Hostile Takeover (Blackwood Billions, #1)

by Christina C. Jones

“Not with your Daddy’s gambling problem.”

Wooooooow

Orion doesn’t have anything like that. He’s probably just your run-of-the-mill womanizer, which… again, at that tax bracket…?”

Girl bye

“Wouldn’t be me first rodeo with knife play.”

Sir what?

“Just because this marriage might be convenient, you need to understand something right now; it ain’t fake. I’m gonna parade you in public, fuck you in private, and otherwise ignore you, just like most wealthy marriages.”

Well damn

It was nothing to me to push my tongue into her mouth and drop my free hand to her ass for an overflowing handful, all in the public place she was so worried about.

Ares and Titan.

Grecian named themed brothers? I know they’re hell

or do you think my father never told me about his coward ass ‘friend’ who married into the competition’s family because it was the only avenue he had to claw his way into making a name for himself?”

Woow

He had more money, a better business, a wife who actually wanted him, so there’s no question about the lineage of his son.”

Wait…

But your son… who does he look like, Billy?”

🫢🫢

“Nalani.” My head snapped back to them at the sound of my name. EJ had spoken it.

Ain’t no “Lani” now 😂

Now I was full-blown pissed off, having to deal with this shit instead of being able to come home and peacefully have a drink and a good cigar.

They’re literally doing what you told them to do 😂

The truth was though, in that magazine spread where I first laid eyes on her, her hair had been in its natural, curly state, and that shit was sexy. I wanted to bury my fingers in those coils, gripping them by the handfuls while I was balls deep inside her for our wedding night.

“Kidding, of course—Jessica Givens, head of marketing for Wholesome Foods.

Sigh.

You have to tell me where these bundles came from,”

Iksfl!

and fucking Bree, whose silly ass had dressed in black.

Yeah she gone be a problem

“I need you on your knees, Mrs. Sterling.”

“Yes, but has anybody but me been in all three holes in your body just this morning?” He smirked.

“That bitch lied for decades, letting me believe I finally had something of my own.

So the kids or at least Soren is not yours? That’s what Orion eluded to

but I couldn’t afford to get too wrapped up in the kind of lifestyle Orion could offer, knowing that as far I was concerned, it was all temporary.

Girl boo!

“I heard you had an unpleasant visitor today,” he spoke up, dropping the suspense as I scoffed.

Aw hell…

I’m more concerned now with your retention skills, because what the fuck did I tell you was going to happen if I found out EJ was around you again?”

Where… my birth control implant was.

I knew it. Orion has been shooting the club up. No wonder she’s not pregnant

I was looking at Stanford Reese.

Oh wow

“You tell me.” He shrugged. “You’re the one who went to the doctor this morning.”

This nigga knows everything

The point is that, somewhere between you railroading her into a quickie wedding, having the wedding, and then coming back to deal with an accounting clusterfuck and corporate takeover, she should’ve remembered to have the birth control designed to be forgotten removed.

Exactly. He’s doing a lot

“You don’t have to fire me, motherfucker. I’ll see myself out.” “Good.” “Good!” she snapped, slamming the door behind her.

😬😬

Usually, I would nip it in the bud, not wanting her to ever get comfortable disrespecting my wife. Today… fuck it. I was mad.

You a bitch

“I'm just starting to wonder if your wife does.

Girl you worried about the wrong thing

to remind you what you've been missing. You do miss me… right?”

Girl choke

If Nalani wanted to play games, I was down with that and didn’t mind getting under her skin in the exact spot I knew was already sore.

Allowing this troglodyte into your home, knowing she’s still attracted to you and is also jealous of your wife is crazy!

met Chef’s gaze, and he shook his head, excusing himself from the drama. I couldn’t blame him.

Chef said I don’t get paid enough for this shit

“I’m sure you know how Orion gets when he’s locked in on… reaching a certain peak. Like a dog with a bone.”

You finna get beat up!

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, Nalani was on her feet, reaching across the table. Jess couldn’t get out of the way in time before Nalani had a handful of hair, dragging her across the dishes, spilling shit everywhere.

Whoop his ass too!

“Regardless of what he and I have going on, the fact that you came into my home, implying shit about my husband in front of me, your ass is disrespectful. Be glad all I did was drag you across that goddamn table.”

“I don’t cheat,” I growled right back at her, right in her face. “I’ve told you that shit over and over.”

The burden of proof is on you!! You caused this

“Or really just mine and yours against hers, ’cause you didn’t see shit, did you Henry?”

Bout that life!

She sighed, not exasperation, just… tiredness. Deep, visceral exhaustion that took years and years and years to build.

🥺

“No you wouldn’t.” I laughed, until… the look on her face told me that wasn’t meant to be funny. “You… wouldn’t, right?”

When an old person tells you that they are going to shoot you, believe them

At some point… he stopped fighting back.

Daaaaaamn… is he dead

“It was about the disrespect,” I huffed. “Was I supposed to just let that ride? Honestly I should’ve gone upside his head too.”

Should’ve busted his head to the white meat

I pushed out a deep, private sigh, thinking about what could have possibly been between us if I’d simply pursued her in a normal manner, instead of bulldozing my way into her life.

Exactly