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Chloe and John were married. Sylvia had her dream of owning a spa; Seth had revived his family legacy; and Noah was about to open a world-class hotel. Jax’s and Lex’s tribute CD to a woman they’d once loved and lost, and the woman who’d brought them back to life, was an international success—and the latter, Lily, their sole inspiration. Fallon had every wish of hers come true from business aspirations to landing her two best friends, Devon and Morgan. Both men were hopelessly devoted to her. Roxy had escaped an abusive fiancé and ended up in the protective arms of Nick and Hunter.
And Liv had finally made her way to Nate and Tristan. Permanently.
She gave one more toast. “To our happily-ever-afters in Bayfront.”
“Salute!” they all said in unison.
Keep reading for a preview of
THE BILLIONAIRES: THE BOSSES
Coming in September 2017 from SMP Swerve
As Christian lit the multiple fires and dimly set chandeliers, she passed through glass doors to the terrace. Rory followed closely behind.
“He has a swimming pool,” she drolly commented. “Why am I not surprised?”
“And a spa.”
All sleek and stylish, with water features made of flat, polished obsidian stone, all artistically lit. Bayli stood at the railing and took in the scene once more.
“Not too shabby, eh?” Rory said from beside her.
“Your apartment is incredible, too. Remind me to never show you mine.”
“Bayli.”
“Shh.” She kissed him. It was meant to be a quick kiss, but of course Rory took charge of it. His arms slid around her waist and he hauled her up against him.
Where Christian’s kisses were intense and all-consuming, Rory’s held the playful promise of wicked things to come, making her toes curl.
When she finally pulled away, she breathlessly said, “I had a point to make.”
He grinned deviously. “So did I.”
Unraveling from him—and fanning her flushed face with a hand—she took a couple of steps back so that she didn’t fall into his embrace again.
She told him, “This is all extremely nice,” gesturing toward the terrace and Christian’s apartment in general, “but it’s not the reason I’m here. Yes, I want to someday be someone and maybe have my own swimming pool, too. You know this about me already, and it’s one hundred percent true. I want more for myself than I’ve ever had—I’
m sure that’s also how Christian felt from the time he was a kid. But . . . there’s something much more enticing and poignant about all of this that has nothing to do with material desires.”
Rory crossed his arms over his chest. Cocked his head to the side. “Tell me.”
“It’s like when you read a novel and the character has painted himself into a corner, and as the reader, you’re wondering how the hell they’ll ever free themselves. How they’ll escape whatever drudgery or peril or cage they’re facing with no obvious route in sight or in mind. And then something mysterious happens—they discover a secret or accidently flip a switch that reveals a private passage through the walls or they find a trap door. Whatever. And suddenly, a slew of new opportunities are laid out before them. It’s as heady a sensation for the reader as for the character.”
“You might be losing me on this one, babe.”
She laughed softly. “Think about it. When I came to your restaurant it was because I needed a job. Would I have been content coming in three nights a week to seat people who’d look right through me—a nobody—because they’re more interested in seeing and being seen in a roomful of VIPs?”
“Likely not. One of the reasons I didn’t hire you.”
“Smart of you. But I faced a corner because you turned me away. Luckily, I had the gig at the fundraiser with the opportunity to impress Christian. He was my trap door . . . Except.” She held up her finger as Rory started to speak. “Not in the way I’d anticipated. The show will be a fantastic break for me, and I’m eternally grateful for the chance to prove I can do this, for being chosen. But I got painted right back into the corner, because I came full circle with you.”
“I’m your corner?”
She grinned. “You’re my trap door, too.”
“Why am I not getting that logic?”
