Bad Boy vs Millionaire by Candy J Starr Read Free Book Online Page B

his fingers around the bottle, staring at it as though he wasn't quite sure what it was. His eyes glazed over and it was as though all trace of Jack had gone, leaving something primal in his place. All the chatter in the room stopped. Even the couple from the support band sitting in the corner could sense the tension. We all froze, just watching Jack stare at the bottle.
    His nostrils flared and his skin went taut. I reached for Eric’s hand, a little afraid of Jack.
    Without a word, Jack raised his arm and hurled the bottle. As if in slow motion, the bottle flew through the air, hitting the wall behind Eric and Spud then splintered into a thousand shards. A rain of glass fell on Eric and Spud as the brown liquid seeped down the wall.
    Jack picked up his guitar case and walked out.

Chapter 7.          Hannah
    “ So you had a good time with Tamaki?”
    I knew Dad wanted something when he knocked on my door holding a massive coffee. Real latte. It hadn't taken me long to realise that even though this hotel was swish as, they did NOT have decent coffee. Some muddy swill with little plastic containers of fake milk did not count for coffee.
    “ Do they realise that this brings down the tone of the whole place,” I'd said the day before when we had breakfast.
    “ This is not a country that values coffee,” Dad had replied.
    He'd obviously gone out and found a proper coffee shop. I appreciated the gesture. This is why my father is so good at business, I thought. He knows how to find people's weak spots. I didn’t want him to find my weak spot though. I opened the door and took the coffee container from his hands then pushed the door shut but he was too fast for me and put his foot in the doorway before I could get the door closed.
    “ Come on, Hannah. No need to be snarky. I just want to talk to you.”
    “ I'm not talking. I know you want something and you are trying to butter me up. And lately, when you've wanted something, it's meant no good for me.”
    “ I have donuts. They are fresh from the oven.”
    I opened the door. The smell of the freshly cooked donuts wafted in, a trail of sweet, yeasty goodness heading straight for my nose. It entered my body and wrapped itself around my willpower, crushing it like a python crushes a mouse.
    “ Okay. You can talk but it doesn't mean I'm going to listen. I will eat donuts though.”
    Dad walked in and stood in front of the window.
    “ I think you got a better room than me. Your view is fantastic. I reckon on a clear you could see Mount Fuji.” Dad shook his head, distracted for a moment like he was trying to see the outline of the mountain through the haze in the air. “Amazing mountain, that. It's so symmetrical. We should go out there one day while you are here.”
    “ Where are the donuts?”
    I put out my hand.
    “ You didn't answer. How was the date with Tamaki?” Dad took a donut then handed me the bag.
    “ It was okay. Was it a date? I thought we were just hanging out. Is he gay?”
    “ Not that I know of.” Dad shrugged. “But does that matter? It's not like you'd have to get jiggy with him.”
    “ Get jiggy with him? What era are we living in?” I rolled my eyes.
    Dad laughed then cleared his throat and sat forward. This was it. This was the hard sell. I should've remembered that technique too, that he says something goofy and disarming before he launches in. I think it's meant to make you feel a bit superior to him and get your defenses down. I noticed though that even with him working it, he twirled the ring on his left hand. That was his tell, he was nervous. And the fact that Dad was nervous about asking me something, made me nervous.
    I sipped my coffee. For some reason, the words of the song Jack Colt had been working on when we were at the beach house echoed through my head. Lyrics about how love will redeem you. It was only a week ago that I'd been there with him, thinking that love would indeed redeem us. But there was no redemption with