Page 44 of Her Beastly Billionaire Rock Star
“I have.” More than she could count or could speak on.
“Do you ever regret being in the business you’re in?” Bella asked.
“Lately, more and more because it’s not about truth or integrity any longer; it’s about fame and fortune. When it first started, the famous would come in and we’d act more like…psychologists, in a way. We would ask why they did what they did. We’d try to get to the root of the issue so it didn’t happen again. Now…” She took a deep breath. “Now, repeat business is gleefully accepted.”
Bella curled her legs under her and set her elbow on the couch arm. “But you work there.”
Nodding, Charlotte replied, “I’m hoping it goes back to the way it was.” It was as close to admitting that she was working to take the company back as she could get. “Maybe I can somehow steer it that way.”
“I will say, your boss is scary. With as dark as the lobby was, I half expected her to come out sporting a cape and fangs.” Bella chuckled.
“Or a Dalmatian on a leash.”
“Exactly. I think Malakai was even a little scared of her.” Bella glanced around, seemingly to make sure he wasn’t in earshot. “In that instance, I think it worked in his favor.”
Heat raced to Charlotte’s ears. “Uh, well, I’m just trying to help.”
Taking her lip in her teeth, Bella’s lips stretched into a wide smile. “Yeah, I know, but…you care about him. You don’t have to tell me. I can see it in your face.” She lowered her gaze, and her smile vanished. “I can see it in his face too. I haven’t seen him this happy in years.” She lifted her gaze to Charlotte again. “Thank you. For treating him like a person.”
A lump formed in Charlotte’s throat, and she nodded to keep from revealing the emotion building in her chest. No one was ever going to be allowed to treat him any other way as long as she had a say. Malakai had made mistakes, and now everyone needed to leave them in the past.
* * *
The door clicked shutbehind Malakai as he sealed himself away from Bella and Charlotte. He put the phone to his ear. “Hello?”
“This is Jeffrey Collins. Is this Mr. Raven?”
“Yeah, that’s me.” He crossed his finger. “Tell me you have good news.” He’d been nearly pacing as he’d waited for the results of the auction.
The man on the other end laughed. “Well, I can certainly say it was the liveliest of the auctions, but, yes, you won. It went much higher than we’d anticipated.”
“What’s the bill?”
“It came in a little over six hundred…thousand.”
Malakai’s mouth dropped open. It was not a problem, but he hadn’t expected it to go that high. “Done. I’ll have my accountant contact you before the end of business today.” Hopefully. Most of the time the guy was so busy it took a week to do anything.
“Thank you for donating to a worthy cause. It’ll go a long way toward helping our veterans.”
“It was my pleasure. Thank you for calling.”
“You’re welcome.”
He pressed the end call button and immediately phoned his accountant, expecting to leave a message. On the second ring, Pierce Westcott picked up. “Malakai. Hey, man.”
“Wow. Color me surprised. You actually answered the phone.” Malakai walked to his bed and stretched out on his back. “How are things?”
“They’re good. Busy as usual, which is great. Tasha…Tasha broke up with me.” His voice grew somber. “I was hinting that I thought we should make it permanent, and she said she wasn’t ready.”
“I’m sorry. I…wow.” It was a little shocking to Malakai, but not completely. Pierce worked a lot, and Tasha traveled all the time. Malakai wasn’t a pro when it came to relationships, but he knew it took work, and that meant being within two feet of the person more than once or twice a month. Something he couldn’t say either Pierce nor Tasha wanted because they loved what they did. “I’m really sorry to hear that.”
“It’s probably for the best. I’m finishing up a few things this week and then taking some time off.” He cleared his throat. “What’s up with you?”
“Time off is a good thing…and hopefully this isn’t a big deal, but I bought a car the other night at the veterans’ charity event.” He sat up and rubbed the back of his neck. “It was more than I expected, but I wanted that car.”
Pierce whistled. “You’re hesitating to tell me the price tag, and that scares me.”
“It’s a 1969 Datsun Bluebird. It was six hundred thousand.”
