Bad Girls Do It Better (Bad Boy Billionaire Romance) (15 page)

Sarabelle  

Tell him what I’d like for breakfast in the morning? Was he serious? The man has a reputation as one of the biggest players in the world. I’d heard about the breakfast line from several people but I thought it was one of those urban legends because it sounded so ridiculous. I must have been completely wrong because he had just used the line on me. What’s worse is that it must actually work if he keeps using it.

I left his table and ran out the front door as fast as my heels would take me. The cool air caught me by surprise as I descended the stairs. Autumn was arriving early in New York. The evenings were turning colder and the leaves on the trees were starting to turn various shades of orange and yellow. As I breathed in the fresh night air, I wondered what types of women actually fell for those lines. It didn’t take me long to realize that I knew
exactly
what kind of women were falling for those lines. I’m nothing at all like those women and he was crazy if he thought a sleazy pickup line like that was going to work on me.

All I wanted to do was go home but Liam’s phone was going straight to voice mail. Knowing how my sister could be, I figured she was being stubborn and putting up a fight. I didn’t want to stand in front of the building looking like an idiot so I walked into the gardens located behind the ballroom. I’ve loved gardens ever since I was a little kid when my mom and I used to plant flowers out in the yard.

The garden that I had just walked into was huge. There were colorful and fragrant roses, azaleas, daffodils and a variety of other flowers. What caught my eye, however, was a massive archway right in the center that led into some type of maze or labyrinth made from tall bushes and shrubbery. I figured I had some time to kill so I decided to check it out. This thing was amazing and was much larger than it appeared. As I made my way deeper into the maze, I could hear voices talking from just outside. They were discussing Christian Wilde, the man that had just been trying to pick me up. I couldn’t understand their entire conversation but I did learn that Christian himself was the sponsor of the gala that I had been attending. He also donated large amounts of money to the charity that was hosting the event. I was a little surprised by what I was hearing. Was it possible that I had judged Christian wrong? After all, the information I’d heard about him all came from second-hand sources. Maybe the things I’d heard weren’t actually true. Maybe Christian Wilde wasn’t such a bad guy after all.

Wandering further into the huge maze in the garden, I stopped every so often to smell some of the flowers I came across, especially some that I was not familiar with and hadn’t ever seen before. My favorite was these purple flowers that resembled a rose but didn’t have the perfume smell that roses were known for. Instead, they smelled sweet, almost like a honeysuckle. It made me sad to think that the cold New York weather would soon be swooping in, leaving all of those flowers frosted over, most of them dying until spring came along to revive them, starting the process all over.

As I walked and took in the beautiful scenery, I tried to call Liam again to let him know I was no longer at the gala. When he came back, he would be looking for me and I didn’t want him to worry that something was wrong. Once again, his phone went straight to voicemail. I was going to leave him a message but who does that anymore? I know when someone leaves me a message, I’m more likely to call them back to see what they wanted before I’d ever listen to it. The only time I ever actually check it is when I get tired of seeing the little envelope icon in my notification bar. After not being able to reach him, I tried calling my sister, hoping Liam had been able to get her home safely so that she could let him know where I was. Her phone rang and rang before her voice mail picked up as well.  Hanging up my phone and tossing it into my purse in disgust, I realized that I’d been walking aimlessly in this giant maze and hadn’t paid any attention to where I was going. No matter where I turned, I seemed to run into a dead end. When it kept happening, my palms started to get sweaty and my heart began to race. Being lost in the labyrinth was beginning to freak me out.

I continued to try to make my way through one way or another. If I couldn’t find my way back to the entrance, hopefully I’d be able to make it out the other side. The thing that bothered me was how dark it had become inside the garden. The front of the maze was illuminated from the lights outside but none of it was able to penetrate the significant growth within. Turning a corner, I jumped in surprise when I realized I wasn’t alone. Straight ahead was a man with his back towards me. He was well-dressed and had likely been at the gala as well. I was about to speak up to ask if he knew how to get out when I realized that he was with a woman. She was wearing a black dress with the top pulled down, exposing her breasts. They weren’t having sex but it looked like they weren’t far off from starting. The two of them were making out pretty heavily when the woman looked over his shoulder and saw me standing there.

The girl was either on something or freaked out for some reason because her eyes turned wide and her face went white as she pushed them man off of her, pulled her dress up and took off running out of the maze. If I had been in my right mind, I would have followed her as she looked like she knew where she was going. Instead, shock took over me and I was frozen in place as I realized I knew who she was. She was an older woman who is married to Benjamin Eager, a man who was one of my dad’s best friends when he was alive. I saw them together at the party so I knew they were still together. I didn’t know who she was making out with but I knew it wasn’t her husband.

“Hey, you know she’s a married woman, right? Don’t you have any respect for the vows her and her husband took?” I asked, disgusted by what had been happening.

“Yeah, I know she’s married. It’s not me she’s cheating on so it’s not my problem,” replied the very familiar voice. I wasn’t able to put my finger on it at first but as soon as he took a few steps out of the shadows, I realized who I was talking to. It was Kade Nichols.

Kade was my age, so the fact that he had been making out with a woman much older than him should have been surprising, but in reality, it was what everyone had come to expect from him. He had a thing for married women and had ruined several marriages with no regrets whatsoever. Sometimes I wondered what went wrong with him.

It would probably surprise many people who’ve only met me in the last few years to know that Kade Nichols and I used to be very close. In fact, the two of us had been best friends ever since we met in kindergarten. We did everything together and had lots of play dates. We even used to make sure we napped next to each other in class. Our friendship continued as we got older and was going strong all the way up until I was placed in state custody. Kade and I lost touch but I thought about him often. As soon as I was back out on my own, he was the first person I looked up.

Unfortunately, the Kade that appeared at my house did not match the person that I used to know. The boy who used to come over to watch movies and had me cracking up with laughter had become a chauvinistic pig who thought he was God’s gift to women everywhere. After hanging out with me a few times, he developed some sort of crush on me and decided that he had to have me. I had to tell him over and over that he was a best friend to me and that’s how I saw him. Besides, I had to work on getting my own life in order before I’d be ready to date anyone, let alone think about starting a relationship. Nothing I said mattered to him. All he wanted to do was pressure me to do something I didn’t want to do. I didn’t want to be with him and he wouldn’t get it through his head. I tried to look past the way he was acting, hoping he would get the hint and things could go back to the way they used to be but it never happened. In the end, I had to stop hanging out with him. He called and sent text messages like a mad man for a couple weeks but he eventually took the hint and I hadn’t heard from him since.

“Do my eyes deceive me?” he asked in a sarcastic tone. “Is that Sarabelle Williams I see before me?”

“Hi, Kade. How are you?”

“I was a lot better a few minutes ago before a certain someone ran my lady friend away.”

“Sorry about that. I got lost in this thing and you guys kind of caught me by surprise. Besides, don’t you know she’s married?”

“Yes, I do. I wasn’t exactly trying to come in between their marriage, Sarabelle. I was just attempting to cum between her legs.”

“Ugh, you’re disgusting Kade.”

“Is that any way to talk to an old friend?”

“Look, you seem to know you way around in here. Can you show me how to get out of this maze?”

“Of course, I can but why should I help you? I’m the one who needs a little help here,” he said as he started to approach me.

“Kade, what are you doing?” I asked as he inched his way closer to me.

“You need my help and I’d like to help you. But since you ran off my date, I was thinking that you could finish what she started.”

Before I could protest any more, he stepped up to me, wrapped his arms around me and tried to force his tongue down my throat. The taste and smell of alcohol on his breath was overwhelming. I could feel my entire body starting to shake and my pulse raced as I used all the strength I had to try to push him off of me. With our size difference, it seemed like it was going to be useless but I did manage to wiggle away, temporarily putting a little distance between us. Using all the breath I could muster, I started screaming for help as loud as I could. Kade started laughing.

“You can scream all you want Sarabelle, but nobody is going to come back here looking for you. Everyone is too busy with the gala and besides, that noise is drowning out anything happening in here. I’m not sure why you’re trying to fight this. I know you’ve wanted this for years. Just relax and let it happen.”

Christian   

I hate to see you go but I love watching you leave. That’s one of my favorite old sayings. I have no clue where it originated but I’m jealous I didn’t come up with it. It’s clever, very clever. The saying was especially true as I watched Sarabelle walking away from me and out the front door. The way she filled out her dress from behind was delicious. I wanted to unwrap her like a gift on Christmas morning and spend the entire day playing with her. I’d get my chance. I always get what I want. With her, it was going to take a little bit of patience and even more creativity. She seemed to be too smart to fall for my regular lines, I was going to have to use my charm to win her over if I ever wanted to see what secrets lay beneath that dress.

Watching her walk out the front door, I knew the gentleman that had accompanied her to the gala was no longer there. Nonchalantly, I pulled out my cell phone and called Bobby, the man I had hired to work as head of security for the event. He picked up almost immediately.

“Bobby, did you see the girl that just walked out the front door?” I asked.

“I think so. Long blue dress?”

“That’s the one.”

“Yeah, she just walked past me.”

“Do me a favor and keep an eye on her for me, would you? Don’t make it obvious that you’re watching her. Don’t follow her or anything. Just make sure nothing happens to her until her date comes back to pick her up.”

“Sure thing, boss.”

I hung up the phone and decided to go back to the party. I never went home by myself and I didn’t intend to start. It was time to work my magic on the dance floor and find out which women had been hitting the booze a little harder than they intended. Finding a woman to sleep with was much easier in a bar or club. At functions such as this one, many of the women came with dates, most of whom were their significant others. My target for that particular evening would be any single mothers that were in the house.

Single moms almost made it too easy for me. These are the women who are the most desperate for someone to show them a good time. Most of them spend their days at dead-end jobs that they hate and can’t leave because they need to be able to make ends meet. Their evenings were spent picking up kids, cooking dinner, helping with homework, giving baths, putting children to bed and then turning in themselves so they could wake up and do it all over again.

When a single mom gets a chance to go out without her children, she’ll tend to really let loose and let her inhibitions fly. That’s because these are the women who are most in need of a break from their reality and I am more than happy to be the person to give them one. I’ve also found that they are the ones most likely to experiment in the bedroom. Some of the kinkiest shit I’ve ever done have been with single mothers. I began to wonder what might be in store for me tonight.

I made my way around the room, saying hello to the people I knew and trying to become acquainted with the beautiful women I didn’t. Glancing down at their left hands, if I didn’t spot a rock on their ring fingers, I assumed they were fair game. I would never mess with a married woman. It’s kind of a code that I have. I may be an asshole but some lines are not meant to be crossed. That’s not to say I haven’t screwed around with a married woman, but I wasn’t aware of the marriage until after the fact.

The selection of available women wasn’t very abundant at the gala. Most of the attractive women had brought dates of their own. I’d already had my way with most of the women who were there alone. That’s not to say that it would be hard to set up a second round but I wanted something new and exciting. The biggest problem I have with single moms is that they tend to get attached too easily. They think that if they give it up, the person they’re sleeping with is going to magically fall in love with them and want to be part of their ready-made family. That wasn’t for me and, although I made it clear from the beginning, that didn’t stop them. Does that make me an asshole? I don’t know but at least I didn’t go around making promises I had no intention of keeping.

After several trips around the room, I spotted a woman who must have been hiding in the corner all night. She was a leggy blond with gorgeous blue eyes, large breasts and curves right where I liked them all wrapped up in a tight dress. By the way she was wobbling around the dance floor and laughing non-stop, I could see she was pretty tipsy, which would only serve to make my job easier. I grabbed a shot of whiskey from the bar and downed it quickly as I made my way over to the woman. Before I had a chance to introduce myself, my cell phone began to vibrate in my pocket and I had to move away from the music to answer it.

“Yeah Bobby, what is it?” I asked after looking down at my phone to see who was calling me.

“Boss, that girl you were having me keep an eye on for you. She went into the garden about a half-hour ago and has never come back out.”

“Okay, she’s allowed to hang out in the garden. What’s the problem?” I said, annoyed that Bobby had interrupted me with something so trivial just as I was about to work my magic.

“Yeah, I know she’s allowed to be in there, boss. It’s just that there was a woman who came running from the garden about five minutes ago. She looked like she was pretty upset. Something doesn’t feel quite right. You want me to go in and check it out?”

“No, you stay where you are. We need you at the door. I’ll go out to the garden and make sure everything is okay.”

I put the phone back into my pocket and took another shot before looking back at the dance floor. I hated to leave before I had a chance to introduce myself and make my move. The gorgeous blond was going to have to wait a few minutes before she would be able to get her first experience of Christian Wilde.

Making my way outside, I met Bobby at the door. The girl who had come running out of the garden had disappeared around the corner before he had a chance to ask her what was going on. Again, he confirmed that he watched as Sarabelle entered the garden well before the woman came running out in distress.

“Do you know who she was? Was she someone attending the gala?” I asked, hoping I could get a little more information so I would have a better idea of what I could be walking into.

“No clue, boss. It all happened pretty fast. I didn’t even get a very good look at her.”

He was about as useful as a one-armed trapeze artist with an itchy ass. Fortunately for him, I didn’t hire him for his intelligence. He’s big, strong, and intimidating, which is everything you could ask for in a security guard. As long as I remembered that I kept him around for his brawn and not his brains, I would be okay.

I dialed Bobby’s cell phone as I started to walk into the garden maze. This would allow him to listen in and give me a hand in case things got hairy. Making my way through the twists and turns, I wondered why anyone would want to put such a thing in the garden. Sure, it may be fun for kids but for an adult who had no idea where he was going, the constant dead-ends and false starts were maddening. Eventually, I heard some muffled voices and I was able to listen in order to follow in the correct direction.

Turning the last corner into the center of the maze, I was surprised to find Sarabelle there with her back firmly against the shrubs and a young man pressed up against her, kissing her hard and deep.
How much had she had to drink?
She didn’t seem like the kind of girl who would be making out with a random guy in public but what did I know? All I knew was the persona she put forward. Maybe I had been wrong about her and the innocent thing was all a ploy. I decided to give the two lovers their privacy and started to exit quietly, hoping neither of them would realize I was ever there. Before I made it out of earshot, I heard something that made me stop.

“I told you no! Get off of me you creep!”

Looking back around the corner, I could see that Sarabelle wasn’t enjoying what was happening at all. In fact, she appeared to be struggling to get away from the man, who was apparently her attacker. I walked over to the man, grabbed him by the shoulder, spun him around and landed a right hook straight to his jaw. Stunned, he fell to the ground but popped right back up ready to fight. My adrenaline was pumping and I was ready to go.

He swung at me but missed as I ducked out of the way. My high school wrestling training came in handy as my instincts kicked in. I grabbed both of his legs and took him down to the ground. Climbing on top of him, I rained fists down onto his face and head over and over. I was connecting with his mouth, nose and chin. I kept punching and didn’t stop until Bobby, who had heard the altercation through our open line, grabbed me from behind and pulled me off the guy.

“Come on Christian, you’ve given him enough. He’s bleeding everywhere,” he yelled as he stepped in between us. He was right, the guy had blood coming from his mouth and nose. I’d beaten him down to a bloody pulp.

“Get him out of here,” I said to Bobby as I turned my attention to Sarabelle. She was shaking in fear as her legs gave out from under her and she slid down the bushes and sat on the ground. She looked up at me in disbelief, tears streaming down her face. She tried to say thank you but only managed to mouth the words as Bobby brought her attacker back to consciousness and led him away.

“Bobby, before you cut him loose, make sure he knows that if he ever messes with this girl again, he’s going to end up even worse the next time.”

Bobby nodded before disappearing into the maze of shrubbery, leaving Sarabelle and me alone.