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The Billionaire's Lure
The Billionaire's Lure
Author: J Morg

Club Lure

Author: J Morg
last update Last Updated: 2024-11-03 01:13:07

The intense static of my police scanner startled me awake. It was after midnight when the alert came through. An unidentified woman was found slain outside of Club Lure, one of the hottest nightclubs in Westlake, Texas. As an investigative journalist, this was a major event for me. I knew that if I could crack the case before anyone else, it would improve my chances of landing an anchor position with Westlake News.

In a hurry, I threw on my torn jeans, my favorite band's graphic t-shirt, and jean jacket. Grabbed the keys to my 2017 Kia sedan and rushed to the scene. As expected, there was a crowd of people already there, being chaotic and cluttering the way of the police.

I forced my way through the crowd with my recorder in hand. I hoped I’d be able to catch the name of the victim or any details to help the case, but no one talked about the specifics. No one even knew there was any conflict going on until they were told to exit the building.

“I need everyone to stand behind the yellow tape unless you have a badge or an officer has asked to speak with you,” said an officer who looked like he was unfit to be police. “If you’re family or recognize the victim, step up to the tape and prepare to give a statement.”

Club Lure was owned by a man named Bentley Thomas, and as the rumors said, Bentley was a very dangerous man. If anyone crossed his path or got in his way, they were dealt with however he saw fit. But if you saw Bentley without knowing his story, you’d be intrigued by his presence. He’s a very handsome man with a lot of poise and more money than the state of Texas alone.

“Officer!” A woman shouted out as she pushed her way to the front of the crowd. “Excuse me! Officer, I can’t find my friend. Her name is Ivy Smith. Is that her?”

My heart leapt into my throat. Ivy was a childhood friend of mine, and she would never hurt a fly, so I didn’t dare believe that she was the victim.

“She’s wearing a green dress and green heels. Please tell me that isn’t her!”

The officer’s sympathetic expression confirmed both of our fears. The victim was Ivy.

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” the officer said as he raised the yellow tape for the woman to enter. “Please come with me. The detectives would like to speak with you.”

Tears swelled in my eyes as I watched the woman being led away, crying as if she’d lost the only person she cared for in the world. Ivy was a good person. One of the sweetest people you’d ever meet. It was hard to believe that night was the last night anyone would see her smiling.

I followed the yellow tape and got as close as I could to the lead detective. When I saw Bentley exit the building to talk with him, my eyes settled on how well he was dressed. His suit looked expensive and was tailored perfectly to fit his muscular frame.

He didn’t look like he was fearful or guilty of anything. But looks could be deceiving, and Bentley was rumored to be an experienced criminal. So I wasn’t sold on his calmness.

“Mr. Thomas, I’m detective Simmons. I’ve been told you’re the owner.”

 Detective Simmons leaned in to his interview with Bentley as I approached with my recorder in hand.

“That’s right,” Bentley said.

“Did you happen to know the woman who was killed tonight?”

"Yeah, I knew her. We weren’t extremely close, but I’ve seen her around.”

Bentley folded his arms across his chest, and I got a glimpse of the diamond studded Rolex he was wearing. The glare from the diamonds flickered against the light, making him appear a lot more sinister than I heard he was.

“Was she invited here by you?” Simmons asked.

“No. This is a public nightclub. Anyone’s welcome.”

He glanced at his security as Detective Simmons jotted notes on his notepad. The silent interaction between them put me on edge because, in my experience, body language often said what the lips wouldn’t dare to speak. It was a rookie mistake for Simmons to miss the subtle details that could have possibly been a lead in the case.

“Has she come here before?” Simmons asked. “I’m trying to zone in on whether she had any enemies, stalkers, or crazy ex-boyfriends.”

“Yeah. She’s been here a few times. I’m not always here to keep watch, but there have been times I’ve seen her here.”

Bentley stared sternly at the detective, who was nearly a foot shorter than him. Even though the severity of the situation was cruel and intense, I couldn’t help but find him attractive. The way he handled himself in the eyes of the law—so confident and graceful—made me want to give him a pass in more areas than one.

“Does that mean you were watching her the other times you’ve seen her here?”

Bentley cut his eyes at Detective Simmons question. It was a reach that I wouldn’t have tiptoed for so early in the investigation, but it did get a rise out of the possible suspect.

“What are you getting at, Detective?” Bentley asked sharply. “Are you trying to ask me if I’m the one who did this?”

“I’m just doing my job here,” Simmons chuckled. “If you're innocent and have nothing to worry about, a few questions shouldn’t get you rattled.”

After a few more questions, Simmons handed Bentley a card and told him he’d be in touch. Bentley watched him walk away with fire in his eyes, but a hint of worry underlined his expression. I couldn’t exactly read what he was worried about. So, before he turned to disappear into the club again, I dove underneath the yellow tape to ask him a few questions of my own.

“Excuse me, Mr. Thomas.”

He paused briefly and dropped his head in frustration. His demeanor said that he was over being questioned for the night, but he reluctantly turned to see what I wanted anyway. When we locked eyes, his immediate attraction for me could be seen by a blind man.

“How may I help you?”

As he stepped closer to me, the scent of his cologne rose in the air and engulfed me like a warm embrace. I was honestly speechless by how good looking he was up close and personal. He was a fine man from afar, but as we stood face to face, he took my breath away.

“My name is Justine. I’m a friend of Ivy’s.”

A moment of grief lowered his brows as he nodded.

“I was wondering if you knew anything about what happened. I’d like to give her family something other than bad news to hold on to.”

I tried to keep my voice friendly and full of concern, but it wavered with my emotions about Ivy and my attraction for Bentley. My reaction to his good looks was involuntary, for sure. I wanted to portray the heartbroken friend who wanted as much information as I could get, but my mouth watered just looking at him.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I wish there was something I could tell you. I hate that this happened at my spot, but I don’t know anything. I was in my office all night.”

“Well, do you have cameras on the building? Maybe they picked up something.”

“I do,” he nodded. “You’re welcome to come and take a look, but where the cops say they found her body is pretty dark. So I don’t know if my cameras will be much help.”

His voice was as smooth as silk. He reminded me of a radio host who played rhythm and blues during the midnight hours. I saw him as nothing more than a playboy with a dark past, but his words were so easy, he swept me off my feet even without saying much.

“Okay. I'll take a look,” I said. “Even if I can’t see a face, any little detail could help.”

Bentley looked me up and down with pure lust in his eyes. Before he stepped aside to let me into his world, he warned me that he wouldn’t be responsible for what I saw, if anything. I was sure his warning was because of the things he’d seen or done in his past, but I too have had skeletons in my closet.

“These are all the angles my cameras catch. The footage is grainy sometimes because of the glare from the street lights, but it gets the job done for the most part.”

I stepped into his office holding my breath. It was a very upscale and luxurious space, but I couldn't help but wonder how many crimes took place in it. How many bodies had lied on the floor, or how much drugs and illegal money sat on his desk?

Bentley was a well-spoken and high-class businessman, but the darkness from his past lingered behind him every step of the way.

“This is good,” I said as I approached the many screens that lined the wall. “Can you show me when she entered and when she left? If she came with someone, I might be able to recognize them.”

He came over to the control panel and rewound his footage. As we stood shoulder to shoulder, I let my eyes close and inhaled the intoxicating fumes of his cologne. I could feel his energy as he stood close. It was warm and vibrant, but still subtle and sweet. Very confusing since he was labeled as a menace to society. But as I said before, looks can be deceiving.

“She came with another woman,” he said as he pointed to the screen. “Whoever she is went to the bathroom not long before Ivy walked out. She walked in the direction of the alley where it’s dark, so I can’t really tell if someone was there waiting or what. I mean, they had to be if she didn’t leave the alley, right?”

“Is it possible to see who might have gone down it before her?”

"Yeah, I can check. But so many people walk by that alley, and with the glare, it’ll be hard to see which one went in.”

He was so attentive as he scrolled through his footage, checking for the culprit. To someone who hadn’t covered a dozen true crime stories, he may have been easily believeable. But I’m one hell of a skeptic. I learned long ago not to be too trusting because the one with the motive could be right up under your nose.

“Bent,” one of his security guards interrupted. “We gotta get going. We have that meeting before dawn, remember?”

Bentley scratched his eyebrow before turning to me. It was clear he wasn't ready to end the night, but whatever meeting he had to attend before dawn was highly important.

“Justine, you said?”

“Yeah,” I chuckled softly. “Justine Sky.”

“Alright, Ms. Sky. I gotta get going. But I’m having to get together this weekend. If you wanna stop by, I can d******d this footage to an SD card for you. I also wouldn't mind seeing you again.”

I smiled and shook my head at his audacity. We were in the middle of a murder scandal, and he wanted to see me again, for reasons I knew had nothing to do with Ivy. However, for the sake of my investigation, I fed into it.

“A get-together, huh?” I asked. “How do I know it’s not a setup to keep me from finding out what happened?”

He let out a heavy chuckle as he stepped closer to me. The thrill of not knowing his next move sent a chill down my spine, but it also made me throb where I was the most sensitive. That was a feeling I hadn’t felt because of a man in years.

"If I wanted to do something to you,” he said as he licked his lips. “Don't you think I would have done it already?”

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    I had a restless night before making it to the office the next morning. I tossed and turned, thinking about Ivy. I thought about Bentley and his invite. The gold trimmed flyer he gave me had an address to a large mansion and pictures of high fashion celebrities that I didn’t think I would fit in with.I planned to go shopping after I left the office. Because if I wanted to get close to him, I had to look like I belonged with him. At least, that was the way he made me feel.“The office is buzzing this morning. What’s going on?”Rodger entered my office without knocking. As he always did. For some reason, he thought he and I were a lot closer than we were. I knew he held out hope that I would give him a chance to be my man, but Rodger wasn’t the kind of guy I looked for. After having my heart broken and my trust betrayed, I was convinced that I would never date again.“Ivy Smith’s body was found outside of club Lure last night. Everyone’s trying to get a headstart on the story since tha

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  • The Billionaire's Lure   The Trill of Danger

    My sit down with the Smith’s lasted about two hours. I asked a lot of questions and really pounded them hard for answers. They told me what they could about Ivy’s mystery man, but nothing grabbed my attention right away.When I left, I was a wreck. I felt guilty, sad. Angry. It was still pretty early in the evening, so instead of going home to wallow in my emotions, I called Bentley. To my surprise, he answered my call on the first ring. I was sure that a busy man like him would be on a flight for a one-day business trip. But he was waiting on me to call.“I’m surprised you called,” he said.“Yeah, so am I, actually.” I wanted to be light and airy, but I felt weighed down and full of grief. “I’m on my way to the mall, if you wanna meet me there. I don’t know exactly what we’re meeting for if you can’t help with Ivy’s case, but that’s where I’ll be.”“Say less. I’ll meet you there.”What am I doing? I questioned. This is a dangerous man. Handosme, yeah. But still dangerous. I don't eve

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  • The Billionaire's Lure   Dancing with the Devil

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  • The Billionaire's Lure   Roses and Receipts

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Latest chapter

  • The Billionaire's Lure   Dinner For Two

    I got home from work that evening, and the billionaire himself was waiting at my doorstep.I thought he was done with me for good. I thought if I wanted to contact him again, I had to go through his lawyer.However, we both thought wrong. Our passion and desire for one another wouldn’t let either of us stay away. The lure was too strong, and the lust was too addicting.“What are you doing here?” I asked. “I thought your lawyer would be taking my calls from now on.”He ignored me, took my keys and bag from my hand, and opened my front door as if he lived there. I followed him inside and locked us in, while he held on tight to the silent treatment.I hated being ignored. I hated it being so quiet when there was so much to say. Yet Bentley made the game fun. It was interesting and intense. Sexy and tempting. But it was a game I didn’t want to play all night.“Are you gonna say anything?” I asked. “If not, you can leave. I’ll get ready for bed so that I can get an early start on my invest

  • The Billionaire's Lure   Another Reason To Walk Away

    Another victim. Another story. Another reason to walk away.I called Bentley immediately after leaving Silvia’s home. He said he had already heard because her parents called him, pointing fingers. They felt he was the one to blame because she worked for him, and honestly, I felt the same way.It made sense. She talked to me about what she knew, which wasn’t much, but he didn’t know that.My immediate thoughts were that Bentley had eyes on every single one of his employees, so he knew that I had talked to her, and he wanted to silence her before she said too much.He swore he didn’t. He swore he was nowhere near Silvia’s home or had anyone else take care of his dirty work. I wanted to believe him so badly. I wanted to trust him. But my decision shifted from one side to the other.“You have to know something,” I said. “There’s no way two people who are tied to your club lose their lives so close to each other and you don’t know a thing about it. Why? Huh? Why Silvia? Were you afraid she

  • The Billionaire's Lure   The Price of Knowing

    “I take it your visit went as planned?”Fredrick stood near his SUV smoking a cigarette, eyeballing my ruffled shirt and messy hair when I returned.I felt a little embarrassed that I was figured out. But I owned it.“It went fine,” I said as he opened the door for me to get inside. “Do you feel like being my chauffeur for one more stop?”He extended his hand with a mischievous grin on his face and said, “Where to Mrs. Thomas?”I had never envisioned myself as a wife. Especially not to a man who wasn’t even my boyfriend.Yet, the name had a nice ring to it. Mrs. Thomas. But it was much too soon for marriage talk. Although I did picture Bentley and me standing at an alter, ready to say our I-do's, and got butterflies.“Just drive the car," I laughed. "I’ll tell you where to go.”I put my sunglasses on and rode my chariot all the way to Silvia’s place.I wanted to talk to her alone, without Rodger, and see if she’d elaborate more on what she said about him.He had a very distinctive look

  • The Billionaire's Lure   The Meeting Can Wait

    I left work early that day.When I called Bentley to see if he wanted to sit down and talk more about the article, he ignored my calls.With good reason, I guess.I was pretty mean to him in my office when he was only trying to help. But I didn't see it that way at the time. I thought he was looking for another reason to do something reckless, as the reckless billionaire does.I called him twice more before I decided to give Fredrick a call and make my own move on Bentley. To my surprise, he answered with cheer in his voice and was more than willing to help me out.“You know this is crazy, right?” he said as he drove me to one of Bentley’s establishments. “He doesn’t like his meetings being interrupted. I’ve seen people get dusted for that.”Dusted was something I had no desire to know the meaning of. My focus was on the man in charge. For some reason, I craved him more when he ignored me. Or when he was busy, I should say. Because I wasn't sure that he was ignoring me, I just assumed

  • The Billionaire's Lure   Playing With Fire

    Bentley stormed out on me. He was angry and disappointed.He wanted me to stand up for myself and him because he swore he was innocent. But I couldn't make that call so soon.He questioned why I ever slept with him if I didn't trust him, and I asked myself the same thing. I don’t know why I did it. Did I enjoy it? Very much so. But he and Rodger were right. I was playing with fire.“What was that all about?” Marcia entered my office with concern on her face. “Things looked pretty heated between you two.”I sighed and lowered my head.Telling her about my night with Bentley was out of the question because I knew how much she gossiped, but somehow she pieced it together on her own.“Is that who had you in such a good mood earlier!?” she gasped. “OMG! No way, Justine! You did not sleep with the very man you’re investigating!”“Shh!” I hissed. “Lower your voice before someone hears you.”Her eyes were as wide as her smile, and her thirst to know every single detail was even wider.“Wow, yo

  • The Billionaire's Lure   Caught In The Spotlight

    My office door flung open unexpectedly.I thought I would look up from my report and see Rodger huffing and puffing a second time about my own personal choices. But it was Bentley.He stood there, half smirking as he watched me close my notebook to attend to him. There were no flowers in his hand or any fancy gifts that time, but that didn’t stop me from thinking he had stopped by as a sweet gesture.Tina, Marcia, and Mandy were all standing outside my window peering in, making googly eyed faces, and fanning themselves.I playfully shooed them away to no avail, while Bentley made himself comfortable in the seat in front of my desk.For a moment, he sat there, staring at me through piercing eyes. I thought he would tell me he was done answering my questions and to never contact him again.Until he finally spoke and put me out of my misery.“So, this is it, huh? Where all the magic happens and crimes are solved.”I put down my pen and rested back against my chair.“Yeah. This is it,” I

  • The Billionaire's Lure   The Stalker's game

    The night was young. If I had the chance to do it all over again, I would have. Many times more.Waking up in bed next to the richest man in Westlake felt surreal. So much so, I stared at him while he slept, taking it all in. A bit of guilt crept into my consciousness, though. I felt like I had done something wrong by sleeping with him. Even though my soul mission was to prove his involvement in Ivy’s murder by any means, I felt guilty.“Hey,” I said softly as I caressed his head. “I have to get to work.”He groaned as he rolled over and opened his eyes to the morning sun. A large smile lifted his cheeks when he saw that I was still there and last night wasn’t a dream. I couldn’t help but smile too. His joy was infectious.“Good morning,” he said. “How’d you sleep?”“Like a baby. I hate to leave so early, but I gotta get back into the city.”“I understand.” He kissed my cheek. “I’ll have Fredrick get you there. By the way, what’d you say to him last night? He texted me and said that y

  • The Billionaire's Lure   To His Doorstep

    I was never good with emotions or apologizing. But I felt like I owed it to Bentley.Rodger had stormed off and found his own way home, and I was left to settle into my thoughts about what he said. Bentley and I would never work. He was a gangster, and I helped put men like him away. If he continued, there would come a day that I had to help put him away. But how would I if we were attached?I got into the backseat of his driver’s SUV and took my phone from my clutch. My finger rested over the call button for his number, but I was hesitant to press send. Rodger’s words were stuck in my head. I wanted to be angry with him for it, but I knew he was right. So, I put my phone away.To my surprise, though, Bentley’s driver called out to me from behind the wheel and said the words that I so desperately wanted to hear.“Ma’am, Mr. Thomas is requesting you tonight.”Butterflies took flight in my gut. I was ecstatic—desperate to be near him. To apologize for bringing Rodger with me and whateve

  • The Billionaire's Lure   Rivals in Rhythm

    “I don’t know why I let you drag me out tonight. I hate clubs.”"Oh, stop complaining, Rodger. Once you get a few drinks in your system, you’ll be just fine.”Rodger griped from the time I picked him up until the time we got inside the club. All of that changed when we were greeted by a couple of bottle girls who were already expecting me. At first, they side-eyed Rodger. But everything was cool once I let them know he was with me.When we got to the section Bentley had waiting for me, there was a chilled bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice. A bouquet of flowers, a gift bag, and a note from him. Rodger wasn’t happy to see me being pampered by another man, but he ignored it when one of the girls made eye contact with him.“Ooo, someone’s getting some attention.” I teased.“Yeah. Right,” he blushed. “You’re lucky I like you. I never come to clubs.”I believed him. As nerdy and uptight as Rodger was most days, I couldn't imagine him being in a crowded room full of sweaty people who we

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