Most Eligible Billionaire CEO, page 44
The silence that stretches is awkward, damn near deafening.
“The club allows me to keep things simple with zero expectations,” he says. “It’s what I needed at the time. I couldn’t offer more. After losing Mom and Annmarie, I closed the door shut to anything that could bring me that much pain. I don’t date because nothing lasts forever. Getting close to someone and then losing them is unbearable.”
His words are like an arrow to my heart.
I screw my eyes shut in an attempt to forget his words, which are still hanging heavy in the air. I don’t want him to read my utter devastation.
This is all on me.
He made me no other promises than to help me forget this dreadful day by giving me a few orgasms. Mission accomplished. He never promised more. My mind––and my heart––conjured more because it’s never been like this before with any other man. It’s just my luck it happens to be with a man who’s closed his heart.
Chapter 14
Levi
My hand keeps stirring the liquid in my cup, but I’m miles away.
A hand waves in front of me.
I jerk my head back in surprise.
“Earth to Levi,” a man’s voice startles me, snapping me back to reality.
My eyes bounce up at a familiar face, staring at me, puzzled.
“Rod,” I blink, scouring around the coffee shop from where I’m standing at the prep station. It’s as if I forgot where I was for a brief moment.
My buddy’s brown eyes shift from mine to the large latte.
“Is everything okay?” he asks carefully.
“Yeah, everything is fine,” I lie.
“Fine?” he scoffs. “You’ve been stirring that thing for ages,” he points out. “Not to mention, you’re lost in space. I had to call out your name three times before you heard me.” Shit. “So spare me the bullshit lie. Clearly, something is up, Levi.”
Rod is not one to mince words.
“I had a rough night,” I tell him truthfully.
He frowns. “Want to talk about it?”
I consider him.
“Sure,” I nod.
He points to my cup. “I’m pretty sure that coffee isn’t hot anymore.”
I close both hands around the cup. “You’re right. It’s lukewarm now.”
“I’ll get you another extra tall, extra hot latte. I’ll get myself one as well.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Grab that table over there and we’ll talk,” Rod tells me.
Rod Wolfe wants to talk?
I must be in worse shape than I think.
“Okay,” I nod.
Linc and I have our offices and warehouses in Culver City. After stepping out of the limelight—and rehab—Rod stepped into a successful new career. He and his business partner are behind the production of music videos of countless chart-topping singers and bands. Their studio is also in Culver City. There are other great coffee shops in the area, but for some reason, I always end up at But First, Coffee. It’s the same for Rod.
In no time, he struts back with more than just coffee.
I catch a woman staring at Rod, biting against her lower lip as if she’s having a moment. He’s what women call, tall, dark and handsome. Rod Wolfe never enters a room unnoticed.
“I figured you might be hungry,” he says, dropping the tray containing our coffees and an assortment of breakfast pastries on the table before slipping into the seat across from me.
“Actually, I’m starved,” I say. “Thanks for this.”
“Don’t mention it,” he tells me.
For a few long minutes, we enjoy our breakfast in companionable silence. From time to time, I catch Rod shooting me concerned glances.
“So, what’s this is about a rough night?” he asks without much more of a preamble.
I drop my morning glory muffin on the tray, grab the napkin to wipe my hands and my mouth before crumpling it into a ball. “I spent most of it thinking about my mom and Annmarie,” I tell him.
“Sorry to hear that,” he says. “What triggered it?”
“Remember my match from the Ruined party?”
Rod frowns. “Wild Strawberry? The sexy blonde with legs that wouldn’t quit? The one you were lucky enough to be paired with? That match?”
I guess she made an impression on him.
“Yeah, her.”
“What about her, other than she was perfect?”
You have no idea.
“I bumped into her yesterday as I was coming out of a meeting with my lawyers.”
“No shit!” he exclaims.
“I couldn’t believe it either.”
“She’s one sweet little thing.”
“She is. Her name is Jules––”
“Oh, you’re on first name terms now?” His tone is mocking.
“Club names sound a bit weird in the real world,” I quip.
“I wouldn’t know,” he retorts. “The few times I’ve bumped into a woman I hooked up with at the club, I kept walking. Obviously, you didn’t.”
“I couldn’t walk away from her.”
“That sounds heavy.”
“She was crying when I bumped into her.”
Rod’s head jerks back. “Why?”
I give him a quick summary of Jules’s situation.
“Oh, man,” he shakes his head. “Her stepmother is a raving bitch.”
“Don’t get me started,” I growl. “I’m meeting up with Jules early this afternoon so I can understand her father’s business a bit more.”
“Do you think you can help salvage it?”
“I don’t know yet,” I tell him truthfully. “If I can’t, chances are, someone in my circle has the means or contacts to help her.”
“Good point.”
“If that fails, I’ll go straight to Larkin. He knows everybody.”
“He’ll definitely have the right contacts,” Rod agrees.
“Fast forward. One thing led to another, and we ended up at Dark Compulsion.”
“So you weren’t lost in space. You were flashbacking to last night,” he says with a shit-eating grin.
“Idiot,” I chuckle. “She had questions about my tattoos.”
He considers me for a beat. “I’m guessing you didn’t give her a generic answer.”
“I didn’t.”
“What’s different about her?” he asks point-blank.
“Everything,” I state.
His eyebrows shoot to his forehead and he rests his back against the seat. “That’s quite telling, Levi.”
“From the moment I saw her sashaying towards us, there was this crazy, intense connection,” I tell him. “I didn’t think twice last night. I wanted her again. I can count on one hand the number of club conquests I wanted to get to know more. Once we both come, I don’t climb into bed with a woman afterward for a round of Twenty Questions. I’m not an animal. It’s not like I’d kick a woman out right after coming inside her, but I don’t hang out afterwards—”
“Jesus, no,” Rod mutters. He contorts his face in a grimace. “After a courtesy cuddle, I’m out of there.”
“Exactly. I never have a conversation that doesn’t revolve around the sex or mundane things. And I certainly never delve into anything personal.”
“I hear you.”
“It was different with Jules,” I say. “She’s working her way into my head…” And into my heart.
“In what sense?” Rod asks.
“After I was done making her scream out my name God knows how many times, I just laid in bed with her in my arms. Time passed, and I was unrushed to leave.”
Rod’s brown eyes widen. “Whoa.”
“I don’t know who the fuck I am around her, man,” I admit. “Instinct, logic, and self-preservation want to push her away. Why the fuck would I go down that road again? But as much as I know I should back away, I want more of her.”
Rod’s expression is unreadable.
I keep talking.
“She was curious about my tattoo,” I continue. “I opened up. A part of me was compelled to do so because she understands what it’s like to lose a mother and the pain that ensues. I can’t remember the last time I talked about Mom or Annmarie to anyone that isn’t in my circle.” For so long, grief stole my breath and tore me apart. Most times, I felt like a drowning man fighting to remain afloat in the middle of a riptide. “After driving Jules to her house, I went back to mine and just sat in the dark for hours, reliving it all, whiskey as my only companion. Eventually, I dragged myself up to bed, but I couldn’t sleep a wink. I stared at the ceiling for a while until I gave up. I jumped into my workout clothes and headed to my home gym in the hopes of exorcising the ghosts. I guess at some point I must’ve sat on the floor because the next thing I knew, I woke up face flat against the floor.”
“Why didn’t you call your dad or your brother?” Rod asks. “Heck, why didn’t you call me?”
“It was late. Chances are, I was going to end up waking them up. The same applies to you.”
“Fair enough.”
“I’m torn.”
“About what?”
“Dark Compulsion makes it convenient to avoid intimacy––”
“Who the hell needs intimacy when you can have a good time, no strings attached?” he states. “The only drama I want in my life is the one attached to the plot of a music video.”
I chuckle.
Rod had a really rough beginning in life. He doesn’t trust very many people, and you’re lucky if he considers you a friend. As far as I know, the only woman he’s close to is his best friend, Dominika. All the other women come and go, but she’s his pillar.
“I know I’m speaking German when I say this, but when you meet the right woman, you welcome intimacy,” I affirm. “In fact, you crave it.”
“You’re right, you are speaking German,” Rod mocks. “And it turns out, I don’t understand a word of German. Thank God for that.” He’s being facetious.
“Fucker.”
He grins.
“So, what are you saying? You want more with Jules?”
“Like I said, I’m torn.” I let out a long sigh. “I told her I avoid relationships, and although she didn’t say anything, everything between us shifted afterwards. By the time I was ready to drive her back to her place, it was tense and awkward between us.” I rake my hand through my hair. “The hurt in Jules’s voice when she wished me a good night, stabbed into me. I like this woman, but fuck, I’m not equipped to give her more. Annmarie’s death broke that part of me.” Another pause, followed by a long sigh. Rod doesn’t press me. “Nothing in life is guaranteed, but I can’t go down the road of getting close to someone and then losing them.”
“Levi, now it’s my turn to speak German. I can’t spell the word relationship with the help of a good old-fashioned dictionary and Google. Heck, I wouldn’t be able to spell the word with a gun pointed to my head. It’s just not in my DNA. That said, you’re wired differently. Jesus, you were willing to put a noose around your neck at twenty-two. I’d rather jump off a tall building before I let that happen to me—”
“Your point, Wolfe?”
“If you’re torn about this girl because you’re undecided about wanting to take it further, that’s one thing, and entirely your prerogative. But if you’re torn about Jules because you’re afraid the second you get close to her, she’ll be taken away from you, that’s different. Granted, I never met your mom, but I knew Annmarie.” His brown eyes study me. “Levi, neither of them would want you to avoid relationships for the rest of your life because of their tragic death.”
And just like that, he exposes my biggest fear.
Chapter 15
Jules
“Here we are,” I say, pushing open the heavy door to the warehouse.
I invite Levi to go in first.
This is my second trip back to the office this morning.
Since my car was still at the office and I was dying to get an early start on things, I asked Syd to drop me off at the warehouse to make up for yesterday. I texted Levi to meet me here instead of picking me up, just to text him again when I returned back to my place, telling him there was a change of plan. A string of upsetting texts from Hillary—and her stupid lawyer who was enquiring about my legal representation—had me seeing red. I hurled my phone at the couch in anger. As I was still fuming, Syd honked to let me know she was outside. I ended up having to hop in my car and drive back home to fetch my phone since Levi doesn’t have the office number. He told me to stay put and he’d pick me up.
Fun morning all around. Not!
“I don’t think so. Ladies first,” he sets me straight.
“Thank you, sir,” I say, stepping inside.
He offers a small smile.
He’s been very quiet during the entire ride from my home. He was nothing like he was yesterday when we were at Zia Josefina. I’m guessing opening up about his mom and fiancée opened up the floodgates of heart-wrenching emotions. Been there, done that. Poor soul.
I turn on the lights and guide Levi to the back of the warehouse where the fitness equipment is stored. I drop my handbag and phone on one of the tables and turn my attention to him.
“Talk to me,” he says.
“Let’s do a show and tell instead.”
“Sounds good to me.”
I press the start button to power up one of the bikes. When I do, the large screen mounted between the handlebars turns on, but quickly starts displaying a distorted image. I curse under my breath. Honestly, I’m a little embarrassed. This guy is so successful. I just hope he doesn’t think I’m wasting his time. Pushing those thoughts aside, I hop on the bike. I dressed for the occasion, choosing a comfortable outfit—yoga pants and a light turquoise long tank top. I opted for a pair of Converse instead of heels. The only way to understand my father’s creation is to show it in action.
I start pedaling at a slow pace.
“So, this is the main problem,” I point to the screen. “The bike is top-of-the-line-everything. Daddy refused to cut corners, but without the app, it’s just another stationary bike, albeit a very expensive one. When the app works, it opens up a whole world of possibilities. Daddy’s vision is for riders to be able to find a riding partner with just a few taps. There are different circuits and each competitor would be able to see the overall progress of the ride. There’re four levels of rides––the quick twenty-minute workout, a half hour one, a forty-five minutes one and an hour-long ride. Everything is customizable. There are music options, but there are ways for you to upload your favorite tunes. If let’s say there isn’t anyone online when you need to get a workout, you can program the machine to recall your last best ride so you can try to match the results or beat them. This way, you always keep your workout at optimum levels. Also, because you’re interacting with the app, you’re not tempted to watch a TV show. It’s supposed to be exercise, not channel surfing.”
“Wow!” Levi exclaims. “You weren’t kidding when you said these were smart bikes.”
I shake my head. “Daddy spent years on the concept before he had the first bike manufactured.”
Levi circles around the bike, checking out all the features.
“Can I hop on this one?” he points to a bike next to me.
I guess great minds think alike.
So far, I’ve only seen Levi in perfectly cut suits. This is the first time I’ve seen him dressed more casual. It’s undeniable he commands attention––and respect––when he’s clad in a suit. That said, even when he dresses down, he’s hard to miss. He’s wearing a pair of fitted dark wash jeans, a red t-shirt with an artful design on the front that clings to his muscular chest, exposing his muscular arms. A pair of Iron Man high top Converse adorns his feet. His Chucks are custom. Yep, he’s sexy as all hell in whatever he wears.
“Be my guest,” I extend a hand.
He hops on the bike.
As he pedals, he pushes different buttons.
He keeps nodding his head, his lips pursed.
I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.
“I’d like to see the other equipment,” he tells me, meeting my gaze.
“Not a problem.”
We both hop off the bikes and I guide him to the other smart equipment.
I power up each one of the prototypes, and just as expected, the screens display distorted images.
“The app is the only issue?” Levi asks.
“Yes, it is,” I confirm.
He walks back to the stationary bikes and crosses his arms over his large chest. It’s clear from his serious expression, he’s taking everything in.
“Should I abandon ship?” I ask, my tone mocking.
I brace myself for his verdict.
“That would be a huge mistake, Jules,” Levi says. “You’re sitting on a multi-million-dollar business.” Wh—what? “If you play your cards right, this is the kind of business you could sell for an eye-popping number to a whale company with very deep pockets.”
I can’t believe my ears.
“This isn’t a losing battle?” I croak.
“The only way you can lose this battle is if you give up. You’re at the cusp. Your dad created a pretty ingenuous concept right here.”
Chapter 16
Levi
Myriad emotions play out on Jules’s beautiful face. Surprise. Shock. Dismay. Relief.
“Are you kidding me right now?”
“I’m not,” I assure her. “I’m dead serious. You had me at Esports.”
She frowns. “When did I say that?”
“You didn’t say that exactly, but your dad’s app is based on the same concept as Esports.”
“You’re going to have to translate that for me.”
“There’s a bevy of online party games so you and faraway friends can play from the comfort of your respective homes.”
“Really?” Jules asks.
“Really,” I confirm. “You can even play Monopoly remotely.”
“Oh, wow.”
