Page 50 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 11

Friday

“Are you sure it’s okay if I come tonight?” Penny asked. “The invitation doesn’t have my name on it.” She was looking at the invitation that Mason had sent me.

I didn’t even know why I’d mention the invitation to her. It didn’t matter if her name was on it or not. I wanted her to come. I nodded. “It’s fine. We’re just catching up with some old friends. And I want them to meet you.”

“Are you sure?” She waved the invitation in front of her.

But when she moved her arm, I was a little more focused on the way her tits moved in her dress. She looked like a goddess in her skin tight red dress.

“It seems…fancy,” she said.

“Yeah.” I ran my fingers through my hair. “I honestly have no idea why Mason is being so formal about it. He’s not usually into all that. But I definitely want you to come.”

“Well…okay. If you’re sure. I really could just spend the night here. I still have a few things to unpack.”

“Which Ellen will do.”

Penny smiled. “I hid a few boxes from her so she wouldn’t have to do any more work.”

“You’re ridiculously cute. But you’re not staying here tonight.” We’d been glued together all week. And I’d never felt so at peace in New York City before. Tonight I was heading into the belly of the beast. And I needed her beside me. She calmed me.

I was nervous enough about going to the part of town I used to frequent. But I was also nervous about trying to clear the air with Mason and Matt. And I didn’t like when I felt nervous. It made me feel out of control.

“Come here,” I said to Penny.

She closed the distance between us and smiled up at me.

“I want you there. End of story.” I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Besides, you’re already all dressed. And you’re going to be the best surprise for them.” My hands slid to her ass.

“Oh, no,” Rob said and walked into our room unannounced.

I let go of Penny’s ass. Couldn’t he knock?

“Did you already tell Mason and Matt that you have a surprise for them? Because remember when you told me you had a surprise for me? And then showed me Penny? They’re going to think she’s a prostitute, man. That they get to share.”

“I don’t think Mason and Matt share women,” I said. At least not that I remembered. “Besides, Mason has already met Penny. He knows she’s my girlfriend.”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything. Penny is plenty sharable.”

Penny frowned. “What does that mean?”

“That there’s enough of you to go around,” Rob said.

“Excuse me?”

“Chill,” Rob said. “I’m not making a comment about your weight. But your tits.” He groaned. “And your ass. It’s enough to share is all I meant.”

She picked up a pillow off the bed and threw it at him.

Rob caught it with one hand before it hit him. “If you want to hit me, I prefer you do it with your hands. Or your tits.” He winked at her.

“Your brother is impossible,” Penny said and turned to me.

“Rob, quit it.”

“What did I do?” he asked.

“You know what you did.”

“I do not.”

I shook my head. “Be respectful of my fiancée.”

“You know the rules, man. If there’s only an engagement ring, a girl is still fair play.”

“What happened to bros before hoes?”

Penny laughed. “The two of you are ridiculously cute. Now come on. If I’m crashing this little reunion party, I don’t want to be late.” She grabbed my hand.

***

The three of us were the first to arrive at the bar.

We found a table in the back. I pulled out Penny’s chair for her and then sat down before Rob could snake the seat next to her.

The three of us had been out to eat a few times since moving here and Rob had a bad habit of always sitting between us.

“So what exactly happened between you guys and your friends? I feel like I’m in the dark. You mentioned a falling out?”

“Yeah, back in high school,” Rob said.

“Oh.” She turned to me. “I thought you said it was college?”

“It was college,” I said and looked at Rob. What the fuck was he doing mentioning high school? He knew perfectly well we couldn’t explain that mess to Penny. We’d promised Matt to never mention it again. And yes, I had talked about everything with Dr. Clark. But that was different.

“Oh yeah,” Rob said and scratched the back of his neck. “Did I say high school? I meant college. We all just kinda drifted apart a bit. Well, James more than me. He fucking ghosted all of us for months when he moved to Delaware.”

“We all still talk on occasion,” I said. But Rob had kind of nailed it. I’d needed a fresh start. But I knew now that cutting out my friends wasn’t the right move. They’d always been there for me when I needed them. When I let them be there, that was.

“When we ran into Mason when we visited New York, he didn’t even know about your divorce,” Penny said.

“Well, that’s why we’re here,” I said. “To reconnect.” I was back in New York for good this time. And I wanted my fresh start to include the Caldwells.

“I think that’s great.” Penny smiled up at me. “It’ll be nice to have a few more friends. And maybe that will mean Rob has some other people to hang out with too.”

“Don’t pretend you’re sick of me,” Rob said. “I know which Hunter brother you truly prefer.”

“Yeah. The one I’m engaged to.” She flashed him her ring. “Are all your friends like Rob? Like when you tell them we’re engaged are they going to hit on me?”

“Not unless they want to die.” I was surprised by the words that tumbled out of my mouth. I cleared my throat and tried to laugh it off. “They’re not like Rob.”

“Well that’s good.”

“Penny, you have a very strange way of flirting,” Rob said.

She laughed and rolled her eyes.

“They’re pretty late,” I said and glanced at my watch. “You’d think they’d be on time since this was their idea.”

“I’m usually the late one,” Rob said. “It’s incredibly rude the other way around.” He waved over a waitress and we ordered a round of drinks.

“I’m sure they’ll be here any minute.” Penny put her hand on my thigh and smiled. She looked so cute when she was nervous.

I grabbed her hand. “You’re right.”

“So the four of you kind of grew up together? What kinds of things did you used to do?”

“Gangbangs mostly,” Rob said.

Penny’s jaw actually dropped. “What?”

“Yeah.” Rob shrugged. “One girl, four cocks. Do you think you could handle it?”

“Rob, I’m not going to tell you again,” I said. “Stop it.”

“But did you really?” Penny asked, her voice hushed. “Gangbang women together?”

“No. He’s just winding you up. Ignore him.”

Penny shook her head.

I really hoped my other friends would be more appropriate. But really…where the fuck were they? I glanced at my watch again.

A waitress walked over with our drinks. “And these arrived for you,” she said. She pulled out two envelopes that matched the one Mason had sent. She placed them on the table and walked away. One had my name on it, and the other had Rob’s.

“What the hell is this?” Rob asked and picked up the envelope addressed to him. “I swear, if Matt and Mason send us on some lame scavenger hunt I’m never speaking to them again.”

Penny laughed. “I love scavenger hunts. Open them.”

I grabbed mine too. Rob and I both opened them at the same time.

Inside of mine was a polaroid of Penny walking around campus back at the University of New Castle.

I flipped it over. There was a note typed out on the back: “I can’t wait to fuck Penny.

I’ve always had a thing for redheads. And when I’m done with her, I bet she’ll go for a great price at my club. -Mason.”

What. The. Fuck? My heart started racing. Seriously. What the fuck? I gripped my free hand into a fist. I was actually going to kill him. Breathe.

“What the fuck?” Rob said out loud.

I looked over at him. The picture on the front of his polaroid was a shot of the four of us from high school. We all looked…sad. Really fucking depressed. I was pretty sure it was taken shortly after the funeral.

“No one’s laughing, Rob,” Rob said as he read his note out loud. “If you ever see anyone laughing, they’re laughing at you. Not with you. Because you’ve never been funny. -Matt.”

Rob looked up at me. “What the fuck is Matt’s problem?”

I clenched my jaw. What kind of sick game were Matt and Mason playing here?

“Maybe it’s some kind of joke?” Penny said.

Rob shook his head. “This shit isn’t funny. I’m funny.”

I’d never seen Rob so offended before.

“I’m fucking funny, man,” he said again. “What did Matt say to you?”

“Mine wasn’t from Matt. It was from Mason.” I pushed the picture back in the envelope. I could barely even think straight. All I could see was red. How dare Mason talk about Penny that way. He knew we were dating. He knew I was finally fucking happy. Breathe.

“What did it say?” Penny asked.

“Nothing.” Breathe. But I was picturing Mason’s filthy hands on my girl. And I couldn’t fucking breathe.

“James. What did it say?” she asked again. She touched my wrist. Normally her skin on mine calmed me down. But my heart was racing too fast.

Rob grabbed my envelope out of my hand.

“Don’t,” I said but he’d already started reading the note out loud.

“I can’t wait to fuck Penny. I’ve always had a thing for redheads. And when I’m done with her, I bet she’ll go for…” his voice trailed off. “Those fuckers.”

“Go for what?” Penny asked.

“Nothing,” he said. He sounded as pissed as me.

Penny grabbed the picture from him. She stared at the image of her on campus and flipped it over.

“I’ll go for a great price at his club?” She shook her head.

She looked…hurt. It wasn’t like Rob joking around.

She didn’t know Mason. And this wasn’t fucking funny, unlike my brother who was actually funny. Fuck the Caldwells.

“I’m going to kill him,” I said.

“I’m going to kill both of them,” Rob added.

“And you are funny,” I said.

“I know I’m fucking funny!”