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  Destined For Thomas

  Alpha Billionaire Secret Club (Book Two)

  By

  Copyright © 2020 by Scarlett Hope

  All rights reserved. In no way is it legal to produce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless written permission from the publisher. For permission requests, email the author at: [email protected]

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Edited by Scarlett Hope

  Cover Design by Scarlett Hope

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Epilogue

  Did You Enjoy The Read

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  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Tom

  "Are you done yet? Or would you prefer a backside view?”

  Interesting.

  Some time ago, that kind of behavior would have surprised me. I would have nearly jumped in shock, eager, like a fool, for any form of recognition. I signed autographs, carried out publicity stunts – anything to be rich and famous. Thankfully, that useless behavior died years ago. The idiot I once was disappeared, and in his place came the man I am today.

  After spending years at the forefront of what many liked to call the business world, I have clawed my way to the top and built my empire. Really, if there was one thing these years have taught me, it was this: money was just like people. With the right kind of manipulation, you can get it to do anything you wanted.

  This woman was no different. I had to admit that she was quite easy on the eyes. Just my type of woman, with curves in the right places, a slim waist, full hips, and fierce eyes.

  What was her selling price? I wondered, taking another sip of scotch. When it came right down to it, how much would it take to have her in my bed?

  And when the time for passion came, would she scream out or hold it in?

  No, she looks like the type to shout out, thrashing across the bed as wave after wave of pleasure…

  Laughing inwardly, placing my glass back on the table, wondering what she’d say if she knew what I was thinking right now.

  “Well, should I dare believe that …” I began, smirking as I leaned against the counter, deliberately letting my eyes journey down her body, “…you’d be so generous?”

  She raised an eyebrow, “You want me to turn around and give you a backside view?”

  “I wouldn’t exactly say 'I want'. But I sure wouldn’t mind.”

  Normally, I wouldn’t waste so much time talking with a woman. If I wanted her, she was in my bed. As simple as that. But heck, this was getting entertaining. Besides, I raised my wrist and took a quick glance at my watch, the dancing spree at this wedding is likely to continue for a little while. And as much as I loved my daughter, I still couldn’t forget that I hated weddings.

  One aspect of being a successful businessman was having a keen eye to gauge and take advantage of every situation. Right now, I needed a distraction. And this lady seemed perfect for that.

  “My,” She gave a dry, sarcastic laughter, “And what if I turn around? What do I get in return?”

  “A commendation.” I smiled, before nodding at the dance floor, “And possibly a dance or two.”

  ***

  Kylie

  What a giant douchebag!

  I couldn’t even scoff or laugh anymore because at this point, those reactions were getting quite overused. Still, no matter how hard I searched while standing in front of him, I couldn’t find the appropriate reaction to this.

  Should I smile? Or wave off the suggestion? Maybe I should just go crazy and start clapping, giving him the commendation instead.

  Or you could just walk away?

  I sighed, pursing my lips at that voice in my head. I couldn’t just leave. Well, not now anyway. Not before I got a phone number, an address and a date out of this man. And I needed to do all that while my friends, Susan and Jessica, watched.

  How on earth did I get myself into this situation?

  When Susan had barged into my home yesterday, interrupting a perfectly relaxing yoga session, I’d immediately known that something was up. She’d bustled around the house for almost twenty minutes, gossiping about people and telling me who did what, while of course conveniently ‘forgetting’ that I previously told her, explicitly, that I didn’t want any company.

  Loudly ignoring my pleas for privacy, she went from one room to the other before finally halting at the place which had been her target all along – my closet.

  “Oh goodness, you have nothing to wear!”

  Huffing from the stress of following her all around the house, I cast an annoyed look towards the closet which was practically overflowing with clothes, frowning, “What are you talking about?”

  “No, no, no, this is dreadful,” She whispered, a horrified look on her face, “Jessie told me this would happen. She told me. But I simply didn’t believe her!”

  Susan and Jessie were not just sisters, but also very good old friends of mine. I loved them both to death but frankly, their games often grew too confusing for me to play.

  “Look, Susan, I really need to get back to my exercise. I’ve got tons of clothes to wash, the house is dirty, as you can see, and it won’t just get up and clean itself so—”

  “Oh, you poor child,” She folded her hands, a sad, dramatic expression on her face, “What are you going to wear? The wedding is tomorrow.”

  Understandably, I’d stood there, the gigantic stamp of confusion on my face, wondering where I went wrong.

  “There’s a wedding?”

  And then Susan’s face changed from sad to happy, a bright smile nearly splitting her face in half as she stepped forward and took my hand in hers, “You know, I heard something interesting. Because of the cheer and happiness present at weddings, there’s something that everyone is sure to find there. Do you know what it is?”

  At that point, I suspected where this was going and I instantly disengaged my hand from hers. Inhaling deeply, I forced a smile on my face, shaking my head, “No, Susan. No.”

  Grabbing a basket off the floor, I turned around, a stern expression on my face. But Susan, ever unrelenting in her matchmaking efforts, followed me out.

  “Kylie wait. Just hear me out. Just this once.”

  I ignored her.

  Honestly, I loved my friends. But more often than not, they could be quite persistent in their efforts to get on my nerves. How many times had they tried to do this? A hundred? And how many times have I told them time and time again that I wasn’t looking for ‘true love’?

  “If you’re ready to leave, the door is right there. And say hello to Jessie for me, won’t you?”

  “Will you stop being so petty about this?” Her voice was rising, just like my annoyance, but for the sake of being friends, I once again chose to ignore her. Rather than responding, I bent to pick up my yoga mat. I was no longer in the mood to exercise.

  “Kylie, listen to me. I’m your friend for goodness sake! You’ve been doing this for the past four years. Until when are you just gonna keep lying around waiting for him?”

  Breath hitching, I stopped dead in my tracks, s
lowly turning around to face her.

  “This is not about him.”

  “Oh, really? Take a good look at yourself. You’re still so young and so beautiful, yet you rarely go out. You don’t see anyone, not even your friends. I’m sure you’d have gotten rid of Susan and I years ago if we hadn’t been so persistent. You work all day, all night, and don’t think I don’t know that you try to avoid contact with even your male colleagues. Why don’t you just—”

  “I said this is not about him!”

  My breath was shaky, my voice unstable. I knew I was shouting, overreacting, almost doing the very thing I swore never to do when it came to my ex-fiancé. But I couldn’t help it, not when she stood right in front of me, bringing out the very skeleton I’d tried so hard to bury.

  “Then prove it.” Susan said, looking at me with a raised eyebrow, “Dress pretty, go to that wedding and steal a man’s heart. Then I’ll believe that you have really moved on.”

  And that was how I found myself here at this jolly place brimming with so much happiness it was almost nauseating to watch. It was an exclusive celebration. I knew neither the bride nor the groom, yet Susan managed to get an invitation anyway.

  Weddings sickened me.

  They reminded me too much of what was, of what could have been, if only…

  Immediately I came into the reception hall and saw all the smiling faces, I almost bailed. If not for the firm hands of Susan and Jessie placed on my back, gently reminding me that I shouldn’t even think of it, I would have done it.

  But then, like the proverbial beacon in the dark, I’d seem him standing by the side, a grim look on his face as he stared at the bride and groom. He was so stoic, so cool, his mouth set in a firm line. He had a refined air around him, yet he still managed to look totally out of place. Somehow, his stance reminded me of a rugged mafia boss.

  Of course, that should have been the red light.

  But of course, I just had to choose him as the man whose heart I’d steal at this wedding.

  Now, judging from the way our very short interaction had gone, it was becoming very clear to me that I just might have made a teeny tiny error in calculation.

  This wasn’t a man whose heart could easily be stolen.

  No. He looked like one who frequently stood at the other end of the stealing – a certified heartbreaker. And right now, he was looking at me as if he’d like to have me for dinner.

  But I couldn’t back now. Not now. Not ever. And certainly not when Susan and Jessie were watching. I couldn’t let them think I was still hung up on that bastard.

  Shoving those thoughts to the back of my mind, I smiled at him, “If you wanted a dance so badly, why not just say so?”

  For the first time, I saw the ghost of a smile on his lips as he took a step towards me, “Lady, it seems you don’t know me. I don’t beg for dances… or anything else.”

  Those last three words were said in a low, husky whisper and I saw a change in his eyes. He stepped towards me again, closing the gap between our bodies.

  Willing myself not to take a step back, I raised my chin. Somewhere along the line, this had turned to a game of sorts. Was he daring me to back down?

  “If you’ve got the right to something, there’s no need to beg for it.”

  The music in the room changed to a slow, romantic song and he looked up briefly before fixing his gaze on me once more.

  “Really?” He paused, tilting his head to the side, “So do I have the right to a dance or two?”

  The smile never left my face, yet I gave in to the urge to look away from those dark, compelling eyes of his and the atmosphere suddenly felt very hot. My heart thumped.

  What the hell?

  Chapter Two

  Tom

  Having her in my arms as we softly gyrated to the romantic music playing from the speakers was not one of the best ideas I’d had in a long time.

  This woman stimulated me intellectually with her biting wit. By daring her to dance with me and actually getting her to agree, my plan had been to somehow prolong our conversation. But from the look of things, things were getting very physical.

  Without thinking, I slid my hand down her back to her slender waist, resting it within those maddening curves of hers. The band switched to Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”, the bride and groom were already away on their honeymoon, and the more I tried to keep my mind off our current position, the stronger I could feel her body pressing against me, her soft, hot breath fanning into the crook of my neck and the sweet smell of jasmine wafting up to my nose.

  “What’s your name?” I said, my voice suddenly gruff as I linked my fingers with hers and spun her around.

  “Kylie.” Her voice was breathy, her eyes wistful as they stared up at me. I could see her dilated pupils and it only made me wonder… did she feel it too? This sudden attraction?

  “It’s a beautiful name.”

  “Thanks.” She smiled, shakily.

  Our hands were touching, bare skin to skin. Her body was tightly pressed against mine. The slow love song didn’t help either and it only took minutes for me to wonder what she looked like under her clothes. Or better still, how she’d look like, under me, her hair splayed across my white sheets as I ran my hands over ---

  The music suddenly ended.

  Our movements seized, just like the other dancers but unlike others, neither of us moved. Kylie’s hands remained in mine, warm, smooth. Her large eyes, green as emeralds, stared up at me as she blinked once. Her pink lips, so soft and glistening under the bright lights, were slightly parted. What began as a way of passing time had, within a short few minutes, escalated into something else and I knew that not even an earthquake could separate her from me.

  The band played another more upbeat song and the people around us started shouting and swaying their hips. But it seemed like a dome had suddenly covered me and this woman.

  All the actions and movements seemed far away – as far as a thousand light-years – and it seemed like the universe had birthed a world within which only Kylie and I existed. There was no one else in this world.

  With that realization, my heart began to thump.

  Rapidly.

  Inwardly, the tiny voice of reason told me that this was not normal. A woman was not supposed to make me feel this way.

  But even that also seemed small, insignificant, as petty as a snowball in hell – and the objection was quickly melted by the fire seeping into my body.

  What was going on?

  I swallowed, looking down at her.

  “The music.” She croaked out, “It has stopped.”

  “I know.” Was that my voice? Why did it sound so unsure?

  Normally so gruff and forbidding, this was the same voice that had helped me win tons of business deals. After the appearance, the next thing that people judged was the voice. That was why I never joked with its deep, resonating timbre. But now, in the presence of this woman, I was forced to acknowledge that I sounded like a squeaky toy right after it was dunked into the water.

  “Should we maybe….” She blinked, her tongue slowly reaching out to run itself over her plump lower lip, “…get out of here?”

  At her words, my eyes widened slightly. The hand which was linked with hers tightened. As the party regained its fast momentum, with guests laughing and jumping all over, I looked deep into this woman’s eyes.

  Is she asking what I think she’s asking?

  One second passed.

  Two.

  Three.

  When the fourth second came and went with no sign of objection or remorse from her, and no-look on her face but that of undisguised attraction shown by the way her unblinking eyes strayed to my lips, the switch in my head flipped.

  Turning around, I tightened my hold on that hand of hers and walked across the dance floor. The bride and groom were gone by now and judging from the way the caterers were packing up glasses and plates, and the
restless energy now settling over the room, it seemed the party would come to an end soon.

  Her heels clicked behind me, the muted sound floating to my ears. Yet she didn’t resist as I led her towards the exit.

  “Wait.” She suddenly said as we entered a small hallway. I turned around, chest heaving not from exhaustion but from suspense threatening to choke me. She was breathing as hard as I was and her eyes slowly rose and met mine.

  She swallowed.

  And I didn’t even think about it anymore.

  Pulling her towards me with the hand I held and as she crashed into my chest, I snaked my other arm around her waist, eliminating every form of space between us. In the next second, my mouth was on hers.

  She responded immediately, tilting her head and closing her eyes, our mouths immediately commencing a fiery kind of dance never before seen. I would say it was like ballet, but ballet was too smooth, too symmetrical to describe the kind of passion immediately unleashed between us.

  Soon, her hands were up, caressing my face, winding around my neck, digging into my ear as her breath came in small, short gasps, just like mine.

  I didn’t know how I got her on the wall, my body pressing against hers, those delicious curves digging into my rock hard body. My hands developed a mind of their own and I didn’t even stop them.

  As my mouth journeyed from her lips, smoking a hot trail from the sides of her face down her neck, nipping, sucking and biting all the way, my hands went down her body, slid over those curves and came to land on her perfect, succulent thighs.

  I grunted, my head already on cloud nine. I couldn’t even keep track of what I was doing anymore. Words fell off my mouth, unbidden, as the heady scent of flowers overpowered my senses. Both hands dug into her thighs and, taking the cue, she raised them up, wrapping her legs around me.

  My mouth travelled down her neck, licking the soft white skin and drinking of the nectar therein. Both hands went up her thighs, her waist, rising towards those two maddening crests lying right on her—