Darius (Starkis Family #5) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  About the Author

  Other Books by Cheryl Douglas

  Coming Soon

  Darius

  Book Five in the Starkis Family Series

  Cheryl Douglas

  Copyright © by Cheryl Douglas

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, including photocopying, graphic, electronic, mechanical, taping, recording, sharing, or by any information retrieval system without the express written permission of the author and / or publisher. Exceptions include brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Persons, places and other entities represented in this book are deemed to be fictitious. They are not intended to represent actual places or entities currently or previously in existence or any person living or dead. This work is the product of the author’s imagination.

  Any and all inquiries to the author of this book should be directed to: [email protected]

  Darius © 2015 Cheryl Douglas

  Chapter One

  Darius

  “Who the hell is that?” I asked, unable to take my eyes off the blonde at the bar. She looked vaguely familiar, but I knew if we’d met, we wouldn’t still be strangers.

  “Didn’t you see her picture out front?” my cousin Damon asked, reaching for his beer. “She’s a comedienne here. Bartends at Exodus a few nights a week too.”

  “What’s her story?”

  She was talking to the club’s owner, and her grave expression led me to believe he was imparting bad news. I wished I could read lips. I wanted to know what had her so upset.

  “I don’t know a lot about her,” Damon said, shrugging. Though he was part owner of Exodus, he preferred to remain a silent partner, rarely getting involved in the operations. “Just that she’s a headliner here. Apparently she’s funny as hell. That’s why I wanted to come tonight, to catch her act.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “Her boss, Billy, is trying to dump this place, and he wants me to buy it.”

  “What’s her name?”

  I could have looked at the board, but that would have meant taking my eyes off her. She was biting her puffy lower lip, nodding at something Billy said, but her blue eyes were wide and filled with trepidation. Clearly she was freaked out about something, and I wanted to know what it was.

  Deacon inched his chair back so he could read the evening’s acts on the board in the entrance. “Chelsea King.”

  “Man, she’s hot,” I said, my eyes traveling over her.

  She was a tiny little thing, barely over five feet and a buck ten would have been my guess. She had curves in all the right places though and wasn’t shy about showing them off, judging by her tight jeans and fitted low-cut top.

  “I hadn’t noticed,” Deacon said, reaching for a nacho from the platter in the center of the table. “No need to check out other girls when I have the most beautiful woman in the world waiting on me at home.”

  “No, I do,” Damon argued, grinning at his brother. “But yours is a close second.”

  I rolled my eyes at their antics. Both of their wives were ridiculously hot, even after just having had a baby apiece, but I was still looking for the woman of my dreams. Something told me I may have just found her. I wasn’t a romantic and didn’t believe in love at first sight, but locking eyes with this woman made me question everything.

  “She’s checking you out,” Damon said, laughing. “What are you waiting for? Go over there and talk to her.”

  “I think I will,” I said, standing. But before I could take two steps, Billy took the stage, thanking the last comedian, whom I’d barely heard, and welcoming Chelsea to the stage.

  I turned my chair so I was facing her. I didn’t want to miss a second of this. Mesmerized, I watched her work the crowd. Her timing was flawless, her jokes were hilarious, and she was fearless. A fearless woman was a serious turn-on, especially one who looked like that. As soon as she finished her act, I jumped out of my chair, muttering something to the guys about the restroom, and followed her down the hall.

  “Hey,” I called.

  She stopped, turning to face me. “Hey.”

  “You were great out there.”

  She narrowed her eyes before folding her arms. “Oh yeah? I didn’t see you laughing.”

  Hmm, so she’d been watching me too. Good. It told me the attraction was mutual. “I was hoping I could buy you a drink.”

  “Shouldn’t you start with your name?”

  “Oh, right.” I laughed, feeling more nervous than I had in a long time. If this went south, I could be the butt of her next jokes. “Darius.” I offered my hand. “Darius Starkis.”

  “Well, Darius Starkis,” she said, taking my hand, “two things you should know about me. I don’t drink, and I don’t date.”

  “You don’t date?” My eyes darted to her left hand as I realized I should have checked before I asked to buy her a drink. Normally I would have, but one thought had entered my mind when I saw her. Mine. It didn’t occur to me some other guy may have beaten me to it. “Why not?”

  “Something else you should know about me…” She leaned against the wall behind her. “I don’t do small talk.”

  She wasn’t going to make this easy, not that I minded. I had no use for easy women.

  “What do you do?” I asked, my gaze traveling over her body slowly before my eyes connected with hers.

  “Not what you’re hoping I do,” she said, looking amused. “See, I have a boyfriend.”

  “Damn.” I felt the punch of disappointment. “That’s too bad.”

  “Yeah, his name’s Willie.” She looked as if she was trying to keep a straight face when she said, “He’s pretty big. White. Kind of quiet. Makes no demands on me. He’s ready when I am...”

  I should have known she was messing with me. “You’re talking about your vibrator, aren’t you?”

  She laughed, pointing at me as she pushed off the wall. “Admit it. I had you.”

  “You could have me.”

  She raised an eyebrow, licking her lips. “Not that I’m not tempted, but—”

  “Before you say no, I heard your boss is looking for someone to buy this place. Is that what you were talking to him about earlier? You’re disappointed there haven’t been any takers yet?” I wasn’t playing fair, but neither was she, saying no when she clearly wanted to say hell yes!

  “How did you know that?” she asked, looking suspicious. “Billy told me he was keeping it under wraps for now.”

  “My cousin told me. He’s a venture capitalist. I guess your boss approached him about buying this place.”

  “Huh. So is he going to?” It was obvious how much she was hoping someone would.

  “I don’t know yet.” I tipped my head, considering my options. Now that New York was my full-time home, I wouldn’t mind expanding my portfolio to include a few local businesses. With the right incentive. “Maybe someone else will beat him to it.”

  “You?” She gave me a quick onceover. “No offense, but you don’t look like you have two
nickels to rub together.”

  I’d been visiting my buddy Chase at a job site, after spending most of the day at my own site, when Damon called and said he and Deacon were stopping by the comedy club for a quick drink. Given my attire—faded jeans with a black T-shirt and boots—I couldn’t blame her for being unimpressed.

  “Not that I do either.” She rolled her eyes. “If I did, I wouldn’t be working two jobs just to…”

  I waited for her to finish her sentence. “What were you going to say?”

  “I don’t do small talk, remember? It was nice to meet you, Darius, but I have to get going. I have another set here tonight, then I have to put in a couple of hours at my other job.”

  “What if I prove to you that I can afford to buy this place and I want you to tell me why I should?” I wasn’t used to having to prove anything. Most of the women I met tried to prove to me they were wife material simply because they wanted the Starkis name.

  She looked as though she was considering her options. “Fine. How are you going to prove it to me? Show me your bank balance?”

  “I don’t have to do that.” I pulled out my phone and googled my name before I handed it to her.

  Her jaw dropped as her eyes scanned the Wikipedia page. She looked from me to the image and back again. “I don’t believe this.”

  I took the phone. “Now that we’ve established I can afford to buy this place, why don’t you tell me why I should?”

  “You should talk to Billy,” she said, shaking her head. “Get him to show you the books. He could answer your questions better than I could.”

  “You don’t want to see this place go out of business, do you?” I was backing her into a corner, and I didn’t feel good about it, but she wasn’t giving me any other options. “My guess is if he went to someone like my cousin, it’s because he’s in trouble.”

  She sighed before shaking her head. “He is. He just told me…” She bit her lip. “I shouldn’t tell you what he told me. I don’t want you to make him a low-ball offer because you feel he’s in no position to negotiate. Billy’s a good guy. He just doesn’t know how the hell to run a business.”

  I didn’t know anything about running a club either, and until twenty minutes ago, I’d had no interest in learning. “How about you tell me what you know about this place, leaving Billy out of it? I want to know about the people who work here. I want to know what this club means to you.” Because it clearly meant a lot, even if she had too much pride to admit it. I’d seen the look in her eyes when she was talking to Billy.

  “Why?”

  I took a deep breath, reminding myself she had no reason to trust me. I was a stranger who’d hit on her and offered to buy her place of employment. That was all she knew about me, aside from the details she’d read, which had basically outlined my entire life. Yet all I knew about her was her name and where she worked. Oh, and her status. If Willie was my only competition, I was pretty sure I could handle him.

  “Fine,” she said when I didn’t respond. “Let’s grab a table. I’ll tell you what I can.”

  She walked ahead of me, and I tried to ignore the sexy sway of her hips. I didn’t want to blow this by coming on too strong, especially since she’d made it clear she wasn’t interested. Yet.

  Damon waved me over to let me know they’d settled the tab and were heading home. I asked him not to talk to Billy before he talked to me, and Damon agreed before wishing me luck with Chelsea.

  I grabbed a couple of soft drinks and headed back to the table where Chelsea was waiting for me. “Sorry about that.”

  She glanced at my glass. “Just because I don’t drink doesn’t mean you can’t. I’m not a recovering alcoholic or anything.”

  “No problem. I’m driving tonight. One’s my limit.”

  “You mean you don’t have a driver, Mr. Ivy League Billionaire?”

  I winced, suddenly wishing I hadn’t shown her that page. I was so far removed from the guy she thought I was she might be disappointed by the truth. “Here’s the deal, Chelsea: I work construction, drive a pick-up truck, and rent a little house on the beach and an apartment in the city. That’s who I am.” I pulled the T-shirt away from my body. “No fancy designer tags.” I held up my wrist. “No expensive watches.” I held out my foot so she could see my steel-toed black boots. “If you’re the kind of girl who judges a guy by the brand of shoes and watch he wears—”

  “I’m not,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m not.”

  I sensed there was a story there, but instead of prying, I said, “I’m just a regular guy. I have a famous family who has done some pretty impressive things, but I don’t want their success to define me. I want to make it or not on my own. The jury is still out on that.”

  She smiled as she sipped her soda through a straw. “You’re saying all the right things to make me like you, but you’re still not going to change my mind about dating you.”

  “Who said anything about dating? I asked you to have a drink with me.” I gestured at her glass. “And you are. Mission accomplished.”

  “Are you saying you don’t want to go out with me?”

  She had no idea how much I wanted to go out with her. “I don’t mind staying in.” I winked. “We could have a house party.”

  Her smile told me she got the country music reference, which meant she was a fan. Damn. I liked this girl more and more.

  “I thought we were going to talk about the club,” she said.

  “Right, the club.” It was easy to forget when she flashed those sweet dimples. “How long have you worked here?”

  “About four years.” She looked around. “I don’t know what I’ll do if Billy has to close the doors. These people are the only family I’ve got.”

  I knew she’d said more than she intended, but I couldn’t let her shut down now. “Parents? Siblings?”

  She moved her index finger from side to side. “Nuh-uh. I have a policy, remember?”

  “Right, no small talk. But I don’t think that qualifies as small talk.”

  “Maybe you’re right. Okay, new rule. I don’t talk about myself. Period. You want to know about the club? I’ll tell you all I can. But ask any personal questions, and I’m outta here. Understood?”

  Her secrecy only made me more curious. I had the resources to find out anything I wanted to know with one phone call, but I drew the line at invading a woman’s privacy. “Fine.” I sat back in my chair, wondering how I could learn more about this little enigma without breaking her rule. “So you’re the headliner?”

  “Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It’s Mel D. from Monday to Wednesday.”

  “He any good?”

  “He’s hilarious.” She reached into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out her phone. She tapped the screen a few times before handing it to me. “But don’t take my word for it. You tell me what you think.”

  We were tucked away in a back corner since all of the other tables were taken, which gave me the opportunity to hold up her phone and really listen to the video. After the three-minute clip, I nodded. “You’re right. He’s good.”

  “You didn’t laugh.”

  “I was laughing on the inside.”

  She snatched her phone back, scowling. “I hate when people say that. If you don’t think he’s funny, just say so. I won’t be offended.”

  I had a feeling she would be. This guy was clearly a friend, maybe more. “He’s funny. Just not as funny as you. How’s that?”

  She seemed to consider my response before she said, “I guess I can live with that. So do I get to ask you any questions?”

  I spread my arms. “I’m an open book. Ask away.”

  “Why would a guy like you want to buy a struggling comedy club?”

  You’re the reason. But I didn’t think I could say that without her walking off. “Maybe coming here reminded me I need to laugh more.” That was true. I’d been taking things way too seriously lately. Having a girl like Chelsea in my life, whose mission was t
o make people laugh, may have been exactly what I needed.

  “You could come in a couple times a week with your buddies, have a few beers, and catch a couple of acts. You don’t have to buy the place.”

  She had a point. “Maybe I need to diversify. Don’t get me wrong, I love the construction business, but my cousin Damon is always telling me to branch out. Maybe he’s right.”

  “You know anything about running a business?” she asked skeptically. She gestured toward my phone, which sat on the table. “It said there you worked for your father’s restaurant chain before starting another business with family. Have you ever done it alone?”

  “Can’t say that I have. But there’s a first time for everything, right?”

  Our architectural design firm had a waiting list of clients who wanted us to build their homes in the Hamptons, and since I’d agreed with Dustin and Kara at the onset that we didn’t want to take on more projects than we could handle, we were all slightly awed by the fact that people were willing to wait several years for us to build their dream homes.

  “I’m not going to lie—our construction business is my first priority. It’s what I’m most passionate about. If I bought this place, I’d have to hire a good manager to oversee day-to-day operations.”

  She looked more interested as she leaned forward. “You’d be hiring a manager? Billy always said there wasn’t enough money to do that.”

  I shrugged. “This place obviously hasn’t been that profitable under Billy’s leadership.” I didn’t want to insult her friend, but she’d already said he was lacking as a proprietor. “I’d only buy this place with some assurance from someone who knows a hell of a lot more about this stuff than I do that I could turn things around by making the right changes.”

  She looked thoughtful for a moment. “Why is a guy like you, with your connections, wealth, and education, not sitting behind a desk, barking orders?”

  I pretended to shudder at the suggestion. “Sitting behind a desk all day is my worst nightmare. I’d go crazy.”

  Chelsea smiled. “I know what you mean. The thought of that doesn’t appeal to me much either.”