Craving Sugar (Sugar Daddy Romance)

Hendrix

“I’m not hiring a whore,” I all but snarled, pissed at the idiot in front of me. I was tired and stressed; lacked the basic urge to be an understanding individual, much less give the asshole in front of me the benefit of doubt.

Jax, my closest friend since college, had caught me off guard—something that never happened these days.

Nothing surprised me anymore, not since that night four years ago. The night my entire world stopped.

Fuck. Focus on the here and now.

“Why?” he asked, bringing me away from that dark path filled with memories—moments frozen in time that never failed to haunt me. “Answer me.”

The jerk sounded amused—a pit bull with a bone. He wasn’t going to let it go.

Rubbing a hand down my face, I bit back a tired groan. “No.”

Of all the moronic crap he could have spewed, I had not been expecting this; for me to hire someone to play the role of my girlfriend for the next few months.

“Think about it, Hendrix. It’s legal, safe...” he ticked each reason off with his fingers “...and, she must sign an NDA to enter into this kind of an agreement. No one will know.”

Slamming back the shot of whiskey in my glass, I leveled him with a glare. “Get the fuck out.”

“Speak up, man. Your staff went home.” Holding his now-empty tumbler out in front of him, he twirled the glass atop my desk. “There’s no one here to judge you. That prim and proper act you put on can be turned off.”

“Is all this a joke to you?” I hissed out from between clenched teeth. “Am I your amusement for the evening?”

“Come off it, Parker. I came here to see the asshole I know, my friend, not this...” he waved his hand absentmindedly in my direction. “To be honest, I don’t even know who you are anymore.”

“Then leave.”

“No. Enough with the hiding. Emptiness—”

I slammed my hand down; the cup of pens close to me tipped over from the impact. “Don’t go there, Jax. Just get up and walk out. Quit pushing.”

“Jesus, man, what the hell is holding you back? A memory? Ghost?”

“Enough.”

“Dammit, Hendrix.” He pushed his chair back and stood to pace the length of my office. Ran a hand roughly through his blonde hair in agitation. “This...” he pointed a finger between us “... is an intervention. You’re young, successful, rich—own the real estate game in South Florida. Known as an asshole, a shark in the business arena, and that’s gained you quite a desired reputation.” Stopping by the window on the far right, Jax turned and glared. “You have that whole tall, dark, and handsome shit going on with your over six-foot-two stature and brooding charm. People respect you, but fuck, man, that’s not enough when you’ve forgotten what it’s like to live.”

“I’m content enough.”

Jax scoffed at my response, his hands placed on the window ledge in front of him. “Content is the equivalent of blah. My friend, you need to rediscover the feel of a woman beneath you. The passion. The heat between her legs.”

Ignoring his spiel, I shut my laptop off and stored it. “Still a no on hiring someone just to appease you.”

No matter how desperate I was to pull the pressure off my persona.

No matter how long it’d been since I dipped my dick into something tight...wet.

Smirk firmly in place, he walked back over and grabbed the bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label on my desk. “Prude much, Parker?” He poured himself another fifth and then sipped slowly, all the while studying me with a cocked brow. “And I never once mentioned hiring a whore.”

Pushing my glass toward him, I sat back. “What’s the difference? Both are paid to keep you company.”

“Sugar babies are where it’s at, my friend. A mutual exchange of benefits.”

“Answer me this...” Jax nodded “...is money exchanged?”

“It can be if—”

Holding a hand up, I halted his pathetic excuse. “And you don’t call that prostitution?”

“Would you say my girlfriend Crystal is a prostitute?” What would the young woman I met on his boat a few weeks back have to do with anything? “That she’s easy and out to make a quick buck?”

The hell?

“She’s...?” I asked, because Jesus. Was this man really sitting here in my office telling me he had a live-in play toy? That he bought her? “What kind of barbaric shit is this? How could you do that? What if word gets out, you idiot.”

“And if it did, so what? I’m not ashamed of her or us.” His jaw was set tight, and his blue eyes dared me to say anything negative about her. Jax, my easygoing friend, was pissed. Fuming, if the way his hands were clenched was anything to go by.

“I meant no offense to her, but couldn’t you meet someone through a more traditional route? Someone who cares about more than just the zeros that decorate your bank balance?” This entire conversation was giving me a headache, and I rubbed my temples. I was too tired to continue trying to make sense of this confession.

“And I’ll counter that question with one of my own.” My mouth opened to protest, but he shook his head before taking another sip of whiskey. His eyes were on mine, unwavering. Looking for something. “Wouldn’t you rather meet someone and know their intentions up front? No games or playing pretend. A mutual and even exchange.”

Headache now pounding, I pushed back my seat as if I were standing to leave. “Still not interested—”

Not taking the bait, Jax leaned over the table, a mischievous look in his eye. “Then let me paint a better picture for you, Parker.” He was about to drop some knowledge on me, and I knew it. Should’ve seen it coming for miles. “You have two months to find a date for the few events honoring your pompous ass this fall. And before you say that you’ll decline and hide away on your boat in the Keys, it’s not going to happen. The mayor will not take no for an answer...he and his wife live for these events. To mingle with the rich and arrogant.”

“Would you stop worrying about my life? I’ll be fine.” Absentmindedly, I ran my fingers across my short beard. My mind still reeled from his admission.

I’d spoken to Crystal that day and was impressed. In school, and working toward her master’s in psychology, she seemed to have a good head on her shoulders.

Didn’t hurt one bit that the body attached to the head was downright sexy.

His laughter pulled my attention away from the memory of the tiny auburn-haired beauty in a bikini. “Admit it, Hendrix, you’re curious.” Tone smug, he had a gloating gleam in his eye.

“Not in the least.”

“So, if I informed you that the account was already made, and you have some hits, you wouldn’t care? I should just shut everything down?”

My fists clenched in anger. “Are you serious? Do you have any idea what that could do to my reputation—”

“Let me stop you right there.” Holding out a hand toward me, Jax dug into his laptop bag on the chair beside him. From inside he pulled out a plain manila folder and pushed it across toward me. “This is all the information you’ll need: contract, company NDA that I signed for you, health screening information, and what you’ll need to submit. Read it. Sleep on it. Check out the website and the girls’ files available for possible match.”

“I don’t have time for this.”

“Too late. It’s already done.”

XXX

Beau

“I’m so screwed,” I whined from my place, head down on the coffee shop’s table. I’d just turned in my finals paper in this semester’s Special Education: Behavioral Intervention course and was fried.

Well, if you could call individual lesson planning that would benefit two kids the age of nine assigned to me a paper. It was more of a teaching assessment. Different needs—IEPs that were set at two different places of the spectrum.

It was my dream to work with autistic children, and it all stemmed from my older sister’s daughter being diagnosed with autism. Four years old and a total cutie, Aubrey was the light of the family. Loved her as if she were my own, and I needed to help out.

To learn what I could and give back to a community full of vibrant children.

A dream that now seemed millions of miles away.

Tired. Exhausted. Plain old freaking the hell out, I was drowning.

From my viewpoint, there was no escaping the dead weight I carried. The responsibilities.

Other people’s expectations.

My family’s demands.

Do what my pregnant, out-of-high-school sister couldn’t: earn a degree.

“Talk to Victor, Beau.” My friend Ruby placed a hand on my shoulder. It was meant to be a comforting gesture, but now, it made things worse. I didn’t want to be pitied. “I’m sure he could give you a few extra shifts here or there at Carmencita’s.”

“With school being out and everyone heading home, the small bar’s hours will slow. I’ll be lucky to get twenty-eight hours max waiting tables. I’m going to need another job, Ruby. Something with a more permanent schedule.”

“Shit. That’s true.” She pursed her lips and tapped the puckered flesh with the tip of her manicured finger. “Well, you could take mine this weekend and if all goes well, next too. I sort of...kind of...have plans and told Victor you would cover for me.”

No sense in telling her that I was not her maid; the girl was impossible when she heard the word no. So, I chose which battles were worth picking, and this was not one of them.

My forehead left the table, and I arched a brow. “Who’s the lucky asshole this week?” Loved Rubes to pieces, but the girl was truly working her way through this university’s male student body.

“Stop being a prude, chick. Max and I—”

“Max?” Now this had my total attention. Sitting back, I appraised her with a calculating stare.

“Stop it.” She flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder.

Blush: check.

Wide smile: check.

Twinkle in her blue eyes: holy hell, check.

“Are we talking about basketball Max? Dated-him-for-three-months-a-year-ago Max?”

“Yes,” she hissed out, nose turned up in the air. “He wants us to clear the air, and I said yes. Will you cover for me?”

Shrugging, I sighed. “For your in-love butt, why not. I’m sure I could schedule sleep in once I’m dead.”

“That’s the spirit!” Ruby clapped her hands, and a group of girls beside our table looked over. Two seemed annoyed, while the third looked at me with surprise. Her dark eyes stayed on mine while she twirled a piece of burgundy hair, a contemplative look on her face.

I’d seen them around campus a time or two. A tight-knit group that dressed to the nines and only socialized with each other. You’d never see them at bars near our school or parties thrown by the different fraternities.

“...anyways, it’ll come in handy. I know you’re freaking out with next semester’s tuition looming over your head. That must be so hard. I don’t know if I could deal with all that pressure.”

Taking my eyes off the other group’s table, I looked back at Ruby. “I don’t want to think about that.”

“Still think you should just tell your parents what’s going on. They’ll help, Beau. Stop being so prideful.”

“Not pride, Ruby. Trust me, they can’t help.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, she stared me down. “Why not?”

“Because Aubrey’s dad is a douchebag, and my sister needs help.” Ruby’s mouth opened, but before she could say a word I continued. “Dad pays for her medical care, and before you say why not apply for Medicaid, they already denied her. The sperm donor’s family is well-off. Though, one wouldn’t guess it since what he pays in child support is a joke. Between that, and my sister’s earnings, she’s over the threshold by ten bucks at best. They won’t, or can’t, help.”

“Jesus.” Finally, it was dawning on her just how against the wall I was. Even working a full-time job didn’t cover me.

“Yup.” I’d have to drop off for a semester or two until I could save up the funds needed. That, or rob a bank.

“Then get a bank loan.”

“That’s my next step. Maybe I’ll be lucky enough and get approved for a personal one.” Optimism wasn’t my strongest point at the moment, and she grimaced. “Just need enough to get the ball rolling for next semester, and I’ll keep working like crazy. I hate amounting all this debt, but I have no choice.”

“Talk to your parents, chick. Your dad’s raise is drowning you, and maybe they can help.” Taking a sip from her latte, she paused. Mulled things over in her head. “Couldn’t they co-sign a loan with you? Of course, you’d be responsible for paying it back, but having them on it would help you get the approval needed.”

Her pleading almost made me divulge the truth. It was more than his raise holding me back. The lawyer getting my sister out of her mess caused this domino effect. Gloria loved the asshole donor, and I was getting burned because she refused to ask for more.

My ex-brother in law, Xavier, had money. Or more importantly, his father did. Owned a few gas stations up north and in Miami. No one in that family was hurting financially, and yet, my niece received two hundred and fifty dollars every two weeks.

All because they had him listed as unemployed while his “dad” footed the bill. Bullshit.

“Fuck, it’s my mom. Give me a minute, Beau.” I hadn’t even noticed that Ruby’s phone had gone off. She stepped away from our table and walked out into the midday sun. From my vantage point, I could just make out the exaggerated hand movements of her arms as they talked.

My stomach rumbled then.

I was hungry.

Realized that I had not eaten properly in the last twenty-four hours. Just a snack here or there.

Digging inside my wristlet, I pulled out my last twenty before payday and stood. Was about to walk toward the shop’s counter when my path was blocked, and a card pushed into my hands...

“I can help you.” My eyes settled on the same girl who just a short while ago had looked at me strangely. Not with annoyance, but calculating. “Don’t let your pride burn your future. Call me.”

With a quick squeeze of the hand holding onto the card, she walked away as Ruby reappeared. The two looked at each other and smiled before the stranger continued toward the door and her friends.

“What did she want? I didn’t know you were friends with Zoe Chapman.”

“I’m not.” Up until she mentioned it, I hadn’t known her full name. Just the closeness—the secretive way—that clique behaved. “She stopped by to ask if I was okay.” The lie bubbled out with ease, my lips reacting without permission from my mind.

“That’s it? You sure?”

“I am.” My fingers tightened around the small square card in my hand; I didn’t want her to know.

Why? No clue, but this was one of those moments where gut instincts told me to zip it.

And I did.

Maybe this was the solution I’d been praying for.

A way out.

Beau

“I can do this. This will be a good thing.” A chant. My mantra ever since I set this meeting up with Zoe. Something about the way she reached out to me—how earnest she looked while telling me not to be prideful—resonated with me.

Made me call.

Once more I walked the length of the sidewalk.

“Planning to have this conversation out here? Should I fall in step?”

“Shit!” I yelped, while my companion laughed. Placing a hand on my chest, I looked over to my left and glared. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you that it’s not kosher to sneak up on people? How rude it is?”

Zoe watched me try and regulate my breathing with an amused expression of her face. “My mother did tell me that all the time—hated when I’d sneak up and scare her half to death.”

“And yet you continue to do so?”

“Never been able to kick the habit.” She shrugged unapologetically. “Didn’t grasp the concept.” My reply was a quick flip of the bird which caused her to snort. “Real mature, Beau.”

“Wasn’t trying to be.”

“So...” she trailed off and bumped her shoulder with mine. “Going in, or do I start my spiel now? Your choice.”

“Hungry?” I asked, tilting my head toward the deli a few stores down from where I’d stopped. It was considered a hole-in-the-wall inside the posh neighborhood surrounding it, but made the best soup and sandwiches in town.

“Only if it’s my treat.” At my frown, she grasped my hand in hers and squeezed. “Promise that it won’t cost me a dime.”

Didn’t miss the emphasis on the word me.

“Let’s go in.”

Zoe gave an exaggerated bow. “Lead the way.”

Nodding, I walked down the sidewalk and toward the small shop. Without looking back, I entered and settled into a small booth near the back of the eatery. The guys working behind the counter all called out a “welcome” as we made our way inside.

Zoe followed and took a seat across from me. “Does this place have a waitress?”

“Nope.” It was my turn to snort. “No menus other than the giant blackboard up front. Your treat, you order.”

“Well aren’t you a little shit!” The more she spoke, the more I liked her. Zoe wasn’t the pretentious girl I’d taken her for. Here and now, she was just like me. Just another chick from the university in town who was hungry and hanging out with someone she semi-knew. Flipping her burgundy hair over her shoulder, she pursed her lips. “What do you want? What’s good?”

“I’ll have the croquette with everything and eenie minie mo it...it’s all awesome.”

“Chick, give me your favorites.”

Tapping my chin, I mentally ran through my preferred list. “Try the house Cubano...it’s really good and legit.”

“Noted.” Her phone went off, but instead of answering, she turned it off. “Drinks?”

“I’ll have a Jupiña.”

“The pineapple soda, right?”

“Yup.”

“I’ll be back, brat. Call you to give me a hand?”

A giggle escaped me. She seemed so out of place in this shop. “Sure.”

Zoe made her way to the counter of the semi-full shop, and I studied her. She had a presence about her, and it was more than being just another pretty face. Everyone turned to look at her. She commanded attention.

And I envied that.

Not because I had low self-esteem or anything, but because of the carefree attitude she exuded.

As if she had no problems.

From inside my wristlet my phone rang, pulling my attention away from my new friend. Ruby’s names flashed across the screen and for a small second, I felt guilt.

I’d never told her about this meeting, or the day Zoe gave me her card.

“Hey! How’d the date go?” Sniffling came through the line, and my smile vanished. “What’s going on? Did he not show up?”

“Max came yesterday and spent the night.” A sigh came through the line then. “He just left.”

“Okay...” Because her tears were making no sense. Unless he…? “Did he dip and split? That ass. Jesus, babe, I’m so—”

“Max asked me to be his girl, and I said yes,” Ruby rushed out, interrupting me.

For a second, I pulled the phone from my face and counted to ten. As much as I loved my friend, she had the tendency to overreact. To make a crater out of an ant hill. “You still there?” It was distant, but I heard it.

“Yeah, I’m here,” I answered in the most cheerful tone I could muster. Today of all days, I couldn’t deal with a meltdown. My nerves were already shot.

Not until I figured out what this meeting between Zoe and I could mean.

“Aren’t you going to ask what happened? Why I’m so distraught?”

“So why the tears, Rubes? Hit me.” The words passed through my lips before I could stop them.

“Does it make me a horrible person to be so happy? Because I’m on cloud nine, Beau...” Ruby continued to speak, and yet I checked out.

What. The. Fuck.

Here I was a nervous wreck, my career on the line, and she calls me to gush? Scared the heck out of me with her tears to tell me she’s happy?

“I got to go,” I mumbled through a small lump in my throat. “Call you later.”

“But wait!” Her screech hurt my ears, and I pulled the phone away. “Let me at least tell you the best part before you go back to being a worry wort.”

That stung.

“Sure, talk. I’m not busy or anything.”

“Beau, Max wants to take me away on a little getaway to his parents’ summer home in North Carolina. Says he wants me to meet them. Isn’t that amazing!”

Dear God, this woman had the worst timing. Truly, I wanted to be happy for her, but her loss of tact grated on my nerves. Most of the time I brushed it off, even when it annoyed me.

Take her as she is.

Since our first year of college when I met her at orientation, she’d been a good friend. Self-absorbed, but cared for me, and I needed to remember that now.

My misfortunes were not her fault.

Zoe slid into the booth then and pushed the platter with my sandwich and chips toward me. “Everything okay?”

“Who’s that?” Ruby asked; she’d heard my companion, and her curiosity sprang into action. “Where are you? Did they make you work the afternoon shift too?”

“No. Not at the bar, Ruby.” I was never much of liar, but each time I’m around Zoe they seemed to slip through my lips with ease. “I’m at an interview for a position I stumbled across in the newspaper. Caretaker.”

Zoe coughed. “You’ll be taking care of something all right.” At my funny look, she shrugged.

“Are they there with you now?”

Ruby’s question caught me off guard, and I choked on the sip of soda I’d just taken. “Yeah, let me call you back.”

“Sure. There’s so much I’m going to need your help with.”

“Of course, babes. Call you later.”

“Hey, Beau?”

“Yeah?”

“Good luck.” She hung up before I could reply.

Setting the phone down beside me, I pushed my food to the side and settled my focus back on Zoe. Wasn’t lying when I told Ruby that this was a job interview, at least that’s what it felt like to me.

“That friend of yours is something else.” Zoe took a bite of her sandwich and moaned in appreciation. “This is so good.”

“She is. Everyone has their good and bad side.” Left no room to discuss her any further. No one talked crap about someone I cared about.

“Point made.”

“Why am I here? What are you offering?”

“Right to the point. I like that.” Mimicking my position, she pushed her own sandwich aside and sat back to watch me fidget.

“Talk.” At my demand she raised a brow, and I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Anxious or not, I couldn’t be rude to someone just wanting to help. “Please.”

“Okay,” she said, but for some reason it looked as if she were speaking to herself. Preparing. Pushing her shoulders back, she sat straighter in her seat and looked me dead in the eye. “I know people who can make all your financial troubles disappear, Beau. Have a way of paying off all your student loans and the rest of your tuition without you spending a single cent out of pocket.” Her words were spoken low, but concisely. “That you could go to bed at night without ever shedding another tear due to the stress. No more bills.”

“What exactly are you offering me, Zoe? And how would you know I’m in need of financial help?” Only Ruby knew of my troubles.

Her motives and knowledge were beginning to worry me. That, and every time something sounded too good to be true, it always was.

“You want a bullshit answer or the truth?”

“Always the truth.”

“You two weren’t exactly using your indoor voices for parts of the conversation that day.” Heat bloomed across my face; I was mortified that she’d heard. Reaching over, Zoe squeezed my hand once before letting go. “Stop. Don’t be embarrassed. I’ve been where you are.”

“What? How?” I wasn’t at my most eloquent. The high pitch in my voice had caught the attention of a few patrons around us, and again I blushed.

“As you can see...” she tilted her head to the side “...that’s a conversation best had in private.” Sliding out of the booth, Zoe strode off toward the shop’s counter. A few words were exchanged between her and the employee up front before she came back with a few to-go containers.

After placing my untouched food in the Styrofoam, she handed me, I looked up. “I thought we were going to talk. Are you leaving?”

She nodded. “I am, and we are.” Her eyes pleaded with me not to argue. “Come back to my place with me. Let me show you my world and explain.” Nodding, I stood and followed her out in silence toward our cars. Once beside hers, just two down from mine, she turned and looked me in the eye. “Follow me.”

And I did. No matter how much the unknown frightened me or how much common sense yelled at me to stop, I didn’t. My gut told me to go. To press down on the gas pedal and follow her across town and into an upscale building right on Brickell Ave.

The kind where units were purchased and never rented to anyone outside of a certain monetary bracket. Snooty and ostentatious.

As we pulled into the underground garage, unease began to bubble once more. All I could think about was how could she afford this while I parked in the visitor’s spot next to her designated one.

A tap to my window a few seconds later caused me to yelp and for her laughter to ring throughout the empty lot. Bitch.

“Let’s go, chick. I’m starving.” Zoe laughed, holding up her box of food. “Get a move on.”

“Going,” I muttered, unbuckled myself, and stepped out of my car.

We walked down the row of cars and into the elevator bank in silence:

Her, with a smile plastered on her face.

And me, with trepidation.

Up twenty-four floors and out into a roundabout with four apartments. These units had to be huge to only hold four on one floor.

We stopped at the door to the left of the elevator. “Welcome to my casa.”

I was not expecting what was behind that door.

Not at all.

“What the...”

“This is what I’m trying to offer you. A good life and financial peace of mind, Beau.”

“How?” Articulation out the window, I was down to one or two-word responses.

“Let’s sit and I’ll explain, I swear.” Nodding, I followed her through the foyer and into a massive living room. That one room was bigger than my entire apartment. Jesus. “Sit anywhere you like.”

This place had it all. Waterfront views and wood flooring. Expensive furniture and delicate lighting fixtures. Her apartment was not decorated using a cheap all-in-one furniture shop.

Nope. This all looked imported.

What have I mixed myself in?

My legs felt jittery, and I sat down on one of the couches. “Please talk.”

“I’m going to make this simple, sweetie. I’m offering you the key to solving your problems. The right connections in life—to have everything taken care of for you by someone who only wishes to do so.” Her brown eyes met my green ones, and in them I saw something that shocked me. This wasn’t some cruel joke.

The woman was serious.

So many things ran through my mind then:

Happiness.

Doubt.

Pulsating fear.

“Are you here to harvest my organs? Sell my kidney on the black market?”

“Kidney...black market...oh my God!” Her guffaws were loud, so much so, that I flinched at the unappealing sound. Watched with annoyance while she wiped under her eyes as a few stray tears fell.

“Are you done now?” I asked, my tone tinged with irritation.

“Give me a minute. That was priceless.” Picking her phone up, she activated the screen and began to furiously type out what seemed to be a message. “The girls are going to die when they hear this. Day made.”

“What girls are you...” I trailed off as it hit me. “Are you making fun of me with the uptight bunch from the coffee shop a few days ago? Is this some sick joke?”

Zoe sobered immediately. “No, Beau. What I came to offer is legit and legal. I’m offering you an out, sweetheart. An escape from the financial pit of death you are drowning in.”

“Explain. No more riddles.” My stomach rumbled, and I blushed. With my nerves at an all-time high, I hadn’t eaten breakfast. “Sorry.”

“Eat, and I talk. Deal?”

“Didn’t bring mine.”

She passed me half of her Cubano. “Eat.”

“Thanks. I’m all ears.” Taking a healthy bite out the sandwich, I watched her fidget in her seat.

“Please keep an open mind. Hear me out before freaking out.” That was the worst way to open the conversation, and she knew it. Zoe grimaced and held a hand up. “Let’s try this again. Okay.” Wasn’t a question, so I continued to eat and wait. “Do you know what a sugar baby is?”

“Not quite, and before I say the wrong thing, please explain,” I deadpanned. My mind screamed whore, but I knew better than to judge things in a harsh light before having all the facts.

“A sugar baby is a person—man or woman—who’s in a romantic relationship based on a mutual trade of certain benefits. They receive cash, gifts, and other perks in exchange for being on the arm of individuals who need company. Someone to attend events and important dinners with others in their field of work. A paid companion with the title of girlfriend or boyfriend.”

“Umm...that’s nice and all, but what does it have to do with me?”

“You’d make the right daddy so happy, Beau. They’d spoil you rotten.”

What is she implying?