Alpha Billionaire Series

GAVIN

The music in the club was so loud Nick and Jiles had to shout over it to have a conversation. I had been feeling a bit better, despite Madison's lack of acknowledgement of my gifts. The night was an impromptu bachelor party for Nick because the real party would have had strippers and his fiancé wasn’t very happy about that.

At least a dozen of Nick's friends had come for the bash, and a night full of dancing, drinking, and dames ensued. Most of the guys had a woman or two hanging from their arms all night. I had entertained the girlfriend of one of the groomsmen for a short time while he hit the dance floor, but outside that, I'd avoided the ladies. Several of them were beautiful, but my heart was in a different place.

The turmoil and anger that had plagued me for weeks had been replaced by a calmness lately. Maybe it was because I was actively doing something to reach out to Madison, or maybe it was because my heart had finally decided to let go. Either way, I was feeling good enough to hang out with these guys. They even got me on the floor to do a few line dances with them, which I was far too old to do, but I had a good time.

I had just ordered a third drink when my phone started vibrating in my pocket. I slid the $20 bill across the bar to the bartender and reached for my phone to see who it was. I wasn’t on call, but I never ignored my phone, just in case. T my utter surprise, I saw Madii’s face on my screen, her caller ID lit up. I swiped right to answer but I missed her, and the call was dead.

Staring at my phone for a few minutes, I wondered if I should call her back, or if I should wait and see if she called me. Regardless, it was far too loud inside the club to actually take a call, so I pocketed my phone and waited for my drink. The bartender brought me my glass of whiskey, and I weaved back through the crowd to my spot along the wall, past a raucous group of men dancing in a circle around a scantily clad woman.

As I sat down, sipping my drink, I began to wonder why Madii would call me so late at night—nearly midnight—and what she wanted. Some sentences are incomplete if you are not reading this novel on Jo bn ib.com. Visit J 0 b nib. c m to read the complete chapters for free. The fact that she had even called me was encouraging, given the silence between us for weeks. So I felt a little better because of that, but something in my gut told me she needed me. The longer I sat there, the more restless I became. I tried to spot Nick and Jiles to let them know I was going to step outside, but I couldn't see them anywhere.

The dance floor was a mass of gyrating bodies in dark clothing shrouded in a mist of fog, with lights flashing overhead. I saw a glimpse of one of the men in the wedding party but did not see Nick or Jiles with him. Even he disappeared into the crowd after just a glimpse. I took a long swig of my whiskey, avoiding eye contact with a womar to my right who had been eyeing me all night. Thinking of Madison made me even more conscious of the fact that other women took interest in me.

My phone rang again, and again it was Madison. This time I was able to swipe to answer quickly enough to get the line to connect, but the music was so loud, I'm sure all she heard was the background noise and not my shouting. I heard nothing at all, and when I looked at the phone to see if we were still connected, the screen was black. If she was calling me more than once, this late, after a separation, she needed something.

Shoulders tense with worry, I pushed through the crowd toward the door. The night air was crisp, sending a chill down my spine. Summer was giving way to Fall, and I had not dressed appropriately. Shivering, I dialed Madison's number, but she didn’t pick up, which only proved to deepen my concern. I paced the sidewalk, and about the time I was going to give up and drive home, my phone rang again. I answered immediately.

“Madii, what's wrong? Are you okay?” She couldn't answer me fast enough.

“I'm fiiine,” she said, her words slurred. “Gavin, I need to talk to you...

Just those simple sentences and I knew she was wasted. I didn't even have to see her or smell her breath. I'd never seen her drunk—at least not “drunk dial” drunk—and I didn’t know if this was a cry for help, or if she really wanted me. I tried to be patient, but after freaking out that she was hurt and needing me, I was irritated.

“Are you drunk?” I ran a hand through my hair and stopped under a streetlight to talk to her.

“Yes... yes, I am. And my heart is broken. And can you come over?” She sniffled, and I could tell she'd been crying. Then she hiccupped, followed by a moan of complaint. There was another voice, some rustling and then Lexi came on the line.

“Sorry, Gavin. I will make her go to bed now. I didn’t mean for her to ruin your plans or anything.” Lexi’s apology tempered my frustration and disappointment, but only enough for me to act maturely toward her, not to feel any consolation after being drunk dialed by the woman who was supposed to be my wife.

“It's okay. Do you know if she wanted something in particular?”

“Uh, well things here have changed a lot. That's all I can say, because Madii really needs to tell you the rest herself. Unfortunately, we went to a club tonight to blow off steam and she got wasted—as you can tell. So, what I suggest is waiting a few days for her to get over this emotional hump, then you two need to talk” I heard Lexi scold Madison in the background, telling her not to drink anymore.

The breeze blew, making me shiver, and I rolled my eyes at the idea of going back into the club to join the party. “Changed how?” I rubbed my arm hoping friction might produce warmth.

“I can't really get into details, okay? Just call her in a few days. I gotta go; she’s going to puke.” Lexi hung up, and I stood there wondering what the hell just happened. And what had changed?

Pocketing my phone, I felt my car keys and pulled them out. My night was ruined. I didn’t want to hear another note of a song or drink another drink. I wanted my bed. I wanted Madison in my bed, but not like this. She was acting so immature and irresponsible. Or maybe she was just hurting that bad and I hadn't taken time to notice, but how coul I notice when she wasn't even talking to me?

Sinking behind the wheel of my car, I let my shoulders release their tension. At least she was thinking of me, so that was a good thing. I shut the door and pulled out my phone, shooting Nick and Jiles a text in our group chat that I wa headed home. They would understand if they saw it, but something told me they were having too much fun to even notice I wasn't there anymore.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

xk x

At home I kicked off my shoes by the front door and headed to my kitchen for a drink, selecting a bottle of bourbon instead of a beer like normal. Then I walked down the hall to my bedroom, peeling off my clothes as I went. I didn't even bother getting a glass to drink out of. I'd just take the cap off and drown myself.

The bedroom was dark, but the TV screen illuminated everything I needed to see the second I turned it on. I tossed my dirty jeans, t-shirt, and socks into the hamper, then turned down the bed. There was a late-night run of some old western, so I settled in with my bottle and my remote and tried to focus on the television but all I could think about was Madison—the way she smiled, the way her hair smelled. The fact that she had been so distant, frustrating, and emotionally unavailable to me for weeks.

I took a swig of the alcohol and heard my phone vibrating. The noise was coming from the laundry hamper, where m phone was in the pocket of my dirty jeans. I looked in that direction for a few minutes until the vibration stopped. The alcohol of the night was making me sleepy; I didn’t have energy to move anymore.

When the vibration stopped, I focused back on the western. The cowboys were having a shootout, so it captured my attention for a while. The whiskey went down smoother with every sip, and sips turned to gulps until my eyes were heavy and the bottle was almost empty. The western concluded, and the late show came on, but still I was not sleeping.

After taking the final swig, I decided to lie down. I knew I'd toss and turn for a while, likely having bad dreams where Madison left me for him. But I was exhausted. As I drifted off to sleep, I thought I heard my phone vibrating again. Or maybe it was the lawnmower in my dream...