The Gift, Book 3 (The Billionaire's Love Story)

by Zante, Lily

  He wanted to claim her here and now, but he knew he had to bide his time. She had already set him on fire and he wanted more, but all in good time. At least he now had his answer, whether she felt the same way. Her lips, her body, her soft moans of delight all told him that she did.

  But the dizzying moment suddenly stopped. She pulled back, her eyes glistening with excitement, her lips swollen and wet.

  “Not everything can be bought, Mr. Stone.”

  When she turned to leave, he was so hard, so taken aback, that he could barely move or speak.

  Chapter 12

  She had made out with the CEO.

  Tobias Stone had touched something inside her that she had long buried and forgotten about. The softness between her legs was evidence enough of how badly she had wanted that kiss.

  She staggered into her room and leaned against the closed door, catching her breath and letting the delicious feeling of excitement calm down. Her breasts had peaked, and she closed her eyes, living out the fantasy of his mouth sucking them hard. She had felt these strange undercurrents between them and now she knew he felt them too. She had been excited, more than eager and a little intrigued when he’d called her to his office. A flame spreading out from her lower belly and warming each inch of her body the whole time they had talked. Something had happened between them, but she couldn’t pinpoint it down to a direct moment, or a day, or a conversation. Not only had he infiltrated her mind and dreams, he now crept into her thoughts during the day.

  Tobias Stone wasn’t one to show his emotions, or lose control, and the fact that he had done so, made her think that the desire she had started to feel for him wasn’t only hers.

  But this fleeting moment of madness she’d shared with him, unlike anything she’d experienced before—oh dear God, she wanted more of it.

  She dropped her head to her chest, breathing deeply. She knew he wouldn’t come after her, even though she wanted him to. She turned crimson at the thought of his words and with her eyes closed tightly, all she could think of was him thrusting into her as she bent over his desk—the way he said he’d take her. Losing her mind along with her senses, she half-wished he had carried out his desire.

  She wanted to go to him at this very moment. Wanted him to do what he had threatened to do. But she could not. It was wrong. Or was it? Reveling in the afterglow of her excitement, she heard her phone vibrate on the desk and rushed to answer it. “Come quick!” Rosalee screamed. “Jacob is ill. I’m in the ambulance with him now.”

  “What?” It was as if her heart had slipped through her stomach and fallen to the floor. “I’ve been calling you.” Rosalee sounded scared. “Come to the hospital. Hurry!”

  Savannah grabbed her coat and her bag and fled.

  ~~

  She rushed out of the taxi and barreled the main entrance doors of the hospital, rushing to the ward where Rosalee had told her they were. Jacob lay on the bed with a mask over his face. Her insides hardened like concrete at the sight of her sick child lying with his eyes closed and the oxygen cylinder beside him.

  “Oh, baby,” she moaned, holding his hand tightly. His eyes lifted as he looked at her, unable to talk. “What happened?” she asked Rosalee.

  “He was fine when I picked him up from school. We went back to my apartment but I noticed he was coughing and then he started to wheeze, as if it was getting difficult to breathe. I told him to take his inhaler but it didn’t seem to help. One minute he was watching TV and the next moment he was fighting to breathe. I was scared and called 911, and then I called you but you didn’t pick up. I tried so many times.” Savannah closed her eyes and tried to picture the scene of her boy fighting to breathe. And she’d been in Tobias’s office, doing other things.

  A doctor entered the room and gave her a solemn look. “He’s going to be fine, Ms. Page. He’s in good hands now. Young Jacob’s asthma quickly worsened to the point that the inhaler wasn’t having an effect.”

  “He’s been coughing and I didn’t pay too much attention.” Savannah murmured. It was her fault, she should have kept a closer eye on him.

  The doctor walked over to Jacob and smiled. “It’s fairly common. His lungs are congested and we want to get them clear so that he won’t have any problems breathing. He should be good to go in a few days’ time.”

  She looked horrified. “A few days’ time?”

  “The mucus has been building up for some time. The inhaler wasn’t working as effectively. When was the last time a doctor saw his asthma care plan?”

  “Not for a year. He’s been fine.”

  “Asthma can creep up quickly, you and he need to keep an eye on triggers. I think it’s a combination of the lingering cold and the weather we’ve been having that have probably made things worse.”

  “Does he need stronger medication?”

  The doctor nodded. “We’ve increased his dose for now and we’ll continue to monitor it while he’s here. I think the inhaler he has is fine and I’m not keen to increase the dose ongoing but he hasn’t been using his inhaler when he should have and so the problem had been made worse when perhaps it could have been prevented.”

  She opened her eyes. “Are you sure? He’s usually good at that.” She looked at Jacob who had closed his eyes. Guilt smacked her hard across her face. She should have checked, instead of taking Jacob’s word for it. He’d been coughing and his chest had sounded blocked but that was over week ago. He seemed fine lately.

  “That’s what he told me. But don’t worry, Ms. Page, he’s going to be fine.” The doctor walked away from the bed and towards the door, motioning Savannah to follow. “Will your husband be coming?” She shook her head quickly.

  “Could I have a word with you outside, please, Doctor?” She followed him out of the room and into the plastic blue and cream colored corridor. “Jacob’s father and I are divorced and it’s highly unlikely that he’ll come to see Jacob.” The doctor nodded, understanding. She was sure that in his capacity as a doctor, he had seen all sorts of stories and witnessed many similar scenes.

  She inhaled deeply. “How much will this set me back?” The thought of it had been eating away at her stomach like acid. She was too scared to find out, but not knowing was worse. At least if she had a figure to work towards, then she could decide how to go about settling the final bill. “I want him to get well, and of course he’ll stay here for as long as it takes, and you give him all the medication he needs.”

  The doctor smiled. “We always aim to.”

  “I need a rough figure, Doctor.”

  “Do you have government assistance?”

  “No.” She could have kicked herself and wished that she had applied for it earlier. But no, she’d been so determined, so pig-headedly stubborn and stuck up about wanting to make a living for them both, that she had turned her nose up at any assistance, or form of welfare.

  “How much, Doctor?”

  “Let me hand you over to the nurse, Ms. Page, and she can answer any questions you might have,” was the Doctor’s diplomatic answer.

  ~~

  Returning to the room, Savannah walked over to Jacob and gave him her widest smile. “We’re going to stay here tonight, Honey, and maybe tomorrow night, too.” She watched as he shook his head. “It will be fun,” she said, dismissing his sad face. “And before you know it, we’ll be back home. No school for a few days, no work for me either.” His face brightened. She gave his hand a squeeze and wanted to ask him why he hadn’t been using his inhaler. But that could wait until later. The main thing now was that he recovered fully so that they could go home.

  She went over to Rosalee and sat down in the chair next to her. No words were necessary as she threw her arms around the woman and hugged her, holding on to her because she needed the comfort.

  “I don’t know what I would do without you,” she said, moving away, and trying to put on a brave face. “I can’t ever thank you enough, Rosalee, for being there. For being there when he needed me. I’m sorry to put you to
so much trouble.”

  “Don’t you say anything more.” The elderly woman wagged her finger at her. “He’s fine, and he is getting better and that’s all we want.”

  Savannah’s eyes moistened. “I’m so thankful that you’re here,” she whispered, looking at Jacob, who had closed his eyes. She fell back against her plastic chair, hard beneath her body, and as her head and shoulder drooped, she felt a warm, comforting arm around her shoulder. She leaned into it and Rosalee tightened her hold. “He’s going to be fine, and so are you. What else are friends for?”

  She nodded and attempted to put on a brave face. “You go on home now, Rosalee.” She reached into her handbag and pulled out some bills. “This is for the cab ride home.” She thrust them into Rosalee’s hand but the other woman shook her head. “I’m taking the subway home.”

  “You’re not.” Savannah was adamant. “I’ll call you a cab myself if I have to.” But still the woman refused to take her money.

  Savannah wasn’t having any of this. It was bad enough that she’d come to the hospital, ruined her evening, and had picked him up from school. “Rosalee, this isn’t fair. If you help me, you must be prepared for me to help you.” She slipped the bills into Rosalee’s tightly fisted hand, forcing the woman to take the money. Rosalee kissed her on the cheek then blew a kiss in Jacob’s direction and disappeared, leaving Savannah in the dark and dingy room.

  She was alone now with her thoughts, and the worry of mounting bills. The nurse hadn’t been able to give her an exact figure since they didn’t know how long Jacob would be in for, or what other course of medication he would need between now and his release. But the figure was ‘in the thousands’ already.

  She didn’t have that kind of money lying around. She pretty much used up what she earned, give or take a few hundred dollars that she’d been trying to save. But she didn’t have hospital-stay kind of money, not when she was still paying off her credit card bill with the years of debt stacked up on it and suffocating her. She’d had two cards and had only recently got rid of one. Leaving another one, with almost ten thousand dollars of debt on it, for her to work through.

  She watched Jacob sleeping and sought comfort in knowing that he was well and that he would be well enough to go home soon. She knew how fatal asthma attacks could be, and she closed her eyes and expressed thanks and gratitude that her son was alive and well. Everything else, she would think about later.

  Including Tobias Stone.

  Chapter 13

  She had rushed out of his office, leaving him with a boner the size of the Statue of Liberty.

  He still wasn’t sure if she was being a tease, or if she was confused or why she had broken off so suddenly and left. But he was determined to find out. That evening and all through the weekend he had thought of nothing but Savannah. That kiss and the taste of her lips were branded upon his mind forever. It wasn’t enough, he wanted more. He wanted to have and taste all of her.

  If he’d been unsure of her interest before, he now had his answer. She felt the same way, or at least she felt something. He wasn’t sure of what or how much, but it no longer seemed like a one-sided daydream.

  Sometime during the weekend Naomi had texted him, asking if he wanted the key to the 30th back. Talk about perfect timing. He’d sent Morris to get it and with that chapter over, he no longer expected to hear from her again. That was how these arrangements worked. He didn’t have to deal with questions about why it had ended or how they could fix it.

  Despite the way Savannah had left him—the worse for wear with a need that had gone unrelieved—he hadn’t been tempted, not even by Naomi.

  His craving now was only for Savannah—a woman who at first sight would have been light years from the type of woman he thought he’d find attractive. Now, his curiosity was as insatiable as his urge to possess her and he needed to know if what he imagined matched the real thing. He liked to think he knew Savannah, but he also knew she could surprise him, and that element of surprise, with her eager body, and her fiery personality were the things that both tortured and paralyzed Tobias the entire weekend.

  He’d been left wondering why she’d suddenly walked out on him and though he had her number—because he had access to her work records—he’d held off the temptation to call her.

  Maybe he’d scared her, maybe she felt ashamed. Or was the real surprise going to be the lawsuit she might finally serve him with? It was difficult to tell with women, even those who were passionate enough to want the sex. Sometimes money pulled harder.

  He didn’t think Savannah was that type of woman—he knew how badly she wanted that kiss. He wanted to believe in the way she had quickly succumbed and fallen against him, soft and gentle, and hot and needy all at once. Her lips and tongue had sought out his with an urgency that had surprised him. Women didn’t moan like that if they didn’t want something that badly. But he knew better than to assume she wanted the same thing he did. He wanted to think it was because she felt something for him in return. But he’d learned a lot in life and business, and the most powerful lessons were not to trust people so easily and not to take anything for granted.

  He was anxious to know how things stood between them and when he returned to work after the weekend, he was desperate to seek her out again. But his day had been full from the start. Meetings with managers and clients kept him busy. He emailed her but she hadn’t replied and by late afternoon he was bristling with irritation.

  He wanted her.

  He had a good idea that she wanted him.

  And the penthouse beckoned.

  He shook his head, trying to throw the sordid thought away. Slow down, Stone. She’s not that kind of woman.

  She wasn’t Naomi. Nor did he want her to be. With Savannah, the possibility of something beckoned. Small wisps of light that called out to him and gave him hope.

  He checked his inbox throughout the day but still there was no reply from her. By late afternoon, he was so pent-up with frustration that he couldn’t think straight. Returning from yet another meeting, he knocked on her door and when she didn’t answer, he walked in anyway, expecting to see her surprised face looking up at him.

  Except that the office was empty and looked as if it hadn’t been in use today. Back in his office, he called Briony. “Did you put together your case for a full-time worker?” It was a flimsy attempt to elicit the information he needed without asking the obvious. Briony’s momentary silence indicated her surprise at this sudden question. These trivial matters were things he would have never chased up before. Except that Savannah Page was not a trivial matter.

  Briony laughed instead. “Not yet, Tobias. I’m busy scoping out the exact job spec for the role.” Dissatisfied with her reply, he was about to ask where Savannah was, when Briony offered up the information. “Savannah’s not in today, anyway.”

  “She’s not?” Tobias repeated, hoping to hear more.

  “I was going to have a word with her when she gets back.”

  It would sound suspicious if he enquired further, and he was mindful that whatever it was that had happened between them, it could not be spoken of, nor was it to become public knowledge. He scratched his jaw, and knew there was only one thing to do now, as difficult as it was. And that was to wait.

  Chapter 14

  $3583.95

  She stared at it as if it was a death sentence. It might as well have been.

  $3500 dollars for a two-night stay in hospital. The letter floated out of her hands as she slumped to the floor in her bedroom. She didn’t have that kind of money.

  Holding her head in her hands she tried to figure out her options. She couldn’t put it on her existing credit card because the one she had was already maxed out and she had closed the account on her other one now that she had paid off the debt on it. She’d cut the newly cleared card into tiny pieces. Congratulatory confetti. Except that it would have come in handy now if she’d had it.

  She had been on her laptop for most of yesterday, while Jacob
had been resting, trying to apply for another card online but had been denied. Today was her chance to resolve this problem. It was better to do this from home because it wasn’t the sort of thing she wanted to deal with at work. She didn’t want Briony or Tobias walking in while she scrambled to find money to pay the hospital bill she had no hope in hell of settling the bill, unless a miracle fell into her lap.

  With her breathing shallow, Savannah folded her arms and hugged them to her chest. She felt the urge to rip the sheet of paper into shreds but she couldn’t do that. Wouldn’t, because she knew her problems wouldn’t disappear as easily. Money problems crushed her hopes and spirit, making her feel a thousand times smaller. She hated sinking into that limitless black hole that drained her completely and reduced her future to bleakness again.

  The ray of light had been that the agency had called her this morning to tell her that she had been short-listed with two other candidates and that they were still making their decision. All this interviewing for an office manager’s position. She’d already decided to take it, if it came her way. Stone Enterprises, and Briony, bless her, with her good intentions, could not beat slightly better money, a six month contract and the chance to go full-time.

  Still, she needed three and a half thousand dollars in the next few weeks, not in the next few months. If only she’d signed up for government assistance, instead of stubbornly trying to prove that she could do this herself. Her heart was heavy, as if tar had been poured over it and the worry of debt and unpaid bills pinched her insides like cockroaches eating their way out.