I picked up my phone. It was Jenny. Shit. I’d forgotten to text. She must be worried sick. I rushed into the bathroom and closed the door.
“Hi,” I said.
“You’re okay?” Her voice was frantic, and guilt filled me.
“I’m sorry I didn’t text. We got… distracted.”
“What did he say was going on with Calvin?”
“He didn’t know anything about Calvin. But he told me everything.”
“What?”
“Well, he’s rich. Really rich, which explains the three grand he spent on lingerie. He didn’t tell me because he wanted to make sure I was interested in him and not his money.” My voice rushed the words, but I kept it low to avoid waking Jay.
“Get out.”
“Yes! And it makes sense.” As I said the words, another thought hit me, but I knew better than to bring it up with Jenny.
“Oh, sweetie, I’m so happy for you. Calvin must just have been talking drunken shit.”
“I think so. I have to go, ‘night.”
I hung up and crawled back into bed, taking my place beside Jay and pulling his arm around me. My mind churned but his closeness comforted me. Still, my whirring mind kept me from falling back asleep and my restlessness woke him.
* * *
“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you asleep?”
“Nothing.”
He nudged me and said, “Tell me, I don’t want you to keep any secrets from me.”
“So you’re rich,” I said, my voice hesitant.
“Afraid so.”
“But there’s nothing else?”
“Afraid not.”
“But then why couldn’t I take your picture?”
Jay inhaled. My eyes searched the darkness, waiting for his response.
“I hate having my photo taken.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes, I always have. I’m camera shy. Or I guess insecure about my looks.”
“There is no way you are insecure about your looks. Have you seen yourself in the mirror?”
“Yeah, but you know what it’s like, what I see and what you see are different things.”
I thought only women were like that.
“I don’t believe it, you are so incredible looking. You must have girls falling all over you.”
“Yeah, but they just want my money, not me.”
I bumped my butt into him, laughing. “I don’t think the money is what they’re after. They want a piece of your ass.”
“Whatever. Go to sleep. Tomorrow we’re not going to leave this room. We’ll get room service and I’m going to fuck you the whole day long.”
I laughed, but he quieted. I closed my eyes to sleep, thinking about all the things he would do to me in the morning.
* * *
A gentle rocking woke me. I was groggy and wasn’t sure how long I’d been asleep but remembered having a sexy dream. Jay’s cock was inside of me, methodically moving in and out as he cupped my breast. The realization made me tingle and I let out a soft moan of approval.
I twisted my head, aching for his lips. In one smooth action, he had slid out of me, rolled me onto my back and ended up on top of me. He leaned down and with a closed mouth kissed my lips. In my state somewhere between dreaming and wakefulness, the softness of his lips intoxicated me and I floated into bliss.
Jay slid into me again without breaking our kiss. His slow movement kept me in my drugged state, my body responding with a strange mix of excitement and sedation. My hips soon fell into his rhythm, and my insides lazily built and climbed until I was coming. Mellow waves pulsed through my body. With a quiet grunt, he pushed into me, releasing his seed into me.
I wanted him to lay on me, to sleep inside of me. To keep the connection between us. Never fully awake anyway, my eyes closed, and I began to drift back to sleep. He left me, and I was vaguely aware of him lying beside me before I fell into a deep slumber.
* * *
The sound of Jay’s voice woke me in the morning. I opened my eyes but I couldn’t see him. He must have been ordering room service for breakfast. Except he sounded angry. I reached for the remote and flicked on the TV, searching for something that wasn’t the news or a cartoon.
“Fine,” he said, coming around the corner and putting his phone in his pocket.
“I thought we weren’t getting dressed today.”
He came along my side of the bed and kissed my forehead. I latched my arms around his neck and pulled him into a deep kiss. He tasted minty fresh and must have already showered.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, puzzled.
“Something’s come up and I can’t stay.”
“Huh?”
I wanted to drag him into bed with me and undress him. But he pulled back and stood looking down at me.
“I want to stay, trust me. It’s just business, I have to go.”
“Oh, okay.” I tried to suppress my disappointment. I guess people didn’t get rich working nine to five. If business comes up on a weekend, he had to go.
“I brought another disposable cell phone. I slipped it in your purse so you wouldn’t forget it this time.”
“Does that mean you’re not coming back to the hotel?”
“Yeah, but the bill’s settled, so take as long as you want here.”
My heart sank.
“Will I ever be able to have a normal relationship with you?”
“Yes. I promise. It should all be sorted out this week.”
“Can you pass me my keys and wallet?” he asked, gesturing to his bedside table.
“Sure.” I wiggled my body over the bed and picked them up.
Bentley key fob. Wow, he wasn’t kidding about being rich. I’d lifted his wallet halfway to Jay, when it occurred to me -- his driver’s license photo. Those are the worst pictures anyone can have taken of themselves. If I made him see the beauty in it, he might understand how gorgeous he is. I snapped the wallet back to me and began to open it.
“What are you doing?” he said, snatching the wallet from my hand.
“I wanted to see your license photo,” I protested.
“No. I’ll text you.”
Dumbfounded, I watched as he turned and walked away. The hotel room door opened and clicked shut behind him.
I couldn’t decide if his departure was a reflection of me or not. Why the sudden change in plans? And I couldn’t shake the warning bells over the whole non-contact, disposable phone thing. What did our relationship have to do with a business deal?
The need to pee finally won out over my reluctance to leave my bed, and I left the comfort behind. Once up I wanted out of that room as fast as possible.
I threw on my clothes from the night before, leaving my ripped bra where it had landed when Jay had taken it off me, and hurried home.
Chapter 35
The first thing I saw when I walked into my condo was the vase full of lilies Jay had brought me. Petals had started to fall off onto the table underneath. They were getting past their prime and as much as I didn’t want to, I would have to throw them away. Dispose of them. One lily in the bunch hadn’t opened yet, and it struck me as being clamped shut to hide whatever it held inside.
To get my mind off Jay, I decided to do some work. It was the first time I had ever done any work outside of office hours, let alone at home on a Saturday, but I needed to get a head start on my new role. To impress Richard and make the department what I always thought it could be if Calvin hadn’t been in the way.
But restructuring the entire reporting process wouldn’t be an easy job. I just had to hope all the extra work will pay off and make a name for me within the company. It was great having direct access to Richard without having to go through Calvin, but if I ever wanted to be promoted into Richard’s position I would need all the senior managers to know my name.
I worked all the way till dinner, using my personal laptop to map out reporting information and lay out a timeline for the implementation of each report, since the
work would have to be done in stages.
My phone and the disposable sat on the table on either side of my computer but there hadn’t been any word from Jay. I tried not to let it distract me. But with each passing hour the weight in my stomach grew heavier.
I hadn’t decided if I was mad at him or not. I was definitely annoyed at the way he had left this morning, without even a kiss goodbye. And I was disappointed he had to go instead of spending the day with me like he’d promised. But then I thought a little further back, to last night, and my insides swirled like a tornado of lust. How could I be angry at someone who had had that effect on me?
He had made the Calvin attack in the bar shrink away to nothing. It was notable now only to highlight the way Jay made everything better.
He said he loved me. Love. And I believed him. I think I felt the same about him.
The wealth bombshell even seemed insignificant since his reason for not telling me made so much sense. Every once in a while I’d wonder what his house looks like. How he got his money.
I tried Googling Jay Mickle, but found a big fat nothing. No Facebook page. No Twitter account. Though maybe rich people didn’t go on those websites. I trolled through Google images, but found nothing. Maybe that was the reason he didn’t want his picture taken, to keep some anonymity.
At six I pushed the work aside and made myself dinner. While I ate I flicked on another old romance movie. I could never get tired of watching them. I chose Some Like It Hot, to reflect my state of confusion.
Halfway through the movie the intercom buzzed. My chest fluttered, maybe it was Jay. Not bothering to pause the movie, I skipped over to it.
“Yes?”
“Delivery for Abbie White.”
“Okay,” I said, buzzing the man in.
Delivery. Not Jay, but it must be from him, and I welled with anticipation. I opened my door and waited. The elevator opened and a delivery man walked out, carrying a huge box.
I carried it into my kitchen and pulled open the box. The smell hit me in the face. I inhaled, drawing as much air as possible through my nose, savoring the scent. A massive bouquet of fresh lilies that dwarfed the size of the lilies sitting on my coffee table. And they were already displayed in a suitably large vase.
I plucked the card from the package.
Sorry I had to leave this morning. J
I searched all the wrapping for another note, but that was it, nothing more. Disappointed, I took another sniff of the flowers to comfort myself.
The scent was strong and filled the entire condo. For some reason it made me want to cry happy tears. The scent was like Jay, enveloping all of me without any warning. He’d appeared in my life and now his presence radiated throughout my body, the way the scent now radiated throughout my condo.
I set the flowers on my dining table. They created a canopy that almost reached the table’s edges. I poured myself a glass of wine and went back to the movie, sitting on the sofa because the lilies blocked the view from the table.
Just as the movie’s credits began, the intercom buzzed again. In a repeat of earlier, my heart fluttered thinking it might be Jay. It must be Jay, he’d already sent flowers.
“Yes?”
“Delivery for A. White.” Disappointed again, my heart slowed to its regular beat.
“Come up.”
A delivery man emerged from the elevator carrying a box that clearly contained clothing. It was wrapped in black paper that shimmered in the light, finished with a wide silver ribbon and bow. The wrapping alone looked more expensive than any of the gifts I gave. Or received. I carefully pulled it apart, intending to reuse the thick paper.
Inside was another Agent Provocateur outfit. This one was a sheer fabric, with black satin along the boning and cups. A black floral pattern was embroidered in the sheer panels up the front. I held it up, revealing not one but two matching thongs, as well as silk stockings.
I opened the card.
Can’t wait to rip these off you. J
I giggled. The price of the thongs was as much as I spent on groceries in a month and he intentionally bought them just to ruin them. That was fine, I couldn’t wait for him to rip them off me either.
No sooner had I sat back down than the intercom buzzed again. Another delivery man, this one with a package the size of a small pizza box that was surprisingly heavy. It was wrapped in gold paper with a swirl of glitter across it.
I carefully pulled apart the paper to reveal a black-hinged box covered in velvet. My heart stopped. Every woman everywhere knows that was the kind of box jewelry came in. I ran my fingers over the softness, then slowly pulled it open.
I gasped and blinked. A platinum pendant necklace with a diamond solitaire. My fingers trembled as I ran them over it. The diamond was large enough to cover my fingernail. In the center of the display were matching diamond solitaire earrings. My breath quickened, and I had to sit. It was too much. Too incomprehensible.
A little card was tucked into the side, a little rectangle, as if the gift had come from the florist.
Wear these with it too. J
Unbelievable. I shook my head, trying to shake it clear. The intercom buzzed again. I didn’t get my hopes up that it was Jay himself.
I buzzed up another delivery man, this one with a heavy cube. Inside was a bottle of perfume. Clive Christian. I’d never heard of it, but it looked expensive. Felt expensive. It even had a little crystal on the bottle. I sprayed a bit on my wrists then breathed in the heavenly scent. Once again there was a little card,
Wear this too. J
When, Jay? When would I get to wear all this for you?
It was really bad, in very poor taste. But I had to know. But I figured poor was what I was. I tried Googling the jewelry but didn’t find it. I Googled the perfume. Fuck me. That wasn’t a crystal on the bottle, it was another diamond. It cost more than the corset. Sure Jay, what’s a few grand on a bottle of perfume? And here’s me worrying about paying my mortgage.
The buzzer went again. A perfectly sized pair of shiny black Louboutins with the red detail on the soles and heels, again with the same note from Jay.
Wear these too. J
The next time the buzzer went, it was a Burberry overcoat.
Wear this too. J
I reached for the disposable phone. I couldn’t take it any longer.
When do I get to wear all this stuff for you?
I tapped my fingernail against the screen, worried I sounded ungrateful. A few minutes later it chimed.
Friday. A car will pick you up at seven. Wear everything I’ve sent, and nothing else. J
I stared at the message and read it again and again. My pussy moistened at the thought of leaving my condo in these gifts. Most of all, I was excited to see where he lived. I didn’t bother to text him back. I got the sense my texts were little annoyances for him.
Instead I typed a text to Jenny. A ‘you’ll never believe this,’ but then I deleted the words. For some reason I didn’t want to share this. Not yet. For now I wanted it all to myself. Wanted Jay to myself. And I wanted to fantasize about what he had in store for me.
To think about how I would style my hair to best show off the diamond earrings. That I would paint my nails to match the red on the bottom of the shoes. I even considered shaving a J into my pubic hair. No, I couldn’t be so tacky with all these elegant things.
Chapter 36
Once again I arrived at work early. Eager. I wanted to make a name for myself. To get these reports implemented. All the work I’d done at home was waiting for me in my email. It would be quick to get it onto the work system and match it up with the actual numbers.
I emailed Richard first thing, requesting a meeting to show him my ideas. I was giddy with excitement. This was my chance to shine, and I intended to make a big impact.
Sam turned up just before nine. I hurried her into my office and gave her a quick summary of my hotel stay with Jay. I hesitated, then went on with my story.
“On Saturda
y night he sent me a pile of gifts.”
Her eyes widened. “Gifts, huh?”
“Expensive ones. Perfume with a real diamond on it! Plus Louboutins.”
“Shut up!” she interrupted.
“That’s not all. He sent a massive diamond necklace and matching earrings.”
The color drained from Sam’s face. It was difficult to comprehend. I spent Sunday looking at them over and over, trying to satisfy myself that they weren’t figments of my imagination.
And my insides clenched each time I imagined myself wearing it all for Jay. Okay, I may have put the entire outfit on once or twice and looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. Flashing myself with the trench coat. I wore the shoes all day, practicing walking in their impossible height.
“You are one lucky lady,” Sam said.
“No kidding. I was so lucky to meet him. But beyond all the gifts, I like him. A lot. I wouldn’t care if he was penniless.”
Richard walked past, and I shooed Sam away to catch him. My enthusiasm must have piqued his interest because he dropped wherever he was going and came into my office. I spent an hour going over my ideas with him and was encouraged by his response. He gave me the green light. Not only to implement the new reports, but to hire two new people to do the grunt work.
He left my office, closing the door behind him, and I watched him walk past the glass walls back to his own office.
I sat back at my desk and checked my email. I’d intended to email Marla, to give her the job briefing and have her find me some new employees. My cursor was on the compose button when an email from Calvin appeared in my box, the subject “James McAllister fucks his staff.”
Weird. Why would Calvin be emailing me about the owner of our company? I didn’t know much about James McAllister. His office was three floors above mine and I’d never met him. Who knows what went on up there in the upper echelons of the company?
Billionaire's Secret: The Complete Series Page 12
