Page 232 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 10
If I could convince Mr. Pruitt that his daughter was better off without me, I’d be free to start things up again with Penny. Andconvincing him wouldn’t be hard. I could just act like I was drunk when I showed up or something. Or offer him money. I was pretty sure that was the only thing the old man cared about. He’d never liked me very much anyway. He was friends with my parents, not with me.
When the doors opened, I wasn’t at all surprised to see Ian standing there with a pair of car keys in his hand.
“Ellen says we’re going on a day trip to New York?”
It wasn’t worth fighting him. I literally couldn’t. Every part of my body was too tired to fight him off. Except for that one part that kept popping up whenever I thought about Penny.
But for the first time since we’d ended things, I finally had something else to focus on. One damn signature would set me free. Free to do whatever I wanted. And I wanted to do Penny. I smiled to myself.
Ian waved the keys in the air.
“Fine.” I brushed past him. It would give me time to call Mr. Pruitt in the car. Besides, Ian’s car didn’t smell like Penny. It was for the best, unless Ian wanted me to have a boner the whole ride. And I was pretty certain he did not.
But as soon as I sat down in his car, I pictured fucking Penny in my car. I’d been desperate for her after our fight. I couldn’t wait. I couldn’t resist.
Just a few more hours.As soon as I was back in Newark, I’d reach out to her. I’d win her back. I had to. Ian was quiet ashe pulled the car out of the parking garage, letting my thoughts wander. The farther away we drove from Delaware, the harder it got to breathe.
Each minute that passed it got more and more obvious. I really didn’t care about Penny’s age. Or that she’d lied. Or any of it. All I cared about was her. And every mile farther we drove, I missed her more and more. I never wanted to be apart from her again.
***
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Ian asked as he pulled into a spot outside Mr. Pruitt’s apartment building.
Mr. Pruitt said he had time to talk at 8 tonight. Ian had driven us around the city in circles as we waited. I had nowhere else I wanted to go while I was here. I just wanted this divorce to be finalized so I could…
What? I smiled to myself as I pictured knocking on Penny’s dorm room door. Telling her the good news. Her sinking to her knees. My fingers buried in her red hair.
Yeah. That would work. God, I loved the way she worshipped my cock. I used to think that Delaware was my fresh start. But that wasn’t true. It was Penny. I ran my hand down my face. Isabella not signing the papers was the last thing tethering me to New York. I needed to cut ties with the city that had almost killed me. And the woman who I despised.
“I’m sure,” I said and unbuckled my seatbelt.
“Do you want me to come up?” Ian asked.
“No. This won’t take long.” I climbed out of the car and slammed the door. Mr. Pruitt was a dick. But I was pretty sure he hated me as much as I hated him. Surely he’d be happy to oust me from his family. He’d actually sounded a little excited on the phone. Maybe contracts were his Penny.Breathe.
The air wasn’t fresh here. But it did bring back memories. How many times had Rob and I been forced to go to the Pruitts’ place for dinner? Or on holidays and other special occasions? A chill ran down my spine as I opened the door to the lobby. I hadn’t been here in years. Isabella and I didn’t spend much personal time together. Which meant I hadn’t attended her Sunday family dinners. Or any of that nonsense. We lived separate lives. And now I just wanted to make that even more separate. Permanently separate.
I stepped onto the elevator and thought about my approach here. Acting like a drunken fool was definitely tempting. And giving him a check was a nice backup plan. But…maybe honesty would work best with Mr. Pruitt. After all, he was a father. He must want what was best for his daughter. And Isabella certainly didn’t love me. I nodded to myself. Lies had messed things up with me and Penny. I was done lying. My fresh start had to be built on honesty. I stepped off the elevator, walked down the hall, and stopped outside the Pruitts’ door.
I’d tried to drink Penny away. I’d tried to exercise her away. But all I did was prove how much I needed her. I could feel her in my veins. I wanted to taste her skin again. And breathe in herexhales. The lines between want and need were blurred. But I didn’t even care. I’d win her back. I had to. I didn’t know if getting my divorce finalized truly made me worthy of her. But what I did know was that I was tired. I was just so fucking tired of hating myself so much. For just a brief moment, Penny had helped me remember what living felt like. What breathing felt like. What being happy felt like. How could I ever stop craving that feeling? Craving her?
I’d found love in a place where it wasn’t supposed to be. And no matter what anyone said, a piece of me would always know it was wrong. I knew Penny could have a better life without me. And yet…I couldn’t stay away. I wouldn’t. Not when I knew she needed me too. And I’d do everything in my power to make her happy. I’d be a good man for her. There was no other choice here. I clenched my hand into a fist and knocked on the door of the devil’s father.
As soon as I had Penny back, I’d be able to sleep again. Eat again. I’d be able to stop drinking. I’d be happy. Living life without my girl beside me was torture. I had to end this. I had to win her back. This had to be enough. Because it was all I could offer her as an apology.
And I wasn’t strong enough to let her go. I wanted to be. I wanted it desperately. But I’d never been one to resist temptation. It was how I’d wound up in this mess in the first place.
Literally. I wouldn’t be standing outside the Pruitts’ door if I had my shit together. If I’d been sober enough to put an end to this train wreck sooner. I knocked on the door again, louder this time. Where the hell was he?
I took a deep breath. Standing outside this door reminded me of all the shit I’d been through to get to this point in my life. I just wanted to be happy. With Penny. I felt the corner of my mouth lift. How could happiness be bad? Just thinking about her freely made me breathe easier again. I wasn’t sure I could exist without her.
Finally the door opened. But Mr. Pruitt wasn’t the one who answered.
And just like that, I couldn’t breathe again. I was in hell.
The woman staring back at me might as well have been a stranger. She smiled, the skin on her face stretching oddly thanks to a fresh dose of Botox. “James, darling. You’re just in time. Daddy had to step out, but I’m sure we can reach an agreement together. For old time’s sake. Here, your favorite.” She tried to hand me a drink.
“Isabella.” Saying her name out loud made me feel sick to my stomach. I ignored the drink in her outstretched hand. She knew I had a problem. She loved when I was in pain. She loved watching others suffer. She loved watching me drown. And I was drowning without Penny in my life. I couldn’t fucking breathe without her.
