The Billionaire Playboy's Regret (Lark and Max)

Max grinned at Johan who was staring at his cell phone as if begging for it to chime. "You have it bad." They were sitting in his father's office and Grady and Olivier were both in a heated discussion on the other side of the room. "She still hasn't answered your text?"

Johan ignored him and went back to working on his laptop. "We need to figure out the marketing for the next release.

"Or we could talk about your new girlfriend."

Johan shot a nervous look in Grady's direction. "Not here, man. Sawyer already sent me a text message saying he wants to meet me for a drink later."

"Shit."

They both watched as Grady and Olivier walked further away and were whispering to one another. Johan quickly hissed, "I walked her and her dad back to their car last night. Then I texted her and she invited me over to talk but made it clear it was only to talk. She wanted to know more about her sister and her new family and who better to ask than me."

"Right."

"We talked for a bit and then I told her I should get going and at the door I kissed her goodnight." "So just a kiss?"

"She f*****g jumped me like one of those little hopping spiders which bounce all over the place. I kissed her but then she was going for my belt buckle. Told me it's been a year since she was last naked with a guy."

"So not the good girl she's portraying."

"Oh, she is. She's as southern belle as you get, all manners and kindness and a heart of gold. Bar none, she is the nicest person I've ever met. She's also sinful as f**k in the sheets. I woke up this morning in her bed and she was sucking me off, Max. She initiated s*x with me this morning not the other way around. Then her father, Sawyer, stopped in to check on her because she called off for the day saying she was feeling emotional and wanted to process about going to meet Lark later. Do you know how happy he was to see me in her bathrobe?"

"Oh, f**k no," Max chuckled.

"I was wearing her pink fuzzy bathrobe in her kitchen getting a glass of water because I was dehydrated as hell, and he let himself in.

Max was roaring now with laughter.

"Laugh it up buddy. Your girlfriend doesn't even have her own place yet. She's still living in her childhood bedroom. You think it's going to be smooth sailing for you when Nana Prue barges in and gives you pointers on what you're doing wrong. The woman is brutal."

"She can stay with me. I'll convince Lark to move in with me instead of staying in her old bedroom."

Johan was wide-eyed, "you only started dating. She recently broke up with her ex. You're going to ask her to move in with you?"

"Why not?"

"It's a little fast."

"It's not. It's perfect. We are perfect for one another."

"She's not going to agree."

"What do you mean?" Max was confused.

"Dude, she loves you, but you only reconnected with her three weeks ago. You're also forgetting she didn't speak to you for twelve years and," he lowered his voice ever further, "you ditched her to f**k a cheerleader and the cheerleader's boyfriend tried to rape her."

"I want him dead. I tried to talk to her about its last night and she said to leave it in the past," Max flicked stormy dark eyes in Johan's direction and was happy to see his were as angry. "I tried to ask Riggs about it earlier, but he said he had another problem to deal with and couldn't talk but I'm going to find him and I'm going to end him."

"Good." Johan nodded his agreement despite the fact neither of them were capable of such things. Max's phone rang and he grimaced, "not this again."

"Who is it?"

"Oona."

"Oona? Again? What is her deal?"

"I don't know. She wants to see me, but I can't be bothered." He stilled as he looked at the video, she sent him and then closed his eyes, "are you f*****g kidding me?" The words barely left his lips as he continued to watch in horror the screen on his phone.

After several seconds, Johan looked up from his laptop, "What?"

"She videoed us having s*x," his chest was aching as he struggled to catch his breath as a second clip came through." The crazy b***h had more than one camera in her hotel room."

"What?" Johan grabbed the phone from his shaking hands and hit play, turning the volume down low so the other two men in the room didn't hear the sounds of a woman's orgasm. "Holy s**t. Why?" "Blackmail. She wants me to give her family fifty million dollars, or this hits the internet."

"Oh f**k," Johan met his eyes.

"What are you going to do?"

"I," he was struggling for breath.

"Max, breathe, man. If you're worried about Lark, don't be. She knows you slept with Oona. Remember, they met at dinner last week. Lark told her right off. At most she's going to be pissed off you weren't more cautious, but you don't have to worry about her."

"Johan, you started dating Gracie yesterday. If someone did this to you? You think she's going to hang around?"

"Yes, actually. I just finished telling you she's the nicest person I ever met. Lark is her sister and where you are concerned, she is an overprotective beast. She's going to have your back. Always and forever." When Max hesitated Johan held the phone out. "Call Lark now and meet with her."

Max sighed and took his phone back from Johan, "I'm going to meet with Oona and find out what she knows. I need to call my IT guys. I want them to hack her and get every f*****g copy of this s**t. I'll try to manage it internally with my team first and if it doesn't work then I'll talk to Lark and see what she wants to do."

"You're making a mistake," Johan shook his head. "Talk to Lark first. You want to be partners with her, then talk to Lark first."

"Johan."

"No. You're acting like Ollie. You're ready to jump into this s**t and respond and react without thinking it through. Get Grady, grab Lark, and sit down and figure out plan. If it involves using your IT team, then so be it but talk to her first." He knew his friend was right and he dialed out immediately, "Lark, are you busy?"

"What's up?"

"Can you meet me?"

"Max, I've been away from you over an hour. The girls and I are going to go shopping. What do you want?"

He rolled his eyes as he looked at Johan who waved at him, "it's important, chère."

"Tell me what you want." Her voice lowered, "we're going to a lingerie shop Ollie said is one of her favorites when she's here in Houston. I don't want to leave yet."

"It's not a conversation I want to have on the phone." He took a breath when he heard Ollie and Mori yelling the background to hang up on him and calling him a clinger. "Oona took a video of the night she and I were together." He looked at Johan who rolled his eyes at him for blurting it out.

Lark groaned, "are you f*****g kidding me, Max?"

"No. She sent me a clip and told me it's going to hit the internet if I don't give her fifty million dollars." "Let it," Lark snorted. "Then the world can know how well I'll be getting reamed by Max Villeneuve on a nightly basis for the rest of my life."

He chuckled as Johan pointed at him and mouthed "I told you so" and he immediately felt a twinge of relief and a load of guilt for doubting her.

"My mother might not like seeing such things on the internet Lark," he spoke softly. "Oona wants me to meet with her." "Set something up for tomorrow. Tell her she needs to come to Houston because you're here and so is your legal advisor. I'll come with you, and I'll have a cease and desist drawn up. I knew that b***h was going to be a problem. She gives off the vibe you know."

"I think I'll talk to my IT team."

"Wait, her father is a tech guy, right? Do you think he might be helping her?" Lark voiced a concern. "It's possible."

"Be careful, Max. Make sure whoever you're using knows to double check everything they do."

He listened attentively to her and then he spoke softly, "I'm so happy I have you on my side, Lark. I don't know what I would do without you."

"I know what you should do with me," she said naughtily. "I'm heading to a shop where Ollie says they sell risky lingerie." "Risky?"

"Crotchless panties, bras with cutouts, leather and chains."

Max's eyes were bugging and then he felt a hard slap to the back of his head and Grady was standing over him glowering. "Babe, I have to go. Your father heard you by the way and he's going to beat the f**k out of me I think."

"You should tell him how you told me at six o'clock this morning you wanted to put a baby in my belly."

Max gulped as Grady's eyes bugged and his fists bunched. "I said in the future. I didn't say now." "You will put a ring on her finger before you pull such shit."

"Max, tell Dad what Oona wants from you. See if he has any insight."

Max hung up on Lark's maniacal laughter and looked to Johan who was snickering.

"My girlfriend is nuts," he said as he flung himself back into the seat.

"Who is Oona," Olivier asked as he joined the conversation.

"A woman Max slept with, and she recorded it for posterity," Johan threw him under the bus as both older men groaned. Well, posterity and a payday. Lark's suggestion was to let it hit the internet."

"Your mother will kill you," Olivier sat down beside them. "We can deal with this. Riggs is dealing with another situation. Let me call Laredo."

"Why Laredo?" Max sneered at his father's suggestion.

"Because your friend Heriberto," Grady smirked, "is one of the best hackers we've ever met. The reason he and his brother are so infamously popular among the elite is because they are smarter than most." "Not smarter than me."

"And yet it's not them calling us for help," Olivier chided Max. He glared at him, "the old witch was right you know. Your d**k is going to get you into a world of trouble."