The Billionaire's Island_A BWWM Billionaire Romance

by Cherry Kay

  ***

  Two weeks from the night that their intimacy had gone so deep, Elise discovered that she was pregnant and her heart almost broke in two. She had wanted the baby, and now she had it, but at what cost, she asked herself, because now they had reached the point in their contract when they would not be intimate anymore. She would be living with him for three years and not be able to love him, as the purpose for their intimacy had been realized.

  She didn’t want to tell him, and she kept it a secret for a few days but David knew his lover, his friend, and though he tried to find out what was wrong with her, she would not answer him, she only loved him harder and longer, holding him more closely at night. At last, another week had passed and she knew she could not keep her pregnancy a secret from him any longer.

  Her body was changing, her breasts were growing sore, her stomach was cramping, her cycle was gone, and she had begun to be nauseated from time to time. He would notice, and then what would he say when he discovered that she hadn’t told him?

  Elise rested her head on his shoulder one morning after they had made love and she kissed his cheek and his lips and then looked at him sadly.

  “What’s bothering you?” he asked in a worried tone. “Whatever this thing is that has had you in its grasp for the last week, we can work through it. Talk with me, please. Tell me what it is. I’m here for you.” He leaned to her and kissed her, tasting her softly, and then letting her go and looking at her carefully. “Please, Elise, please tell me.” He touched her cheek encouragingly.

  She drew a deep breath. “I’m pregnant,” she whispered.

  Realization dawned on him and he laughed and pulled her tightly into his arms. “Well that’s wonderful! That’s… that’s the best news I’ve ever gotten! Are you feeling alright? Is that what’s wrong?”

  Tears sprang to her eyes and she closed them, trying to hold everything in, but it was no use, they rolled down her cheeks and she gasped with sadness. He held her close to his chest and rubbed her back. “Elise, what is it? What’s the matter?” He looked at her with a worrying gaze.

  She shook her head and turned it away from him, but he placed his hands on her face and made her look at him. “Talk to me, please. What is it?” he asked in a near whisper.

  She wept aloud. “I’m pregnant. Your contract states that we won’t be together after this… we won’t be making love anymore.” She closed her eyes and shook her head and then looked up at him. “I don’t want to give this up. I want you, David, I need you.”

  David looked at her and understood what she was saying to him. He closed his eyes and touched his forehead to hers for a long moment, connecting with her, and then raised his head and looked back down at her. “Listen to me, Elise, please.” He touched her underneath her chin and she opened her eyes to look into his.

  “I don’t want to stop being with you. I know the contract says we don’t need to do this anymore now but I don’t want to give you up. I don’t want a night in this house without you by my side.” He kissed her long and hard and then raised his head and looked at her again. “I can’t get enough of you, Elise. You are all I want. You are all I want for the rest of my life. I love you. Stay with me here, be my wife, be the mother of our child, please.” He kissed her again, closing his eyes and losing himself for a long moment before lifting his head to look down into her eyes again. “I love you. Stay with me,” he whispered.

  Elise felt as though her heart had been freed from the deepest and darkest prison and all she could do was smile at him through her salt tears. “I love you, too,” she whispered as he kissed her tears away.

  “Will you stay with me?” he asked again.

  She nodded happily and wrapped her arms around him, feeling his erection grow against her thigh, making her hunger for him again. “I’ll stay. I love you, David, and we are going to have a long and beautiful life together.” She giggled through her happy tears and her husband laid her back in their bed and made love to her again until neither of them could breathe for the all the passion they discovered.

  ***

  It wasn’t until later that morning when Carlson came to the house with an ashen face and a tired, drawn look and pulled David into his home office for a private conversation that things began to take a turn for the worse.

  David walked out of his office with Carlson several hours later and both of them looked ill. He would not speak to Elise about whatever it was that Carlson had told him, and Elise was left to wonder what had shaken them both up so much. She would find out but it wouldn’t be for several months as her baby grew within her belly, her businesses expanded and she opened new stores, and she believed her life was a perfect dream come true.

  It was after all of that, that the clouds parted and she learned the truth about her marriage to David.

  Chapter6

  Elise sat on the stool at the counter in her café and chocolate store, piping designs onto chocolates while talking with her employees and customers as they asked her questions and watched her work. She was very talented at creating some of the best chocolate to be had in San Francisco. Her shop had grown so busy that she had reached the point where she needed to expand it, and thanks to her new billionaire husband, she was able to open five new branches throughout the city. She was thrilled that all of the branches, though they were just starting out, were doing very well.

  She had hired on all the help she had needed to run her shops, while still working at the original shop, creating her chocolates and taking care of business. Although she seemed to have a little less responsibility with her businesses since she had hired good managers at all of her locations. Her life, she was sure, was perfect, and nothing would ever change that.

  Her best friend, Sarah, returned a call that Elise had made to her earlier, asking if they could meet up for a visit. So when she left the shop for the day, she went to an ice-cream parlor on Russian Hill and met up with Sarah, rather than going straight home.

  She hugged her friend tightly and sat with her at a table in the back of the place as they both worked at their ice-cream cones.

  “So how are things going with your Rent-a-Husband?” Sarah did not like David and she didn’t trust him. She wasn’t sure that what he was doing with her best friend was on the level; she was protective of her.

  Elise smiled widely and her glow illuminated from her almost visibly. “I’m so happy, Sarah. Things could not be more perfect. David and I are going to be parents. I’m finally pregnant!”

  Sarah’s eyes opened wide and a smile spread over her face. She might not have been thrilled with David, but she was certainly excited to find out that she was going to become an Auntie. Sarah had always been supportive of that aspect of the arrangement.

  “There’s more,” Elise said with a shy smile.

  Sarah leaned in and looked at her with suspicion. “More? What else is there? Isn’t that all that you had to do?”

  Elise grinned and said, “I didn’t tell anyone, but over the last few weeks, things have sort of changed between David and I. I fell in love with him, but I didn’t want to tell him. I-”

  Sarah stopped her and gave her a horrified look. “You did what? I told you he was bad news! What are you doing going and getting yourself involved with him like that for?!”

  Elise frowned a little and shook her head. “Sarah,” she said softly, trying to calm her friend before they made a scene in the little store, “I couldn’t help it, it isn’t like I did it on purpose. I just fell in love with him. You can’t help it when things like that happen, they just… happen!”

  Her friend remained unmoved and gave her an annoyed gaze. “Well, so what else?” she asked perturbed.

  Elise looked right into Sarah’s face and hoped for the best. She knew how her friend felt, but she had to share her happiness with her. She had to let her know just how wonderful her life had become.

  “He loves me, too. He fell in love with me. We’re going to stay together and raise the baby as a family. There
isn’t going to be a divorce in three years.” Elise looked at her with her wide smile, and waited for her best friend’s reaction.

  Sarah’s reaction was swift. Her mouth fell open and she stared at Elise. “You can’t be serious. You can’t do that!”

  Elise looked around them and motioned for Sarah to hush a bit. “Why can’t I?” She leaned forward and looked at Sarah with imploring eyes. “He loves me! I love him! What’s wrong with two people who are in love and already married to have a family and build on it?”

  Sarah shook her head slowly. “He is up to something, girl, and I want you to keep your eyes and ears open, because no man hires himself a wife like that and then decides to keep her. You only got married a little while ago. I can’t believe you’re rushing into this. You’re smarter than this, girl! What in the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  Elise felt her heart pinch at the pain her friend was inflicting on her. “I thought you’d be happy for me! I thought you would want to know how things are going and that you would be glad that it’s all so good.” Elise’s eyes filled with tears and Sarah sighed and shook her head.

  “I’m not unhappy for you. I just want you to be careful. It smells bad to me. It smells like something is rotten and you’re so busy picking rose petals up off of paving stones that you can’t see what’s going on right in front of your face.” Sarah began to chew her ice-cream cone.

  “He’s a good man, Sarah, and he really loves me. He wants to be with me forever. We just got lucky with the job situation. Who knows, maybe it was fate.” Elise stated a bit defensively.

  Sarah shook her head. “Listen, honey, I’m happy for you. I really am, and I can’t wait to see that little baby you’re carrying but I just want you to keep your eyes and ears open. That’s all I’m saying. Be happy, just be smart about it and make sure you’re doing the right thing for you and for that little one in your belly. You’ve got more than yourself to think of right now, and you’ve got all these other shops that you are opening up, so there’s a lot going on. Don’t get all caught up in the mushy love stuff and miss the big red flags, alright? I’m just trying to look out for you because I love you. Will you promise me that please? Pay attention?”

  Elise smiled a little and nodded. “I will. Sarah, I appreciate your love and friendship more than you are ever going to know but you have to understand that it’s not as complicated as you’re making it out be. We’re just two people in love, married, having a baby.”

  Sarah sighed and raised her hands up in front of her. “Alright, I’m done. I’ve said my piece. I won’t harp on it anymore. You know how I feel. So, do you want me to start looking at things for a baby shower for you?” She smiled. Elise knew they were over the speed bump in their friendship.

  They talked about possible baby shower ideas and the new stores that were opening up. Before long, the ice-cream shop was closing and they had to say goodbye to each other and leave. Sarah hugged her tight and patted her belly with a smile. Elise waved and left her, going home to David with a happy song in her heart.

  It was David’s turn to cook dinner, which usually meant he had hired the chef to come in and handle it for him. She was not surprised to see their staff setting the table or their occasional (on David’s cooking nights) chef in the kitchen. David was nowhere to be seen.

  Elise smiled at the chef and asked him when dinner would be ready. He told her it would be completed in another half an hour. She wandered around the main part of the house and didn’t see David but then she heard the front door close and she walked to the foyer to see him standing there with a huge grin on his face. Two dozen red roses in one arm and a giant teddy bear barely held underneath the other arm.

  She laughed at him as he handed her the flowers and kissed her. “These are for you,” he said softly as she took them from him. His lips lingered warmly on hers for a long moment. She felt the familiar fires of desire that stirred up in the depths of her anytime he was near her, but he stepped away from her and held the bear up for her to see properly.

  “This guy is going to watch over the nursery until the baby comes. Then they can share it.” He looked at it proudly.

  Elise gasped and her hand flew to cover her mouth as her eyes grew wide with worry. “We don’t have a nursery!” she exclaimed in horror.

  David held up his finger. “You’re right, we don’t, but we will! I was at the contractor's office this morning, and I had them over here to look at the bedroom nearest ours. Come have a peek and I’ll tell you about the plans. I would love to know your thoughts about them.”

  “Dinner will be done soon,” she said as she followed him up the stairs and down the hall. “Where did you get that bear?” she asked incredulously.

  “I found a terrific little toy store that sells old fashioned toys. You’ll have to come with me next time to see it and help me shop. We have so much to get!” David’s excitement was contagious and by the time they got to the room beside theirs, she was as giddy as he was.

  “I talked to Sarah today, she said she’s going to have a baby shower for us.” Elise told him as they walked in and looked around the room. There was a king sized bed in it for guests with classic bedroom furniture.

  David turned around and looked at her. “Oh! Well, the staff at the office wants to have a shower as well, so we will have two showers; it will be wonderful.” He grinned happily and walked over the chaise lounge beside the window, planting the huge bear with a mint green bow around its neck onto the chaise.

  He stepped back and put his hands on his hips, looking at it. “We have so much work to do to get this place ready.” His gaze moved from the bear to the rest of the room. “I told the contractors that we’d want to take part of this wall out to put a doorway in here that leads to our room, you know, so we can have easy access to the nursery. Then I said that we would want bookshelves and tables there, and more windows here…” He waved his hand at the enormous windows that were already on one wall of the room, overlooking the back gardens.

  Elise watched him in his excitement and she knew Sarah was wrong. They had gotten so lucky in finding one another, and now they were going to share their lives as a happily married couple with a baby of their own. She walked up to him and stood behind him, sliding her hands around his waist and bringing them up to hold his chest. She leaned her head on his back and smiled to herself. He stopped talking and touched her fingers, smiling to himself, thinking that he must surely be the luckiest man in all the world.

  David turned in her arms and looked at her, standing there before him, her long curly hair hanging loose around her shoulders, her misty sea green eyes looking back at him, and her full lips curved upward in happiness.

  He touched her cheek and stared at her. “How did I ever get this lucky?” he asked in a whisper.

  “I was just wondering the same thing myself,” she replied. She leaned up and pressed her lips softly to his, feeling their warmth and tenderness. David closed his arms around his wife and kissed her back, feeling tension in his thighs as his hands moved from her back to her cheeks where he held her face gently.

  Another long kiss and the tension in him tightened enough that his breath grew short. He didn’t say a word but he picked her up and walked her to the enormous bed in the room, while she smiled and giggled quietly at him. He laid her down and began to peel his clothes off. She looked up at him and shook her head.

  “We can’t do this, the chef is going to have dinner ready soon!” she scolded him with a half smile.

  He stood nude before her and reached over to her to pull her clothes from her body, revealing the dark mahogany skin that he loved so much. His heart began to race as he canvassed his hands over her, from her shoulders over her breasts and thighs to her belly. He paused for a moment, leaning low to her to kiss her belly carefully, loving their little one inside her, and then his mouth opened and moved hotly over her skin, drawing heat from her depths and making her close her eyes.

  She entwined her fingers with
his for a minute as he hovered over her, kissing her lips, but then as he lowered his mouth to taste her breasts, sucking on her dark nipples and sweeping the width of his tongue over her skin, she squeezed her fingers tightly around his shoulders and sighed softly.

  David suckled and nibbled at her, his mouth teasing her as he made his way slowly and painstakingly over her ribs and belly to the core of her, where he pushed her legs apart and kissed her inner thighs so lightly that the hot wet tickle of it tormented her with pleasure. She moaned lightly until he slid his tongue over her and into her, rapidly manipulating her body with it and making her arch her back and clench her fingers tighter against him.

  He worked hungrily at her with his mouth until she cried out and her body went rigid with ecstasy. It was then that he rose up above her and thrust himself deeply into her, rocking his hips against hers in a rhythm of passion and insatiable need. She moved her body in tandem with his, both of them creating love together in heat and sweat and hunger, wrestling madly with one another until at long last, he clung to her body and filled her with his orgasm. Then the two of them collapsed onto the bed in tired relief.

  They were quiet for a few moments, their hearts slowing and their breath returning. He kissed her mouth again, softly, sweetly, and looked at her in earnest. “There have been many great things in my life, Elise, but nothing at all as great as you. I love you.” He leaned toward her and kissed her again, long and slow, and then rested his head again on the pillow.

  She smiled at him and touched his cheek. “I love you too, David. I have never been so happy. I’m so glad I’m with you.”

  David blinked as his thoughts finally reached further than the cocoon they were ensconced in. “Did you say dinner was going to be ready soon?”

  Elise laughed heartily at him. “I did. I’m sure we’re late. I hope the chef forgives us.”

  They both climbed out of the bed and dressed, straightening themselves as best they could before hurrying to the kitchen where chef had indeed been waiting for them, and did forgive them when he saw how much they enjoyed the meal he had created.