Humbling the Spoiled Billionaire

by Stephanie Street

  Harley shook her head. “No. But I had my phone turned off since last night.”

  Carter lifted one brow.

  “Well, I turned it on to call you, but then I turned it back off again.” He smirked. She probably shouldn’t have told him that. He was bound to get a big head. Bigger. “I was anxious to work out my living arrangements.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Whatever. Did you look over the script?”

  “There he is!”

  Harley and Carter both turned to see Brent James rushing toward them, two police officers tailing behind him.

  “I want that man arrested for assault!”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Carter stared with disbelief as the two police officers approached him. Neither looked as though they wanted to be there and if Carter wasn’t mistaken he’d met one of them last month at a charity fundraiser for the family of a policeman who’d been gunned down over the summer.

  He held out his hand and glanced at the man’s name tape. “Officer Bevins.”

  “Mr. Bragg.” He appeared surprised to see Carter. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  Obviously, Brent hadn’t told the police his name. Carter wondered if it had been on purpose, or just an oversight. Brent was proving himself to be a blithering idiot.

  Brent stepped forward, pointing his finger at Carter. “This is him. The man who hit me. Arrest him.”

  Officer Bevins sighed. “Mr. James, as I explained to you over the phone I can’t go around arresting people just because someone accuses them of something. I have to have evidence, probable cause, and a warrant. At this time, I have none of those things.”

  Brent moved his finger away from Carter and pointed it to his own face where a deep purple bruise marred his cheek. “This! This is your evidence. What more do you need?”

  Officer Bevins sighed again and shot Carter an apologetic look. “Again, like I told you, I have to have proof that Mr. Bragg was the one who hit you. Do you have proof, sir?”

  Brent blustered. “I have witnesses! This room was filled with people who saw what happened.”

  “Well, if you’re determined to press charges, I’ll have to interview them.” As far as Carter could tell Officer Bevins would prefer a mouthful of root canals over dealing with this situation.

  Carter, who’d been content to keep quiet up to that point, spoke up. “James, I’d make absolutely certain you have a solid case against me before making the decision to press charges.”

  Brent took a threatening step toward Carter. “You did this! Admit it! You hit me!” The man had gone from hysterical to completely unhinged.

  “I’ll do no such thing.” Carter turned to the police officers. “Charges haven’t already been filed?”

  Officer Bevins shook his head. “No, sir, Mr. Bragg. Mr. James called us this morning. Said he’d been assaulted and demanded we come down here and arrest the man who’d done it. I informed him of the process, but agreed to come and see if we could get to the bottom of things. I had no idea he accused you.”

  From the corner of his eye Carter saw the stunt guys he’d been talking to earlier gather closer. Jason had his phone to his ear just a minute before and now he kept glancing at the door every few seconds. When Stephen came rushing through it, Carter realized why.

  “What is the meaning of this?” he shouted as he walked across the large room.

  Officer Bevins sighed again, but waited to say anything until Stephen reached them. The other officer, who’d yet to say a word, watched everything, his eyes wide as saucers.

  “Mr. Berg, I’m Officer Bevins and this is my partner, Officer Calhoun. We’re here to look into a claim made by Mr. James about an assault.”

  Stephen’s eyes widened. “Assault? What assault?”

  Brent pointed at Carter again, tempting him to break the other man’s finger, police witnesses or not. “He punched me!”

  Stephen stared at Brent in disbelief. “Only after you attacked him.”

  Officer Bevins frowned. “You assaulted Mr. Bragg?”

  This seemed to confuse Brent for a moment. “He started it!”

  A small giggle burst from Harley’s lips before she could slap her hand over them. “I’m sorry. Excuse me.”

  Brent’s eyes narrowed on her. “This is your fault. It’s all your fault.” He took a menacing step toward Harley.

  Carter put his body in front of her, giving Brent a warning look.

  “She did this! She did this to me!” Brent screamed while everyone looked on, shocked.

  “Brent, I think you just need to calm down,” Stephen tried to talk the other man down.

  Brent spun around, facing the director. “You won’t get away with this. I’ll sue. You can’t just rip my part away and give it to someone else.”

  Stephen’s features hardened. “I didn’t. You will still act in the role of Damon Sikes, private investigator. Just as your contract states.” He turned to the two policemen. “How can we help you, gentlemen?”

  “Mr. James wants to press charges against Mr. Bragg. Since there’s no proof Mr. Bragg struck Mr. James, we’ll have to conduct an investigation.”

  Stephen’s lips pinched. “I don’t believe that will be necessary. You see, fans of the Brave and Bound movies can’t get enough of the films so we include behind the scenes footage with each new release. Cameras are rolling on set at all times. The entire incident was caught on film.”

  Behind him, Harley gripped the hem of Carter’s shirt in her hand. Even with all the commotion going on around them, all Carter could think about was the fact Harley did not belong to Brent James. In his heart, he knew she didn’t and he planned to get to the bottom of their relationship if it was the last thing he did.

  Because Harley Stone belonged with him.

  “Okay, Mr. Berg, can we see the footage of the incident? I don’t have a warrant. You don’t have to show it to me, but if you do then we won’t have to go through the process of getting a warrant and wasting everyone’s time.”

  “I’ll sue!” Brent flew off the handle again. “I’ll sue for pain and suffering!” He reared around to face Carter again. “I’ll take everything you have, Bragg!”

  Carter’s jaw ached from keeping it so tight. “You do that, James. And I will ruin you.” Carter took one step toward the other man. “Because we both know what happened, what was recorded in that footage. You, restraining Harley against her will and me coming to her aid,” Carter spoke low enough only Brent could hear him and Harley.

  Brent’s wild eyes darted toward Harley.

  “And when I win your case against me, I will use my endless resources to make certain the world knows the truth about the kind of man you are and that will be the end of you and your puny acting career. In fact, now that we know there’s evidence, maybe Harley’s the one who wants to press charges.”

  Carter stared at Brent long and hard.

  “Are you sure that’s what you want to do, Brent?”

  Brent’s face turned an unhealthy shade of purple. He spun on his heel and marched away without another word.

  “Mr. James!” Officer Bevins called after him, alarmed. Brent never slowed his step. Officer Bevins turned to Carter.

  “I don’t believe Mr. James will be pressing charges today.”

  Once things with the police officers had been squared away, Harley, Carter, and a few other members of the cast and crew met in a large conference room for a read through of the script. Carter discovered Harley had been correct. The lines weren’t difficult and once he understood the storyline, it was easy to figure out where things were going next.

  Stephen ordered Brent to take the day off. One of the stunt guys read his lines and by the time they were finished, Carter felt spent and ready to go home and relax in front of his television. Too bad he and Chris had plans to speak to their father that evening after Carter helped Harley get settled into the apartment next door.

  Carter glanced at the door to the conference room long
ingly. Stephen had lunch delivered a couple of hours ago, but Carter desperately needed to stretch his legs. He waited until they were going over a scene that didn’t include him and made an excuse to leave for a few minutes.

  Carter exited the conference room and didn’t stop until he’d left the building. Accustomed to long hours of work, he was surprised by how draining the day had been. He supposed it was just the change in routine and not being in charge of his own time. His mind and body knew what to expect from a day at the office. Here, everything revolved around the whims of Stephen Berg. Carter wondered if he would ever become accustomed to that.

  Lifting his arms above his head, Carter stretched, bending side to side and then reaching down to touch the ground. He groaned as his stiff muscles protested. Rising back to his full height, Carter lifted one heel back to stretch his quads when he heard voices coming from around the side of the building.

  Carter strained his ears, surprised to hear one word, actually, one name. Missy.

  Curious, he edged his way toward the voices. The closer he got, he recognized one of them. Brent.

  “You promised me, Missy,” Brent said.

  “Yes, I did, but I didn’t figure on Carter Bragg,” Missy responded. “Or that you would get in a fight with him.”

  “We had a plan. Dating Harley was supposed to help my career and now things are worse than ever!”

  “Brent-”

  “No! It was supposed to be me. That was the plan. I’m the star! Stephen thinks he can just turn me into the bad guy. Who wants the bad guy? Nobody will believe Harley and I are together now. All the media, all the attention will be on him!”

  “We can still work things out, Brent. There will be plenty of roles after this one. We’ll find them for you. Build your career. You have to trust me.”

  Carter couldn’t believe what he heard. The whole thing between Harley and Brent had been a ploy, something cooked up by Missy for publicity! That meant he’d been right all along. Harley’s heart never belonged to Brent James.

  It belonged to him.

  “No.” Brent brushed Missy’s hand off his arm. “You had your chance. Now, I’m going to ruin you all.” Carter watched as Brent stormed away, Missy racing after him, wondering what the man was capable of. All he knew, he would protect Harley no matter what it took.

  Chapter Eighteen

  After a long day of read throughs, Harley’s driver followed Carter to Bragg Enterprises. Carter led them under the building to a parking garage. He entered a code into the keypad to a gate separating his parking area from the rest. He’d texted the code to Harley, but they made it through before it closed again.

  Carter parked, gesturing for her driver to park beside him. He was glad for the added security. Everyone knew Harley was in Denver. It would only be a matter of time before paparazzi found her here and started camping out at the entrances. He supposed he should have thought of that before offering the apartment to her. Not that it would have made a difference.

  “Are all of these cars yours?” Harley asked once they’d both exited their vehicles.

  “I like cars.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I guess.”

  Carter grabbed his bag from the trunk and went to help her with her things.

  “Is this all you brought?” She had one full and one carry-on sized suitcases.

  She nodded. “For now.”

  Carter took the handle of the suitcase and let her roll her carryon. “Did you give the code to your driver?”

  “Yeah, he’s going to leave, but he’ll be back in the morning.”

  “What about your bodyguard? What’s his name?”

  “Troy. He’s going to stay at the hotel for now since there’s security in the building and a private entrance.”

  Carter nodded as he pushed the button for the elevator. “We could ride together if you wanted.”

  She’d been avoiding his gaze, but she looked up at him then. “I don’t want to inconvenience you.”

  He made a face. “We’re going to the same place, Harley.”

  “I know, I just-”

  “Whatever. If you don’t want to ride with me, it’s fine.” Carter shrugged as though he really didn’t care.

  “No. No. I didn’t mean that-” her cheeks pinked and Carter bit the inside of his lip to keep from laughing.

  “Oh, so you do want to.”

  “No. I mean, yes.” She stopped talking to glare at him. “Stop it.”

  “What?” He widened his eyes innocently.

  The elevator door opened and he put his arm out, holding it until they were able to get in.

  “You enjoy flustering me.” She pulled her bag into the elevator.

  “That’s because you’re cute when you blush.” Carter winked and her neck flamed red. “See?”

  “Cursed fair skin,” she complained as Carter wheeled her luggage into place and pressed the button for the penthouse.

  The elevator doors closed and Harley took a deep breath. Carter cut his gaze to her.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah,” she answered, her smile tremulous. “I don’t really like elevators.”

  Carter frowned. “Cable breaking or small spaces?”

  Her face turned white. “Small spaces, but now that you mention it, the cable breaking wouldn’t be that fun, either.”

  Carter reached for her hand. He probably shouldn’t have, but she seemed truly frightened. He wondered if he should mention the fact that this elevator had been known to get stuck from time to time? It had been awhile since it happened last, over a year, but Carter had gotten stuck three or four times since moving in eight years ago. Never for longer than an hour and he made sure the thing was regularly inspected, but it did happen.

  “It’s a quick ride to the top since we don’t have any stops,” he tried to reassure her, deciding not to mention anything about getting stuck. She would only be there for a few months, right? What were the chances really?

  Harley clutched his hand tightly until the elevator stopped. As soon as the door opened, she burst through it.

  “Hey, you sure you’re okay?” He hated the thought of her riding in the elevator by herself if she was so afraid.

  “Yeah.” She turned her back to him and adjusted the handle on her bag. “It’s been a stressful week. Usually, I don’t get freaked out like that.”

  He wished he could do something about the haunted look in her eyes, but thought anything he said at this point would just make things worse.

  “Come on. Yours is on the right.” Carter dropped his own bag outside his door then headed down the hall to the other apartment. Carter dug in his pocket for his keys.

  “I left your set on the counter in my kitchen. Sorry. I’ll go get them after I show you around. We should put your fingerprint in the elevator keypad, too. And set a code. You can access the penthouse floor with either.” He should have done that while they were at the elevator, but Harley’s discomfort had distracted him.

  “Okay.” She stood at his side as he unlocked the door to the apartment and he couldn’t help thinking how much he liked having her there. After overhearing Brent and Missy’s conversation earlier, Carter couldn’t stop thinking about Harley and how much he wanted to tell her, show her, exactly how he felt. But first, he had to figure out all the facts about her relationship with Brent. What had the actor told Harley? How much did she know and agree to concerning Missy’s plans? Or was she a victim of her mother’s machinations?

  “Here we are,” he said as he pushed open the door, holding it wide for Harley to enter first.

  “Oh, wow,” she breathed as she got her first look at the space and furniture. “Carter, this is beautiful.”

  Carter closed the door behind them and stood back while Harley spun in a slow circle taking everything in.

  “I love this. The woodwork is so unexpected.” She continued further into the apartment, missing nothing. Her fingertips lightly grazed a table near the living area. “It’s so warm, invit
ing.”

  Carter sighed. “Let me guess, you were envisioning black and white.”

  Harley grinned. “Maybe a little steel.”

  “Modern is fine, but I prefer cozy.”

  Both apartments had vaulted ceilings with wood beams and warm lighting. The hardwood floors were covered with rugs and plush furniture made for sitting comfortably. Colorful throw pillows and blankets were scattered here and there and a leather ottoman the size of a king sized bed sat in the middle of a cluster of sofas. Everything in the apartment was well made and built for comfort as well as being approved by his interior designer.

  “This is not at all what I imagined. I love it.”

  “Come on. I’ll show you the master suite and drop off your bags. Then I’ll let you get settled. I had someone stock the fridge, too. And there should be dinner to warm up as well.”

  “Carter, you didn’t have to do that! I meant to order something.” Her brow creased with worry as she spoke and Carter wanted to reach out and smooth the small wrinkles.

  “It wasn’t a problem. I just had my order doubled for this week. It was scheduled to arrive today anyway.”

  Harley’s lips twitched with amusement and Carter could only imagine what she must be thinking.

  “Don’t worry. I eat healthy. Your freezer isn’t full of frozen pizza and fish sticks.”

  That got her to laugh. “I like fish sticks.”

  Carter made a face. “Ew.”

  “Snob,” she accused, punching his arm lightly.

  “Yes,” he agreed, taking the handles of both bags and heading down a hall. “When it comes to food I prefer not to eat like I’m still living in a frat house.”

  Harley wrinkled her nose. “You lived in a frat house?”

  “For five years.”

  “That sounds horrible. And disease ridden.”

  Carter barked out a laugh. “You’re not wrong.” Sometimes he got a little nostalgic, remembering the good old days, but mostly, he was happy not sharing a house with forty other men.

  Halfway down the hall, Carter turned into the master suite composed of a bedroom with a sitting area, closet the size of a small country, and an even bigger bathroom.