Billionaire Bad Boys: A Collection of Contemporary and Paranormal Bad Boys

by Calinda B

  Harlow’s left my kitchen a disaster I want nothing to do with, and I’m still groggy. I go back to my bed unable to think anymore.

  More sleep is what I need.

  Pastries and chocolate filling my hands, I knock on the door feeling way more nervous than necessary. It’s not like I’m a stranger or anything.

  “TJ!” Mom says with surprise. “I’m so glad to see you here. Come on in.”

  My sister appears and runs down the stairs. “TJ, is that really you?”

  “Hi, Mom. Hi, Veronica.” The beat of my heart is loud and fast, like when I finished a marathon last year.

  “Let me get this for you.” Mom takes the box out of my hands just in time for my sister to jump into my arms.

  “It’s about damn time that you show up here.”

  “Sit with us, I’ll get some coffees ready.” The emotion in Mom’s eyes is hard to deal with. Though her eyes have tears, her lips smile.

  “What made you change your mind?”

  Veronica and I have had no argument with each other, but our relationship got lost in the spat I did have with my parents. Mostly my mother. “Dad asked me to spend more time and visit you more. So, I’m trying.”

  Everything came crashing down when I’d left Cassie. Mom had loved her, and so had Veronica. I’d even planned on asking Cassie to marry me, which had made my parents proud. I had a ring made for her and a date picked out for the moment that would change my life. Two days before I was going to propose, I woke up and dropped everything. Why? I didn’t feel it anymore. I was in love with the idea of everyone being happy around me, except for me. My own happiness didn’t matter. Cassie was, and is, a beautiful girl, but she doesn’t have much of a personality, and with time, that gets annoying. She and my mom had built a mother-daughter type relationship, and Cassie got along great with Veronica, too. In the end, I was the asshole, so my mom and I ended up having a major fall out. My dad had tried to bring some sense back to me, but I remained stubborn. Yes, I had changed my mind from starting an engagement to ending our relationship, but I couldn’t envision a lifetime with Cassie, so how would that have been fair? To either of us.

  “What’s in the box?” Veronica is curious as ever.

  “Pastries with chocolate in them.”

  “You’re the best. Mom is on a no-sweet diet so there’s nothing sugary around here.”

  “I’m happy to bring some reinforcements.”

  We sit in the tea area of the living room while we wait for Mom to return.

  “What’s new?” I ask.

  “I’m leaving next week for France.”

  “Who are you going with?”

  “A guy. I’ve been seeing someone lately, and we decided to go together.”

  It sounds like Cassie and me. “Good. It will be good for you to see more of the world.” What am I saying anyway? “I mean, you’ll learn about different cultures and all.”

  “Yes. He’s French, though. He’s going to show me around.”

  “Oh, that’s even better.”

  “I can’t wait. My suitcase is already packed.” Veronica doesn’t have to say more; I can tell she’s madly in love with this guy, and it seems good for her. She’s radiant.

  My mom returns to the room, the rims of her eyes red behind her glasses. “Here’s your coffee. I added two sugars and two creams, just the way you like it. How have you been? It’s good to see you here.”

  “I’m okay, busy for the most part.”

  “Busy is good.” She adds, “Your dad always said that a busy man is a man caring for his family.”

  Interesting. I wonder if she knew about Dad’s hobby after all. What if she knows everything, including what he has asked me to do?

  “He was a good man,” I say.

  “So, do you have a girlfriend or a fiancée?” My sister doesn’t wait any longer to ask me the one question I didn’t want to be asked.

  “Not at the moment. Don’t have the time right now. With the way my business is picking up, I have to invest the time if I want it to work out.” Lies.

  “I’m proud of you, TJ. I knew you were going to be fine, that you’d succeed.”

  Veronica opens the small box of pastries and goes ballistic when she sees what’s inside. I can’t imagine how she will be in France. We all take one, then eat while chatting, catching up on Veronica’s studies in fashion design and sharing memories of my father. It’s a good night, and I’m hopeful we have put our misunderstandings behind us. For now, anyway.

  “Will you join us for dinner Sunday?”

  There is no reason for me to refuse. We’ve been good and nice to each other. “I’ll be here. At six?”

  She nods. “Today, you’ve made me very happy.”

  “I think it’s time to move away from the past. The future is ours.”

  “Absolutely, I have two beautiful, talented, and loving children. I’m looking forward to spending more time together, all of us.”

  My line of sight locks on a frame with my father’s picture in it. At least one of Dad’s wishes has been granted.

  We’re talking now.

  4

  Days go by without any sign of Harlow. Got what I asked for, I guess. Yet, my mind keeps taunting me, whispering that my words to her were too harsh. On the other hand, I have been with Cassie every day, and Harlow knows that.

  At first, Cassie jumped right back to where we were when we broke up, as if nothing had happened or two years hadn’t gone by. Now, I’m sensing she has reservations. Her actions around me are more controlled and, thank goodness, she’s not trying to get us into bed every two hours. I don’t know what to think of it, but I’ll let it go. For now. Caring about her is normal, but love can’t—and won’t—happen again. This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Manipulating someone’s feelings is more than a mind game, it involves building a second personality. One that they’ll love.

  Asleep in my arms, Cass clearly had a rough day. She came home exhausted, and not in the best mood. Although we watched a movie together, her mind seemed to be elsewhere the whole time. She didn’t laugh once—and it was a comedy. Should I leave her alone or stay with her? I’ll tuck her in and then I’ll go.

  When I get up from the couch and scoop her into my arms, her eyes open and close a few times. “Shh, I’m taking you to bed. Go back to sleep.”

  Her thin arms wrap around me and she keeps her eyes closed, but I have a feeling she isn’t ready to go back to bed. Cassie lets me tuck her under the sheets while staring at me with so much sadness in her droopy eyes.

  “TJ, are you back with me because you miss your dad? Because you’re lonely?” Tears escape her eyes and her bottom lip quivers. “You look so sad all the time.”

  “I am sad, Cass. After we broke up, I got in a huge argument with my parents and hadn’t talked to them much. Until today. I went to visit my mom and sister for the first time in a very long time.”

  “You were at the funeral, though. I saw you.”

  “Of course, I went. My dad had always been my number one role model, I wanted to be like him. After the fight he came to me a few times, to make sure I was okay. We still talked and saw each other because he cared about me, and I, about him. The argument was mostly between Mom and me.”

  “So you saw her today?”

  I nod. “I have to make things right again. We’ve lost enough already.”

  “Was your mom emotional? She always has been.”

  Cassie knows so much about me and my family; it’s making things harder for me. I don’t want her too attached again.

  “Veronica was happy to see me. It must be hard to be at home these days. All the memories and Mom crying, missing him.”

  “Grief is hard and takes time.”

  “I know. Anyway...” I take a deep breath. “Enough talking for tonight,” I say knowing I didn’t really answer her question, but she seems okay with it.

  She opens her arms to me. “Come here.”

  I do, because for
the first time in a while, I need this. I need to be the one being cared for. Today didn’t spare me the usual daily roller coaster of unstable emotions, but I’m glad I visited my family.

  “I’m sorry, Dad. You know me, and it looks like I took after you. I thought I could do this my way because my way is always better than anyone else, right? I know I’m stubborn as fuck all the damn time. When I found out it was Cassie’s house, I took the easy road without thinking. Ramsey wasn’t impressed. I screwed up your plan the minute I had it in my hands.” I pause, looking at the tombstone while gathering my thoughts.

  “Yesterday, I spent time with Veronica and Mom. They were both happy I was there, and I’m glad I went. We’ve already wasted enough time for a lifetime, so I’ll keep visiting them every chance I get. Dad, why couldn’t you have told me about this part of your life when you were alive? Now, I’m left with all kinds of questions, and no answers.”

  It’s hard not to breakdown, because I’m so tired of feeling like this.

  “It seems that the Club members think I should be affiliated with Harlow, but I don’t see the point of getting to know her when I don’t want to do something like this ever again. Plus, she’s kind of a handful.” I laugh. “I’ve already kicked her out of my place once. I don’t think she’ll be back anytime soon.”

  Talking to Dad while sitting on the grass helps free my mind. It hasn’t been this way in a long time. Without all of the white noise driving me insane, I can actually think. I stay here as long as I can, until the rain becomes harder than a misty shower. I don’t even know what time it is. Time stopped the minute I entered the graveyard; it might have been hours before it started raining. My clothes are cold and drenched as I jog back to my car laughing. Laughing at the insanity that is life—my dad, the diamond, Cassie, Harlow, the club. Now even the weather has joined the party.

  Everything has changed. No matter what happens in my future, I’ll never be able to go back to the simple life I had before. When I wasn’t lying to women for the sake of my bad intentions, back to when I had no intention of becoming a thief.

  I open the door of my car and mess with my keys. My fingers are shaking and so are my lips. I’m so freaking cold but hadn’t realized it until now. The rain sliding down my arms and back feels like ice, making my body numb. The drive to my house is with the heat cranked while I sing along to Nirvana’s biggest success like I own the song. I’m on a high, visiting my dad was what I needed today. Finding a space in the indoor lot, I park my car and hurry to the elevator leaving behind prints from my wet shoes. As I get out of the elevator, a smile on my face and still humming the same song, I find a crying Harlow sitting by my door.

  “Harlow?”

  “TJ, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come here, but I didn’t know where else to go.”

  “Hold on a second, let’s get inside.” Given the state of her appearance, my hunch is that what she’s about to tell me will change everything. Again.

  Her hair, long and frizzy, is as wet as mine and it’s dripping all around her. Dark circles under her green eyes catch my attention. Something bad has happened. She’s breathing hard, unable to talk. As soon as I get the door open, she walks in and removes her large black sweater. Shiver bumps cover her skin, and her lips are a pale shade of blue. I can’t leave her like this.

  “Come on,” I say, and she follows me. “Take this, and this. There’s a hair dryer under the sink. Take a bath, or a shower if you want, but relax and warm up. We’ll talk after.”

  “O–k-kay.” She’s holding the towels I’ve handed her, her teeth chattering.

  “I’ll get you some dry clothes, too. I’ll leave them by the door.”

  “What about y–you? You’re c-cold, too.”

  “Don’t worry, I have another bathroom,” I answer, happy now I got a two-bathroom condo. It’s useful for the first time.

  Removing drenched clothes is always hard, they are holding on to me like a damn octopus. I’m freezing cold and unable to think clearly, but I need full control of the situation. Hurrying into the shower, I turn the water to hot without hesitation. It burns my skin but feels so good at the same time. I stay under the water until I no longer feel the coldness of the rain.

  Out of the shower, I dry myself and get dressed fast. Picking out sweatpants and a hoodie for Harlow, I leave them by the door as promised. The bathroom appears to be quiet, which is a good thing. She needs it. I’ll give her time, all the time she needs, but I’m also anxious to know what brought her here in such a state.

  Harlow’s presence here is making me nervous. I can’t seem to calm down; my heart is still pounding and my body is covered in goosebumps. What put her in such distress?

  Getting coffee prepared and warming some soup from a can, I wait for her. Splashes from the bath sounded out not too long ago, so she should be coming out to join me soon. The door squeaks open and closes a second later. The dry clothes are gone when I peek down the hall.

  Waiting on the couch, I’m drinking my coffee. She’s drying her hair—I can’t see her, but I can hear everything she does. I might need a second cup of coffee.

  “TJ.”

  “Hey! Are you feeling any better?” My eyes are roving over her, assessing her. She looks a little bit better, less distraught.

  “Yes, thank you. You could have refused to let me in, but you didn’t.”

  I sigh. “Take it as a second chance to a possible friendship.”

  She laughs shyly. “Already on a second chance friendship and it’s only the third time we’ve ever seen each other.”

  “We live in a crazy world, where anything can happen.”

  Harlow nods then looks down at her feet. “Last night… Ramsey had a heart attack at the Club.”

  My reaction is immediate, I reach out to her and wrap my arms around her. Offering comfort is the only thing I can think of.

  “I spent the night at the hospital. They can’t guarantee a full recovery. It was a bad one.” Her head rests against my chest. “I have to go back later.”

  Relief washes over me when she reveals he is still alive. “He’s alive, and a fighter, too. He’ll get through it without a doubt.”

  “When I left the hospital, I decided to walk home because I needed fresh air. I was confronted by two men…” The tone of her voice is barely a whisper by the time her words taper off.

  My blood turns ice cold, I’m not sure I can handle what she is about to say. Squeezing her closer, I wait for more details. “Go on.”

  “They took my phone and my wallet, and then pushed me to the ground. I was so stunned that it took me a minute or two to get back on my feet, and they were long gone by then.”

  Fuck! Anger spreads in my veins. “Are you okay? Were you hurt?”

  She shakes her head. “I’m okay, just shaken up. It could’ve been worse.”

  “I’m pretty sure you don’t want to deal with this right now, but you should cancel any credit cards you have and track your phone.”

  Wiping at her eyes to hide the tears, she looks so small and fragile compared to the Harlow I’d first met. “I know.”

  “Here, you can use mine. Get them cancelled before it’s too late,” I say pulling away from her and reaching for my phone.

  Leaving her alone to give her privacy to handle her business, I gather our drenched clothes to throw in the washing machine. While separating the multiple layers of the top she had been wearing, I see traces of blood. She’s hurt. I drop everything in the machine, add soap, and get back to her.

  “I’m on hold with the bank,” she says wincing.

  “You’re hurt.” She frowns but doesn’t say anything so I keep going. “I put your clothes in the washing machine. They were spotted with blood.”

  Harlow nods. “Give me a minute.”

  I understand she wants to be done with her calls. Before I forget, I bring her the soup and coffee I’d made earlier. Although I don’t expect her to eat or drink after what she told me. It’s enough to ruin an appetite
.

  My appetite’s been missing since the day my father died.

  5

  Looking at Harlow, I’m trying to think of what I should be doing to ease her pain. Both from her father’s heart condition and the attack. New York City isn’t always the safest place to be but I never thought something like that would happen during the day. Were there any witnesses? Should she contact the police? Were they after her for a reason, or was she just another victim? The questions come one after another in my mind.

  “I don’t want to tell you what to do, but maybe you should call the cops and file a report?”

  She shakes her head, agitated. “I don’t want to deal with cops. I prefer them far away from me.”

  With a troubled past and being a thief, of course she doesn’t want to call the cops. “Okay, as you wish.”

  “Yeah, I’m a big girl. I’ll get through this. It’s too much all in one day is all.”

  Hell yeah, it is. This isn’t the type of thing a person needs in their life. Parental illness and physical attacks cause different kinds of pain, the kind you don’t want to think about. It’s too much. I give her shoulder a little squeeze and am startled by a dot of blood coming through the hoodie.

  “Harlow, your back. I think you’re still bleeding.”

  “I must have gotten hurt when I was pushed on the ground. It’s burning a little. I thought it had stopped bleeding once I was in the tub.”

  “Can I see? To make sure you’re okay.”

  “Hell, no, you’re not looking. I’m not even wearing a bra.” She pulls away from me.

  Right, I knew that, since I’m the one who put it in the washing machine. “Go in the bathroom and check it out. If it’s still bleeding, maybe you need to get it looked at.”

  Harlow gets up from the kitchen chair and makes her way toward the hall. Her steps are slow and unstable. She’s worrying me. Running to my room, I get her a new hoodie—a black one this time—and then meet her at the bathroom.

  “It’s a cut. About three inches long,” she says, her eyes meeting mine in the mirror before darting away.