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The Billionaire Scoop is a standalone BWWM interracial roers!

Spinoffs co soon

Part I

COLD FEET

Prologue

Jiround—literally

Every few seconds his feet lifted, his body rising a few inches above the Loeb Boathouse floor, and he had to silently talk his tall, broad-shouldered, suited frae hands locked behind hi aisle lined with a delicate white runner and colorful petals prepared for his bride

He scarcely felt the presence of over a hundred—perhaps several hundred—people sitting patiently while he waited quite impatiently for his soon-to-be-wife to appear

Then the Bridal March began, and the attendees turned toward the entrance

Jiain, but he stubbornly kept his feet planted, concentrating on keeping everything together as the pivotal moment neared

Suddenly, it see had crawled into the room, and it hen the bride appeared that Jim suddenly realized he was trapped in a lucid dream

He wondered at the positive feelings he’d experienced in anticipation of thisabout his upco nuptials

As he ree, he began to dread the moment the woman hidden under the veil reached him

Yet strangely, the anxiety that plagued hi life refused to take over

Jian to suspect that all was not what it seeain—so about her did not feel fairl he had promised to marry the next day

The wo a bouquet doloved hands was pretty much completely covered, but even with all the lace and silk and flowers in the way of her features, he realized so

His fiancée, Lucy, was petite, blond, and fair-skinned, and this woh also rather slim, seemed taller, and as far as he could tell, her hair was darker, as was her skin

Only curiosity re measured steps toward hiripped the botto for the impropriety; he had to see the bride

Shock pulsed through hireeted him—brown-skinned arm brown eyes so unlike Lucy’s heavily-mascaraed, wide blue ones

Though his brain did not recognize the sunny woain flooded with eain, and he started lifting froround once more

This tier lifted with hi smile

Jirounded as they rose together

Ji as he lay alone on his silken sheets, wishing he didn’t have to open his eyes once his blaring alarm filtered into his consciousness

Chapter 1

Jim

“This is for the greater good,” Jim mumbled to himself as he adjusted his tie for at least the twentieth ti into his own eyes as he assessed his reflection

It felt like even hishim—firm jaw set in disapproval, eyes more olive than sea-colored today

Jim had no doubt every part of his tux was perfect, customized for his tall, muscled frame, every thread and button exactly where it should be, but he couldn’t keep his hands fro at it there

“Take it easy,” his best man Scott said, this time with a heavy hand on his shoulder

A few ly, “Relax,” and a few minutes before that, in a fake chipper voice, he’d , “It’ll work out—it’s for the best”

That statement had only worked to raise Jim’s blood pressure, and Scott realized his error quickly

How the hell was it best to marry someone he didn’t love?

No matter how many times it had been rationalized to hioing down the aisle to tie himself to Lucy still unsettled hiive up its contents any minute now

While fiddling with his tie yet again, Jiestion, finally looking himself in the eye

His reflection didn’t seemental now, only unsettled

“I dreaht,” he said flatly

“What? Who?” Scott said, sounding almost personally offended

Jied

“The face is fuzzy now, but either way, I’ve neverbut Lucy, I guess—even someone who doesn’t exist”

“Come on, Jim—Lucy’s hot!” Scott said “At least, there’s that It’s not like you’re e You’re getting hooked up with a young, gorgeous blonde What more could you possibly want?”

Jim spun to stare at Scot

t, realizing for the first time that his oldest friend didn’t know him that well at all

Scott seriously thought he wanted to be forced into a e with someone he didn’t care about in order to inherit an e to do with? That he wanted the wo like Lucy, of all people? Did Scott really think he didn’tnarcissist?

Ji he probably looked poised to attack as he glared into Scott’s baffled face once he saw Scott raise his ar a step back

Ji out a particularly heavy breath to try to calm back down before he al room

Scott ht not know him as well as he’d hoped, but he knew his friend pretty well; he knew Scott’s sensitive, touchy side wouldn’t be able to handle the rebuke and he’d stand there sulking in front of everybody waiting out there—that is, if he even got over their spat soon enough to show up on time

Jihts back to the woman he was supposed to marry

His senti at Scott

Where had they come from?

He had never put into words what he really thought of Lucy before then—dating her had been just okay and he hadn’t had to do it much; he always had work to distract him

Besides, Scott was right—Lucy was a nice enough girl as quite pretty and sirls usually talked about—fashion and trips and trends—she was young and rich, so she was doo had pretty much been handed to her; it wasn’t her fault she didn’t have to work for anything

She was exactly the kind of girl he was always meant to s in life and intent onA woman who kept herself made-up and beautiful to make sure she was paired with an equal or better—like him

The daughter of a multi-millionaire was a perfect match for the son of a billionaire

So as he so concerned about?

Like Scott said, it could’ve been far worse

“You need rab you another drink?” Scott offered “You look like you could knock a few more back before you head out there”

This time, all tension evaporated as Jiht of hi out there after one too many drinks

The ie appealed to him, and he was tempted to accept Scott’s offer—after all, there was a possibility his insobriety could force a postpone without all of his wits about him, would they?

But he knew far better than that—they sure as hell would

Toothe deal

No ould his dad let anything stop thisoff the man already so heavily disappointed in him, and who knehat the fallout would be from that?

“I’ll be fine,” he said to Scott gently, fiddling with his tie once more

Take one for the team, he reminded himself

“You sure?”

Jim nodded then turned to his friend