Royally Flushed: Tech Billionaires

by Ainsley St Claire

  Leilani nods. “She’s an exceptional person. I think she is good for you, but it’s important you don’t crush her spirit.”

  Chapter 29

  Corrine

  What is this I’m feeling? Is it giddiness? Elation? Excitement?

  Petrified is probably more like it.

  I’m still not sure why I dropped the bomb about Jackson and me being exclusive. I’m supposed to be getting myself ready to be out of this. Once again, my heart has other ideas. Bobby and I had that conversation, but thankfully a little bird in the back of my head warned me to be careful, so I didn’t do anything stupid. The last thing in the world I wanted was to be tied to him forever because I had his baby.

  But Jackson doesn’t look at every woman as she walks by. He’s much more focused. I believe him when he tells me he wants monogamy, and I’m positive I’ll get it, at least for now. That doesn’t solve my issues at work, but I have to think we can figure those out. The question remains, how long will it take him to get bored with me? But my mom would have told me to “enjoy the ride.” And I think that’s what I’m going to do.

  If someone were to take a picture of me this morning, they’d see a stupid grin on my face. I have a boyfriend!

  I find my tankini bathing suit, put a cover on over it, and head downstairs. The modern-day uniform in Hawaii is a bathing suit, so I feel comfortable.

  In the kitchen, I find Jackson with his coffee and his laptop open. He looks up at me. “Heading to the pool?”

  I smile. “After I figure out your plan for the day.”

  He stands and walks over. With his finger on my chin and his other hand stroking my nipple, he kisses me, and I almost melt. I hear myself mewl.

  “Maybe I should show you my appreciation for taking such good care of me last night?” I whisper.

  His hands have just wandered to my bikini bottoms when we hear the squeal of Danny and Jimmy out at the pool, and we jump apart like two kids who just got busted making out.

  “I see you have coffee. Would you like some breakfast?” I ask, smoothing my top. “Leilani showed me the secret recipe for her scrambled eggs.”

  “That’s okay. I’m good right now. Brian and I are meeting shortly about the security around the estate, and I’m trying to go over some of the work from my development team so they can continue moving forward.”

  “No problem.” I pour myself some coffee, and I see Brian and Melinda managing the boys outside. They have no fear of jumping in the deep end and swimming—a cross between a dog paddle and breaststroke. They’re two fishes for sure.

  I walk over to Jackson and kiss him on the head. He reaches up and caresses my ass. “I’ll get out of your hair, but this afternoon I expect you to put sunscreen on me.”

  “I promise to lather you all over.”

  He winks at me, and I pick up my Kindle and head out to the pool deck.

  “Corrine! Corrine!” The boys yell in unison.

  “How’s the water this morning?” I pull off my cover and dive in.

  The boys and I splash around. After a few minutes, Brian gets out, disappears into the pool house, and then reappears dressed in shorts.

  “Is Mr. Graham up?” he asks.

  “Yes. He’s in the kitchen working. He mentioned you were going to be meeting.”

  Melinda coaxes the boys out of the pool with the lure of pineapple and mango for breakfast. “Sometimes they’re like herding cats,” she says.

  I nod. I know she’s correct after spending a few days with them.

  I get out of the pool, too, and enjoy the warmth of the sun as I sit under an umbrella and read the latest release from my favorite author. If only men in real life were half as awesome as they are in books.

  I feel a trickle of cold water on the back of my legs, and I bolt up. Jackson is standing with a cup of pool water and the twins at his side, giggling.

  “Hey!” I yell.

  They all break out in hysterics.

  “You were sleeping,” Danny says.

  “At least it was under the umbrella,” Jackson tells him.

  “Yeah.” Jimmy nods. “You would’ve been a lobster otherwise.”

  “I think Corrine looks hot.” Jackson looks at me with a devilish smile. “I think we should throw her into the pool.”

  I sit straight up. “Don’t you dare!”

  I jump up and dive in before he can throw me. The boys and Jackson quickly follow. Suddenly it’s a real pool party with water guns and floaties, and the housemen are delivering frozen non-alcoholic drinks for everyone. The boys’ parents appear and find seats around the pool.

  “I never want to leave here,” Danny says.

  “Me neither,” Jimmy agrees.

  Melinda and Brian exchange smirks.

  “You’d think going to preschool and driving their mother crazy was hard work,” Melinda says. “The only peace I get is when they nap.”

  “Do you miss working?” I ask.

  “I do miss adult conversation sometimes, but I’m grateful Jim pays Brian well enough that we can live conservatively in San Francisco and I don’t have to work.”

  “I hear you. San Francisco’s expensive.”

  I chat a few minutes more with Melinda and watch Jackson get out of the pool. He dries off and gives me a subtle signal, and I know he wants me to meet him in the house.

  When I get out and dry off, I head for the master bedroom. As I approach, I hear the shower running, and I take off my wet suit and enter the bathroom. Jackson’s reflection in the bathroom mirror takes my breath away. I love the curves in his hips and the happy trail line. I stand and watch him.

  “You’re welcome to join me.”

  “I’m enjoying the view.”

  “It’s only for you.”

  I chuckle and step in behind him.

  ***

  After an afternoon of lovemaking, I’m exhausted again. Jackson is taking me into town for dinner tonight, and our plan is to enjoy an evening out. It’s not something we’ve done very often.

  Brian and Ben drive us to a shopping area. Ben drops us and will meet back up with us shortly. As we wander in and out of the stores, it’s fun to see Jackson’s approach to shopping. If you like it, you buy it. I can’t live that way. My expenses have decreased, and I’m not paying rent, so the girls will have to cover the cost of their closet, but that doesn’t mean I have a ton of discretionary money. Jackson gave me a raise, which helps immensely, but I still haven’t decided what I’m going to do after Hawaii. And even if I accept the stock options, today they’re only a piece of paper. They have no value until we go to market.

  Jackson’s whole life is discretionary money. We wander in and out of stores, and he picks things up and offers to buy them for me. A woman I’ve never met leans over and says, “Honey, if the man wants to spend money on you, you have to let him.”

  I force a smile. “Thanks, I’m sure you’re right.”

  Jackson steers me into a high-end, Hawaiian-themed jewelry store. It’s filled with designs of plumeria flowers, turtles, waves, and palm trees. My heart’s beating fast. I’ve never been given jewelry before and never been shopping for jewelry with a man—let alone one I was sleeping with. Thankfully, there doesn’t seem to be any engagement displays.

  Jackson stops at a table of plumeria jewelry. Immediately the saleswoman approaches. “Can I show you anything?”

  Jackson looks at me. “What do you think?”

  I shrug noncommittally.

  “I’d like to see this one in the white gold.” He’s pointing to a choker that’s a stunning cascade of plumeria.

  She gets it out and starts reciting the figures—eighteen inches long and thirty-nine twenty-four-karat-gold plumeria flowers. She hands it to Jackson, and he looks it over.

  “Would you like to try it on?” he asks.

  It’s beautiful. Who wouldn’t like it? I turn around and hold my hair up while he clasps it.

  “It comes with matching earrings, a bracelet, and a cock
tail ring,” the saleswoman jabbers on.

  I turn around and look at him and touch the necklace. “I love it.”

  “I know you don’t want me to buy too much for you, but may I please buy this necklace? It will be a great memory of our early trips to Maui.”

  I debate. The delicate necklace encircles my neck and really does say Hawaii, but once she quotes the price, I almost faint—it’s over five thousand dollars.

  Jackson leans in, and I can smell his cologne. “I can afford it. Please…”

  I nod. I may hate myself later for giving in, but it is a beautiful piece, and no matter what, I’ll always have it to remember our time together.

  She packages up the necklace, and after Jackson pays for his purchase, we walk toward a seafood restaurant on the water.

  “Now, you have a permanent lei.” Jackson laughs at his own joke.

  “Is that what this is?” Permanent is a scary word.

  “Or maybe you can get laid while only wearing the lei.”

  Now he really is pulling out his twelve-year-old humor. It’s my fault. I started it to get a rise out of him.

  “Uh-huh.” But I do like the idea of wearing the necklace and nothing else.

  “Are you wearing panties tonight?” Jackson asks in a low voice.

  “I am. I guess I’m being a good girl.” I give him my best pouty face and pop my shoulders back, so my breasts are prominent.

  His eyes become hooded, and I know what he’s in the mood for.

  He steps in and kisses me.

  I nibble at his lower lip. “You need food after your crazy day.”

  He nods. “I wish I wasn’t leaving you tomorrow.”

  “I have a lot to accomplish over the next few weeks if we’re going to be prepared for almost fifty people to come to the house.”

  We walk hand in hand into the restaurant, and I turn to see Ben and Brian staying close. I’d forgotten they were with us.

  At the restaurant, we’re shown to our water-facing booth. The ambiance is what I would envision for the dining room of a cruise ship—very elegant with a hint of nautical decor. Once they take our drink orders, Jackson sits back and puts his arm around me.

  “I’m happy to be here with you.”

  Snuggling close. “I’m glad you’re here, too.”

  “I wish the police were closer to finding out who’s been bothering you.”

  I nod. I’d say the stalker is doing more than bothering me. She’s displaced me.

  “I spoke briefly to Jim about this during the week,” he continues. “They feel confident it isn’t Collette. Jim’s team has worked with Bobby’s manager, and they’ve identified six possible candidates—women who have stepped over the line of normalcy when it comes to Bobby—and they’re working on eliminating them from the pool of suspects.”

  His hand moves to my leg, and he’s rubbing his thumb across my thigh. I can’t look at him, or I might break out in tears.

  “Regardless of where they are in their investigation, we believe that after the party over Memorial Day Weekend, if we still don’t have a definitive answer, we want you to come back to my apartment, with Brian and Jim’s team close by to protect and watch over you. We’ll make sure you keep far away from Bobby, and you’ll be safe.”

  I see the outline of several large yachts in the harbor. I wish I could be teleported away from here and this woman who has taken my freedom away for a man who doesn’t even like me, let alone love me.

  What Jackson has proposed isn’t what I want. I want to be far away from this psycho, which means I need to be far away from Bobby. So unless he’s going to be traded to the Houston Oilers or the Dallas Cowboys, I still don’t have a way to live comfortably in San Francisco.

  I’m never going to fall for a well-known man again. I want to have a normal life far away from the professional sports world—and the billionaire tech world Jackson lives in, for that matter. I guess I’ve gone from one mess right into another.

  Instead of telling him how I feel and starting a fight at dinner, I talk about the Memorial Day Weekend party.

  “My goal this week is to make sure the renovation remains on schedule, work with the designer to get things finished, and begin ordering what we’ll need to accommodate so many guests.”

  Our dinners arrive, and we continue talking about the party and planning activities. It’s going to be a lot of work over the next month or so as I oversee the renovations, but the end result is going to be a blast.

  Chapter 30

  Jackson

  Dinner was excellent, and I love spending time with Corrine. Every time I think I have her figured out, she throws another curveball. I just wish she felt confident enough to understand that I’m not going anywhere. A part of me feels like she has one foot in and one foot out of this relationship. I need to figure out how to make her more comfortable and more secure in us.

  When we return to the house, Brian asks to show me something. Corrine is dead on her feet, so I send her on up to bed and promise to join her as soon as I can.

  “What do you have?”

  “Well, when I got here, the first thing I did was put up motion sensors around the property, motion-activated floodlights, and camera by the house. Mostly what sets them off is the local wildlife—the feral chickens being the worst during the day and mongoose at night. We put in an invisible fence that tends to run most of them off the property. Anyway, when these devices are activated, they send a video alert to my phone. If it’s a person, it tends to be hikers who’ve gotten turned around wandering the national park on the east side of the property. We drive up in the golf cart and shoo them off.”

  “What happened tonight?” I press.

  “We had someone cross the invisible fence and trespass about forty feet from the house on the western side.” Brian points to a spot at the neighbors’ property by the garage.

  “When my team investigated, they didn’t see anyone. We believe the floodlights alarmed them, and they left, but we feel it’s an odd place for a breach.”

  “Do we know if the neighbors are home?”

  “No. I’ll look into it during the daylight tomorrow.”

  “Keep me posted.”

  “I will, sir.”

  “As you talk to Jim about Memorial Day weekend and all the high-profile guests that will be coming, let me know if you have any recommendations for security. And that really goes for any time. I want the staff and your family to be absolutely safe. I know the crime rate is pretty decent, but we do have a target on our backs, given the size of the estate.”

  “I may have some suggestions. Give me some time to put together a firm plan.”

  I nod. My number-one priority is Corrine and her safety.

  By the time I make it back to the master bedroom, Corrine is lying diagonally in the bed. I chuckle to myself. I hope she can make room for me. Carefully, I squeeze myself in with her.

  She sits up in bed, and the sheets fall to her waist, exposing her bare breasts. “Sorry, I fell asleep.” She then rolls over and falls right back to sleep.

  “Sleep, my love. We have tomorrow before I have to leave,” I say softly as I stroke her hair.

  It’s been a long day for me, too. I spoon in behind her, my cock fitting against the slit of her ass. I slip my arms around her and pull her in close. Despite everything on my mind, I quickly fall into a deep slumber.

  ***

  Morning comes very quickly. Corrine stretches like a cat in the sun. My body clock had me up before four yesterday, but today, I slept in. I never sleep in.

  “Hey,” she says as her hand wanders.

  “Hey, yourself. How did you sleep?”

  “I actually sleep better with you. I have ever since the first night you stayed with me when I had my nightmare.”

  “I never sleep in, and yet with you, I do. Must mean the same thing.”

  She strokes my cock. “I’m going to miss you when you’re gone.”

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can. I d
o have the plane—it’s more a matter of when I can leave on Fridays.”

  Her eyes grow wide and twinkly. “Do you plan on coming next weekend?”

  “I don’t know.” I want to, but how hard would it be to be gone two weekends in a row? “If I don’t, I’ll come the following weekend. Maybe every other weekend is best?”

  “I’m happy with whatever you can make happen.” She rolls on top of me and expertly maneuvers herself so I’m inside her.

  She’s wearing her necklace and nothing else, and she’s stunning.

  She sets a slow pace, and I enjoy her breasts.

  Moaning her appreciation, she strokes my chest and her channel tightens on my cock. We have a leisurely morning, and I make sure she reaches her pinnacle twice before my own climax.

  When we’re both out of breath and lying in each other’s arms, I can’t help myself. “So, you got laid while wearing your lei.”

  “Has anyone ever told you that you were funny?” she snarks.

  “All the time,” I say with a grin.

  “Are they on your payroll?” She looks at me skeptically and grins like a Cheshire cat.

  ***

  A little while later, I put the San Francisco Chronicle down and take a life-altering sip of much-needed caffeine. We’re still lying in bed and enjoying a slow morning. But Corrine has begun fidgeting. I look at her.

  “I hate to ask, but when do you think you’ll be heading out tonight?”

  “I spoke with the flight crew yesterday, and I think we’re going to leave about eleven. It’s six hours back, and I can go right into the office after we land.”

  “That will make a short night for you. Are you sure?”

  “Are you trying to get rid of me earlier?” I raise an eyebrow.

  “Yes, I have another boyfriend I want to see tonight.” She says this so deadpan that I feel the testosterone build, and I have a desire to fight this guy. Then I see her smile wide. “No! I just want to prepare myself. I’ll miss you.”