The Naughty Billionaire and his scandal

Jack's POV

I tapped my finger impatiently on the table. I was nervous, and I knew why. I was going to have a public fight with Sam immediately after this board meeting. Well, not really public, more like a closed event. Only those in our martial arts club would be there. But it still made me nervous.

My uncle, Bernard, in his characteristic manner, was taking longer than was necessary. He always knew when I was bored with any meeting, and always made sure to prolong it as long as possible.

Soon, the meeting ended. I took a deep breath, sent a quick message to my secretary to get my Ferrari and driver ready and got up from the seat.

By the time I reached the ground floor of the office building, the Ferrari was already waiting with the doors open. However, it wasn't my official driver that was there. It was Sam. He's my personal assistant, but more importantly, he's my best buddy. One of the few people I could talk to honestly.

"Thought you might chicken out." He said, holding the door open and grinning.

"You wish." I muttered, getting in and closing the door myself before he could get to it.

It took twenty minutes of revising my newest moves in my head, and then, we were on the mat, white-robed. And tight fisted.

At least, in my case, I was. Sam wasn't.

He was half crouching in a relaxed manner, watching with eyes that said he could see my every move, and waiting for the bell to go off.

The other men, and about two women, from the club were waiting with bated breaths. I now regretted bragging the way I did. But my pride had been hurt the last time Sam won me due to how fast I lost. I needed a way to recoup it. So I had bragged that I was a little drunk and to have a rematch in a week's time.

The bell went off. As usual, I waited, knowing that if I made the first move, the match would end faster.

Sam threw out his leg, trying to sweep mine out from under me. He always started with that move, so everyone has learnt to counter it. The real fight depends on how you countered it, and your next three moves.

But even at that, I felt good at how graceful I moved back, putting some distance between us. Now he would have to either lure me in, fat chance, or cover the distance and give me more time to get to my next move. First part of my new fighting plan has worked. I felt good.

What happened next was so fast I didn't even realize it till seconds after. Sam had rushed forward so fast, clearly intending to cover the distance before I could get my bearings. I had zipped forward too, intending to get in behind his guard, sneak behind him and put in a good finishing round kick.

Next thing I knew, I was unbalanced and stumbling. Reflexively, I did a forward flip and landed on my feet. I did another quick flip, turning mid air so that I faced Sam, who had now moved to my former position.

There was no need for it though. Sam was frozen, with his legs stuck out to indicate that he had tripped me when I rushed forward. It was a feint. The sneaky son of bitch. But what got to me was his gesture of superiority. The way he held back, waiting for me to get my balance and see that he had tricked me.

It bruised my ego and I rushed at him, abandoning all my strategic planning. My anger fueled my movements. How dare he toy with me that way!

I threw a flurry of punches, kicks and upper cuts his way. He easily dodged them all, still smiling. I seemed like a tornado and he, a stone. Despite all my fury, I hardly moved him.

Then, quick as a flash, he swept out my feet from under me. I must have gone six feet into the air before I crashed down on the mat. I stayed down with shut eyes, waiting for my pride to hit the bottom. It had taken a deeper plunge than I had. Especially with those women laughing.

Damn them!

Sam helped me up and we went into the locker room. He hardly needed to bathe, seeing as he hardly broke a sweat, but we both went in the bathroom all the same.

When I got out, I was still angry at myself and him.

"Hey, man." Sam laid a hand on my shoulder. "You let your competitive spirit get to you. Good for business, bad for fighting."

I forced a smile. At least, he's acknowledged I was better at something than him.

"It's supposed to be a competition!" I snorted.

"Yes. But not to win. As a soldier, one of the first things I learnt on the war front was that you don't compete on who will get in the most bullets, you compete on who will stay alive in the end."

I nodded in understanding. In effect, he was saying I had let down my defense when I went all out. I smiled. How the hell was I gonna face those guys outside? I decided to prolong meeting them as long as possible.

"What else did you learn from soldiering?" I asked him, taking a sip out of my can of water.

"You can only prolong a defeat so far." He said, grinning at me. "Go get your ribbing. It's either now or later."

I threw him a playful punch and he allowed it to catch him, though it hardly fazed him.

Just then, my phone rang. It was Charlotte.

Cool.

I picked it almost immediately. Anything not to go out there just yet. Then I got a better idea.

With the phone still pressed to my ear, I walked out to the dojo. That should hold them off.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked Charlotte, trying to keep my voice casual. I had promised to call her, but didn't.

"I'm cool." She replied. "I'm at your house though. Just thought I'd drop by." I could hear the smile in her voice. "You know, spend some time with my love."

I smiled unconsciously too. Charlotte was my fiance. Every now and then, she drops by the house without warning, so I am used to it. Maybe she expects to catch me cheating sometime.

"Alright. I'm on my way."

I gestured to Sam as I left the hall. He left the men clapping him on the back and followed after me.

We continued our conversation on the way back.

"You need to teach me your moves sometime." I told him.

"As if I'm not already doing that everyday. What you really need to work on now is your mindset. You know, tone down the pride."

We continued the conversation, discussing martial arts till we reached home. As we arrived home, I could see a sleek black Mercedes Benz parked in front of the mansion.

I had bought it for her twenty sixth birthday about four months back. I had proposed about a month before that.

I offered both Sam and Charlotte drinks. Sam left soon after he finished his, leaving me alone with Charlotte. She immediately moved and sat on my lap seductively.

"Can we make love?" She asked me in a silky voice.