Cocky Billionaires: A Contemporary Romance Box Set

by J. P. Comeau

  She wrapped me up tightly. “You give such great hugs.”

  I kissed her on the cheek before Dad came and patted me on the back. But, I stole a few more seconds in Mom’s hug before I pulled away. I never wanted to hug her for too long. Otherwise, I’d start crying. I don’t know; her embrace just felt like home, like safety and comfort. I hadn’t had too much of that in the Navy. And by ‘too much,’ I meant ‘none at all.’ When I was in Mom’s arms, though, I felt like a seven-year-old with a skinned knee again.

  I felt helplessness, weakness, and comfortable. All rolled into one.

  “You gonna give me a hug? I played a role in making you,” Dad said.

  I wrinkled my nose. “Maybe don’t put it that way.”

  He chuckled, opening his arms. “Hey there, son.”

  I clapped his back. “Hey there, Dad.”

  Zane stuck his head in. “You guys done greeting the favorite of the family?”

  Mom quipped. “Clint isn’t our favorite. Shame on you for saying so.”

  I released Dad. “Nah. I’m just the firstborn. It’s less favoritism and more perfection if you ask me.”

  Brenden scoffed as he stepped around the corner. “You’d think so, huh, big guy?”

  I passed through Mom and Dad. “The girls here?”

  Zane shook his head. “Nope. Kelly and Karina are out at the spa getting some pampering.”

  I nodded. “Must’ve been where Roxy went after I gave her a half-day.”

  Brenden paused. “I… don’t think Roxy’s with them, no.”

  I furrowed my brow. “Why not? Those are her two best friends. Wouldn't she be with them?”

  A timer dinged in the kitchen. “Chicken’s ready!”

  My stomach growled. “Please tell me that’s your baked cream of chicken with--.”

  Brenden patted my shoulder. “You know damn good and well it is.”

  Zane rubbed his stomach. “With Dad’s yeast rolls.”

  I hummed. “I’m gonna hurt myself tonight.”

  Dinner was fantastic, and everyone seemed to be in good spirits. And after dinner came the family drink as we slowly meandered into Dad’s study. I walked over to the window and gazed out over the front yard. I saw Dad’s garden off in the distance, over by the corner. I saw Mom’s pet landscaping project halfway done in the middle of her rose garden. I sipped my whiskey and let the alcohol rush through me, clutching my glass as tightly as I could.

  Because for some reason, I felt less planted to the ground than I did arriving for dinner.

  “Still thinking about Roxy?” Brenden asked.

  I cast him a sharp look as he came to stand beside me.

  “I’m not thinking of her, no,” I said.

  He shrugged. “Could’ve fooled me.”

  “Why are Kelly and Karina not out with Roxy?”

  “What makes you think they didn’t ask her?”

  “Then, what could she be doing that her best friends aren’t doing? Those three are connected at the hip.”

  Zane came up to my other side, grinning. “Worried about Roxy?”

  I rolled my eyes. “I hate you both.”

  Brenden sighed. “Why don’t you just ask her out already? I mean, the two of you looked pretty cozy at the birthday bash a few months back.”

  Zane nodded. “And we know she likes you. She can’t stop staring at you whenever you're around. It’s almost uncomfortable.”

  I looked over at him. “Roxy’s just fine in my presence. So, you shut your mouth.”

  Brenden chuckled. “We rest our case.”

  I took a long pull from my drink. “Look, the woman hates me. But, even if she didn’t? She works for me. She’s off-limits, no matter how you look at it.”

  Mom came up from behind. “What are my boys talking about now over here?”

  I felt her rubbing my back, and my eyes fluttered closed.

  “Nothing, Mom. Just catching up,” I murmured.

  She patted my back. “Well, come catch up over here with us. We’ve hardly seen you since you moved back to Vegas.”

  Yes. It’s a ways out here. “Love to, Mom.”

  Zane gripped my arm. “This conversation isn’t over, you know.”

  I glared at him. “It is now.”

  Then, I walked over to where Mom and Dad were sitting. Ready to talk. Ready to open up. Ready to do anything that didn’t have to do with talking about Roxy.

  Because I didn’t want to open up that can of worms.

  I didn’t want to give myself yet another possible chance at having my world destroyed.

  3

  _____

  ROXY

  “Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Roxy! Happy birthday to you!”

  Everyone clapped as I gathered my hair and leaned forward to blow out the candle on my cupcake. Small wisps of smoke floated up from the blown-out candle, and the smell made my eyes flutter closed. The smell of smoke had always been something I enjoyed, whether it was from a bonfire, or from my father’s cigars, or from a car speeding off in the distance. Smoke always followed power, and its smell always reminded me of just how powerful I could be.

  “Here, here, here! Open mine first,” Kelly said.

  “Awww, girl. You shouldn’t have. What is it?” I asked.

  Karina giggled. “Open it up and see. Because I can’t give you my gift until you open Kelly’s.”

  I ripped open the gift, anxious to see what was inside. And when I saw the pair of boots Kelly’s line had been showcasing to launch her upcoming winter spectacle, I had to plaster on a smile. I knew exactly what Karina’s gift was now. That snowflake boot calf design I’d been eyeing for a couple of weeks now.

  I reached for Karina’s gift and opened it, trying to fake my surprise as best as I could.

  “Oh. My. God. You guys are spectacular! Thank you so much!”

  The girls squealed with me as they hugged me closely, and I figured I pulled it off well enough.

  “Seriously, thank you so much for these,” I said.

  Kelly smiled. “And thank you for agreeing to wear them. This is going to be great advertising for my upcoming launch. You’re the best. You know that?”

  I nodded. “I really am the best, yes.”

  Karina snorted. “And now that I’ve gotten this baby weight off, I’ve got a matching pair to wear with you!”

  My eyebrows rose as Karina lifted up her leg, showcasing the navy, heeled boots with the snowflake calf wraparound. It grew harder to keep that smile on my face as she wiggled her foot around. Kelly and Karina clapped their hands, gabbing on about how wonderful they looked and all of the advertisement and momentum this would build behind Kelly’s launch.

  My birthday couldn’t even be about me anymore. It had to be about the two of them. And all the time they’d been spending together without me.

  “So, what date are you going to wear those on?” Kelly asked.

  I blinked. “What was that?”

  Karina swatted at me. “Oh, come on. I know why you wanted those boots so badly. You’ve bought a dress for a date. So, who’s the lucky man this week?”

  “Uh, I’m not going out on a date with anyone this week. I’ve got work I have to catch--.”

  Kelly gasped. “You’re what!?”

  Karina shook her head. “I don’t believe you. I simply don’t!”

  “You can cut the sarcasm out of your voices now.”

  Kelly giggled. “Oh, come on. You always have a man on your arm you want to impress. We just want to know about him, that’s all.”

  I sat down. “Well, it’s hard to go out partying when my two main bitches ditched me for the homemaker life, you know.”

  Karina sat down beside me. “Hey, I’m still up for going out.”

  I snickered. “As long as you’re back by ten. We’re just getting started at ten!”

  Kelly pulled up a chair. “I go out with you all the time! Don’t even play that game.”

  Well, what
about the spa trip you two took? “Who wants another drink?”

  And just as all three of our hands shot into the air, Zane poked his head into the room.

  “You girls ready to go? The limo’s here.”

  I gasped. “A limo!?”

  Kelly and Karina hopped up. “Happy birthday, girl!”

  “Aaahhh! You guys are the best!”

  The three of us hugged and hopped around. Then we gathered up our things. We dashed out the door and practically flung ourselves into the limo where flutes of champagne were waiting for us. It finally felt like a girl’s night. I mean, other than the fact that Brenden and Zane were hanging around. But, I could get used to that. So long as I got Kelly and Karina time in my life--.

  “Zane, you want anything?” Karina asked.

  “Here, Brenden. I found this for you. You getting hungry?” Kelly asked.

  I watched them get up as the limo pulled away from my apartment, and I leaned back against the leather seats. Just like always, those two gravitated back to their men, and I was left hanging, like always.

  Happy birthday to me.

  I sipped my champagne silently as we navigated around town. Then, we finally pulled up to one of my favorite casinos: Dime A Dozen.

  And I felt something thick press against my palm.

  “Happy birthday, Roxy.”

  Zane’s voice pulled me from my trance as we stopped at the front door of the casino.

  “What’s this?” I asked.

  My eyes widened when I saw the wad of cash in my hand that Zane just handed me.

  “My birthday present to you. Go knock yourself out,” he said.

  I smiled. “Thank you so much. Seriously.”

  “Hey, it’s your birthday. You’re supposed to have fun and enjoy your birthday without any consequences to yourself. Let me foot the bill tonight.”

  I winked. “Don’t worry. I’ve got no issues with you doing that.”

  We all piled out of the car, and I rushed my way into the casino. With lights flashing and cards being shuffled in the distance and the smell of cocktails filling the air, it felt like I was at home. I loved gambling. Not so much that I lost everything I owned, but I did enjoy the thrill of it. It was the only adrenaline rush I got in my life now, especially with Kelly and Karina on the sidelines indefinitely. I was the only single girl in the bunch now, and every day there was always some sort of a reminder as to that fact.

  Not tonight, though. Tonight, I was a queen. Tonight, I was the important one. Tonight, I got my way. No holds barred.

  Well, mostly.

  “Hey, Kelly! You want to--?”

  She waved her hand in the air. “Be there in a second. I need some food.”

  I turned to Karina. “You want to go hit up the--?”

  She threw back her drink. “Let me go get myself and Zane another one of these. Then I’ll come to find you. Okay?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, yeah. Okay. Sounds good.”

  She patted me on the shoulder, and I sighed. I knew I wouldn’t see either of them for the rest of the evening. So, with a fresh drink in my hand, I started roaming around the casino. I made a small stop at the blackjack table. I exchanged some money for coins and tried my hand at the slot machines. Roulette called to me for much longer than I had anticipated. And the more I drank, the more money I blew.

  At least I was around people while I blew it, though.

  “Come on, come on. Just one more cherry.”

  I watched the slot machine like a drunken hawk. I threw back my third--no, fourth?--drink and slid the glass off to the side. I heard one of the waitresses quickly exchange it, but I was too entranced as I watched the spindles in the slot machine roll about.

  “Come on, come on, come on, come on… holy shit, yes!”

  A third cherry lined up in a row, and my machine started lighting up. It ring-a-ding-dinged like a beautiful chorus of angels as I threw my fists into the air.

  “I won! I won! I won five hundred bucks!”

  I whipped around, ready to hug the necks of my girls. But, the only people that surrounded me were strangers. Men and women of all different ethnicities and ages smiled with me as if they’d known me for years. And I didn’t like it. Where the hell was Kelly and Karina? I thought this was my birthday. Weren’t they supposed to be with me on a day like this?

  “I need a drink,” I murmured.

  I took my winning stub to the cash window and got five hundred bucks counted out into my hand. And it was a good thing, too, because I’d almost run out of money. Five hundred bucks meant I could play a great deal more slots. Or, I could slip myself into a few poker games and end the night on high-end cocktails and a good time.

  I sucked at poker.

  “Come to mama,” I said with a grin.

  I shoved my money into my purse and rushed over to the bar. I wanted to get one last drink order in before they switched their menu to the much more expensive drinks. Casinos always did that as their clientele got drunker. They capitalized on the drunken decisions and mistakes people made in this place. Not me, though. I wouldn’t make one mistake tonight. I’d enjoy myself, blow the money I’d been given, and go back to my lonely apartment with lots of memories.

  And no friends.

  In the midst of feeling sorry for myself, I ran right into something solid and sturdy. I stumbled backward before I felt a pair of hands grip my waist, steadying me on my feet. I threw on the charm before I even got my bearings. A slow smile crept across my face as I gripped the massive arms of the person trying to make sure I didn’t fall to the floor.

  “My my, I didn’t realize where I was rushing off to. I’m so sorry, Mister…?”

  “You good, Roxy?”

  The second Clint’s voice fell against my ears, I pulled away. My back fell against a decorative pole behind me as I gazed up into his face. I was at a loss for words. The all-black suit he donned brought out the piercing, worried stare of his eyes. But, when my gaze fell down his rigid form, my jaw hit the floor.

  “Holy shit, I’m so sorry,” I said breathlessly.

  Clint looked down. “Oh. That.”

  I looked around for some napkins. “I didn’t even know I had picked up that new drink. I’m so sorry, Clint. I’ll pay for the dry-cleaning, and--.”

  “It’s fine, Roxy. I just wanted to make sure you were all right.”

  I found some napkins. “Aha! Here. Let me just--.”

  “Roxy.”

  I reached out for his suit. “This will get some of it off, at least.”

  His hand wrapped around my wrist. “Look at me when I’m speaking with you.”

  I wrenched away from his grip. “You’re only my boss on workdays, and while I’m clocked in. You don’t get to address me like that during off time. Got it?”

  “Well, it’s not off-time for me.”

  “It is for me, Clint. So, why don’t you try that statement again.”

  My stare found his, and I saw frustration behind his eyes. Which only made me more frustrated.

  “I don’t even know why you’re here anyway. If you don’t want to be here, you can leave. You have the birthday girl’s permission,” I said.

  “Did you not hear me tell you that it’s not off-time for me?” he asked.

  I slipped around him. “You’re never on off-time. You’re a workaholic, just like the rest of your family.”

  “Hey!” he bellowed.

  I whipped around. “I don’t give a shit what you think you’re doing here. And I don’t know where you get off jumping in front of me like that. I didn’t need your help, or your intervention, or your expertise. So, why don’t you just keep patrolling around here like the security man you are and leave me the hell alone, yeah?”

  He blinked. “Happy birthday, Roxy.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yeah. I would’ve rather stayed home with a pizza.”

  Then, I turned on my heels and made my way to the bar.

  I was ready for the night to be over so I could go home
and salvage what was left of my one special day a year.

  4

  _____

  CLINT

  I took a long pull from my beer before I dangled the glass bottle from between my fingertips. I swirled the last of it around, watching the television mindlessly as it scrolled through commercials to get back to my show. With my tie loosened and the buttons on my shirt undone, I spread my legs wide. I was trying to let my body breathe a little bit after a long day of work.

  “We offer opportunity and promise.”

  I groaned as my head fell back with the commercial that came on.

  “We offer you family and purpose.”

  I snickered as I downed the last of my beer.

  “And with our impeccable track record, we offer you the chance to become one of our nation’s finest.”

  I chuckled. “Finest, my ass.”

  The Navy commercial faded into the background as I glanced over at the mantle above my electric fireplace. I stared at the picture of my best friend and me, our arms slung around one another while we smiled in the middle of the desert. I’d gone through SEAL training with that man. I’d been at his side as he ushered not one, but two little girls into this world. I stood up as the best man at his wedding. I gave a toast so personal and so put together that it moved the man to tears. A man I’d seen strangle enemies on their own turf with his bare fucking hands.

  “Damn it, Bryce.”

  I tossed my beer bottle onto the couch and rubbed my hands down my face. I bent forward, bowing my head, and whispered a small prayer up to a God I stopped believing in a long time ago. My hands shook as my memories pulled me back. No longer did I hear the sounds of the television. I did hear the explosions, though.

  “Riley! Get your ass in here! Now!”

  “Hold on! Mike’s out there. We can’t leave Mike behind!”

  “I’ve got Mike, you asshole. Get back here!”

  I drew in a deep breath and sat myself up. I clenched my hands between my thighs, forcing them to stop shaking. Then I stood from the couch and walked over to the television, slamming the heel of my hand against the power button. And when it fell silent, the only sounds I heard were the sounds of Vegas outside my window.