Authors: Claire Adams
“Then
why didn’t you?”
“To
be honest, because I was selfish. I wanted that time with you and I didn’t want
to ruin it. I couldn’t stand the thought of you being upset and I didn’t want
to waste the short amount of time I was at the ranch by arguing.”
“Short
amount of time?” I questioned.
Malcolm
had been at the ranch for just over a year. It certainly had been plenty of
time to tell me the truth, although I actually did understand why he hadn’t
been able to. It still hurt though. It hurt that he had left me more than
anything else.
I
could have gotten over the lying if I had gotten to see Malcolm or at least
talk to him after he left. But for months and months I had heard nothing and I
was left to deal with losing him just like I would if I had lost anyone else
that I was close to.
“Every
day I wondered if it would be my last day here with you. I never knew when they
would call your father and tell him I had to be ready. I know it’s hard to
understand, but I genuinely felt like I could be pulled away at any moment.”
“I
need to tell you something too. I mean, if we are being honest with each
other?”
“Yes,
lay into me. Get angry. Yell. Do whatever you need to do. I can handle it.”
I
didn’t actually want to do any of those things. For months I thought I wanted
to yell at him, but I didn’t. What I wanted was for things to go back to the
way they had been before. I wanted Garrett back, but I knew that would never
happen. Instead, I was sitting there with Malcolm and I had a few things of my
own I needed to get off my chest.
“I
loved you. I know I didn’t say it and I pretended like I was fine with having a
casual fling with you. But I loved you and I should have told you that. I’m
sorry.”
“I
appreciate you being honest.”
“Another
thing,” I started to say and then stopped myself.
Malcolm
moved over and sat next to me. He looked longingly into my eyes and for a
moment I felt like everything was back the way it was supposed to be. But I
knew it wasn’t. I knew he was only there for a moment and would be gone again.
“Tell
me,” he urged me.
“It’s
nothing.”
“I
can handle it. Tell me.”
“It’s
silly. I know this. But I thought you would stay here. I knew you said all the
time that you were going to have to leave someday, but I honestly thought you
cared enough about me that you were going to decide to stay.”
Tears
started to roll down my face and I tried to stop them. I didn’t want to cry in
front of Malcolm. I didn’t want to let him see me so weak, but I couldn’t stop
myself.
“Can
I tell you something?” he asked, but then didn’t wait for me to respond. “I
wanted to stay.”
“Really?”
“Yes.
That night when I had to leave my heart hurt so badly. I begged them to let me
say goodbye to you and they wouldn’t allow it. I was desperate to see you.”
He
wrapped his arms around me and held me close to him. It didn’t help my crying
at all. My mind was spinning with the new realization that Malcolm had actually
cared about me just as much as I had cared about him. My mother had tried to
tell me to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I hadn’t believed her at all.
“I
have something else I need to confess,” Malcolm said as he grabbed my hand and
helped me stand up. “I didn’t come here tonight. I’ve actually been in town for
a few nights and I’ve had your father helping me with a project for the last
month.”
“What?”
I said as I stopped crying so I could hear him better. “What are you talking
about?”
Malcolm
smiled and pulled me with him as we walked the hundred feet or so to the top of
the mountain. As we reached the peak, we looked out over the river area and I
saw a ton of construction underway. There were cranes everywhere and it looked
like they were building some sort of hotel or resort.
“My
father sold off the land; we can’t go all the way down there,” I said as we
looked out.
“I
know. And yes we can go down there.”
“No,
we can’t. I don’t know who owns it. It would be trespassing.”
“I
know who owns it,” Malcolm said as he squeezed my hand and smiled.
I
looked at him and then down at the construction that was underway. My mind was
still puzzled by what he was saying. Did he know the people who had purchased
the land? How was my father involved? As I turned back to look at Malcolm he
was down on one knee and I gasped as I saw the ring he was holding out.
“You
see, Sarah Marie Miller, I just couldn’t stay away from you. I tried. Damn, did
I try. But I couldn’t live a boring life without the woman that I loved. So
about a month ago I bought this land and hired your father to oversee the
construction of the Edwards Corporate Ranch: a delightful corporate retreat
that I hope to run with my wife someday. Sarah Marie Miller, will you marry
me?”
“You’re
insane,” I said as I smiled and tried to put all the pieces together. “So
you’re the one that bought this?”
“Yep.”
“You’re
the reason my father’s been sneaking away from the ranch the last month?”
“Yep.
And I love you. I love it here and I want you to marry me.”
I
looked down at Malcolm and that cheesy grin he had on his face. It was all too
much to take in at once, but there was one thing that I knew in my gut. I knew
that I loved him and the fact that he had was right there in front of me, down
on one knee, was absolutely a dream come true.
“Yes,”
I said as I covered my eyes and giggled a little.
“Wait,
did you say yes?”
“Yes,
you goofball. I said yes!” I screamed.
Malcolm
jumped up from the ground and pulled the huge diamond ring out of the box and
slid it onto my finger. He wrapped his arms around me and dipped me
dramatically as he kissed me.
“This,
my dear, is the beginning of our happily ever after.”
Epilogue
Malcolm
It
took a long time before Sarah started to trust me again. We had to get
acquainted with each other and I had to share the real stories of how I had
grown up. Sharing my truth with her was the best way for us to move forward
though, and soon she started to see that I really was that man she had fallen
in love with.
“When
are they going to get here?” Sarah asked with anticipation.
“Soon,
stop being so anxious. You are a confident owner of a fabulous corporate
retreat. They will love you.”
“They
love you already; I’m not sure if they will love me nearly as much.”
It
had been a year since I had proposed to Sarah and six months since our wedding.
Our first corporate retreat guests were about to arrive and we were excited to
test out all the different events and programs that we wanted to incorporate.
The
group of forty people arriving were all Edwards Aviation managers and executives.
They were coming to be our beta test group on the urging of me and I couldn’t
wait to see everyone and introduce them all to Sarah.
Casey
was now the CEO of Edwards Aviation and I had stepped down to simply be a
member of the board of directors. It allowed me to still be involved in the big
decisions, but I didn’t have to worry about the day to day tasks.
“Is
that them?” Sarah asked as we looked up into the sky and saw the first
helicopter landing.
It
had been Sid’s idea to have a helicopter pick up guests and bring them out to
the ranch. Sarah and I had been skeptical about it at first, but it was pretty
cool to see the excitement on everyone’s faces as they got off the helicopter
and saw the resort.
A
down side to helicopter transportation was that only six people could arrive at
a time, but we would figure something out for the remaining people to keep busy
with while at the airport. The helicopter was fast and provided an exciting
opportunity for our guests that they wouldn’t soon forget.
“I
love you,” I said into Sarah’s ear as everyone made their way toward us.
“I
love you too.”
Jennifer
and Casey were at the front of the group as they walked up the steps toward us
and I was so excited to see them. Jennifer had moved into Casey’s old job when
he took over my duties. I was proud to have such a capable woman leading my
company and felt like it set a really good example for the other women that
worked for me.
“Malcolm,
it’s so great to see you,” Jennifer said as she hugged me.
Casey
tried to reach his hand out to shake with mine, but I wasn’t having any of
that. I grabbed a hold of him and gave him a big bear hug like Meredith had
taught me. It made him super uncomfortable and I loved every moment of it.
“This
is my beautiful wife, Sarah,” I said as I introduced them all. “She’s basically
the reason I’m alive and breathing today.”
“He’s
exaggerating.”
“Seriously,
if I hadn’t been making love to her in the—”
“Shhh,
enough with that story,” Sarah stopped me as she hugged both Jennifer and Casey.
We
all laughed and I introduced Sarah to the rest of the executives that had come
in on the first helicopter. Before we knew it, the rest of the managers and
executives had arrived and we got started on the welcome mixer that we had
planned out by the pool area.
The
resort had turned out better than both of us had expected. It was one thing to
see the plans drawn up and make decisions about tiles, carpet, etc. But it was
an entirely different thing to see everything come to life in front of us.
Our
resort wasn’t just classy and elegant, it was made with natural products almost
completely from Montana businesses. We had searched far and wide to ensure the
entire building was as authentic as possible to the area.
We
still had two more phases of construction to finish, but the main building was
done and we were ready to start our testing of the programs we wanted to do.
Sarah had been amazing at calling potential new clients and she even convinced
me to buy this really cool robot that people could use to take tours right from
the comfort of their own offices.
When
phase two started, it was going to bring the ski lift area to life and then
phase three was going to be trails and some backwoods cabins. We didn’t just
want our resort to be one of those places that high level executives came to.
Our resort was going to have something for artists, non-profits, and small
businesses. It was exciting to plan things with Sarah and even more exciting to
see our dreams coming true.
“Man,
Malcolm, this place is amazing. And you look so relaxed. It really suits you,”
Casey said as we sat in the corner trying to catch up.
“I
know. I love it out here. I’m away from the rat race, but I still feel very
connected with what’s going on in the world. It’s the best of both worlds.”
One
of the aspects of our ranch that I had insisted on was the high level of
technology. It had been the only thing that Sarah and I hadn’t really agreed on
while we were planning the building. I believed that using technology would
benefit the resort and make people see that we were innovators. Sarah believed
that technology would hinder our appearance as being authentic. But when she
found that cool robot that people could control from home, she was sold. It was
the perfect way to show off our facilities without executive team planners
needing to take a flight up to see us. She was convinced that robot was going
to sell more events than she would.
“Your
wife is beautiful. I can see why you were willing to give up everything to come
be with her.”
It
was a statement I had heard more than once from my male friends. They naturally
believed I had given up my life in order to be part of Sarah’s. I understood
where they were coming from, but what they didn’t understand was that I hadn’t
given up anything. I had simply made choices in my life to pursue the things
that mattered most to me and Sarah was one of the top priorities I had.
“She
is pretty damn amazing.”
“So
what’s next for you guys? More resorts? Are you going to build overseas too?”
“No,
just this one. We are going to stay right here and enjoy running this place
together. Maybe even have a couple little ones.”
“Really?
That doesn’t seem like it’s enough to keep you happy.”
“I
think it is.”
“All
right, man, but remember, you’ve always got a place at Edwards Aviation. I’ll
happily step aside if you ever come to your senses and decide you want to
return to society.”
I
noticed Sarah on her way over to see us and decided Casey’s comments didn’t
really need a response from me. I had been that guy only two years before. I
knew what he was thinking. How on earth could I actually be happy away from the
business and excitement of Los Angeles? The truth was that it had taken me
spending a year on the Miller ranch and almost getting murdered before I
realized that the business world wasn’t the only good life there was out there.
Since
my move to Montana and marrying Sarah, I had seen what true happiness was. I
didn’t worry about dying of a heart attack caused by stress. I didn’t worry
about getting into business with drug king. The stress I had in my life at that
moment was all good stress and I thrived on my new life.
“What
are you two guys talking about over here,” Sarah asked as she sat on the arm of
the chair with me.
“Casey
was just worried I wasn’t happy out here.”
“No,
I didn’t mean it like that,” he protested.
“I
know man, I know,” I said as I grabbed a hold of Sarah’s ass.
“Well
he can’t go running off now, I need him to run this place when I start throwing
up.”
Casey
looked at Sarah and then at me. He started smiling and knew what Sarah was
saying long before I had figured it out.
“Congratulations,”
he said as he stood up and gave Sarah a hug. “Look at the poor shmuck, he
doesn’t even know what’s going on.” Casey said as he shook my hand.
“Wait
… are you?” I said as I stumbled on my words.
“Yes,
I’m pregnant,” Sarah said with a huge grin as she hugged me.
“I’m
going to be a dad?” I said.
“Yes,
you’re going to be a dad.”
I
couldn’t stop looking at Sarah’s huge smile. That one simple thing had been how
I had fallen utterly head over heels in lust with her. I stood there watching
her as Casey congratulated her and talked baby talk with her. He was a father
himself and knew all the right questions to ask.
“So
I’m going to be a dad?” I managed to say again as I joined the conversation.
“Yes,
you goofball,” Sarah said as she grabbed a hold of me. “And no, we aren’t
naming your child after your horse.”
“Whaaat?
I wasn’t even thinking about it. But now that you say that, Buck sure does
sound like a strong name.”
We
all started to laugh and I pulled Sarah close and dipped her down to deliver a
dramatic kiss. This was the woman that I loved and I was excited to get the
opportunity to raise a family with her and grow our life together. The twists
and turns of my bad decisions had landed me the most amazing woman and life
that I could have ever dreamed of.
That’s
the end of the Billionaire In Hiding. Below I included 4 of my previous books
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BAD
BOY BILLIONAIRE
The
Complete Series
By
Claire Adams
This
book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are
products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not
to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual
events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright
© 2016 Claire Adams
BAD BOY BILLIONAIRE VOLUME I
CHAPTER
ONE
There
was a gentle breeze blowing as I poured the champagne into tall flutes and
handed them to the two bikini-clad girls tanning on the deck. The captain had
anchored the boat in a quiet spot just off the coast of Santorini, and I was
enjoying the sun and the sea with my companions. We were about to head north to
Athens where we would celebrate my thirty-third birthday with a party that
would keep the whole city talking for months.
"Jack, I'm
out of champagne again," the tanned blonde pouted as she held out her
glass. She was the heiress to a Greek shipping fortune, and as a result, was
very spoiled, but I enjoyed her company—and her body.
"Well, that
will not do at all, will it?" I said as I pulled the bottle of Cristal out
of the icy bucket and refilled her glass. "You must stay hydrated, mikri
prinkipissa!"
"I'm not a
little princess," she giggled as she sipped the cold, bubbly liquid.
"I'm rich, but I'm definitely not royalty."
"I am!"
the brunette next to her piped up. "And I'm out of champagne, too!"
"What an
affront to the crown!" I cried. I hit the button that connected me to the
staff below decks and said, "Another bottle of Cristal for the
ladies!"
"Right away,
sir," the voice replied, and in moments, a staff member dressed in pure
white emerged from below, carrying an ice-cold bottle of champagne wrapped in a
white napkin. He waited for my nod before popping the cork and sinking the
bottle deep into the bucket of ice.
"But I'm
still empty," the brunette pouted.
I grabbed the
bottle and refilled her glass, smiling as she tugged at the strings that kept
her bikini bottoms up on her hips. Both girls had long since removed their
tops, allowing me to admire their oil-coated breasts. This offering seemed to
be leading somewhere else entirely.
"You're a
very naughty girl, prinkipissa!" I playfully scolded her as she tugged the
thin strip of material away from her body and tossed it at me.
"You have no
idea, Jack," she purred. She and her blonde friend leaned forward and
grabbed my hands, pulling me down between them on the lounging bench.
Before I knew it,
they had stripped me of my swim trunks and were taking turns wrapping their
hands around my stiff shaft as they kissed me and pressed their naked bodies
against mine. I gave in to their ministrations as I lay back and watched their
glistening bodies move over mine. These tanned nymphs always managed to find my
weak spots and exploit them, much to my delight—and often theirs.