Forever Tattooed (Tattooed Billionaire Book 3) Read online

  Copyright © 2016 by Alicia Rae

  All rights reserved.

  Cover Designer: Sarah Hansen, Okay Creations

  Editor and Interior Designer: Jovana Shirley, Unforeseen Editing

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Visit my website at www.aliciaraeauthor.com

  ISBN-13: 978-1539731405

  contents

  Prologue

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Twenty-Three

  Twenty-Four

  Twenty-Five

  Twenty-Six

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  To Meg.

  To the memories we’ve shared horseback riding, crossing mile after mile beneath the blue skies, and the way you flick your ears when we approach an empty field, so excited to run. But, most of all, I adore your tender, loving hugs.

  Because you’re my girl.

  prologue

  Whether we carried them on our naked flesh or in the depths of our hearts, I believed we all had scars in one way or another. Some were deep, jagged, and tender to the touch while others faded until they were faint and forgotten.

  It was a choice—whether one let a wound hold them back or one made themself stronger. It was our faith and those we loved that empowered us to persevere, for acceptance and love were meant to last…forever.

  one

  Damien

  It was only three o’clock in the afternoon. And, fucking Christ, I was swamped with back-to-back meetings all day. I needed to focus, concentrate. Yet, as I sat at my desk in my office to catch a quick breather, the only thing my mind wanted to think about was Raelyn. My strong, gorgeous girl.

  Every hour I was away during the workday, I wondered if Raelyn needed anything, what she was doing at home, or if she was feeling okay even though, time after time, she’d reassured me that she was doing well by herself.

  It had been three months since Raelyn’s surgery where Dr. Coleman, her oncologist, removed an aggressive, life-threatening glioma tumor.

  Prior to finding Dr. Coleman, most of the doctors Raelyn and I had conferred with believed her brain tumor was inoperable. The select few doctors who had felt surgery was a possibility warned Raelyn and me that the operation would come with grave risks and a high chance of long-term effects.

  I had refused to accept any of those doctors’ prognoses, so I’d searched high and low until I found a miracle—Dr. Coleman. He’d answered my single prayer—to save Raelyn.

  Although Dr. Coleman had successfully removed Raelyn’s glioma tumor in its entirety, there had been complications. The tumor had not been as defined as the MRI had originally shown in the scan, which made the surgery significantly more invasive and led to a more difficult recovery.

  Last week, her three-month post-op appointment had brought amazing news where Dr. Coleman announced there were no signs of her tumor returning. She was officially in the clear. Raelyn and I had waited so long to hear those words. Her full recovery should’ve given me a great sense of relief, but sometimes, it still felt too good to be true.

  Nothing had ever gone right in my life before Raelyn. Not. A. Damn. Fucking. Thing. And, as eager as I was to start my life with my girl by my side, I constantly feared that something would get in the way of our happiness. I was plagued with visions of uncontrollable circumstances coming along and trying to tear her away from me.

  Leaning forward, I placed my elbows on my desk and linked my fingers together. The movement caused my suit jacket to expose my bare skin an inch or two below my wrists, revealing a hint of the black ink on my arms hidden beneath my clothing. And, just like that, I was reminded of all my tattoos and their meanings to me. In other words, those fucking uncontrollable circumstances.

  Short flashbacks of my childhood tried to push past the invisible walls I’d built long ago to keep those memories from fucking with my head. Only a few recollections held the power to set me off, and those were buried in the deepest, darkest parts of my mind. I never wanted to relive them again.

  My only other direct trigger was people from my past. I had no care or interest for family because the one I’d been born into never gave a shit about me. I didn’t need a lot of friends, for most of them were backstabbing, lying sons of bitches anyway. They were in the same category as a dirty businessman whose morals were blinded by greed. I could literally count my honest friends on my fingers.

  I’d learned long ago, trust was rare. True friendships were rarer. Unconditional love was nonexistent.

  In my thirty years, Raelyn was my one and only blessing. She was the first person to love me, the real me.

  But there was a catch. Raelyn only knew the man I was today, not the one of my formative years. Usually, I was able to convince myself that the present was all that mattered and that my past was irrelevant. Then, someone would go on about how our pasts defined our futures. If there were any truth to that, mine was tainted black.

  “Mr. Heathman,” sounded from the intercom, dragging me out of my thoughts.

  Thankful for the interruption, I cast my eyes over to the corner of my desk and asked my receptionist, “Yes, Cathy?”

  “Ashton Parker is here to see you. Would you like to see him, or shall I schedule an appointment for him?”

  Ashton Parker had visited Raelyn at her accounting firm, Jennings Accounting Services, shortly before her surgery. Ashton was a man in his late twenties. He owned an established accounting firm, OP Accounting Firm, in Daytona, Florida. His intentions were to join forces with Raelyn’s firm here in Sarasota, Florida, to be closer to his family.

  Raelyn had initially been leery since her previous partner, Cale Adam, had put their company at risk and betrayed her by embezzling money from my company, Heathman Enterprises.

  I’d done some deep digging on Ashton. All of his credentials were outstanding, and he’d come up as clean as a whistle, so he and I had an agreement. He was being well compensated to run Jennings Accounting Services during Raelyn’s medical leave of absence.

  “Let Ashton in, please,” I finally responded to Cathy.

  Seconds later, the office door opened, and Ashton breezed inside. Unease immediately brewed in the pit of my stomach when I assessed Ashton’s appearance. Typically, he always appeared composed, professional.

  Not today.

  His light hair was unkempt, his face was unshaven, and his eyes held an unmistakable heaviness.

  I had an impeccable intuition for being able to sense when something was about to take a shit. Today, I wouldn’t need it. I could guarantee my day was about to get worse.

  “Mr. Heathman, thank you for seeing me on such short notice.” Ashton came around the two chairs in f
ront of my desk. He paused and outstretched his hand to me. “It’s good to see you again, sir.”

  “Of course.” I nodded my head with a smile, shook his hand, and gestured to one of the chairs. “Please, have a seat. What can I do for you, Ashton?”

  Ashton and I both sat down. The way he rolled his shoulders and adjusted himself, almost like a nervous tic racing through the guy, left me unsettled.

  “To be honest—” Ashton drawled.

  “I expect you to always be honest, just as I am with you,” I objected at his hesitation.

  “And I intend to give you the same courtesy.” Ashton paused for a brief second before admitting, “There is no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to put it out there.”

  “Go ahead,” I encouraged.

  “Between maintaining my own clients at OP Accounting Firm and Raelyn’s clients, I’m completely in over my head.” Ashton threw his hands out in front of him. Defeat was evident in his features as he leaned backward in his chair. “I don’t know how Raelyn juggled such a large clientele base all by herself. It’s too much work for one accountant. I can’t keep up.”

  I leaned forward, lifted one hand to grasp my chin, and ran my thumb across my jawline, silently contemplating what to do. The fact of the matter was, Raelyn had been struggling to keep up with her workload after Cale Adam’s immediate termination at the firm. I could only imagine how much dedication it was taking Ashton to maintain clients at both locations—especially since Jeffrey Olsen, Ashton’s former partner at OP Accounting Firm, had retired.

  Nonetheless, Raelyn would be devastated if Jennings Accounting Services went under. I had to find a way to keep her company afloat in her absence.

  “I need Raelyn to come back now,” Ashton cut into my thoughts. “Hell, I needed her back weeks ago.”

  That was not an option, so I shook my head and said, “She’s not ready.”

  All I wanted Raelyn to focus on was her recovery, which was going exceptionally well. That didn’t mean she was up to full speed yet, and even when she was ready to return to the daily grind in the future, she would need to ease herself in. Dr. Coleman had warned me, any stress could make for setbacks in Raelyn’s healing process.

  “Mr. Heathman, I need help,” Ashton pushed. “Raelyn is the only one who has an established relationship with each of her clients. I’ve been spending twice the amount of hours with them than I normally would in an effort to convince them that they can trust me, too. It’s not enough. I can only do so much on my own.”

  “There has to be another way,” I offered. “We’ll hire another temporary accountant or an assistant to do more of the legwork.”

  “It’s not just the paperwork or needing more man power; it’s their trust in Raelyn—the shared history of Raelyn and her clients making crucial financial decisions together over the years,” Ashton argued. “People don’t want some new guy stepping in and taking over without feeling secure with the person they are dealing with.”

  Ashton sat tall as he continued, “It would be a different ball game if I were working side by side with Raelyn. Her clients could see we were partners going after the same goals and interests. Or maybe it would help if her clients at least saw my name alongside hers out on the front of her building, so they would take me seriously and not view me as Raelyn’s temporary replacement.”

  Ashton’s point about customers being uneasy was crystal clear, only I didn’t have a solution for him. I was unsure of how to put Raelyn’s customers’ minds at ease about Ashton, nor was making him a business partner at Jennings Accounting Services within my control.

  “Something has to give, Mr. Heathman. Besides Raelyn’s clients, my own clients at OP Accounting Firm are suffering repercussions from my time being stretched too thin.” Ashton met my gaze with regret. “I’ll have no choice but to resign if we can’t find a positive solution soon. I can’t run a company on this scale by myself.”

  Fuck.

  I released a rush of air that I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

  Raelyn was in no position to deal with this mess. She was aware of my arrangement with Ashton, and the thought of losing him would undoubtedly worry her.

  “Give me a couple of days to figure something out, and I’ll be in touch,” I told him before rising to my feet.

  Ashton joined me at the side of my desk where we briefly shook hands.

  “Thank you for coming to me, Ashton,” I added.

  “Thank you, Mr. Heathman. I appreciate your understanding on the matter.” Ashton gave me what appeared to be an apologetic smile. “I apologize if I’ve troubled you, and I truly hope we can find a way to make both of our clients happy.”

  I nodded at our shared objective and said, “I will try my best.”

  I walked to the door to open it for Ashton to see him out. I blankly stared after him, wondering how I was going to fix this dilemma.

  There was only one answer that came to mind, and he was a man whom, at one point, I’d considered to be one of my oldest, closest friends. He was also the one who’d betrayed me the deepest.

  It was a quarter till seven. I was tired and agitated. The tension in my shoulders seemed unshakable as I shifted my car into park and shut off the ignition.

  I opened the door, exited the car, and began a dreaded slow pace across the driveway and up the sidewalk. My eyes locked on the cherry wood front door of the single-story home. It belonged to the same man who’d embezzled nearly seventy thousand dollars from me.

  Most would think that the stolen money mattered to me. It didn’t, not one bit. It was the lost friendship, misgiven trust, and betrayal that had scorned me the most.

  My trip down memory lane made me pause halfway to my destination, separating me from what I’d come here to do.

  Raelyn needed help.

  Cale deserved to have his face smashed against a brick wall.

  I shook my head in denial. I didn’t belong here. That motherfucker could rot in hell, for all I cared.

  There had to be another way to save Raelyn’s business, and I would work day and night until I came up with a resolution.

  I pivoted on my feet to head back to my car, fully intending to interview every accountant within one hundred miles, if need be. I’d pick the best one, they could name their price, and I’d hire them on the spot. Any person would have to be a better option than Cale.

  The sound of a door opening didn’t stop my movements; a familiar voice did.

  “Damien?” Cale questioned, sounding shocked.

  I ignored him and began toward my car again. The sound of feet shuffling toward me became louder.

  “Damien, wait!” Cale caught up to me and placed his hand on my shoulder.

  “Don’t fucking touch me.” I shrugged him off and whipped around. Heart racing, I clenched my fists and let my hatred for him be seen through the heat of my stare.

  “Sorry, man.” Cale threw his hands out in front of himself with his palms facing me and took a step back. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”

  It was my turn to speak, but as I looked into the eyes of the man who’d deceived me not long ago, I didn’t have anything to say to him.

  “What are you doing here?” Cale asked.

  As my breathing increased with anger, still, no words came.

  “Is it Raelyn? Is she okay?” Cale inched his way forward. “Damien, talk to me.”

  “No,” I answered his first question. Then, I shook my head. “Never mind. Forget I came by.”

  Finished, I spun to face my car and reached into my pocket for my keys.

  “Damien, I’m sorry for what I did. You have to believe me,” Cale rushed to say. “I never meant to hurt you or take advantage of our friendship. I…I was desperate. Embarrassed. Ashamed of the financial position I’d gotten myself into. Regardless, what I did was unforgivable.”

  I stared at my reflection in the glass window of my Mitsubishi R8 as minutes passed by. I remembered all the countless days and nights I’d worked thr
ough while building Heathman Enterprises from the ground up, surviving on ramen noodles because I had only a few measly dollars in my checking account. I’d been at an all-time low in my life with absolutely no one to help me. Except for Cale. We’d met in college, and he’d supported me through every single milestone of my company—up until he’d stolen the money.

  From deep within their hearts, most people were empowered with the ability to forgive when someone they cared about had hurt them. Some would say I didn’t even have a heart. I was ruthless when it came to business. One had to be to get to where I was today. I was unsure of what kind of man that made me.

  “You could have just asked me for the money, Cale.” Eyes burning, I finally gazed over at him. “I would have given you a blank check—whatever you needed—without any questions or judgments.” At a complete loss, I shook my head. “I don’t think I’m capable of burying the hatchet between us. Hell, I’m not even sure if I want to even consider it.”

  “I’ll do whatever it takes, Damien. Give me a chance to make things right again. Please,” Cale pleaded, taking a small step forward. “You and Raelyn are both family to me. It’s killing me to know that I messed everything up.”

  My head played games with me, darting back and forth over what to do.

  I didn’t want Cale in my life anymore.

  But our brotherly bond was deep, and I missed our friendship.

  I wanted to beat the fucker’s ass for his wrongdoings, especially for upsetting Raelyn.

  But every hardship Heathman Enterprises had ever suffered through, Cale had been there to support me.

  I swallowed the knot in my throat, praying like hell I wasn’t about to make a bad decision.

  “I’ll give you one chance.” I held up a single finger as I spoke very clearly, “One chance—that’s it. If you so much as tell a white lie or even show one sign of crossing me, we’re done.”

  “You have my word,” Cale vowed. Several emotions flitted across his face.

  I dismissed each of them, tuning them out to keep a strong front. Lowering my guard would make me susceptible to vulnerability, and I wasn’t ready to let my guard down quite yet.