The Proposal Problem: A Billionaire Royal Hangover Romance

by Natalie Knight

  When he kisses me, it feels like campfire burning through the middle of the night.

  38

  Jenna

  I wrap up my little speech to my pupils as their eyes glaze over. I know when to stop. It is also time to call it quits anyway. Our lesson for the day is over. Parents are waiting to pick up their charges.

  “Okay, guys,” I say, and smile brightly. “Time to call it a day. Don’t forget to read over today’s notes. It’s just as important to know how your engine works as it is to drive.”

  Braden teaches them how to drive and I teach them about the mechanics of the engine.

  When we first thought of opening a driving school, I wasn’t sure what my role would be. It was Braden who suggested we incorporate theory with practice. It was he who said knowing about the workings of the engine was just as important as driving. And he was right.

  The students grumble something that could be agreement or something else. It’s too hard to tell. But I don’t care. I know they’re learning.

  Braden gives them a nod and they leave. He walks with them to their parents. I watch like a proud parent. It’s more rewarding to teach than I first thought it would be.

  If someone told me a year ago I’d enjoy teaching students about cars, engines and stuff, I would have told them they were crazy. And yet here I am. Here we are. Braden has taken to his new role like a fish to water.

  I love that about him. He doesn’t just say good-bye to his students; no, he makes sure they’re taken to their parents. Sometimes he exchanges a few words with a mother or a father of one of our students. Obviously one of the reasons we’ve become so successful.

  Our driving school is thriving. We’ve had to create a waiting list, that’s how popular it is.

  When Braden first had the idea, I wasn’t sure at all. But just like with most other things, Braden was pretty convincing.

  I watch him bound back to me. His lips are curled into a devilish smile. He grabs my hand and pulls me toward the office.

  “You do know how exquisitely sexy you look in that black top and tight skirt?”

  His fingers flick my hair off my face. I laugh. I pretend to smack his fingers, which accidentally brush against my breasts on the way back from my hair.

  In return he grabs me harder.

  “You can’t get away from me,” he mutters and locks the door.

  As soon as he turns back to me, he pulls my top off. Then he strides to the blinds to pull them down. Quick as flash, he comes back and unclasps my bra.

  Then his lips lock onto mine. I melt into him, ecstasy gripping me, and I arch against him. Just like the first time we kissed, I fall under his spell. His lips are demanding and his tongue pushes past my lips and starts to duel with mine.

  I don’t hold back. I wrap my arms around his neck to pull him closer. He holds me tight by my hips.

  As I drown in the intensity of his passion, I can’t help but think of my state. There’s a slight hesitation in me. I think about the life growing inside me right now. I can’t believe I’m almost twenty weeks pregnant. I press my belly against Braden, keen on sharing the experience with him.

  Braden’s lips leave mine. They go down to my breast, where they start sucking. Soon someone else will be demanding access to this. The thought is very strange. I giggle, wondering how Braden will feel about that.

  But his hands, which are exploring my body, distract me. Fingers caress my back and squeeze my ass. I groan and fumble with the button on his pants. I need to free his throbbing cock.

  When I get it undone, I push his pants down onto the floor. With incredible nimbleness, Braden steps out of them. He pushes me backwards toward the desk. His teeth are biting on my nipples. My hands reach for his cock.

  His mouth leaves my breasts and moves up toward my neck. Butterfly-like, he kisses me all over. My pussy is so wet and ready for him I can barely contain myself.

  Without asking, Braden pushes my back onto the table. He stops. I glance at him. His eyes are fixed on my tummy. So far there’s only a little bulge, barely visible. Those who don’t know I’m pregnant can’t see much. Sure, my clothes have become a little tighter, but I don’t have the huge ball sticking out in front yet.

  Gently, softly and full of love, Braden puts both hands on my belly. He smiles. His eyes light up. Briefly I grab onto his hands, and we’re all connected—the baby, him and me. A little family.

  “You okay?” His voice is husky, his eyes full of lust and desire.

  I nod.

  “Fuck me, Braden, please. Fuck me now.”

  His hands move to my pussy, where they’re met with my slick juices.

  I groan and thrust my hip up toward him. I want his cock in me right fucking now. I want to fuck him so bad it hurts.

  His fingers play with my clit and tease me to the point of orgasm. The lips of my pussy are shuddering against his fingers. I don’t want to come, not just yet.

  I pull him toward me. This means he’s partly lying on me. I kiss him again. I demand entry to his mouth and explore it like I’ve never been in it before.

  His cock is pressing against my pussy. We were made for each other. Braden adjusts his position to shove his cock inside me.

  His hands are holding my hips. He slams against me. I can feel his balls hitting my skin. He thrusts deep and hard, in and out.

  I throw my head back in sheer pleasure. His hands leave my hips and grab my breasts. He massages them and keeps thrusting.

  Braden grunts, and I know he must be close to coming. I use my fingers to find my clit as he keeps thrusting in and out. I love his cock inside me and I love when his hands play with my nipples. My pussy is starting to spasm against his cock.

  Since I found out I’m pregnant, fucking Braden has become even more intense. My orgasms are even more extraordinary. It’s beyond words.

  I lift my head to look at him. His muscles are tense. I can feel his passion with each powerful thrust.

  It won’t be much longer before I come. He’s getting close, too. I can feel it.

  He slows down a little. Then he stops. His breathing is hard and fast. His lips find mine. He whispers into my ear. “You still okay?”

  The tenderness is overwhelming, and I almost cry. I nod. I may be pregnant, but I still feel the need to have him come inside me.

  “Do it, Braden. Don’t stop fucking me. I want you to come inside me,” I demand, and thrust my hips to meet him.

  Braden starts again. My fingers now dig into his back. I’m so close to the edge.

  His rhythm is increasing. I feel the orgasm build deep within me. My muscles tense just as he starts to tense up as well. We come together. Shockwave after shockwave of pleasure rips through me. I groan and moan in ecstasy. All of me is tingling with pleasure. Brandon calls out my name as his muscles start to spasm and he empties his hot cum into my pussy.

  The pleasure wave we ride is fucking unbelievable, and as he finishes, he lays down on top of me, gently.

  I kiss him on the neck. He’s breathing heavy and I feel his sweaty chest against mine.

  I wrap my arms around him, overcome with emotions.

  “I love you,” he whispers into my ear.

  “I love you, too,” I whisper back.

  I watch him grab his clothes and put on his pants again. He helps me up and his eyes linger on my little baby bump.

  “You okay, little fella?’

  I laugh. He’s going to be such an awesome father. I can feel it in my gut and heart.

  I pull my clothes back on. Life’s good. No, life’s great. Perfect.

  “Ready?” He holds out his hand and I take it. I smile at him.

  We head out the door together to go for our customary evening drive. I glance out the window before looking at Braden as he manoeuvres the car along the road.

  His skilful fingers are pure poetry in motion. I love watching him drive a car.

  We’ve come a long way. We’ve mellowed a fair bit, and I can’t wait to welcome the newest
member of our family into the world. Will it be a wild child like his or her father?

  I smile. It doesn’t matter.

  I turn to Baden. “Do you miss our wild days?”

  He smiles and puts his hand on my thigh.

  “What’re you talking about? Sounds like you’re talking past tense. We’re still living our wild days, and they’re about to get wilder.”

  We both laugh and I grab a hold of his hand to give it a squeeze. Like I said, life’s absolutely perfect.

  Hard Luck

  A Billionaire Second Chance Romance

  Vivien Vale

  Copyright 2017 by Crimson Vixens

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons is entirely coincidental. This work is intended for adults only.

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  1

  Sienna

  I take a handful of my thick, long golden hair and twist it tight, securing it in place with pins.

  Then I ease on the wig and adjust the glossy black bangs so they sit at the top of my brow. I make sure the part is straight, as if it were made by a knife. I smooth down the hair around my face, moving my head from one side to the other.

  I’m assessing myself, critiquing my reflection.

  My new hair shines under the overhead light of the hotel’s dressing room. The cut hits under my chin, a dramatic frame for my face.

  My gaze moves down, taking in how the soft gold silk dress I’m wearing hugs my hips and falls around my legs, rippling when I move. I look as if I’ve been dipped in honeyed ambrosia.

  The dress has turned my hazel eyes to gold.

  I planned my look this evening especially carefully. I want to walk out of this room onto the casino floor and into my new life as part of Roger’s Inner Sanctum, the elite escort service I’ll be working with from now on, and to exude power and mystery.

  Of course, it’s my bad luck that my debut has to take place in the back rooms of the Alchema, the sleek and elegant hotel and casino owned by none other than Leo fucking Asher.

  Leo’s come a long way from the boy who raced around the grounds of my father’s estate.

  His father worked for us; his mother lost a battle to cancer when he was a toddler. Growing up, Leo and my brother, Jax, would spend their days teasing me and racing around the grounds of our California ranch.

  We grew older.

  Jax went east to boarding school; Leo won a scholarship and followed.

  I stayed behind.

  When the boys came home on holidays, Jax’s teasing turned into sharp jabs at my expense. His friendship with Leo had cooled significantly.

  Maybe it was simply a case of growing older and growing apart, but I don’t know what happened. Jax would get annoyed when I’d ask and Leo would ignore the question completely.

  By the time they went to college, neither one was speaking to the other, so Leo turned his attention to me. He would call me Golden, because of my hair and eyes. We would talk or sit together quietly for hours.

  Then, ten years ago, he left California and transferred to Harvard. He only came home to visit once. It was the summer I turned eighteen.

  Three months before my father had to shutter the mines that made the Reids the prominent family we were.

  Five months before the beginning of the legal wrangling that left my family broke.

  We lost everything.

  Meanwhile, Leo made a name for himself in New York. Opening bars and then clubs, he had the golden touch because every establishment he worked on was a wild success.

  Now, at 30, Leo Asher is a hotel and casino magnate. He not only owns the 55-story Alchema Hotel in Vegas, but the Nocturne in Monaco.

  If I see Leo, I want to be the opposite of the girl he must remember: she was young, gentle, eager, shameless, and curious.

  I try to assure myself that I won’t see him because otherwise I won’t maintain my calm.

  Ten years ago, when I was eighteen and hungry to explore the things he made me feel, Leo ran his finger across my jaw one afternoon.

  I let him see me shudder.

  He called me Golden, and I opened myself to him.

  Gave myself to him.

  Gave him everything.

  The memory quickens my pulse. I can see the flush on my cheeks reflected back to me in the mirror, feel the heat on my skin as it reddens before me.

  My nipples harden under my dress, the fabric feeling suddenly restrictive, invasive, and giving me attention I don’t want because I memories I can’t forget.

  I exhale and try to push the thought of him out of my head, angry that he still has this effect on me after all this time.

  Control is exactly the thing I don’t want to grant him; it is precisely the thing he has over me now.

  I want control of my body, but my reactions leave me as helpless as if his hot breath was between my thighs right now while he looked up at me, searing my soul with that wicked blaze in his eyes from that night.

  “You won’t see him,” I say aloud to remind myself that even if I do see him, he won’t recognize me because I’m disguised.

  It is his hotel. He’ll be busy tending to guests and putting out fires as comes with running a business.

  He won’t recognize the woman I’ve become...beneath the disguise, or through the years.

  I reapply my lipstick and draw a sharp nail across the bottom of my lip to catch any color which may have bled. It’s unnecessary. My lipstick is perfect.

  I smile at myself in the mirror.

  There’s a knock on the door—two short raps and then the sound of the electronic card beeping entry.

  The door opens and Roger walks into the suite, moving towards the dressing room.

  He’s tall and broad-shouldered. His clear blue eyes are sharp under black brows, and his white hair is clipped neatly. He looks and acts decades younger than his seventy-seven years.

  The only concession to his advancing age is the silver-topped mahogany cane he’s forced to use.

  “Hello, Sienna, my darling,” Roger says as he stands behind me.

  Our eyes meet in the mirror. His left hand caresses my arm, moving up and down. It’s a familiar gesture, one that’s meant to comfort…and excite.

  I smile at him.

  “Hello, Roger.”

  “Are you ready for your debut?”

  I nod. My heart’s racing so fast, I worry it’s vibrating my skin and he can feel the thrum through the skin of my arm.

  Roger bends and kisses my neck.

  “You’re absolutely beautiful tonight,” he says. “They’ll be lining up for you.”

  The other escorts told me to expect this.

  “He’s harmless,” they all promised.

  “He thinks of us as his daughters,” one girl told me.

  He’s a pretty fucked up father.

  I watch his eyes move over my body. Taking his time evaluating me.

  When my eyes meet his, he smiles.

  I hold my breath as his hand travels down the side of me and over my curves, fighting to keep my expression neutral.

  “They’re going to love you,” he says. He skips a beat and looks to the door.

  This is the opening, the break in his actions that lets me move on and I start to breathe again.

  “Shall we?” he asks.

  I nod and slip my feet into black leather heels.

  Grabbing my clutch, I follow my new boss out the door, down the hall, and into the elevator made of glass.

  Below us, the hotel is abuzz with activity. The lights on the machines flicker as the noise from jackpots sound incessantly.

  My heart beats fast. I’m nervous… but I’m excited, too.

  If I can handle this new job, I’ll be able to do everything I want to do.r />
  I’ll move Dad from California to Vegas and into the Alzheimer care facility near Bonnie Springs.

  Pay off my school loans.

  Be able to save for the future.

  I can buy myself time to figure out what I want to do with my life.

  All I know is working with the Inner Sanctum can give me options.

  To me, it feels less humiliating than waiting tables on the strip, where anyone can sit down at the table and ask you to tell them the specials. Anyone…like Leo.

  This is just another job.

  Though, of course, it’s not.

  Still, it can set me up for a decade.

  Let me explore myself.

  Let me explore my fantasies.

  I’m protected from being uncomfortable, for the most part, because with the exception of showing up for dinners and events, Roger says I can say no to everything else.

  We ride down thirty floors to the mezzanine level.

  When the doors slide open, Roger takes my elbow and guides me out.

  The entire hotel looks like it’s gleaming. The marbled floors are buffed to a high shine. The chrome details on the ceiling stretch downwards like stalactites.

  “This way,” Roger says, bypassing the escalator to the top of the curved staircase leading to the gaming room. “I want the entire floor to see you.”

  It feels like every eye in the casino is on us. For a moment, the noise from the slots and the conversations fall mute as the seconds stretch out in a surreal dreamlike suspension of time.

  What have I gotten myself into?

  Then Roger places his hand on the small of my back and we walk together slowly down the golden staircase.

  No turning back now.

  We wind our way through the tourist tables towards an ornate set of doors where two men with beautifully tailored, monochromatic black suits stand ready. One of the men nods to Roger and inclines his head towards me.