Million Dollar Devil

by Evans, Katy

  “Of course,” Quill says, as Kim starts to zero in on my cock, stroking it harder. It’s throbbing now. “If you give us the name of your lawyer, I’ll draw up the papers and send them off to take a look and make sure all the terms are agreeable.”

  I nod, thinking, I don’t know any fucking lawyers, anywhere. Wait. Jeanine. Lizzy’s best friend. Lizzy trusts her. She can help me out. “Of course.”

  The rest of the evening goes by in a blur. I try to speed things up, but they keep ordering more drinks, and by ten I know I’ll never make Charlie’s bedtime. Goddammit. I promised.

  I am a fucking asshole. But I’m about to become a rich fucking asshole.

  A rich fucking asshole who might just be good enough for Harold Banks’s daughter.

  Kim leaves her hand on my cock, even when I try to shift away. During dinner, when she needs to use both hands, she briefly removes the one on my lap only to promptly set it back down on my cock. At the end of the meal, I’m drunk and hard as hell. I can’t get up because my cock is tenting my slacks.

  The rest of the men shake my hand as they leave. I hang back, saying I’m going to have another drink. I order my tenth—eleventh?—Macallan 25 neat, vaguely aware that Quill wants me so bad they’ve dropped thousands of dollars tonight, just on scotch alone.

  But Quill wasn’t the only one in the restaurant who had its eye on me. Unfortunately.

  “Listen,” I say to Kim, when she hangs back and orders another drink. “I’m sorry. But if I’m seriously going to consider your employer’s offer, I can’t have any romantic entanglements.”

  She smiles at me. “I don’t want romance, either, James,” she says, running her tongue along her red lips. “I just want you to fuck me tonight. No strings. You name the place.”

  CHANCE MEETINGS

  Lizzy

  I hurry into the Banks headquarters, trying to keep my head down and stay focused on the millions of things I need to do. I fly up to New York tonight, and I still haven’t put together the proposal that my dad requested of my suggestions for what James should wear at the big launch. I also have a list of about twenty things I need to do to get myself ready to be there.

  I still haven’t talked to James. When I stopped by his house, I thought for sure he’d at least text after Charlie gave him the message. Now I’m pretty sure he’s just avoiding me.

  As I’m walking in through the revolving door, I get a call from my dad. “Hi. I’m on my way up,” I tell him, breathless.

  “I’m not up there, Lizzy.”

  “Oh.” I check my watch. It’s after ten. “Are you in New York already?”

  “I’m at Piedmont.”

  My heart clenches. “The hospital? What—”

  “It’s not a big deal. I went in for a normal checkup, and they found my blood pressure was elevated. They’re trying to get it all back under control. I admit I’ve missed a few doses.”

  “Dad, do you want me to come and—”

  “No. Listen. I don’t want anyone to know I’m here.”

  “Not even LB?”

  “He knows already.” Of course. “You know how LB is. He’s on top of everything and wants to be sure his boss is tip-top. Under that hard-ass shell, that boy cares for me.”

  “Nobody can ever possibly care for you the way I do, Dad,” I whisper. “Especially not LB.” I groan.

  I want to tell him that LB has been betting on my failure. That he is my dad’s right-hand man but an expert left-hand man, too, intent on keeping me from claiming a spot as CEO. But I can’t. I can’t say all that to my dad, who is no fool and obviously values the guy. I don’t want to risk him thinking I’m being overdramatic.

  He sighs. “I don’t want to give anyone the impression that I’m not well. Got it? So no visits, no flowers, nothing. I’ll be out as soon as I can.”

  “Dad! You should rest. Don’t rush yourself,” I scold. “And I have to come visit you.”

  “No. Lizzy. You don’t. What I want you to do is man the New York launch. Give my presentation. Can you? The notes are on my desk.”

  My heart starts to flutter. He asked me to. Not LB. “Yes! Of course!” I blurt.

  “Good. I’m depending on you.”

  “I won’t let you down. And Dad?”

  “I know, I know. Take it easy. Goodbye, Lizzy, and good luck.”

  I end the call, worrying about my father but excited about this opportunity. Putting me visible like this means he trusts me. It means that I’m finally getting my due. There will be over two thousand of the biggest and most influential names in couture in that room. Allowing me to speak as the ambassador to Banks LTD and introduce James as the new face of our line is a huge honor. LA was the starting gate, but this . . . this is the checkered flag. The official launch party people will be talking about for weeks, or if all goes well, that’s so big it’ll be recalled for years after.

  I’m smiling as I walk past the café in the lobby, toward the elevators. As I do, I see Jeanine, sitting at a table, talking with a man in a suit.

  I briefly wonder if she came to look for me but then can’t remember that we had anything set up for a lunch date, or a business meeting either.

  She’s facing me, and the man is facing away, so I wave at her, but her eyes are so intent on the man she doesn’t notice. I come up closer, still waving, and she suddenly blinks toward me. “Lizzy,” she says, instantly smiling. “Hi.”

  “Hi. Sorry. I don’t mean to interrupt your meeting, but you’ll never guess what my dad—”

  I stop when the man turns around.

  It’s James.

  The floor suddenly wavers under me.

  “Oh. Hi,” I say, my knees weakening. I take a step back. “I’m sorry.”

  Why are my horny best friend . . . and my horny ex-fuck . . . together?

  I can think of a million reasons . . . all of them bad.

  “On second thought,” I say to Jeanine, “forget it. I’ll tell you later. Maybe.”

  I turn on my heel and start to rush toward the elevators, my face burning and my head spinning as I try to process why the two of them are together. No, it’s not like I saw them with their tongues down each other’s throats, but still. I know Jeanine. And I know James. And I can’t help thinking that if you put two beautiful people like them together, it can’t end well. For me, at least.

  Wow, now I’m totally sounding crazy, aren’t I?

  Blame it on James Rowan that I can’t even be reasonable Elizabeth anymore. Only crazy Lizzy, only Lizzy who doesn’t feel so carefree and young anymore.

  I’ve made it halfway around the fountain in the lobby when I hear footsteps quickening behind me. “Hey.”

  James.

  I turn around. He’s beautiful, breathtaking, and I know if I look at him I’ll be lost. So I look everywhere else. The floor. The ceiling. The wall over his shoulder. “I’m fine. I’m not asking for an apology. I mean . . . whatever it is you two are discussing, it’s okay.”

  He’s confused. “I just wanted to say hello. I haven’t seen you.”

  Oh. I gnaw on my lip. Fidget. I am so not the sophisticated woman I was when I first met him. I feel like a bull in a china shop. “Oh. Well. Hello. I suppose I have to go. My father . . .”

  He nods, plunges his hands into his pockets. “I miss you, heiress.”

  I feel whatever wall I’ve been slapping together crumbling under the weight of his blue stare. “I miss you, too, James.”

  “You going to New York?”

  “Of course,” I tell him. “That’s what I was so excited about. My father can’t make it to New York, so he’s having me introduce you at our launch party to kick off Fashion Week.”

  A smile breaks out on his face, and those baby blues are suddenly so lit up that it almost hurts to see it. “Seriously? That’s fantastic, Lizzy. See? I knew your father would see your worth. He’s a smart man.”

  I feel it in the way he looks at me. No jealousy. No ulterior motives. Unlike the other suited men
in this lobby right now, James is genuinely happy for me. As if my success is his success.

  And I know it, like I know my own name.

  It doesn’t matter how many days or miles or men I put between us. I will never, ever get over James Rowan, as long as I live.

  So I stand there, basking in his presence a little longer, wanting to say that to him but knowing that it’ll only ruin everything. What would come of it if I told him that I loved him and didn’t give a shit about being CEO of Banks? He’d have to walk away from me, or else he’d be breaking the contract. And I doubt I’m special enough to him for him to do that. He clearly needs and likes this life and the money too much. It’s his ticket for Charlie.

  But his gaze is so penetrating that I’m tempted to take the chance, even if. . .

  No. The spell is broken when Jeanine comes over, sending me a look that maybe means she’ll talk to me later? I have no idea what’s going on. She points at her wrist, signaling to look at the time, when it suddenly hits me.

  “Are you having a . . . business meeting?” I ask with a raise of the eyebrows.

  He nods. “Needed a lawyer. Called her over for an informal query ’cause she’s the only one I knew.”

  “Oh!” I sigh, relieved. “That’s great. I mean she’s the best. I wholeheartedly recommend her.”

  “I just wanted to let you know, though,” he says. “I’m working on something. For after our contract is up. I hope you’ll stick around for it. Okay? I haven’t forgotten.”

  I nod at him. “Of course, James.”

  “See ya, Liz—” He stops. Thumps the side of his head. “Pleasure to see you again, Miss Banks.”

  And then he jogs off.

  Leaving me smiling, swooning, and wondering just what the heck he’s working on but knowing Jeanine won’t be able to tell me because of client confidentiality, which makes me sort of frustrated. And . . . he hasn’t forgotten what, exactly? Stick around for what? I’d have stuck around for anything he was offering, right then.

  Anything.

  James

  She’s all I’ve been thinking about, ever since that meeting with Quill Couture. After untangling myself from Kim after dinner, who was about as persistent as a spider spinning a web around me, I went home and sat at my kitchen table the whole night, thinking.

  Sober by morning, I gave Jeanine a call and agreed to meet her for lunch in between some of my other meetings with the Banks team. If I’m worth thirty million, I’m not no one. I’ll never think I’m worthy of Lizzy, but maybe if I line my pockets with this money, if I’m really rich as opposed to just pretending to be, her father will think I’m worthy of her.

  That’s the plan, anyway.

  I go back to Jeanine, who is reading over the contract. “It looks fine,” she says. “The terms are very agreeable. Of course, there are some things I’ll have to question. But not too much. You’re going to be a very wealthy man soon.”

  I nod. “And it won’t be in violation of the current contract?”

  She shakes her head. “Nope. Though I feel bad. You’re obviously valued by Banks LTD. I am sure if you went to them with these terms, they’d match it or perhaps offer you more. They’d hate to lose you to their competition.”

  I press my lips together. “No. It’s been good. Really. But with Lizzy, things are . . .”

  A sad smile spreads over her face. “I get it. She told me. So you want to put some distance between you two?”

  “Well, yes. As good as they’ve been to me, I don’t want to be employed by her family. For the plans I have, it would be better if I was doing my own thing, outside of the Banks umbrella.”

  “Ah. I understand. I’m in law, after all. And entanglements like that can be very sticky,” she says, with a cheeky smile. “Though I hear you like things sticky?”

  The mischievous look in her eyes is unmistakable. Lizzy . . . told her about LA? When she knew that it could mean I was violating the contract?

  Why the fuck would she do that?

  Why? Because they tell each other everything. They’re best friends. I think about the time Lizzy rambled on to me on the phone, describing in great detail what she wanted to do to me.

  “What are you talking about?” I say, frowning. “The contract?”

  She shakes her head, laughing. “Don’t worry! Lizzy doesn’t know I’m talking to you about this. Your contract with Banks is safe. I wouldn’t ever harm her, or you. But I mention this because you two need to be careful. If someone else found out . . . it could destroy Lizzy, and you, and even this contract.” She sighs as I absorb that. “I think you should talk to her about this decision. Because I know that you two have more than business on the line.”

  “She’ll discourage me, and I don’t want her to.” I shove my hands into my slacks pockets.

  Jeanine leans back in her chair. “James . . . Jimmy . . . let me tell you something. Lizzy has been my friend for a long, long time. We’re very close. And yet I can assure you that the way she is with you, the way she looks at you, acts a little bit jealous around you . . .” She shakes her head, her expression amazed. “I’ve never seen my friend act like this around any guy. Ever.”

  I don’t know why, but my chest suddenly feels constrained. Like my jacket just shrank.

  “You care about her too. You don’t need to pretend you don’t. And if I were you, I’d weigh that into my decision. Because this contract”—she waves it in the air—“is going to take you far, far away from her. And I’m not sure that’s what you want. And I can definitely tell you for certain that’s not what she’ll want.”

  I eye her quietly as I pick up the contract. “Thanks for that.” I pluck the contract from her hands, fold it, and tuck it into my back pocket. “I will decline.”

  I walk out of there and dial the number on the card Kim gave me, asking where I can meet her. I figure it’s polite to decline in person, considering I’m turning down $30 million. And Lizzy’s taught me to be a better man. While Jimmy might have texted and said, No thanks—hasta la vista! James knows better. I know better.

  I meet Kim at a nearby hotel. I asked to meet her somewhere else, but she said it was this or nothing at all. So whatever. This will be the last time I have to see her anyway. Now she’s sitting across a fancy European-like settee from me, crossing her legs slowly from one to the other. She offered wine, but I asked for coffee instead. She’s finishing her glass, listening to my decision.

  “You’re saying . . . you decline?”

  “Respectfully. Yeah.” I nod my head and shove the contract down at the table and push it closer to her side.

  She glances at the contract and laughs, raising her eyes to meet mine with a gleam of anger there and something else.

  “You can’t. You can’t decline, James.”

  “I just did.”

  “Oh, James,” she laughs, pushing the contract back with two manicured fingernails in my direction. “You want out of there. Don’t deny it. You and Lizzy’s relationship is complicated, and she’ll never give you what I can . . .”

  She starts to stand, and so do I.

  “I . . .” I was about to say “ain’t interested” but swiftly correct myself. “I’m not interested.”

  She laughs and comes around the coffee table. “Oh, come now. You don’t have to pretend with me, Jimmy. You can say ain’t.” She continues winding slowly around the table. “You said it all the time the other night, and I find it to be quite sexy. Along with those other little secrets, especially that big LA secret. And about where Lizzy found you. Big boy.”

  I freeze as she stops before me and leans forward, batting her eyelashes seductively at me.

  “You think you’re not good enough for her. Oh yes, I deduced as much when you let it out as a reason for rejecting me. It’s her you want, but you don’t think you’re deserving. Even after LA, when you were so close you were pretty sure ‘I ended where she started and vice versa.’ See? I remember quite clearly.”

  I’m frozen,
my mind spinning as I register what she’s saying.

  I let that secret out too?

  To Lizzy’s competition?

  What the fuck was I THINKING?!

  Drinking?!

  Doing?!

  “What are you talking about?” I say as she curves her arms around my neck. I wrinkle my brow, racking my fuzzy brain for the shit I said that night as I tried to politely but firmly pry myself out of her grip. “I’m sorry. I’m not following.”

  She straightens as I step back. Flips her hair again as she comes forward once more. “Well, of course you’re not following. You didn’t really realize what you were saying. But I could read between the lines, noticed your hopeless devotion to Lizzy, which is cute but not happening. Because if you think you two stand a chance, Jimmy . . . I know a way that things may fall apart.”

  I cross my arms, stunned by what I’m hearing. “Go on. I’m listening.”

  “If it somehow got out just who you are? The sewer you slithered from?” She smiles. “That Lizzy has been lying . . . to the world. To her father. A man like that, taken for a fool? How do you think that would go? I bet if the truth of you got out, you’d destroy Lizzy. You’d destroy Banks Limited, and you’d probably destroy any chance of this new contract, too, since there’s a clause in here that says that as the face of their line, you’ll need to keep a squeaky-clean image. So my ass is on the line, too, champ. This secret can stay just between us . . . where it is. It’s more . . . intimate this way. Don’t you think? Nobody else needs to know, Jimmy.”

  I stiffen, fury boiling in my veins. “What do you want?” I bite out.

  “Simple. You. In New York. I’m going to be there, and I want you to be with me after that launch. Your contract will be over. And I want you to give me what you gave Lizzy.”

  “Why? You just said it yourself. I slithered from a sewer.”

  She shrugs. “What can I say? I have a very dirty mind.” She leans over and straightens the lapel on my suit. “And I like my men dirty.”

  It doesn’t matter what I wear. To women like Kim, I’ll always be dirty. “And if I don’t?”

  She pulls out her phone and holds out a picture of me, before Lizzy found me. Then shows me an after one. Where every detail of my features is marked for comparison and obvious similarities. “This is just the beginning. I can get plenty more that shows without a doubt that you were once Jimmy Rowan, the YouTube daredevil. And darling? I’m not beneath hiring a person to get me pictures of you and Lizzy outright . . . you know . . .”