The Billionaires and The Book Nerd: A MFM Billionaire Menage Romance

by Harper West

  Jack glanced at the photographs that had strewn across the floor. He kicked one of them nonchalantly. “Looks like someone was trying to set us up.”

  “Is that so?”

  “It is so.”

  I turned to Cooper. “And who's that then?”

  “A friend. Nothing more or less.”

  “Am I supposed to really believe that?”

  He laughed dramatically. “Are we supposed to believe that you popped a camera in our office without the intention of showing it to others? What was your idea, princess? Blackmail?”

  “Did you really want that money so badly that you tried to frame us?” Jack asked.

  “Or was it more your own personal porn stash you were expanding?”

  I crossed my arms over my chest, refusing to engage with them. They didn't have all the facts. They couldn't tell me why I had done it—but they really weren't far from the truth. And the truth was that I had changed my mind. I didn't want to do that anymore.

  But how could I tell them that?

  “You have no idea what was going through my mind,” I explained slowly. “And how much I was afraid to be alone with you two.”

  “That sounds like a load of bullshit,” Jack accused. “Because you were the one who proposed being alone with us.”

  “I sure did.”

  “So? What made you do this? Explain,” Cooper demanded. “We gave you everything. We gave you an opportunity, and we gave you gifts. How could you betray us like this?"

  “And how could you lie to me?!” I cried while pointing to the papers on the ground. “How could you hide this simple thing from me? Did you see the certificate?”

  Jack ruffled through the pages and found the notarized paper, holding it up to the light. His expression was blank as he handed the paper to Cooper, who also wore a black expression. They were utterly emotionless—it made me feel like I was a black hole absorbing all the emotions they might have had. I kept my arms over my chest.

  I wouldn't relent.

  Cooper swallowed hard. “This was a mistake.”

  “Sure looks like more than a mistake.”

  “That woman meant nothing to me.”

  Shock stole my features. “You really got married and didn't tell me?”

  “She was supposed to be...” He bit into his knuckle, biting back what might have been rehearsed tears. I didn't buy it. “She was supposed to be ours.”

  “She betrayed us,” Jack added. “Like you just did.”

  “We were burned from the very start,” Cooper continued. “And you just did the same thing, didn't you? You would have gladly belted one of us and then taken off with your half of the marriage.”

  “I would have never done that.”

  “Then, what was the camera for, dear Brooklyn? Why would you capture us?”

  I remained silent. I couldn't explain my actions. I mean, how could I? It was obvious I had planned to release footage to others about their behavior, and I sure as hell was going to walk away with a huge chunk of money.

  But I wouldn't have married them. I wouldn't have taken it that far.

  “Did you even get a divorce?” I deflected. “Did you ever get it null and voided?”

  “Why does that matter now? You're no longer ours.”

  The car came to a stop—right in front of my apartment.

  Jack popped open the door. He nodded to it.

  “Go,” he said. “And don't even think about calling us.”

  Chapter 20

  Cooper

  "And don't even think about trying to get that money," I warned as she stepped out. "The whole contract is void based on your behavior."

  “You tried to frame us,” Jack repeated.

  I think he was as shocked as me still.

  “You two can go to hell,” she spat before shutting the door.

  She marched away.

  The clouds seemed to open up just then, the rain timed perfectly to our break. I watched the droplets of rain decorate the sidewalk one by one, darkening the pavement until finally rushing down. It soaked the ground instantly.

  And it soaked me.

  I stared after her, feeling my jaw tense.

  “I'm sorry, brother,” Jack whispered. “I wish I could have predicted this.”

  “There's nothing we could have done. She did what she did.”

  “But that's not how I wanted this to go.”

  “Neither did I. But here we are.” I motioned to the pictures on the ground, shaking my head. “She even brought Maura into it.”

  “Maura was a bitch.”

  “She sure was. She almost drained me had it not been for that lawyer.”

  “You did get that divorce. That bastard Brett left that significant piece of information out of this file.”

  “Of course, he did. That just means they were made for each other.”

  I motioned for the driver to take off. I wasn't much in the mood for food or anything else, but my belly ached. It was a deep ache, a primal ache, for Brooklyn to be back in our arms instead of away from us. I couldn't believe she would do this.

  “How could she…?” I whispered breathlessly.

  “Brother, don't beat yourself up. Don't hurt yourself wondering.”

  I stared for a long moment out the window, watching the world pass us by. “Is there any way to come back from this?”

  “You're not seriously considering forgiving her already, are you?”

  “I love her, Jack. I've fallen in love with her.”

  He looked mournful. “I have, too, brother.”

  “What are we supposed to do about that?”

  He shrugged. "There's nothing to do at this point. She made her decision, and now she'll have to live with it."

  “But what if I can't live without her?”

  I knew I was being an emotional mess. My usual rational brain was taking on the wave of emotions like a hurricane beating the shore. I couldn't control them. I couldn't stop them. No amount of drinking would prevent them from washing over me and I didn't know if I wanted to really stop them. What was I supposed to do now that she did what she did?

  “You can live without her, Coop. You've done this before,” Jack assured. “We've both done this before. Don't you remember?”

  “Yes, all too clearly, my friend.”

  “We've had our share of encounters with women who were too selfish to care about our feelings. Everyone thinks we're these cold billionaires, but we're not.”

  “We are billionaires.”

  He chuckled. “Well, that's correct, but that doesn't mean we're cold. We have feelings. We have goals and aspirations just like everyone else.”

  “I'm glad you didn't oppose me when this happened.”

  He looked hurt. “Why would I ever do that to you?”

  “Well, we had that fight. You could have turned away from me.”

  “I couldn't possibly turn away from you, brother.”

  I adjusted my legs, crossing one over the other, planting my elbow into my knee and my face into my hand. It was my pensive position. I was about to do some serious thinking. “I know that now, Jackie, but sometimes I think we might part ways in the future.”

  “We're always going to be friends, no matter what.”

  “The company keeps us tied together.”

  “It's more than that, my friend. We're bound by the fact that we get along so well.”

  I laughed. “But when we fight, it's the end of the world.”

  “All friends fight. The point is that we come back together and admit our faults.”

  I nodded. "So, let me admit mine: I was a pompous ass, and I was being selfish."

  “I was being selfish, too.”

  “I'm sorry for that, Jackie. I'm sorry I got away with myself. You know how I get.”

  “I sure do. I've known you for ten years, my guy. Even more than that. We grew up together. We practically lived in the same house.”

  “Well, my father hated your family. He wanted you to hav
e a good life since we were so close.”

  “And I'm forever grateful for the fact that he adopted me into yours.”

  I smiled warmly. “I wish he hadn't died so soon. Maybe he could have met Brooklyn.”

  “Well, she threw all that away anyway, so don't regret that.”

  “I know, but it's still true. He would have loved talking to her.”

  “She's sassy as hell.”

  “And smart.”

  “And wicked clever.”

  I sighed, tapping my finger against my temple. “I guess we should toss that article.”

  Jack was quiet for a moment. The rain pattered against the metal roof of the car, echoing in the expansive cab. I listened to him drum away while he remained lost in thought. When he came to, he held up a finger. “We could keep it for now.”

  “And do what with it?”

  “Publish it.”

  I looked baffled. “And why would we do that?”

  “Because we'd be the bigger men for doing that.”

  “But the contract is null and void. There's no point in publishing the article.”

  “No, I suppose not, but wouldn't she feel bad seeing all that hard work go to waste?”

  I raised my brow in his direction. “I don't see why we should do her a favor when she toyed with our emotions.”

  “Because it's the right thing to do, Coop. We should do the right thing.”

  “I still don't see why we should.”

  He shrugged. “Sleep on it for a few days. We'll figure it all out.”

  “I suppose you're right about that one.”

  I turned my attention to the window. Phoenix was getting drenched—and for a good reason. We needed a good rain to keep the heat at bay. I hadn't seen much rain this year, and this was the perfect time for it. I could feel its cleansing strength, the way it washed over the car and into my soul. I felt emotional and void all at once, the rising tide of my reaction to Brooklyn sinking right down into my bones.

  Nothing made sense, and yet everything made sense.

  But ultimately, I felt lost without her.

  Chapter 21

  Jack

  The Bookworm had attempted to abscond with our money—and I wasn't having it. I knew Cooper wouldn't have it either. She had played with us and with our money, with our resources and our hospitality. I didn't take lightly to that.

  And I didn't take lightly to seeing my best friend getting hurt.

  As I studied Cooper in the back of the car, I wondered how in the world we were supposed to recover from this. What if we couldn't? What if this marriage and Brooklyn haunted us for time immemorial? Of all the things I felt with her, disgust wasn't one of them.

  But I sure as hell felt disgusted now.

  I fell into the same pensive rhythm as Cooper. We were much alike in that respect. We mirrored each other in energy, and I found that contemplation could provide many illuminating realizations.

  I loved her, too. I would be the first to admit it. I loved her, and I wanted her back as badly as he did. I could feel the way he loved her, too. I could feel how our energy entwined in order to join with hers, how our bodies yearned for that perpetual union, and how we meshed together so perfectly that the world around us became a blur.

  We were one in that moment, I swear. We were many things, but mostly we were one. And I was already yearning to become that strangely attached monster all over again. I considered the ramifications of getting her back, to find a resolution.

  What good would it do?

  It was best to let it lie for a few days. Scampering after her now could just chase her off for good and I didn't want that either. I really didn't want any of this to happen. I felt hollow and void like nothing would ever fill me again. Not even food could fill me.

  But food wasn't a bad idea.

  “We should eat,” I suggested. “We should sate ourselves and recuperate from this mess.”

  “I'm not hungry.”

  "That's a bold lie, and you know it."

  He smiled. “Let's pick something up. I don't much feel like being in public.”

  “Fair enough, brother.”

  I called over my shoulder to the driver to take us through a burger joint. We each ordered bacon burgers with extra fries and shakes. There was no better meal to quell the emptiness that carbs upon carbs. I knew Cooper would eventually bitch about it, but he would be happy for the time being and that's what was important to me.

  Not more than ten minutes later, we were back at the house in the living room. We both nursed our food slowly and watched the empty fireplace. I longed for the flames to lick the brick inside. It was my favorite pastime to sit here while his father told us stories about his travels in Europe.

  I laughed quietly.

  “What's funny?” Cooper asked.

  “Just thinking about how I grew up in this house with you.”

  “Yeah?”

  I nodded. “Do you remember when your dad went to France and had that run-in with his ex-wife?”

  “Oh, wow. I had nearly forgotten about that!”

  “She threw a baguette at him in a public cafe.”

  Cooper broke out into laughter. “I still can't believe he tried to ask her out again!”

  “While his wife was still here.”

  "God, my mother was so angry when she caught wind of that. She was still in contact with that woman, and he had no idea!"

  I chuckled with amusement. “Women, right?”

  “Ah, women.”

  “At least Maura didn't throw a perfectly good baguette at you.”

  He snorted and broke into another laughing fit, dropping his burger on its wrapper. He shook his head while he wiped his lips. “No, but she did throw a lamp.”

  “That was a night to remember.”

  “She was so angry with me. You know, it's funny—I really can't remember why.”

  “I think it's because she went through your phone and saw all those messages from Sara. God, that girl couldn't get a grip, could she?”

  “Sara and I never dated. We didn't even entertain the idea of dating. When she learned I was married, she went wild.”

  I laughed. “It's like they don't want you until you're taken.”

  “Well, until Brooklyn. She was pretty mad.”

  “But she didn't have the whole story. She can't fault you for that.”

  He paused for a moment while reaching for his shake. “Do you think we were getting that serious? Were you feeling that?”

  “I was feeling a lot of things.”

  “Man, I don't get it.”

  I hummed curiously. “What?”

  “Why didn't she tell us she was feeling something?”

  “She never mentioned that.”

  “That's what I'm saying. If she really didn't care that she got caught—if she didn't care about us in general—she wouldn't have made it a point to bring up that old marriage.”

  I glanced at the ceiling as I mulled around his theory. “I guess we could ask her sister.”

  “You mean actually contact Peyton?”

  “Why not? They're close, right?”

  “I don't know. That might look bad on our part.”

  “But it might make us look good, too. We won't know until we ask someone who has access to Brook's private thoughts.”

  “I guess you have a point.”

  I laughed. “I always have a good point.”

  “Careful—you might become the brains of the operation with that attitude.”

  “I'll talk to Peyton and you can go get some rest. We both need it after the day we've had. Maybe she could even convince Brooklyn to come talk to us.”

  “I thought we were going to give it a few days?”

  I shook my head. “No, I can't wait, brother. I don't think either of us can live without her and we really don't have to.”

  “Well, do you need Peyton's number?”

  “Maybe we should just call the source.”

  “You mean... call
Brooklyn directly?”

  I stood up while searching my pockets for my phone. “Why not? She'd probably appreciate that.”

  “Wait, brother—wait.” Cooper joined me in standing. He held a hand to my shoulder, steadying me in place. “We need to think about this for a minute. She hurt us. We can't just go crawling back to her.”

  “We're not crawling, Cooper. We're letting her know how this made us feel. Don't you want the opportunity to tell her that and let her know we would have told her about that marriage?”

  He leveled with me for a second, meeting my gaze. And then, he nodded. “Very well.”

  “I'll give her a call now if I can find my damn--”

  Ding dong.

  We both glanced at each other and then at the door.

  “Who could that be?” he asked. “We weren't expecting guests.”

  “I'll get it.”

  I marched to the door and swung it open without peeking through the peephole.

  And there, drenched with rain and tears, stood Brooklyn.

  Chapter 22

  Brooklyn

  I was either a fool or an idiot.

  Or I was both.

  As soon as the boys had dropped me off, I stormed up to my apartment and threw a fit. I took all the clothes they had given me and thrown them into a pile, determined to light the whole thing on fire. I would quit my job. I would move. I would fall out of contact with everybody I knew.

  And then Brett called.

  “I told you, Brook,” he had said. “Those two were lying to you.”

  “I was lying to them, too.”

  “Yours was justified. You wanted to expose them for who they were.”

  I shook my head. “No, I didn't get to do that because they're not who people think they are.”

  “Wow, they really must have gotten under your skin.”

  “They did get under my skin in ways that I can't get rid of... and I don't intend to do that.”

  “What are you saying?”

  I laughed. "I'm saying you should go screw yourself, Brett. I love those boys, and I'm going after them."

  “This won't end well for you, Brooklyn. Mark my words!”

  I hung up on him. His opinion no longer mattered. And I wasn't even sure why I kept taking his calls and reading his texts. I resolved right then to shove him out as I should have done years ago. I blocked his calls and deleted his number.