Interview with the Billionaire
Interview With The Billionaire
J. Kenner
Contents
Title Page
About Interview With the Billionaire
A note from JK
Damienized
Damien’s Journal
Ambition
Chapter 1: A change of plans
Damien’s Journal
Coffee
Chapter 2: Countdown
Damien’s Journal
Inevitable
Chapter 3: Blast from the Past
Damien’s Journal
Scars
Chapter 4: Family Time
Damien’s Journal
Positive
Chapter 5: Someone’s Missing
A Letter to Ashton
Fierce & Loyal
Chapter 5: Ground Rules
A Good Man
Transcript: Steele
Damien’s Journal
Chapter 6: The Spotlight
Desperately
Transcript: Stark-1
Damien’s Journal
Strength
Transcript: Dodge/Dunlop
My Blood, My Life
A Letter to Evelyn
Her Knight
Transcript: Hunter/Archer
Prey
Damien’s Journal - kidnapping
Slaying Dragons
Transcript: Stark-2
Shadows
1. Chapter 7: Alone Again
Balm
2. Transcript: Bernstein
Fierce & Loyal
Transcript: Stark-3
Damien’s Journal
Stark Security
A letter to Anne
Everything
3. Chapter 8: The End
Bonus Scene!
More Damien? Yes, please!
The Stark Saga (Nikki & Damien)
I. My Fallen Saint Excerpt
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Also by J. Kenner
About the Author
Learn more at:
www.jkenner.com
Bookbub
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Patreon
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Text JKenner to 21000 for new release announcements!
Interview With The Billionaire
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Mr. Stark still has some secrets…
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When Damien Stark agrees to be interviewed for a series of articles about his life, business, and family, he never expects that the interviewer will be an old flame. Or that she’s coming to the table with an agenda of her own…
In celebration of the ten year anniversary of Release Me, comes this unique and entirely original compilation of journal entries, letters, and exclusive interviews with and about the reclusive billionaire.
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Framed by the formal interview sessions between Damien and his ex, this book includes never-before-told perspective on many of the events from the original trilogy and continuing series, interviews with his friends, family, and co-workers, and all-new content featuring Nikki, Damien, their family, and their friends.
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A must-read for all Stark fans.
A note from JK
Damien … this book … and a heartfelt thank you!
I never expected such an incredible ten year ride when Damien Stark walked into my life … and I hope for many more years of readers discovering the world of Damien Stark, Jackson Steele, Ryan Hunter, Ashton Stone, Matthew Holt, the men at Stark Security, and all the gang across all the Stark World books, series spin-offs, and Patreon content!
What? You didn’t know there was a Stark-centric Patreon? Launching contemporaneously with this book’s release, it’s the place for both exclusive and early Stark World content, focusing primarily on Nikki & Damien stories that will remain exclusive to either Patreon or JK’s website, plus first (and in-progress) reads of developing stories set across the whole of Stark World.
And it’s not just Nikki & Damien. You’ll get early or exclusive access to stories featuring other characters in Stark World—ones you’ve already met as well as new ones to come. I can’t wait for you to meet them first!
In addition, I’ll soon be rolling out swag and art, plus status updates about what I’m working on, and regularly scheduled video chats with me! That’s not all, of course, and you can learn more by visiting my actual Patreon.
But back to INTERVIEW WITH THE BILLIONAIRE:
This book isn’t your typical book. It’s not a novel. It’s not even really a novella.
To be one hundred percent honest, it’s a love letter to you, the fans. Originally, this book was conceived as a collection of moments and insight told through letters, interviews, and journal entries that focus on events that were in the series, but that we didn’t see from Damien’s point of view.
But I wanted to make it more than that. So instead of a simple collection of moments, I decided to include an entirely new story that focuses on the interview itself. And, because it’s the Starks, how could someone come into their home to do an in-depth and intimate interview without at least a little drama percolating?
So that was the impetus.
Of course, this book doesn’t touch on all the characters and key scenes. That would, frankly, require writing an encyclopedia. This is more of a taste. A gift of Damien to you!
And you may see a reference to something you don’t remember happening. OMG, you might have missed a book! If you think that’s the case, the best thing to do is to ask about a scene in my Reader Group, the J. Kenner Krew! If they don’t know the answer, feel free to ping me through the website or social media!
So is this really the end of the Stark Saga?
Yes and no.
As I said in 2021 with the release of Enchant Me, it was time to wrap up the series; Nikki & Damien deserve a real HEA!
So the current plan is that there will be no more Nikki & Damien at the major book vendors. But that sucks because I love writing these characters, and you love reading them! And that’s why I’ll still be writing novellas for them, and Patreon subscribers can read those stories in the rough as they progress, and then download an edited copy of the full book, novella, or short story as part of their Patreon subscription once the story is finished. (And, of course, subscribers will be able to vote on covers, some story choices, names, and other fun stuff!).
For those who aren’t interested in joining Patreon, I’ll also sell those completed and edited digital stories through my web store. More details on that to come!
In addition, Stark World is NOT going away. In fact 2023 is going to bring new books in that world featuring Ashton Stone and Matthew Holt. Plus, I’m going to be spinning off an entirely new Stark World Series in late 2023 or early 2024 that I’m sooooooo excited about! Join the Patreon to get the early details or subscribe to my newsletter so you won’t miss out when those pre-orders go up!
Finally, I’ve been working on a Complete Stark Booklist that has all the books with Nikki & Damien (or just Damien in some cases), including Easter egg books where one or both of them is just a walk-on. It would have been easier had I done that as I went along, but I have to admit I’ve enjoyed re-reading about ten years worth of my books! (I confess there were some tears! Nikki & Damien have had some major challenges!)
As I’ve done so, I’ve been creating a spreadsheet. You can find it here and also on my website. Right now, that is the easiest w
ay to find the reading order and also check to make sure you haven’t missed a book that is either set in or touches on Stark World. Please note: This is a living document, so it will be updated regularly.
If you see any mistakes or think I missed a book, please let me know! You can email me at jkennerinfo@gmail.com
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P.S.: Damien wanted to add a note:
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FROM THE DESK OF DAMIEN STARK:
Dear friends,
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for being a part of my life with Nikki, our friends, and our children. As you know, we’ve had some rough times, but those only made us stronger. Your support has been one of our strongest lifelines.
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Wishing you love and happiness,
BEWARE … there be spoilers ahead!
Damienized, v. To be needful of Damien, especially in the sense of fucking and dirty talk. See, e.g., Nikki Fairchild.]
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— Claim Me
Damien’s Journal
Dallas
I met her tonight.
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Who would have thought that anything good would come from agreeing to be a celebrity judge in a Texas beauty pageant?
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And yet everything good has come from it.
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Everything except that I’m in a hotel room with Carmela instead of Nikki Fairchild.
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One day, though.
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If there is anything right and good in this universe, then one day, she will be the one sharing my bed.
He was twenty-four years old, already a sports legend with his name on goddamn cereal boxes, and fast on his way to becoming one of the wealthiest entrepreneurs in the country. Country? Fuck that, he was shooting for the world.
Ambitious, maybe. But he’d never thought of ambition as a dirty word. On the contrary, it was what kept him alive. Like the air he breathed, the food he ate. Competition, too. The salty, almost bitter taste of it. The euphoria of success. The dark pit of failure.
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- Damien
Chapter 1: A change of plans
Damien stood on the bedroom balcony, the late afternoon sunlight dancing like fire on the waves of the Pacific. A stunning sight, but not the one he was focusing on.
No, his attention was on the woman and the three children on the pool deck below him. His wife. His kids.
He drew in a breath, his chest tightening merely from the sight of them. From the stunning reality that they were his. That somehow, despite all the trauma and bullshit and wrong-turns in his life, he’d found Nikki, the one person in all the world who matched him. Challenged him. Loved him.
He’d wanted her from the first moment he’d seen her. And the real miracle was that she’d wanted him just as much.
He remembered that day at the pageant in Texas. The way she’d looked. The sound of her voice. And the absolute certainty that in that moment he’d wanted nothing more than to take her hand and run as far and as fast as they could from a world that would conspire to keep them apart.
The world had beaten them that day. The world and reality. It wasn’t time. Not then.
But one day…
He’d left Dallas knowing for certain that one day Nikki Fairchild would be his.
It wasn’t hubris. It wasn’t magic. He’d simply looked into his future, and he’d known.
He grinned. Maybe it really had been magic all along.
Below him, Nikki dropped to one knee, the Leica he’d given her so many years before aimed at the kids who were splashing in the shallow end of the pool.
“Mommy! Take me! Take me!” On the steps, three-year-old Bradley waved like a maniac.
“Bradleeeeeey!” That from Lara, who stood in the shallow water, her hands on her hips, her nine-year-old face full of exasperation. “You’re not supposed to look. Mommy’s taking candids.” It was a word she’d become fascinated with the previous week, and Damien had to give her credit; so far, she’d managed to work it into seventy-five percent of every conversation she’d had since then.
“It’s okay, Lara,” Nikki said as she stood up again. “We photographers have to learn how to work with all our subjects, right?”
“Right.” Lara’s birthday present had been a camera of her own, and she’d spent much of the last few weeks taking those candids of everyone in the household, including Gregory the house manager, Sunshine the cat, and even the staff at the gatehouse. “Okay, Bradley. You can bounce.”
“I wanna bounce, too! Can I? Please?” That from Anne, now seven. And the question was directed not at Nikki, but at Lara, the big sister she adored.
“I suppose so,” Lara said, her voice so like Nikki’s when she was reluctantly giving in to a child’s demands that Damien couldn’t help but chuckle.
As he did, Nikki turned, her smile widening when she saw him. She said nothing. Instead, she lifted the camera and snapped a picture of him.
“Don’t you have enough of me?”
“Never,” she said, her voice full of both heat and laughter.
“Daddy!” Anne called. “Daddy, come swim!”
“In a minute, baby girl. I need to talk to Mommy.” He shifted his gaze back to Nikki. “Can you come up?”
He saw her brow furrow, presumably wondering why he wasn’t coming down. But she didn’t ask, and he didn’t offer. This wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have in front of the kids, and he saw the realization in her eyes—no surprise considering how well they understood each other.
“Bree’s getting more sunscreen,” she said, referring to their part-time nanny. “I’ll be up as soon as she’s back.”
He nodded, then blew her a kiss, which succeeded in erasing the worry he’d put in her eyes. Then he turned and headed out of their bedroom and into the third-floor living area that was the heart of their Malibu home.
He poured two glasses of bourbon, neat, then stood at the top of the stairs simply for the pleasure of watching his wife walk toward him, her blond hair brushing her shoulders, her nose slightly pink from the sun.
She wore a two-piece bathing suit with a gauzy wrap tied around her waist. It was sheer, and her leg emerged from the slit as she climbed the stairs. As it did, he could see one of the scars that marred the inside of her thigh. A battle scar. A mark of honor, not shame. Because those scars were how she’d coped with growing up in a household that rivaled the fucked-up-ed-ness of his own. A mother who could give even Jeremiah Stark a run for his money.
Unlike Jeremiah, Elizabeth Fairchild was still alive. Thankfully, though, they hadn’t heard from her in well over a year.
A small miracle, as far as Damien was concerned.
“You look happy,” Nikki said, reaching the landing and sliding into his arms. “And here I thought you’d be traumatized.”
He heard the tease in her voice. “About turning forty next week? Why? Are you planning on leaving me for a younger man?”
“Of course.” She tilted her head back, her expression serious. “I’m debating between Sven or Terence. But it’s so hard to choose. Maybe I’ll just go with both of them.”
He tugged her even closer, then silenced her gasp with a long, lingering kiss that had her moaning, the sound and the feel of her body curved against his making him hard. “I think somebody’s looking to be punished.”
Heat and amusement danced in her eyes. “By you, Mr. Stark? Always.”
He chuckled, then slid back to release her even while twining his fingers with hers. “I’d like to say that was part of our agenda this weekend, but I’m afraid plans have changed.”
“Oh. What happened.” They’d been planning to leave the kids with their aunt and uncle while he and Nikki escaped to a desert spa retreat. The grown-up part of his upcoming birthday celebration.
“Evelyn called,” he said, referring to his lifelong friend and agent. “Apparently the fact that I’ve survived four decades on this planet is newsworth
y. There’s a magazine that wants to do an in-depth profile on me.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
He understood the question. Despite being one of the most recognizable men in the world, he was also one of the most private. Or he tried to be. Somehow, life kept tossing him back into the public eye.
“I am. Or, rather, I’m resigned to it. Evelyn insists it will be a boon for the company image and excellent publicity for the sports center.”
The S&S Sports Center was a Stark and Steele joint project that was being dedicated in less than a week. Though it was already a high profile project, publicity for a public venue was never a bad thing.