“I feel lied to,” Laura said bluntly and she saw tears form in both of her parents’ eyes.
“Laura, there isn’t a rule book for this. We had no idea what to do, we still don’t. We just know how much we love you.”
“What does this mean for me, for us, now?” Laura asked, pointing to herself and Ian. Ian wrapped an arm around her.
“At least we can see one another,” he whispered and she smiled, the first true smile she had formed in over a day.
“It means whatever you want it to mean. In a town that houses so many dead, we hoped that this might be a therapeutic environment for you,” Laura’s mother said honestly.
“I have actually found it to be really helpful,” Ian added and Laura trusted him, more than she had before even, his path and journey being aligned to her own, him leading the way and guiding her bravely.
“This is just so much to take in,” Laura said and they all agreed.
“This is a lot for all of us,” Angela breathed.
They spent that weekend together, the six of them, sobbing, talking, discussing, even laughing a few times. They worked through it all together as best they could, and the best that stood by Laura’s side, and understood it all in a way that no one else ever would, was Ian.
Their futures were bonded together just as their past was. Their snow like hands would mold together, their cold kisses embracing one another, their stunning eyes generating electricity throughout the other. Ian and Laura spent the remainder of that year each living with their parents, still spending every night together, however no longer in hiding. They would watch movies and make pizzas, or carve pumpkins in the fall, laughing and joking with one another around Halloween. During the winter, they would go in Ian’s backyard and make snow angels, Laura not overlooking the fact that she felt, in her heart and soul, that Ian was her own angel, a man who stood by her side in sickness and health, death and life.
Ian and Laura even hosted their own Senior Prom in Laura’s basement, dancing until all hours of the morning, sneaking a bottle of champagne into the basement and making love on the cold floor. Laura had even ordered a long purple dress, something outside her usual black, and Ian had lost his breath when he saw her, professing his love and her beauty to her over and over again while they twirled and danced between the four walls in which they had first met.
Some nights, Laura would look at their cold, pale hands folded into one another’s, their lengthy arms wrapped around each other’s the way branches wrap around their tree’s trunk for protection and life, and she felt blissful and loved, for theirs was one that could survive both love and death and was truly eternal.
Billionaire with Benefits
Chapter One – Hot Coffee
“Next customer please!” I yelled over the busy cafe. I’ve never seen my small little coffee place this filled with customers before. New York City was an expensive place to live in, not to mention, to open a business. I’ve had this shop for about seven years. I can still remember the times when all I had was one worker, one table, one chair, and one coffee machine. It was hard and I barely brought home any money but now we were busier than ever. We now have outside seating, vending machines, and a full staff. I don’t know what’s causing all this commotion, but as long as it was bringing in paying customers...I didn’t mind.
After an hour, the cafe started to slow down. As I was cleaning up the beautiful mess, I spotted a limousine park next to the cafe. The driver stepped out in a sharp suit and came inside.
“I’m sorry, but do you work here?” He asked me. I opened my mouth to speak but paused as I looked into his brown eyes. He had a neat beard, curly brown hair, slightly bronzed skin, athletic build, and pleasing smile.
“Yes I do.” I finally managed to say. “How may I help you?” I made my way back behind the counter.
“I would just like a plain black coffee.” He started to reach for his wallet in his pocket.
“That’s all? No doughnuts? No breakfast sandwich? Not even a croissant?”
“What do you recommend?” His smile grew wide across his face and I found myself smiling back.
“Maybe you’d enjoy a breakfast sandwich. They are made right on the spot.”
“Fine. You’ve convinced me.” He laughed. “I’ll take that as well.”
“Will you be having it here or to go?”
“Of course I would be staying here.” He turned away but then he added, “And may you please add one of those strawberry yogurts? I’ll take the largest size you have.”
He was reading the newspaper outside when I carried the tray over to him. He was so engrossed in it that when I placed his order in front of him, he didn’t seem to notice.
“May I ask one more favor?” He asked out of nowhere.
“Yes?”
“May you please join me?”
The request took me off guard. Sure, I was use to the one or two customers flirting with me. Ever since I turned 22, I shot up three inches and my breasts went up two sizes. I guess it is safe to say that I am accustomed to getting attention. But now I was too wrapped up in work to even dress up. I saw a reflection of myself in the cafe’s window. Everything was hiding well underneath my baggy clothes. It was hard to see my figure at all. Not to mention my long auburn tresses was tucked in my cap. I looked back at him and there was a warmth in his eyes. I shrugged my shoulders and had a seat.
“Ok.”
“Good.” He smiled. “I hope you like strawberry yogurt.” He handed it to me with the spoon.
“And what if I said no?” I laughed.
“Then I would have the strawberry yogurt.” He chuckled. “So how long have you been working here?”
“For as long as this place has been open.”
“Oh do you know the owner?”
“I am the owner.” I smiled.
“Wow. This is such a great place. You should be really proud.”
“Thank you. I’ve worked so hard to get it. I was saving for this place ever since I was sixteen years old. I just never liked working for others. I’ve always wanted to be my own boss. By the time I turned twenty-three, I had just enough money-”
“To buy the place? That’s amazing!”
“No, I wish! I just had enough money to qualify for a loan.” I took a huge scoop of the yogurt. “But I haven’t looked back since.”
“That’s commendable.” He nodded his head towards me.
“Thank you. What about you? How long have you’ve been driving limousines?”
“What?”
“I saw you pull up in that.” I pointed to the limo that was parked nearby.
“Oh yes! Right! I guess you can say it’s something that I just picked up.” He chuckled.
“I’m sure you must meet some of the most fascinating people while at work.”
“Or at a coffee shops.” He ate more of his sandwich. “So,” He picked up his cup of coffee, “If I wanted to ask you out, how would I go about that?”
“I don’t know.” I shifted in my seat. “I usually don’t date customers.”
“Is that right? Bad experience?”
“No it’s not that. I just like to keep everything professional.”
“I understand. That’s an admirable trait.”
There was a small silence between us. He was finishing up his food and I was swirling my spoon around the already empty cup.
“You care a lot about your business.”
“You have to love what you do.”
“I started out loving what I did. I was so immediately driven to it. It was like this huge force drawing me near to it. Now as I look back on all that I’ve done, it feels different.”
“Different? How?”
“That same drive that I’ve had, it’s not there for business anymore.”
“So it’s completely gone?”
“I wouldn’t say that.” His eyes danced and I smiled back at him. He leaned forward. “Let me take you out tonight.”
“I don’t even
know your name.”
“Jonathan.”
“Just Jonathan? How Madonna of you. My name is Cassandra.”
“So Cassandra, will you grant me the pleasure of taking you out tonight?”
I sighed. I could think of a million reasons why I shouldn’t go. I had a stack of invoices waiting for me. I was a little behind on so much work that tonight would have been the perfect time to catch up on all of it.
“You live a lot in your head, do you realize that?” He said. “You need to loosen up a little bit.”
“Yeah I’ve been told that I can be a real stick in the mud. I don’t think there’s nothing with hard work though.”
“I’d love to taste you?”
“What?”
“You. I’d love to taste you.” He pointed straight at me.
“Wow.” I whispered.
I’ve never had a man be that blatant and honest with me. Men liked to beat around the bush and then eventually let you know their true intentions. A part of me wanted to get right up and walk out, but the rest of me stayed put. I had to admit, he had me curious.
“Cassandra, you’re gorgeous.” He went on, leaned forward, and looked me right in my eyes. “You’d like to think that you’re just this stick in the mud, but I can tell that’s not all there is to you.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yes. There’s this whole other side of you, just waiting to be released.”
“Released?”
“If you’d give me the pleasure….tonight.”
He sat back and waited for my answer. My head was still buzzing, but between my legs there was this tingling. It was subtle when he first came in but now it was like a furnace. It was a slow building fire that was ready to set my whole body ablaze. He did this with just a few words? I closed my eyes and I could see him and I naked on a bed. He was kissing between my thigh and I could feel him nearing my center with his lips. Every time he got close he pulled away. The moisture between my legs let me know what my answer was.
“Yes, meet me here at nine.” I told him and he smiled. We got up and I cleared the table. I was dumping the garbage out when I noticed two of my workers making goo-goo eyes at him. They kept pointing and whispering looking at him. When he saw them, he gave them a nod and smile. They broke out in giggles.
“Teenage girls.” I mumbled to myself as I made my way back behind the counter. He paid, told me that he would see me later that night, and then exited.
“Oh my gosh!!” The girls said at the same time. They were still staring out the door although the limo was already gone.
“What is wrong with you guys?” I started to wipe down the counter. I needed to get a jump start for later.
“Didn’t you see who it was?” Melissa, the nineteen-year-old, gushed. “Tarah, I don’t think she knows who it is!”
“Who are you talking about? And what is wrong with you guys?”
“With us?” Tarah said astonishingly, “What’s wrong with you? That’s Jonathan!!”
“Wait, how did you know his name?”
“Wow, you really have no clue who that is?” Tarah mouth was still opened. She nudged Melissa and went out the cafe. Before I could question my employees again, she came back in with magazine and handed it to me.
There was Jonathan. He was on the cover of Forbes magazine. The headline read “Billionaires” and on the side it had his full name, Jonathan Samuels, and “One of the smartest entrepreneurs turned the car service world on its head” His brown eyes kept me locked in and his curly hair was gelled back. He looked a little different, but it was definitely him.
“Can you believe he was here?” Tarah gasped. “I thought he looked familiar. I usually see him with celebrities on the blogs but I didn’t think I would ever see him here!”
“I know!” Melissa added. “I knew something was up when he put three crisp bills in the tip jar. I looked over and it was $300!”
“What? When did he do that?” I whipped my head around to the tip jar. Sure enough as clear as day, there were three green Benjamin Franklins.
“While you were putting the trash away. I am so tweeting this.” Melissa giggled pulling out her cell phone.
I looked back at them and saw that they were so excited but all I could feel was my stomach churning. What did I just get myself into?
Chapter Two – The Feast
I’ve tried on a million and one outfits but nothing looked special enough. What does a person wear when they are going out with a billionaire? How I wish I had a fairy godmother that could zap me some glass slippers. Or better yet, maybe she’d take the glass slippers and make them diamond slippers instead. They won’t be very comfortable, but at least it made sense when you are going out on a date with a billionaire.
My phone rang causing me to zip across my bedroom.
“Yes?” I asked.
“How rude. Is that how you greet people when you pick up the phone?” My best friend Debbie was chewing me out. “Don’t let the young kids fool you, manners and etiquette will always be in fashion.”
“I’m sorry Debs, I’m just nervous.”
“Okay, so he’s a billionaire. So he’s dated a few celebs here and there. Don’t let that get to you. He’s just a regular guy.”
“A regular guy? No, a regular guy was who I thought I was going out with. I thought he was a limo driver.” Debbie broke out in laughter. “It’s not funny.” I snickered. “I just don’t know what to wear or even how to act.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s a billionaire! Do I act a certain way?”
“Ha!” She laughed again. “Are you asking whether or not you should act regal?”
“Yes.”
“When he met you, were you wearing a crown? When he met you, were you acting like the Queen of England? No, you were your regular self. He wants that woman that he met at the cafe. If he wanted an uptight, stick in the mud, rich wench, he could easily get one. He wants the uptight, stick in the mud, regular you. Go and be you.”
I wanted to argue with her some more but I remembered that I casually left out his proposition. For all that Debbie knew, this was a regular date but I knew that wasn’t the case.
Standing outside my own business in my little black dress felt weird. If I was standing in front of my cafe, I was either opening or closing. Looking inside and seeing the chairs on top of the tables, the machine lights on a dim glow, and how it was so empty just made me feel out of place. It was like a whole outer body experience.
“You...look so beautiful.” He was behind me in formal slacks, button up white shirt, and a red bow-tie.
“Thank you.” I grinned slightly. I looked around looking for his car or maybe in his case, a fancy limo. “Are we walking?”
“No my car is down the block. I just wanted to escort you there personally.” He poked out his elbow, and I immediately looped my arm within his.
We stopped in front of a car that I recognized from music videos. I didn’t want him to see that I was impressed. After we were both inside, he grinned at me, started the engine, and we were off. We were zipping through the streets and I could see people stare at the car. Others took out their cell phones and took pictures of it whenever we stopped. I was so wrapped up in people staring at us, that I didn’t notice that we were pulling into a pier.
I looked out and saw a huge boat. This must be a cruise ship, but with all the money he has, it wouldn’t surprise me if this is a yacht. A valet came and open my door. He reached out his hand and I placed mine within his.
“Right this way please.” He led me to the curb. Jonathan shook the hand of another valet and that valet drove off. Het met me on the street and again looped his arm out. I placed my arm within his and he led me away.
“Good evening Mr. Samuels. I am the Captain. We’d like to personally welcome you and your guest. If you would be so gracious to follow the hostess inside.”
“Thank you.” He shook his hand and we were in.
The first thing you sa
w was a grand hall with chandeliers. There was a staircase on one side and two entryways on opposite sides. The hostess explained that upstairs there were two huge bedrooms, one entryway led to the outdoors, and then there was a dining room. She brought us to the dining room. There was a table set with food and lit candles. After we were seated, we started to eat the decadent meal immediately.
“You were hungry?” He laughed as I was finishing up.
“You have no idea. I forgot to eat.”
“Nervous about what was going to happen tonight?”
“A bit.”
“I didn’t tell you I wanted to taste you to make you anxious. I just wanted to be honest with you.”
“Well I haven’t stopped thinking about it.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” I confessed. “ I have a question for you. Why me?”
“Because you didn’t know who I was. I’m so use to women throwing themselves at me that it was rather refreshing to have one not know me at all. Also, needless to say, you are a very attractive woman. So Cassandra, can I taste you?”
It seemed like the question lingered in the air. I closed my eyes and went back to the fantasy that I had in my head briefly. I nodded my head. I opened my eyes and saw that he was smiling. He called out to one of the staff members and our table was cleared. He ordered that we shouldn’t be disturbed. The staff member nodded and closed the doors.
He stood up and in one swift motion propped me on the dining room table.
“Are you sure you want this?” He asked. I nodded and he shook his head. “I want you to tell me.”
“Yes.” I mumbled.
“So that I can hear you.”
“Yes...taste me.”
Jonathan wrapped his arm by the small of my back and kissed me deeply. I felt my nipples get harder and in between my thighs get warmer. He started to bite on my neck while slowly bringing up my dress. When he found that it was getting too much he ripped it exposing my pink lingerie. His fingers traced the lace bottoms sending electric sparks everywhere. He kneeled, propped my legs wide open, pushed my underwear to the side, and dived in tongue first. It was hard to catch breath between his incessant licks and kisses. Just when I thought he would let me breathe, he would push his head in farther. He used his hands to hold my legs open and his head would move back and forth. His tongue moved with a motive. There wasn’t an inch of me down there he didn’t cover with his tongue. He slowly licked around the opening and I could hear him slurp my juices.
The Complete Bad Boy Series (5 in 1): Best Billionaire Romance Collection (Bad Boy Billionaire Stepbrother Romance Paranormal Series) Page 9
