Sins of a Bad Boy (The Original Bad Boys Book 1) (32 page)

CHAPTER 39

William

Life continued. Time continued. That’s the thing with time. It always just goes on and on. Even if you feel stagnant, the world around you keeps turning.

The weeks after Ivy’s escape and Charles’s death were a blur of paperwork and receiving condolences from everyone William and Charles had ever done business with. Most men came to gauge if he would be looking for new partners, and they were all eager to be part of his empire. Even at the funeral, these people dared to discuss business with William. However, he’d told them to back off until he was ready to talk. William wouldn’t be able to do anything with the clubs until he’d taken enough time to grieve the loss of Charles.

Surprisingly, even Alfred Ravensdale had come by and paid off his debt within the two-week timeframe William had set.

More setbacks pursued William when the insurance company notified him that they weren’t going to pay out anything. It had been a bureaucratic mess to even get a penny from them, so William let that go. He’d postponed making any decisions regarding rebuilding the clubs anyway.

Sadly, the urgency of the day never helped him to not think of Ivy. Apart from his anguish, he didn’t want to admit that he fucking desired her. Desire for her so strong that it pained him. And it never faded. How he wished she was with him still so that he could find comfort in her body. So she could caress him, soothe him to ease the first stages of mourning. To rid her from his mind, William drank himself into a stupor and worked out like a mad man in his apartment.

William tightened the laces on his black gloves as he stared at the red punching bag hanging off the immaculately painted ceiling in his workout chamber next to his bedroom. He punched the bag one time and rolled his neck. He swung his fists again and again until sweat trickled down his hairline, releasing all his sorrow onto the bag. His breathing became ragged as he kept up his grueling blows, lost in his own world, in his own regret. His concentration kept wandering to the one person he wanted to avoid thinking about, so he hit the bag even harder.

Still, Ivy invaded his thoughts. He’d never realized the depth of his feelings for her until she was gone.

A pathetic punch hit the bag.

Never could William have foreseen he would end up like this. He’d lived a life of highs and lows, and for a time, he’d had all the money in the world
and
a thriving business. But he ended up the same way he began – alone and with very little money. Since all the clubs were closed, he had no income.

The last punch was a fragile one before he pulled an arm around the bag to stop its swaying and leaned his weight against it. He couldn’t afford to be weak now. William rested his forehead against the cold red leather while two essential questions echoed in his brain.

How was he going to rebuild his business without any funds?

And how in the bloody hell was he going to find Ivy?

CHAPTER 40

William

During the fourth week after Charles’s death, Charles’s lawyer contacted William to discuss his will, and William presently sat in that lawyer’s posh office with Silk, who’d stood by his side and helped William as promised, next to him.

“Do you understand what that means, Mr. Kade?” the lawyer asked.

William glanced at Silk, who had a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“That I’ve inherited a fortune?” William replied.

“Yes. Mr. Lindon’s will states that everything goes to you. Even his London estate. Along with the money you’ll receive from his life insurance, you could say that you’ve inherited quite a fortune, Mr. Kade,” the lawyer confirmed with a smile. “Please sign on the dotted lines, and I’ll make sure everything is transferred to you in the next couple of weeks. Do you have any further questions?”

“No,” he answered while scribbling his signature.

Then he leapt to his feet and headed out, feeling better than he had in weeks. Finally, some positive news instead of perpetual grief and inconvenient bureaucracy.

Outside, Silk practically jumped on his back.

“Kade! Fuck, I’m jealous. You’ll never have to work again! That man must’ve had the best insurance policy. The insurance company must hate Charles.”

William released a laugh. “Probably. I never knew he had such a large amount of life insurance.”

“And the estate?’

“I knew he had the estate. He told me he’d renovated it; that’s also why he opened the fight club. He needed money for that estate. I guess I never realized how much money had actually gone into the renovations and that it was worth so much today.”

They sauntered through the park while leaves in colors of orange and red fell as the wind rustled through the trees. For the first time in ten years, William felt ordinary. He didn’t worry about fighting, or about money, or about his businesses. No, he felt like an average guy and wasn’t upset about it. Odd that mourning had made him feel normal.

The mourning period over Charles had forced William to take a breather and simply do nothing except grieve his mentor. And with the help of his Italian friend, Silk, he’d managed. Of course, he still felt the twinges of pain. But regardless of how that period had stabilized William, he had to decide what to do with the currently closed gambling club and two underground floors.

“Silk, do you want to be my business partner? I don’t want to reopen Sins and the fight club. It’s so much hassle to keep those illegal clubs up and running. The months that Sins was a prosperous business wasn’t worth the effort I had to put into it. I was thinking of locking down those floors and only reopening the gaming club. I can still get illegal liquor from Dechamps. That will attract people to our gambling club since almost none of the other clubs serve alcohol anymore – the state is importing less and less alcohol every month. And I want to add an area in the gaming hall where whores are allowed, so they can fuck inside the gambling club – no more hardcore sex games though.”

Deep down, William also didn’t
want
to return to Sins. It held too many memories of Ivy.

Silk held out his hand. “I’m flattered you asked me. I trust you, and I like your no-nonsense business attitude.”

“Then we have a deal.”

They shook hands, and William felt a renewed interest in the future.

Silk mentioned, “I’ve heard that two new sex clubs are opening this year in the Loop. Two S&M clubs with features similar to what Sins offered. The owners apparently saw an opportunity when Sins closed.”

“Really? Were either of the owners a member of Sins?”

“Yes, I’ve heard they were, so now the formula has been stolen anyway. You wouldn’t want to reopen Sins with two competing clubs opening in the same area, and on top of that, the Loop doesn’t need three hardcore sex clubs. I think we should focus on making the gambling club profitable again. In Italy, the Mafia only allows games that are almost impossible for the house not to win,” Silk informed him.

“See, this is why I need you as my partner. You have good ideas.”

“I do,” Silk replied arrogantly with a smirk.

They continued in silence.

William wondered how his life would evolve without fighting or working at all hours of the day and night.

Charles and William had schemed, plotted, and killed to maintain their wealth for ten years. In the end, Charles left him a fortune with his death, and William was finally going to take advantage of living the life he’d worked so hard to achieve.

CHAPTER 41

William

Fall turned into a cold winter while William continued on with his life.

Charles’s death had made William realize how volatile life could be. How it could be over in the blink of an eye. So instead of working constantly like he had throughout the last ten years, he and Silk gradually repaired the gaming hall to its original state with some additions. William honored Charles by having it restored in the same way Charles had initially built it.

During this time, Silk showed William how to enjoy life more. How to spend the money he’d inherited. Their friendship deepened, and William began to understand how he indeed had kept people at arm’s length when Charles was alive. He and Silk hadn’t bonded when Charles was still around, but now, without Silk, William would’ve been alone. Something a woman with sparkling blue eyes had predicted all those months ago.

On one Saturday night, Silk had dragged William out to have dinner. William had no idea how, but Silk knew everyone. From upper class people, to the baker around the corner, to every whore in town. Women groveled to Silk and his Italian charm. Silk was a lover of life – he loved good food, good wine, and good women. A love of good food and wine, William shared with him. But enjoying women was problematic lately.

Nevertheless, women still chased William, though
someone
might have ruined him. All his life, he’d sought to find fulfillment in nameless bodies and in pursuing wealth, but neither had given him the satisfaction that being with Ivy had provided. There had always been a devotion in her eyes that he couldn’t seem to shake the memory of. Perhaps she embodied what he’d searched for all along? Perhaps she would haunt him for the rest of his life and beyond?

“William.” A brunette plopped onto his lap as he finished the best steak in town in a quaint restaurant. “Do you have more tattoos besides these?” She traced the feather on his arm.

The touch made William recoil, and he moved his arm away from her fingers. The caress reminded him of how Ivy used to always stroke his tattoos.

“Sophia, you’re
my
woman for tonight. Get over here before I become jealous,” Silk interrupted, recognizing William’s inner turmoil while retying his bun with a smile.

William scratched his beard – these days, he didn’t bother to shave at all – and reclined back, taking an offered cheroot from the waitress. Then he grinned at the woman in his lap and the other three women at their round table. Or he should say ‘girls’. Sophia was a plump girl and was in the restaurant with her friends. Silk had persuaded the ladies to join them, and William had enjoyed an entertaining evening with this group, almost feeling like his old self.

Before Sophia could obey Silk, the door of the restaurant busted open, and a furious tall man came to their table. “Sophia, what the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

“Oh, shit,” Sophia cursed. “My fiancé, Jet.”

Jet heaved her off William’s lap and then stood in front of him. “Get up so I can fight you for my woman.”

A lazy, white smile worked its way across William’s face as he slouched deeper into his chair, thoughtfully chewed the end of his cheroot, and appeared to contemplate the invitation with considerable relish. He perked a brow in amused inquiry. “Right here?” he asked, his smile widening.

That provoked Jet to aim his fist at William, but he dodged it easily and shot up, seizing Jet’s wrist and lodging his arm behind his back. Then William sank his fingers into his neck and pushed him face-down onto the surface of the table.

“Jet, I might not have been fighting for months, but I can still snap your neck like a twig. Now, are you done showing off for your woman? Or do you need me to rearrange your face?”

“I’m sorry,” Jet mumbled.

Silk let out a mocking laugh at Jet’s pitiful tone.

William eased his grip and calmly sat back down, picking up the cigar and lighting it.

Sophia hadn’t even screamed or shown any concern for her fiancé. No, she just winked at William as Jet heaved her out of the restaurant.

William and Silk chuckled.

“Women.” Silk shook his head.

One of the other girls, a brunette, scooted closer to William and straightforwardly said, “You and I could have a good time, William.”

William considered her blatant offer to fuck while taking another draw from his cigar.

Maybe he should try to purge the feelings he had for Ivy from his mind?

William gave her a brisk nod.

Her hand moved under his untucked dress shirt and unbuttoned his slacks. Then she dove inside, cupping his balls and rubbing his cock.

Meanwhile, Silk had his tongue shoved down the throat of one of the other girls.

William closed his eyes in an attempt to enjoy her touch, but it seemed impossible until Ivy appeared behind his lids. Only then, his cock hardened.

The brunette – he couldn’t remember her name – spoke into his ear. “We can go to the back?”

Her high-pitched voice obliterated his fantasy. The tone was too different from Ivy’s husky tone, and he snapped his eyes open. William often became annoyed with his own bodily reaction to women that weren’t Ivy Hunter.

“I’m not interested.” He gripped her wrist and flung her arm away, glaring outside in frustration.

Then he stubbed the cigar in the ashtray and told Silk, “Let’s go home.”

Silk hurriedly kissed his girl goodbye when he sensed William’s plummeting mood.

Silk had become William’s new neighbor when he’d moved into Charles’s apartment, so home was the same building for both of them.

In the car, Silk asked, “I’m guessing your sudden foul mood is about Ivy? Hasn’t your private eye found out anything about her?”

Of course, William had hired a private investigator to find Ivy for him. “No, she’s a good con woman. I knew from the start it would be difficult to locate her, but this is taking too long.”

“You miss her, don’t you?”

William startled at his frank question, but denial wasn’t necessary anymore. “I do.”