The Billionaire Playboy's Regret (Lark and Max)

"I swear Ollie, if I get shot in the head, I'm coming back to haunt your ass." Lark hissed at her friend as they entered a dive bar in the shadiest part of Houston. She rubbed her nose with the back of her hands, "this place smells like piss."

"It really does." Ollie grimaced. "Guess this certainly isn't a romantic reintroduction."

Lark bumped into Ollie's back as the woman in front of her came to a complete stop. Her friend's muttered "***k me couldn't he have gone bald?" had her looking over Ollie's shoulder and then gasping.

Three of the most gorgeous yet hardened men she ever saw in her life were sitting at a table facing the entrance to the bar and Lark knew the one the middle with the shark eyes was the one Ollie was pining for. He was visually stunning with thick black hair, eyes dark as coal and a complexion which made Lark wonder if he wasn't using Max's beauty line because it was flawless.

Most importantly though was the way he was looking at Ollie. A slight tic at his jawline as he clenched his teeth was the only movement from him but the very visceral reaction of the sight of her was almost tactile.

"I get it now," Lark whispered behind Ollie who gave a little whimper. "No f*****g wonder you can't keep your pants on."

"I wore two pair of panties today just in case," she hissed over her shoulder as she strolled with far more confidence than Lark knew she was feeling. "Mr. Laredo. You asked me to see you since I'm in your city. What can I do for you?"

"Who are you?" one of the men sitting next to Mr. Laredo looked at Lark with sharp cold eyes. He was almost as beautiful as the man sitting to his left and intuitively Lark knew these men were brothers. "Legal representation in case my client needs me."

"And do all lawyers come to bars carrying weapons?"

"It's not concealed," she didn't try to hide the fact she was wearing a holster. She'd never shot a man, but she told Ollie to make sure she was armed because if she was going into such a situation she wasn't going in with a briefcase as a weapon. "I have a license to carry."

"And have you ever shot a man?" the man asked coolly.

She thought of the way she'd shot Max multiple times the week before playing paintball and decided to stretch the truth." Last weekend I did. It was good fun. Olivia, do what needs to be done but I would much rather get out of this stench filled place, please." She wasn't sure where she was pulling all her bravado from but knew Riggs would be proud of her. If he wasn't Gael certainly would be, despite her wearing jeans.

"You are walking into our place of business with a gun, Ms. Lawyer. I do not think you understand the ramifications of your actions."

"I don't think you understand the reluctance I had to walk into this establishment at all and how much I encouraged my client to decline the invitation. If she is here, then I am here and I will not be here unarmed."

"Enough!" the man in the middle raised his hand silencing his compatriot. "Olivia, you look well."

"I am well, Mr. Laredo. I want to know why I'm here."

"You ran away from me. I think I deserve to know why."

"I told you why." She lifted her chin, her dark eyes unwavering as she met his. "I refuse to be a side piece

to any woman. I will not debase myself or another woman.

"It was a marriage of convenience Olivia. Was never even consummated."

"Right." She scoffed bitterly.

"Let's take this conversation somewhere more private."

"I'd rather lick the pissy carpet of this shithole." Ollie retorted rudely.

"We apologize for the smell," the man who was questioning Lark commented, "but we entertained a visitor

right before your arrival who thought he saw the boogey man and peed his pants."

"Nice," Lark rolled her eyes as she looked around for signs of blood or other bodily fluids. She was going

to smack Ollie in the head for dragging her into this s**t. She hissed at her, "I swear Ollie if I have to see a dead body today you might be joining it."

The man seated next to Ollie's Mr. Laredo gave a loud laugh, "you, Ms. Fancy Lawyer with the shiny pistol and the pretty shoes, come have a drink with me at the bar while my brother and Olivia chat. Do not worry, they will stay here where you can see her."

She looked to Ollie and then shrugged and followed him the few feet away to the bar and Ollie took a seat across from Mr. Laredo. The third man got up and disappeared out the back door.

She sat down at a stool as the man reached over the bar and grabbed a bottle of vodka. She wrinkled her nose, "bourbon, please. I don't drink vodka. Makes me jittery."

"Very well then," he winked at her and reached to the amber colored bottle and grabbed two tumblers. Lark shot a glance at Ollie who was sitting with her spine stiffer than she'd ever seen it.

"Do not be worried for your friend. She is perfectly safe. He's been trying to contact her for a long time. He considered kidnapping her at one point, but she has a security team which is damn near impenetrable. I'm surprised she is here without her army."

"How do you know she's not?" Lark snorted and took a sip. "Do you think she came here with only me at her side? She is an incredibly intelligent and astute woman who leaves nothing to chance. She was groomed by Gael Moreno from the time she was a child to take over his affairs. Do you think he would let her grow to be someone so frivolous she would take her own safety so lightly?"

"I like you, but you are wrong. I didn't have much info on you at all," the man clinked his glass against hers, but she knew he lied. "What is your name Ms. Lawyer."

"Lark Hoffman but you knew my name before I even stepped into this bar. You probably know everything from my social security number to my blood time and the name of the first boy I ever slept with. The man sitting over there is far too powerful to leave anything to chance, like my friend is equally scrupulous." He threw his head back and laughed loudly, "my name is Heriberto Laredo. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lark Hoffman. Tell me, what makes you so brave you would enter the den of a lion?"

He extended his hand, and she shook it warily.

"Who says I'm brave? Maybe," she couldn't help herself as the bourbon floated along her veins, "I'm stupidly loyal."

He leaned forward conspiratorially, "that would make two of us. What makes you so loyal to Olivia?" "She's been my best friend since birth."

"Since birth?"

"Yes. Our mothers are best friends. We were born weeks apart. We shared bassinets, cribs, and strollers. There was a joke for a long time our mothers shared breastfeeding duties but whether it's a joke or fact is debated. She is my sister and despite the fact we don't share blood, she is my family. I would do anything for her.'

"Including die?" the man asked suddenly, his eyes curious as his fingers rested against his hip, his coat slinging open to reveal his own gun.

"Yes." She didn't hesitate in her answer. "I would die for her in a heartbeat. Are you threatening me, Heriberto or are you being facetious.

"Merely a question," he let his gaze rove her body. "You are beautiful Lark, but I cannot help wondering whether your beauty is merely a cover for something else. Do you work for the government or some agency intending to bring my brother and our family down?"

"Nope." She nodded towards where Ollie was growing increasingly red faced by something Mr. Laredo was quietly divulging. "I'm the reason she reached out."

"What?"

"The man her brother beat up was my ex-lover. He made me cry. Her brother beat him up. He was supposed to keep his mouth shut but now my ex is suing us all for the assault. Ollie called in a favor on my behalf. I'm the reason she's here when she would rather be anywhere else. The least I can do is have her back when she put it on the line for me."

"Wait," he made a face, "how did my intel not share this? I knew her brother beat someone up, but nothing put him with you."

"Someone in your organization is slipping," Lark laughed at him drawing two sets of eyes from across the room to look at her in surprise. She took another sip of her drink and winked at Ollie. "You good?" "No. I'm ready to go."

"You aren't leaving, Olivia," the man sitting across from her shook his head emphatically. "We are not done." "We are done. You lied to me. You lied to me so many f*****g times and it hurts, and I hate you for it!" she screamed uncharacteristically breaking her façade of quiet resolve she held in business transactions. She wiped a wayward tear off her cheek as she shoved back from the table her chair clattering

to the floor behind her. The man opposite her also rose from his seat. He was menacing as he leaned over the table and Ollie made a pleading look at her. She knew Ollie wanted her to get her out of there before she caved into his demands.

"Aw f**k," Lark sighed as she quickly moved to stand beside Ollie, but Heriberto grabbed her arm and held her tightly. Remembering all the training she took with Riggs, both before and after her attack on the rooftop, Lark was able to quickly escape his grasp, leaving him surprised and face down on the floor, she leapt over him and was at Ollie's side, her firearm drawn and leveled at the man who flung the table clear across the room in order to get closer to Ollie.

He raised an eyebrow at the pair as Ollie moved behind Lark.

"You are using this woman as a bodyguard."

"She's my best friend, Mr. Laredo." Ollie sniffed.

"Stop!" he yelled at her. "You do not call me Mr. Laredo. It is and always will be Santiago to you." "No, it's not. I will not ever be so informal with you again. You broke my trust, Mr. Laredo and you proved again this past week you still cannot be trusted. Regardless of your motives, you lied to me." She was pulling Lark backwards, texting on her phone, as they walked through the bar towards the exits. "Do not contact me again. You and I are nothing and we will never be anything."

Her heart was pounding so hard she could scarcely hear anything but the sound of her own blood rushing in her head, yet Lark could hear the pain in Ollie's voice like an alarm. It strengthened her resolve to keep her firearm pointed directly at the cartel leader, despite the fact his brother was holding guns in each of his hands pointed at them. "We are leaving. Ollie, keep going."

"I'm sorry Lark," Ollie whispered behind her.

"Go." They got outside and suddenly they were swarmed with Ollie's team who quickly escorted them into the waiting SUV.

Sitting in the vehicle, Lark set her gun on the floor and then exhaled a loud breath and felt tears stinging her eyes her hands trembling violently. "What the f**k just happened?"