Page 1 of Billionaire Temptations

Chapter One

I finished puttingthe last loose curl in my long, blonde hair when Kara walked into the bathroom.

“I can’t believe you’re leaving in the morning.”

“I know. I’m going to miss you guys.”

I ran my fingers through my hair and swept a bit more mascara on the lashes around my blue eyes before Kara, and I headed to meet the girls for dinner. It was our last dinner together in Florida before I hopped on a plane to New York City tomorrow. I would be attending the fall semester at Parsons School of Design. It had been a dream of mine since I was a child. I worked as a waitress in an upscale restaurant and saved all my tips and a good chunk of my paychecks for over a year to be able to move to New York and live for a while until I found a job. With the help of a student loan I was able to secure, tuition wasn’t a problem.

Kara and I met our friends, Molly and Aubrey, at Seafood Haven, and then we were off to a club. The four of us had been best friends since elementary school when we were put together in a group for a project. Kara and Molly were hairdressers and worked at the same salon, and Aubrey was on her way tobecoming a lawyer. My dream had always been interior design, and at the age of twenty-four, I was finally pursuing it. Life hadn’t been so easy for my mom and me. My dad took off when I was two, and my mom always struggled to make ends meet. My Aunt Laura would look after me when she’d work double shifts at the diner. My mom did her best, and I got a job as soon as I was old enough to work. After graduating high school, I put off college so I could work full-time and help my mom with the bills.

“So, have you talked to Justin at all?” Kara asked.

“No. He doesn’t know that I’m leaving, and I want to keep it that way. So don’t any one of you go and tell him.”

“It’s too bad things didn’t work out between you two,” Molly spoke.

“Yeah. He’s a nice guy but way too boring. We never went out because he couldn’t tear himself away from his video games. Not to mention the fact that he refused job offers because he felt like they weren’t good enough. He has a lot of growing up to do.”

“But the sex was good, right?” Aubrey asked.

“Yeah. That was the only thing that was right with our relationship. I put up with his shenanigans for a year and couldn’t take it anymore.”

“But he cried when you broke it off with him.” Kara smirked.

“He cried because I broke the X-Box game he was playing when I was trying to break up with him, and he wouldn’t listen to me. I’m done with guys unless they’re over the age of thirty-five. Hopefully, they’ll have their shit figured out by then.”

We all laughed, paid our bill, and headed to Club Fifty-Seven.

I was standingwith my back leaning up against the bar, sipping a mojito and watching the girls twerking on the dance floor whena ruggedly handsome gentleman walked up and ordered a scotch on the rocks. I studied his six-foot stature as he talked to his friend. His light brown short hair was perfectly styled, as was the stubble and light mustache he sported. He wore a pair of black jeans – at least they looked black in the dim light – with a button-down short-sleeved black shirt. I gulped when he turned my way and caught me staring at him. His lips were full, and his gray eyes caught my attention faster than the rest of him did.

“Hello.” The corners of his mouth curved upward.

I nodded as I held up my mojito, feeling like a complete ass for getting caught. The bartender handed him his drink, and he stepped closer to me.

“I’m Max.”

“Emma. Nice to meet you.” I smiled.

“Nice to meet you too, Emma. Want to go somewhere and talk?”

That was code for “Let’s go fuck somewhere and call it a night.”

“Sorry. I’m with my friends.”

“Your friends can join too.” He winked.

His wink made him even sexier than he already was.

“You’re cute, but I’m not into that.”

He leaned closer to me until his lips were dangerously close to mine. The smell of scotch on his breath swept over my face.

“I would love to know what you’re into.” His smile distracted me from my thoughts for a moment.

“I bet you would.” My finger ran down the front of his shirt. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”

“Only the ones I find incredibly sexy. And judging from my hard on, you’re one sexy girl.”

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