by Cynthia Dane
“So what now?” she asked, watching him put his clothes together. Mussed, clean, whatever… Ethan Cole looked good to her. “We can’t go back to the way it was before.”
“No, we can’t.” He pulled down her sweatshirt for her, although she was hardly modest. “Everything is different now.”
“So…”
He tipped her chin up with the tips of his fingers. “I love you. That’s what changes everything.”
“Pretty sure you loved me before, asshole.”
“Indeed I did, lovely.” He patted her cheek and stood, buttoning up his jacket as he gazed upon her. “But now it’s out in the open. And we’ll have to do something about that.”
“And Jackson?’
That made Ethan frown. “I will figure something out. Something to keep him far away from you.”
“As long as it doesn’t keep you far away from me too.”
He bent down and kissed her forehead. “I wouldn’t dream of it now.”
Getting back to work be damned! Besides, Jasmine didn’t have a job anymore. Her job was to kiss this man for the rest of their lives. To feel his love inside of her and to give him hers. He’s stuck with me now. There was no amount of money Ethan could throw at her to make her go away now. They were no longer using each other. They needed each other, and that was better than three million dollars. Okay, four. Jasmine looked at the pieces of paper still scattered on the carpet. Four million dollars. Oh, what did she care? Her boyfriend was a billionaire!
**
Not too long ago, the modest mansion up in The Hills felt empty even for its smaller size. Quiet, homey, but empty. No wonder Ethan preferred to spend his weeknights at the penthouse downtown. That was a good size for a bachelor, whether he was rich or not. This big house was good for storing collections, enjoying the garden, and getting some much needed peace and quiet away from the capitalistic fray, but it could also be lonely. Harold and Belinda were good people, but they hardly filled the void in Ethan’s life.
Then he fell in love with the most improbable woman. A woman who was only supposed to be in his life for six months. Then she wormed her nosy way into his heart… and his home.
“Ethan!” Jasmine called, opening his office door and peering inside. Both Ethan and his lawyer looked at her. “I’m taking the cat out for a walk, just in case you go looking for me.”
“All right.” Ethan found it hard to keep a straight face. Taking the cat out for a walk? Only her. When Jasmine moved in with her big, monstrous cat – for she refused to stay in the penthouse for more than a couple nights a week with him – the first idea she got was to buy a cat leash and haul that cranky guy around the gardens. In the beginning, Blackbeard resented the harness, but over a few weeks he grew comfortable parading around the spacious gardens looking for bugs and rodents while Jasmine took in the fresh air. Ethan, meanwhile, still hadn’t grown accustomed to litter boxes or cat hair on his bed.
They had lived together for two months now, and the summer sunshine made everything warm and inviting. But Ethan was trapped inside his office that Saturday afternoon, going over the last of his buyout with the lawyer… the buyout that took all of Jackson Lyle’s shares and put them to better use.
It wasn’t easy ejecting his old friend and business partner out of his life. But unable to put him in jail for his crimes, Ethan instigated the next best thing. He took to the board of directors and convinced them that Jackson was holding back the business. All it took was a few converts before Jackson found his shares being bought up like candy. Soon enough he wouldn’t have any shares at all. Not after Ethan went back to Jackson’s house and told him they were no longer business partners.
Of course he couldn’t force Jackson to sell his shares. But he could make his life hell by turning every man and woman on the board against him. Ethan had enough dirty laundry to air out on his old friend’s behalf. Especially when he convinced Monica to come into a secret meeting and expose some of her own secrets… like how Jackson had flirted with wives and daughters like they were nothing. While no man on the board was without his similar secrets, they didn’t take too well to the idea of that slimy guy moving in on female family members.
That reminded Ethan. He should call Monica and see how she was doing with her new life as the most recent matron of a domination and submission house (if it could nicely be called that) out in the countryside. If all went well, it would be quite a nice investment for Ethan.
“Should be finished soon enough,” the lawyer said. “How are things here?”
Ethan turned his attention to his computer, where he looked over his personal funds in his bank account. Good healthy amount here. Since he had so much money spread across various accounts, Ethan had to become one of those guys who checked in on them every other day just to make sure it was all accounted for. While his lawyer waited for an answer, Ethan opened his desk drawer and pulled out a pad and pencil with some notes. It took him much too long to find out Jasmine’s personal bank account information. Not that he blamed her when she acted weirded out that he wanted it in the first place. But how else was he supposed to transfer her some surprise funds?
“Things are going very well.” Ethan input his information and told his bank to give Jasmine’s account about four million dollars. What, did she think she was going to get away with nothing? Ethan didn’t care what she did with the money. Ever since she tore up that check, he couldn’t help but feel that she should have some riches of her own. “I hear women are crying all over the world because I’m no longer single.”
The lawyer couldn’t comment on that. He did, however, give Ethan some more mundane information about the ongoing legal matters before getting up and showing himself out of the house. Ethan shut down his computer and went out onto the balcony, where he could survey his beautiful garden and the other beauties within.
“Come on, fatass.” Jasmine tugged on the leash attached to Blackbeard’s collar. The cat was smitten with something in the bushes. “The whole point of these walks is to help you lose some weight!” And to take pictures to post on the Internet, but she never mentioned that part. Instead, Jasmine would whip out her camera and take five million photos of the big black and white cat rolling around in gardenias.
Ethan leaned against the railing, letting the warm sun touch his skin. No regrets. Especially when he pulled a ring box from his hand and peered inside. It was the last piece of the jewelry collection he gradually gave Jasmine: a simple gold band with a beautiful ruby inside. He had been waiting for the right time to give it to her. While she dug in the dirt was probably not that time.
Jasmine mumbled something as she pushed apart the bushes and peered between them. Blackbeard’s tail flicked back and forth, his paws leading him forward in trepidation. “What the…” Jasmine dove into the bushes and pulled out something small and white. Ethan couldn’t tell what it was from where he stood, but he had a sinking feeling that it was something else to upset his life. “A kitten!”
She called to Belinda for assistance, who was sweeping the path as it entered the garden. She dropped her broom and scuttled toward Jasmine, exclaiming in two different languages as she pulled another cat out of the bush.
One by one they found a total of five kittens living in the bush. Ethan could only lean against the railing as he watched this unfold, Belinda running back to the house to grab a basket. Must belong to a feral cat. If Jasmine and Blackbeard hadn’t just moved in a few weeks ago, he would be staring at that fluffy tub and wondering who was the father around there.
“Ethan!” Jasmine stood below the balcony, holding up a tiny black and white kitten. “There are baby cats in your garden!”
“So I see.”
They met downstairs in the grand hallway, Belinda fussing over the kittens while Jasmine locked Blackbeard up in the living room and came to investigate further for herself. “Where did they come from?” she asked, patting the top of one’s head.
“Troubling!
We have such a feral problem around here sometimes. People dump cats at the bottom of the hill because they think life will be easy for them up here. Then things like this happen!” Belinda shook her head and told her husband Harold to call a veterinarian. The fact she didn’t consult Ethan about this told him that he was already outvoted in the case of the homeless kitties.
“Can we keep them?” Jasmine knelt on the floor, two kittens pressed against her chest. They mewled and squeaked, probably both frightened and starving. Something scratched against the living room door. Fantastic. Kitty chaos.
Ethan’s plans for the rest of the day went out the window. He would have to wait for another time to give Jasmine her ring and perhaps bring up the collar she kept on the dresser in their room. These plans went even farther out into the field once he remembered Juan and Selena were coming over to play video games on the giant television in the living room, Juan’s beat-up car looking sorely out of place next to Ethan’s Lamborghini in front of the house. But the shouts and frivolity coming from the room were more than amusing as Ethan and Belinda talked to the vet about the newest additions to the family.
From that day on, the modest mansion hardly ever felt empty at all. Whenever Ethan was there, he could count on his beloved Jasmine to be there as well, either waiting for him to come home or going home with him. She brought a warmth that he barely realized was missing from his life… well, that and the pile of cats that would climb on the bed while he was trying to sleep. They could get quite warm as well.
Woe is me. The greatest girlfriend and some furballs. He truly had it rough. It was hard being a billionaire with so much to live for.
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Loved this? Check out the rest of the series and other works from Cynthia Dane!
HIS DOMINATION
One year ago Monica’s life changed forever when she left the Dom who mistreated her. Now running her own successful - if not isolated - business, she’s convinced she’ll never trust or love again.
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The only way Monica can hear is by submitting again. His domination is the cure. Available in KU!
DANCES WITH THE ROCK STAR
Olivia is an aspiring dancer who gets the break of her life when Latin heartthrob Rick Rodriguez hires her to be in his music video. What ensues is a whirlwind romance of world tours, Latin dance, and hot, hot love! Available in KU!
