The Debt: The Complete Series (An Alpha Billionaire Romance)

by Kelly Favor

  Skylar smiled back at him. “I don’t even know how to thank you.”

  “You just did.” Jake reached out and gave her arm a gentle squeeze, and then he stood up and came towards Raven.

  His brown eyes were intent and unreadable.

  “Thanks,” she murmured softly.

  “I need to talk to you,” he said. “In private.”

  “Of course.” Her heartbeat picked up instantly. “Should we go somewhere now?”

  “I’m going to go for a swim. Meet me at my room in five and I’ll be ready.”

  Jake left and Raven talked a few more minutes with Skylar and then went to meet Jake at his room.

  She was nervous, wondering what exactly he might want to talk to her about.

  They’d already agreed that she would go back to Boston. What was left to discuss?

  As she knocked on his door, she flashed on a mental image of Jake throwing open the door, grabbing her by the wrist, and dragging her into his room.

  Once inside, she fantasized about Jake telling her his elaborate plans to punish her for defying him and keeping secrets. Each transgression would require him to spank her repeatedly, to rip her clothes off, tie up her wrists and ankles—

  The door opened and Raven snapped out of it.

  Jake was wearing shorts, a t-shirt and flip-flops. He had a towel slung over his shoulder. “Do you swim?” he asked.

  “I don’t have a bathing suit,” she replied.

  “I can get you one.”

  “No, it’s okay.” She had to avert her eyes from him, because just picturing him shirtless was making it difficult to think straight, and she needed to stay alert for whatever he wanted to say to her.

  “Okay, whatever,” Jake sighed, shutting the door. He started to walk down the hallway to the elevators, hitting the button and turning to her while they waited. “Is Skylar handling the news all right?” he asked.

  Raven thought about it, shrugged. “You talked to her. What do you think?”

  “I don’t know her like you do,” Jake said.

  Raven licked her lips and stared down at the carpet. “You told her not to worry about the fact that you’re helping her so much.”

  “That’s right, it doesn’t do her any good to worry about anything outside of fighting this cancer.”

  Raven looked up and met his brown-eyed gaze. “Well, now I’m asking. Why are you helping her? Lots of people get cancer, Jake, and you’re not helping all of them.”

  The elevator came and the doors opened. Jake’s mouth turned up at the corner, ever so slightly. “Saved by the bell,” he said, stepping inside.

  Raven followed. There were a few other people in the elevator—specifically a couple and their teenage daughter. She started freaking out that she was standing so close to JAKE NOVAK, and Jake laughed and graciously took a picture with her.

  They got off and went to the pool. Luckily, there was nobody else swimming but a very old man who seemed lost in his own world and was swimming laps so slow that Raven wondered how he even managed to stay afloat.

  Jake walked to one of the lounge chairs and dropped his towel on it, then proceeded to strip off his t-shirt. He tossed that on the chair as well. His upper body looked flawless, like a work of art, smooth and hard and perfectly proportioned.

  Jake he kicked off his flip-flops as Raven sat down on the edge of the chair next to his. “So what did you want to talk about?” she asked him.

  Jake flexed his arms, and his biceps expanded, and then his chest and abs tightened and she had to look away from him again.

  It was embarrassing what he did to her, and she didn’t want him to see it so clearly. She felt exposed whenever he so much as glanced her way.

  “I wanted to talk about payment,” Jake said. He ran a hand through his hair.

  “Payment?”

  “Since you’re going back to Boston today, I was thinking about the arrangement we discussed, and I decided that I’m going to pay you fifty and call it settled.”

  “Fifty…fifty dollars?” she asked, her mouth suddenly dry.

  Jake chuckled. “Fifty thousand.” And then he turned and did a perfect dive into the pool.

  Raven just sat there, her mouth hanging open.

  Jake swam the length of the pool without coming up for air. He surfaced down at the far end, took a breath and then went back under. When he popped up again he was right in front of her.

  He lifted the upper part of his torso above the waterline and hung his arms on the side of the pool. Water dripped down his face and he used his hand to wipe it from his eyes. “Towel?” he asked, reaching out to her.

  She grabbed his towel and handed it over to him. He pressed it against his face and then handed it back to her.

  “Jake, I can’t accept that,” she told him.

  “It’s just a damp towel,” he joked.

  “I’m serious. I can’t take that money, it’s too much.” She held onto his towel, clutching it to her lap.

  Jake stared at her, his brown eyes somehow warm and cold all at once. “Raven, it’s not up for discussion. I’m telling you what’s happening so you know what to expect.”

  “But why? You’re angry at me, I didn’t help you, I only made things worse—“

  “Because I want to do it. And anyway, the money’s already been wired to your checking account.”

  Raven once again had to resist the tears that were welling up behind her eyes. She blinked rapidly and looked away, and then Jake dipped backwards into the water, and was swimming beneath the surface towards the other side of the pool.

  She watched as he smoothly came up once more for air on the far end, took a breath, then dipped back under and began the next lap.

  He did lap after lap, not stopping to rest or talk. Raven started to feel that she’d been dismissed.

  It was over, wasn’t it?

  This was the big kiss-off. He was paying her to get out of his life and not carry any hard feelings. She stood, as Jake was midway through one of his laps across the pool.

  She watched him for a moment, his perfect body mostly obscured under the blue water, gliding almost effortlessly, glimmering there beneath the surface, so close yet so distant all at once.

  It was like she’d been living in a dream world, and now she was waking up. The shimmering glow of this new world faded and everything became just normal once again—her old world had returned with a vengeance. She was just a regular girl, going back to Boston, looking for work, trying to find a place to live.

  The wild, restless soul that had pulled her out of her shell and shown her places within and without that she’d never imagined—that restless soul was moving on. He would never be tamed, never settle for someone ordinary like Raven.

  She was on her own again, and she was going back to her old life.

  Maybe that would be a relief in a way.

  Raven turned and walked away from the pool, wondering if Jake would even notice she had gone.

  She took almost nothing with her, in the end—just the clothes on her back, choosing to leave behind the suitcase full of couture that Kurt had brought to her room, along with his sneer and his manipulations.

  Besides, Raven didn’t want any clothing that would remind her of this time spent with Jake—it would be too sad.

  Before leaving, she stopped by Skylar’s room and said goodbye. Skylar was planning on returning to Boston late the next day with her parents. She had another doctor’s appointment to go to, but she seemed in great spirits.

  It seemed as though Jake had continued to be in contact with Skylar and the staff at Sloan Kettering, which made Raven both relieved and desperately sad all at once.

  Skylar seemed to sense that there was something going on between Jake and Raven, but didn’t ask any questions. That was a relief, because if Raven had had to talk about any of it, she’d have broken down sobbing. And that wouldn’t have been at all fair to do with her friend who’d just received a cancer diagnosis.

  Skyla
r promised she would make Raven aware of any important updates, and then they hugged and said they’d see one another back in Boston.

  A few minutes later, Raven was walking through the hotel lobby, about to catch a cab to take her to Port Authority, and from there, a bus back to Boston.

  She was so distracted thinking about the way things had ended so suddenly and prematurely between her and Jake that she didn’t even notice when a man started walking right next to her.

  “Leaving us so soon?” he asked.

  The voice was all too familiar and dreaded. Raven turned and looked at Kurt’s smug face.

  She tried to sound polite. “I guess you must be happy with how it all turned out.”

  Kurt’s smile grew wider. “If you’d accepted my initial offer, you’d have made a hundred thousand instead of just fifty, and your sex tape wouldn’t be floating all over the web right now.”

  “Fifty’s plenty and it’s more than I need or even want.”

  “It’s definitely more than you deserve,” Kurt said.

  “Just leave me alone—it’s over.” Raven tried to keep walking to get away from him, but he grabbed her arm with a vice-like grip.

  “Look, you got off easy this time,” Kurt whispered, his breath hitting her face. It smelled of old coffee and breakfast gone rancid. His smile was gone now. “If you try to weasel your way back into Jake’s life, mommy seeing your sex tape will seem like fond memories compared to what’ll happen to you.”

  “Take your hand off me before I scream,” she said through grit teeth.

  Kurt’s smile appeared again, and he did take his hand off her arm. “Disappear from Jake’s life for good this time, Raven. Stop fucking around—you got in way over your head and you were very lucky to skate by with your fifty thousand dollar payoff.”

  “Kurt,” she said, “you’re kind of handsome, but your breath stinks like a dead animal. It’s disgusting. Just like everything else about you.” She made a face. “Please get away from me before I puke on your expensive shoes.”

  Kurt’s smile wavered and turned into a grimace as he stepped back. “Stupid bitch.”

  Somehow, her comments had rankled him, and that did make her smile.

  “Bye, Kurt,” she waved, starting to leave again. “Good luck getting your halitosis under control.”

  Raven continued towards the exit, but the concierge stopped her. “Miss Hartley?” the man asked stiffly.

  “Yes, that’s me.” She looked at him uncertainly.

  “Mister Novak asked that I make sure you get to your car when you’re ready to depart. Are you leaving us now?”

  “Well…yes, but I don’t have a car.” She shouldered her purse.

  “Perhaps I was unclear.” The concierge referred to his clipboard. “A car has been arranged to take you to Boston. Mister Novak has covered all expenses and you’re to have the car and driver as long as is needed.”

  “Oh.” Raven’s emotions were swirling around inside of her now—a mixture of intense grief, longing, frustration and even some anger. Why did it seem like he still cared about her, and yet he was sending her away?

  She still couldn’t make sense of their connection.

  On the one hand, he claimed to be angry and disgusted by the way she’d withheld parts of her past, and then on the other he wanted to pay her more than he owed her for the time they’d spent together.

  He claimed that she’d failed to do her job, but insisted on paying her above and beyond the agreement and was even sending her back home in an expensive car with a driver.

  What did it all mean?

  She couldn’t understand anything anymore.

  Regardless, Raven allowed herself to be led outside by the concierge and a couple members of Jake’s security team. They shielded her a little bit from the paparazzi, but not as well as Jake usually did.

  The photographers seemed extra aggressive, as she walked outside and they started snapping and clicking and bombarding her with questions.

  “Did you really have sex with all those guys at the party?”

  “What do you think about the video of you that was released? Do you deny that’s you?”

  “Have you and Jake Novak split up?”

  “Where’s Jake?”

  “Raven, Raven! Over here, Raven! People from Southbridge say that you were a liar and a nymphomaniac, Raven. Is any of it true?”

  One of the security guards gave that particular paparazzo a hard shove and the photographer fell onto his rear, cursing and threatening lawsuits.

  Raven had to smile a little at that. She got inside the black sedan and the driver turned to look at her. “To Boston, Miss Hartley?”

  “Yes,” she said softly. Once she got back, she’d have him drop her at her car, which had been sitting parked and probably had more than a few tickets by now.

  They started to pull away from the hotel and a large sense of desolation threatened to overwhelm her.

  She was probably never going to see Jake Novak again, except on television and in the movies. She’d hear his voice on the radio, but never again would she hear it in person.

  His voice, saying dark and sensual things in her ear, telling her everything he wanted to do to her for her own good.

  “Miss Hartley?” the driver said again.

  She snapped from her reverie. “Sorry. Yes?”

  “I was instructed to give this to you.” The driver extended one hand back towards her, and there was a white envelope between his fingers.

  Her brow furrowed, but she leaned forward just the same, and took it from him. “Who instructed you to give it to me?”

  “Jake Novak, ma’am.” The driver went back to focusing on driving the car.

  Raven took a deep breath and let it out. She examined the plain white envelope, as if somehow it was going to tell her the secret to what lay within. She was afraid of what she might find inside, what it might or might not say.

  Eventually, though, she ripped it open and took out the piece of lined hotel stationary. There was a handwritten letter, apparently penned by Jake, and his handwriting was precise and neat.

  Raven,

  I told you that I wired fifty thousand dollars to your account. I know you can’t understand why I did it, but I have good reason.

  Although your plan to rehabilitate my image didn’t work, I very much appreciate the personal risk you took in attempting to be part of my life at this difficult time, and I recognize that it came at a high cost to both you and your family.

  Thinking about the way my presence has negatively affected your privacy and the stability that you’d built for yourself since leaving home years ago, I think the money is the least I could do to make up for it.

  Also, I’m very much aware that my affiliation with Club Alpha has also been detrimental to your safety and wellbeing. They’ve threatened you, got you fired from your job, and kicked out of your apartment.

  Because of these inconveniences and more, I took the liberty of renting an apartment for you, in Boston, for one year. The lease is paid in full, all utilities are covered.

  The driver will give you the keys when you arrive at your destination.

  Hopefully, both the apartment and the money will allow you to have the freedom to accompany Skylar through the difficult time she’ll be facing going through treatment these next few months. Having you by her side as she undergoes this experience will be very comforting for her.

  Please know that she will never have to worry about money for any of her medical expenses. She will get only the best treatment—I will make sure of it.

  Now that you are no longer burdened by my presence in your life, I’m very hopeful that the media will turn their ugly spotlight away from you and leave you in peace.

  I think you’re much better off this way.

  Be well, Raven. And please take good care of yourself.

  -Jake

  It felt like a very long ride back to Boston after reading Jake’s letter. Raven tried hard to put him
out of her mind, to think instead of Skylar and what she must be going through.

  Raven spent some of the time in the car reading up about her friend’s particular type of cancer and what type of treatment and prognosis could be expected. The good news was that it tended to be a very slow growing cancer, and so the likelihood of it having spread was low.

  However, from what she was reading, the combination of chemotherapy and radiation that they were likely to pursue would be a fairly grueling, even hellish process for Skylar.

  In the end, the prognosis was good that she’d be cancer free at the end of it all, and that was what Raven tried to keep in mind. Whatever discomfort Skylar was going to go through, she would be better at the end of it all.

  Eventually, this whole period of Skylar’s life would seem like nothing but a bad dream.

  Is that what this will feel like for me? Skylar thought, as they crossed into Boston via the Mass Turnpike. Nothing but a bad dream with faded memories to look back on?

  The driver expertly maneuvered the sedan through the winding city streets of Boston until finally stopping in front of two very tall buildings, double-parking because there were never any free spots in Boston.

  He turned his head and looked at Raven. “This is your stop, ma’am.”

  She craned her head up. “Where are we?”

  “The Ritz Carlton Towers, Miss Hartley.” He produced a set of keys and handed them to her. “You’re in apartment 907.”

  Raven took the keys, thanking him, and then also put the envelope which contained Jake’s letter in her purse. “Are you allowed a tip?”

  He shook his head firmly no. “Mr. Novak has taken care of everything, ma’am. There’s no need, but I do appreciate the offer.”

  “Okay, then.” She took a deep breath and let it out, before exiting the car and walking across the entryway to the towers.

  It took her a moment to find the right entrance, as the residents apparently used a different lobby than the hotel guests.

  However, once she found her lobby, she started to make her way to the elevator. But the attendant at the front desk stopped her and requested her reason for entering, so she told him she had newly rented an apartment and showed him her key.