The Next Book Boyfriend #2
Sally Broughton’s twenty-year-old boyfriend Chuck Creeton is a social media influencer who has mad Photoshop and video editing skills.
Three years ago, one of his videos went viral, and ever since, he’s made a fortune by being a prankster who loves to push the envelope.
When his girlfriend––an inspiring violinist––got eliminated early on my talent show, Jam Session , Chuck decided to turn me into an experiment.
On Jam Session , you can only advance based on your talent as a musician. If the judges aren’t blown away, they won’t turn their chair around. As the competition advances, the public becomes judge and jury.
Sally took offense that none of the judges recognized her talent. Her boyfriend was willing to indulge her in her delusion. I was the scapegoat.
When people think you sexually assaulted a fifteen-year-old girl, it’s the end of your life as you know it. Thanks to her boyfriend, Sally, who’s a nineteen-year-old young woman and not an underage teenager, used fake ID to enter the teens category of the competition.
At the hearing, Chuck had the audacity to tell the judge it was all a joke and there’s no such thing as bad publicity. Now, the joke’s on him.
“Larkin came through for you,” Phoenix says.
“He did,” I say. “You can always count on Larkin.”
My friends nod.
“The private investigators he referred me to did a stellar job. They were worth every penny.”
“You still don’t know how they retrieved the incriminating files from Chuck’s laptop and phone?”
“No, Shane. They told me it’s best if I didn’t know.”
“As long as you’re in the clear, that’s all that matters.” Phoenix lifts his tumbler. “Free at last.”
Shane and I lift our glasses and clink Phoenix’s.
I polish off my drink.
“I hope you intend on celebrating your freedom by dropping by Dark Compulsion tonight,” Phoenix says.
“It’s theme night.” Shane drops his Rusty Nail drink on the table. “Those are the best because they bring in fresh faces.”
“After dinner, I’m going home to change,” Phoenix says. “My wife and I are attending. Beckett and Rhys—and their girls—will also be there. Rod is coming with Dominika.”
“I’ll be there,” Shane says.
“I’ll pass, guys.”
“If anyone deserves a good time, it’s you,” Phoenix says.
“Nah.”
“Gage—”
“Phoenix, I said I’ll pass.”
He sighs. “Three years.” He flashes me the appropriate number of fingers. “That’s a fucking long time to punish yourself.”
“Not that anyone has the right to tell you it’s time to move on,” Shane says, “because that would be insensitive and callous, but Gage, you’re surviving. And surviving isn’t living.”
I stare him down.
“The fury in your eyes is the same every time we attempt to broach the subject,” Shane says.
My nostrils flare. “The topic is off the table.”
These two are testing my patience.
I should’ve gone home after all.
“You two are done psychoanalyzing me?”
Phoenix narrows his eyes at me. “You’ve been locked in that tour of yours, aka your office, for so long. Being a brooding recluse is your new normal. If it wasn’t for the fact you couldn’t run your multibillion dollar empire from the comfort of your mansion, we’d never see you.”
“Theme parties are off limits,” I say. “I drop by Dark Compulsion when I need to. I don’t want anything intimate?—”
“Why not stay home and watch porn? You’re paying a fortune for an annual membership”—Phoenix scours the room—“to an exclusive adult club with some of the most beautiful female members?—”
“There are club members willing to accept my unbendable rules.”
“Jesus Christ, Gage.” Phoenix runs a hand through his hair. “You never take a woman up to one of the private rooms or one of the lounge rooms. Heck, you don’t even go to one of the Peek-a-boo rooms with a woman.”
Phoenix is a stubborn motherfucker.
That’s why he’s such a good businessman. But right now, he’s grating on my last nerves.
“Those are too intimate for me,” I say.
He rolls his eyes.
“I’m no MD and I don’t pretend to play one on or off camera,” Shane says, “but isn’t it time you changed your ways?”
I give him a one-shoulder shrug. “If it ain’t broke, why fix it?”
“Your mother wouldn’t want that for you?—”
I point a finger at Phoenix. “Leave my mother out of this.”
“Come on, Gage.” Shane soldiers on. “Aren’t you tired of the unsurmountable walls you’ve erected around yourself and the tedious precautions you take so you can avoid intimacy at all costs?”
Phoenix crooks a thumb in our friend’s direction. “What he said.”
“No one is telling you to date again”—Shane isn’t done dispensing unsolicited advice—“but what you’re doing at the club with those women can’t be all that… satisfactory .”
My gaze bounces from one set of blue eyes to another. “Did you two win your medical degrees at the same carnival game?”
“For fuck sakes.” Shane ignores my jab. “Bring down your walls?—”
“So now you’re a fucking poet, Dennison?” I say. “Or did you pull that Oscar-worthy line from a goddamn Hallmark movie?”
“I’m a concerned friend.”
I rub a hand over my face. “Everyone wants a piece of me. You guys are supposed to be in my corner. Instead, you’re drilling me, pushing me to change my ways when I don’t want to.
I have one thing to offer a woman.” I flash them a finger.
“One. It’s a take it or leave it situation.
It’s enough for the women I hook up with, so butt out. ”
“Gage—”
I lift a hand, stopping Phoenix. “I’ve heard enough.” I shoot to my feet. “Drinks and appetizers are on me, guys. Enjoy your theme party at Dark Compulsion.”
With that, I storm out.
And they wonder why I’m always brooding.
That fatal day three years ago changed my life forever.
Don’t fucking poke the bear and don’t push him out of hibernation.
I don’t need to thaw my frozen heart, and I sure as hell don’t need more from women than I’m getting.
End of story.
Bonus Scene
For a bonus scene about Phoenix and Michaela (Michaela overhears Phoenix’s response to Slate’s accusations—her POV), subscribe to my newsletter.
www.MyRomanceAddiction.com
Who’s The Next Book Boyfriend in This Scorching Hot Series?
Gage Hollingsworth is next.
The brooding, grumpy LA CEO has built an impenetrable fortress around his heart.
A soft-spoken virgin comes crashing into his life, wreaking havoc on his self-imposed rules.
Unable to understand the power this stranger has over him, the sexy alpha billionaire does what he does best, he erects his walls.
No way is he letting a woman in…
Coming Soon: Damaged Mogul
Beckett, Rhys, and Phoenix are part of a binge-worthy world.
The series is so unputdownable, you’ll lose sleep over it. And no, I’m not sorry.
Each book in the It Was Always You series can be read as a standalone, but why miss out on a copious amount of sauciness by not starting at the beginning?
Always You kicks off the series with a naughty ball that’s so hot, it comes with a warning.
★★★★★ “Levi’s story had me from the get-go, all the way to the end!”
Reviews are sweet as pie.
It only takes a few minutes to leave a review, which makes a huge difference for an indie author like myself.
Here’s the link to leave a review for:
Ruthless Mogul