The Billionaire and the Con Artist: A Bad Boy Romance (Bad Girls Series Book 1) by Leanne Brice

just get to act all high and mighty when they’re charmed. When they don’t realize how good they’ve got it. They think because they haven’t been in your shoes, they have the right to judge your actions and reactions. But most people are shit, you know," she said. “They put up a good front, and everyone would like to think they’re a good person—some of those delusional dickwads actually believe it—but they’re not. If given the opportunity, the majority of people will screw you over because, in the end, everyone’s selfish. You have to be, in order to survive and get along. Nobody likes to own it, but it just is. One selfish decision after another leads everyone to where they are…”

    I feel fortified as I remember her words, heroic even.
    This is a victory for the poor and unlucky.
    What I’m taking, it’s probably nothing to Axel—like flicking a penny into a wishing fountain.
    People like him really make me sick.
    How much does it cost to stay in this room? Is it really necessary for you to spend that much on a goddamned hotel room? Isn’t there some charity you can donate to?
    I think about people I’ve met who have to think hard about how to get fed the next day, and I get even madder at his flaunted wealth.
    People like Axel don’t like thinking about feeding the poor and are worried about entitlements, but man, the things they feel entitled to.
    I bet his wealth is blood money. It usually is.
    I zip up my bag, fully packed.
    Once I’m all set, I grab my phone and give Taylor a ring.
    She tells me she’s in the middle of a job but gives me the motel and name she’s checking in under, and we arrange to meet up later.
    I double-check to make sure I’ve got everything, then take one last look around my surprise accommodations, a gift that kept on giving like some golden egg-laying goose.
    I feel a small wave of sadness at having to leave it behind so soon, although better sooner than later. Staying here will only get riskier.
    I also feel bad about leaving Axel behind—he was really good in bed. My body misses his hard cock already.
    Plus, part of me wishes I could see his face once he realizes he’s been had.
    Hey, look on the bright side, bud—at least you get your precious room!
    I giggle at that.
    What an adventure.
    I can’t wait to tell Taylor.
    As I head down Las Vegas boulevard, the Bellagio fountains grab my attention as one of the water shows start. 
    The fountain show looks like a party—bright lights and confetti on my behalf.
    The display is accompanied by one of my favorite songs—"Time to Say Goodbye" by Andrea Bocelli and Sara Brightman.
    My mom got me into songs like that—she loved opera and she herself had a beautiful voice; it haunted me a long time after she left.
    I pause a moment, a swell of emotion overtaking me as I let joy run through me over my successful first day.
    Vegas has welcomed me beautifully with a buttload of cash off the bat, a sweet lay, and the promise of meeting my mother again.
    What a birthday this is turning out to be.
    For once in my life, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

    * * *
    I t strikes me for the first time how much older Taylor looks.
    She’s only about ten years older than me—not that I’ve ever been able to confirm it—but something about her face has changed, it seems.
    Guess it’s just stress.
    If someone were to see us together as we sit here on this motel bed, they could take us for cousins, maybe, or a much older aunt. Maybe even my mom.
    Not that we look anything alike in our natural state—her lips are thin, whereas mine are on the fuller side. My skin is smooth and blemish-free, and she has that scar on her cheek.
    I have honey-blond hair and blue-gray eyes which can look either blue or gray at any given time, and her eyes are hazel. Her hair… I’m not actually sure what her natural hair color is, but she tends to go with red outside of the wigs, despite telling me blond is generally best to go