Chapter 1
“Schedule an appointment to have that thing removed.” Daniel ordered his assistant Gloria to schedule an abortion.
He slept with her unprotected for two weeks. Now a few weeks later, she muttered the two words he hated with every bit of his dark heart.
“I’m pregnant”
He listed his expectations to her from the moment they decided to mix business with occasional pleasure.
He couldn’t have made it any clearer that he hated condoms, and also, didn’t exactly love the idea of kids crying and shitting all over the place. In all seriousness he didn’t understand what was so hard in remembering to take a goddamn pill every morning, or go get a shot every couple of weeks.
Gloria leaned on one of the chairs across from Daniel’s desk. A satisfied smile spread across her face.
“I already made an appointment. Birth control made me gain weight last time I took it. I’d rather kill the kid than work out any harder than I already do.”
Clearly, she was just as nonchalant as he was.
It wasn’t the first time that Daniel paid for an abortion, but it was indeed the first time a woman didn’t give a damn about the consequences.
“Give me a number by the end of the day, I’ll write you a check.” He muttered robotically.
Her smile widened even more, though it seemed physically impossible to stretch one’s cheeks that far apart.
“Insurance doesn’t cover it so just cover the cost and my recovery time off and we’ll call it even.” She tallied, never breaking her smile.
“Done. 10k enough?”
The smile she had plastered like an expensive painting slowly deteriorated.
“20?” He renegotiated.
And just like that her broad smile returned.
Daniel hardly smiled though, not without a strategic plan behind it anyway. He never understood how anyone could just smile for no reason. In this life, after experiencing harsh realities, he discovered that smiling is a sign of weakness, and he intended only the opposite.
Daniel has the most beautiful, yet dangerous eyes you’ve ever seen. His masculine facial features, deliciously defined muscles, broad shoulders, deep voice, and his tall sexy frame could make any girl wet in all the right places.
Magazines painted him as Miami’s Bad boy. That was clearly an understatement. The headlines should read ‘WARNING! Stay away from this one!’, but somehow the term bad boy, drew women toward him, instead of chasing them away.
Daniel didn’t ask, he ordered. He didn’t beg, he took what he wanted, when he wanted it and no one ever tried to stop him. Not in business and certainly not when it came to women.
This man is a shameless Casanova. But despite his anything goes approach, fortunately, he had a few rules.
Never fool around with a married woman.
Never date a virgin.
Never have sex without having the woman thoroughly tested.
Never sleep with one woman for more than 6 weeks; feelings could somehow develop and he had no room for that shit.
Never call first after sex, unless it was an issue unrelated to the deed.
And the most highlighted rule of all-
No fucking babies!
The man was a stone-cold asshole and he didn’t give a f**k. He knew he’d never change and he reveled in his undefeated race to the city of nonchalance.
Daniel didn’t keep many friends; only a handful of people had the pleasure of saying they knew him. Most of these people shared his interests for having casual encounters and nothing more.
However, his best friend Josh was different though, he got married and settled down. But no matter how happy his best friend seemed; Daniel still found the idea of a long-term partner repulsive.
His therapist had told him he was avoiding commitment to ensure he would never be hurt. But he laughed in her face. He didn’t have to avoid it; he told every woman from the start ”I just want to fuck you.” There’s never been or will there ever be a woman he’d fall for. He was convinced of this. So sure, that it increased his arrogance by a trillion.
Daniel’s father Mr. Carlos Jackson created J’Corp when Daniel was only two years old. He used his research to create a software for easy in-flight communication on private planes, commercial planes and war planes etc.
It started out only appealing to private sponsors of the military, but then in less than a year his company evolved into a multi-billion-dollar business. From only creating software, to now broadening the horizons by investing in other areas of technology. Daniel took over 3 years ago.
Daniel’s mother passed away from cancer right before he started high school. She had battled the disease for most of his childhood, but eventually, she couldn’t keep fighting.
There were some holes in his memory when he thought of his mother, but the way she died was still very clear.
She gave up.
Or at least that’s how he saw it.
Maybe losing his mother played a part in his reservations toward women, and the L word he hated more than anything. The man he was now would rather die than say that word to any woman ever again.
It was crazy, no, insane that he felt unquenchable anger toward the woman who gave birth to him.
He begged her not to go, promised he’d be good, he’d get better grades, he’d be a good son, he promised to love her unconditionally and never disobey her ever again.
But did that save her?
All the promises he made and meant more than anything did not keep her in his life.
She still decided to leave.
No matter how much he begged and wished for her to stay. She left his life forever and he never forgave her.
Any woman to cross his path since then had been met with acidic authority and disdain. That was after he got what he wanted from them. After he felt he had punished them thoroughly enough.
Some women got the worst of treatments on the first date, and yet, still kept crawling back.
They would all feel the need to change him, tame him --- but no one ever did.
A rational person would see his mother’s death as just life doing its job of give and take. But he didn’t see it that way. And no one could convince him otherwise.
"Women were going to leave no matter what you do. So never trust them, never open your heart to them, never believe anything they say.” Those words got him through the funeral, high school, college and now that he was in his twenties, he still recited that damn creed in his mind every morning.
____________________
Daniel prides himself on being a control freak - obsessed with staying healthy. A mandatory thorough checkup was scheduled every 6 weeks to ensure nothing went by unnoticed....and the women in his life had no choice but to do the same.
Unlike other CEO’s he had no intention of owning a home. A home represented family, and that’s the last thing he wanted for himself.
Besides, home ownership was a complete waste of money when he had a perfectly good office, a leather sofa bed, and enough money to sleep in the most luxurious hotels when he grew tired of the same routine.
The women who dated him had been seen in the most exotic places. He definitely knew how to pamper a woman when it was convenient and beneficial to him in some way. But there’s a “No Baby” policy agreement that every woman that slept with him had to sign. If she refused to go on birth control before they hooked up, she was prompted to be prepared to have an abortion as soon as possible. There’s a “No disease” clause as well, all medical records must be recent and thorough.
He didn’t give a damn about an NDA. No woman ever got close enough to know anything real about him anyway, so what could any of them possibly tell the media that he didn’t want them to know? What was the worst thing that could be said based on facts?
"Daniel didn’t cuddle after sex?” or “Daniel didn’t call or text after he’s had his fill of me? Daniel doesn’t love anyone but himself.”
He’d laugh at their honesty. He wouldn’t care what they said in the media, his reputation was never acclaimed to be a saint in the first place. Even if someone had ever been stupid enough to admit he had paid for an abortion, they too would be the subject of public scrutiny. After all, it was a mutual decision, he never forced any of them into anything. They wanted him, and knew the price they had to pay had it resulted in pregnancy.
Emotions?
Please, it was a foreign subject. He wielded nonchalance like he ate I don’t give a fuck cereal for breakfast.
Daniel’s office overlooked the ocean. Large clear windows gave him the most relaxing view in all of South Beach. He loved it up there. 60 floors above ground. Everything below looked miniature, like it was all beneath him. This boosted his ego even more.
Looking out, he felt like the master of his own universe. He was in charge of his own destiny, his own life, and for short periods of time, the lives of the women who came in close proximity.
To hell with their sentiments and mushy crap. He was either gonna fuck them or use them as a companion for a function and then it was Adios! No more- no less.
As arrogant as it seemed, he loved his life just the way it was, and had no intentions to change a damn thing.
~~~
“Daniel!” Josh; Daniel’s best friend called from the other side of the door.
Daniel motioned with the flick of his wrist for his assistant to let his friend inside.
Josh stepped into Daniel’s office, and paused midway. He glanced from Gloria, to his friend, and then back to Gloria. It seemed difficult for Josh to form any reaction as his face seemed permanently frozen.
Gloria excused herself and closed the door behind her. Not two seconds later, Josh had a frown on his face and both of his hands raised to rest on his hips.
“Really Dani?” He shook his head as he stepped further into the room. Familiar judgment flashing in his eyes.
“Don’t start. We weren’t doing anything. Today.” Daniel explained before Josh could get his thoughts across. However, he knew a subtle warning, and a pale excuse for an explanation wouldn’t have done the trick. Josh was relentless when he was on to something. He’d been trying for a decade to change his best friend to no avail.
But Josh wasn’t the type to give up easily.
“You need to stop sleeping with your assistants, what’s this the second one in six months?” Josh didn’t even bother to lower his voice.
Daniel only smirked as he continued to stare at the view. He hadn’t even turned to face his friend yet, but he didn’t need to see his friend’s face to know what he was thinking, or what he’d say next.
Josh rolled his eyes and exhaled. Disdain fully evident in the breath he let out.
“Are you trying to set the world record for world’s most perverted boss? Or the world’s shittiest guy for that matter?” Josh scolded as he lowered himself onto one of the visitor’s chairs.
This is the part where Daniel would gloat. He’d bask in the power that he held over every woman he came across. But this time he opted for a response that wouldn’t sound as jerky as his previous ones.
“Obviously she knows it’s just sex.” Okay so it wasn’t exactly a flowery reply. But it was certainly less bitter than his usual ones.
“You never change.” Josh scoffed with no tolerance for the assholery.
Daniel suddenly gave up trying to be gentle about it. This sort of pretense was surely not his cup of tea. He was definitely more of a ‘rip the band aid off’ kind of guy. Why change now?
Daniel finally turned to see his friend.
“Josh, she knows that she means nothing to me. I honestly think she doesn’t care anyway. To be frank; neither do I.” He could’ve stopped there, but he didn’t.
“Besides, why would she turn down the opportunity to fuck me? If anything, she should feel honored to be a part of the reason why my needs have been met…even if it is temporary.” Daniel’s cockiness, arrogance and sarcasm never ceased to either amaze, shock, and or cripple almost everyone who ever heard him speak.
Josh is obviously the softer version of Daniel, with quite the opposite lifestyle. He’s married with 3 children and his wife’s the only woman he’s been with for the past 10 years.
Josh and Dani have been best friends, and a lot like brothers since high school. Though they lived completely different lives, they still looked out for each other no matter what.
“Let’s start over, shall we? We both know you’re aging quicker than I am because you’ve got 3 kids. Let’s not increase those wrinkles on your face.” Daniel joked.
“How’s the family?” Daniel asked after he realized his previous response was a bit harsh.
He sat in his chair, pressing the power button on his laptop.
Josh finally responded. “They’re great, my wife says hello, and we hope to see you at the Black and white party our company is throwing for Charity next weekend.”
Daniel’s eyebrows raised in vast curiosity. “Will there be my kind of girls there? Or is this one of those boring functions with a room full of men and a handful of wives?”
“Speaking of wives, when are you going to settle down with a nice girl, get married and start a family of your own?” Josh asked inquisitively, crossing his arms across his chest. He was sick and tired of Daniel’s behavior. The man was as grey as a rain cloud.
“Read my lips Josh. NEVEEERRRRRRRRR.” Daniel put a great deal of emphasis throughout the entire word.
“Seriously Daniel you are 27 years old, when are you going to start thinking of your future? You can’t expect to be a playboy forever.” Josh hoped his best friend would agree.
“You sound like my dad.” Daniel muttered dryly. He hated lectures and would do anything to avoid them.
“Your dad is a smart man.” Josh seemed confident that he was winning this debate.
Pity, Daniel wasn’t an easy nut to crack. At this point Josh prayed for a miracle. Even a heartbreak would be a welcomed change, at least he’d know his best friend was still capable of feeling...something. Anything.
Just when a ring of hope entered Josh’s eyes, a cloud of dangerous mist settled in the bolts of grey that stretched across Daniel’s irises.
“Women are like clay, and I am the potter. It’s my duty to mold them into whatever I want them to be, and then I can give them to someone else, or simply just set them free. I wasn’t put on this earth to be with one woman. Frankly, I don’t see the point of that insanity. It must be so boring waking up to the same person for decades on end. No offense, Patricia is a beautiful woman, but I’m not built for the hearts and flowers sort of arrangement.” Daniel admitted his dark ways without a care.
Josh’s mouth dropped open immediately.
Of course, he knew his best friend didn’t want a relationship, but he’s never heard him break it down in such grotty detail.
“Whatever Daniel, one day a woman will come along and your annoying charms won’t work on her, then you’ll be sorry you ever wasted half your life living like this.” Josh threatened with much certainty.
Daniel bursts out laughing. ”Hahahahahaaaaa."
“Yea yea yea, laugh it up. Your day is coming soon.” Josh warned but Daniel laughed even harder.
After a few minutes, the laughter died down and Daniel shifted from amused and playful, to serious and business like again.
“All jokes aside. What’s going on Josh? I assume you didn’t come all the way here just to lecture me about my personal life choices. We both know that route is a dead end.” Daniel knotted his fingers on the desk and stared directly at his best friend.
“I just told you why I’m here. I came to invite you to the black and white party next Sunday night. You are in fact a benefactor, so it’s only fitting that I invite you...no matter how much of an asshole you can be.”
It was a losing battle, trying to change a man like Daniel. Josh knew it wouldn’t be easy to get through to him with just words, but he never stopped trying. He’d spent years already trying to change him with zero profit on his efforts. Still, he never thought of giving up.
“Okay. I’ll go if you stop prying into my private life, it’s exhausting to repeat myself over and over.” Daniel bargained with a smirk.
“I can’t believe I still get worked up about you using these poor girls.” Josh rolled his eyes and sent daggers across the desk.
“FYI the women love everything I do to them, it’s mutually satisfying. No complaints on my end or theirs, so stop hating.”
Before Josh could reply, there was a knock on the door.
“Yes, come in” Daniel issued permission and his assistant sauntered in.
She wore a glowing complexion, a bubbly smile and an extra pep in her step. “Sir, I’m so sorry to interrupt you, but there’s a call on line 1.”
"Could she be anymore patent?” Josh sent the question to Daniel telepathically.
Gloria’s smile reached her eyes when she looked at Daniel. Poor girl. She was a lost cause. Like so many others who crumbled like cookie in his hands.
It was clear he didn’t share her enthusiasm or her glow. In fact, he seemed rather annoyed by the interruption.
“Who is it?” He snapped.
“She wouldn’t tell me her name, but she sounded very upset sir.” Gloria informed him, though she still maintained her bubbly smile when she spoke.
“Women are always upset, what’s new? I’ll take the call now, you can go.” He reluctantly agreed. She turned around and left his office.
Daniel leaned back comfortably in his leather chair; loosening his dark tie, and slowly unbuttoned his dark jacket. He left it open so his wrinkle free shirt was on full display.
Daniel glanced up at the ceiling, the expression on his face now was one of utter content.
“Aren’t you going to take the call?” Josh asked.
Daniel broke his gaze with the ceiling and stared at his friend instead.
“You heard what she said right? She said the woman on the line sounds angry. I know you’ve only been with one woman so you might not know this; but never just pick up an angry woman’s phone call without working out a strategy in your head first.” Josh looked as if Daniel spoke a different language.
“I’m serious about this J. Always work out a series of possible questions and the answers to those questions just in case.” Said the shameless playboy expert.
Josh didn’t even have the strength to roll his eyes this time.
After a long time, Daniel finally pressed a button on his work phone, and cleared his throat. “Daniel here.”
Shortly after, a young woman’s voice came screaming through the speakerphone.
“Why haven’t you called me? What do you take me for? I’m not a toy to use and discard for your amusement. You’re such a jerk, I don’t know why I ever slept with you in the first fucking place!” Her voice was so high pitched and dry that Daniel had to stifle a laugh.
“Are you done?” He asked with a straight face and no emotion in his voice.
The woman paused, no doubt double checking to ensure she called the right number.
When she didn’t say anything further, Daniel continued.
“First of all, the next time you call my work phone you had better present yourself with a lot more dignity than that. I have no idea who I’m speaking to, women all sound alike, same high pitched, squeaky, annoying voice. What is it that you want Miss?”
Josh listened uncomfortably.
The woman fell into a pit of silence. Daniel knew she was caught off guard and contemplating her next response carefully.
“Mr. Jackson, this is Genevieve from New York Fashion week. I’m a huh- I worked there.” She eventually gave a poor description of herself in a much calmer tone this time.
Then the bastard said, “Sorry, doesn’t ring a bell.”
Both men could clearly hear her obvious disappointment.
Another minute of uncomfortable silence went by.
“Oh........ I’m sorry, you must meet so many women in a day, I suppose I can’t expect you to remember me from almost two months ago.” She whispered softly, with more than a hint of sadness in her voice.
“Miss Genevieve what can I do for you?” He acted as if he was just meeting her for the first time, and it was standard procedure or something.
“Not-hing sir...” Her voice cracked, but she continued. “I’m sorry to bother you at work.” Her voice was so low that it almost sounded like she was crying.
“Ok, in that case, have a nice day.” He hung up and folded his long fingers below his chin.
Josh took a few seconds to view his best friend’s dangerously handsome face.
“You know exactly who she is don’t you?” Josh asked when he caught his best friend smirking.
“Yup” Daniel replied honestly.
“Then why did you pretend like you didn’t know her.” Josh sounded so confused. He had seen his best friend talk to his share of women before, but never like this.
“Pay attention Joshy, and let me break it down for you. In exactly two minutes, she’s going to call back in a way better mood. The first minute after she hung up, she’s thinking wow, he really doesn’t remember me? What woman wants to hear that a man she had sex with doesn’t remember her? Which means the sex wasn’t that memorable...and the second minute she’s thinking.... how could she possibly redeem herself?” Daniel explained like a real professional in the field.
“So, was it that horrible?” Josh couldn’t resist the temptation. Although deep down he dreaded the answer.
“No, it was quite good actually, she had beautiful perky breasts, nice long legs, and an incredible mouth… if you know what I mean.” Daniel boasted shamelessly.
Then just like he said, the phone rang again.
Daniel pressed the speakerphone button, and Genevieve’s small voice greeted him.
“Hi, it’s me Genevieve again. I’m sorry about the outburst before, I was wondering if you’d allow me to make it up to you?” The poor girl fell face first into yet another trap of his.
Josh could pretty much predict the following conversation. Daniel would ask her out, they’d sleep together again and there’d be a repeat of this mess two weeks from now.
Though Josh was sure of his assumptions, nothing could prepare him for what actually happened next.
“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea Genevieve.” Daniel rejected. “The level of immaturity you just displayed is quite unsettling. The woman I choose to be with won’t embarrass me or herself like that. You obviously have some more growing up to do, perhaps you can call me then.” Daniel ended the call as soon as the last word left his sinful lips.
What the actual fuck?
“Wait, you’re telling someone to grow up? You’re the most childish grown man I know. Something is seriously wrong with you.” Josh scolded him, shaking his head in disbelief.
“On the contrary my friend, I’m perfectly sane. Ha.” Daniel chuckled like nothing could ever faze him. He pushed himself up to stand, walked over to the large glass windows to take in the incredible view once again.
“Josh, I love my life, I always get what I want, and set aside what I don’t want. Life is a cabaret my friend.” Daniel grinned happily.
Josh listened to his friend’s short, yet disturbing speech.
As much as Josh felt his words were of no use anymore, he still could not resist the urge to give another warning.
“Like I said D, one day someone will catch your eye, and you won’t be able to sweet talk your way into her life, and con your way out.”
Daniel turned to look his best friend in the eyes. The seriousness in his stare was almost scary.
“Trust me Josh, that will never happen.” Daniel spoke with so much assurance that it left no room for doubt or further discussion.
