Billionaire's Secret: The Complete Series

by Simone Sowood

  “Just give me a minute, would you?” I could not solve everyone’s problems at the same time.

  “I’m sorry for interrupting your work,” Abbie said blowing her nose again.

  “It’s just a bad day. We’re putting a new print ad campaign out and we think the numbers given to us are messed up.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Nah.”

  My eyes flared, and a light bulb switched on. Abbie was great with numbers. If anyone could sort out this mess, it was her. And I didn’t give a shit if someone got pissy about a non-employee doing this, since our employees were incompetent.

  “Maybe, actually. Our problem is we don’t trust the numbers but we don’t know enough to figure out how to fix them.”

  “Yes, of course I’ll help you.”

  The tension between my shoulder blades let up a little at her answer. Thank God for her freaking out at Jay.

  It took hours, but Abbie was able to sort out our numbers, saving our project and Dan’s ass.

  “Abbie, I don’t even know how to thank you for all your help,” Dan said.

  “It’s no big deal, honestly. I’m happy to help. I needed the distraction,” she said.

  “At least let us take you out to dinner. You’ve been here for hours,” Belinda said.

  I looked at Abbie and smiled, urging her to accept by nodding my head.

  “If you insist,” Abbie blushed.

  Since Jay’s arrival on the scene, I’d barely seen Abbie. Which was terrible timing, because I needed her advice about Collin. But with all the drama going on between her and Jay, I couldn’t pile any more on Abbie.

  As we walked out of the restaurant, I nearly told her about Collin. Almost. But something held me back. She’d known me before I started dating him.

  She was there through it all, from the ‘I’m going to spend the rest of my life with this amazing man’, through the tears from Googling him and seeing him in yet another photo in yet another faraway city with yet another woman on his arm.

  If I told her now, she’d remind me of all the hurt and pain he’d caused me, and of all the nights she sat up with me while I cried into her shoulder. Even lovesick puppy Abbie would tell me to drop any idea of a relationship with him.

  I decided not to tell her.

  * * *

  I didn’t get home until nine. My body was bent in both physical and mental exhaustion. But at least we’d got the numbers fixed and could focus on our creative side of the project launch instead of dealing with those numbers.

  It was two weeks until the launch, and I could only hope Dan would make it without stressing himself into a heart attack.

  My phone beeped with a text message from Marla.

  Fuck fuck fuck.

  No please, not another person having a meltdown. After Abbie and Dan, I couldn’t take another one today.

  What’s going on?

  I slept with Trent.

  It was about time. Marla hasn’t had a date in months.

  Who’s Trent?

  The senior partner at my company!

  I didn’t get it. Was that good or bad? I tried phoning her, but she wouldn’t pick up.

  Do you want to talk?

  Can’t, still with him.

  Have fun???

  At least I didn’t have to deal with her problem until tomorrow. All I wanted to do was sleep. But first I had to phone my mom, like I did every evening.

  “Hi, sweetie.”

  “Hi, Mom. How are you doing today?”

  “I’m much more relaxed now that I’ve settled back into being at home.”

  “Good, I’m so glad you got to go home. Any word yet on the next steps?”

  “Just wait and see. They said they won’t be able to tell how successful the treatment has been until sixty days afterwards. So I’ll have to go back to Houston then for more testing.”

  “Fingers crossed then.”

  “I’m afraid it’s all I can do. But I feel better. I think it helps having a live-in nurse cooking us healthy meals every day.”

  I laughed. “Yes, don’t we all wish we had someone live in to make us our meals.”

  “And all the cleaning, don’t forget all the cleaning.”

  “Yes, that’d be all my dreams fulfilled,” I said, still laughing.

  “Well, you could have all that, you know, if you just married Collin.” My laughter stopped.

  “Mom, I told you I don’t know what’s going on between us. I haven’t even seen him in a couple of weeks, we’re hardly going to get married anytime soon.”

  “Oh, that’s disappointing. He’d make such a good son-in-law.”

  Why did she do this to me? “I’m sure, but stop worrying about it for now.” I hoped I didn’t sound too forceful.

  “Oh, sweetie, don’t be so closed off to the idea.” Unbelievable, would she drop it?

  “Okay, Mom. I’ve had a really long day at work and need to go to bed now.”

  “Good night, sweetheart. I love you.”

  “Love you too, Mom. Good night.”

  I grabbed my tablet and crawled into bed. No email from Collin. He sent me one photo he took of the beach, saying he wished I was sitting on it wearing one of the ridiculously small bikinis they wear down there. Other than that, I hadn’t heard anything.

  Which showed me what a relationship with him would be like. Even if he based himself in Chicago, which was a big if, he would always be off in some faraway city for long periods of time and I’d never hear a word from him.

  Plus there was always a chance he would go somewhere and never come back. At least for seven years.

  An email popped up on my screen, a new message on Chicagodates.com. I hadn’t even thought about the dating site in ages. My heart fluttered while I debated whether or not to read the message.

  In the end, I figured there’s no harm in reading it. After all, it might make the situation with Collin clearer in my head. I clicked into it.

  Hey bitch, I hear you’re fucking my husband. Did you know he was married?

  Which one was her husband, the snake man or the guy with the right-angle dick? Chicagodates.com is full of nothing but freaks and nutjobs. It’s only useful for people looking for dick pics. I deleted my account.

  Collin

  I’d had to stay away longer than I’d intended. After smiling and shaking hands in Rio, I’d had to fly straight to Rome to deal with a problem in my club there. It seemed that my manager thought it was fine and dandy to allow high-stakes poker matches to go on in the ultra VIP area and the regulators found out about it.

  Why couldn’t I find decent employees to do all this for me? I was only supposed to be a figurehead now. A meet and greet. Daniel’s a lawyer, he should’ve been the one to sort out the mess in Rome.

  All I wanted to do know was see Jenny. She calms me, and it makes me feel better than I’ve felt in years. I had the driver take me straight to her apartment. As much as I wanted to see her, I also couldn’t face walking into another hotel.

  I knocked on Jenny’s door. Monday night, she should be in.

  Jenny opened the door, her were eyes red and puffy and looked like she’d been crying. My stomach dropped.

  “Baby, what’s wrong?”

  I stepped into the apartment and put my arms around her, pulling her tight against me. Her little body started shuddering with sobs. I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

  “Shh,” I squeezed her tight.

  She pulled her head away from me. “I need a Kleenex.”

  I relaxed my hold on her and followed her to the sofa. A box of Kleenex was on the coffee table, and used Kleenex were scattered around the table and floor. She tried to gather them up, but I pulled her back into me.

  The weight in my stomach grew. Why was she so upset?

  “Baby, tell me why you’re upset.” I kissed the top of her head.

  Jenny looked up at me but closed her eyes and buried her head back in my chest.


  “Is it your mom?” I asked, my voice a little shaky. Please don’t let it be her mom.

  She shook her head against my chest and the tension in my muscle eased a little. Whatever got her so upset, at least it wasn’t her mom.

  “Here, come sit down.”

  I half lifted her to the sofa and sat us both down on it. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close to me again.

  Jenny cried against my body. It broke my heart, but there was no point in pressuring her for answers while she was so upset.

  “Do you want a drink?”

  “Tequila,” she muttered.

  I laughed. It was Monday, but whatever. Time to break open the AsomBroso.

  I found a shot glass in the kitchen and poured her a full-to-the-brim shot of the clear liquid.

  “Here,” I said shoving the glass towards her.

  Her chin quivering, she looked up at me like she couldn’t decide whether or not to take the glass. Finally she took it and knocked it back in one go. Jenny always did like her tequila.

  “Another?” I asked.

  “No, thanks.”

  “Are you going to tell me what’s got you so upset now?” I sat back on the sofa and put my arm around her. Jenny sighed, a deep sigh that came from her core.

  “Abbie got married.” That was not what I’d expected her to say.

  “Oh. And you’re upset because this Jay guy’s a jerk?”

  “No, he’s a good guy.”

  “Then, why are you upset? What’s going on?”

  She shifted her eyes to mine and flicked them away. I waited a few breaths, watching her, but she didn’t offer an answer.

  “Are you going to tell me?” I tickled her jawline with my finger, trying to lighten her mood.

  “Stop it.”

  “Tell me.”

  “Fine. Because I wanted to be married by now. I’m thirty, I should be married.”

  The words hit me like a kick in the gut. If I’d taken her to London, we would be married. And happy with some kids and the golden retriever she’d always wanted. Instead, I abandoned her and felt like a first-rate asshole for it.

  There were a thousand things I wanted to say to her, but how did I choose the right thing, when I didn’t know what that right thing was?

  “Baby, it’s not something you need to worry about,” I rubbed her back, doing my best to console her.

  She started sobbing again. “Of course it’s something I have to worry about. Otherwise I’ll never find a husband.”

  “Of course you will. You’re everything a man could want in a wife.”

  “Who would marry me?”

  “I would.” If I wasn’t already married. Jenny stopped crying and stared at my face, her eyes tracing me for meaning.

  “You would?” she asked.

  “Of course I would. I can’t imagine a better person to marry than you.” Her brow creased as her eyes continued their path over my face.

  “Does this mean we’re in a relationship?” Her amber eyes bore into me with expectation.

  “I think we should see where this goes. Because right now, you’re all I think about.”

  Fresh tears sprung from her eyes but she wasn’t sobbing any longer.

  “Are you going to move away and leave me again?”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  “But how do I know that? Why should I trust you?” she said, her voice pleading.

  “Babe, there’s not a single day in the past seven years that I didn’t miss you.”

  “Then why didn’t you come back for me?”

  “Because I’m an idiot.” I shook my head. A fresh wave of anger at myself washed over me. I hated myself for what I did to her.

  “I waited so long to hear from you. I sent so many emails, and nothing. I only knew where you were from the internet.” Her voice trailed off.

  Tears trickled down her cheeks. I wiped them away with my thumb and cupped her cheek.

  “Babe, I hate myself for what I did to you. Believe me.” That was the real reason I started drinking so much, to forget her, but I wasn’t about to admit that to her.

  “I’m glad you finally came back.” Her big smile eased my guilt a little.

  “So am I.” For once, the numbness inside me didn’t seem so bad. I pulled her close to me and kissed her hair, inhaling the coconut scent I loved so much.

  “They’re having a wedding dinner this weekend, can you come with me? As my date.”

  “Absolutely. Is Abbie going to shit all over me?”

  “I’ll tell her to be nice.”

  Jenny

  My jaw dropped as we pulled up in front of Jay’s mansion. It resembled a hotel more than a house.

  We’d come with Marla and her date Trent, all in the back of Collin’s Maybach. Jay’s butler held open the door for us and the four of us climbed out of the back of the car and up the steps to the double front doors.

  “Hi!” Marla and I said in unison.

  “You found us,” Abbie said, her eyes beaming.

  “How could we not? It’s too big to miss.” Redness spread across my cheeks when I realized I’d said that in front of Jay.

  Jay kissed both my cheeks, I moved my head back and forth, not really confident in what I was supposed to be doing in this type of greeting.

  “Collin,” Abbie said, “How are you? It’s been so long, I can’t believe you’re back in town.” She gave him a big hug.

  The nerves in my chest settled. I’d been worried about how Abbie would react to him, since she’d seen all the hurt he’d caused me. It was a huge relief to see her being nice to him.

  “Come, I’ll give you girls a tour.”

  “See you in an hour,” Sam said to her date, Richard.

  As soon as we’d made it through the cavernous entrance hall and past the sweeping staircase, I grabbed Sam’s hand. “Spill, who’s Richard?”

  “Richard’s her boss,” Abbie said.

  “Another one fucking her boss, huh?” I caught Marla’s eye as I said it.

  “No fucking guaranteed. You three all have someone, I wasn’t about to come alone, and he was the only guy available on such short notice, okay?”

  I studied her face and saw nothing but honesty in it. There wasn’t even a hint of a lie in her eyes.

  We barely noticed the opulent rooms we walked though.

  “Your turn, Jenny. What’s going on with Collin?” Abbie asked.

  “Well,” I hesitated. “We’re officially back together.” Abbie’s eyes flashed. For a moment she grimaced, but quickly recovered the smile on her face. I knew she wouldn’t approve. “Don’t worry, we’re taking it slow.”

  “He’d better not hurt you again,” Abbie said.

  “Agreed. I’m not convinced this is a good idea,” Marla said.

  Sam put her arm around me and squeezed. “Don’t worry, I support you. Ignore these two.”

  “Thanks, at least it’s not unanimous.”

  “I’m not against it, I just don’t want you to get hurt again,” Abbie said.

  “Did I mention he’s paying for my mother to be treated by the best stomach cancer doctor in the world?”

  Three separate seating areas made up the massive space, each centered around a different focal point with at least one sofa and several arm chairs each.

  “No, I didn’t know. Why haven’t you been telling me anything?” Abbie said, ignoring her.

  “Because. With everything going on between you and Jay, I didn’t want to add any more problems.”

  Abbie turned to me and flung her arms around me.

  “Sweetie, don’t be so silly. You should’ve told me.”

  “So when’s the wedding?” Sam asked.

  There’s that word. Wedding. The thing I wanted more than anything else in the world. The way he talked about me on Monday, I half expected a proposal right there, but none came. At least I knew we were in a relationship now.

  I followed the others into a full-on home cinema, complete with po
pcorn stand, but didn’t hear Abbie’s voice. My mind was too busy churning, imaging Collin and myself in each of the rooms instead, living a blissful married life.

  Collin seemed to say he wanted to take things slow, but how slow? If I could get over the pain and hurt he caused me, what were we waiting for? Unless he wasn’t convinced he’d stay in Chicago. Even if he promised he wasn’t going to leave again, how much could I be sure he wouldn’t up and go? He was used to moving around so much, was he even able to settle in one spot or would he get bored?

  I zoned out through most of dinner. Instead of listening to the conversation, I stared at Collin and imagined what life would be like to be married to him. Would we live in a house as big as Abbie’s? Would we have staff cooking and serving us meals? Would we have a swimming pool to skinny dip in?

  * * *

  After the dinner, Collin came back to my place. I curled into him on the sofa, another glass of wine in my hand.

  “I think I’ll stay here tonight. I’m sick and tired of hotels,” Collin said, kissing my forehead.

  He stayed that night, and the next and the next.

  On Monday evening we were in the bedroom, making space in my overflowing closet for Collin to hang his suits, when my intercom buzzed.

  “I can’t go home to Jay. He lied to me,” Abbie said into the intercom, her voice broken and drained.

  Collin and I exchanged disappointed looks. But my first priority was helping Abbie. I only hoped this was a one-night thing, and not something more serious.

  “I’m sorry, I have to help her.”

  “I know, babe, I’ll clear out. Text me when she goes and I’ll be right back here to fuck you stupid.” Collin put his arm around my waist and squeezed me close.

  Abbie knocked on the door before Collin had the chance to leave. He went into the bedroom to hide while I answered the door. The second I opened the door, Abbie burst through the doorway and straight into my arms.

  “He lied to me again!”

  “Oh honey, come sit down. I’ll make you a cup of tea.”

  I steered her into the living area and sat her on the armchair that faces away from the door.

  “Thank you,” she said as I put the box of Kleenex within her reach.

  Regret weighed heavy in my stomach as I ran into the bedroom to give Collin a quick hug goodbye. I shielded him on the way to the door in case Abbie turned around. I didn’t want her thinking she was imposing on us.