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

by Calinda B

  The pictures from the other night! I never showed her because she was too hungover, and then I forgot about them after that. “I have pictures.”

  “And why are you only telling me this now? You should have shown me right away.” Her rolling eyes emphasize her incredibility.

  “Relax, princess, you were too moody to have any type of discussion that day. So I’m showing you now.” Princess? Really?

  Retrieving my phone from its charger in my bedroom, I show her the different shots I got.

  “The ring, TJ. Do you know how much it’s worth?” she asks after a few minutes.

  “A couple million is what I’ve heard.”

  She nods. “Okay. Should only need a couple of minutes to get it out.”

  “Really? That’s all?”

  “To make this easy to understand, it’s about as secure as if she’d put a Lamborghini in a shoe box and called that a safe. Yeah... your Cassie, she’s not too smart.”

  “Harlow, that wasn’t...” Nice, I finish in my head.

  “Sorry, I was thinking out loud. Sort of.” She pauses. “Cassie thinks she’s being smart and that the ring is safe, but to me, it’s a joke, not a challenge.”

  I’m glad Harlow thinks this a joke because, to me, it’s not. I know nothing about it.

  “So what’s your plan?”

  She wants to know my plan, but I don’t have one beyond getting Cass to throw a party, which she did on her own. Scooping coffee grounds into the basket, I take a few seconds to brainstorm while turning the machine on.

  “We go to her party together, and somehow we sneak into her bedroom. That’s if she isn’t wearing it, of course,” I suggest.

  “Let’s hope she won’t be. That could make things trickier.” Yawning, she covers her mouth with her hand.

  “Is the plan that boring?”

  “Well, I expected more. This isn’t challenging.”

  She doesn’t know Cassie like I do. “The challenge will be Cassie.”

  “What do you mean?” All her attention is on me now.

  “She sees you as a threat. Cassie will follow you around, study your every move, and ask you so many questions you’re going to want to run away, leaving me to get into the damn safe alone. I can already sense how bad this party will be.”

  “She’s a smart girl.”

  Harlow takes me by surprise. I didn’t expect that from her. The knowing in her words hit me. Last night wasn’t only a comforting thing—she wanted it. Does she want me? I can’t say I don’t find her attractive or captivating.

  “What are you saying?”

  “TJ, I’m pretty sure you know.”

  “Harlow.”

  She drops the whisk into the eggs and sets the bowl on the counter haphazardly. At the same time, I turn my back on the brewing coffee. This feeling inside equals the adrenaline rush I had jumping off a cliff in Costa Rica. Thrilling, but scary as fuck. Her small figure pressing against mine is perfection. I’m not pushing her away, all I manage to do is stare at her.

  Our eyes lock in a heated gaze and it takes my breath away. Part of me doesn’t want the moment to end but I know it will. This marks the beginning of something unknown.

  “As long as you’re with Cassie, I—”

  “I know, being with Cassie makes me an asshole.”

  “We both know the truth behind your relationship with Cassie, but I won’t be the second girl. Ever.”

  “What if you’re first?”

  She breaks the moment by looking down. “If you ‘sleep’ with her, you don’t also get to do it with me.”

  Fuck! She might as well have punched me in the face. “If there was one thing I wish I could change in this whole mess, it would that I’d followed Dad’s plan from the start. We wouldn’t be having this discussion right now if I had.”

  “TJ.”

  I love and hate how she says my name. It grabs me like my whole world needs to focus on her.

  “As soon as we’re done with the ring, and her…” Our gaze reunites again. “I can’t wait here wondering if you’re doing with her, what you did with me—or more. The thought makes me sick. I’d rather drink a whole bottle of Crown to forget my own name than sit here and let the jealousy get the best of me.”

  “Is that why you were drunk the other day?” I feel so bad right now, guilt is eating at me. A very subtle nod is all I get before she looks away again.

  “I’m pathetic.”

  “No, Harlow, you’re not. Feelings can make us do crazy things sometimes.” Like right now, I want to kiss you so bad...

  So I do. Leaning toward her lips while pulling her into me, I give her the best damn kiss I can. Fuck The Notebook, this is the kiss she’ll always remember and desire. Her reaction is immediate; she wants it as much as me, if not more.

  “This isn’t over, Harlow Ramsey. You’re asking me to be fair to you both, and patient—and I will—but I couldn’t end this conversation without giving you a proper taste of what’s to come.”

  “Why haven’t you come before now? Were you preoccupied with your roommate?” Cassie asks the moment we meet up at her favorite restaurant.

  She hasn’t even said hello yet and she’s already questioning me. If this ‘date’ gets over soon, and without too much drama, I’ll be fucking pleased. I’m out of here after dinner, there will be no sleepover tonight.

  “Cassie, stop that now.” I don’t want to fight over Harlow. If I lose my temper it won’t be pretty, and besides, I can’t afford to do this now. I’m way too close to my ultimate goal.

  “I’m sorry, but that you live with another girl is messing with me.” She cups my face with her hand. “When am I going to meet her?”

  “She might come to the party.” For some reason, I want to keep Harlow to myself. I’m not sure I want to share her with Cassie and her friends. They have nothing in common besides me.

  “Sweet.” She bites her bottom lip.

  Something’s off with her tonight, sending up red flags.

  “Don’t be mean to her, Cassie. I told you, she’s been through a lot these last few days, and she doesn’t need more on her plate. Her dad almost died.” Cassie glares at me with lasers in her eyes. She’s pissed, that much is clear. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “You’re defending her, protecting her from me. I’m not a monster, Thomas. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

  Shit. “I’m sorry...” This is a mess. “Can we start over? This hasn’t been a good start to a nice dinner.”

  How am I going to reverse the mood of the night? Cassie isn’t the type to forgive and forget easily. There isn’t anything I can do at this point but be extra sweet with her. I’ll have to save my temper for the run I’ll take later.

  Her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “I love you, and I missed you.”

  “I know, me too. I’ve been swamped with work. It’s crazy.” Lies, lies, lies…

  “Do you love me?” she presses.

  “Of course, I do. Why do you ask?”

  The server comes with glasses of water and a complimentary bread basket. Thank goodness for the distraction.

  “Do you still have that red bow tie? I would love if you could wear it to the party. It’ll match my dress.”

  “Yes, I still have it, and I’ll be happy to match with you.” I entwine my fingers with hers. “You’re beautiful, you know that right?”

  She blushes and giggles. I made her night by complimenting her. If I want the dinner to end well, this is how I must be with her. She needs to forget about Harlow because I don’t want to deal with any of her jealousy. And the more she says about Harlow, the more I feel like protecting my little thief.

  There is only one place I want to be tonight, and it’s not with Cassie.

  11

  After a tiring four hour dinner with Cassie, I’m exhausted. It didn’t feel right leading Cassie on before, but now that things have started heating up with Harlow, this is pure torture.

  Returning h
ome a few minutes shy of midnight, I don’t know what I’ll find. Will Harlow be drinking, or not? While I hope not, there are so many things I don’t know about her that it’s hard to guess her actions.

  The door is locked, which is smart. Plus, she doesn’t like to be alone. Music can be heard playing from my side of the door. Radiohead to be exact. After unlocking the door, I step inside, anxious to see her. I don’t call her name in case she’s fallen asleep. Although, how she could sleep with the loud music is a mystery.

  I find her in the living room, curled up on the shaggy carpet in nothing but her way too-short boxers and a matching sport bra. Her eyes are closed, but my gut says she’s just thinking or relaxing. She’s beautiful nonetheless, and I wish I didn’t have to interrupt whatever she’s doing here.

  “Harlow?” I say turning the volume down on the radio.

  She turns startled eyes up at me. “TJ, you’re back? I didn’t think you’d be back until tomorrow.”

  Sorry, I’m not going on a sleepover if you’re in my house, Harlow. Not if I can help it. “I had to be with you,” I say out loud then kneel down to her level. “Are you okay?”

  “I went out tonight. It wasn’t a good idea.” She shakes her head as if the thought alone brings back bad memories.

  Now Harlow has me worried. I take a closer look at her and while she doesn’t look physically hurt, I ask, “What happened?”

  “I’m scared your vision of me will change after I tell you a little more about who I really am.”

  It can’t. “It won’t.” I take her hands and help her up to the couch so we can sit together and snuggle while we talk.

  “There are many facets of my life you know nothing about, that nobody knows about. You know I’m part of the Diamond Club, and we’ll talk about that later, but for now let’s start with... my mom. She passed away when I was sixteen, after which I started hanging out at the Club, and then lost track of my friends. It was a new world to explore, where money was always flowing. Except when you’re the new kid and learning the ropes. Then it flows all around you, but not at you, so I started working to have my own money. But I didn’t do the typical student jobs, like working in boutiques or restaurants. My main goal was money, so I found the perfect job to earn as much as possible—without taking my clothes off.”

  Her fingers and bottom lip are trembling, and she looks scared. Talking to me shouldn’t make her so nervous, unless it’s something she isn’t ready to share.

  “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

  “I have to, because I need you to know the real me. It started when I was in college getting my paralegal degree. The promise of easy money convinced me to work… where I did.” She pauses and takes a breath. “TJ, I was a waitress in a strip club for eight years. I’ve seen more things than I care to admit. When I started, I made myself a promise to never end up dancing on the stage. I managed to stick to my guns until the ownership changed. Then, one night, I was drugged and thrown on the stage for the sake of a bet.”

  “Hold on, what did you say? What strip club?” I don’t even know the whole story and it’s already playing havoc with my nerves.

  Teardrops slide down the side of her nose, but she brushes them away. “I was working my shift when my boss offered me a couple of shots. I took them because I never had any problems accepting shots from my boss before. It’s common and makes the night more bearable sometimes. Then his wife coaxed me backstage where she talked me into it. There was a lot of money at stake because of a bet they’d made with some of the regulars. Of course, the regulars knew I would never get on the pole, I’d always made that clear, but my boss wanted to prove them wrong and show them they had the power to decide which of the girls was doing what. I remember Gladys undressing me, then urging me to put on one of the dirty and worn outfits from the strippers’ wardrobe. My head and heart were all over the place; I had no control over myself and didn’t understand what was happening. Gladys pushed me onto the stage barely dressed, while my boss looked on with killer eyes. I kept telling myself, it’s just one song and it will be over.”

  Harlow breaks down and I... I don’t know what to say, all I can do is hold her in my arms. It’s heartbreaking to see her like this.

  “Somehow I got through it, and at the end of the song, money was thrown at me, but I didn’t want any of it. It was filthy. Like me. I stumbled off the stage and passed out in the back. Luckily for me, one of the regulars noticed something wasn’t right and managed to find me backstage. My boss was seconds away from raping me.”

  “Oh my god, Harlow. Fuck!” Her story has pissed me off. Needing to hold my girl closer as she cries, I lift her over my lap and wrap my arms around her with no intention of letting go. Breathing her in, I caress any bare skin I can reach in hopes of soothing the sadness within her heart.

  “I’d always known it wasn’t a safe environment, I wasn’t stupid, but I could make a lot of money. Especially with tips. The man who saved me was a police officer, and yes, he did what was right by the owner. He covered it up, kept the attack from the authorities, but he also made sure I was brought to the hospital for a checkup. Later, I was released, without anyone finding out.”

  If I’m the first person she’s shared this with, I’ve no idea how she’s been able to stay so brave in front of her family and friends all this time. This is the type of thing that changes a person; it leaves fear and emotional scars, sometimes physical ones, too, and some people never get over it.

  “How are you holding up?” Cupping her cheek and lifting her face so our eyes are leveled, I need to know.

  “The good thing, I guess, is that I’ve got no memories after leaving the stage. I woke up at the hospital and was told what had happened.” She runs her hands through her hair, and I know she’s trying to distract me, but I’m not letting it go. I want to know everything about tonight.

  “What happened tonight?”

  “I went back to get closure.”

  “I can’t believe you took the chance of going back there alone. Why didn’t you ask me to go with you? I would have supported you.” There’s no doubt she’s strong and independent, but her safety should always come first. I’m supposed to be taking care of her. Yet again, I’ve failed.

  Harlow twists her fingers in my hair, sending shivers down my neck. “I didn’t want you to know about that part of my past, but I don’t want to lie to you either.”

  “What happened, Harlow?”

  “There’s a new owner, but the same people were working there. The dancers, the regulars... their lives didn’t change that night, only mine did, and realizing that made me sick. I barely had time to make it outside before vomiting up everything I had in my stomach. I’m not as strong as I think I am. Going back there wasn’t a good idea.” She pauses. “I worked there for so long because the money was good, and I got used to the nightlife. You have to understand that the pay there was better than my day job as a paralegal, and trying to keep up with both was exhausting, so, after a while, I quit the day job. Now, I’m left here with nothing but good bartender skills and a background as a diamond thief.”

  “Whatever you want to do with your life, Harlow, you can. You are smart, beautiful, and strong, and you can be whoever you want. I’ll be here to help you, if you need me.”

  “Look at you, you’re an architect like your father. He was so proud of you. I can’t say my dad is proud of me the way your dad was. I haven’t done anything good and honest with my life in years. I’m not a good person, TJ.”

  Asking myself the definition of what a good person is, it’s hard to say, but I believe Harlow is a good person. She has good values, if you put aside what she does for the Club.

  “Weeks ago, I would have thought differently, but my dad was one hell of a good person. I still haven’t figured out why he did this. I do know I’ve admired him all my life. I admire you, too.”

  “The Club is my only family. I can’t leave them.”

  I can’t deny the s
ting of her words because I’m still hoping for an honest life—with her—not a life built on the diamonds and riches of others. “I understand.”

  “What about you? Still think this is going to be a one-time deal?”

  My answer could make or break us, but the truth is better than a lie. “I think it will be. I’m not cut out for this kind of life.”

  She nods, then mumbles, “Okay.”

  “I don’t understand why my dad got into the Club business in the first place.”

  “Well, from what I’ve heard, your family came near to bankruptcy and he was looking for a way to make a lot of money quickly. Thanks to his being an architect, he’d designed enough houses to have a good idea of who had money, or diamonds. That’s how it started, but you’ll need to talk to Ramsey if you want to know more.”

  It makes sense. My grandfather had lost a large sum with his poker playing. Perhaps that was the reason Dad got started in this whole Diamond Club thing. “Thank you, I think I’ll ask Ramsey, or maybe my mom. I need the truth.” My lips on her forehead leave their trace and she smiles for a short time.

  “Harlow, when did the incident happen at the club? How long ago?”

  “Two months ago.” Only two months.

  “I’m so sorry that was done to you by someone you trusted.” Her old boss deserves jail time, or worse. How many other girls went through the same thing under his influence? I bet there is a very long list. Disgusting.

  “I was angry at the world when it happened, but now I’m okay. Thank God, I was saved from the hands of a devil.”

  “Come here, closer, I need to hold you.”

  Her arms holding me tight, her head resting on my chest, I leave kisses on her hair with every breath I take. The thought of her being in that position hurts me. I can’t imagine how scared and betrayed she was. She hasn’t been in my life for long, but that’s not how it feels; I feel like I’ve known her all my life. Everything clicks when we’re together, and when I’m away, I miss the sound of voice, her curly hair, even her attitude. She has me hooked.