Capturing the Billionaire's Heart

James

Old man James the first was livid. His bulbous nose turned firehose red, reminding me of Rudolf the red nose reindeer. He slapped his hand on the living room table, so the coffee cups rattled dangerously.

We were in our private dining room in the Barrington mansion, Westwood. I was summoned to appear. Not that I wanted to be there.

"I've had it with you, James. Had it." He shook the paper he had in his other fist. "What were you thinking? A bar fight! Again."

I shrugged. So what? The guy deserved the black eye he received. He was moving in on my territory. And my, was she fine...

"The tabloids are having a field day with your escapades." My father, James the second had to throw his five cents in. He read the headlines out loud. "Billionaire playboy picked up by local police for drunk and disorderly." He scowled at me while reading through gritted teeth. "Will Billionaire James Barrington the third ever grow up." He showed me the photos.

I smirked. That was one hell of a party.

Grandfather stood up to his full five feet four inches height – I was over six feet. He pulled me down by my leather jacket, until our faces met. "What do you have to say for yourself, young whippersnapper?"

"What the fuck is a whippersnapper?" I asked, I really had no idea. I wasn't being snippy.

I thought the old man was getting a stroke. His face turned puce, a horrible color. Flecks of spit appeared on his lips.

"You... you... I understand now why some mammals eat their young." He spat at me. He released me to fall back into his chair, wheezing for breath.

Father brought him a glass of water. His scowl turning darker.

"James, show some respect!" he patted the old man on his back. "You have gone far enough. It's time for you to take responsibility. Time to pull your weight."

"And by that you mean?" I actually know exactly what he meant. They've been after me for months, trying to get me to take interest in the company. I'm not completely uninterested, I do go into the office from time to time. But why waste my life sitting in a boring office when everything is going smoothly? With or without me, the company is doing great.

"Your reputation is doing great damage to the Barrington name and to our company." Father straightened his tie. I imagined that was what he wished he could do to me. Straighten me out.

I leaned against the table, folding my arms, waiting for the lecture I knew was coming. I've heard it so many times I could actually quote them verbatim.

"It's time for you to get married. Stop your mucking about." Grandfather wheezed. He reached for his inhaler in his pocket.

"Say what now?" This was unexpected.

"Sit down." My father said, and for the first time in my twenty-six years I obeyed like a puppy. I was shocked to the core.

"You know Richard Davenport?" Father asked, knowing full well I knew the Davenports having gone to private school with their children.

Can't say we have a loving relationship. They were very snobbish.

"Yeah? So?"

"We've set up a date for you with their eldest daughter, Macy Davenport. She would be a good match for you." Grandfather smirked at me. The old man looked delighted with their plans.

"A good match as in you want us to get married?" I asked calmly, but inside the rebel in me was getting ready to explode.

My father who knew me better tried to reason with me. "Just go on the date, James. What have you got to lose?"

Only my freedom.

"She's an attractive girl. Very respectable. She'll be good for your image." The old man's blue eyes looked me up and down and the grim look on his face told me he wasn't pleased with what he saw.

I was clad in a leather; my brown hair was long, and I hadn't shaved in a few days. Not 'respectable' at all, according to the Barrington's.

"Not my type." Putting it mildly. I remember Macy. Blonde, blue-eyed, but oh so shallow. She cared more about her appearance than anything. "No way in hell."

"You haven't seen her in what? Ten years." James the second tried again. He was getting agitated, pulling at his perfect dark hair.

I shook my head. "I don't care. You can't force me to marry a girl I don't know or care for. In fact, you can't force me to marry anyone! For fucks sake this is not the Middle Ages." I was no longer calm. These were the times I wished my mother was still alive. She would have given them hell.

I got up to leave but Father stopped me. "Do you know our shares have dropped? You would have if you spent more time in your office."

"I don't see what that has to do with me?" I didn't want to spend one second more with them. I needed to get on my bike and get the fuck away from them.

"Idiot! Every time you do something stupid it reflects badly on the company. Now either you get your shit together, or I will disinherit you. Not only disinherit but cut you off completely. You will find yourself on the streets, young man." Old man James yelled at me. He clutched at his heart. I found myself wondering if he even had one.

Father reached for me, "Be reasonable, James. Do you really want to throw your inheritance away because of your stubbornness?" He took off his glasses to glare at me with his light blue eyes.

Of course not. I wanted them to see me, not as a clone of them, but as me, James Barrington, Jimmy to my friends. Through all the years I have been nothing but James Barrington the third, heir to the Barrington Billions. I had to dress like them, walk and talk like them, expected to fit the mold. But I am not like my father. I am my own person.

I was still trying to figure out my life and what I wanted to do with it. Without them pushing me into a mold of who they wanted me to be. But I needed their money. Sad but true. So, they wanted me to get married and change my ways? Fine. But I will do it on my own terms.

I took out a cigarette to light it.

"Don't smoke in the house." Grandfather snapped back at me. Another thing he loathed about me.

I put it behind my ear. "I will compromise." I told them.

My father frowned. "Compromise? James, this had better not be one of your schemes."

Grandfather huffed through his nose, turning his head away in disgust. The old man hated me that's for sure.

Leaning forward with my hands on my table I looked the old man straight in the eyes. "Fine. I'll get married. But not to Macy Davenport. I'll find my own damn wife, thank you."

Grandfather laughed in my face. "Yeah? And who are you going to propose to? Some whore you picked up at a bar? One of your gold digger 'girlfriends'?"

"Dad, let's hear what James has to say, please." Father said. It amazed me that he would come to my defense in some way. That was new.

The old man raised a gnarled hand to let me continue.

"I have someone in mind." I lied through my teeth. So help me, I will find a girl who has no idea who I am and I will convince her to marry me. Even if it takes me a while, granted my face has been plastered all over the tabloids and social media. I don't want to marry some gold digger like my grandfather suggested. They were a dime a dozen. I needed to find a girl with no status. Someone so ordinary just to spite the James's.

"Oh really?" Grandfather didn't believe me. "Well, young man, you have three weeks, and I am being very lenient to you. One week to present your lady to us and two weeks to arrange your marriage. If you don't deliver... You know the rest."

"Fine." I stood up straight, adjusting my leather jacket. Father gave me a warning look.

"James, stay out of trouble." He said, walking me out. "And make an appearance at the office, for God's sake."

"I'll try my best," I told him, smirking. Trouble has a way of finding me. I put on my helmet and started my black and gold Hayabusa. It purred like a kitten.

My father shook his head. Another thing the Barrington's disapproved of. I revved the engine and sped off down the long driveway.

DESTINY

I was so late. So late. I hyperventilated. Everything was just wrong today. My boss was going to fire me. My alarm didn't go off, I forgot to charge my phone. Now I couldn't get my damn car started.

"C'mon Susy, don't let me down!" The starter whined again and after the third try my old beat-up 76' Beatle gave a cough and revved into life. "Yes!"

Slowly I pressed down on the accelerator. Susy didn't take kindly to being rushed. Praying fervently for my luck to change – please don't let Ken fire me today – I steered Suzy down the gravel road. I needed this job otherwise I was going to be out on the streets. The trailer park was all I could afford with what little money I had.

I've worked for Ken at the convenience store for six months now. He was a real piece of work, and I hated the way he looked at my boobs when he thought I didn't notice. At least he hasn't tried anything. Yet.

Shit! I never even brushed my hair this morning, I realized when I looked in my rearview. My pink hair looked like a rat's nest. I reached for the glove compartment. There had to be a brush in there somewhere. With one hand on the steering wheel, I scratched around for my brush my foot pressing hard on the accelerator. Susy launched herself onto the tar road.

Damn this brush! It was tangled up in my charger cable. Trying to disentangle the brush I didn't notice the approaching stop sign.

The next thing there was a bone-crushing crunch. My face hit the dashboard with a force as Susy came to a lurching stop and died.

"Oww! My head!" What happened? Did I hit something? My head hurt so badly. I could hardly open my eyes. Everything was hazy. Something dripped onto my jeans. Blood! I felt my face. The blood streamed out of my nose.

The driver's door flew open, and I stared into a furious looking face.

"Are you fucking blind?!" the man shouted. He looked wild and dangerous. His hair was long and wild, and he held a motorbike helmet in his hand.

I pinched my nose on the bridge to stop the bleeding.

"Do! I see you perfebly." I said through my swollen nose.

He frowned. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, more concerned about my poor Susy. Could this day get any worse? I got out to assess the damage. This was bad and it wasn't even Friday the thirteenth yet.

"Did you hit me?" I asked.

"Hit you?! You ran the stop, you fucking idiot!" he threw the helmet on the ground. "Just look at my bike!" he ranted.

I walked around Susy. I gasped in horror.

"Oh, shit!" The bike's front was firmly wedged into Susy's passenger door. My poor car! I grabbed my head. This was possibly the worst day of my life. Not only was I getting fired for sure, but this guy was also probably going to assault me. He was livid.

"I'm really, really sorry. I didn't see you." I tried to explain. "I'm late for work and..."

"Look lady, I don't give a shit about your personal problems." He stalked towards me, and I retreated a few steps to get away from him. I noticed his black leather pants were torn. He was hurt. Luckily, he didn't break any bones, judging from the way he was moving. There was blood on his temple as well.

"You're hurt." I said, pointing at his leg.

"No shit! Do you know who I am?" he snarled back at me.

Oh, no! This was worse than I thought. He couldn't remember his name. He would probably sue me for medical expenses as well. Not that I have a single penny on my name.

I went over to him and placed my hands on his shoulders. "Please, sit down, Mister. I'm sure your memory will return as soon as you get over the shock." I tried to press down on him to make him sit. I have no idea about first aid, but I was sure he needed to sit down. "If you have a phone, I could call an ambulance." I offered.

"You're insane! I know who I am, you fool!" He slapped my hands away from him.

"Oh." My face heated up like the fourth of July. It was a legitimate mistake though.

"I need your license and registration papers." He said through tight lips.

"I don't have a license." I felt like crying. Now he is going to have me locked up. I can't go to jail. "Please, please don't call the police." It was my father's car and the only thing I have left of my parents. He taught me how to drive, but we never had money to apply for a driver's license for me.

He stared at me like I grew an extra head or something. I knew I must look a sight, maybe slightly crazy even. I couldn't help it, maybe it was the shock or seeing my Susy in the state she was in and knowing I would be out on the streets. I didn't even have a cardboard box. I started wailing. Snot and blood and tears streamed down my face.

"Oh, Jesus! Stop crying, Lady." He approached me, bending down a little, because he was so tall.

The more I tried to stop, the more I sobbed. The man threw his arms in the air.

"Can you just stop your crying for a minute! Fuck!"

That made me wail even harder. He was so mean. I needed a tissue.

"We'll work something out. Just stop your incessant crying." He took off his leatherjacket. I noticed he wore a black T-shirt with a popular band's logo on it. My eyes nearly popped out of my skull when he whipped the shirt over his head and gave it to me.

That stopped me crying. He was incredibly well-built and covered in tattoos. With the T-shirt in my hand, I stared at him, not knowing what he wanted.

"Wipe your face, for goodness's sake. You look like a train wreck." He said, putting his jacket back on. He left it open.

I couldn't do that. I had some toilet paper in Susy's glove compartment. We had a communal toilet at the trailer park. I walked to my wrecked car.

"Where the hell are you going?" Mean guy asked, stalking after me.

"Getting toilet paper to blow my nose. Okay?" I don't know why I was holding onto his T-shirt. "I won't drive away, if that is what you're worried about."

He snorted. "I'd give you a thousand pounds if you were able to drive this rust bucket away from here."

Huh! Well, I could give it a go. My Susy was a legend. She was also made of steel, not the plastic most modern cars were made of. I could do with a thousand pounds.

I blew my nose and wiped my face as best I could. I even found my hairbrush and pulled it through my knotted hair.

"Will you be able to take your motorbike out of my Susy's door?" I asked politely.

"Susy?" he shook his head, glaring at me. He mumbled something I didn't quite catch. He bent down, looking at the damage. His bike's front wheel was pushed back badly. Bits of his fender lay on the road. He swore under his breath, words I would never repeat.

"I could take you back home, maybe get someone with a truck to load your bike." I suggested softly. I didn't want to anger him further. It was the least I could do.

"Lady, are you out of your mind? Have you any idea how much this is going to cost?" he stood up, wheeling around to face me.

I leaned against Susy to keep myself from sinking to my knees. He was scary when his blue eyes flashed like that.

"No." I said, my voice sounding small. "I-I don't have any money."

He snorted again, looking me up and down.

"Do you really not know who I am?" he asked again.

Why would I know who he was? He never introduced himself to me. I shrugged.

"No, do you sing in a band?" I thought of the T-shirt I was still crushing in my hands. Not that I went on social media or even the internet for that matter. I only used my phone to make calls.

"Do you live under a rock or what?" The way he asked that made me feel so small.

"No, of course not." I felt my face heat up even more. "I live in the trailer park down the road."

He sank down onto the tar road next to his bike, shaking with laughter. I didn't get the joke though.

"What's your name, by the way?" He looked up at me. I was struck by how handsome he looked when he was smiling.

"Destiny." I said.

JAMES

Her name was Destiny. I couldn't stop laughing. Be careful what you wished for, James old boy, you just might get it.

"What's so funny? What's your name anyway? Maybe I'll find that something to laugh at." She said, pouting.

I guess she wasn't all that bad looking, pink hair and all. She had a nose ring which surprised me somewhat. I supposed she could clean up nicely.

"James." I didn't add Barrington the third, not that I thought it would matter to her anyway. I got up and gave her my hand to shake. "Pleased to meet you, Destiny."

"Well, nothing weird about your name. So, you're not in a band?" she asked, and I might have imagined it, but she looked a bit disappointed.

I turned around to look at the wreck of my Hayabusa. The old rust bucket of a Beetle didn't have that much damage. Fucking hard piece of metal! I sighed. My leg started to smart. Probably getting infected.

Grabbing the handlebars, I tried prying the bike off the monstrous car.

"Damn it!" It wouldn't budge.

"Let me help you." Destiny offered.

"Hah! What the devil are you going to do?" I glared at her. This was all her damn fault. But she is going to pay for this. There was no going back now. She had no option but to comply with my suggestion which I was forming in my mind.

She walked back to the driver's side. I watched her hips swaying in those tight jeans. I could work with that. I smirked to myself.

I heard the engine sputter, the starter whined like a tortured soul and then the thing started, rings and pistons pinging like crazy. Jeez.

"You pull while I pull away." She shouted over the engine noise. The Beetle – or Susy, as she called it – revved up, gears screeching.

I gritted my teeth. Goddamn woman! Push in the damn clutch! Using all my strength I pulled back on the handlebars while she searched for first gear.

"Okay, let her rip!" I yelled back to her.

The Beetle hopped forward as she accelerated. I pulled. There was a horrible scrunching sound as the bike broke free of the car and the force of it sent me sprawling face down in the tar.

"Sorry!" she yelled. "So sorry."

I pushed myself to a sitting position, spitting out dust and gravel. Yeah, sorry wasn't cutting it, Lady. Dusting myself off, I got up. The bike was heavy, but I had to get it out of the road. I will call a towing truck to collect it and take it to my house in Lake View later.

Calling my father for help was out of the question.

"Are you okay?" Destiny hopped out of the damnable Beetle.

"Just fine." I groaned. My muscles were aching from the strain. I'm fit, I go to gym regularly, but this was torture. I pushed my broken motorcycle into the grass at the side of the road and let it fall. Well, there goes the side fender.

"Can I drop you off somewhere? I really need to get to work, if I still have one."

"About that." I took out my cell phone. "What's your work number and your boss' name?"

She looked at me all funny. She had deep green eyes, I noticed. "Why?"

"Just give it to me, Destiny." I glared back at her. I had no time for arguments. She gave me the number and I called the guy named Ken.

"Yes, Ken I'm calling regarding one of your employees, Destiny."

"Yeah? Destiny Richards. Something happened to her? She's late." Ken sounded worried.

"Yes, she's asked me to tell you that she's resigning as of today." I told him.

"What!" Destiny's mouth dropped open. "What the hell are you doing? James!" she tried to reach for my phone, but I was way taller than her. I turned away from her.

"Resign? Are you sure? Let me speak to her." Ken sounded pissed off.

"I'm sorry, she can't come to the phone right now. She's a bit occupied now. Good day to you." I disconnected the call.

Destiny pummeled my chest with her tiny fists. She started crying again. Angry tears, I suspected.

"What have you done! You're so mean!" she sobbed. "Now I'll have to sleep in Susy, because I'll be homeless."

"Okay, stop this crying and listen to me. Take me to your... home, trailer whatever you call it." I know it was mean of me to do this, but she had it coming.

"What?" she looked at me as if I had just killed a puppy.

I grabbed hold of her arm, pushing her in the direction of the driver's seat. There was no way I was going to drive this piece of junk.

"Home. Yours. Understood?" I got into the back of the Beetle, cringing, there were dirty laundry at the back.

"What are you going to do to me?" she sniffed.

"Are you scared?" Hell, I didn't want to scare her. But here I was, a stranger, forcing her into her own car and demanding she take me to her home. God, she probably thought I was going to murder or rape her or something.

"Y-yes. Are you on drugs? You must know I don't have any, I don't use the stuff and I don't know anyone who sells them at the trailer park." She rambled on.

"No, Destiny. I need a place to rest up. My leg hurts, my head hurts from your noisy crying and I am fucking tired. I don't take drugs and I have no intention to do anything to you." I snapped at her.

"O-Okay..." She turned the Beetle around with a screech of tires on the tar road and I cringed once again. Heaven, help us get to wherever we're going in one piece.

***

She stopped the beaten-up Beetle next to an even worse trailer. This was perfect. I'm sure once she hears my proposal, she won't be able to refuse. Not that I would tell her that I'm a billionaire or stand to inherit the Barrington fortune.

I forced my aching body out of the cramped interior of the car. Destiny dropped the keys on the steps of the trailer. She bent down to retrieve them, her tight ass in the air. Jeez, she had no idea what that does to men.

Eventually, she got the damn door open, and I got my eyes back in their sockets. The inside didn't look as bad as I expected. It was small, but clean. She had a bed on the left side, a tiny kitchen on the right and a sofa with stuffing coming out of it on the edges. A tiny coffee table stood in front of it. I plopped myself down on her bed.

It was like lying on concrete. Damn.

"James?" she stood there wringing her hands.

"What?"

"If you want me to clean your leg up, you'll have to take off your pants." She suggested.

I snorted. "Wow, usually I like being taken out for dinner and a movie before I take my pants off, Sugar."

Her face was priceless. "Oh my God! You're impossible." She sat down hard on the sofa, unsettling a cloud of dust. She started sneezing.

I laughed. "I'm just kidding. I'll be fine. Let's get down to business."

"Business?" she repeated.

"Yeah. You owe me and I have an idea how you can repay me." I grinned at her.

"Look, if you think for one minute I will sleep with you or any other man for payment, you've got another thing coming." She stood up from the sofa, shaking her index finger at me. "I am not a whore. So, you can take your business elsewhere. Take me to court or whatever." She picked up a book from the table, ready to throw it at me.

"Jesus! You think I'm a pimp?" Now it was me gaping at her like an idiot.

She lowered the book. "You're not?"

"No!" Okay, this is not going as I had hoped. "Just listen, Destiny. I need a wife."

"Get out of my trailer. Now!" Up came the book.

I got off the bed, holding my hands out to ward of whatever she was going to throw me with. There were a lot of stuff about.

"Hey, now. Wait, it's not as bad as it sounds. Please, just listen. It could solve all our problems. You wouldn't have to work, have a decent place to stay and after three years you can divorce me and..."

Whap! The book hit me on the side of the head.

"Ouch! Stop it!" I yelled. That fucking hurt! "It won't be a real marriage. We can have legal documents drawn up." I tried again. This time a cushion flew past me.

"What? Why?" She put down the ornament she was about to launch. Thank God.