Billionaire Playboy

by Terry Towers

  No response. Twisting the knob, I pushed the door open and entered. “Abby?”

  Hmmm. Stepping into the bedroom, I gave it a quick scan. Something wasn’t right. Since she’d moved in with me, she always had her toiletries on the top of the dresser. They were gone.

  Maybe she left them in the bathroom? Not likely. I’m not sure what possessed me, but I walked to the dresser and pulled open the top drawer. It was empty. I began pulling open the other drawers, and they all turned up empty.

  What in the hell?

  Leaving the bedroom and not bothering to close the door, I went back to Isabella’s room. Entering Isabella’s room, my eyes went right to where the bear should be sitting. It was gone. Just like Abigail’s room, this one was empty.

  What the fuck! I stood stunned in the middle of Isabella’s room, not sure what to think. Pulling my phone from my pants pocket, I scanned my text messages. Nothing from Abigail.

  Maybe she’d packed up early since our time together was coming to an end?

  Going back downstairs, I re-entered the kitchen. That’s when I spotted it. I hadn’t entered the kitchen fully the first time, so I hadn’t seen it before: a note pinned to the fridge.

  Grabbing the note from under the silver fridge magnet, I began to read.

  Dear Devon,

  Isabella and I have had a good time staying with you over the past month, but with our contract coming to an end, I felt it was time for us to move on. We’ll say that you have won the bet and end it with that.

  I’ve also contacted the cleaning company I work for and resigned, so they will be sending a new girl to replace me in the morning.

  Please don’t try and contact me. I think it’s better if we just left it like this. Isabella is confused enough as it is and I don’t feel that it would be fair to continue to confuse her.

  I wish you the best of luck in the future,

  Abigail

  We’ll just say you won? Did that mean she was in love with me?

  I stood staring at the note for a while, analyzing the words written on it. The whole thing didn’t make any sense. Did she think that I’d be done with her as soon as the week was up? Did she not know me better than that? Surely, she knew me well enough to know that wasn’t the case. To think that she might even consider the idea that I would just end things with her hurt.

  And to end it with a request to not contact her! What in the fuck was that all about? This was bullshit!

  I was about to call her when I stopped myself. If she was going to pull this shit, did I really want to chase after her? If she didn’t want to be with me that badly, then to hell with her.

  Exiting the kitchen, I entered the main room and grabbed a bottle of scotch. After pouring a drink on the rocks, I drank it down in a couple of gulps.

  To hell with this shit; I was calling her. Grabbing my phone once more, I dialled her number. It rang several times before being picked up by voicemail.

  Dammit!

  Setting the drink on the fireplace ledge, I poured myself another drink. Swallowing down the liquid, I stared at the phone while savoring the burning feel of the alcohol sliding down my throat. Placing the empty glass on the ledge, I picked my phone back up and sent her a text message.

  I had a feeling that she wasn’t going to answer the phone no matter how many times I called, but she’d have no choice but to read what I had to say. Sure, she could delete it without reading it, but I doubted she would. She’d be too curious.

  But what should I write? I had no idea.

  Fuck it. I’d just send her a message telling her to call me and come back. If she responded, great. If she didn’t, then I’d have to search her down. This didn’t make sense, not one bit.

  I’m not sure what’s going on, but you need to come back. I need to talk to you.

  ~*~ TT ~*~

  Abigail

  “You’re being crazy right now, you realize this, right?” Carrie said to me as I finished packing my belonging.

  “I’m not being crazy. I’m doing the right thing.” I informed her.

  “But flying to Bermuda is insane,” She insisted, “Talk to him. Let him know what’s going on.”

  “I’m not going to be the one that makes him lose his business.”

  “That’s not guaranteed. And if worse came to worst, he’d still be a shareholder.”

  “But he wouldn’t be in charge of the thing he loves more than anything else.”

  “Until you.” She cocked her head to the side and eyed me carefully, waiting for my response.

  I snorted. “I think if it was between me and his company, I wouldn’t stand a chance.”

  “I’m sure he could find a solution. She could be bluffing, you know.”

  My hands stopped packing to give her my undivided attention. “And what if she wasn’t? I’m not about to take that chance. I care for him way too much for that.”

  “You love him, you mean.”

  Raising my hands out to the side, I responded. “What do you want me to say, Carrie? I’m trying to do the right thing here.”

  “You’re being stupid.” When I ignored her, she leaned forward. “Abby, you’re making a mistake.”

  I was about to respond when my phone started ringing.

  Pulling the phone from my back pocket, I looked down at the caller ID. It was Devon. I swiped across the screen to deny the call.

  “Was that him?”

  “Yes.”

  “See?” She motioned to the phone. “He wants to resolve this. He’s not going to let you go so easily. That there is saying a lot.”

  “It just means he doesn’t like to lose.” I didn’t believe the words that came out of my mouth, not for a second. But I was attempting to sell it – to both of us.

  The phone beeped signaling a text message. As much as I wanted to read the message, I refrained. Without even looking at it, I opened and deleted it. It was for the best. Even if there wasn’t the threat from Amy, I still had to worry about getting hurt in the end. He wasn’t the kind of guy to be with a woman like me. I was interesting because I was new and different. As soon as the newness was done, he’d leave me to the wayside.

  It was definitely better this way.

  I’m doing the right thing. I’d told myself that numerous times already, but I still didn’t believe it.

  ~*~ TT ~*~

  One Month Later

  Devon

  Enough was enough. I’d attempted to call her so many times I’d lost count. Text messages went unanswered. I was being completely cut out and it was pissing me off. As much as I’d been tempted to chase after her right after she left, I’d held back. She would come to her senses, I’d told myself.

  But she hadn’t.

  I tried to let go and move on. If she wanted me then she never would have left in the first place, right? But the woman was in my head. I’d even tried dating a few other women, but to no avail. No one compared to her. Socialites and celebrities were so damned bland.

  None had the fire that Abigail had.

  And she was going to be mine again.

  “So, where is she?” I asked the private detective I’d hired to find her. I’d already attempted to get the information from her roommate, but that woman’s lips were sealed. No amount of money would make her rat out her friend – it was both admirable and annoying.

  But there was more than one way to get what I wanted, and Robert Kennel was the way. It took him nearly a week, but he’d found her and confirmed it was indeed her by sending me a picture. She looked good in the picture and tanned.

  “It took some time, she’s been travelling a bit.”

  I groaned my frustration. “Just tell me where she is, I don’t give a shit about the process. I just need to know where I’m flying.”

  The other man looked a little disappointed that I didn’t have an interest in hearing about the trouble he’d went to. I wasn’t paying for a story, I was paying for the location of the woman I loved. “She’s staying at the Tucker’s
Point Resort in Bermuda. She’s leaving in six days.”

  “That’s all I wanted to know.” Pulling an envelope from the inner pocket of my jacket, I passed it over to him. It cost me a fair amount to gain the information, but now I had it and it was time to retrieve her. She could have picked a hell of a lot worse places than Bermuda.

  Getting up from the table, I gave him a nod. “I appreciate your help.” Grabbing my phone from the pocket of my jeans, I pulled it out and began making the necessary calls to get me there as quickly as possible.

  She should have known that she couldn’t get away from me that easily.

  Chapter 25

  Abigail

  “Ohmygod…” My eyes widened as I stared at the little white plastic stick telling me something I’d hoped it wouldn’t. “This can’t be right.” But the blue cross on the stick was telling me that it was indeed right.

  Maybe it was a mistake. These things could be wrong. They were only 99.6% accurate. So there was that .4% that was wrong. Digging into the bag, I pulled out another test, this time a different brand.

  I was a few days late for my period and was always on time, but that could have been anything. Sure, add in the nausea that started a few days ago and it was looking a little more suspicious. But again, the nausea could also be explained away.

  Late period, nausea and a positive on a pregnancy test was all adding up to the same conclusion.

  How was it possible, I was on the pill…

  The antibiotics. Fuck! How could I have been so stupid? I’d been on antibiotics for an abscessed tooth around the time Devon and I had had sex in the hot tub. That’s all it would have taken. I’d known of a couple girls who had been in that exact situation and ended up being knocked up.

  But I’d try one more time. Pulling the stick out of the box, I sighed as I positioned myself over the toilet, attempting to pee while holding the stick under the stream. Once done, I placed the test on the marble bathroom vanity and waited.

  “Mommy, I want to swim,” Isabella called through the closed bathroom hotel room door.

  “I know, sweetheart. I’ll just be another minute.”

  Counting down two minutes, I refused to allow myself to sneak a peak at the result. Once the time was up, I made a silent prayer that it wouldn’t tell me I was carrying Devon’s child. Picking up the stick, I brought it to eye level and my heart stopped.

  Another positive.

  Oh god, oh god, oh god.

  What in the hell was I going to do?

  I’d seen the news online. There were lots of rumors about Devon and several different women since I’d left. It didn’t take him long to get back to his old ways. Once a player always a player, wasn’t that how the saying went? I’d made the right decision to leave, and him going back to his old ways had confirmed that. It would take time for my broken heart to heal. I’d hoped a month away to a destination I’d always dreamed of going to would get my mind off him, but it hadn’t. With each day that passed, the pain did get a small fraction less, and I knew one day my heart would be healed.

  Leaving had seemed to be the right decision, until now.

  Now I had no idea what to do.

  After what happened with Isabella’s father, I was tempted to not tell him. I was playing the role of single mother currently to one child and I felt I was doing a pretty good job; I could be a mommy to two. It would mean I’d have to put off going back to school for another year or two, but such is life. Thankfully, I still had the vast majority of the five-hundred thousand that Devon had given me.

  I could make it work.

  There was only one problem though: I couldn’t do it to him. He’d already had a woman who gave a baby up on him, without his input. How could I have this baby and not tell him, giving him the chance to be the father?

  Fuck… Closing my eyes, I sighed and leaned back on the toilet.

  What was I going to do?

  ~*~ TT ~*~

  Nice resort, I thought as we approached. The sprawling estate was on the ocean and built in several divided levels. It looked more like dozens of condos than a hotel. The palm trees swayed ever so slightly from the warm, ocean wind.

  The cab pulled up to the front of the resort and the doorman came forward opening the door for me.

  “Thank you,” I said, stepping out.

  “My pleasure, sir.” The tall, young, black man smiled at me. It wasn’t a forced smile like you saw all to often in New York, but wide and seemingly genuine.

  So pleasant, everything about this country was pleasant and quaint. I’d only encountered a few natives so far, but all had been very friendly. Even the Customs people had been delightful. If things went bad with Abigail, at least I could spend a few days relaxing by the pool.

  As soon as I reached the threshold another worker, this time a woman greeted me. “Mr. Townstead?”

  I paused a moment and stared at her.

  “We know when our guest flights come in. You’re the last guest for the evening,” she explained.

  Chuckling, I nodded. “You’re correct. Very smart.”

  “Thank you.” She waved for me to follow her.

  Instead of one large, long, general reception desk, there were six desks set up. She led me to hers and motioned for me to take a seat, while she sat across from me, behind the computer.

  As much as I appreciated the hospitality, I was anxious to get my luggage in the room and find Abigail and Isabella.

  It took close to ten minutes; she insisted on going over all of the resorts amenities – in detail – before releasing me from the check-in process. Fuck, there was some pile of amenities.

  “Thank you for staying with us, Mr. Townstead. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to give me a ring.” She smiled at me as she handed me my key card. “Your luggage should already be in your room.”

  “Thank you so much. I appreciate your help.” Grabbing the handle of my carry-on, I wheeled it to the elevators. I was booked into a suite on the fifth floor, which also happened to be the highest level in this establishment. Apparently, it had an amazing view of the ocean.

  Once in my room, I took a moment to step onto the balcony and look out over the ocean. The water was the most stunning shade of light blue. The wind was rather strong today, causing waves which made the water look like there were diamonds spread across the surface.

  Taking a deep breath in, I enjoyed the fresh ocean air. One of the things that made Bermuda so beautiful was the lack of motor vehicles and factories. I couldn’t wait for evening when I could kick back on the balcony and look up at the stars without having to peer at them through a haze of pollution.

  With any luck, I’d be looking at the stars with Abigail at my side.

  Taking a quick shower, I changed into a fresh pair of jeans and a blue button-down shirt. Giving my reflection a quick once over, I decided I looked as good as I was ever going to look. Sliding the hotel card into my wallet, I shoved the wallet into my back pocket and exited the room. Abby was on the same floor as I was, but she was on the other end of the hotel.

  Upon reaching her room, I hesitated at the door before knocking. Holy shit! I was nervous. For a moment I was transported back in time, back to high school, when I had no experience with women and each time I attempted to ask a girl out I’d freeze up and punk out.

  There was no punking out this time.

  Come on man, you’ve come this far, get it over with. I was no longer in high school and there was one big distinct difference, she was in love with me. Her roommate, Carrie, may not have given me her location, but she’d accidently told me that my assumption was right, Abby was in love with me and scared of being hurt. Not in so many words, but she’d said enough for me to read between the lines.

  It was all a matter of not taking no for an answer.

  I knocked and waited for a reply. There wasn’t a reply right away, but after a second bout of knocking the door was flung open. Lowering my gaze, my eyes caught the stare of the miniature version of
the woman I loved.

  “Devon!” she squealed her eyes lighting up with happiness as she ran forward and hugged me.

  “Hey sweet girl.” I chuckled as I bent and picked her up. “Miss me?”

  “Uh-huh.” She was smiling from ear to ear as I settled her on my hip. “I missed you so much!”

  Chapter 26

  Abigail

  “Devon!” I heard the name practically screamed from the other side of the bathroom door. My eyes flew open and the tears immediately dried up.

  What in the hell? Why had she screamed his name?

  “Hey, Sweet Girl,” came the reply. I recognized the voice immediately and a lump formed in my throat.

  Devon. He was here! He’d found me and was in the middle of being reacquainted with Isabella.

  Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!

  “I missed you so much!” she proclaimed.

  Leaping from the toilet, I fixed myself up as best as possible. Luckily, I’d gotten a lot of sun over the past month so it helped camouflage the dark circles from my crying. My eyes were red though.

  Double shit.

  Splashing some cool water on my face, I tried to slow my racing heart. But it was useless. I was excited and scared and anxious and a million other things right now. How did he find me? Did Carrie give it away? I wasn’t sure if I was excited to see him or angry that he’d track me down when I’d specifically said I wanted him to stay away.

  I heard their voices again, but this time they were speaking in hushed tones and I couldn’t make out what was being said.

  My hand shook as I placed the hand towel back on the rack and grasped the door handle, giving it a twist. My breath caught in my throat as upon opening the door I came face to face with Devon Townstead.

  “Hello, Abby,” he smiled, the smile was an exact replica of the smug smile he’d given me when he walked in on me changing the bed the very first day we’d met.

  “Devon. Wh-What are you doing here?”

  He shrugged, putting my daughter back down on the floor and stepped towards me. “I came for you.”