The Best Friend Scandal (Bad News Billionaires Book 2) Read online

  The Best Friend Scandal

  Bad News Billionaires Book 2

  Lucia Jordan

  Contents

  1. Chapter One (Hensley)

  2. Chapter Two (Arlo)

  3. Chapter Three (Hensley)

  4. Chapter Four (Arlo)

  5. Chapter Five (Hensley)

  6. Chapter Six (Arlo)

  7. Chapter Seven (Hensley)

  8. Chapter Eight (Arlo)

  9. Chapter Nine (Hensley)

  10. Chapter Ten (Arlo)

  11. Chapter Eleven (Hensley)

  12. Chapter Twelve (Arlo)

  13. *** (Arlo Continued)

  14. Chapter Thirteen (Hensley)

  15. Chapter Fourteen (Arlo)

  16. Chapter Fifteen (Hensley)

  17. Chapter Sixteen (Arlo)

  18. *** (Arlo Continued)

  19. Chapter Seventeen (Hensley)

  20. Chapter Eighteen (Arlo)

  21. Chapter Nineteen (Hensley)

  22. Chapter Twenty (Arlo)

  1

  Chapter One (Hensley)

  I couldn’t be more excited about Arlo’s new and upcoming fashion line. It was everything I love about design, all rolled up into one remarkable idea that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on.

  I knew when Arlo and I had met at my very first fashion show that he and I could come up with some cool collaborations together if we ever had the chance to work alongside each other. Little did I know that four years later, he would be the billionaire owner of the most sought after fashion label in New York City, and I, a crazy-creative grad student in the fashion design program at F.I.T., would be able to work on his latest line.

  Arlo and I had become good friends throughout the last few years, and since we were both in the fashion industry, we always had a lot to talk about. Sometimes we had so much to say that one phone call a day just wasn’t enough, and we tallied up the calls and text messages into the dozens in any given twenty-four hour period. We saw each other at a lot of the industry events, and I was every bit as aware of his success with his brand “Luscious” as he was of my promising talent. But I had never gotten to actually work on one of these clothing lines before, and so this was like a dream come true.

  Luscious was known for producing high-end, avant-garde statement pieces that got the whole industry excited. As a designer, having my designs walk down the runway at one of Arlo’s shows meant that some of the greatest icons in the fashion industry would see my work. To me, that was everything. I didn’t care about money or fame—which probably explained why I was always broke and lived in a crappy apartment several subway stops away from the college. I only cared about people seeing my designs and having my work be appreciated. Arlo told me I was the epitome of a starving artist. I told him that he was the role model for twenty-five-year-old billionaires everywhere. We tended to tease each other all in good fun at least once a week. I thought he sometimes thought that having a couple of years on me made him the expert on all things, so occasionally, I had to knock him down a few notches.

  When I got to my workshop space at F.I.T., I quickly unpacked my supplies and looked forward to this afternoon when Arlo would be coming to meet with me about the new line. The only thing that he had told me so far was that the entire line was themed around the concept of “fantasy,” which meant that my artsy side was jumping up and down with excitement. My mind was flooded with ideas of magical, woodsy dresses that flowed like the branches of trees and sparkled like the stars in the night sky.

  I had some great ideas for more edgy designs, too, ones that seeped with the foreboding danger of dark woods. I wondered if he would even let me get really out-there with it and do some headpieces with horns and stuff. I had so many good ideas that I felt like my brain would implode if I had to keep them inside my head for too much longer. Fortunately, Arlo would be here in a few hours, so I would be able to mind-dump all of my thoughts onto him shortly. He was also bringing the two models who would be spearheading the runway show for the big reveal at Madison Square Garden. I had worked with plenty of models in the past, but Arlo had given me a fair warning that his models were the best in the business, and therefore, frequently a pain in the ass to make happy. I didn’t care anything about that, though; all I cared about was that I got to design the clothes.

  “Hensley!” Arlo called with a giant smile as he walked in.

  I ran up to give him a hug, and he picked me up and spun me around. It was kind of our thing that we did since we both had a flair for the dramatic. And since Arlo had a svelte, muscular body, he picked up my tiny frame with ease. He could have been a model himself if he had wanted to. He had the kind of dark, brooding eyes that made him look mysterious and matched his dark, brown hair. I, on the other hand, was not exactly model material. I might have had the figure for it, but I was pretty sure that the blue highlights in my dirty-blond hair and my silver hoop nose ring didn’t fit in with the glamorous aesthetic that most models had.

  “You ready for this?” he asked once he set me back down onto the ground.

  “Oh, you have no idea! I’m so excited!” I squealed.

  “I knew you would be,” Arlo laughed. “As soon as I decided on this line, I knew you were the perfect one to design it. The whole concept is right up your alley.”

  “Wait a minute,” I said. I didn’t want to get ahead of myself because this was sounding too good to be true. “How many designers are you bringing on board for this project?”

  “Just one—you.”

  Oh my God, this was going to be my show. I couldn’t believe it! If Arlo was going to let me design all of the pieces for the entire line, then that meant I could put my name on the show. If it was successful, which literally all of Arlo’s runway shows were, then this single event would propel me to the front of the fashion industry scene. I was too ecstatic to even speak as I felt my cheeks start to get hot with pent-up excitement.

  “What’s wrong with her?” a beautiful woman said as she came up to stand next to Arlo and looked at me with a small measure of disgust. “Is she ill?”

  “God, Kerynne, why do you always need to be so dramatic?” A gorgeous-looking male model came to stand beside them both.

  I recognized him; I’d seen him in other shows before.

  “Shut up, Cai,” Kerynne snapped at him. “You’re definitely not in a position to talk about being dramatic. You’re the most dramatic male I know.”

  “I’m surprised you stop to actually get to know any of the men that you sleep with,” Cai sneered.

  “Okay, you two,” Arlo said as he interrupted their petty squabble. “There’s nothing wrong with Hensley; she’s just excited. She’s also a creative genius, so I’d suggest being a little nicer since she’ll be the one dressing the two of you for everyone to see. Unless that is, you’d like to be wearing burlap sacks.”

  “I highly doubt you’re serious about that, considering it’s your name on the line,” Kerynne snarked.

  She was a real piece of work, just like Arlo had warned me. They both seemed like a lot to handle.

  “You are so rude,” Cai said as he stepped in front of her and extended his hand out to me. “Pleasure to meet you, my lovely beauty,” Cai said as he lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed the top of my fingers.

  Kerynne made a gagging noise. She didn’t say hello to me at all. She simply flounced her hair over her shoulders and tried to pretend that it didn’t offend her to breathe the same air as me. I could already tell that she was one of those models who thought themselves to be way above their designers’ paygrade. Which I guessed in most cases was actually true, unless
you were a big name like Arlo.

  “So,” Arlo said as he sat down at the big workshop table with me. “Kerynne and Cai will be the two models at the forefront of the runway show. The pieces that they wear will be the first pieces and the last pieces seen on the stage. They will be the ones to linger in the minds of the audience, which will be packed with icons in the industry, as well as potential corporate buyers. Kerynne and Cai will also be the poster models for our photoshoots and media presence. What that means is that you need to study their appearances for a few minutes to get an idea of what designs will work best on them before you start sketching out the whole show.”

  He turned to look at his two models. “Well,” Arlo said as he waved a hand in the air toward them. “Do something inspiring.”

  On cue, the two models began to strike some of their well-rehearsed models poses.

  “No, no, no,” Arlo said, shaking his head. “This is going to be a different type of shoot, that’s the entire point. Your regular cookie-cutter poses won’t work for this.”

  “Can I make a suggestion?” I asked as I stood up from the table.

  “Of course.”

  I walked over to Cai and Kerynne.

  Kerynne was stunningly beautiful, and she had an esoteric beauty that struck me with a perfect inspiration. She had long, black hair that reached down to her thighs, dark eyes, and the boniest and angular features that almost resembled that of a delicate bird. I immediately thought about all the ways in which her hair could be wrapped and braided into cool configurations.

  “Kerynne,” I said as she turned her nose up at the fact that I was coming close to her. She was going to have to get used to it since I’d be dressing her naked ass behind the scenes. “Can you pose in a sort of dark and mysterious beauty sort of way, something more hauntingly mystifying that makes the audience wonder what you’re thinking beneath the clothes?”

  “I can pose in any sort of way. It’s a natural talent I have,” she said as Cai started to laugh in the background.

  “I bet you can,” he chuckled.

  Arlo hushed him, and Kerynne started to show some positions that actually encompassed the feel I was trying to convey to her perfectly. She wasn’t wrong; she was good at her job.

  “Okay, my turn,” Cai said as he shoved her out of the way to stand in front of me. “What do you want me to do?”

  Cai’s look was almost completely the opposite of Kerynne’s. He had an androgynous appearance that lent itself well to nearly any role I wanted to put him in, and I had a perfect idea. He had short, platinum blond hair that I was sure the hairstylist could get a few tipped spikes out of. He also had the most piercing blue eyes that seemed almost ethereal.

  “For you,” I said as he shifted from hip to hip in front of me as if he were some kind of courting mantis. I want you to channel a sort of boyish woodland prince aesthetic.”

  “Stand back and be amazed,” Cai sneered over his shoulder at Kerynne.

  Sure enough, he nailed it, right down to the arrogantly regal expression on his face. He looked like a very pissed-off fairy prince. This was going to be so much fun!

  I took a few photos of them on my cell phone to remember their features and the color pallet of their complexions. I didn’t expect for Cai and Kerynne to suddenly launch into a series of poses that would make me blush, but apparently, they were very comfortable with each other. Their coupled poses were actually pretty stunning and gave me even more ideas to play with when I saw their bodies wrapped around each other like sexy contortionists.

  By the time we were done, the two models seemed to have at least loosened up enough to be enjoying themselves, and I had plenty of reference pictures and ideas. Arlo gave me some general suggestions as far as the overall aesthetic feel of the runway show, which made it seem a lot like a “walk through the dark woods” sort of thing; and then everyone got ready to leave, and I would have a few hours to sketch out my ideas to bring to him.

  “Hey, you want to go for Indian food tonight?” Arlo asked on his way out the workshop door.

  “Ewe, are you two dating?” Kerynne scowled.

  Cai turned his head in curiosity.

  “No,” Arlo answered. “We’re just good friends.”

  Kerynne seemed satisfied with the answer, so she yanked Cai’s hand, and the two of them walked out.

  “Are they dating?” I asked Arlo after they had gone.

  “No,” he laughed. “Kerynne only dates wealthy men, not models. And Cai—well, I’m not really sure what Cai does.”

  “Interesting people,” I giggled.

  “Told you,” he said with a grin. “But, how do you think they’ll do for the new line?”

  “Honestly, I think they’ll be perfect,” I answered.

  “Awesome! That’s what I was hoping you’d say. Okay, I’m going to leave you to your creative genius so you can get all your ideas down on paper for us to chat about over dinner tonight. Indian food?”

  “Yeah, sounds good,” I said. “Pick me up at seven?”

  Arlo nodded and gave me a kiss on the side of my cheek. I always liked it when he did that. He would lean over and always reach down to gently touch or hold my wrist when he gave me a small kiss on the side of my face. The kiss was always the perfect length, not too short to seem rushed and impersonal, and not too long to make it seem like more than what it was—a kiss between friends.

  After Arlo left, I got started sketching out all of my ideas. I had so many that I had to brain-dump onto the paper in order to get out of my head and sort it out. The runway show was capped at a total of ten pieces, although the clothing line itself could be more than that. I needed to showcase my best ten at the show, and I wanted to pull forth my best ten ideas to show Arlo over dinner. The turnaround time for the entire thing was pretty crunched, so I would be working at a faster pace than I usually did. It should be okay, though, since this was my only project at the moment. And after this, if it were successful, I would never have to worry about picking up overworked and underpaid projects again.

  Arlo picked me up and drove us to his favorite Indian food restaurant in Soho. I lived way outside Manhattan in Astoria, so the subway commute for me was a bit of a hike. That was why it was always such a treat when he came to pick me up in his fancy car and we got to drive over the bridge. I didn’t really much see the point in owning a car in New York City, especially since traffic and parking were such a nightmare. But if you were a billionaire like Arlo, and the insanely high cost of private-garage parking wasn’t an issue for you, then it was a cool luxury to have.

  This place was one of his favorite restaurants, and I only got to come here when Arlo was treating. Even the name of it was cool—Divinities. I had no idea what that title had to do with Indian food, but it sounded like a very mysterious name for a restaurant. I think I had been here three times with him already this year, and every time I came, I tried something new from the menu. The prices were through the roof, but Arlo never seemed to care. My favorite part about the place, besides the delicious food, was the visual and sensory treats that met you as soon as you walked through the front door.

  The lighting was soft and subdued, and the entire place was a collage of deep purples and reds. There were big floor cushions set around large, low, square tables for a truly authentic feel of community while enjoying the savory delights. The tables were large enough for me to spread out all of my sketchbooks and loose papers, and I loved the feel of being able to sprawl my legs out beneath me or get up on my knees when I got particularly excited and wanted to point to something to show Arlo.

  One of the waitresses there remembered us, and she was intrigued by all of the drawings that I started to layout while she was bringing us glasses of wine. “Those are incredible,” she said.

  “Thanks!” I smiled up at her as I gratefully lifted the wine glass to my lips.

  They always had the tastiest sweet white wine, which Arlo knew was my favorite thing here, so he ordered a bottle as soon as we sat
down.

  “But this is all secret design stuff,” Arlo said to the waitress with a grin on his face. “No telling anyone what you see here tonight.

  “Oh no, Mr. Pratt, you don’t have to worry about me,” she smiled. “You are my best tipping customer; there’s no way I would leak any of your ideas.”

  He seemed pleased with her answer and gave her a smile and a nod before she walked off to give us a chance to look over the menu. Arlo knew the menu by heart, but it was my mission to try every single dish here.

  “Cheers,” he said as he lifted his glass to mine. “On our first collaboration and a new phase in our relationship.”

  I clinked my glass to his and then took a long and delectable sip of wine.

  Cheers, I thought in my head. This was a long time coming.

  2

  Chapter Two (Arlo)

  If one more person asked me why I didn’t have a girlfriend, I was going to seriously slap them. Why was it that no one seemed to understand how busy running your own brand was? I could barely keep up with Luscious on a daily basis as it was, but now, with this new line on the brink of creation, I was busier than ever.

  I knew that when I first started Lucious, it had the potential to be big. I just had no idea how big it would actually be, or how fast it would rise in fame. If I hadn’t had the funds early on to invest in this venture, it would have been a different story, and I would probably have just finished the same grad program that Hensley was now in. But I had made a bold move and invested in my dream and made my own fashion brand a reality. Being twenty-five and already a billionaire in a high-profile and cutting-edge, creative industry also made me fair game for a lot of women who just wanted to get in my pants for the sheer purpose of landing a wealthy husband or a well-known name in the industry. I had dated a few girls, had my fair share of one-night stands, and then just gotten too busy to care about it for a while. I had my eyes set on launching this new line, and there was already a huge buzz going around about how highly anticipated the runway show would be.