Bad Boys & Billionaires: An Anthology

by K. L. Middleton

  “Oh, my gosh.” I actually paused outside the resort to drink it all in. “This is incredible.”

  It was exactly the same kind of “strung-together-bungalows” that I’d seen and envied on the covers of a million travel magazines. The kind of place that celebrities went to vacation and I secretly despised them while simultaneously dismissing the notion that it was somewhere I’d ever get to go. The air was moist and thick with the smell of flowers, and each of the huts was nestled alongside sparkling turquoise water in a bed of white sand.

  It was stunning! Beyond breathtaking! Paradise!

  I took off my shoes immediately and dug in my toes, smiling as a warm breeze swept my hair off my shoulders and sent it dancing toward the sea.

  A sudden kiss on my cheek made me jump, but Marcus was already pulling away by the time I looked over. “I’ll go get us checked in.” He hesitated at the slightly confused look on my face. “You’re my girlfriend, remember?”

  “And I’m going to play the part perfectly.” I touched his face, gazed into his eyes, and kissed him softly on the lips.

  “I don’t think that was convincing enough,” he said.

  “Really? Because there’s nobody around but that old couple.”

  He glanced over with a sly smirk. “And I could swear one of them had a camera.”

  I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close. “Then we better convince them we’re lovers.”

  “I knew I hired the perfect actress for the job.”

  I gazed into his eyes. “I think you’re enjoying this far too much.”

  “I think I am.”

  I flashed him a big smile. “Want to see how well I can play the part?”

  “Most definitely.”

  An electric shock shot through me as his lips crashed into mine. He kissed me long and hard, devouring every inch of my mouth. I traced my fingers over the curves of his muscular chest.

  “I thought sex wasn’t involved with this deal,” I said.

  “It’s not. But you never said making out was off the table.”

  “Your lawyer found a loophole?”

  He kissed me softly on the lips. “Kissing wasn’t part of the deal. But when I’m around you, I just can’t help myself.”

  “I can’t either.”

  He shot me a beautiful smile, and headed to the hotel desk while I perched on top of a huge boulder in the sand and gazed out at the tranquil water. The ocean was almost too bright to be plausible, I thought as my eyes grew hypnotized by the waves. It was hard to believe such a vibrant color existed naturally anywhere.

  My trance was broken by the sudden sound of laughter, and I looked up to see a couple walking hand in hand along the shore. They moved slowly, swaying this way and that, content in their own little bubble. The man was a good deal taller than the woman, constantly bending down to whisper into her ear. But her outrageous laughter made up for her size, echoing coarse and loud across the sand, completely unrestrained. Her laugh would make him laugh, he’d bend down to tell another joke, and on and on again. It was kind of hard not to watch them. They were clearly in the blissed-out stages of love. I wondered if they’d just gotten married.

  “Rebecca?”

  I looked down to see Marcus biting his lip with a nervous frown. The sight threw me for a second, but I hopped off the rock and skipped up beside him in the sand. “What’s wrong?”

  “There was a little mix-up with the room.”

  Five minutes later, the two of us were standing in front of a king-sized bed. A huge heart of red rose petals smack dab in the center.

  “Wow!” I said. “It’s absolutely gorgeous!”

  “It seems they thought we were…honeymooning.” Marcus seemed to be having trouble getting the words out. “Needless to say, they’re booked up for the event—no other cottages are available.”

  I looked from him to the rose-petal heart and said nothing.

  “I know, I know,” he held up his hands quickly, “it’s completely unacceptable. I’ll tell them that someone will just have to be moved, or combined, or…I can figure out where my flight crew is staying and have some of them bunk—”

  I held up my hand. “As long as you don’t snore, we’ll be fine.” My arms crossed over my chest, and I stared at the bed in a resigned sort of way. “It’s not like I didn’t think you were going to do this.”

  He looked appalled. “Rebecca, I swear I didn’t—”

  A stray giggle broke through my solemn mask, and he threw up his hands in exasperation.

  “Why do you do that to me?” he demanded.

  “It’s one of the only perks I’m getting out of this relationship.” I grinned mischievously.

  He shot me a seductive look. “We’ve got this crazy chemistry. How the hell are we going to share a single bed?”

  “The cottage has one bed, not one room. I’ll sleep on the couch in there.”

  There was a meaningful pause after which Marcus rolled his eyes obediently.

  “As I’m the man, why don’t I sleep on the couch?”

  “How chivalrous,” I said cheerfully, tossing my purse in the center of the heart. “But I’ve put you through hell. I’ve kicked you, Maced you, and even asked you to join the Mile-High Club. If anyone deserves the couch, it’s me.”

  “I’m making you be my girlfriend. Please let me take the couch.”

  “I kind of like being your fake girlfriend.”

  “Miss White, are you still drunk?”

  “I love the limos, the private plane, (throwing up in front of everyone would’ve been way more embarrassing) the fancy room, the clothes, kissing you.”

  He peered at me intently. “Can you say the last part over again?”

  “Kissing you. I really enjoyed kissing you. It’s an added perk that wasn’t in the job description.”

  “Fake kissing me?”

  “It didn’t feel fake to me,” I said.

  He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. He softly placed his lips on mine and kissed me.

  “You mean like that?” he asked.

  I stared up into his eyes. “I really love it when you kiss me like that. And lingering kissing must never be rushed.”

  “I have to agree.”

  And I’m not sure how long we kissed, but it was long, slow, romantic, and beautiful. We started to unpack.

  I unzipped my suitcase. “So believe it or not, I did look at the itinerary, and all it said for today was a dinner cruise?”

  He started pulling shirts out from his own suitcase and smiled. “I thought a sunset boat ride might be nice, very couple-y, you know.”

  “It is indeed. Somebody’s been on Google,” I congratulated. “So what exactly should I be wearing for this sunset cruise?”

  “I don’t know,” he teased, “why don’t you surprise me?” But as he headed out to the living room, he glanced back with a wink. “I stocked your closet, by the way.”

  I shut the door behind him and turned with great trepidation toward the little bamboo doors. Moment of truth. His people had been fitting me all week. What had they come up with?

  As it turned out…not much.

  Wrong choice of words.

  There were lots of clothes…just not much clothing. All skimpy little numbers.

  A hundred designer bikinis, sheer cover-ups, and little, little dresses stared back at me. A huge smile started spreading up my face as I browsed slowly through the selection, hardly daring to sully the silky fabric with my unwashed airplane hands. At first, my eyes were dazzled by the sheer amount of colors, gemstones, lace corseting—you name it. Then, I saw the shoes. I couldn’t help but laugh as I saw mixed in amongst the stilettos, a number of sparkly, ballet-type flat sandals. Marcus’ influence, no doubt.

  A soft knock on the door made me jump, and I spun around to attention as Marcus poked his head inside. His hair was doing something adorable with the humidity, curling up in random patches to give him a tousled bedhead kind of look. My fingers twitched by my
sides, aching to scrunch themselves through the messy locks.

  “You find everything to your liking?”

  I realized I was holding a thong bikini and hastily dropped it behind my back. “Yeah, this will be great. Especially for the two days that we’re here.”

  He shrugged with an innocent grin. “I didn’t know what you’d like so I had to cast a wide net. It’s just being practical.”

  I nodded in solemn agreement. “So it is.”

  “Well, I’m off to the boat to get some things ready.” He cocked his head to point the direction. “The white one just at the end of our pier. Meet you there?”

  “Yeah, just give me like ten minutes.”

  “Take your time. There’s no rush.” He flashed another mischievous grin before ducking back outside the door. “I liked that one you were holding, by the way.”

  My cheeks burned crimson, and I locked the door loudly behind him, listening to him chuckle as he headed outside. But I pictured those dimples and curls, and in spite of myself, I had to smile. Yeah, I bet he did. Well, he wasn’t going to be entirely disappointed. I reached into the closet and pulled out a hanger as a piece of red fabric caught my eye.

  I had a little something in mind…

  When I stepped out onto the pier, there was no part of me that didn’t shimmer in the last rays of the tropical sun. From my metallic shoes to the bronze dusting around my eyes, to the gold and crimson matted lace that snaked down my body before making itself scarce somewhere around my thighs. I’d pulled up my auburn hair so it swept gracefully across my forehead before spilling down my shoulder blades. And while I’d used very little powder or foundation, I went for a dark rose stain for my lips. All in all, I was very pleased with the effect.

  We’d just have to see how couple-y Marcus found the ensemble. I reached for my small camera in my purse and took a few beautiful shots of the water. It was truly mesmerizing.

  My skin started tingling with excited energy as I made my way down the wooden planks to the boat waiting at the end of the dock. Where the hell did these butterflies come from? Was I really that excited to show off a freaking dress?

  My pace slowed for a moment as I acknowledged that wasn’t it.

  I was excited to show off for Marcus.

  Sure he was an obnoxious Forbes-obsessed mogul with an image problem and a penchant for exotic birds…but there were other things about him as well.

  The way his eyes got distant when he talked about family, the way he gave both thoughtfully and thoughtlessly all at the same time, the way I felt when he tucked my hair back behind my ear…

  Get it together, Bex.

  I shook my head and straightened my dress as I paused outside the boat. Then, with those same butterflies rocketing around in my stomach, I lifted my hand to knock. The door opened before I could even touch it. Marcus had been facing the other way, but he turned toward me with a wide smile as he gestured me inside.

  “Honey, you remember Mr. Takahari?”

  Chapter 21

  I felt empty, cold. I couldn’t explain it. I couldn’t tell you where it came from. But it crept up my fingers and settled in the hollow of my stomach for the entire night.

  The dinner cruise was beautiful of course, filled with the routine extravagance I’d come to expect. Takahari brought his right hand man—which I suppose was a good sign—and although the merger was never directly addressed, just discreetly danced around, I got the feeling that things were on the right track.

  On that note, I did my part. Earned my paycheck. I tucked away those feelings of finality and detachment and said all the right things. Did all the right things. Smiled at all the right things. It was like I was reading from a script. Playing the role of a lifetime with Oscar-winning precision. In a lot of ways, it felt like the part I was born to play. A charming, down-to-earth caricature of myself. The relatable foil to those stiff, unyielding men around me. It was the perfect ruse. But that’s exactly all it was.

  A ruse.

  While I kept up my end of the charade like a pro, Marcus seemed increasingly uneasy all throughout the meal. His eyes kept flickering to me like he wished that we were alone, as if there were things he wanted to say. By the time dessert was served, I found that I no longer cared.

  “That was absolutely wonderful.” I squeezed Akio in a tight embrace as we stood up to leave. “Thank you so much again for coming.”

  The old man bowed in an endearing way that was his custom and placed two gnarled hands on either of my arms. “The pleasure was all mine. I’m going back to Japan for a few weeks, but I’ll be back in California at the start of the New Year. I hope to see you then?”

  I smiled sweetly. “I’d love to.”

  Marcus’ gaze flickered again to mine, but he said nothing.

  “Now if you’ll excuse me, gentlemen,” I suddenly couldn’t stand to be in the room a second longer, “I’m going to go sleep off that harrowing plane ride.”

  Takahari and his men both laughed politely, but Marcus turned to me with mild alarm; a kind of muted panic shone deep in his eyes. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay for a while, Rebecca?” It sounded like a plea. “I could have the porters bring up some coffee.”

  I patted his arm dismissively like a girlfriend would. “No, I’m fine. You boys get to it. I’m sure you have a lot to discuss.”

  With a parting wave, I slipped off the boat and headed back down the pier, a single thought occupying every corner of my mind.

  I could not wait to take off this dress.

  * * *

  Marcus took me for a ride on his yacht. The sun glittered on the turquoise water, and the sky was the prettiest shade of blue. Of course, I took more pictures. I looked for a dolphin but didn’t see any. One of my patients begged me to bring back a picture of a dolphin.

  We pulled up to next to one of the gorgeous islands. He was in plain black swim trunks. Something fitted and designer that gave me my first view of the tantalizing muscular contours running down his chest. I had gone for a simple suit as well. A nondescript, white bikini. It hugged what little curves I had but still covered a good deal more than some of the flashier options in my closet.

  The captain walked over to us. “We’ve got company, but I know another place where we can go and have some peace.”

  I looked at the boat next to us. Looked like the paparazzi had found us.

  “I don’t want to leave,” I said. “The beach looks gorgeous. I’ve always wanted to walk on sugar-white sand.”

  “But they’ll hound us,” Markus said. “And I know a much more secluded spot.”

  “Hey, we want the publicity. I mean, isn’t that what you paid me for? To convince everyone that I’m your girlfriend? So why don’t you let me do my job?”

  I looked at the captain. “If it’s okay with you, we would like to stay here. Is it possible to blast the music? We’re going to have a party!”

  The captain laughed. “Sure. I can do that.”

  The captain and Marcus were good friends, so Marcus had filled him in on our fake relationship. He was one of the few people we could talk freely in front of.

  Marcus smiled as I led him out to the middle of the deck.

  “Ready to bust out some dance moves?” I asked.

  The party music started playing, and Marcus swirled me around. We both let loose and really got into it. I couldn’t stop dancing as he dipped me, my hair touching the ground. We danced for a good thirty minutes. And I enjoyed every minute of it, all while soaking up the sun.

  Afterward, I smiled at him. “Wanna swim to shore?”

  The wind blew through his wavy hair as he contemplated it. He looked so sexy in the designer sunglasses he wore.

  “Sure!”

  “Besides, you need to flaunt that insanely sexy body to the cameras,” I said. “So take that shirt off. I’m dying to see what’s underneath. Lose the sunglasses too. We’re going for a long dip.”

  He slipped off his shirt and I couldn’t stop staring at hi
s broad shoulders, flat stomach, and powerful chest. He was so muscular, just pure perfection.

  The sun was beating down on us, so I picked up the sunscreen with a gleam in my eye. I couldn’t have my fake boyfriend getting burned, now, could I? “You’ll need this.”

  I started rubbing the lotion on his back good, so he didn’t get burned. My fingers traced over all those delightful, bulging curves. Hot damn! The guy was definitely ripped. I could feel every single muscle.

  “My turn,” he said.

  I smiled as he slowly rubbed lotion on my shoulders and back. My heart skipped a beat as he lathered the lotion all over me. I love the way he gently caressed me.

  I reached for his hand, and we climbed over the side, then dived into the water.

  “It feels great!” I shouted.

  He grinned as I smiled.

  My arms cut through the clear water as we swam to shore.

  The cameras were still rolling, so I acted like I was having the time of my life. And really, I was. We frolicked and played on the beach, running up and down the shoreline. I never felt sand so soft between my toes. He swung me around while I laughed. When a wave came, we both fell. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to up the ante. I reached for him as he hovered over me, and pulled him close. His lips crashed onto mine. My body trembled from his touch, and the way we looked at each other with intent in our eyes, it was pretty seductive and mind-blowing. The paparazzi came to shore and spied on our amazing beach kiss. I think they enjoyed it too, and couldn’t stop taking pictures.

  And there we made out on the beach as crests of white foam rolled over us, as waves crashed on the shore and splashed over us. It was just like in all those romantic movies. I was putting on quite the show as the cameras snapped away. I put everything into that passionate kiss. The way we kissed, you’d think we’d been lovers for years.