Louise Bay – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read

Louise Bay – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.wownovels.com Sun, 12 Jul 2026 16:11:35 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.1 http://www.wownovels.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png Louise Bay – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.wownovels.com 32 32 Manhattan Kiss Read Online Louise Bay http://www.wownovels.com/manhattan-kiss-read-online-louise-bay Sun, 12 Jul 2026 16:11:35 +0000 https://www.wownovels.com/manhattan-kiss-read-online-louise-bay Genre: Alpha Male, Billionaire, Contemporary, Erotic Authors: Louise Bay Advertisement

Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 103050 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)

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Thirty-six, and somehow I'd become the supporting character in everyone else's love story.
I never left my village in England except for university. Never took the risk. Then one phone call from New York and one piece of news I couldn't outrun sent me across an ocean for a three-month trial at Hotel on Ninth Street. And my one shot at finally starring in my own life.
I lasted exactly six minutes before a gorgeous, glowering stranger slammed into me, drenched my shirt in coffee, and stalked off without so much as sorry.
Of course Deacon Black is the hotel's most important guest.
Of course he's there every week.
And of course he's a fiercely protective single dad whose entire life is built around never letting anything — or anyone — shake his daughter's world.
I'm leaving in three months. He doesn't do temporary. Falling for him is the worst possible use of my brand-new fresh start.
So why does it feel like walking away is the biggest risk of all?

A standalone, spicy, single dad, billionaire romance

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

ONE

Aurora

I’m going to rename myself Always Available. At least my first initial won’t change.

“You’re the best,” Darcy says as she opens the front door to her…how would you describe Woolton Hall? Stately home, I suppose. “I don’t know what I would have done if you’d been busy.”

“Nope. No plans. Your babysitter has done me a favor by canceling. I get to hang out with my two favorite people under ten years old.” I smile and try to put as much enthusiasm into my voice as possible as we head into the corridors of Woolton Hall. I love my godchildren. And Darcy’s my best friend. I’m happy to fill in for her babysitter who has a vomiting bug.

I just wish I had a reason to say no.

Not because I mind helping her out. I really, truly don’t. Darcy and Logan have a Netflix subscription and a comfortable sofa. My evening’s not going to change that much, except the bedtime stories will have fewer swear words and less kissing, but I’ll get plenty of snuggles from my favorite seven-year-old and five-year-old.

I just wish I was juggling babysitters or having date night with my husband.

“You’re a lifesaver,” she says. “Logan doesn’t know we’re going out. It’s an early anniversary surprise.”

“That’s so nice,” I say. “You’re still keeping the magic alive.” They’ve been together for eight years now. Two years until a decade will have passed since I was my best friend’s bridesmaid. Where will I be in two years? I’ve been waiting for as long as I can remember for my happily ever after, but the years keep rolling by and I’m still standing exactly where I always have been.

She laughs. “I suppose so.” We head to her bedroom like we’ve been doing for the last thirty years.

“Did you get your results back from the clinic?” she asks.

My stomach falls to my feet. “Not yet,” I lie. I don’t want to ruin her evening. I know if I tell her what the fertility doctor had said, she would probably cancel plans with Logan. I want Darcy to enjoy her anniversary celebration.

I’d gone to the clinic to start the process of freezing my eggs. The last thing I’d been expecting was to be told that my chances of getting a successful retrieval of eggs was extremely low. Apparently, all the blood tests told me that the vision I’d had of myself since I’d been a kid—of being a wife and mother to a gaggle of children—was almost impossible. Apparently there was no reason.

The doctor had advised me to consider other options, although he didn’t mention what those options were.

How had it come to this? How could I be thirty-six and single with not even the faintest whiff of a happily ever after?

It’s not like I haven’t tried. I’m pretty sure I’ve dated every man in Chilternshire. When Darcy’s brother got married, it took me a while to recover. I’d been in love with him since I came out of the womb. But that was a long time ago and things have shifted. I realized it wasn’t romantic love I had for Ryder. It was a crush that has long-since passed. Ryder and Scarlett are perfect for each other, and I love spending time with them as a couple. Not in a threesome kind of way. They’re fun and Ryder is like a brother to me.

I’ve moved on.

I just wasted a lot of my twenties mooning after him. Since then, I haven’t found anyone to have my happily ever after with. And now? The prospect of never having a family? Does that mean I’ll never find anyone? Even if I did find someone, if I can’t have children, would they even want me?

These thoughts are racing through my brain like a roomful of out-of-control toddlers. I can’t tell Darcy when I can’t think straight.

Growing up, I’d only ever seen myself as a wife and mother. Here I am in my mid-thirties as neither. I’m not okay. In any way.

“Daphne, Aurora is here,” Darcy calls.

A squeal sounds and it’s like an immediate dopamine hit, straight to my nervous system. Having a seven-year-old pleased to see me has never felt so good.

When Daphne appears in the hallway, her eyes light up, and she races toward me and jumps into my arms.

“I haven’t seen you since the longest time,” Daphne says. “We need to have one of our chats.”

Darcy and I share a look. I’m never quite sure with Daphne what one of her “chats” will be about. They’re normally quite innocuous. She often wants to discuss what she’d like to call her cat, if she had one, or whether I think she’ll ever be able to do a handstand that lasts for ten seconds. But Darcy and I both know that the conversations might soon turn to more serious topics, like friendships and body issues and a thousand things I want to protect Daphne and her brother, William, from.

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The Deal Maker Read Online Louise Bay http://www.wownovels.com/the-deal-maker-read-online-louise-bay Thu, 23 Apr 2026 22:52:29 +0000 https://www.wownovels.com/the-deal-maker-read-online-louise-bay Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary Authors: Louise Bay Advertisement

Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 89553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >93

When the maid of honor and the best man fabricate a romance to keep the peace, the only thing they can’t fake are the sparks.

Lucy Jones is tired of being the “other sister.” Elizabeth is the golden child—beautiful, serene, and engaged to the perfect man. Lucy? She’s thirty, single, and still dodging her mother’s digs about how she never quite measures up. But when Elizabeth names Lucy as her maid of honor, she vows her sister’s wedding will be her grand rebrand. She’ll prove she’s polished, sophisticated, and totally in control.

Enter Hunter Bain. Best man. Business bro. Walking scowl emoji. Also the rudest, most aggravating man Lucy has ever met—and her new partner in planning the joint bachelor/bachelorette weekend. Fantastic. Because nothing says “reinvent yourself” like clashing with a man who thinks party planning is beneath him.

From drunken disasters to shenanigans on Martha’s Vineyard, Lucy and Hunter can’t stop butting heads. Until one impulsive lie forces them to pretend they’re dating. It’s supposed to be temporary. It’s supposed to be fake. But every lingering glance, every stolen kiss, every unexpected laugh makes it harder to remember what’s real and what’s not.

Full of sharp banter, slow-burn tension, and laugh-out-loud chaos, The Deal Maker is a swoony enemies-to-lovers rom-com about messy families, fake relationships, and finding love when you least expect it

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Chapter One

Lucy

My sister, Katherine, looks exactly how a fiancée should look. Deliriously happy, hopelessly in love, and perfect in all other ways. Perfection is nothing new for Katherine, but now she’s engaged—to the perfect man, obviously.

“I can’t believe you haven’t met Ed’s best man until now,” Katherine says, pushing her mascara wand back into the tube. “You’re going to love Hunter.”

No doubt Hunter will be perfect. Just like Ed, my soon-to-be brother-in-law. Ed is from a good Boston family that can be traced back at least fifteen generations. He’s “in finance”—whatever that means—just like his father. He and Katherine enjoy wearing coordinating Ralph Lauren, and of course, they never argue. Their future will be full of perfect children who make perfect grades, and they’re all going to live the perfect lives my mother foresaw when Katherine was born. According to Mom, Katherine’s first word was “please.” She never complains, gets angry or irritated. The story goes that Katherine came out of the womb serene and peaceful, like she already possessed enough wisdom to know crying wouldn’t get her anywhere with our mother.

In contrast, my mother likes to tell people I could be heard crying in her womb before I was extracted via C-section—far from a perfect start. I’ve always been the Pig-Pen to Katherine’s Snoopy. The Beast to Katherine’s Beauty. The Elizabeth Bennet to Katherine’s Jane Bennet.

“Lucy,” Mom calls from the bottom of the stairs. “It’s time you two came down. I don’t want you making your sister late.”

“Mrs. Jones!” my father bellows. “Where’s my tie?”

My mother insists on being called Mrs. Jones by anyone she hasn’t known a couple of decades, and Dad likes to tease her about it. At least, I think he’s teasing. Obsessed with Jane Austen, Mom thinks she’s living in a Regency drama. I wouldn’t be surprised if she and Dad have a few costumes hidden at the back of the closet that they sport in private when Katherine and I aren’t around. Pass the mind bleach. Our mother watched the adaptation of Pride and Prejudice—the one starring Colin Firth—on a loop while pregnant with Katherine. According to my father, that’s when the obsession with Jane Austen in general, and Pride and Prejudice in particular, really took hold. At least we weren’t named Lizzy and Jane. Katherine is far too beautiful to be named Jane.

I scoop up her hand from where she’s fussing with the perfect bow in her hair, and we head downstairs. “You look beautiful.” She’s wearing a sugar-pink grosgrain dress with matching Ferragamo pumps. She looks like a doll.

“You too.” Katherine grins, squeezing my hand. “I don’t know if he’s here yet, but I told Ed to make sure you’re introduced to Hunter right away. After all, you have to get to know each other to organize the joint bachelor/bachelorette party.”

I hide my sinking dread behind a polite smile. As maid of honor, I’m in charge of all the arrangements. The problem is, I want the party—or more accurately, the weekend-long prewedding event—to be as perfect as Katherine herself. I’m not sure that can happen with me in charge. I’m concerned I’ll forget something fundamental, like restaurant reservations or a bride-to-be sash, or cause some kind of chaos. That’s what everyone will expect me to do. I have to remind myself I’m no longer the rumpled little kid stumbling after my lithe, elegant sister in the school corridors anymore. I grew up. I moved to New York and upgraded my wardrobe, along with my organizational skills. It’s just that whenever I go back to Massachusetts to visit my family, I seem to regress. I become the girl I used to be rather than the woman I am.

As we get to the bottom of the stairs, Ed appears with a guy I don’t recognize. Ed’s eyes sparkle as his gaze fixes on my beautiful sister.

“Katherine, you look gorgeous,” he says.

“Absolutely stunning,” the stranger says.

“You too, Lucy,” Ed says, and I smile at his forced compliment.

I glance at the stranger, expecting to field another canned compliment, but he’s looking over his shoulder at what’s happening in the garden rather than back at me. Oh well, at least he’s not faking it.

“This is Hunter,” Katherine says.

He’s slightly taller than Ed and has inky-black hair, which is swept back like he’s just pushed his fingers through it. Despite his very broad shoulders, his blue suit fits him like a glove, and the white shirt makes his face look like he’s just flown in from a two-week vacation in Aruba. He’s handsome—there’s no doubt about that—but I’m determined to put his looks to the very back of my brain. I just need his help and cooperation for this party. So long as I get that, I don’t care what he looks like.

“We were just talking about how you and Lucy are going to be arranging our bachelor/bachelorette party.” Katherine greets Ed at the bottom of the stairs with a kiss on the cheek, and Hunter gives Katherine a reserved hug. “Maybe the two of you can get together after the party or even back in the city. Hunter lives in New York, just like you, Lucy.”

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Love Hard (Colorado Club Billionaires #3) Read Online Louise Bay http://www.wownovels.com/love-hard-colorado-club-billionaires-3-read-online-louise-bay Sun, 01 Feb 2026 09:23:36 +0000 https://www.wownovels.com/love-hard-colorado-club-billionaires-3-read-online-louise-bay Genre: Alpha Male, Billionaire, Contemporary, Insta-Love Authors: Louise Bay Series: Colorado Club Billionaires Series by Louise Bay
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Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 97053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >99

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781804560495

In my world, love comes with a rulebook.

Marry the right girl. From the right family. With the right last name.

I’m Jack Alden—the only son of the Alden dynasty. The kind of New York family that’s been around since ships were made of wood and fortunes were built on steel.

My mother’s been trying to find me a “suitable” wife for years.

So naturally, I fall for a woman who couldn’t care less about any of it.
Iris Wilde.

I first saw her at the New York City Ballet—crying in the stalls like the music had cracked her open. She didn’t know who I was. She wasn’t performing for anyone. She was just… real.

One night with her, and I remembered what it felt like to actually breathe.

Then she disappeared.

Months later, I find her again—on a fruit farm in the middle of Colorado, hurling raspberries at me like she’s auditioning for a food fight. Turns out, Iris is smart, stubborn, and not remotely impressed by a billionaire with a trust fund and an overbearing mother.

She makes me laugh.

She makes me think.

And for the first time in my life, I want something that isn’t written in my family’s history books.

But old money comes with old rules.

And loving Iris means breaking every single one.

They say you can’t choose where you come from.

Maybe not.

But you can choose who you fight for.

And this time, I’m choosing her.

Because when it comes to Iris Wilde—I don’t just love.

I love hard

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

ONE

Iris

Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, I keep saying to myself. I’m the world’s worst liar, and I just know that if I’m not careful, I’m going to mention New York City when I talk to my dad. He thinks I’m going to Las Vegas to visit my best friend from school, who left Star Falls the year before graduation, a little under ten years ago. He also thinks this is an annual trip.

Fact is, I haven’t seen Stephanie since she left. But she’s a very convenient cover. I’m actually headed to New York City, on my own, like I do every year, to watch the opening night of the new season of the New York City Ballet.

“Iris?” Dad calls.

“In here,” I say. We’re coming to the end of strawberry season, and we have a minute before pears and watermelons are at their peak. But my September weekends away always come with a little more scrutiny than I’d like. I hate lying. But, even more, I hate to make my dad and brother feel guilty, which is why I don’t tell them where I’m really going.

He stands in the doorway to the makeshift office I have off the barn. “I just saw Donna on the way back from the delivery to the Club.”

My stomach turns over at the thought of what Dad’s going to say next. No one apart from me knows I’m headed to New York, but I’ve thought for a while now that our neighbor, Donna has… powers. Possibly mind reading. Kidding, not kidding. It’s part of the reason I avoid her at this time of year.

“Oh, how did it go at the Club? Did they like it?” We’ve just started supplying a local private members resort with fruit. Most stuff we sell through wholesalers, but the Colorado Club approached us just after they opened about supplying them direct. It’s nice to be able to cut out the middleman. It’s not big business, but it all adds up.

“Donna said Stephanie’s in town.”

My entire body freezes, and I have to remind myself to breathe.

Stephanie.

My best friend.

The one I’m supposed to be going to Las Vegas to visit tomorrow.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I knew hearing Donna’s name wasn’t a good thing.

Why in the hell is Stephanie in town? She hasn’t been back here since she and her family left nearly a decade ago. So much for her being the perfect cover.

“Stephanie?” I ask, trying to buy myself some time to come up with an explanation.

“Yeah, Stephanie, who moved to Las Vegas. Why is she here if you’re about to go and visit her? Does it mean you’re not going? I didn’t want to say anything, but we could do with an extra pair of hands around here.”

There’s no way I’m going to miss my trip. There aren’t many things I get to do without my brother and my dad. We all live together. We all work together. But once a year, I have my trip to New York all for myself. Now that I’ve finally finished my correspondence course and gotten my high school diploma—ten years late—my annual trip is the only thing I have that’s not about my family and Wilde’s Farm. I’m not giving it up.

“Oh, Stephanie Gardener. No, I’m not going to Las Vegas to see Stephanie,” I say. If Stephanie is in Star Falls, I have no idea how long she’s staying. And I leave tomorrow for New York. If she’s still here, my entire story falls apart.

“What are you talking about?” he asks. “You’ve been going to Las Vegas to see Stephanie for years now.”

My brother scoots in under my dad’s arm and plonks down in the visitor chair wedged in between my desk and a pile of old crates that I really need to find a home for.

“What’s going on?” Bray asks.

“Doesn’t Iris go to Las Vegas to see Stephanie, that girl from school, every year?” Dad asks.

“She’s going tomorrow,” Bray says.

Dad nods, pleased that someone’s agreeing with him, and they both look at me.

“We go to Vegas together. Stephanie lives in Arizona. We meet in Vegas. But she can’t make it this year. Family stuff.” I’m babbling. Words are just spewing out. I have no idea if any of them make sense.

“So you’re going on your own?” Bray asks.

“What are you doing in Vegas on your own?” Dad asks. “Are you gambling? You know the only person who wins is the house,” he says. “You may as well just march up to the owner of the casino and give your money straight to him.”

“I’m not gambling, Dad,” I say, pretending to be reading something on my computer screen, rather than desperately trying to think of who I could be in Vegas with. Stephanie is the only person I’ve ever known well who left Star Falls. Everyone else in this town has lived here their entire lives. Stephanie being back has completely blown my cover.

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Love Deep (Colorado Club Billionaires #2) Read Online Louise Bay http://www.wownovels.com/love-deep-colorado-club-billionaires-2-read-online-louise-bay Wed, 29 Oct 2025 22:15:11 +0000 http://www.wownovels.com/love-deep-colorado-club-billionaires-2-read-online-louise-bay Genre: Alpha Male, Billionaire, Erotic Authors: Louise Bay Series: Colorado Club Billionaires Series by Louise Bay
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Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 96512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >98

My life is basically a three-item to-do list:

1. Keep my eight-year-old daughter happy.

2. Keep my job at the elementary school.

3. Keep my big, scary dream of being a full-time artist locked up where it can’t break my heart.

Easy. Manageable. Drama-free.

And then Fisher Wright strolls into Star Falls.

Tall. Charming. British. The kind of dangerously attractive that should come with a warning label—or maybe a hazmat suit in my size. He’s here for eight weeks, helping a famous music superstar record her next album.

We have one harmless, flirty conversation at the local bar.
Then it’s wine on my porch.
Then stolen kisses by the falls.
Then… oh no, actual feelings. The big, messy, life-complicating kind I swore I didn’t have time for.

But his life is in New York. Mine is here. And long-distance fairytales? Please. They don’t come true — especially when there’s a kid involved.

So why is he making secret plans to get my art in front of Manhattan’s elite?
Why am I suddenly imagining him at my daughter’s soccer games?
And why does it feel like the only temporary thing here… is the eight-week expiration date we agreed on?

Small-town slow burn. Single mom sunshine and a grumpy Brit. Steamy porch kisses. And one very inconvenient, very irresistible love

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

ONE

Juniper

I can’t remember the last time I was excited about seeing a guy. I pop the lid off my new eyeliner and try to perfect the eye flick I saw an influencer on the ’Gram doing. I rarely wear makeup. It feels like one more daily chore, and I have enough of those. Tonight, I’m making an exception. The last time I had a crush, I was in high school. That was over a decade ago, and it’s been two years since my last date. But this evening, I’m pretty sure I’m going to be in the same general vicinity of the British friend of a guy I went to high school with.

Byron—who grew up in this town but moved to New York as soon as he could—has built a fancy resort on the edge of town. The grand opening for all the super wealthy VIPs is tonight. I’m not going there, even though eighteen of my paintings now hang in the Club after Byron purchased them. Fancy parties aren’t my vibe. But Byron’s throwing an after-party at Grizzly’s, the local bar, and I’m pretty sure his friend Fisher is going to be there.

I feel like I’m sixteen, desperate to spot the quarterback in the school halls.

He might not even show.

It’s not like we’re heading out on a date.

We haven’t even met.

Fisher was introduced to a group of us at Grizzly’s when he and Byron were on their way out a few weeks ago, but it was a Hey, everyone, this is Fisher, Fisher, this is everyone kinda deal. I’m not sure he even saw me, but I definitely saw him. I had to try very hard not to pass out. It wouldn’t surprise me if he turned out to be Henry Cavill’s hotter younger brother.

The first things I noticed were his broad shoulders and muscular forearms. My gaze trailed up, and I took in his dirty-blond hair and wide smile, and I shuddered. I actually shook from looking at the guy. When he slid his hand along his strong, stubbled jaw, it sent a jolt of electricity between my legs. I’ve never had such a physical reaction to just being close to a man.

But tonight… Byron says he’s going to introduce me to Fisher because Fisher might know someone who might want to buy my artwork. I think that’s what he said. Or he might know someone who wants to help me do something with my art. I don’t remember the details—just that Byron wanted to introduce me to the tall, blond British guy who made my body weak when I first saw him.

I’m good with that. Very good.

I’m not sure if it’s because Fisher’s new in town that had my body reacting the way it did. Maybe it’s because he’s British and the accent is like molten chocolate. It could be that he has the biggest, warmest smile I’ve ever seen. Tick here for all of the above. All I know is that when I first laid eyes on him, it was like I was hit with a thunderbolt and my vagina woke from a decade-long hibernation and told me she was ready for business.

It’s not like I’m expecting to… I don’t know… fall in love or have Fisher fall in love with me. He lives in New York and is only here to celebrate the opening of Byron’s private members resort, the Colorado Club. Soon enough, he’ll be back in New York, and I’ll still be here in Star Falls. But it’s nice to remember what it feels like to be attracted to someone again. It’s been a long time.

I drop my eyeliner back in the pencil pot Riley made me for my birthday and comb my fingers through my long, wavy hair. I can’t brush it. It will just frizz. It will have to do.

An agonizing groan comes from the other side of my bedroom door, and I go out to investigate.

“Riley?” I ask as I pop my head into her bedroom.

But she’s not in there. The TV is blaring from the living room, but she’s not in there, either.

“Riley?” I call out.

“Moooom!” A strangled cry comes from the bathroom.

I rush into the bathroom to find Riley, my normally full-of-beans eight-year-old daughter hunched over the toilet bowl.

“Mom,” she cries. “I threw up.”

My stomach hits the floor, and my heart sinks down beside it. I kneel down next to her, rubbing circles on her back with my palm. “I’m here, my sweet girl.”

I place my free hand across her forehead. She’s burning hot.

“I think I’m going to throw⁠—”

After she throws up what’s left of her lunch, I strip off her pajamas and put her in the shower.

“Mom, why am I sick?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart. We all get sick.”

I grab some shower gel and soap down her body. She barely moves. Normally, she’d be dancing about, singing a Vivian Cross song.

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Love Fast (Colorado Club Billionaires #1) Read Online Louise Bay http://www.wownovels.com/love-fast-colorado-club-billionaires-1-read-online-louise-bay-2 Sun, 12 Oct 2025 20:52:01 +0000 http://www.wownovels.com/love-fast-colorado-club-billionaires-1-read-online-louise-bay-2 Genre: Alpha Male, Billionaire, Contemporary Authors: Louise Bay Series: Colorado Club Billionaires Series by Louise Bay
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Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 95164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >99

Rosey
I never thought I’d be a runaway bride. But when it came down to it, I just couldn’t marry the wrong man.
So, I ran.
And somehow, I ended up in Star Falls, Colorado—stranded, no luggage, no plan—in a wedding dress with a past I’d rather forget.
Fate lands me in the only available rental in town, a cozy little cabin… right next door to Byron Miller, the brooding billionaire who wants nothing to do with me. Or this town.

Byron
I left Star Falls years ago, along with every mistake. Now I’m back, determined to build a luxury resort that might just rewrite my past.
The last thing I need is a distraction—especially not one like the runaway bride that moved in next door. She has too many secrets and a smile so wide, I just can’t look away.
But no matter how hard I try to keep my distance, there’s something about her, that refuses to be ignored.
Snow falls. Sparks fly. Late-night porch talks turn into something more, something neither of us expected. But Rosey’s past isn’t far behind, and my future here is hanging by a thread.
She’s just passing through. I’m trying not to put down roots. But Star Falls, Colorado has its own plan.

A standalone romance, perfect for fans of small-town romance, sizzling chemistry, and fresh starts

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

ONE

Rosey

The mirror reveals my three younger sisters in bias-cut, peacock-green satin, sucking in their cheeks and taking selfies. It also reveals a snow-white veil draping over my bared shoulders down to perfectly manicured fingertips. I should be the one giggling with excitement, unable to sit still for anticipation.

After all, this is my wedding day.

Frank might be older, and I might not exactly love him, but I’m grateful to him, and that’s almost love, isn’t it?

I take in a breath, the bones in my corset pressing against my rib cage. I’m so lucky, I remind myself. I’m never going to have to worry about where my next meal is coming from. I’m not going to have to tell my children not to make a sound when Mr. McAlister bangs on the door of the trailer, looking for rent. I get to live in a house with a yard and a top-loading washer. Frank says we’re traveling overseas for our honeymoon. He’s keeping the destination a secret. I’ve never even made it across the border into California. Never been on an airplane. Before Frank, I’d never been to the grocery store and not had to do mental arithmetic as I added every item to my cart to ensure I had enough money to cover the necessities. Marriage to Frank promises so much.

I. Am. So. Lucky.

Except, no matter how many times I say it to myself, how much I will myself to feel it, I can’t drown out the voices screaming at me, telling me I shouldn’t be walking down the aisle in thirty minutes.

“Are you going to get pregnant right away?” Lydia asks out of nowhere. “Cement the deal?”

The room tilts a little and I close my eyes. A child? The boning in my corset is going to leave bruises. Everything’s just so tight. I can’t breathe.

My sisters are happy to accept the niceties that come with me dating the co-owner of the second-biggest car dealership in Eugene, Oregon. They know this isn’t a love match. It doesn’t occur to them that it should be. Frank’s been generous with my family. When we started dating, he obviously felt he had to seduce the entire family. He gave Kitty a job and had a chat with the sheriff when she got caught up in an argument with her boyfriend. He took all five of us out for dinner after our fifth date, and bought everyone Christmas presents three months later, after he insisted everyone spend the holiday at his house.

And when he proposed, he also announced he’d bought the trailer we’d grown up in, and gave it to me as an early wedding present—his way of making sure my family was taken care of. Frank is kind. He’s generous. I could do a lot worse.

So why aren’t I looking forward to being married to him? Having a child with him?

My mother comes out of the bathroom. She’s wearing lipstick, which I’ve only witnessed two other times in my life. She’s wearing a long, pastel-blue dress that looks like it was meant for someone else. It’s just so formal. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone look so unlike themselves. I look down at my gown. Maybe the congregation will feel the same way when they see me dressed up like this.

She meets my eyes in the mirror and pulls back her shoulders, like she does when someone accuses her of something. “You look beautiful, Rosey. You always do. A smile would complete the picture.” It’s an accusation in disguise: Why aren’t you excited that you’ve landed a man like Frank Goad? You’re going to have a charmed life. It’s good for your whole family.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >99

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An American in London Read Online Louise Bay http://www.wownovels.com/an-american-in-london-read-online-louise-bay Wed, 09 Jul 2025 19:15:05 +0000 http://www.wownovels.com/an-american-in-london-read-online-louise-bay Genre: Alpha Male, Billionaire, Chick Lit, Contemporary Authors: Louise Bay Advertisement

Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92411 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >97

For a people-pleasing New Yorker and a disagreeable (if seriously hot) Brit, it’s love at fourth sight in a funny and emotional romantic comedy by a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author.

Tuesday Reynolds’s dreamy life in Manhattan has gone belly-up. Ditched by her college sweetheart and with her Wall Street banking job at risk, she’s off to London to prove herself to a new CEO. Plans change when Tuesday meets Ben Kelley, a wealthy, scowly, and movie-star-handsome stranger. He’s just missing one thing to make his professional dreams come true.

What does Ben need? Oh, just a fake fiancée to impress a duke and duchess. What’s in it for Tuesday? Enough money to put a down payment on an apartment back in New York, a new wardrobe, and a weekend in the country at the stately home of the duke and duchess. The Bridgerton vibes are absolutely off the charts.

Everything between Ben and Tuesday is completely professional, until the rehearsals for their weekend romance start to feel…almost authentic.

It’s official. Tuesday’s life has been hijacked by a rom-com scriptwriter. But the best love stories aren’t the ones on the big screen. Maybe they’re the real ones that sneak up on you when you least expect it

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Chapter One

For the last ten years, I’ve been living a life in Manhattan most people can only dream about. Cool apartment on the Upper East Side? Check. Soaring career at a bank on Wall Street? Check. Handsome boyfriend who proposed with his grandmother’s ring? Check and mate.

In the last week, things have changed.

I’ve been thrown out of my home. The bank announced a merger, which means my job is on the line. And my fiancé ran off to Iowa with a ballerina named Fifi.

But there are still things to be positive about.

The bank has sent me to London to “demonstrate my talent” for the new CEO and to get myself on the new management fast-track program. At least it won’t put a strain on my nonexistent relationship.

Then there’s the fact I’m in London. That’s London, England. It’s my first trip abroad, and I’m not half-assing it with a long weekend in Cabo. I’m across an ocean. On a different continent from Jed and Fifi. That’s gotta count as a win.

I’m prepared for the unexpected—it’s on my travel checklist just below remember passport—but even the most fastidious planner wouldn’t have anticipated checking into her London hotel and finding herself surrounded by . . . women. Not that I expected not to see women. I’d just subconsciously anticipated seeing members of both sexes, like I normally do. There isn’t a man to be seen.

Instead, there are all kinds of women—blond and brunette, short and tall, thin and curvy. All smiling almost giddily at each other, chatting away conspiratorially and laughing like they’ve each had a cocktail, even though it’s only just past noon. Not that I’m judging. New York brunches are nothing without a mimosa.

I slide my passport onto the check-in desk and pull my eyes away from four women by the door, all my age, huddled together over a map.

“Good afternoon. Is it a business or personal trip?” the neat blond woman behind the desk asks.

“Business,” I reply, half wondering whether I missed something when I checked the hotel’s website after the bank’s travel department booked me in here. I file through the likely explanations in my head: It’s an all-women hotel, ensuring women feel safe when traveling; a bachelorette party has taken over the entire hotel; a huge, women-only birthday party has spilled out into the lobby. I crane my neck to see whether any of the other receptionists are men.

“Are you working the convention?” The receptionist’s eyes are dancing, and her smile is wide and genuine. She looks positively giddy herself.

“Er, what convention?”

She reaches forward and tugs at something on the desk. In front of me, she sets down a ten-inch-high cardboard cutout of Daniel De Luca—a man, at last, and one I’m very familiar with. “The Daniel De Luca convention, of course! It’s our third year.”

“Daniel De Luca?” I ask, like I don’t know she means the British movie star famed for his Hollywood romantic comedies. He’s underestimated as an actor, in my opinion. His finest work was in the thriller Watching Me. He was robbed of the Oscar nomination. “There’s a convention?”

“DDL Con. You didn’t know?” She looks at me like she’s just awarded me a big check I wasn’t expecting. “Yes, there’s a five-day and a seven-day package,” she says. “If you have time outside of work, you should sign up. It starts tomorrow, so you haven’t missed anything.”

A loud rattling sound behind me catches my attention, and I snap my head around to see a short woman in a polka-dot sundress just like the one Mary McDorney wore in Every Day when she and Daniel De Luca went to a polo match together. The woman is pulling up a retractable banner, but she’s having trouble securing it. At first glance, it looks like she’s trying to dry hump an overly large picture of Daniel De Luca’s face.

Not exactly what I expected from London, but international travel is supposed to broaden the mind.

I turn back to the receptionist. “I’m not sure I’ll have time, but thank you.”

I’ve flown over on a Saturday to give myself time to recover from jet lag and settle in before the start of my five-week stint as the bank’s new project manager, working directly with the CEO. I’m planning to find a great coffee shop, figure out how long the journey to work is likely to take, and get to grips with the public transportation system; I’ve got a list of all the things I need to do tomorrow before I show up at the bank on Monday. I want to be prepared—I can’t lose my boyfriend and my job at the same time. My life would veer into pathetic territory, and I’m not going to let that happen.

“Oh. Poor you.” The receptionist tips her head and pushes her bottom lip out, like missing the convention is the worst thing that could happen to a woman like me.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >97

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Love Fast (Colorado Club Billionaires #1) Read Online Louise Bay http://www.wownovels.com/love-fast-colorado-club-billionaires-1-read-online-louise-bay Wed, 04 Jun 2025 21:18:51 +0000 http://www.wownovels.com/love-fast-colorado-club-billionaires-1-read-online-louise-bay Genre: Alpha Male, Billionaire, Contemporary Authors: Louise Bay Series: Colorado Club Billionaires Series by Louise Bay
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Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 95164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >99

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The Hero plus Vegas equals No Regrets Read Online Louise Bay http://www.wownovels.com/the-hero-plus-vegas-equals-no-regrets-read-online-louise-bay Wed, 12 Feb 2025 07:22:32 +0000 https://www.wownovels.com/the-hero-plus-vegas-equals-no-regrets-read-online-louise-bay Genre: Alpha Male, Billionaire, Contemporary, Drama, Erotic, Insta-Love Authors: Louise Bay Advertisement

Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 84000 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >86

From USA Today bestselling author Louise Bay, comes a new secret marriage, billionaire standalone romance featuring your favorite New York billionaire crew. This is a he falls first, unlikely pairing, Vegas Wedding, that brings all the heat and witty banter you'll love!

Loyal, hardworking, and trustworthy, I’m used to putting everyone’s needs before my own. I’m the ultimate good guy. But when Sophia Jones walks into my life, everything changes. Beautiful, guarded, and completely off-limits, she’s all I can see. Even though she’s being set up with one of my best friends, I want her for myself.

I try to fight my feelings but soon realize it’s futile. Thrown together at our friends’ wedding in Vegas, the more I spend time with her, the greedier I am for longer.

Vegas has a way of turning rules upside down, and one night changes everything. Between stolen glances and secret moments, I do the unthinkable—I ask her to marry me. Maybe it’s the drinks. Maybe it’s the city. Or maybe it’s because she feels the same connection I do, but she says yes.

Sophia’s hiding something—I can see it in her eyes—but it doesn’t matter. She’s mine now. And I’ll do whatever it takes to convince her this isn’t just a mistake. This is the beginning of forever.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

ONE

Worth

A New York brunch can be just brunch—a get-together with friends to carb off a hangover or go through the Sunday papers. But today isn’t just brunch. I can tell by the way Leo—one of my five best friends—is nervously fingering his collar. And by the way his new fiancée, Jules, is shifting her weight from hip to hip.

In fairness, the stakes are high today. We—Leo’s friends-slash-brothers in all but blood—will be meeting Jules’ best friend for the first time. It’s going to be fine. I’m sure of it. But the happy couple wants it to be more than fine.

“What do you think, Worth?” Jules asks. “Is it too obvious to put Fisher next to Sophia?”

I glance between Jules and Efa, the only two women in the room. “Obvious how?” I ask, picking my words carefully. I’m not sure exactly what should be obvious.

“That we’re setting them up,” Efa says, thwacking me on the arm as she leans forward on the table.

“I think it’s fine with Worth on the other side of her,” Jules says, answering her own question. “Like, she’s not going to think we’re setting her up with Worth and Fisher.”

I push my hands through my hair, trying to think what to make of that statement, when there’s a rush of noise by the door.

I glance around to see… the top of a woman’s head. She has long blonde hair that reaches the floor as she bends over to pull off a heel and toss it on the ground.

“I have to take these shoes off. They’re not made for walking. I was trying to be ladylike and refined, but you can take the girl out of Cincinnati⁠—”

She straightens and we lock eyes. She’s beautiful. Her blonde hair is lighter at the front, like she’s spent the entire summer outside. And I can’t tear my gaze from her mouth—dusky-pink lips that form an almost-perfect circle as she stares back at me. I trace a line around the edge of her lips in my mind. A smattering of freckles kiss the bridge of her nose, and her hair is long and loose. I have to fight a full-body shudder at the thought of how it would feel against my skin.

Jesus, I want to stalk right over to her, back her up against the wall, and kiss her into Wednesday of next week. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt such a visceral, primal urge to be close to a woman in my life.

In fact, visceral, primal urges aren’t the norm for me at all. That’s exactly what makes me good in a crisis. I’m a cool head. A logical thinker. I don’t make rash decisions.

I don’t get the sudden urge to possess a woman. Not until today.

I’m vaguely aware of chatter behind me as the woman and I stare at each other like we’re sharing the exact same thoughts. All of a sudden, Efa pulls the beauty into a hug, effectively breaking our eye contact and bringing me back to the moment.

“Worth!” Jules practically bellows. “Meet my best friend in the entire world, Sophia.” She turns to Sophia. “I’m sitting you next to Worth, because honestly, he’s the best man in the world after Leo⁠—”

“Hey,” Efa calls from across the room. “What about Bennett?”

“You didn’t let me finish my sentence. Whoever said the British are polite never met you!”

Efa and Jules dissolve into laughter, and Sophia’s eyes grow wide. She glances over at me, confused. I want to go to her, assure her that Efa and Jules are joking and there’s nothing to be concerned about, but before I put one foot in front of the other, she starts toward me.

“Hi,” she says, her smile blinding like I’m looking at the sun or something. She seems to be surrounded by lightness, like she’s glowing. I hear Bryan Ferry in the background, singing about being a slave to love—or am I imagining it? I need to snap the fuck out of whatever this is or I’m going to start seeing bluebirds lifting her napkin into her lap and squirrels pulling out her chair.

“Hey,” I say. Normally I’d hug anyone introduced to me by Efa or Jules, but I can’t risk touching Sophia. Instead, I hold out my hand, like I’m in a fucking boardroom.

I’m an idiot.

A fucking idiot.

Surprisingly, her smile widens, like offering to shake her hand is even better than scoring the winning touchdown at the Super Bowl. We stare at each other for a beat, oblivious to what’s going on around us. I’m vaguely aware of more people at the door and the clinking of glasses, but I have no desire to move out of the bubble I find myself in—we’ve found ourselves in.

Sophia slides her hand into mine and a small gasp escapes her lips. A growl reverberates in my chest. Her hand feels so soft, so tiny, so… mine, it’s difficult to describe.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >86

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The Player plus The Pact equals I Do Read Online Louise Bay http://www.wownovels.com/the-player-plus-the-pact-equals-i-do-read-online-louise-bay Mon, 21 Oct 2024 11:26:32 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/the-player-plus-the-pact-equals-i-do-read-online-louise-bay Genre: Alpha Male, Billionaire, Contemporary, Erotic Authors: Louise Bay Advertisement

Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 84676 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >88

I hate my boss. Like, loathe him. Two years ago, he semi-broke my heart and he still doesn’t remember who I am. Okay so I was covered in electric blue body paint, and wearing a wig, but is that a good excuse to not remember the girl you said was your destiny?

Now I’m stuck working for the jerk because only he can give me the job I really want—manager of his hotel.

When he needs a fake fiancé for business reasons, there’s an easy solution—blackmail. He has to give me a trial run as hotel manager in return for wearing his ring.

It’s a perfect plan until he remembers when we first met.

Things suddenly shift and now he’s looking at me with eyes that see straight through to the real me, touching me with hands that make me weak and kissing me with a mouth that threatens to do things to me they don’t even talk about in movies.

There’s just one wrinkle. I don’t trust him not to break my heart again.

A standalone marriage pact romance from USA Today bestselling author Louise Bay.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

PROLOGUE

Jules

When I’m on my deathbed, I wonder if I’ll look back on tonight as the most embarrassing night of my life. Turning up in costume to a party that your best friend-slash-roommate told you was a costume party shouldn’t be embarrassing. In fact, if this actually had been a costume party, I’m pretty sure I would have gotten a medal, or at least been crowned queen.

Because I’ve gone all out.

All. Out.

Sadly, this party is just a regular party and I’m the only one in a costume.

It isn’t slightly embarrassing. Unlike my roommate, I can’t take off my top hat and jacket and voila, I’m no longer a ringmaster from the circus, just someone who’s a little overdressed. Nope, that honor goes to Sophia. And I’m not in a costume that at least makes me look hot, a la Bridget Jones dressed up as a Playboy bunny. Nope. I’m dressed as Mystique from the X-Men. Not the hot-as-fuck movie Mystique, either. I’m the comic-book version: less hot but more authentic.

With my long white dress—slits to my thighs on either side, of course—long white gloves and a circle of small skulls as my belt, I might have been able to get away with, “This isn’t a costume, I’m just an eccentric dresser,” but I’m blue. Blue and overly proud of my belt. I made it myself. In a city where you can find almost anything, four-inch skulls proved difficult. But as the saying goes, Ask and you shall receive. Especially when you ask the Internet. Specifically, www.skullsdirect.co.uk. I had to get the goddamn things shipped from the UK, but my skull belt does not disappoint.

All to say, I’m not just embarrassed—I’m pissed. So much of my effort has gone to waste. New York isn’t really a costume party place. In fact, this was supposed to be my first-ever adult costume party and call me pathetic, but I’ve been excited.

If it wasn’t for Sophia, I would have fled as soon as I realized it wasn’t a costume party. But she’s here to accidently bump into a guy she works with, who she’s convinced is the love of her life, so I have to stick around. I stand on my tiptoes to see if she’s heading back with our drinks or if I’ve been abandoned.

She owes me for this.

“You thought this was a fancy dress party?” a male British voice says from behind me.

I spin around and have to tilt back my head to see his face. The guy in front of me looks like he just woke up. His hair is a mess of disobedient brown curls that fall over his eyes. He’s got a sexy smile that makes me feel like we’re both in on a joke.

“Fancy what?” I ask.

He nods at me. “You’re dressed as Mystique. Comic-book Mystique though. I like the belt. Very authentic.”

I bite back a smile, but I’m secretly impressed that he knows who I’m supposed to be. “Comic-book nerd, huh?”

He shrugs. “I had a minor Mystique obsession when I was younger.”

I sigh. “Me too.”

“You’re the first girl I’ve met who’s into comics.”

“Woman. I’m the first woman you’ve ever met. And anyway, I’m not. Not anymore.” My dad left a few comics behind when he bailed on us for the last time. When I found them, I stashed them under my bed and pulled them out occasionally. Mystique was the only character who stuck in my brain. She was hot and fierce and powerful and everything I wanted to feel when I read those comics, wondering if my dad realized he’d left them behind. If he cared as little for those colorful stories as he did for me. “Are you one of those guys who spends all his disposable income tracking down and finding rare editions?”

He grins at me and there’s a corresponding clunk in my chest, like his smile just unbolted something in me. “I’m not. Although that sounds like fun.” Our gazes lock and I exhale, feeling a little more relaxed than I have since our arrival.

“If this had been a costume party, what would you have come as?” I ask him.

“Ahhh, good question.” His gaze doesn’t leave mine and it takes everything I have not to shiver. “Maybe Wolverine? He and Mystique were friends for a while, weren’t they?”

Friends for a while? What does that mean? I shrug. “I can’t remember,” I say. But I know Wolverine and Mystique weren’t friends. Not in any of the comics my dad left. Mystique didn’t have any friends in the comics I had.

“Maybe Batman,” he says. “I can see some crossover potential.” He grins, and I focus on his teeth and how perfectly white and straight they are. His lips look pillowy soft. A Batman mask would frame his mouth beautifully.

Before I can stop it, a small laugh escapes. “Crossover potential?” I ask.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >88

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The Boss plus The Maid equals Chemistry Read Online Louise Bay http://www.wownovels.com/the-boss-plus-the-maid-equals-chemistry-read-online-louise-bay Sat, 31 Aug 2024 08:14:39 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/the-boss-plus-the-maid-equals-chemistry-read-online-louise-bay Genre: Alpha Male, BDSM, Billionaire, Contemporary, Erotic, Suspense Authors: Louise Bay Advertisement

Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 77354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >79

A brand new enemies to lovers age gap steamy standalone romance. A grumpy, reclusive New York billionaire meets his match in the maid who makes his bed (in more ways than one).
When an older guy with a dirty grin and an expensive suit flirts with me from the next barstool, I don’t realize I’m about to have a one-night stand with the man I desperately want to work for.
After a night that leaves my world (and body) shaken, I start my summer job housekeeping in a five-star hotel even though I’m determined to kickstart my career in tech. As I dust and polish the Park Suite, in walks Mr. Dirty Grin—now with an icy glare.
Why is the man from last night who was so charming (and good with his tongue) so furious this morning? As I piece together the puzzle, I discover the guest in the Park Suite is none other than Ben Fort, the reclusive tech mogul I want to work for.
Ben has kept his identity hidden for years and he wants to know how I figured him out overnight.
As he questions me, I don’t waste time telling him he’s a (super-hot) grump who needs to lighten up—and give me a job.
I don’t want to sleep my way to the top, and he doesn’t trust me. But neither of us can resist the sizzling sparks that fly every time I fluff his pillows.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

ONE

Bennett

Some people might call me paranoid. I prefer terms like careful. Private. Discreet.

“Anyone ever tell you, you’re fucking paranoid?” Leo asks as he crashes into the main living area of my hotel suite. Apparently some people includes one of my closest friends.

“Help yourself to a drink.” I nod toward the bar and snap my laptop closed. It’s nearly eight. Leo’s always early. Byron’s always late, though he’s not coming at all tonight. The rest of them are pretty on time.

“Did you fire the whole staff?” he asks. “Are you so paranoid that it’s only you living at this hotel now?” He pulls out a beer from the fridge.

“You’re too good to get your own beer?” I ask.

He shrugs and prizes off the bottle top. “You want to tell me why you moved into your own hotel? Why we can’t go out to a bar?”

“Things are… difficult for me at the moment.”

Leo might think a drink in a bar or even a private members club would be more enjoyable, but I can’t take the risk. I’ve got way too much to lose.

“Have you thought about wearing a mask out in public?” he asks.

I narrow my eyes, trying to assess whether he’s serious. “Like… Batman?”

He pauses, tosses the bottle opener onto the counter and heads toward me. “I think the little ears on top might be a step too far. Plus, people might expect you to fight crime and shit. But you could wear a Covid mask. Pretend you’re at risk or something.”

The door opens again and Jack and Fisher appear, closely followed by Worth. I look at my watch. It’s exactly eight.

Fisher heads over and we exchange a hug. Fisher is a big smiler and a big hugger. It probably means we all hug more than we would have without him in the group. But despite his affability on the surface, he’s razor sharp and takes no prisoners. The phrase “wolf in sheep’s clothing” was invented for him. Maybe it’s because he’s British, but I’m always surprised when I hear of his ruthlessness. As much as I love him, I wouldn’t want to sit across from him at a boardroom table.

“You okay, bud?” he asks, looking me in the eye.

The last few days have been tricky. Fisher’s the first one I called.

“Did we agree that it’s okay to actually live in the hotel?” Jack asks. “Doesn’t that give you an unfair advantage or something?”

I push my hands through my hair. Sometimes I feel like the dad of the group. Other times I feel like the dartboard, and they’re all taking aim. It’s gonna be a long night. “I don’t need an advantage. This hotel has outperformed all your hotels for the last three years. Three years when I didn’t live here.”

Each of us own a hotel, bought with a very small portion of the proceeds from the sale of a jointly held company we set up in business school. It was a way of keeping us connected while encouraging the healthy competition we all crave. It’s an ongoing, friendly-slash-brutal contest that also makes us a little money.

Fisher eyes the whisky bottle and ice bucket on the table in front of me, then grabs a lowball from the bar. That’s the thing with Fisher—you can’t ever tell in advance what he’s going to drink. I swear it’s a metaphor for his personality.

“Maybe I’ll live in my hotel,” Leo says. His British accent always seems to get more pronounced when he’s agitated.

There are two Brits and four Americans among us. As far as I’m concerned, the British are over-represented. Didn’t we throw them out already?

“You’d get evicted,” Fisher says. “Too many guest complaints about weird sex noises.”

Leo grins. “What can I say? I make women scream in the bedroom.” He doesn’t mind his reputation as a total man-whore. Leo is the opposite of me in so many ways: a regular feature in the gossip columns, careless, indiscreet. There’s no stiff upper lip as far as Leo is concerned.

“Yup, when they see the tiny dick they’re going to have to deal with,” Worth says as he hits the couch with his beer. Worth is a man of few words, but every single one of them is on point.

I aim the TV controller at the wall in front of me and flip to ESPN. We won’t actually watch much of whatever’s on. Monday night catch-ups started because Jack suggested watching Monday Night Football together. But our weekly get-togethers have never been about sports. It’s just an excuse to get together with five people we trust. No one tells you that the richer you get, the lonelier you get. I’ve always known it, because I saw it with my mom—surrounded by people, but they all wanted something from her: a slice of her fame, a cut of her wealth, one or two of her connections. It even extended to me—kids at school wanting to be my friend in the hopes they’d catch a glimpse of, or exchange a few words with, a movie star.

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