Page 5 of Drunk on You

Can I really do this? Find a fake husband, move to Texas, and show up on my dad’s front step, demanding he give me the chance to prove I’m capable of running his company.

Looks like there’s only one way to find out.

“We need to find the number to that arranged-marriage service.”

chapter two

JULIAN

Sharp nails scrape down my back, startling me awake. It takes me a second to remember where I am and who I’m with—at a hotel in Houston with a nameless woman I brought back here last night. Once I do, I stay still, hoping she’ll give up and head out without me having to give the always-awkward this is never happening again speech.

But of course, like all the women who’ve come before her and who’ll come after her, she doesn’t get the hint, choosing to suction herself to my backside while she drags her fingers around my torso and down to my cock. When she gives it a squeeze, I roll away from her and get out of bed, not wanting her to think there’s the slightest chance anything more will be happening between us.

When I picked her up at the club, I made sure she knew the deal—one night, no strings, and tomorrow, we part ways. Women always agree in the moment, hoping they’ll be the one to change my mind, and then I’m stuck being the bad guy when I make it clear there’s no chance of a future.

They’ll start off pouting, hoping to hit me in my feelings, and when that doesn’t work, they bring on the seduction, thinking sex is the way to a man’s heart. And when that still does nothing to change my mind, they’ll get pissed and stomp out, spouting some bullshit about how I sucked in bed to convince themselves that walking away was their choice and not mine.

And I’ll let them say it because I know the multiple orgasms they screamed out in bed the night before weren’t fake, and if it were up to them, they’d latch on like the leeches they are. But that’s not happening.

“Hey, sweetheart,” I say because I can’t for the life of me remember her name. “It’s been fun, but I’ve got somewhere I need to be.”

Her pout is instantaneous, and I internally groan, knowing it’s not going to be easy to get rid of her.

An hour later—after being told I suck in bed at least three times and stopping at home to shower and change—I’m on my way to Rosemary Country Club to golf and have lunch with my boss, at his request.

Rosemary is a quaint town about thirty minutes south of Houston, so it doesn’t take long to get anywhere you’re going. I’ve lived here my entire life, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I stopped renting my small apartment and bought a home of my own in a development I’d only dreamed I could afford, growing up.

After leaving my car with the valet, I head to where I know Samuel will be waiting for me. I’ve only just entered the lobby when he spots me.

“Julian, thanks for coming.” He shakes my hand and then pulls me in for a hug. “I hope I didn’t force you to end your date early.”

He smirks, and I chuckle. When I was leaving last night, I mentioned going on a date—read: picking up a random woman in the club. He told me if it rolls over to morning, then she’s probably the one. If he only knew that I didn’t bring her back to my place, instead opting to check in to a hotel room in Houston so there would be no chance of running into her again.

“I don’t think there will be another date,” I say with a shrug.

“Aww, well, don’t give up on finding love. And once you do find it, don’t let it go.” He smiles at me, but I can feel the sadness in his tone.

Working for Samuel for as long as I have, I’ve watched him go through losing his wife, his daughter moving away—I never knew her personally, but he’s talked about her over the years—and most recently, falling in love again. He’s the smartest man I know, but he’ll be the first to tell you he’s made a lot of dumb choices over the years. Seeing as he privately owns a multibillion-dollar company, I’m going to bet most of his choices were smart regardless of how he feels now.

Still, I nod in agreement since I’m not about to tell him that finding love doesn’t seem to be in the cards for me. It’s not that I’m some man-whore playboy. I’m too busy to have a different woman in my bed every night. Hell, if I were willing to settle down, it would probably mean getting laid more often. But I’ve learned the hard way that it’s easier said than done.

The truth is, the naive, younger me thought by my age, I’d be married with kids, but moving up the ranks in a company this size and this competitive doesn’t happen while you’re out looking for love.

I started off in the mailroom when I was eighteen and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. From there, I was promoted to errand boy, getting drinks and food for the bigwigs.

But then a few years later, Samuel saw something in me and took me under his wing, helping me become the businessman I am today.

I went from the broke guy women wanted to fuck, but didn’t want to settle down with because I couldn’t provide for them, to the millionaire that women only want for my money.

There is one other option—the wealthy women. I tried dating that type because at least they wouldn’t want my money since they had their own, but they were so stuck-up that I couldn’t even handle having a conversation with them, and it was even worse in bed—imagine a dead starfish lying in the center of the bed.

So, for now, I’m just cruising along, focusing on work and my future. I might be getting older, but I figure I still have plenty of time to find the right woman.

“So, I hear congratulations are in order,” I say once we throw our bags onto the back of the golf cart and jump in—Samuel driving. “Retirement, huh?”

“Yeah.” He chuckles. “That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I was hoping to speak to you before the article was published, but you were out of town on business, and I felt this conversation would be better in person.”

My heart pounds against my chest, as I hope this conversation is going where I think it is. Having been the Chief Operating Officer for the past seven years, there’s only one position higher than my current one—CEO. And since that position has been Samuel’s and I thought it would remain his until the day he died, I never put it into my head there was a chance of me getting it. But now, with him formally stepping down, the position is open.

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