The Billionaire Playboy's Regret (Lark and Max) novel Chapter 4

“f**k ‘em,” Lark shrugged trying to sell a nonchalance she hoped Ollie bought. “I want to keep dancing.”

“He’s waving at us.”

“Good for him.”

“You really hate him.”

“Nope. Don’t hate him. I gave up on him, Ollie and I simply have no desire to ever return to being his joke sidekick.” The one thing she’d never kept from Ollie was how much she loved Max when they were kids. Ollie always knew and kept her secret for her.

She’d told Ollie back then she realized on prom night she was never going to get out of the friendzone. Moreover, she was never going to get over him if she didn’t get away from him. Ollie was the one, when she came home to pack her belongings for university away from them, who helped her tearfully burn all the keepsakes Lark saved.

The ticket from their first school dance where she danced her first dance ever with Max, was torn. The photo taken of the four of them in the treehouse with her Instamax camera when she’d kissed Max was the first to burn. A first-place ribbon for when they’d been paired together in science fair in eighth grade joined in the ashes. Her diaries where she wrote his name hundreds of times was put through her father’s paper shredder and then lit ablaze. All of it burned. They’d started a bonfire, and she’d burned it all. Later, when Max came home from a date and wandered into the backyard, she walked away without another word to him. She didn’t exchange more than a few syllables in twelve years.

Even though their families were close, she’d been able to avoid a single conversation with him. Moving back to Dallas and being here permanently, she knew it might be tougher to avoid him, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t going to try. Seeing him, even for the very brief glance she took just now, proved to her she still kept a lot of hurt in her heart. She needed to keep her distance. Max Villeneuve always was, and would aways be, a weakness for her silly soul.

She grabbed Ollie after chugging her drink and yanked her back to the dance floor. With the new influx of alcohol running through her veins she was able to forget again the memories which seemed to be haunting her tonight and focused on the lyrics and beat of the music.

She and Ollie were both huge country music fans but the blaring pop music with the techno beats being remixed by the DJ were enough to keep her focused on the dancing.

Lark felt hands on her hips again and opened her eyes, noting Ollie was in front of her this time, and she looked over her shoulder and saw Johan behind her. He joined their trio, making them a quartet when they were in middle school. She hadn’t seen him much over the years and she threw her arms around his neck hugging him tight.

“Hello gorgeous!”

“Hey Johan!” she yelled over the music as he hugged her back. “You look good.”

“Not as good as you! Where’s the dud boyfriend? Please tell me this black dress is a revenge dress and you dumped his ass.”

“He f****d his secretary on their anniversary!” Ollie screamed over her shoulder at Johan.

“Awesome, now I can make my move!” Johan teased her and then dipped her deep over his arm before kissing her cheek loudly.

She slapped his chest and giggled as he took her hand and twirled her under his arm. Ollie’s parents loved to dance and when they were all in middle school and even high school, they would push back the sofas in their living room and Olivier and Bobbie would teach them all kinds of dancing. She was laughing joyfully that Johan hadn’t forgotten his lessons as he danced with her.

She was breathless when he spun her backwards and she crashed into waiting arms who immediately crushed her tight and lifted her off her feet.

She pushed furiously, “put me down, Max.”

“No way, chère. Dance with me. You used to love dancing with me.”

Max’s voice was far deeper than she remembered and as he growled in her ear, she realized he was no longer the teenage boy she once adored but he was all man in front of her. Even more reason for her and her foolish heart to avoid him at all costs. Max Villeneuve ate little girls like her for breakfast and picked his teeth with their bones when he was done.

“I grew up,” she shoved him away and squeezed her way through the packed dancefloor, ignoring Ollie’s screams as she bellowed at Max for ruining their fun. She reached the outer side of the dance floor when her arm was gripped, and she was yanked backwards. “What the f**k!”

“Why are you running off from me?” Max folded his arms over his chest.

She almost rolled his eyes as she noted the n*****s poking under his folded arms. The man wore the tightest shirt to show off his perfectly sculpted pecs. Arrogant swine. She yanked her arm away from him. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

“What the hell, Lark? You haven’t talked to me in ages. What did I do?”

“Exist. You exist.” She poked his chest. “You live only for yourself, your wants and your needs and you are a selfish bastard and I hate you.” She screamed the last part and watched the stunned disbelief on his face. “Now stay the f**k away from me.”