I sat back in my leather office chair, spinning in a slow circle as I put the phone to my lips and thought of Jenna. I hadn’t seen her since we were in high school. I had just graduated, actually, and the next day I headed away to college for a year before dropping out and starting my business. I remembered vividly the kiss we had shared outside before I had left—it had been soft and sweet, perfect; I’d wanted it to go deeper, to taste her mouth, but she had been so young and delicate that I knew I couldn’t go that far with her. She wasn’t a young girl anymore, though, and she hadn’t looked remotely delicate to me on the screen. Her strawberry-blonde hair was full, thick, and curly around a heart-shaped face. Those green eyes had been focused on me more intently than my sister had probably realized, and I knew in an instant that she was thinking the same thing I was.

I stood up and left my office, going next door to see my business partner. His door was open, and I went inside and shut it behind me. My partner, Arthur Monroe, was also my best friend and my closest confidant, other than my sister. But this wasn’t something that I could talk to my sister about—I could never let on that I had feelings for Jenna. Casey would be heartbroken, I knew, and feel betrayed by the both of us. I couldn’t stand the thought of it being that way between Casey and I, not when she was one of the most important people in my life.

“What’s up?” Arthur asked, propping his feet up on the desk.

“I may have just done something really stupid,” I said.

“Again?” He was grinning. I nodded; I had to give him that—I was prone to making impulsive decisions that didn’t always lead to the best of consequences.

“Does it have anything to do with a girl?”

“Yep,” I said. He shook his head. “Always. That’s why I don’t date women.”

“Right. That’s why.”

He chuckled. “So what did you do? Who is she?”

“You know my sister Casey? It’s her best friend. We’ve known each other since we were kids. I saw her on a video call with my sister and I invited her to our family vacation next week.”

“Why’d you do that?”

“I want her,” I said. “Seeing her again brought it all back. I had the biggest crush on her in high school and now she’s even more perfect.”

“So what’s the big deal?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest. “She married? Got a kid?”

“Casey would never go for it. She would hate both of us.”

Arthur rolled his eyes. He had never been the type of person to care much about how other people felt about his decisions, which was why I had chosen him as my partner. He was a ruthless businessman, intent on getting what he wanted, and was the only person I’d met who matched me in terms of ambition and drive.

“She would get over it.”

“I can’t take the risk,” I said. “I just—the moment I saw her again, I knew I had to have her. I have to.”

“So do it,” Arthur shrugged. “Keep it a secret while you’re there. It’ll make for some killer sex.”

I knew that was true. I could only imagine Jenna’s body now since I hadn’t gotten to see it, but I imagined that it had filled out as she’d grown into it just as her face had. I wanted to touch her no matter how she had grown up—my main desire was to see that look in her eyes again, wide and caught off-guard, surprising her by showing her all the things I could do to her body. But it didn’t feel like it was just about sex; I wanted to talk to Jenna again. She had always been so funny and sweet that being around her as a teenager had been agonizing knowing that I had to keep a respective distance.

“Is she coming with your sister to the island? How are you going to make it work?”

“I have a private jet and property on the island with plenty of room, so it’s not like we’re going to have to squeeze her in.”

“That’s kind of too bad. It’d be nice if you had to share a room.”

I laughed. “Probably wouldn’t happen.”

“I think you should go for it. At least have some kind of fling. Feels good to get someone you’ve wanted for a long time.”

“I think I will,” I said. I had been meek back then, timid. But I wasn’t a teenager anymore—I had become a billionaire, built my business from the ground-up because I was capable and determined. I took what I wanted. And I wanted Jenna.

“I have to get back to work,” he said. “Let me know how it goes.”

“I will,” I told him. “Wish me luck.”

He gave me a thumbs-up and I stood up, leaving his office and going back into my own. I felt good now that I was determined I was going to make Jenna mine. It wasn’t just about the kiss or her body, but the fact that things had felt so pure between us before. I didn’t know how it was going to go over with Casey, but I tried not to think about it as I finished my day out excited for the upcoming vacation.

Keep reading the rest of The Forbidden Billionaire – it is available online and as part