Page 16 of Faking with the Bad Boy Billionaire

It took her forty-eight agonizing hours to text him back.

I miss you too.

Four words felt like someone shoved a knife into his chest.

Steven felt her drifting from him the longer they were physically apart. After two months of not seeing each other, he fell into bed with a few of the club bunnies who knew he was in it for a good time, not a long time. He was handling Josie's situation as a full-blown breakup at this point. He was fully invested and ready to spend every minute of every day with her. Now, she was nowhere to be found. She was not responding to his e-mails, texts, social media comments, or any messages. A part of her had taken over everything he was, and he was determined to drown it in liquor and women to try to kill it off. They did not even have a chance to talk through things.

She shut down and took their friendship with her.

He started feeling a bit better about things when there was a knock on the door, "Hey, boss." Joey, his head of security, opened the door.

"What's up, Joe?" Steven had his head buried in work, trying not to focus on anything outside of that. Every moment was filled with thoughts of Josie, still.

"You have a visitor."

Steven's heart started beating rapidly, "Who is it?"

The door opened wide, and Macy peeked around it. "It's your favorite girlfriend."

Steven's heart shattered all over again. She was anything except his favorite. He felt his face heat up, and the anger rolls through him. "How much do you need this time, Mace?" She always came around when she wanted something. Most of the time, it was as if she could sense he was miserable.

"I just wanted to see you, Stevie." Macy flicked her hair over her left shoulder, trying to do whatever she could to get his attention fully on her.

"Do not call me that." She adjusted her barely-there cleavage in front of him and pushed it up a bit as if to try and entice him.

Macy put on her fake pout and leaned forward, "I have been worried about you. I stopped in before Lock and Key, and Joey said you were out of town." She stood up to try and get him to look at her when he dove back into work. "Then I saw you with Josephine on socials, and she had a ring! You didn't tell me you were getting married!"

Steven finally looked at her and saw the smirk did not match the pouty voice. "It is none of your business." There was a picture of Josephine and himself on the wall near the door from the Charity Gala that his eyes drifted to. He remembered holding Josie in his arms. She felt so right against him. Everything about that moment rushed through his mind whenever he saw it.

"You look like a happy couple there, so what is with the sour puss face?"

"I will only ask you one more time before I have Joey remove you," Steven sat back, placing his elbows on the chair and folding his hands in front of him while staring directly into her dark brown eyes. "What do you want?"

"I missed you and wanted to know if I could use the club for a party." Her high-pitched voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard compared to how he used to hear her.

"No." He was trying to be straightforward and stern with her. He could not be more direct about his stance if he had tried.

"But, Stevie, I already told my friends I would have bottle service and the upper level rented out." Steven rolled his eyes. "Please?" She always tried to use him for things, and he usually caved. However, that was no longer who he wanted her to be. He would give her something to make her go away, but now he just wanted her to go away.

"I already gave you my answer, Macy." He stood up, straightened his black jacket, and walked past her tiny frame to the door. "Now, I need you to get the hell out of my office. Tell your friends the club is closed."

Macy stood up, walked over to him, and stopped to put her hand on his chest, "I don't know what is going on, but I will come back when you are feeling better." She went to kiss his cheek, and he pulled back from her. Everything about Macy was turning him off and shutting him down. He wanted her to be out of his presence. He could not stand anything about her anymore. She was the complete opposite of Josie, of everything that he wanted, and he needed her to go.

"Please," her brow furrowed, "don't." He guided her the rest of the way out, looked at Joey, and stared back at her, saying, "She is banned. Do not let her anywhere near my club again." With that, he slammed the door while she yelled at it. That was the first time he felt good since the last message from Josie.

Steven decided to reach out five months after he left Josie at her apartment. He took a deep breath and started typing.

Hey. How are you? I know it's been a minute, but I just wanted to check in. We still have that Hawaii trip to put to good use.

When he felt it was good enough, he sent it. A few days go by, and I am still awaiting a response. Finally, his phone goes off. He does not look at first, hoping it is her, but is not ready to accept it if it is not.

I am okay. Just busy. I am still determining when I will be able to go to Hawaii. If you go before we can go together, send me some pics. XO

Steven got that message and went off the deep end. His heart had shattered into a million and a half pieces. Nothing could have prepared him for the dismissal and distant response from her. He was ready to see her, but she had yet to be on her social media pages to give him a clue about where she was.

He got drunk for what felt like six months straight after that. He could barely remember when or where he was. He moved from event to event, sleeping with everyone who wanted to. He would rather drown himself in other women than reach out again just to get shut down. Nothing stung worse than realizing Josie had sobered up and did not want him anymore. He hit darker points than when he split from Macy two years before Josie.

Finally, he pulled himself out of his stupor and opened a second club in Miami. He was ready to keep building for himself, and he would let her know one way or another that he would be there for her whenever she needed him.

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