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Authors: B. B. Roman

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No, I didn't hate him, even though he had put me through so much. I still
remembered every detail vividly
and I had started to write it down, hoping to eventually compile my notes into a book.
I hadn't gone back for my journal, so it would still be under the mattress in that upstairs bedroom.
I wanted a record of this, the
real story
to hold onto. Inaction would undoubtedly lead to regret in this case.

I didn't actually know what happened to Roland. I left while he was still in the hospital on life support. I couldn't deal with it anymore. Yeah, I wanted him to get better, but it also really wasn't my business anymore.
One way or another, his fate looked bleak.
Ramón
had promised to inform me of any safety concerns related to that
whole situation if they arose.

Frederic survived
—and barely dodged paralysis from the waist down
; good for him
—
but he left the hospital and went straight to prison
, just as Ramón
had
said
. Than
kfully, I hadn't heard from him, even though some part of me wanted to ask him those unanswered questions I still harbored.
Maybe in another life...

Honestly, what happened still stung. I had learned to trust, to give myself to Roland and then Frederic—and been tremendously let down. So many cosmic coincidences brought us all together in this strange, deadly arrangement. The feelings I had for them both would linger for a while, that I could tell for sure. Still, I had so many good things in my life again. Positive things. There was no doubt that I had gotten my vacation—it was just as far from the norm as possible. Soon they would both fade away, only remembered by the words that I wrote about them in my journal.

Instead of regretting that I had taken the Starland case—oh yes, my mind definitely wanted to go there!—I realized that it had strengthened me more than anything ever had in my life. It would take me years to catalog all of the lessons I had learned. Anyone other than
Marisa Taylor
would have crumbled under the weight of the Starland Empire. Yep, I was certain of that.

W
ork was
still
great. Although
Ramón
had more or less told Pat what was up, I came clean to him, that the decision had been my own from the beginning and that I didn't meet
Ramón
until months into it. He laughed about it, but insisted that I had gone further than most journalists ever would for a story. The problem was, I couldn't publicly talk about this one.
I'd find some way around it. Maybe that's what my
"fictional"
book was for.

My phone suddenly rang. I looked at the number; it was an area code I didn't recognize. Usually, I didn't answer calls from unknown numbers. Today, I decided to take a chance.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hi, is this Marisa Taylor?"

"Yes."

"This is Albert Rivers, lawyer for the Starland estate. How are you doing today?"

I bit my lip a little, nervous about where this might be heading. "Just fine, thanks. What is this call regarding?"

"I regret to inform you that Roland passed away several months ago. I'm handling his will—and
let me tell you
it's been a real nightmare to sort everything out for such a huge operation—so I wanted to inform you that you're listed as a beneficiary. He left you one-hundred million dollars."

"What the—" My hand shot up
to support my head and
accidentally struck my drink, sending the glass onto the
floor. It shattered loudly, coffee splattering
everywhere.

"Ms. Taylor? Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I said. "I just dropped my drink on the floor."

"Very well then. We'll be finalizing the financial distributions at the beginning of next week. I'll be contacting you again then, okay?"

"Sure," I said. "Gotta go. Thanks!" I hung up as I heard him begin the word
goodbye
. "Shit!" I said loudly, getting up and walking toward the counter. Two employees were already coming toward me with a towel and a broom. "I'm so sorry," I said.

"Don't worry," the girl said. "Not a big deal."

"Should I pay for it or something?"

"No, don't worry, ma'am."

"Thanks," I said. I grabbed my purse and laptop bag and got out of there.
I wanted to be overwhelmed by stimuli. Sometimes it helped me think.

One-hundred million dollars.
It sounded like a joke, a cruel joke. Also, it didn't sound
at all like a joke
. It reinforced my belief that Roland actually wasn't onto me, and that he had indeed trusted me when I had learned to trust him the least.

Honestly, I really liked spending my own money again, the dollars that I worked hard for. I lived well. What would I even do with a sudden acquisition of
one-hundred million dollars
?
And that was it: Roland was gone. I would assume his dirty money got reclaimed by somebody
, but as
Ramón
had said, he did have a gigantic legitimate business as well.

I looked up at the sky—
the sun was starting to peek out from behind the clouds, overtaking the dreary day with glowing light. "Goodbye, you son of a bitch," I whispered, my parting words not malicious, but not entirely positive either. I had finally started to move on, and although this brought me back a little, it was a moment I needed, especially given the sudden news that I was filthy rich.
I kind of wanted to call the lawyer back and just tell him
no
.

I felt someone tap my shoulder. I spun around, startled.

"Excuse me, miss. Can you spare any chance?" It was a homeless man, one wearing raggedy, worn clothes. His beard and hair were unkempt and messy.
He was a man very familiar with life on the streets.

"Sure," I said. I reached into my purse and pulled out my wallet. The only bill I had was a
hundred
.
Well, t
hat was that. "I'm sorry, I can't—" In that moment, I had an epiphany. I
stopped talking and
just
handed him the hundred. "
Here
.
Please be wise with this money, okay?"

"Oh, gee
, miss. Wow, thanks!
I will!
" He trotted off down the sidewalk, his walk drastically improved from the depressed hobble I had seen when I noticed him.
Frankly, I didn't care what he spent the money on. He was happier than he was when I first saw him, so that made it worth it
to me
.

I decided that I would research charities that night
, to find something big and meaningful and selfless to do with that money
. Roland would have wanted me to hold on
to all of it
, to horde it and ensure that I lived like a queen for the rest of my life.
My pet only deserves the best
, I could hear him say.

Sorry Roland,
I thought.
You're not going to win this time.
The man that had
won
everything his whole life was finally about to
lose
.

As I learned the hard way, you can't control
everything
. But
this
? This was mine, all
mine
.

THE END

###

Final Words:

If you made it all the way here to the end, I wanted to thank you
from the bottom of my heart
.
This project has been huge for me, a gigantic undertaking that was unlike anything I've ever done before. There's a full novel here, one that I'm proud for actually finishing, and even prouder about the story that was crafted a little at a time, week by week. Writing it took me to places that I never would have expected going, and I can only hope that you, the readers, enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

If you've got something to say about the series, please send a message to my publisher inbox
[email protected]
and let me know what you think
(or leave an Amazon review)
.
I would highly encourage this, as it would mean the world to me.

Someday, I do intend to professionally edit/rewrite Learning to Trust, assembling all ninety-thousand words of it into a full-length work. I haven't decided just when that will happen, but I feel that eventually it needs to be done.
One way or another, I'm thrilled to be sitting here in front of a giant project that has finally been completed.

As for now, I've got some
new erotic romances
in the works that I'll be starting very soon.
I think you'll all be excited about them!

Once again, thank you so much for supporting me! I simply cannot say thank you enough.

-B.B. Roman

About B.B. Roman:

B.B. Roman is devoted to sexuality that is felt with both mind and body, writing to appeal to the full sexual imagination—both inside and outside of the
traditional
realm and limits of erotica. There's no holding back in Roman's worlds; the stories are allowed to flourish in any way they so choose. It's an always-changing world of emotional highs and lows, pleasure and pain, certainty and uncertainty.

Roman writes from a remote cabin, allowing that feeling of seclusion to feed into the stories. When not writing, Roman enjoys composing music for films and attempting to make the best cup of coffee possible at home, using a variety of contraptions and methods—and very dark, chocolatey beans. Oh, and also chasing around two very curious
Weimaraner
s that never seem to tire out!

Discover other titles by
B.B. Roman
at
Amazon
.com:

Erotic Romance:

Learning to Trust (Interviewing the Billionaire)

Learning to Trust (Interviewing the Billionaire) Part 2: Full Submission

Learning to Trust (Interviewing the Billionaire) Part 3: The Offer

Learning to Trust (Interviewing the Billionaire) Part 4: New Life

Learning to Trust (Interviewing the Billionaire) Part 5: Sweet Temptation

Learning to Trust (Interviewing the Billionaire) Part 6: Paradigm Shift

Learning to Trust (Interviewing the Billionaire) Part 7: Changing Places

Learning to Trust (Interviewing the Billionaire) Part 8: Limits

Babysitter is Better

Hawaiian Delights