Free Big Brother Billionaire (Part Three) by Lexie Ray

to come here? I’d lost contact with them so long ago. They looked good to me—older, of course, but I was sure I looked older to them, as well.
    “What in the world is this?” I demanded, halfway angry with Sol as she approached me, still laughing.
    “It’s a special event,” she said. “My first as owner of this club. Tonight, we honor and celebrate you.”
    “But you’re not making any money,” I protested. “What about the customers? What have you told them? What if they get out of the habit of coming here because you denied them entrance?”
    “There’s plenty of time for me to worry about that, not you,” Sol scolded me. “Who’s in charge here?”
    It was so strange to be here and not have full control of everything that was going on. The only thing I could think of was that the club was losing money, that no one was making money, that I wished everyone wasn’t looking at me, and that I wasn’t the center of attention. I hadn’t been the center of attention in this place for a long time.
    “Now,” Sol said, clapping her hands briskly, as I’d been unable to mount any sort of defense against this event. “It’s time for drinks and memories. The guest of honor gets the finest seat in the house.”
    She escorted me to a table in the VIP section, and the rest of the guests made their way to other tables dotting the floor. There was practically a full house here. Could they really all be for me?
    “I was going over the records late at night all week,” Sol said, delivering a cocktail to me and patting my shoulder almost apologetically. “I felt like I was cramming for a test or something. Then, I decided that I should invite anyone you’ve ever worked with. You keep incredibly detailed records. This is your retirement party. Are you surprised?”
    Surprised would not cover my feelings on what was happening. I was agape at the turnout, more and more people gradually filtering in. There was a customer who’d been a regular for years, and another former bouncer I hadn’t thought of in a long time. It was overwhelming to be practically seated on a dais in front of all of them like a queen. Sol had tried to do something nice, but I was so uncomfortable that I began casting around in my mind, trying to find the best way to duck out of here and slink back home.
    “Parker.”
    All sounds faded. The music, the hum of conversations around me. I turned slowly in my seat, telling myself that my mind was playing tricks on me, that there was no way this could be happening right now.
    But then I saw him with my own eyes, and everything else faded into the background.
    “What are you doing here?” I murmured, as he took my hand and kissed it.
    “Do you think I’d miss this for anything?” Marcus said, smiling down at me. He’d never looked better, his broad shoulders perfectly fitting the tailored gray suit he wore. His salt and pepper hair was tending toward the salt side, but those dark eyes would never change, the light somehow dancing within them. They took my breath away just as they had all those years ago, standing among pamphlets fluttering down out of the sky that were supposed to tell me my future. They had, in a way. They’d told me that my future was with this man, easing down into a seat Sol pushed his way, smiling knowingly.
    “Have I wasted my whole life?” I breathed, tears filling my eyes, blurring the sight of the only person I wanted to see out of all the bodies assembled in this room.
    “What are you talking about?” Marcus asked, sheltering my hand in between his. “Wasted? You haven’t wasted your life.”
    “But I have.” I struggled not to start sobbing. This was my fucking party, and I wasn’t going to ruin it by crying. I threw up dams in my heart, fought the telltale closing of my throat. “All these years, I’ve ignored the one good thing in my life. I’ve done all but shut you out, Marcus. I’ve wasted my life, and I’ve caused you to waste yours.”
    He