Page 21 of Untamed Billionaire
With that decision made, he leaned forward and poured himself another glass. “Cheers!” he said to his friends. They all lifted their glasses in the air, clinking the crystal and almost spilling their scotch. They then proceeded to laugh hilariously at their near-miss.
Forty-five minutes later, Charles was muttering several choice expletives as he glared at the police officer who was leading Bill Jennings away in handcuffs. Tom was also being led away, but that was justified. The idiot had taken a swing at the officer. But Bill…? Bill didn’t deserve to be arrested. The man hadn’t done anything wrong. Yeah, he might be over the legal limit for blood alcohol content, but Bill was such a heavy drinker, the man could only drive when he was drunk. Charles knew that some people just needed a touch of the Irish in order for their minds to think correctly. In those cases, there was no need for the police to arrest the guy!
Driving under the influence! Charles wanted to spit at the officer! But he pulled himself together, smoothing a hand over his tie and…remembered that he hadn’t worn a tie this morning since he knew that he was going to spend the day drinking at the club, maybe play a round of golf and…perhaps he should check in with Steven at the office at some point. The boy needed guidance after all. Steven had made some…ill-advised…investments lately.
Steven just hadn’t found his groove yet. He’d learn eventually. And besides, very soon, Charles would have access to all of his son-in-law’s delicious billions! Yes, his plan was a good one! It would solve everyone’s problems!
Chapter 7
Marco stepped into the house he’d rented for the next several months and tossed his keys onto the countertop. Moving into the kitchen, he thought about grabbing a beer. But the memories from this morning slowed his hand and he shifted, grabbing a glass and filling it with water. He’d be damned if he’d end up like the drunks who had left his office earlier this morning.
After guzzling down the water, he turned and…something was off. He looked around but didn’t see a threat. Stepping out of the kitchen, he started to reach for his cell phone, but as soon as he spotted the four people standing in the middle of his living room, Marco stopped.
“What the hell are you guys doing here?” he demanded.
The dark eyes of Kasim gleamed with amusement. “We got your message.”
Marco rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but that was for Saturday. It’s Monday. Why are you here now?” he demanded, fisting his hands on his hips and trying to look stern.
“Oh, give it up!” Angela snapped, then moved forward and threw herself into his arms. “You’re not going to get married without us giving you a hard time!”
Marco laughed and hugged the woman. A brief moment later, Angela was pulled out of his arms and Kasim pulled him in for a bone jarring hug of his own. “Congratulations. I’ve read about your woman and she’s an excellent choice.” His lilting accent made Kasim’s approval even more profound.
Dash was next and, as usual, the man’s laughing eyes hid untold horrors. “We’re all very happy for you, bud,” he said and slapped Marco on the back as he hugged him as well.
Callum was the last in line and he smirked at Marco. “Had to beat us all, didn’t ye?” Then he laughed and hugged Marco before pulling back.
Marco groaned as he gestured for his friends to sit down. He gestured to Callum and said, “You’re the only reason I was accepted into Charleston society, by the way.”
Callum’s whole body froze, then he twisted his head slightly. “I am? What the hell? I’ve never met these people.”
Marco pulled out his cell phone and pulled up the local Chinese delivery restaurant, tapping his phone to put in an order large enough for the five of them. “Chloe secretly invited me to a dinner party given by her mother about a month ago. It wasn’t until they realized that I knew you,” he looked at Callum with amusement as he said, “Laird MacGregor…” and everyone laughed. Everyone except Callum. The man pulled his mouth into a grimace at his Scottish title. “They were thrilled to know someone who was acquainted with European aristocracy.”
He snorted. “Obviously, you didn’t tell them that I lived in the streets right next to you!”
Angela laughed. “Face it, Callum, you’re a hero!” She said that with a sing-song, lovey-dovey voice, then batted her long, dark eyelashes at him.
“You’re a brat,” he said to Angela. He then focused back on Marco. “And you’re an idiot for marrying into a family that thinks so highly of a title I don’t even acknowledge. Especially when we can all brag about knowing our illustrious Kasim!”
The group chuckled when Kasim growled in irritation. “I’m not as impressive as you, Laird,” he teased.
For the next hour, they laughed and joked with each other, getting the beers out of the fridge as they caught up with each other about their activities over the last few months.
Surreptitiously, Marco pulled his phone out and dialed Chloe’s number. Unfortunately, she didn’t answer and he remembered that tonight was the “ladies” event. She’d said that it was just a group of her cousins taking her out for dinner, but Marco suspected that it was actually her bachelorette party. The other ladies simply hadn’t taken a moment to warn Chloe.
Damn, he wanted to see her tonight. After spending almost every evening in her company, he missed her. It was silly, he knew. And if any of his friends realized how love-sick he…!
Love? Was he in love with Chloe? Holy hell! When had he fallen in love with her? He knew he liked her. A lot! And he definitely wanted her. His erotic dreams every night as well as the erection he got every time she even looked his way proved that. But love?
Yes, he loved her. He loved her in a crazy, must-have-her kind of way.
“Earth to Marco!” Angela called out, snapping her fingers together in front of his face.
“What?” he growled, irritated that he’d lost track of the conversation. But he’d done that pretty often lately whenever he thought about Chloe.
“The food is here. Grab a plate and load up on food, my friend!” Angela explained, shoving the plate into his hands, then moved on to the next person, handing everyone a plate and a pair of chopsticks.
Marco blinked and looked at his coffee table, which was now laden down with containers of steaming Chinese food. He’d gotten a bit of everything so there was shrimp and scallops in a garlic sauce, some sort of beef in a rich brown sauce, chicken in a white sauce, steamed dumplings, fried won-tons, and several other containers of food he wasn’t really sure about. It all smelled incredible, and he spooned a portion of everything onto his plate, except broccoli. The others teased him about his hatred for broccoli, plucking the green crowns off of his plate to savor themselves.
