when it came to art, this was a garden growing easels. My career was more important to me than my own health.
This is what anxiety meds are for. Exactly why they were made.
The air was thick, sweat and liquor was the only scent floating through the room. I tried to breathe through my mouth, hoping it would dull the aroma making my stomach curdle.
It didn't work.
Instead I tasted the air, and that was a hell of a lot worse than smelling it.
Trying to maneuver through the wall of patrons was nearly impossible. Twisting, squeezing, turning, I moved in so many different directions just to get ten feet inside the damn place.
“Here we are, Lo!” Beth yelled into my ear. Her voice was masked by the loud thumping beat of music. “It's drink time!” Spinning her arms over her head, she twirled on her heels towards the bar.
“Yes, please.” I nodded, ready for a drink right then. I honestly would've taken anything just to ease the tension hitting my ribs.
I had a slight phobia of being around people for as long as I could remember, and I wasn't completely sure why.
But that secret fear I held of large crowds and unknown faces plagued me with a nervous twitch I couldn't stop.
I was so much more comfortable just being home by myself, and with my paints as company.
Being social to this degree was not my cup of tea. But for Beth it was her domain.
Everything about the club made me uncomfortable, turning my entire body into a burning inferno. Sweat was pouring over my neck, trickling down my spine. My head was spinning and warping with nervous sparks.
If I could have turned to run out the front door, I would've. But Beth was leaving and this was her way of signing off for a time. I couldn't ditch my best friend, no matter how miserable I felt right then.
She had put this night together for me, for us, for the new path of our future. I'd be an asshole if I let my fear run my life all the time.
“What will it be, Ladies?” A smooth voice echoed over the music. The bartender swiped away the remnants of a spilled drink, tucking the bar rag deep into his belt.
Instantly my eyes shot to his waist, taking in the large bulge hidden beneath. His muscles looked like they were strangling his shirt. The edges of the fabric dug into his skin, a thick sheen of sweat glistened under the low lights.
“Two gin and tonics.” Beth googly eyed the bartender and his rugged arms. “Or better yet, she'll take one, and I'll take you. That will work better for me.”
I could feel my cheeks flush, body warming with embarrassment. Beth was never subtle.
Ever.
She spoke whatever flew into her head in the moment. She didn't give a shit.
And there it was, her untamed tongue had started, coming to life with the first piece of man she laid her eyes on.
Now it was up to me to make sure she didn't get herself into any trouble. I became the mother figure of the evening, just like I had so many times before. “Alright, Beth, calm down. Just the drinks please, you'll have to excuse her.”
“No harm done, you Ladies enjoy yourself tonight.” Sliding the glasses over the smooth surface, the burly bartender shot a wink at Beth and moved onto the next person.
Grabbing her arm, I yanked her towards the dance floor. “Come on, we just got here. Don't let your vagina take over just yet.”
“But, Lo...” She groaned, looking over her shoulder at the man-meat behind the bar. “He's so fucking hot.”
