Chapter 3

A few days earlier: Adonis Weston

Adonis rolls onto his back, panting heavily. He takes a few minutes to recover, pushing his hair from his damp face and staring at the ceiling. 

The young lady knew the routine all too well. After catching her breath, all the girls who slept with Adonis Weston knew the routine. This morning, the sweet little thing slips her naked body from the bed while picking up her clothes from the floor. She hears his deep voice in the distance as she heads to the bathroom. She stops hoping and smiles as the young lady brushes her hair gently behind her ear, waiting for him to ask her to stay a little longer. But she was filled with disappointment when all he had to say to her was,

"Sweetheart, thank you for your time."

The girl looks back at his uncaring, cold expression as he lies in bed with no further interest in having her around. She stands there so disappointed, watching him pull the sheet onto his long, lean, muscular, nude body, turning his back. "Make sure you close the door behind you." Then Adonis, without a care, drifts off to sleep.

She slowly turned, proceeding to get cleaned up and dressed as she left his apartment. No questions asked, with hurt emotions, but there was no sense in begging when her pleas would be only brushed aside. She knew not to ask to see him again, and that's how Adonis Weston ended his night with all the ladies.

Still, he was the most sought-after bachelor in Chicago. The man never led anyone on, making them think they stood a chance with him. There was no taking them out to dinner with fine, nor did he feel the need to give them flowers or a piece of jewelry. There was no need for expensive trinkets to soften the blow or minimize a dramatic emotional fallout. Why? Because there was never any.

And yet, no matter how beautiful the women were, he entertained. There was no desire or craving to keep any of them around. There was no chance for a meaningful relationship with Mr. Weston. And if they were one of the fortunate ones he found pleasing enough, he would keep them as his lover or bedmate for at least a few weekends. But most didn't get that much time with Adonis Weston.  Many are there to provide him with one thing and one thing only: sexual companionship sponsored by the company.

 If a female stays extended, Adonis requests it through his manager. That way, if he wants her to return, there is never any direct communication so the young lady wouldn't get the wrong impression. If he decides that their sexual relationship has reached its shelf life, the female has no choice but to leave with no questions asked. 

******** 

An hour later, after a restful sleep that he wished could have lasted much longer, Adonis wakes up to the sound of his alarm. He looks around at his luxury apartment, empty of human presence. He sits momentarily on the edge of the bed, lazily stretching his languid body. Then, he proceeds to go to the bathroom to relieve himself and take a shower. 

His cell phone rings the minute he steps out of the shower. He throws a towel over his head and wraps one around his lower half. He looks at his phone and doesn't want to answer it. But it is his boy calling, and he knows he must take it. 

“What's up?”

Before he gets a reply, he hears the beat of the base in the car vibrating clearly through the cell phone speaker. Then he hears a female voice snickering in the background, saying. 

“Beenie, come on...one more kiss.”

Adonis says. “Hey! Beenzino, did you call me?!”

Beenzino, "Wait, baby, wait." 

Beenie finally tears his lips away from the girl's mouth and brings his attention back to the phone as he hears Adonis’s voice call his name.

Chuckling at the sound of Adonis's agitation coming through the receiver, Beenzino says. 

 “Yeah, man! I'm here.”

With a calm but slight drag in his tone, narrow slits forming in his eyes, Adonis responded. “What's up, Beenzino?”

Paying little to no attention to his friend's tone of voice, Beenzino replies in an upbeat tone, saying, “You are what's up! Look, I don’t have much time, but 

I have a proposition for you. I need an answer ASAP! This Saturday, I was

I was supposed to take a trip with a lady friend, but Unfortunately, I couldn't. My boss got his foot so far up my crack I can't get it out. So, I thought this would be a

gift you'll never forget. Call me by five this evening if you can do me this small favor. I'll drop the ticket off at your place by seven. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, buddy. Besides, isn’t your birthday coming up? Think of it as a birthday gift from me to you."

Adonis sighs before answering. “Look, you, Beenie, I can't make it. Can’t you find someone else to give this to? I can’t just hop up and leave whenever I want. I have a multibillion-dollar business to run. I'm a busy man."

“You are a successful billionaire owner. You can do whatever you want! How many times have you told me that, how many times, man!” 

Beenzino says to the lady he’s with as he starts laughing. "Baby, don't touch that. Come on... I'll let you touch it later."   

“Look, I know I sprung this on you at the last minute. So, I will give you a few hours to digest it. I’ll call you later. I know you won’t let me down. Check with you later, man.” 

The call ended, shaking his head at his younger friend. Only a few seconds went by before his phone rang again. 

“Hello, Weston speaking.”

"Mr. Weston! Faulkmire is running scared. We need to give him an answer."

“First of all, why are you calling Mr. Weston? Are you standing in front of someone?”

“Yes, Mr. Weston! Faulkmire representatives are here at the office.”

Adonis chuckled, “This is better than an orgasm.”

“Excuse me, sir.” 

“Never mind, pretend you didn’t hear that Bryce. We got him right where we wanted him. Nephew, this is how Billions are made. You let Mire pee in his pants first, and that’s when you swoop in and save the day! He is still trying to hold on to some of his company, and I want it all!”

“Uncle, you are pure brilliance! You know how to get what you want.”

“Let's take Faulkmire company. This deal will even blow Elon's mind! He’s been after this business for years!” You get what I'm saying!

“Yes, Sir.” 

“So don’t sweat it. I’ll be in the office shortly, Bryce. I know you got this, man.  You're my boy."

Adonis hung up the phone, drying his wet forehead and shoulder-length golden blonde hair. Only after hanging up the phone for a few seconds with Bryce did his phone ring again! He looked at the caller's name. “Why is mother calling me butt crack early in the morning? I don’t have time for this. I’ll call her when I get to the office.”

His frustration level went up a notch, becoming filled with agitation.  “Why is she calling me?!”  Refusing to answer.

Adonis tosses the phone on the bed and goes into his walk-in closet, which is filled with rows of shoes and belts, all Italian and European designer brands. He picks out something to wear.

He got dressed, selecting his Briony suit and M. Gemi shoes. 

Adonis walks over to the center of this room-size walk-in closet and opens up this glass display that houses an arrangement of ties, his man jewelry, chains, rings, watches, and studded diamond ear jewelry.

All the while, his phone continued to ring, and he suspected it was his mother. Adonis knew her like the back of his hand, counting, '1,2,3,' and in one second flat, it started ringing again. 

'I'm not answering it, ' he says as he dabs on this expensive cologne and heads to his garage.

Adonis looks at his cars. His Ferrari 458 Spyder, a Rolls-Royce Ghost, and a BMW i8 are parked on the right side. He has his Mercedes-Benz S500 and a Mercedes-Benz G63 on the left side in his basement garage. He selects the electronic key remote for his Ferrari 458 Spyder.

He smiles as he enters his car, feeling the soft leather around his body like smooth butter. It took him fifteen minutes to get from his lavish penthouse apartment to the bustling business district in Chicago to the family empire, Weston Inc.  

When Adonis walks into his office, he gets a surprise.

Before he could say hello, sharp words came forth from his fathers mouth..

"Look, son! We need you to give us your answer! I don’t need this stress! But I do need this deal! Tokyo would be one of the largest markets we’ve tapped into this year. You know the deal. Are we going to make this happen? 

Adonis thrives in investing, where he can build something greater. He feels like this is a perfect opportunity. But it has turned personal. The Tokyo firm’s owner's daughter wants Adonis; if he turns her down, the offer is off the table.

But Adonis has no interest in marriage or anyone meddling in his personal life. But he refuses to be tempted by the marriage offer despite his big dreams of expanding overseas.

His father looks at him and sees he’s contemplating. “Son! I got a solution!”  

Now, Adonis was more than worried about what his father might be desperately scheming.