Montgomery Billionaire Series

by Michelle Love

  Arsen smirked and watched her as she left. I raised an eyebrow in slight jealousy and cleared my throat. “Um. I should make myself a bit more comfortable.”

  I pulled my hair from its bun and let it fall over my shoulders. Arsen’s eyes widened at the sight and I knew I had him back in the position I wanted him.

  “Now” I smiled. “What inspired you to write ‘The Midnight Hour’?”

  “My attraction to women like you inspired me, Lola” He chuckled. “My dominant traits inspired that book, as well.”

  “My attraction to men like you makes me want to read your story a million times.” I laughed and began writing in my notes. “Tell me about your favorite book, Arsen.”

  “Well for starters I’ll tell you the name of the book. It’s ‘Can’t Buy Love’ by Nicholas Hunter.” he spoke and I jotted this down as fast as I could before he could continue to explain what it was about. “It was the very first book I bought from the school store of the college I went to. I’ve heard a slight buzz about it around town and decided to check it out.”

  I smiled softly and sat back in my seat waiting for him to go further in detail.

  “It was about a boy who has always dreamt of having as much money as he needed to buy whatever he wanted and he achieved that goal. But here’s the twist, by having so much money he attracted all of the wrong types of people to have friendships or relationships with. He learned that money can’t buy love, and though it can buy you materialistic things, it can’t bring you deep-rooted and eternal happiness.” he smiled and watched as I copied that down into my notes.

  “That’s really beautiful, I’ll definitely have to check that out”

  “I have a copy that I could lend you one day” he offered.

  “Wow, that’d be amazing, Thanks, Arsen” I blushed slightly,

  He checked his watch and looked at me. “Well, Lola, I’m sorry to cut this short but I have a meeting to attend.” He sat up and took a sip of his coffee.

  “Oh… alright” I spoke, making the disappointment of my voice clear. I began putting my notebook in my bag and rolling my eyes at how awkwardly short that was.

  Arsen stood from his seat and grabbed my hand as he walked from around his desk to walk me to the door. “Now listen” He backed me into the door.

  I began breathing heavy from how close he was. I stared into his eyes and he smiled.

  “I have a very busy schedule this week. So, I don’t need you popping up with any interviews anytime soon. Alright?” He grabbed my arms and slid his hands down to my waist. “Next Friday, after classes, get real pretty for me alright? And meet me at the coffee shop at 7pm sharp. We’re having dinner at my place.”

  I nodded slowly not breaking contact. I felt his lips press against mine roughly and my knees buckled. I never expected for him to kiss me. One of his hands left my waist and held the back of my head, pulling me closer to him. There was absolutely no space between us and I felt my heart drop when he bit and tugged on my bottom lip.

  “Now go” He pulled away laughing and used his thumb to wipe away any lipstick that he smeared.

  I licked my lips and just stared at him, not knowing what to say. That was the most breathtaking kiss I’ve ever had and the way he just took it by force was the icing on the cake. He held the door open for me and I quickly fixed my hair before leaving. For the second time with Arsen, I felt 19 again.

  I walked away feeling someone powerful. I felt like a new person... like I had a life again. With being the uptight, all work-no play type of girl life gets pretty hard. I'm always stressing about what I have to do that or what deadline I have to meet but I didn't feel that way around Arsen. I think I may be letting my guard down a little too fast but honestly, it's the best decision I've made in a long time. This new rush of excitement completely taken over me and I don't think I can turn back. It's far too late now.

  Being around Arsen makes me feel like it's okay to take a break every once in a while, and have fun but to also go back and finish your craft later. But it's only been a few days so I need to slow down and really pay attention to who I am falling for. This man is a murderer a new leader of the drug cartel! What have I gotten myself into?

  Arsen

  I knew she wanted that kiss as bad as I did, and I know that the kiss would definitely leave her wanting more. I didn't really have a meeting I just wanted to leave her on edge. I knew even the strongest most independent girl couldn't hold herself back. I knew my magic, and it only took a couple of days. I chuckled to myself and walk back to my desk, taking a sip of my coffee while looking out the view of the window. I had everything I wanted in the palm of my hand.

  Arsen made me feel young again. Being around her took me back to when I was around her age, young, and just starting to discover what love was all about. That was a time when I was wild and adventurous. I had a lot of down time and I could really be myself without any consequences. That’s why being with her was such a valuable time for me.

  I felt as if she was really the one for me and that’s why it hurt me so much that would betray me. I feel like if your feelings were almost the same as mine you would at least respect my privacy. Whether my email was left open or not, it wasn’t her place to take a look inside.

  That whole situation angered me so much but I just couldn’t force myself to be over the top upset with her. I knew that showing extreme anger towards her would make me uncomfortable and I can’t bring myself to hurt her… that much.

  My phone began to ring disrupting my thoughts and making me slightly irritated. It was a call from David. I answered quickly because it was rare for David to call me in the middle of the day.

  "Boss, you're not going to like this." his voice sounded frantic and I almost didn't want to hear what he was going to say thanks.

  "What is it?" I kept my calm. Panicking just as much as him was going to help nothing at this moment.

  "That lady that's been chasing you down for years says she's coming after the girl and it’s not going to be pretty"

  "The girl... what girl?" I asked in confusion.

  "The one that you went out with the other night, you know. The one that found out about us" he spoke. There was a silence on the phone after that as I took a minute to think.

  “How’d you figure that out?” I asked.

  “She sent me an email from her husband’s account he had with us and said these words exactly:”

  Dear David and crew,

  Since Arsen stole the love of my life from me I guess I'll have to take something from his as well. That girl, his new arm candy. My daughter has been telling me she’s seen them around town together and it’s more than just taking her out to make himself look good. He has feelings for this girl and this is the perfect time for me to come in and make my move. I just hope you guys get a hold of her before I do.

  “It’s crazy, boss” David spoke. “This woman is absolutely out of her mind”

  “Oh, this isn’t good… this is not good, David” I found myself panicking just as much as David. It’s bad enough that all of the guys hate her, now this random lady is after her because she saw us at dinner one night together. Who was her daughter and why was she watching Lola and I’s every move?

  “What do you love this chick or something?” He asked in an almost disgusted tone.

  “Just find out where that lady is and handle her” I spat and hung up the phone.

  Love? Psst, whatever. Sure I was fond of her but I’m most certain I don’t love someone I barely know. My jaw clenched and I stormed out of my office. Maybe I did love her.... But how? I’ve barely known her for that long, how these feelings for her be so strong?

  I decided I was going to go home early. After taking my keys from the assistant, I made my way out to my car. Hopefully, the ride back to my place would calm me down. I turned on some soothing music and took in the beauty of the city.

  I inhaled the fresh air that blew through the window as I drove up the driveway of my home. When I made it in
side I completely ignored the workers here for the weekly cleaning and went straight to my bedroom. I took off my shirt and tossed myself back onto the bed, feeling more comfort than I expected.

  I began to think about Lola and how much her personality reminded me of my ex-wife. Yes, the shy and innocent girls were fun to toy around with every now and then but the open and hardworking ones were the type of girls I’d considered actually being with.

  My ex-wife was a lawyer, very loud and opinionated. We met at a convention for young innovators when we were in our early twenties and fell in love. We were an unbreakable bond up until a couple of years after our first daughter was born. She became a different person, and I know being a mother and raising a child could change you in some ways but she didn’t even try to do anything the same anymore. She completely shut me out, when we were supposed to be a family. Where she crossed the line is when she cheated on me.

  It would make sense for me to be the one who cheated, right? Since women have been throwing themselves at me since my ex-wife and I met back then but, no. She fell in love with someone new and in the back of my mind I’ve always beat myself up about that. Like what didn’t I do for her that he did or just what I did wrong in general? Everyone tells me that it was all her but I just feel like I have some responsibility with that.

  Being around Lola brings back those feelings that I had with my ex-wife and that’s another reason why I can’t bear to be around her for so long. I don’t want to fall for the wrong person, thinking that I can get back what I used to have. I guess kidnapping her next Friday could actually help me find out if she’s the one or not.

  “Hey, boss. I just got a call and you’re not going to like this” one of the members in the back spoke up.

  “What’s up?” I asked, not really ready to hear what other bad news has to be stacked on top of the situation at hand.

  “Ronnie, down at the harbor, says the new guy got away with a couple of boxes of the drugs. He says he didn’t notice a few of the boxes missing until the car was speeding off and he saw them in the back seat.”

  “What fucking new guy?! I didn’t hire anyone new! It should only be the five men that I sent down there originally” I slammed my hands on the desk. “We let some random get away with a few boxes of our product!”

  I couldn’t believe this was happening. First, my life's in danger because an outside knows my illegal source of income and now a large amount of my product has been stolen. I picked up a bottle of beer and launched it across the room. It shattered as it hit the wall and beer went everywhere.

  “Clean this fucking mess up” I spat. “And come up with how we’ll find this son of a bitch by morning or things aren’t going to be pretty.”

  Lola

  Great! An entire week without Arsen after he kissed me like that. I laid in my bed, staring up at the ceiling. I had no classes or finals to take today so I had nothing better to do. I sat up and grabbed my laptop from my bedside table and opened it quickly. I thought, what better to do right now but continue to read where I left off from Arsen’s book ‘The Midnight Hour’.

  I began reading from page 36. The main character, Arthur, had just awakened from a long steamy night with his lover. It’s like Arsen described his character’s feelings almost as if they were his own.

  Have you ever looked at someone? Like really looked at them. Did you take a minute to admire the beauty that lays upon them?

  I have. I do it every day.

  Looking at Sarah was a pleasant moment I've experienced every day. Taking even the slightest second of the day to admire her could inspire me so much. She's so deep rooted into my poetry that I could write about my love for anything in the world and still find a way to reference my feelings for her.

  She and I were meant for each other. I know this because our souls vibrate on a higher level together. Without her, I would probably be an old man down in the dumps every day because I haven’t found my true love.

  My favorite part of the day is watching her. She’s my favorite movie. I like the way she lotions her legs mimicking rich and fancy women, I love the way she laughs at the littlest things I do, I love the crinkle in her nose when she giggles and most of all I love the way she loves me.

  Despite the age difference, she and I truly loved each other. And no, we weren’t accepted in society but we were going to continue to let our love grow strong. We’re both, grown and consenting adults and we should be able to love each other without any judgment. Sadly, this isn’t how the world works.

  Fuck what the world thinks. I am in love with Sarah Hughes and nothing’s going to change that. The way she moves when she dances, the look on her face when I tell her she’s beautiful, how she’s so carefree with whatever she’s doing. And that’s why I’m writing this right now because the feelings I have for her are too strong for just a short simple poem.

  She changed my life so much that there had to be another way to show that I really cared for her. I loved her, and I’ll love her until the day that I die.

  I sighed and smiled to myself. What if Arsen thinks of me the same way Arthur thinks of Sarah. I must’ve said that aloud because Anabella let out a loud laugh as walked past my room.

  “Yeah, right.” She snickered as she walked down the hall.

  I quickly stood from my bed, tired of her attitude and walked down the hall into her room where she’d just entered.

  “And what exactly is your problem, Ana? You’ve had an attitude since I met Arsen. Why can’t you just be happy that I actually like someone!”

  She turned her back to me and sat on her bed. “You dumb, silly little girl. You’re sleeping with the enemy.”

  “The enemy?! What are you even talking about, Anabella?” I asked, being genuinely confused about what exactly did she meant by Arsen being the enemy? “And I’m not sleeping with Arsen, let’s make that clear.”

  “Wow,” she scoffed. “Some best friend you are”

  “What are you jealous?”

  “Of what?” she laughed harshly.

  “The fact that I’m out having fun without you? Or maybe even the fact that you can’t hold on to a man but now that I have one it’s rubbing you the wrong way? Is that it?!”

  “You’re trash, Lola! How could you say that to me? Are you really going to let some random man come between us?” she screamed. We were now standing face to face and she was on a verge of tears.

  “I should ask you the same thing since you’ve been acting as if I'm nothing to you since Arsen and I met!!”

  “If you don’t remember one of the biggest things I’ve ever told you, things would be better off if we didn’t talk anymore.”

  “But Ana! I’m so confused, what are you talking-”

  “Just go, Lola!!” she cut me off and I threw my hands up in defeat.

  “Whatever Anabella. I guess I’ll see you around” I had no choice but to go back to my room disappointed and confused. Here I am trying to resolve the issues between us and she can’t even tell me what’s going on so I can fix it. Why did she believe Arsen was ‘the enemy’ and what was the big thing that she mentioned?

  A couple of days have passed slowly but surely. Class after class, final after final, and I had to do it all on my own. Without Anabella there to tell me that I’ll do fine or to let me know that she’d be there for me, I felt empty. I tried making small talk with the other students and even the professors but it just didn’t feel right. I haven’t been alone like this in a long time.

  On the bright side, I have been working on my novel. It’s based on a teenage girl who has not a care in the world. She goes on an adventure through different states on her own and learns a lot of life lessons along the way. Being who she is, the trip through various cities and areas full of nature helped heal her. It gives her closure from past struggles and a sense of relief from the issues she faces in the present, making her outlook of the future positive.

  There was a spin on the story though to keep it interesting. The reason this
girl goes on an ‘adventure’ is to escape from the weird guy who has been stalking her for months. I finished up the remainder of the draft for my story intro:

  "It's like boys are manifested with trouble" I sighed as I laid back onto my bed. I could feel the cool breeze from the air vents cause goosebumps to swell all over my arms and legs. My silk gown wasn't doing much to cover my body.

  "Oh girl, I'm sure it's just someone playing a joke on you," Shandy said smiling.

  "No! This is serious, Shandy!" I half-yelled angrily. "Do you know what it's like to be stalked? I'm always being watched. It's scary and it's getting in the way of my job, new relationships, and just everything in general!!"

  Shandy bit the inside of her cheek gently and her eyes widened slightly. "What are we going to do about this?"

  "I don't know" I closed my eyes tight and took a deep breath. "I really don't know. I just need to get away"

  It’s all a big representation of who I am, who I used to be, and who I’m becoming. It’s my life experience dramatized through a life I wish I lived. A life that I will live after my dreams of becoming a bestselling author comes true. The way that Arsen’s favorite book made him feel was exactly how my own novel made me feel. Like, although this character is fictional there was still someone out there that I could connect to. I am guilty of getting lost in my own writings.

  I would usually have Anabella critique my writing but after the situation between us, it’s like living with a stranger. We don’t acknowledge each other anymore. The worst part about it all is that I’m starting to see her hang out with a new group of friends. I just want to know where we went wrong.

  I let my English professor look over my work instead. She gave me a couple pointers on how to go about writing certain things and just scanned through a few of the pages that I already had written but overall, she said it was a pretty cool story. The words pretty cool made me uncomfortable. I don’t want my story to be seen as ‘pretty cool’ but rather spontaneous, refreshing or life changing.

  Random thoughts of how my work could possibly not make it far in the writing business flooded my head. I knew that I was a great writer but I guess the weight of everything going on plus the “compliment” I just received from my teacher made me think otherwise. I knew there had to be a way to get myself back on track.