Bought by the Raunchy Cowboy: A BBW Billionaire Romance

by Raina Wilde

  If Isaac was to be believed, she was alone in the penthouse now. It was an incredible amount of trust that this man had placed in her. That alone was dizzying. She thought of little else but the muscular lines of Isaac's body, folded up against the floor of the vault – and when she drifted off to sleep, every person she encountered in her dream was burdened with unwieldy chains.

  Chapter Six

  Despite the plush sheets and soft mattress – and the distinct lack of popcorn-throwing roommates – Marla did not get a good night's sleep. Not by any stretch of the imagination. She was plagued by the idea of forgetting the code and leaving Isaac locked in that infernal room with the chains and the violins, even though she had written it down immediately, and committed it firmly to memory.

  The thought of being late terrified her too. Right now, Isaac seemed to think she had bad timekeeping, and for some reason it felt very important to her that this perception be changed.

  For some reason, it felt very important that Isaac liked her.

  With all that behind her, her hands were curled tight into fists by her sides, white-knuckled, as she made her way to the vault door. Knowing the pool was above them, she felt the weight of the water baring down on her.

  She waited until six exactly, then raised her finger to the keypad and dialed in the code.

  17421886.

  Her relief was immediate as the vault door started to give, but it faded back out into concern as she surveyed the contents of the room. She had been expecting to see Isaac much as she'd left him – chained up and sitting on the floor, perhaps still asleep. What she actually saw, however, was something else entirely.

  The clothes that Isaac had not removed last night were in scraps around him on the floor, as if he'd ripped them off his body. He looked exhausted in a way that Marla had never seen a man look, as though he'd lived a year in a night. He was awake, but his eyes were so vacant that you'd be forgiven for wondering if he was one of those people who slept with them open.

  “Isaac? ” she ventured, taking a few casual steps forward. Evidently the classical music playlist had not repeated, as there was an eerie silence in the air around them. “Are you okay? ”

  “I'm fine, ” he said. His tone might suggest otherwise. It sounded like he'd been screaming. “Press the chain release, please. ”

  “Of course. ”

  Isaac's arms felt like branches as the cuffs opened, palms slamming against the open, cool floor. He closed his eyes, finally leaning back. “Thank you. ”

  “Are you… sure you're okay? ”

  “I'm fine, ” he repeated, getting unsteadily to his feet. He didn't seem ashamed of his nakedness, though Marla could barely stand to look in his direction. It was enough that she'd already glanced, and confirmed that he was desperately handsome beneath his clothes; it didn't seem the right time to think a thing like that, even as a basic human reaction she couldn't control. There were other things to focus on. “You can go back to bed now, if you like. You look tired. ”

  “I look tired? ” Marla asked, incredulous. She wouldn't deny it, of course – but surely Isaac understood how ridiculous what he'd just said was? He was fine, but Marla wasn't? “Isaac. . . ”

  “Please leave it alone, Marla. ”

  And as Isaac pulled clothes from a drawer that Marla hadn't noticed, built directly into the wall, she did try to leave it alone. She honestly tried. Unfortunately, she clearly wasn't as well-suited to this job as Isaac had imagined, as she just felt too responsible. She'd been the one to lock Isaac in this room; she had to accept some of the blame for whatever had happened to this man in there.

  She lasted until Isaac was just about parallel with her, about to head out of the door, and then it spilled out, entirely without permission, and with one hand out to try and halt him. “Okay, ” she said. “I'm sorry, I can't. You look like you're in pain, and I know I put you in there, and. . . ”

  “Marla, I'm asking you to stop. ”

  “I'm not saying I need details, ” she insisted. “I don't know why you need to be in there; I'm not expecting to hear anything specific. I just… I need you to know how rough you look right now. Of course I'm going to be concerned-”

  “Marla. ”

  The air felt suddenly thick between them, filled up with the heat of the anger in Isaac's cool gray eyes. It had been a fast escalation from mild irritation to this, which was almost inhuman – and then, it changed again, in an even less predictable direction.

  One second, Isaac's eyes were on her, furious and full. The next, he'd closed the gap between their bodies to press their lips roughly together.

  It happened too fast for Marla to react, hands trapped between them and pressed up against the hot, bare skin of Isaac's chest. He kissed like a wild animal, and not in an unpleasant way. It just reminded Marla how long it had been since she'd last been kissed; she felt like a virgin all over again, useless against the onslaught of Isaac's brazen sexuality.

  Half-hypnotized, it didn't occur to her to pull away – not until it was over. Isaac let her go, lips still close enough to brush together until he finally leaned back. His breath was heavy, the anger finally absent from his eyes.

  “I'm fine, ” he repeated, into the silence.

  Marla swallowed, and did the only thing that made sense. She stepped closer again, eyes shut and hands uneasy on his waist.

  For a moment, Isaac was a statue under her touch, unmoving and disinterested – but thankfully, after that, the reciprocation came. His tired, aching body pressed back in against Marla's, still shameless in nudity, and the kiss grew rough again. He pushed Marla up against one of the vault walls, pinning her there with his kiss as much as his legs and his hands. Marla could feel herself already hot and tingling with the intensity of the contact, so drawn by this man she was so attracted to, and still knew so little about.

  Intoxicated by his touch and taste, Marla was putty under his hands. There could be no pretense of control on her part. In this moment, she felt she'd follow Isaac off the edge of the building if that was what he asked of her.

  “Wait, ” said Isaac, rough as he leaned to press a line of kisses across her collarbone. Marla couldn't even look at him for fear of losing her mind, eyes squeezed tight shut and focused solely on the sensation, and the sound of his voice. “Perhaps we shouldn't. ”

  “Perhaps we should, ” said Marla, far too fast; Isaac laughed quietly at her eagerness, non-malicious, against her skin.

  He pulled back, and brushed his thumb over Marla's face. Marla opened her eyes to look at her boss again, if only to work out why he'd stopped. Unfortunately, it didn't yield much information. Isaac was looking at her like she was a species previously undiscovered, like he couldn't quite work Marla out. It made a change from the self-assured expression he usually wore, as though he understood everything in the universe with equal confidence.

  Isaac shook his head, finally stepping away to pick the clothes back up and start to dress. “It's not a good idea. We're working together. ”

  “I'm fine with that. ”

  “No, Marla, ” he said – but he certainly wasn't angry now, at least. It didn't sound like a very final 'no', either. “I'm sorry for initiating that. I just had to stop myself getting angry and… it was too easy to get carried away. It won't happen again. ”

  “It's fine if it does, ” Marla called after him, rooted to the floor with all the surprise of the last five minutes, but there came no answer. All she heard was the sound of Isaac's footsteps getting further and further away down the corridor, carrying him away from Marla's confusion, and the mystery of the vault.

  Chapter Seven

  Unfortunately for Marla, her confusion didn't ease for weeks. Every day was the same routine of restraint and release – though she approached every morning wondering if this would be the time they'd sleep together. It felt inevitable now, like it was only a matter of time before the instinct overcame Isaac again. Marla certainly didn't plan on resisting when it did.


  So far, however, it had showed no signs of happening any time soon. Isaac had blamed the initial kiss on needing to manage his anger, and Marla didn't really understand that, but clearly he simply hadn't gotten angry again.

  The temptation to try to make him angry was, admittedly, ever-present – but so far, she had thankfully managed to resist.

  Other than this cycle of hope and disappointment, life had gotten pretty easy for Marla. Dinner with Isaac remained enjoyable, and they never seemed to run out of things to talk about. She was no longer a slave to the cycle of auditions and open calls; she had been allowed to make a few trips out to pick up her belongings from AJ's, but had not had to set eyes on the bitch since. With luck, she never would again. She spent most of her day in the library or the gym – and sometimes she and Isaac would share the pool, silently completing laps beside each other in the water, ever-conscious of the mystery that lay beneath.

  There remained only one snagging point, and it had taken Marla all this time to work up to addressing it. The time finally came over dinner one night, after a particularly vibrant conversation about what it was like to attend a casting call. Isaac was still laughing from Marla's last anecdote – and it was, it had to be said, a very attractive laugh. It seemed a good time.

  “You know, ” she said, finishing off the contents of her wine glass. “As much as I make fun of it, I do genuinely miss it. ”

  “Surely not, ” said Isaac, pulling his glass over to top it up. “It sounds like hell. ”

  “It is, ” she admitted, “but it's not, too. There's a whole community around it; we're all in the same level of hell together. It's kind of exhilarating, you know? The idea that you're about to do something completely terrifying, and maybe something amazing will come out of it. ”

  “You're more than welcome to put on little plays in the library, ” said Isaac, teasing.

  “Actually, I was wondering if I could start actually going out and auditioning again for real. ”

  Isaac's smile faded a little as he finished pouring, pushing the glass back over towards Marla. He took his time moving the wine bottle back to its original place between them on the table, and getting himself settled back in his seat. “You know it's part of your role not to leave. ”

  “At all? ” Marla pressed. “I left to get my things. ”

  “Of course, ” said Isaac. “You needed your clothes – your possessions. You don't need to act anymore. This is your livelihood now. ”

  Marla shook her head. “It's more than money; it's not a livelihood. ”

  “Because you never booked a job. ”

  She furrowed her brow, stung by that unnecessary harshness. Where had that come from? Marla sat back in her seat. “I was new. I'll get there. ”

  “Not everybody gets there, Marla. This job is certain; this is guaranteed. ”

  “It's not what I want to do for the rest of my life. ”

  Isaac's expression was steely, and for the first time in a long while, Marla saw a glimpse of the anger she'd been hoping for in the mornings. Right now, however, the spell was broken. She didn't want to be sitting opposite Isaac, let alone kissing him.

  “Perhaps it's all you'll have the opportunity to do. ”

  “You have no idea how I perform, ” Marla insisted, incensed at the judgment she was hearing. She still knew very little about Isaac, but Isaac didn't know much more about her, and she refused to to accept an insult like that from him. “You have no right to say I won't make it. ”

  “It's nothing to do with your talent, present or missing, ” said Issac, testy. “It's about luck. There such a low percentage chance you'll ever be discovered, no matter how hard you work. You're in an extremely beneficial setup here. I don't ask for much in return, and I won't accept any less. ”

  Marla shook her head, disbelieving. “There's not even room to negotiate? Not even to leave the apartment for one goddamn day a week to make some auditions? ”

  “I hired you because I need you, ” Isaac told him, failing even to look at her now. “You can meet those conditions or leave. It's your choice. ”

  This was more than Marla could take in one conversation, and she stood from the table, meal left unfinished in front of her. “Goodnight. ”

  “I'll expect you at 10pm. ”

  “Goodnight, ” she repeated, already walking out – ignoring Isaac as he called her name.

  The next time she saw Isaac was at breakfast the following morning. He looked worse than usual; there was a nasty fresh cut over his lip, and he looked more hollow and rough than he did most of the time. It gave her a brief pang of guilt until he remembered how cruel Isaac had been the night before. After remembering the sting of his comments, she suddenly didn't feel so guilty anymore.

  Isaac broke the silence first. “You didn't turn up last night, ” he said. “Or this morning. ”

  “Well, ” said Marla, failing to meet his eyes as she buttered her toast. “Maybe you ought not to speak to me like I haven't got feelings, and then we'll talk. ”

  The silence didn't last very long. Isaac sighed into it, admittedly sorry-sounding. “I can't say I feel particularly good about the way I spoke to you. I'll admit that. ”

  “Have you changed your mind? ”

  “I never really thought you were incapable, ” Isaac insisted, leaning forward in his seat. “I want you to know that. It was just an easy way to make my point. Not the right way to go about it. I know that now, and I'm sorry. ”

  Marla looked up, finally meeting his eyes, and repeated, “Have you changed your mind? ”

  Isaac sighed again, rubbing his hands together as if they were sore from a hard day's labor. “I haven't, ” he confessed. “I can't. I need you here as much as possible; you wouldn't be contactable during a day of auditions, and there's nothing either of us can do about that. ”

  “You've never needed me during the day before, ” Marla protested. “Not once. ”

  “It's the possibility, ” Isaac said. “The risk. ”

  “You know, ” said Marla, still a little frosty, “I might have an easier time agreeing with you if I had the faintest idea what we were talking about. ”

  The man shook his head, with a prematurely gray lock of hair falling in front of his eyes. “You know I can't tell you that. We've discussed this before. Everything I can tell you, I already have. ”

  Marla opened her mouth to argue, but they were both interrupted by the same thing – the sound of Marla's cell phone, loud and obnoxious in her pocket. It felt slightly comical, and it took both of them out of the argument for a second, Isaac fighting a smirk off the corners of his handsome, cut lips.

  “Give me a minute, ” said Marla, reaching to answer the call. “Hello? ”

  “Marla, ” said the voice, sing-song and confident. It took her a moment to place it, after having been out of the audition loop for a couple of weeks, but soon the puzzle was solved on her behalf. “Hey. It's Jack. ”

  “Jack!” said Marla, raising her eyebrows at Isaac – one minute? – and crossing to the window to look out of it as they spoke, as if expecting to look down and see him out there, waiting. “Hey. Long time no talk. What can I do for you? ”

  “Well, it's about that long time, no talk. Where've you been, girl? Charles said something about a new job, but…? I haven't seen your name on any call sheets. ”

  “Oh, right, ” said Marla, shaking her head though Jack couldn't see it. At the very least, Charles hadn't gone around telling everybody she was a prostitute now. She wouldn't have been at all surprised if that hadhappened “No, no; not a job like that. Different kind of job. I'm a caretaker. ”

  “Like… of a building? ”

  “Of a person. ”

  She could practically hear the incredulity in Jack's voice. “That's pretty different from acting, though. You're not giving it a shot anymore? You could make it, Marla. ”

  The positivity was a nice change from Isaac's blunt pragmatism, and she couldn't help but be charmed by it. �
�That's very sweet, Jack. ”

  “It's just true. Besides, we all miss you down here. We miss your calming presence chanting your scripts before call. ”

  “I appreciate the sarcasm, ” she said, but she was grinning. She'd forgotten how much she liked Jack, and many of the others; she'd been so absorbed by Isaac recently that it had completely slipped her mind to keep up with her friends. Even Charles had only had a few brief moments of contact, when it occurred to her. She didn't want anybody to think she'd died or gone missing, after all.

  Even if she had gone missing, in a sense. Stuck in a penthouse she wasn't permitted to leave.

  Jack laughed, in any case, and changed his tone. “So, listen. I actually really have been missing you, and it reminded me I really ought to ask you to have dinner sometime, or something. I've been meaning to, and it'd suck to miss out, right? ”

  “Right, ” she said, pulse lifting at the thought of this. Jack's flirtations had all been real; Marla hadn't imagined them. “I'd love that, Jack. It's just. . . ”

  She glanced over at Isaac, attempting to give him some kind of desperate, begging look. Of course Isaac couldn't hear what she was talking about, but maybe he'd be able to pick it up from the context. Let me go. Let me go.

  Isaac shook his head just as Jack said, “It's just…? ”

  “I'm kind of tied up with work, ” she said, hating herself for doing so. “It's a great job, but this guy needs me here on call literally 24/7. I can't leave. ”

  “It's just dinner, M. Few hours tops. Drinks after. . . ”

  She couldn't help but melt a little at the nickname, peering back at Isaac. He seemed to be thinking about something.

  “I know. I'm sorry. It's just-”

  Isaac waved at her, miming that she should lift the receiver down.

  Well, alright then. “One second, Jack. Sorry. ”

  Isaac seemed reluctant, but after a brief hand gesture to get himself going, he made what sounded like a reasonable offer. “Bring him here, whoever it is. ”