ONE NIGHT STAND (A Billionaire Bad Boy Romance) Read online

  Contents

  TITLE

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  BONUS NOVEL #1

  BONUS NOVEL: BAD BOY MONEY

  BONUS NOVEL #2

  BONUS NOVEL - HEAL ME

  CONNECT

  ONE NIGHT STAND

  (A Billionaire BAD BOY Romance)

  Plus Two Bonus Novels

  By

  Bella Grant

  Copyright (c) 2016. All Rights Reserved

  Find all my steamy books at

  http://bellagrantbooks.com/subscribe/

  Chapter 1

  This is it—the opportunity of a lifetime.

  Braydon’s fingers moved the old Irish coin back and forth across his knuckles as he listened to the presentation by a company who wanted to partner with his. Based on what the woman, Hilary, was telling them, it sounded like a great opportunity. Braydon might not have been very old, but he’d seen enough in his lifetime to know that he shouldn’t pass up a great chance. His company, Trinity Financial, was mostly local. They had a few out-of-state clients, but nothing major. This company, though, had international ties, a way to help Trinity become global.

  He would be an idiot to turn them down. The coin caught the last shard of sunlight before it disappeared behind the clouds, and he frowned, tucking it in his pocket as the woman ended her presentation.

  “And on behalf of Mr. Ronan McKinley, I would like to welcome all of Trinity Financial into the fold,” she said with a smile.

  But Braydon’s face had frozen as his hands clenched into fists. “I’m sorry,” he said, “what was the name again?”

  “McKinley,” Hilary replied. “Ronan McKinley. I was not aware the two of you are acquainted.”

  Braydon frowned as he pushed his chair back and got to his feet. “Unfortunately, we are, and sadly, I must pull us out of this deal before we go any further.”

  “What…Why?” Hilary asked, as his six board members shook their heads in obvious confusion.

  “I’m afraid I know who Mr. McKinley does business with. Had I known he was working for Rafferty and Sons International, I would have refused this meeting. I am sorry for wasting your time.”

  “I don’t understand. This is the offer of a lifetime for your company.”

  Braydon nodded. “It would be, but we will not take part in any dealings with known associates of the mob.”

  “How dare you make such accusations! Mr. McKinley is a fine, upstanding citizen of Boston and has helped his community in so many ways.”

  Braydon couldn’t help but smirk. “I’m sure he has. Gentlemen, ladies, we can discuss our future further once the weekend is over.” He smiled apologetically to Hilary. “Good day, ma’am. My people will see you out. We will not be speaking with you again.” Braydon headed out the other door as the woman continued to sputter her outrage. It closed behind him, cutting her off, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he returned to his corner office.

  McKinley. He never thought he would run into that man again, but he had almost jumped into a major business merger with him. He wouldn’t be able to avoid his board for long; they were going to ask questions he wasn’t ready to answer—not yet. He knew in reality what would happen. He might turn the deal down today, but the board would find a way to overturn his decision eventually. All he had done was buy himself some time to come up with a plan.

  As he walked through the cubicles, he felt a twinge of pain in his left arm and frowned. The weather was turning. He stopped for a second and peered out the window towards the darkening horizon—what he could see of it through the other skyscrapers in the financial district. He missed the open countryside, but he couldn’t run his office from the middle of nowhere Tennessee, where he’d moved from. It seemed so long ago. The ranches, the horses… He hadn’t started out as the CEO of this company and had never really intended on assuming the role, but he’d wound up in that corner office, living the rich life and wondering what might have been if he’d turned down the offer of a crazy man.

  Braydon rubbed his elbow and sighed, stuck with only the view of the Boston skyline. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t what he wanted to see every day of his life.

  “Mr. Keagan? I have some messages for you,” Natalie, his secretary of the last five years, said as she approached his office. “And I have your schedule for the next three days. I moved your three o’clock to Monday and your dinner will be up around four. Chinese okay?”

  He laughed as he took his notes, shaking his head. “What would I do without you? Why’d you move my three o’clock?”

  “Debbie paged me during the meeting. Said you seemed stressed,” she answered with a shrug as she sat back down. “And without me? You’d never make it through a day here,” she added with a wink and a sly smile.

  Braydon flipped through his messages and frowned when thunder shook the building. There was a twinge of pain in his elbow, and he gritted his teeth, hoping it didn’t show on his face. He was an idiot.

  “Again? I thought you were going to get that looked at,” Natalie scolded.

  “I did. Can’t do anything about it. I’ll be in my office.” He stepped inside his office, only to poke his head back out and grin. “Let me know when food’s here.”

  He caught her rolling her eyes before he closed his door and sat at his desk, tossing his phone messages to the side. He’d get to them eventually. For now, he wanted to watch the storm unleash its fury over the city. Friday night. He had plans, like always, something to get his mind off his week. This merger was supposed to be a good thing, but the mention of Ronan McKinley led his mind automatically to those other names… Those damn names.

  The last thing Braydon intended to do was get involved with those assholes again. They were nothing but backstabbers and dirty dealers, no matter what that Hilary woman claimed.

  As thunder shook the building again, Braydon closed his eyes and rested his head, full of red hair, back against his chair, letting the storm soothe his anger over things he could never go back and change. Like the reason he’d left Tennessee, and the man who had offered him the world on a silver platter and persuaded him to take it.

  The cost of that deal was catching up to him, though. Braydon could feel it.

  His phone rang once before he clicked the intercom button and Natalie’s voice came over the speaker. “Mr. Keagan? Your father is on the phone. Should I put him through?”

  Every ounce of anger disappeared as he told her to go ahead. When he heard Da’s voice, Braydon felt mixed emotions, as he always did when they spoke. It wasn’t the old man’s fault, though Braydon could never simply forgive him and be done with it.

  “Braydon,” his dad said, sounding as happy as always in his soft, lilting Irish accent. “Have you been taking care of yourself?”

  “Of course, Da, why wouldn’t I?”

  “Just a sense I got the other day when I was out in the fields.” Braydon heard the sound of homesickness in his voice. He’d told him countless times that he would send him back home to Ireland, but it wasn’t safe. Not after what his father had done and what Braydon did to make matters worse. “Business good?”


  They spoke for almost an hour until Natalie knocked on the door with dinner. “Hey, Da, I have to go. Business dinner. I’ll call you again soon. Take care of yourself, please.”

  He laughed deep and loud. “Stop worrying about me. Nobody’s been around. I’m safe as can be out here.”

  “Good. Talk to you later.” He disconnected the call as Natalie carried in a bag full of white cartons and set them on his desk. “Smells freaking delicious.”

  “You know you can always just take it home and eat in peace,” she told him.

  “Why would I do that and miss out on your company?”

  “Flirting again, Mr. Keagan,” she said with a sly smile and glanced over her shoulder. The door was closed; she’d already locked it. Braydon’s lips spread into a wolfish grin as he got up, walked around his desk, and reached for her.

  A few minutes later, they were going at it, hot and heavy, on the desk in Braydon’s office. They weren’t in a relationship—neither of them wanted that—but Natalie enjoyed the few perks that came with sleeping with the CEO. It wasn’t love. Braydon was unable to love, as far as he was concerned. All he wanted was that human connection, that feeling, for a few minutes, just to satiate his needs.

  On some level, he thought it made him a bad person, but he didn’t care. Not anymore. Not after everything he’d done to get where he was. He’d gotten his hands dirty, done things no normal person would do. But he’d made it out alive, with his da, and he planned on keeping it that way.

  No strings. No attachments. Just himself. There wasn’t room for anyone else.

  ***

  Braydon took the rest of the Chinese food home, deciding it was best to sulk away from prying eyes. The day had been rougher than he’d hoped. By the time he reached his home, the sky was emptying on the city. Rain came down in sheets, blowing at a vicious angle along the sidewalk. The black awning over his building’s door didn’t even keep him dry.

  “Ah, good evening, Mr. Keagan,” James, the old doorman, said when Braydon entered the lobby.

  “James.”

  “That good of a day, huh?”

  Braydon talked a lot to James. He wasn’t sure why, except that the old man had a good ear and even better advice. When Braydon couldn’t sleep, he’d find himself in the lobby with a bottle of brandy, quietly talking the hours away with James. Though he knew the old man frowned upon the way he lived his life, he didn’t ask questions, which was enough for Braydon to tolerate the looks of disapproval.

  “Yeah, something like that.”

  “Would you like me to send for your visitor, then?”

  “Visitor? Who is it?”

  James cringed. “Your mother.”

  He opened his mouth to curse but bit it back, the warning glint in James’ eyes stopping the words. “No, no, it’s fine. Thank you for the warning,” he said as he punched the up button on the elevator.

  “Anytime, sir. Have a good evening.”

  Braydon waved at him over his shoulder as he entered the elevator and rode it up to the rooftop penthouse, which was like having a ranch house set on top of a skyscraper. He’d designed it himself when he’d come into the money—what was the benefit of being a billionaire if he didn’t use it to get exactly what he wanted?

  Except that seeing his mother was the last thing he wanted—ever. Especially without her calling ahead first.

  “Braydon, there you are,” Meredith, his mother, said when he unlocked the front door.

  “Mum, just make yourself at home,” he said sarcastically; obviously, she already had. He glanced around and saw a half-empty bottle of wine and a fire going. “You’re not planning on staying, are you?”

  Her high-pitched, obnoxious laugh echoed in the penthouse as he put the Chinese leftover on the counter and started to pop open the cartons again. She glanced at it with a disgusted huff. “Can’t you afford better cuisine than that?”

  “I can, but I don’t want it,” he said as he grabbed a box and chopsticks, then leaned against the counter to study her. Her makeup was overdone, as always, along with her outfit—patent leather, handmade, one-of-a-kind heels; a silk, perfectly tailored blouse; a long pearl necklace and matching earrings. Her outfit alone probably cost over five thousand dollars, and Braydon’s eyes narrowed in disgust. He had worked for his money. She hadn’t.

  “Fine then, eat whatever filth you want. I have no say in your life.”

  “Damn right. Now, what are you doing here?”

  “We are hosting a party,” she said, her voice suddenly pitched a little lower, and Braydon rolled his eyes at the fake sound of hurt. “We would like you to attend.”

  “And when is this party?”

  “Sunday—this Sunday, of course. A social gathering of sorts. Fredrick would really enjoy your company.”

  Braydon choked on his fried rice and coughed hard to clear his throat. That bastard. He had always tried to get on Braydon’s good side and couldn’t figure out that he never would. After all, Fredrick was the man his mom had left his da for a long time ago—left them to suffer on their own, broke and with no way to survive.

  “Braydon, did you hear me?”

  He glanced up at her and tried not to go off on her like he usually did whenever they were in a room together. “No, I’m sorry.”

  “I said the event is for your brother’s sake.”

  “Stepbrother,” he snapped as he slammed the carton down on the counter. “And why the hell would I want anything to do with him?”

  She drained the rest of her wine glass and glared at him. “Would it kill you to be civilized every now and then? I mean, honestly, you act as if you were raised by wolves.”

  “Ha! Wolves would’ve been better than the shit I grew up with.”

  “Don’t throw your past at me! You made those choices all on your own.”

  “Da chose to be on the run from the mob, living off nothing after you cleaned out what little he’d saved? I chose to be on the streets of this rotten city for years?” He placed his palms on the counter, nostrils flaring as his face reddened with anger. His cheeks burned with the old Irish temper that ran through his family. “Just get out, Mum. Please? Get out.”

  He didn’t look up as she grabbed her bottle of wine, purse, and coat and headed towards the door. She ruffled around for a minute, and he saw her set something on his entry table. “In case you change your mind. Your brother really does like you. He wants to have a relationship with you even if you can’t have one with me.”

  Braydon still didn’t look up until the door closed behind her and he heard the elevator doors open just outside. A few minutes later, still fuming, he made sure the door was bolted and was about to head to the shower to cool off when he saw the envelope.

  Curiosity got the better of him, and he opened it. The paper was thick and expensive. Typical. His mother had to show off her wealth in everything she did. Braydon ripped it open and pulled out the party invitation. He stared at it long and hard.

  “Engagement party? Who the hell is he marrying?”

  Braydon hadn’t even heard that his stepbrother was seeing anyone—or even knew how to date. The guy was seriously lacking in charm. Not that Braydon was willing to offer any help whatsoever. He tried to stay out of Quin’s life as much as possible until moments like these when his mother decided to bring him back into the fold. He hated to admit he liked the guy on some level, but his mother was the reason he stayed away so much.

  But a party with the socialites of the city? There were bound to be quite a few single, hot women there. Maybe he’d go just to see if he could get lucky. It wouldn’t hurt to see who the hell would marry Quin.

  “Guess I’m going to a party. Oh, joy,” he muttered, then headed to take a shower so he could go out for the night. He needed to forget about the day and everything else that still haunted his dreams.

  Chapter 2

  On Saturday morning, Charlotte was the first one awake in her household, as alwa
ys. Her mother would be rising soon enough to start her morning yoga routine and rounds of meditation. Why she did any of that, Charlotte had never understood. She had tried and failed. Balance was not her strong suit, nor was sitting still for too long.

  She hopped into the shower, turning the knob to hot until steam filled the bathroom from floor to ceiling. Almost an hour later, she finally stepped out, cleaned and scrubbed and ready to start the next part of her morning grooming routine. It usually took her two hours to get her hair dried, curled, and pinned up. She admired her up-do in the mirror and smiled. Not a hair out of place. Her lotions and perfume came next, followed by makeup that made her skin appear flawless under any light. Once that was finished, she headed into her large walk-in closet wrapped in a towel. It was more like a second bedroom, but she was used to that.

  Charlotte took her time choosing an outfit. Usually, she picked out her clothes the night before, but today was special. Today was her birthday. The big old twenty-five had snuck up on her fast, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for it.

  She had not done much with her life. Of course, she had lived with her mother and worked with various charity organizations, even setting up and running the local orphanages, but Charlotte had never felt the need to go to college or get an office job. She simply floated through life on the wings of the rich and wondered occasionally where life would take her next. She ran her fingers along the silks and expensive dresses. After last night’s storm, the sky was still cloudy, so perhaps a dress with sleeves wouldn’t be a bad idea today.

  “Charlotte?” the maid called through her bedroom door.

  “Yes, Milly?”

  “Your mother would like to know if you will join her on the patio for breakfast. She has something to discuss with you.”

  Charlotte frowned. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

  What could her mother possibly want to talk to her about now? Birthday plans, no doubt. Charlotte had turned down a party once again. She didn’t enjoy them anymore. She might enjoy her life, but being around other rich people wasn’t always what it was cracked up to be. Most of them were fake. She hated being forced to socialize with them and to make nice so her mother could look good.