FOREVER BELOVED (Billionaire Love Series) (8 page)

“Start slowly. You need a steady, light hand.
Follow your natural eye line until the corner and then sweep up,
just like the videos showed you.”

“All right. I’m gonna try it. I’ll give you a
call back if I need any more help.”

“Always here, big sister. Go have fun
tonight!” she gushed.

“I will. Love you, Sugarpop.”

“Mwah!” she kissed into the phone as I
giggled.

We hung up and I followed her advice,
managing to create a decent smoky eye. Emma was right. It made all
the difference.

I gave myself a once over in the bedroom’s
full-length mirror, admiring the way my hot pink dress clung to me.
It hugged my curves just right, with only a bit of a cleavage
showing in the V neckline. My hair was pulled up in a loose twist,
giving me a soft frame around my face.

Feeling satisfied with my look, I threw on
the black Jimmy Choos Beau had given me and headed downstairs. As I
walked into the kitchen, I pulled down the hem of my Lycra infused
cotton dress, wondering if I could carry off this whole sexy vibe
for the evening.

I wasn’t sure how long my bravery would
last.

I checked on the chicken dish cooking in the
oven as I thought about changing into something less sexy. But my
concern quickly evaporated as the doorbell rang. I clipped-clopped
toward the door, so excited to see one of my favorite people.

“Stacy!” I yelled as I threw open the screen
door.

“Marla!” she cried as she threw her arms
around me.

We hugged for a long moment, before she took
a step back and evaluated my outfit.

“Oh, girl, you look good. I won’t even make
you change,” she complimented.

“Thanks. You look gorgeous as always.” She
had let her hair go straight years ago, but she had beautiful
blonde streaks highlighting her long dirty blonde hair hanging down
her back.

“Oh, this old thing.” She waved her hand
dismissively, as if she just rolled out of bed looking like a movie
star.

Yeah, right. I didn’t believe her for a
second.

Her style had evolved greatly from the days
she imitated Madonna. Nowadays, she wore chic designer clothing,
which gave her a total cool factor. Tonight was no different. She
was beautiful in her lacey black Dolce and Gabbana dress.

“Come on in, we have so much to catch up on,”
I gushed as I walked toward the kitchen.

“I know. I want to hear what’s been going on
with you,” she said, following me.

Taking a seat at my kitchen table, she
watched me put the finishing touches on dinner.

“It’s been a wild summer,” I told her as I
pulled a breadbasket down from a cabinet.

She arched one perfectly manicured brow. “Oh,
really?”

“Guess who showed up back in town.”

“Who?” She could barely contain her
excitement.

“Beau.”

“Oh, my god.” She sucked in her breath and
she put her hand over her chest. “Have you seen him?”

“Yes, I have.”

Her blue green eyes grew big. “Tell me
everything.”

“I will. Let me get dinner out of the oven
and I’ll give you the scoop.”

Over Chicken Parmesan, I brought her up to
speed on the whole Beau saga as we sat at my kitchen table. Her
eyes got even wider as I shared the sordid details of Beau trying
to blackmail me.

She banged her fist on the table. “That
asshole! I can’t believe he would do that.”

I smiled. She was always so dramatic, but I
loved her concern for me. She had been a good friend for many years
and I was finally ready to reveal the whole secret.

“I hurt Beau bad, Stacy, and more
importantly, he doesn’t know his father forced me to break-up with
him by threatening to take away Emma.”

Her heart shaped face fell into shock. “Oh,
Marla. That’s awful. You never told me.”

“I didn’t tell anyone for twenty years. But
I’m done hiding the past.”

“Good for you, you secretive bitch.”

No one else made the word bitch sound like a
term of endearment.

I laughed. “I’ve so missed you!”

“I’ve missed you, too. You’ve been holding
out on me, girl. I take it Beau knows about Charlie?”

“Yep. It took some time for him to reach out,
but he stepped up and invited Charlie to a hockey game last
week.”

“How did it go?”

I shrugged. “Okay, I think. Charlie has shown
an interest in getting to know his dad, so that’s good. But because
Beau’s so mad at me, I’m trying to sit on the sidelines and let
them work things out.”

“That’s tough, lady.”

“Yeah, but my son has a chance to get to know
his father and I’m grateful for that.”

“You always were an optimistic bitch, weren’t
you?” she said with the same swagger she had in high school.

“Still am. I’m not giving up hope Beau will
find his way back to me.”

She shot me a bright smile. “Thatta girl. I
always hoped you and Beau would get back together.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, your relationship was always the
standard for me. If a guy didn’t pass the Beau test, I tossed him
to the curb.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“You weren’t exactly open to talking about
him and I wasn’t about to bring him up when it was too painful for
you to discuss.”

I gave her a big hug. “I appreciate that.
Thank you for being such a good friend.”

“Ah, you’re making me blush. Now let’s get
ready to paint the town, lady. I’m itchin’ to dance.”

“All right. Let me clear our plates and put
away dinner.”

“’Kay. I’m gonna check my makeup.” She
disappeared into the bathroom, while I cleaned up the kitchen.

After I refreshed my own makeup, I met up
with her in the living room, where she was sitting on the couch,
waiting for me.

“Hey, that woman looks like you,” she said,
pointing to the TV playing in the background.

There was a smiling picture of a woman with
long dark hair and brown eyes similar to mine displayed on the
screen. “Yeah, she kinda does,” I agreed.

I turned up the volume, so we could hear the
report. “Sources say the victim was taken from her apartment
complex parking lot and possibly assaulted at the hands of the
serial rapist dubbed the Renaissance rapist, who’s known for his
use of medieval phrases. If you have any information on the
whereabouts of Marlena Sanchez, please call...” the newscaster
rattled off before I turned off the TV.

“That’s awful,” I said sadly.

“We’re not going to let anything ruin our
night. Let’s go knock ‘em dead, kid.” Stacy smiled, standing up and
grabbing her purse.

I shook off the sadness I had any time I
heard horrible news like that. “Okay, let’s get going.”

Our destination was a club called Scorch.
Somehow, Stacy had gotten our names on the list. Whatever that
meant.

We drove to a happening hotspot in downtown
Baltimore. The neighborhood seemed a little sketchy. I wasn’t even
sure if it was safe to get out as Stacy parked the car.

She didn’t have any such reservations.

She bounded out of the car and stood in her
five inch heels by the passenger door. “Come on, scaredy cat.”

“Are you sure?” I glanced around the dark
parking lot.

“Yes, everyone I’ve talked to raves about
this place.”

“All right.” I reluctantly stepped out of the
vehicle and pulled down on my dress again.

We crossed the street to the club, where a
mile-long line filled with the under twenty-five crowd wrapped
around the block.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked, as Stacy
marched us to the front of the line to where a beefy bouncer was
guarding the front door with an iPad in his hand.

“I told you we’re on the list,” she said and
then gave the burly man our names.

The gruff bouncer nodded his bald head toward
the door, signaling us to go inside. Stacy grabbed my hand and
pulled me toward the den of iniquity.

God, help me. I was going in.

The sexy energy hit me as we walked along a
darkened hall to where it widened out into a massive dance floor,
complete with cages of dancing women clad in corsets and frilly
panties.

A hazy, sensual vibe coursed through my
blood, like a lover’s kiss seducing me of my inhibitions. I swayed
to the heady beats of
Diamonds in the Sky
as the music
floated through my body
.

“I gotta dance,” I told Stacy as she stood
next me.

“Okay, what do you want to drink?” she asked,
as I drifted toward the dance floor.

“Rum and Coke, please,” I said, not concerned
with anything but getting the chance to move.

After she took off for the bar, I shimmied my
way to the middle of the hot dance floor, loving the way the dark
lighting curled around me. It felt intimate and safe, like I was
dancing in my room by myself.

I shut my eyes as the sexy music flowed
through my body. Snaking my hands above my head, I turned slowly
around as I tossed my hips from side to side in a figure eight
pattern. I hadn’t danced like this in a long time and the wanton
woman inside came roaring out as I writhed back and forth in
complete abandonment.

Lost in my own vibe, I failed to notice I had
attracted attention. When I finally glanced around there was a guy
standing in front of me. It was hard to see all of his features in
the low lighting, but he looked like he was in his mid-twenties.
Hunger was in his hooded gaze, his body thick with muscle.

Feeling bold, I beckoned him closer as he
traveled the short distance between us. Clasping my hands around
his neck, I pressed my body against his as he ground against
me.

For a minute, it felt good.

But he had other plans. He leaned forward,
his lips claiming mine as he grabbed my ass and squeezed hard.

I ripped my mouth from his, stunned by his
aggressive moves. This guy had committed a serious, violating
misstep. I wasn’t going to be nice about it.

I hauled off and slapped him. “Don’t touch
me!”

He didn’t like that, as he growled in my
face. “You wanna bet?” he snarled, grabbing my right wrist and
dragging me across the dance floor.

Oh crap, how the hell was I going to get out
of this?

*****

Beau:

I stopped by Scorch to check on things as
they started to heat up.

Sitting on my usual couch, I took in the
pretty scenery. Lots of beauties were getting down on the dance
floor as the crowd started to thicken. Scanning the masses, I
noticed a woman shaking her hips back and forth, as she got lost in
the sensuality of the music. I watched her for a second, drawn in
by the erotic, graceful way she moved.

What a hot ass.

Juicy.

Round as fuck.

Wait.

I knew that grade A ass.

My Marla radar went off as I recognized her
gorgeous body.

I hadn’t lost my ability to track her.

I could sniff her out anywhere.

Her beautiful curves were one of a kind,
beckoning men from miles around.

I went on high alert as she glided across the
dance floor, soaking up the rhythms of some Rihanna song. My cock
tightened against my pants as my mind swam with dirty filthy
thoughts.

I had always been so hard for her.

So goddamn hard.

I wanted to grab her hair, pull her close,
and ride her until she came undone on my dick. Fuck, I needed to
bury myself inside her.

Mesmerized, I watched her shake her
curvaceous hips over and over.

But I wasn’t the only one who noticed.

Marla was attracting male attention right and
left as they swarmed around her like a pack of wolves. One young
punk approached her and she ushered him forward, swaying her hips
as he stuck his leg between hers.

Son of a bitch, she was letting him grind all
up in her business. I bolted up from my seat as rage blasted
through me.

I wasn’t okay with another man touching
her.

Marla was mine.

Always had been.

Always would be.

Her name coursed through my veins, like a
junkie experiencing his first high. Anger rocked through my chest,
moving up to the base of my brain, igniting a Neanderthal instinct
to protect what was mine.

As I moved toward them, things became ten
times worse as the douche bag claimed her lips in an obnoxious kiss
while his hands found her luscious ass and squeezed, pulling her
tight to his crotch.

That wasn’t going to fly with me as I
increased my speed. But before I got to them, Marla hauled off and
slapped him.

Atta girl.

Furious, the guy grabbed her wrist and tried
to haul her away.

Na-uh. Not happening.

Marla tried to pull her wrist away from her
would-be admirer as I arrived on the dance floor.

I stepped in front of the guy, getting in his
face. “Whoa, buddy. Hands off,” I growled, trying to control my
temper.

“I was here first,” he barked, as if in some
universe he could claim her.

I stared hard at the young punk. “Let go of
her. I’m only going to ask once,” I snarled, ready for battle.

I took a menacing step forward, which made
the guy flinch. He was all bark and no bite as he released Marla. I
chased him off with another confrontational step and he high-tailed
it to the bar, like a scared little puppy.

“Thank you, Beau,” Marla offered, staring at
me with relief in her doe eyes.

“I’ll be with you in a moment,” I snapped,
mad she was even there.

That asshole needed to be thrown out. I
signaled to one of the bouncers, pointing at the guy. He would be
banished for good.

Satisfied, I turned my full attention to
Marla, who looked too sexy in a tight pink dress, showing off her
hot body.

“I can’t have you here, looking like this,
acting like that!” I pointed toward her dress and then the dance
floor.

Her brown eyes went wide with shock. “What?
You don’t get to tell me where I can go.”