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6

ASHER

I make my way to the front of the beautiful auditorium. Everyone rises to their feet, offering me a standing ovation as the award is handed over. I’m overwhelmed with emotion as I adjust the microphone. Right now, I’m aware that I’m surrounded by the most successful entrepreneurs on the planet.

“Wow, I’m at a loss for words,” I say, choking up, knowing I’ve crossed an item off my sister’s dream-goal list.

The golden-plated cityscape is heavy in my hands. I hold it, and it glimmers in the light.

“It’s truly an honor to stand before some of the greatest. Many of you know I don’t do this for recognition or money, but to honor my sister, Eden. The firm wouldn’t exist today without her vision. She desperately dreamed of helping those who made a positive difference in the world. Eden was the embodiment of people over profits . That’s now my mission. And I will honor her with everything I do, even if many of you don’t understand it at first. Eventually, you will. I’ve learned to trust the process and enjoy the journey because this might be all we have—this very moment in time.”

I meet Billie’s eyes across the room, and our gazes lock. I clear my throat, almost losing my train of thought as I glance around the room at my peers.

“Each of us can make a positive impact, even just a small one. Being your Cityscape CEO of the year is something I will forever cherish, but we have more work to do. What imprint will you leave when you’re gone? What’s your legacy? This is your moment of truth. We only get one chance at this, so make it count without regrets. If you want it, be willing to fight for it. Be willing to clap for yourself when no one else will. Work the long hours that no one recognizes but you. In the end, you are all you’ve ever needed. I believe in you.”

The music starts playing, and I know I’ve used up my time, but I continue, “I’d like to end this with one of my sister’s favorite quotes. ‘Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.’ Thank you all.” I hold the award in the air. I place my fingers on my lips, kiss them, then point up. “This is for you, sis. And yes, I’m going to keep being an Ash-hole,” I whisper, holding back the emotions that threaten to take over as I mention the nickname she always used for me.

My eyes scan across the room, and everyone smiles wide, clapping, until I get to Billie. I can’t read her expression as the room fades to nothing.

I lift the trophy toward her with a nod and a smirk. “I won.”

She rolls her eyes.

Typical.

After a few more seconds, I’m escorted off the stage, where I’m greeted with expensive champagne. Media waits in the hallway to get interviews for several business magazines. I stop for a few, being asked the same questions as usual. It’s almost as if these interviewers are pulling from the same script.

Instead of heading to the after-party, I text my brother.

Asher

I’m leaving.

Nick

No prob! Congrats. I saw you won! You did it.

Asher

We did it. Eden would be so happy!

Nick

She would. I’m proud of you, little brother. I know she is too.

Asher

Thanks. Means a lot.

I step outside and wait for the SUV to pull around. I get in, and as I buckle, the passenger door opens. My brows knit together when I look into Billie fucking Calloway’s cold blue eyes.

“I don’t want to deal with you privately,” I tell her, knowing she’s had too much to drink. I have too. “Get out.”

“Absolutely not,” she states. “Driver, please continue.”

The SUV takes off. Her confidence made him listen.

“What do you want?” I’m rude toward her, giving her the same energy she always gives me.

“After all of that, why would you even consider helping Josh?”

I blink at her. “To fuck you over.”

She scoffs. “I’d commit to making your life a living hell until the day I die. You’d become my personal project, Banks.”

“Oh, you’d try and fail . Just like your business.”

Her nostrils flare. She’s pissed, as she should be.

“That speech was performative bullshit. Wow. Out of all things, I didn’t think you’d be a hypocrite.”

“Ouch.” I hold my hand over my heart, pretending to be hurt. “For your opinions to fucking matter, I’d have to respect you. And I thought I’d made it clear over the years that I didn’t. I have zero respect for you, Billie. Zero.”

The vehicle eventually comes to a stop in front of my place.

I unbuckle and turn to her. “I only met with you this week because I owed someone a favor. You declined. And, holy fuck, thank you so much for that. I won’t feel any guilt when I burn your company to ash . It’s the Asher Effect. Glad you get to experience it firsthand.” I meet her eyes, trailing down to her lips.

Her mouth slightly parts. “I will never ever, ever beg for you, Banks. Ever. Not even if my life depended on it. I’d rather rot. Josh has a better chance of me taking him back, and when I say that will never happen either, I mean it.”

“I really hope you’re prepared to say goodbye to Bellamore.” I sarcastically smile at her. “I look forward to burying you so you can rot.”

I exit the SUV and slam the door harder than I intended. I move up the steps of my townhouse and unlock the door.

“Banks,” Billie yells, climbing out of the vehicle.

I walk inside, closing the door behind me. I lock it and set my beautiful trophy on the mantel.

“Banks! Let me in right now!” she hollers on the other side, pounding against the wood like I just broke up with her.

I roll my eyes as I loosen my tie.

The neighbors on both sides of my townhouse are curmudgeons and will handwrite and leave strongly worded letters in cursive about the things I do that they disapprove of. They’re worse than my parents.

I recently threw a party, and I received five handwritten complaints. If I’m watching TV late at night, I get a letter. I once had a half-dead plant on my stoop, and I got a letter. Now, if I hear a random bump in the night, I’m convinced I’ll have an envelope tucked under my door in the morning.

“Banks! Seriously!”

I groan, pulling her inside with me, and close the door. She yelps as her body crashes against mine. Billie steps away from me, and her back presses against the cool wood.

We’re close, but I cross my arms over my chest .

“What is wrong with you? Seriously? What? What do you want?” I ask, glaring down at her.

Her lips move into a firm line. “I seriously cannot stand you.”

“Feeling is more than mutual right now. Now stop acting like an obsessed ex and leave. You’re so annoying .”

“I’m annoying? You bought the building across the street from mine to troll me. You try to drive me wild and frustrate me. You’ve had it out for me since college because your little ego was threatened by a woman being smarter than you. Now you’ve hung a gigantic sign that has everyone in the surrounding buildings talking. Not to mention, you’re teaming up with someone who hurt me. You have no idea what he did to me. And after all that, you dare to call me annoying? Hilarious, Banks!” She takes a step forward, and her finger pokes into my chest. “You’re a fucking asshole ! Nothing has changed. Grow up. We’re not eighteen anymore.”

“Unbelievable. You come into my home and try to insult me,” I say, grabbing her wrist.

My thumb is on her pulse, and I can feel her heart rapidly pounding. My gaze pins her in place, and her breath hitches. The meaner I am, the more she responds. Probably because no one has ever treated her with the same disrespect she offers the mere peasants who bow down to her.

“What do you plan to do about it?” she says angrily.

I take a step closer, pinning her against the door, moving her arm above her head. As I lean forward, my mouth hovers an inch over hers. I feel the warmth of her ragged breath on my lips as I lick them. One tiny movement is all it would take to taste the champagne on Billie Calloway’s plump lips. Her eyes flutter closed, and I feel her heart still thrumming. But I don’t move. I just glare at her.

“Mmm.” My voice is a low growl. “You wanted it.”

“Gross,” she simply says, straightening her stance, and I see that flicker in her eye, the one that exposes her truths.

I lean in and whisper in her ear, “Why is your heart racing? ”

“Because you’re pissing me off.”

“Liar,” I breathe out, moving toward the kitchen.

Her back is still pressed against the door. She hasn’t moved an inch since I walked away.

“So, that’s it?” she asks.

I pull a glass from the cabinet and pour a shot of bourbon. I grab the remote and sit on the couch, kicking off my shoes.

Billie moves in front of the TV as soon as it flicks on.

“We were having a conversation,” she says.

“No, we weren’t. That wasn’t a conversation.” I glare at her. “Now kindly fuck off. Pretty please, fuck off? I don’t know how to nicely ask you to fuck off, but do that immediately. Okay? F-U-C-K O-F-F. What does that spell? Fuuuuuck oooooff!”

“This is how you speak to a lady?”

“You are no lady,” I state. “Now leave, Little Calloway.” I lower my voice. “You’re drunk, and you need to go away.”

Billie makes a face like she’s offended. “You’re so disrespectful.”

“You wanted a villain, so I’m giving you one. And to think, this is just the beginning,” I say, purposely being rude as I slam back my drink.

“The beginning of what exactly?”

“The end.”

A few seconds later, a knock rings on the door, and I hear a familiar voice call my name.

“Are you expecting someone?” Billie asks with her jaw locked.

I see something behind her eyes as I stand.

“ Jealous ?” I ask, moving toward the door.

Sarcastic laughter escapes her. “Absolutely not. I should send the poor girl a pity package. Must be desperate.”

“Oh, you mean how Josh was with you?”

Her smile fades.

“Doesn’t feel good, does it? You take every dig too, Ice Queen. Don’t act innocent. I know you’re fucking vicious. Just not vicious enough. I’m immune to your bullshit. ”

Her eyes don’t leave me as I move out of sight. I unlock the door and step to the side as my across-the-street neighbor, Catherine, enters. Once a month, I play golf with her and her husband at one of my father’s private clubs.

We’re just friends. Nothing else. She is very happily married.

“Oh, hello ,” Catherine says when she sees Billie in the living room, where I left her. Catherine turns back to me and waggles her brows as she hands me a bag of food. “Apologies for interrupting. Dinner is served.”

“You aren’t interrupting anything. This nuisance was on her way out,” I say, clenching my jaw. “Weren’t you?”

“This conversation isn’t over,” Billie tells me, and then she moves toward Catherine. “I’m Billie Calloway. He has no manners and doesn’t know how to introduce people.”

“I’m Catherine. Oh, so you’re the Billie Calloway?” she asks, grinning, taking her hand. “The diamond princess.”

“The infamous,” I say, understanding it’s a dig. “But these days, Bills here goes by the Ice Queen or Wednesday Addams of Fashion.”

Billie turns to me. “Go to hell, Banks.”

“I’m there anytime you’re close to me,” I state.

The comebacks just easily roll off my tongue. She makes it too easy.

“It was very nice meeting you, Catherine,” she says politely, then walks past me with a groan.

The sweet smell of her perfume lingers in the air as the door snaps shut.

“ Finally !” I yell, knowing she can hear me.

Catherine turns to me. “ Wow. You two should date.”

“Um, no. We very much hate each other,” I explain. “There is no love lost, trust me .”

She stares at me for a few extra seconds. “That’s too bad. I sensed something.”

“Yeah, too bad for her . Everyone knows I’m a catch,” I say with a laugh, realizing she’s not the first person this week who has paired me with Billie Calloway. It’s maddening .

“That’s why you should let me set you up with my sister. I’ll have you married in a month.”

“I’m good. But thank you for the perfect timing and the food. I didn’t think she would ever leave, and I’d skipped lunch.” I untie the plastic bag and pull out the Lo mein noodles container and chopsticks.

“It’s no problem. You do it for us when we don’t want to leave. Oh, I charged it to your account. Murray got a drink to go. He says thanks,” she says, moving toward the door. “Have a good night, Asher. You’re sure you hate one another?”

“Yes,” I tell her.

Paparazzi take pictures of her as she leaves. I send her a quick apology text. I didn’t notice if they were out there when Billie left. If they were, I bet she was livid. I wish I could text her to ensure she made it home okay. Considering Billie lives two blocks away, I assume she did, especially with cameras in her face.

As I eat, my phone vibrates. I glance down at the screen and see a photo from Nick. More specifically, a screenshot from one of those anonymous gossip sites.

Blind Item #139

The diamond princess and the cocky billionaire marketer were flirting before the ceremony. After the nepo-baby award ceremony, they were spotted leaving together. He had also been seen leaving her office earlier this week. It’s rumored they hate one another, but there’s new speculation that they’re secretly dating.

Laughter escapes me as I reply.

Asher

Fucking hilarious how well these people will spin a narrative.

Nick

I wondered.

Asher

It was the usual back-and-forth. However, this blind will make her panic. LOL.

Nick

The LOL makes you a dick.

Asher

I know. A relationship rumor wasn’t part of the plan, but I might be able to make this work to my advantage.

Nick

My previous statement stands. Total dick!

Asher

No denial from me.

Nick

Apparently, everyone is talking about the two of you. What did you whisper in her ear? And what did she say back?

I think about how her breath hitched and the sweet, flowery smell of her skin.

Asher

I told her maybe next time, and she told me to fuck off.

Nick

Always a competition with you two.

Asher

Isn’ t that the best kind?

Nick

Billie isn’t a game.

Asher

Ah, but she is, and I’ll test her limits every chance I get.

Nick

Hmm. Did you hear His Majesty reached out to her? Did she mention that? My stepsis told me.

Prince Louis has had a crush on Billie for at least a decade. The entire world knows it—even she does. However, she resists him like she resists everyone else.

Asher

We didn’t talk about her relationship status. Oh, wait, because I don’t give a fuck! I don’t care who reaches out to her!

Nick

You sure about that?

I read his text message a few times, my jaw locked tight.

Asher

Yeah, positive. Anyway, good night.

Nick

Night.

Once I’ve finished eating, I go upstairs for a shower. I undress and step under the hot stream, closing my eyes and allowing my muscles to relax. As the water falls over me, I think about Billie, with her light-blue eyes and dark hair curled in those waves that perfectly twist around my finger.

Thoughts of her overtake me, and I grow hard.

“Shit,” I hiss, grabbing myself, imagining shoving my cock into her smart-ass mouth and down her throat .

I’d fuck her humble.

Billie, my goddamn enemy, my thorn, my poison. When she walks into a room, my cock twitches from her sheer, infuriating presence. Her body is a weapon she wields without mercy—tight, toned, and dripping with the kind of curves that make me lose my fucking mind. Her perfect, fucking perky tits, little pebbled nipples, and that round ass are everything I dream of. I breathe out, caught up in the fantasy.

Those cold, calculating crystal-blue eyes always mock me and look down on me like I’m nothing. Her lips are full and pouty, and she constantly smirks like she knows exactly what she does to me. She’s a goddamn queen of chaos, and I hate her for what she stirs inside of me.

Which is why I’m here, in the shower, my cock in my hand, hard as fucking steel. My fist is wrapped around it like a vise, stroking slow and deliberate, wishing it were her mouth instead. I can almost feel her lips wrapping around my shaft, her tongue swirling around the tip, like she’s savoring the taste of me.

Fucking hell, she’d hate it, but she’d also love it so fucking much as she took me in the back of her throat.

I grunt as I continue to stroke and picture her on her knees, her hands bound behind her back, her tits bouncing free.

She glares at me with those icy eyes, but I just laugh.

“You want this, don’t you?” I say, thrusting my cock deeper into her mouth.

She wouldn’t answer—she couldn’t—but I’d know she’d say, Yes. Because, in my fantasy, she fucking loves it.

My hand moves faster now, the slick sound of my palm sliding over my shaft filling the bathroom. I’m throbbing, aching for release, but I won’t come yet. Not until I’ve tortured myself with every filthy detail of Billie Calloway.

Fuck.

She’s a drug, and I’m high on the thought of her, knowing it’s awful for me, but it’s the sweetest fucking torture. As it’s always been. Just because I want to fuck her stupid doesn’t mean I don’t hate her. I do . I hate everything about how she makes me feel, knowing it would never fucking work between us.

Billie Calloway is the kind of woman who runs the world. Too strong-willed, hot-tempered, too much like me.

Fuck, I want to make her choke on me until tears stream down her cheeks.

Her nails dig into my thighs as she sucks me deeper, her throat tightening around me as I push past her gag reflex.

Once I have my fill, I flip her over, pressing her against the wall. I demand she put that perfect ass up in the air. I grab a handful of her hair, yanking her head back as I drive myself into her tight little cunt from behind. She screams my name, and I fuck her raw, pounding into her with everything I’ve got, just like she wants.

She can try to hide it, but her eyes beg for me anytime I’m near.

Right now, I wish Billie could feel every inch of me until she pleaded for mercy. But I’d give her none because Billie would never accept help.

The princess always saves herself.

“Who’s in control now, huh?” I growl in her ear, my breath hot against her skin as I hold her against me.

She doesn’t answer, just whimpers as I slam into her again and again, her body shaking with every thrust.

The fantasy consumes me, and my balls tighten. My cock throbs in my hand, but I stop before I come. Breathlessly, I need more of the fantasy before it vanishes.

I imagine her arching her back, her tits bouncing with every brutal thrust, her pussy tightening around me as she finally gives in to the pleasure.

“Come for me, you filthy slut,” I snarl.

And she does. She can’t help herself.

With a groan, I finally let the thoughts of her consume me.

Cum shoots out in thick white ropes as I picture it spilling across that scowl of hers .

She’s a mess— my mess —and for once, she doesn’t have a single smart-ass thing to say.

I brace myself against the shower wall, my chest heaving as I come down from the high. I gasp for air as the intensity rushes through me. Thoughts of her nearly smother me.

Fuck you, Billie Calloway. Get out of my goddamn head.

She’s poison in my veins, and I hate her for it.