The Billionaire Playboy's Regret (Lark and Max)

Lark was in her hotel room looking through her notes Friday afternoon and rubbing her head. Her father was gone to meet with his investigators. Bobbie was laying down in her room after telling Lark she was suffering with a brutal headache and needed an hour to herself.

She was wishing she too pleaded for an hour to herself because as she tried to review the pages displayed on her screen, Ollie was sitting on the end of her bed staring at her. She was waiting for a response to a question she'd asked Lark when they were on the plane. Lark hadn't answered and Ollie wasn't giving up.

"Ollie, stop!"

"I'm not doing anything."

"I'm trying to work."

"I know. It's why I'm sitting here quietly waiting."

"You're being annoying?"

"Sitting quietly while you work is annoying?"

"Don't you have a billion-dollar industry to run?" She shot Ollie an annoyed glance.

"I do and I'm doing it. I like to delegate." She wriggled her phone in her hand, "and I check in every few minutes."

"Why are you here? You don't need to be here." She put her gaze back on the document.

"Yes, I do."

"Why?"

"Because despite what you say, you're going to need me."

At this statement she looked up, "I'm going to need you?"

"Yes. Despite the fact you haven't answered my earlier question and I'm still waiting," she grinned

wickedly, "on Monday you're going to face Doug and his insane demands and it's going to hurt. It's going

to hurt to know he's trading the love you shared for monetary value. You will need to cry and quite possibly need to punch something, but" she gave a

self-deprecating smile, "it could simply be my way of dealing with heartbreak. I'm going to be here to hold you while you cry and then even let you beat me up if you need."

She stared at Ollie incredulously. "You think I'm going to cry?"

"I know you will. Lark, even if he wasn't the love of your life and we all knew he was never going to last," Ollie reported factually, "you cared for him a great deal and you loved him. Facing him on Monday in an office across a table is going to feel like he's reduced your entire relationship to a dollar figure, albeit a big one."

She frowned at Ollie. "You seem sure of yourself."

"I know you." Ollie gave a sly smile. "Which is why I know you've peeked at Max's pecker."

"I did not!" she kicked her foot out and Ollie gave a shout of victory. "Oh, you're awful."

"Why not?" Ollie jumped to lay down beside her on the bed. "I know you've been sleeping there. You haven't even copped a feel?"

"Nope." She shook her head.

"Max must have a horrible case of blue balls."

"Ollie, seriously. I don't want to talk about Max and me."

Ollie seemed utterly confused, "really? We tell each other everything. You're not going to tell me what's

happening?" "There isn't anything happening!" she snapped. "Max has been nothing but a gentleman and a friend all week."

"But you slept at his house Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I saw him kiss you the other morning when I stopped over." "You stopped over hoping to find me in his bed."

"Who gets up at five thirty in the morning?" Ollie frowned at her.

"People like Max who exercise every day. We were going for a run before work."

"There are better exercises to do at five thirty in the morning," Ollie wiggled her eyebrows.

"Ollie, I don't know what to tell you. Max isn't interested." She felt her cheeks burning as she stared at her

screen.

"Whoa," Ollie pulled on the laptop and leaned over it, kneeling now between Lark's knees. "What do you mean he's not interested."

"Fine," Lark sighed and slammed her laptop shut. "You are right. I slept at Max's Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. On Monday he asked me to come to his place and he set up the most beautiful, romantic dinner. There were roses and candles, and he was charming and sweet. He was teasing and flirting. We shared a bottle of wine and talked for a long time. Many paragraphs are missing. Read the complete book on Jo b ni b.c om. Then at ten-thirty, he told me I needed to get my rest and walked me to the room Johan usually stays in. He bought a bunch of clothes for me Ollie. Beautiful clothing from a speciality boutique so I could go to work in the morning. The softest pyjamas I've ever owned were on the bed waiting for me and the shoes, Ollie. Oh, the shoes are stunning." She recalled the closet she walked into Monday night. "But he walked me to my room, kissed me goodnight and then went to his room. He repeated this Tuesday and Wednesday night. For someone we nicknamed Man-w***e-Max he's behaving very monk-like.

"Wait, he's not making his move?"

"If by his move you mean, is he kissing me as if we were still in ninth grade and worried about our braces locking up? Sure, he is."

"What about groping?" Ollie squeezed her hands in front of her towards Lark's chest.

"Nope. He did kiss me on Monday morning in my office and his hands were on my ass for less than a minute but it's as close as he's gotten to a grope."

"Huh," Ollie scratched the side of her head. "What about walking around in his underwear?"

"He's been doing a lot of that. He walks around semi naked, in his stupid briefs, his perfect rounded ass in

my face but he," she trailed off at Ollie's smirk. "What are you laughing at?"

"You were complaining last week you hated him and this week his ass is perfect and -"

"His ass has always been perfect. Hate him or not."

"I wouldn't know about his ass being perfect. We're twins and so I don't check his ass out but I'm simply saying you, my friend, are a horn dog for my brother."

"I've always been a horn dog for your brother," Lark hissed, "and it doesn't help he grew into that," she waved her hand in the direction of the room he was in across the hall. "Like how many hours a day does a guy have to work out to look like him?"

Ollie was giggling now as she rested her head on Lark's shoulder. "I need to ask. Are you annoyed because he's moving too slow?"

"No." she pouted. "There's too much going on right now for me to jump into bed with him."

"But you want to."

"Fine! I want to." She slumped to the side and lay beside Ollie. "I want to. I want to so badly the reason I stayed at my parent's house Thursday night was because I needed alone time."

"With your battery-operated buddy?"

"Yes," she was bright pink now and she pulled a pillow over her face. She'd been too worried about Max hearing her vibrator going if she had gone to his house and she knew she could get the privacy she needed in her old bedroom.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I need to sort this out with Doug. I need to put him in the past but Ollie, Max has been so good to me this past week. I mean really good and if this is a foreshadowing of how things can be with us, then I'd be a fool to walk away from it. But I can't help but worry he's not sure. He's not coming onto me like I expected."

"I get it," Ollie nodded. "As your best friend and the person who I share all my secrets with, can I tell you a huge secret and you promise not to tell anyone?"

"Sure." Lark wondered where this was going.

"Well, my brother who never used to tell me about his crush on you called me about twenty times last week to ask me how to make sure he doesn't screw this up."

"Really?" she lifted her head in amazement.

"He told me he's terrified of taking you to bed and then you are waking up in the morning regretting what happened, so he wants to make sure when you finally get together its what you really want."

"So, he's intentionally making me sexually frustrated?"

"No!" Ollie laughed loudly, "he's as frustrated as you are but," she took a breath, "and here's the secret part, Lark, he's frightened you will leave him after he's with you and it will destroy him. He wants you to be absolutely sure because he is convinced the minute you're intimate together, he's never going to get over you."

Her mouth opened and closed in shock, "he's worried I'll reject him, and he won't get over it?"

"Yes." Ollie nodded vigorously, her curls bouncing every which way. "He is terrified you're going to break his heart so he's taking it slow and praying you're going to be in hopelessly in love with him and very horny for him and only him," she laughed as Lark smacked at her, "you crawl into his bed begging him to love you back and then you'll never leave him." Lark decided this could be the cutest thing she ever heard. "How adorable."

"He wants to spoil you and give you the world, Lark but mostly, he wants you to love him and only him forever."

She pressed her lips together pensively. "I need this s**t with Doug to be over so I can give my attention to Max the way he deserves."

"I agree." Ollie nodded.

"What about you? What's going on with you and Johan?"

Ollie shrugged, "he went out with the cowgirl again on Wednesday evening. I chatted with Mr. Laredo yesterday morning. He wants to see me when I'm here in town. I told him I'd meet with him but only if you came with me."

"What?" She looked to Ollie in alarm, "why me?"

"I told him you were my legal representation and if he did anything untoward and I shot him, you would be there to protect my interests."

"Jesus, Ollie. I don't want to meet a cartel leader."

"Which is why I'm not going."

"But you want to."

"Yup. He's bad for me, Lark. I know he's bad for me. He's a lying snake and I told him so. He didn't appreciate my assessment of the situation and he really didn't like I knew he still was married to his wife. Yet, he's like the worst kind of drug. I get high from breathing his air and I can't get enough of him." Ollie whined, "I can run my businesses like a ruthless tyrant like Gael trained me and this guy has me wanting to throw my panties at him like a hussy. What is wrong with me?"

She stared at Ollie and then groaned, "fine. Find a way we can sneak off. We both know your mom and my dad will veto the visit, not to mention what Max and Johan will say if they know."

Ollie gave an audible gulp before blinking nervously, "I'll arrange my security team to make sure we're covered the entire time, but I can't go alone, Lark. If I do, I'll be back in his bed, and I don't want to sleep with him."

Lark had a bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling. Yet, it was for Ollie and if there was anyone she had a history of doing stupid s**t with, it was going to be Ollie.