The Billionaire Playboy's Regret (Lark and Max)

Ollie was shaking as hard as Lark was while the SUV tore through the streets back in the direction of their hotel. "My father is going to f*****g kill me for putting you in this situation."

"Your father? Um, my mother is scarier than your father. I'm mostly worried about Riggs." She looked to Ollie with wide eyes, "or Max. f**k. What if Max finds out what we did?"

"This is the dumbest thing we've done since we went to get my purse from the nightclub. Remember when I drugged the club owner to get access to her computers so I could erase me ever being there and us getting caught."

"You do drag me into a lot of s**t but Ollie, I pulled a gun on a cartel leader." She held up her hands noting the tremors." What the f**k did I go so over the top for?"

"It was kind of bad ass," Ollie gave a nervous giggle.

"Ollie, it's not funny." She gripped her chest as panic started to envelop her. "Oh my god, what did I do?" "You threw his brother like he was a bag of wet sand," Ollie was laughing in earnest now, but Lark knew it was bordering hysteria.

"We've been in Houston a few hours and I'm already in so much s**t," she squeaked as she curled into a ball in the seat." Ollie, what if they put a hit on me or," she made huge eyes, "kill my horse and put it's head in my bed."

"You don't have a horse, this isn't a movie, and we'll step up security for us for the next little bit. We'll go back to Dallas soon enough."

"You're not taking this seriously."

Ollie giggled again and then sniffed before dissolving into tears, "I'm sorry Lark. I don't know what else to do. I thought I could manage it, but he was all bossy in there. Then he said I was his woman and only his and if I knew what was good for me, I'd move my businesses back to Houston where I belong. He said he wanted me in his condo by nightfall or my ass was going to be full of his handprints and I almost dropped my pants and both pair of panties and let him do it." She wailed now as she fell onto Lark's chest sobbing. "Oh Ollie," Lark wrapped her arms around her. "It's okay."

"It's not okay. He's married and I don't care if he f****d her or not. She wears his ring, and I won't be a mistress. Not for anyone. I would rather be alone the rest of my life than to be someone's second choice." "Shh," she rubbed her back softly as Ollie whimpered. The car suddenly veered off the main drag and down an off-ramp before picking up speed and traveling in another direction. "Now what?"

"Ms. Villeneuve, there are three cars chasing us. We will take evasive manoeuvres unless you want us to stop?"

Ollie pulled her phone out and noted the barrage of text messages from the man she'd just left. "Do not stop. I mean it. You get me as far away from that asshole as humanly possible.

"Jesus Christ, Ollie," Lark whined as she clutched the handle overhead which she always thought were meant for hanging things on. "What the hell is he doing?"

"He's angry." Ollie was buckling her seatbelt when her head hit the window. "He didn't expect me to refuse to go back to him. I mean the d**k was good but not good enough for me to be a side chick."

"This doesn't make sense, Ollie. What am I missing? No man chases a woman like this." When Ollie didn't say anything, she yelled at her, "f**k Ollie what is going on?"

"I was pregnant, alright? I was pregnant when I left him. He broke my heart, and I had a miscarriage and so I packed up my s**t and moved home. Out of spite, I sent him the bill for the medical visit with my gynecologist and told him to never contact me again because his treachery and lies cost me our baby. He left me alone. Then I stupidly contacted him to help me deal with Doug because I knew if any of my team dealt with Dou, then they would end up killing him and I didn't want him dead, only scared. My team loves you, Lark. Most of them are guys who have trained under Grandpa Gael or Dad and Riggs, and they love you because you're one of us and so they all know what Doug did. They all want to bury him in the f*****g desert. He is the only other guy I know who performs such things and I called in a favor to keep Doug alive but scared enough my family. I left you out of the conversation. Now I opened up the communication line and he," she gripped the headrest in front of her as they were jostled around, "wants to put another baby in my belly."

"Holy f**k," Lark was dumbfounded. "You were pregnant? You never told me?"

"You never told me about Jackson so we're even."

"A miscarriage. Are you okay?"

"Yes. I mean I am now. I wasn't then. This is bullshit." She screamed as the car lifted off one side to take a corner.

"Ollie why did you call him? You shouldn't have called him."

"I love him," she started crying pitifully again. "I have never stopped loving him but he's a lying sack of s**t and he's married to a crazy lady who kills people after making them eat dung and I can't do this!" "Suddenly my drama with Max seems very insignificant."

The car veered down a side street and then made a U-turn, narrowly passing the three cars chasing them. Lark closed her eyes as their vehicle screeched up another ramp and then began weaving in and out of traffic.

"Ms. Villeneuve we're going to switch vehicles."

"What?" Ollie asked curiously.

"There is a gas station up the road. We will use this vehicle as a decoy and you, and Ms. Hoffman will be returned to the hotel. We will have to move fast because I'll have less then ninety seconds to get back on this road for them to catch up to me. I'm going to let them catch me in seven minutes which will be long enough for you to get back to the safety of your hotel room. A full team is on standby."

"What if they shoot him?" Lark hissed as Ollie agreed to the plan.

"He won't kill my men. He knows they're doing their jobs. He thought I would stay longer to talk but I gave you the look, you pulled a gun and now suddenly we're in a stupid chase." The car came to a screeching halt and Lark and Ollie jumped into the waiting SUV which was silver instead of black. Their original car pulled back onto the highway and while they were still fastening seatbelts the vehicle, they were in started back down the road in the way they came from.

It drove at a regular speed though and when three black cars sped past them in the direction the other vehicle was traveling, Lark felt her worry for the other driver increase.

"This is stupid Ollie. Can't you call him off?"

"You know what is stupid? A grown ass man thinking he has the right to say things like he owns my heart, and he isn't giving it back."

Lark's phone started to ring, and she lifted it from her purse and looked at the display, "Max." "Answer it."

"And say what, Ollie? I'm getting chased by a cartel because I pulled a gun protecting your sister from getting f****d over a table while she begged for the hot and sexy mafia type guy to rail her?"

"Maybe don't tell him that part," Ollie snickered as she wiped her cheeks with the back of her hands. The phone stopped ringing and then it started again, and she groaned before answering it, "hey Max." "Where are you?"

"Out with Ollie."

"I thought we were going to have supper together the six of us. Your father said you didn't even tell him you were leaving." "We're on our way back now."

"Where did you go?"

"Your mom was laying down and we thought she'd want a longer rest. Then my dad didn't come back when he said, and you and Johan were in the gym, so we went to do have a little girly time." She shot Ollie an annoyed glance. "We're bonding."

"Really?"

"No. We're actually in a high-speed car chase on the highway Max." She drawled out hoping it was coming across as sarcastic and not factual.

"I wouldn't doubt it with Ollie. Remember the time she stole the principal's car?"

"It was prom night. I remember it vividly."

"When will you be back?"

"In a few minutes."

"What were you doing?"

"Ollie wanted to take me on a tour of some of the crazy places she hooked up when she lived here. We ended up in a crappy little bar. Had a glass of scotch and now we're heading back. She's reliving some memories, Max. She's pretty emotional," she twisted the truth, "maybe give her a bit of space when we get back."

"Is she okay? I know she is hurting."

"She's okay," she met Ollie's eyes, and they shared a sad smile. "Or she will be. I think she'll need us to distract her tonight. Maybe a nice quiet family dinner in the private dining room at the hotel and then an early night?"

"I will get it set up," Max promised, "but can I ask a favor?"

"Sure."

"Can you and I spend a bit of time alone tonight? I missed you last night and I like having the one-on-one time with you." She saw Ollie's grin widen at Max's question and she felt her own smile broaden, "I'd like this very much Max."

"See you soon, chère," he spoke softly.

"See you soon, Max."

As she hung up the phone a wave of guilt crashed over her for lying to Max. She prayed he never found out. Looking to her friend who appeared devastated and lost in her own thoughts, she was pretty confident if Max ever found out what happened this afternoon, it wasn't coming from Ollie.

This trip to Houston was not starting off well at all.