The Billionaires Club- The Complete Series

by Leslie North

  Really? Disappear in the night with a note by the door. Great approach.

  He tossed his phone on the bed, pacing the length of the bed as his thoughts careened. Another text came to mind and he snatched up his phone, only to toss it back. No, he needed to cool down before he sent anything else.

  This stunt was outrageous, and it felt like a slap in the face. After their week together, the fact that she could still pull something like this made him question everything he thought he knew about her character. He raked a hand through his hair, trying to calm the storm in his chest.

  He’d thought they were heading toward something. Had she just been lying to him the entire time?

  He paced the suite while he tried to figure out a game plan. But nothing seemed quite right. Whenever he thought he was ready to pull clothes on and go face his friends, another wave of pain crashed over him and he sank into the bed, reliving their conversations from last night.

  Maybe she’d always intended to run from him. Maybe that had been her plan all along.

  By the time Daniel finally pulled himself together enough to shower and throw on a pair of chinos and a polo shirt, he knew the goodbye breakfast was well underway. What an embarrassment—showing up alone, freshly dumped. He rubbed at his face as he headed to the restaurant.

  It looked like some of the wedding guests had already left, as the group at the breakfast table was much smaller than yesterday’s wedding. But even still, he couldn’t fathom suffering through this breakfast without Jackie at his side, while all his questions and unsaid retorts cycled inside him like bile.

  He hurried toward Grayson and Mila, deciding that he’d create an excuse and leave early. That way, he could use the drive back to solve the problem with Jackie.

  “Hey guys.” He clapped Grayson on the shoulder, and then leaned down to kiss Mila’s cheek. “I just wanted to come say bye—”

  “You’re leaving?” Blake interrupted.

  He grimaced. “Jackie’s not feeling so hot, and there’s a few things I need to address ASAP with my dad. She doesn’t feel well enough to join, so I’m letting everyone know she had an amazing time, thanks for everything. Her words.”

  Mila frowned. “Aw, well, I’ll miss saying goodbye to her. She’s just precious.”

  “Hope she feels better, buddy. Get to it. Thanks for everything,” Grayson said, standing up to give his friend a proper hug.

  Daniel bowed out, waving goodbye to everyone else—including Tania, who eyed him like she knew a secret—and hurried back to his room.

  And even though a resounding determination to figure this out—to fix this—had accompanied him on his way to the restaurant, each step that took him back to the reality of his situation just ground in the truth more.

  What could he actually do? What did he hope to accomplish?

  If he was being smart—like he used to be, not like he was now, wrapped up in lovesick imaginings—then he’d see that Jackie had made her decision.

  She’d left.

  And he had to accept that.

  Even still, part of him railed against the abrupt end. He didn’t want their story to just stop like this.

  But even if he managed to convince her to give their relationship a real try, what did they really have to look forward to?

  The only thing that ever happened in his life was work. That’s all that he had going on. That wouldn’t change just because Jackie came along.

  So maybe she was right. Maybe she was the one with the upper hand of clarity here.

  Daniel, don’t fool yourself.

  Four weeks and three countries later, Daniel was returning to his penthouse for the first time since right after Grayson’s wedding. He’d skipped over his planned days home after Bangladesh, diving straight into the Sri Lanka project without a break, eager to delay his return home.

  Coming back to his sanctuary had always been a relief, something he looked forward to.

  But this time? He felt empty. Not to mention, more depressed than he could ever remember feeling.

  In a way, he’d been able to beat back his emotions during the business trip. It was easy for him to get lost in work—it was practically his only defense mechanism. But thoughts of Jackie consistently lurked near the edges of his mind, even when he was pretty sure he was close to not caring.

  Coming back home only proved to him he wasn’t over it, not even a little bit. He cared. Oh, he cared too much. The hurt still rippled through him. And finding his once-again empty penthouse—this time sans sexy house sitter naked in his bathtub—he wasn’t sure what to do now.

  As he slowly walked through the foyer, depositing his keys and wallet by the front door, he saw a scrap of paper on the front table. His gut cinched. Not another note.

  This time, from his new house sitter: “You should get one of those automatic fish feeder things! Fish really creep me out.”

  He sighed, tossing it back where he’d found it. Memories of Jackie crept back into his mind. How did we both name one of my fish Henry? It almost made him laugh—almost. Really, he wanted to call her and beg that she come back. Just for a night. To see if they could hash something out and find a way forward together.

  His phone vibrated—it was a call from Blake. He answered it, tucking the phone between his ear and shoulder. “What’s up?”

  “Hey, you home yet?”

  “Yeah, just walked in.”

  “Awesome. I got Grayson on the line too. We want to plan a boys weekend.”

  “Yeah, my last hurrah before the baby’s born,” Grayson added with a laugh.

  Normally, he’d love the idea. But damn near everything had lost its luster since Jackie walked away from him. He sighed, sinking into his couch. “Yeah? When are you thinking?”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa. You do not sound as thrilled as you should,” Blake said.

  “I’m just tired,” he lied.

  “Is this because of Jackie?” Grayson asked, his voice sounding different.

  Daniel hadn’t told his friends about what happened that post-wedding morning. He was too embarrassed to admit it, and he’d avoided all talk of the bet ever since. He would never accept Grayson’s money anyway, he just needed to figure out how to gracefully resolve it. “Why do you ask?”

  “Mila ran into her the other day,” Grayson said tentatively.

  His stomach sank to his feet. “How is she?”

  “Ohhh, no,” Blake said. “What did I miss?”

  “I don’t know, maybe Daniel should fill us in,” Grayson said.

  Daniel clenched his jaw. He’d hoped to come home and attempt relaxing, but now? His gut was in knots worse than ever. Like Jackie had left him yesterday.

  “We broke up,” Daniel said, not sure what else to say. “After the wedding.”

  His friends were quiet for a few moments. “Damn,” Blake said. “I really thought you two had something.”

  “Yeah, me too,” Daniel said bitterly.

  “Man, I’m sorry to hear that. Mila said she looked sad, if that’s any consolation.”

  Daniel smirked, but it faded fast. It was a consolation, but not for long. “Well, if it’s any consolation to you guys, she wasn’t really my girlfriend at the beginning. I just wanted to win your bet. She was my house sitter, and she agreed to play along. But we fell for each other—hard. And then she walked away.”

  “Oooh, two bombs right there,” Blake said.

  “I guess that answers my next question,” Grayson said, “which was why on earth you wouldn’t let me send your bet payout while you were gone.”

  “He did win the bet,” Blake said.

  “I don’t want your money. Start your baby’s trust fund with it instead of paying me.” He paused, more words trembling on his lips. “I just want Jackie.”

  “Yeah, sounds like it. Daniel, you gotta go after her,” Blake said.

  “Why don’t you track her down?” Grayson asked. “You still have her number—”

  “She changed it while I was abroad
. I would text on occasion, though she never responded. And then one day I got the ‘new phone—who is this’ text. Guys, she doesn’t want to talk to me. I can at least respect that.”

  “I dunno. You were happier than I’ve ever seen you during the wedding week. Don’t you think you guys could make it work?”

  Daniel was quiet for a moment, contemplating his friend’s words. He wanted to make it work—more than he could even express. But there was still one major roadblock in the way. “She didn’t seem to think so. And honestly, I get why she had her doubts. Personally, I don’t know how it could work. I work all the time. I’m never here. That last night—she didn’t say anything, but I saw the way she looked when I told her what my schedule was going to be for the next month. I think that was when she decided she couldn’t stay.”

  “So be there,” Grayson urged. “Work less. Figure it out.”

  “Quit your job,” Blake offered.

  A bitter laugh ripped out of him—an echo to Jackie’s suggestion. “You really think that’s a valid option?”

  “At this point, why not?” Grayson said. “You don’t need the money, and god knows you don’t need the grief. Your job makes you miserable, and it is never going to change. You know that. Are you really going to spend the next thirty years of your life unhappy and alone?”

  His words were a knife to the heart. But his best friend was right.

  “You’re right. I don’t want to keep doing this shit forever.” Daniel pinched at the bridge of his nose, already dreading what the conversation with his father might be like. “There’s gotta be a happy medium.”

  “And I promise you, buddy,” Grayson said, “there is.”

  Daniel drifted around his penthouse that night, trapped between two worlds. On the one hand, it wasn’t the first time he’d imagined cutting ties with his father’s business and striking out onto his own. But on the other, the threat of being directionless, unsuccessful, or worse always loomed around the corner.

  Around ten that night, his father called while Daniel was splayed out in bed. He answered it on speakerphone, not even having the energy to lift the phone to his ear.

  “Hope you didn’t get too comfortable,” his father barked, in lieu of a greeting.

  “What now?”

  “Cairo deal fell through.” His father tutted. “No fault of yours, of course. But now, you have to go make it right.”

  As soon as the words sank in, Daniel sat up in bed. Something hot and wild was coursing through him, stirred to life by his father’s demand. Drop everything; jump when I say jump. This job wasn’t prestigious. It wasn’t even fun. He was an overpaid bitch worker. Kept around to do whatever his father commanded.

  It was clear now. Clearer than ever. Paycheck be damned. What good was it having money that he was never around to spend?

  “I don’t know if now is a good time,” Daniel started, his fist already clenched.

  “What do you mean, it’s not a good time? We have fix this. Now. I’ve already got a flight lined up for you. Leaves tomorrow—you just need to confirm if you want a three p.m. departure or a six p.m.”

  Everything in Daniel’s body went taut. His mouth hung open, equal parts stunned and enraged. “I just got home, Dad. I want to sleep in tomorrow. I want a day off.”

  “You’ll rest when you’re dead.” The phrase that had haunted Daniel for years.

  “But I don’t want to live like this anymore,” Daniel blurted. “This isn’t even living. This is just going wherever you point your finger, whenever you point it.”

  “And what’s the problem with that? You love this job. This is our business. This is what we’ve built—together.”

  “No, it’s what you’ve built.” Finally, some of the words that had been locked up inside his chest for too long were ready to spill out. “Of course I want to help your business. Of course I want to help you. But how much will be enough? I can’t give you everything at the expense of my own happiness.”

  “You’re happy—look at your penthouse. Look at your bank account. Now tell me that isn’t happiness.”

  “There’s more to life than that, Dad. You used to know, didn’t you? Or maybe you never did.”

  His father scoffed. “Please. I have a family. I have you. I know what happiness is.”

  “Then give me the chance to know that for myself. You want grandkids? Not gonna happen when I have to fight tooth and nail for twenty-four hours of freedom.”

  “Listen, we’ll look at cutting back your hours—"

  “No.” His tongue met parched lips, and for a moment he wondered if the words would pass his lips.

  And then they did.

  “I’m quitting.”

  His father was silent—maybe for the first time in his entire life. When he finally spoke, it was more of a sputter. “What do you think you’re going to do, huh? You think you can walk away from what you’re making here and find it anywhere else? You’re insane. What, you want to start from scratch, like your friend Grayson? Be my guest. Don’t call me when your savings dry up and you need a hand.”

  Daniel grimaced. He’d expected this. But it didn’t matter. The worst was over. Now, all he needed to do was figure out a game plan, and take a step forward.

  “I’m sorry it had to be like this,” Daniel said. “You’re still my dad. But you can’t be my boss anymore. We need a new arrangement. This isn’t working for me. It hasn’t worked for a long time.”

  By the time Daniel hung up, his pulse was racing and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to scream swear words from his balcony or go puke in the bathroom. In the end, he did neither—instead, he paced his penthouse, overcome with freedom and options and wild ideas. It was late, definitely bedtime. But with how he was feeling, he might not sleep for two days.

  It didn’t matter. He was a free agent. He had the money to sit back and figure out what came next. And for the first time in his life, he was ready to undertake the challenge of creating something for himself.

  And maybe, at the end of it all, Jackie would be there to cheer him on.

  But even if she wasn’t, he owed her a big thank you for lighting the fire under his ass.

  18

  Six weeks after the wedding that changed her life, Jackie was finally heading to her friend Geri’s house to pick up some mail she’d had forwarded there.

  It was one of the consequences of being homeless. Using different mailing addresses, depending on whose home she was using between gigs. It wasn’t ideal. In fact, it was the least ideal situation ever.

  Still, she tried not to dwell on it too much. To remind herself that her life was no different than before she’d met Daniel. Still broke; still working paycheck to paycheck; still finishing out her last year of school.

  But it didn’t feel the same. Nothing felt the same since Daniel, actually. Even though she tried to convince herself otherwise, every day.

  “Heeey, there you are!” Geri grinned, wrapping Jackie in a hug as soon as she stepped into her apartment. This place was more like home than anywhere else for Jackie—a lived-in townhouse with comfy couches and lots of natural sunlight. A place where she could just unwind and feel accepted.

  “Sorry I’m running late. I just came from my last house-sitting assignment in Marin.”

  Geri headed for her living room. “Was it better than the last one?”

  “Yes, thank God.” Her first assignment post-Daniel had been a disaster—carpet stains, a tower of dirty dishes, and piled-up laundry while claiming they only wanted ‘light housekeeping.’ “This new family had a smaller house, and the best part? They have a dog.”

  “Aww, what’s his name?” Geri settled on the couch and Jackie sank in beside her.

  “Henry,” she said, picking at her cuticles. Was it wrong to still wish she could visit Daniel’s fish…and the man himself?

  “You don’t seem very happy about the name,” Geri said with a laugh.

  Jackie sighed, her head dropping back on the couch. “It’s just t
hat…no. I don’t to want to go there.”

  Geri swatted at her friend’s leg. “What is it? You can tell me.”

  Jackie frowned. “It’s another Daniel thing.” She hated how many times she’d mentioned this short-lived romance to her best friend over the past month. “One of his fish was named Henry.”

  Geri nodded, understanding creasing her expression. “You still miss him, don’t you?”

  Jackie covered her face with her hands, groaning. It was so like her best friend to call her out like this. “Yeah, I mean, I guess so? I think I’ll be missing him for the rest of my life. Even though that’s so ridiculous to say.”

  “It’s not ridiculous,” Geri said, crossing her legs beneath her. “It sounds like true love.”

  Jackie pouted. “I think about him every day. I’m always wondering if he’s taking care of himself; where he’s at in the world; whether or not he’s happy. What we shared happened fast, but god, it was so real.”

  Geri squeezed Jackie’s arm. “Sounds like the real thing, hon. We can’t control this stuff. We can only manage the consequences.”

  Jackie laughed but it faded quickly. “I’m sure he doesn’t even think of me anymore. I think the part I hate the most is not knowing what might have happened if I’d stayed.”

  “You mean stayed for the last night at the wedding?”

  “Yeah. Even though I’m convinced we were just heading toward a messier, uglier breakup further down the road if I’d stayed…part of me still wonders if maybe he would have proven me wrong.”

  Geri heaved a sigh, squeezing her friend’s knee. “You know…I get why you did it. It’s part of who you are. You’re Strong Jackie, because that’s who you’ve always had to be. But the other side of that coin is knowing when to tell someone what you’re feeling. Especially when you’re involved romantically.”

  “But I told him how special he was to me,” Jackie protested.

  “Did you tell him you were afraid that it wouldn’t work? Or that you worried he worked too much?”

  Jackie deflated. “No. It just…seemed obvious.”

  Geri sent her a severe look.