The limo pulled in beside my yacht at the harbor. My cheek was still stinging but I wasn’t angry at Jessie for slapping me anymore. I had forgiven her even before she had got out of the car, to be honest.

I was angry at myself because I had deserved it, and more besides. It had been so long since I had met a woman who had turned me on like she did that I had completely forgotten how to act. Most girls just giggled and made it too easy for me when they found out who I was and how much money was swilling around in my bank account.

That had made me get lazy, so I usually just dropped a few less than subtle hints about my money and let them do the hard work from there on. It had always worked, even if it tended to leave me with an empty, unsatisfied feeling deep inside me.

Jessie had done the exact opposite and had shown complete contempt for me from the very start. Now I couldn’t get her proud expression and her fine body out of my mind no matter how hard I tried. I knew that she hated me but I had the niggling sensation that she could grow to like me if I could only find a way of breaking down those barriers that she had put up.

I had tried to be funny, I had tried to be nice, and I had tried to be a tough guy but absolutely nothing caused her to lower her barriers. She made me feel like the worst guy in the world but I knew that wasn’t true. I had to find a way of getting through to her but I had no idea how to even get started on it.

What I did know what that I was bored of easy women who fell over themselves to be close to me. I could now tell a mile off when someone was only after my money. Of course, I had been badly burned more than once before I had worked it out and seen what the warning signs were.

I could still picture the look on Andrea’s face as she had laughed at me and walked out the door with a bag stuffed full of expensive jewelry and designer clothes. That day had been the last time I had cried, and I swore that I would never let any woman do that to me again.

Jessie was different. She seemed to hate me simply for being rich and successful. There was no way she was interested in my money. She would probably donate it all to orphaned sloths and traumatized monkeys given half a chance anyway.

I had been feeling increasingly lonely in the last few months but I wasn’t going to go crawling to anyone to try and get them to like me. I was who I was and people either took me at face value or they could get lost.

Joe was one of the few people I could open up with and who seemed to appreciate me for who I was. He never asked me for money and he was always there to help me when I needed someone.

He seemed like the kind of guy who I could tell my secrets to and who would try to understand me if given half a chance. I had already been tempted to open up and tell him more about who I really was deep inside. Yet, I had always got scared and carried on with the façade of being a carefree billionaire playboy who was rough, tough, and a little bit wild.

I felt light-headed for a second as I imagined being with Jessie on my yacht or in one of the big mansions my family owned across the world. In my glorious yet painful daydream, we were both relaxed and comfortable.

Could I ever be happy living a simple, normal life with a woman like that or was I doomed to just move from one mansion to another and from one pointless party to the next without ever meeting the right woman?

Joe had been silent since his sister had slapped me and I knew that he was embarrassed about the whole thing. I started to get angry with him for no good reason.

I climbed out of the limo and turned round to him.

“You need to learn how to control your sister, Joe. That little girl is out of control.”

“She isn’t normally like that at all. I’ve never seen her act so crazy.”

“Maybe a monkey bit her in the ass while she was in the jungle and gave her some sort of disease that affected her brain. She needs professional help.”

“Well, she has definitely changed since she left home. I think I told you before that she used to be shy and a real nerd.”

“Well, she isn’t a shy little girl anymore. She’s a…tigress.” The memory of her flashing eyes in the moment that she slapped me came back to haunt me. She was furious with me but her stinging reaction surely hadn’t been justified.

“I think we should maybe leave Buenos Aires, Adam. The cops are probably keeping an eye on us after last night.” Ah, so that was why he had been constantly looking out of the window during the car trip.

“Don’t be silly. This is one of the biggest cities on the planet and it has enough problems with the gang, drugs, and poverty for them to not worry about some random rich guy getting into a fight with a bunch of idiots. We’ll be fine here for a few days more.”

“Why don’t we sail up the coast to Brazil or…whatever else is further up there? Central America? I’ve always wanted to go there and go surfing.”

It wasn’t a bad plan now that I thought about it. Brazil was a huge country where I didn’t know a soul. That meant freedom in my book and freedom was exactly what I needed just now. Freedom from my business, from my uncle, and from wild-eyed, wild-haired temptresses who made me feel confused and lost.

Of course, I had some bad memories of my time in Brazil. I had once spent a week in Rio de Janeiro, which was the only time I had ever been there. The images flashed through my mind of a birthday party that had gone horribly wrong. Was that when I had unconsciously made the decision to close off my emotions?

Now wasn’t the time to let awkward thoughts like that enter my mind. I needed to try and stay positive if I was going to avoid slipping back into a depressed state of mind. After all, I had everything a man could ever ask for. Or did I?

Joe had helped me greatly in getting back on my feet in the last few months, but I couldn’t risk it all happening again so soon after the last time.

“You might have hit on a very decent idea there, Joe. Maybe you should invite your sister along to keep us company.” I tried to keep it casual but the words came out faster than I had intended them to. “After all, she owes me an apology.”

Joe laughed and I decided to play along and pretend that it was a joke all along.

“Let’s go and get some food, Joe. Are you hungry?”

“Starving.”

“Listen, let’s not mention the whole thing about the fight and the trip to prison to anyone. Now go and put on your finest clothes because we’re going to light up Buenos Aires tonight, my hungry little friend.”

After he had gone to the cabin to get changed I looked out over the city. Being in such immense cities always made me feel small and insignificant, which is why I liked to stay in smaller places where I knew that no-one was richer or more powerful than me.

I had gotten used to being the richest, most handsome man in any restaurant or party and I didn’t want to lose those bragging rights. Did Diego Maradona or that guy who used to be president still live here?

Ha, even if they did I bet my bank account was bigger than theirs. The thought soothed me for a moment, although deep down I knew that I shouldn’t judge myself solely on the money I had if I expected other people to see me for who I really was.

The phone I had bought the other day started ringing. That was weird since I hadn’t given out the number to a single person yet.

I looked at the screen and saw an unexpected but very welcome name pop up on it. Well well, it looked like Joe had exchanged numbers with his sister without me noticing.

Things could start to get interesting after all.