Free What Matters Most: The Billionaire Bargains, Book 2 by Erin Nicholas

of the story.
    “The plan was to drive her around until I got the word from my friend that the big surprise he had planned back at her house was ready.”
    “Okay.”
    “So I picked Carrie up, we drove around, even when she got agitated, I kept going until I heard from my friend. She made a couple of calls, but she didn’t know my license plate number or anything, so by the time the cops showed up, we were back at my friend’s surprise party.”
    “And then she forgave you and the cops realized it was just a mistake?”
    “Not exactly. I spent the night in jail and had to explain to the judge in the morning that I had innocently picked up the wrong Carrie.”
    Reese’s eyes went wide. “Oh my God.”
    “Yeah. In my defense, even my friend admitted they looked a lot alike. And when I approached her and said “Carrie?” and she said yes, and she’d been waiting for a car service to pick her up… Well, I just got unlucky.”
    Reese put a hand over her mouth.
    He reached for her and she stepped back into his arms.
    “Is it safe to say that most of the other stupid things have to do with women and/or money?” she asked a moment later
    “Oh, yes, that is very safe to say. Money more often than women.” He thought about that for a minute. “I think. Yeah, that’s probably true.”
    “But put the two together and you’re really in trouble?”
    “And add in a little tequila and…” He realized what he was saying way too late. “I don’t mean.”
    She waved it off. “No, of course not. In my case, it was the smartest thing you’ve ever done.”
    He really believed that. But it was pretty clear from her tone that she was being sarcastic.
    “Reese—”
    “And of course there was the time you lost this club to me in a poker game.”
    Fucking Matt. Tony looked over his shoulder to find his friend—though he was beginning to use that term loosely in regards to all of his friends—standing there grinning at Reese.
    “You lost this club?” Reese asked, looking from Matt to Tony. “In a card game ?”
    “Yes. But in all fairness, I only owned it for those six months because Matt lost it to me in a poker game,” Tony said.
    Reese shook her head slightly. “Why do I think you would have put it up in a poker game even if Matt hadn’t owned it previously?”
    “I didn’t want to own it anyway. It was a lot of work,” Tony said.
    Matt nodded his agreement. “It is. I should have thrown that game. Being Tony’s club manager was way less pressure and paid pretty damned good.”
    “You paid Matt to manage the club that you’d won off of him?” Reese asked. She rubbed her forehead. “Never mind.”
    “Well, yeah. What do I know about owning a club?” Tony asked. He was a smart businessman who was successful in part because he knew what he was good at and what he wasn’t. And he knew how to hire the best to take care of the things he wasn’t good at.
    Reese shook her head again. “I’m guessing Matt can add to the list of stupid things you’ve done?”
    Tony shrugged. “I admit there have been more than four.”
    “You do this stuff because you just don’t think things through or because you always have a plan B?”
    Matt laughed and slapped Tony on the back. “Tony always lands on his feet. That’s what matters.”
    Tony glared at the other man. Like Matt was so innocent. “You’ve charmed and paid your way out of plenty of messes.”
    Matt nodded. “Sure have.”
    One thing Tony did like about the men he called friends—they knew who they were and owned their successes and their faults. It came with the territory. When you dealt with other powerful men there was never a shortage of people pointing out your asshole and stupid moments.
    “I just thought I should let you know that Liz is here,” Matt said.
    “Fuck,” Tony muttered.
    “Who’s Liz?” Reese asked, looking around as if trying to locate the other woman.
    “An ex,” Matt said with a grin.
    “Of yours or Tony’s?”