Page 7 of Billionaire Devil

Charm usually comes naturally to me. I’m the cruisey, easy-going member of my family, the one who’s first to laugh and who has, until now, been perfectly content to bask in my reputation as a fun-loving playboy having the time of his life.

I don’t remember meeting this girl.

And I don’t particularly want to.

Her fake lashes blink at me, her brown eyes full of hopefulness and visions of a life of ease, with two point five kids raised in some eight-bedroom saltbox mansion in this neighborhood, their trust funds fully in place before they’ve even been conceived.

I’m not feeling it at all. “I’ve got to go talk to my brother, but maybe we’ll run into each other later on.”

“Oh. Okay.” I brush past her disappointment before she feels compelled to give me her number.

Making my way toward the bar at the far end of the porch, I have the sudden urge to get inebriated.

What the hell’s wrong with you? That was a slam dunk.

As I said, I’ve been off my game lately. Which is starting to piss me off.

I don’t want another meaningless fling tonight.

Why the fuck not?

Because I want to know what it feels like to experience something real.

I look out over the crowd.

I know most of the people here, of course, and there are the inevitable hangers-on, who have crashed the party to getclose to Noah, Cash or me. There’s a buzz in the air, the kind that only comes when you’re coasting on the high tide of victory.

We don’t intentionally hireonlyoutrageously good-looking people, but you wouldn’t guess it from standing here on Noah’s patio. With the sunset as our backdrop, we could all be movie stars.

And yet I can’t find even one person who appeals to me in the way I need them to appeal to me tonight.

What the fuck’s going on?

I see Cash at one of the tables, his fingers entwined with Dusty’s. Those two would annoy the hell out of me if they weren’t so perfect for each other. Cash is totally besotted and I can see why. Dusty is gorgeous, with a cute Texan flair and a softness that’s rubbed off on my brother. He’s calmer when she’s around.

Dusty whispers something in Cash’s ear and he bends down to kiss her with a tenderness I’ve never seen in him before.

Alexander is equally annoying with his new fiancée, Ivy. Never in a million years would I have expected either of them to fall this hard.

I know it’ll never happen to me. And I wouldn’t want it to. I can’t think of anything worse. Being tied to one person like that for the rest of eternity would be a nightmare.

Still, it would be interesting to feel it. Just once.

A crazy, head-over-heels love that blinds you to everyone else.

I’ve never felt anything remotely like that. Not even close.

Cash sees me watching him and raises his flute at me in a silent toast. I’m in his good books for the work I’ve put in this quarter—which, believe me, isn’t always the case. Cash didn’t sky-rocket this company to where it is by going easy on anyone, especially his little brother.

Cash stands, getting the attention of the crowd almost immediately.

“Thank you for coming tonight, everyone,” he says, his deep voice making it clear he’s the boss even when mildly intoxicated by both lust and Moët. “You deserve to celebrate tonight. And you have my deepest gratitude. We owe our success to each and every one of you. You’ve put your trust in me and my brothers over the past two years and we’ve achieved things evenIwasn’t sure were possible. So here’s to Invested Enterprises. And by the way, you’re all getting a huge bonus in your next paycheck. Cheers.”

Gasps of celebration erupt from around the patio and I can’t help but feel proud of them—ofus.

And now I can get on with the rest of my night and find the most beautiful woman at this party to take home with me. I need to get over whatever dry spell seems to be taking over my love life.

I spot Sloane, which is easy to do since she’s five ten, taller than most women, even without the sky-scraper heels.

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