As she drove through the busy streets of Tokyo, her cell phone rang. This was the first call she’d received while here and it was from a number she didn’t recognize. It seemed to be a local call. “Hello?”
“May I speak to Ms. Burke?” a woman with a thick Japanese accent asked.
“This is Ms. Burke.”
“Ms. Burke, I am calling from the airlines.”
Great! Now what? “Is there a problem?”
“No, no problem. We are only calling to notify you your flight for tomorrow has been canceled. We do not have another flight available at this time. We will notify you once we have a seat available.”
“What? I need to be on a plane tomorrow. I only have one more night booked for a hotel. You can’t leave me stranded here. I need to get home.” Lizette was sure the woman could hear the panic in her voice.
“Ms. Burke, we understand, and all arrangements will be made for your comfort while you are here. We will get you back home as soon as a flight is available.”
There was no fight left in her. First her room, and now her flight. Was the world against her for some reason? She laughed, thinking this should be the time when someone jumped out and told her she was on a hidden-camera show and this had all been a joke. But there was no one in the car besides the driver, and she was still on her way to whatever hotel she was going to be staying at tonight. All she could do was hope they would let her stay until she found a flight home.
Finally, the car pulled up in front of a luxury hotel. This could not be right. Not unless they had a room in the basement for her. The doorman greeted her by name. “Ms. Burke, welcome. Your room is ready.” Then he called to the bellhop, who retrieved her luggage from the car and rushed to the elevator.
Lizette just nodded and followed the bellhop to the elevator. They were moving her along so fast, yet no one was taking the time to explain what was going on. At some point, she realized, she’d stopped caring. All she wanted to do was get to her room, take a shower, and go to bed. Maybe when she woke the next morning, everything would be back to normal and she would be on her way home.
She hadn’t noticed the bellhop had pressed the button for the top floor until the elevator doors opened. It was clear she was about to enter the penthouse. This was obviously a mistake. The bellhop exited the elevator and stopped in front of a grand golden door. He used the key and opened it. Lizette just stood in the hall, not wanting to move. This wasn’t her room. Whoever they thought she was, they were wrong. This room probably cost more than her entire trip. There was no way she was going in.
Before she knew it, the bellhop came out of the penthouse, nodded to her, and then reentered the elevator, the doors closing behind him. She stood in the hall alone. She was staring at the elevator doors when she heard a familiar voice behind her.
“Aren’t you going to come in?” Jon asked.
She spun around, half thinking it was just her imagination, to find that it really was Jon. He was here, in Tokyo, with her. “Jon, it’s really you; you’re here.”
“Yes, Lizette, it’s really me.”
Tears of joy, frustration, exhaustion, and love poured down her cheeks, and she gladly stepped into his open arms. For the first time in two weeks she felt safe, at home, and, most important, whole again.
Jon held her as she sobbed softly. He kissed her head and stroked her hair. When she stopped crying she looked at him and asked, “Jon, what are you doing here? How did you find me?”
Well, here comes the hard part, he thought. One thing he’d learned from the past was he needed to be honest and not hold anything back. “Well, let’s start with the second question first. I stopped at Ma’s house last Saturday and when she told me you’d taken a trip you’d been dreaming about since you were a child, I knew exactly where you were.”
“But Tokyo is not a small place. You cannot tell me you simply flew here and just happened to book a room in a hotel I was going to be transferred to.”
“No, I had some help from your travel agent. I think I may have scared her. You might need to find a new one.” He laughed.
“I’m not sure I want to know what you said or did. But I’m happy you’re here. Now for my first question. Why? Why are you here, Jon?”
He reached out and wiped what remained of a tear from her cheek. “That’s simple. I’m here because this is where you are.”
Lizette’s eyes softened at his words, and another tear came down her cheek as she leaned in to his hand.
“Does this mean you’re happy to see me?” he asked, knowing very well her answer.
She turned to his arms once more and said, “No words can describe how happy I am, but maybe I can show you.”
Lizette leaned in and kissed him ever so softly. His kiss was equally gentle. There was something different about tonight. A joining of a different kind, at a different level.
Jon picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. There, he slowly unbuttoned her blouse and slid it off her shoulders. Then he kissed her neck, her shoulder, and her neck one more time before he reached behind her, unhooked her bra, and let it drop to the floor. Bending over, he kissed her throat, then trailed kisses from one breast to the other. His tongue teased her until she trembled with desire. He then slipped his shirt off his broad shoulders and removed his pants and boxers. He stood naked in front of her. She removed her skirt and panties, then leaned and kissed his shoulder, trailing kisses over his chest. In one swift movement Jon scooped her back up in his arms and carried her to the bed.
He lay down next to her. She could feel his erect cock pressed against her. She wanted to—no, needed to—feel him inside of her. Her body was on fire with anticipation. But instead of satisfying her need, Jon lay on his side, propping himself up on one elbow as his other hand slowly explored her body. His hand was soon followed by his lips and tongue. She reached for him, trying to pull him on top of her, but his response was to take her hand in his and hold it above her head. She was being held captive by the sweetest torture she could imagine. He nibbled and licked down her chest to her navel, finally coming to rest on her inner thighs. She opened to him but he continued to kiss and nibble, one thigh and then the other. She wiggled to try to get him closer to her, to take her in his mouth, but he refused. He was making it clear he was in charge. Then, as he continued to kiss her thighs, his fingers found their way to her wet folds. Only his thumb touched her as it began to circle her clit. He brought her to the brink of climax but refused to take her over the edge.
“Please.” The word escaped from her lips as a whisper.
He ignored her plea and instead nipped her a bit harder on her inside thigh. A shudder of pain and delight shook her.
“Please, I need . . .”
“What? Tell me what you need.”
“I need you to kiss me.”
He kissed her but once again on her thigh.
She groaned and said, “No, Jon, please, I need you to lick me, suck me, please . . .” She moaned again.
This time Jon did not disappoint her. His thumb was replaced by his tongue, tantalizing her to open wider for him. She did. Each lick and suck brought her closer to climax. Jon let go of her hands and now gripped her ass, pulling her closer to him as his tongue darted in and out of her. He sucked her clit even harder, until the waves of her climax rocked through her. The tremors seemed endless. It was a pleasure she had not known before, more intense than she’d thought was humanly possible.
Before the waves totally stopped, Jon knelt between her legs. He lifted her legs so her knees now rested on his shoulders. With his hands on her hips he entered her with one deep thrust, then held her there, not moving. A low growl emerged from somewhere at the back of her throat. He began to move, lifting her to him again. The pleasure was almost unbearable as he held her hips and drove deeper and deeper inside her, as though he couldn’t hold himself back. The sound of his flesh smacking against hers filled the room and drove her need for more. Jon answered her request with faster, harder st
rokes. He gripped her thighs tightly as he exploded within her, bringing her to yet another explosive climax.
Afterward, Jon collapsed on top of her. His weight on her while he was still inside her was glorious. They were breathing heavily as he nestled himself close to her. Entwined like this, they gently caressed each other until they eventually drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Twenty-two
Jon had been sitting on the balcony, letting Lizette sleep in, when his phone rang. “Hello, Drew. What’s up?”
“I’m just checking to see how everything’s going.”
“Excellent,” he answered dryly.
“Did you find Lizette?”
“Yes, I did.”
“I was worried you might screw it up.”
The frustration was evident in his voice as Jon asked, “What exactly does that mean?”
“Well, in all the years I’ve known you, you haven’t gotten involved in relationships. You’ve focused on only one thing. Work.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m not capable of having one. It just wasn’t a priority.”
“Oh, don’t worry, Jon, we noticed that. But Lizette, she has changed you. You’re no longer such a . . . well, such an ass.”
“Does this call have a purpose?”
“Of course. I’m just wondering if I’m going to be the best man or what?” he joked.
Best man. Wow, funny how last night had been so amazing and yet he had never actually asked Lizette to marry him. It was obvious how he felt about her.
“You did ask her, right?” Drew asked after he received no response from Jon.
“Not yet. But I’m sure she knows how I feel about her.”
“Did you tell her?”
“It was obvious,” he said firmly.
“Jon, how can a man have the IQ you do and grow a billion-dollar business as you have, and yet not have a clue as to what a woman needs?”
“Trust me, I know what a woman needs. I don’t need any lessons from you.”
“Okay, so you told her you love her?”
Did I actually say the words? No. He had shown her, but actually saying it—well, no.
“I take your silence to mean no. So if I were a betting man—”
“If? Come on, Drew, we all know you’re a betting man. You’ve probably bet on what her answer would be if I asked her.”
“Well, I would bet you haven’t even gotten her a ring yet.”
Damn, Drew was getting on his nerves. It wasn’t that he wasn’t right; it was that he’d thought Lizette would know how he felt without him having to say it. “Drew, it’s been a nice chat, but I’ve got better things to do today than talk to you. We’ll catch up when I’m back in the States. Oh, and one more thing—I’ll bet the next time we speak, Lizette and I will be officially engaged.”
“Jon, you know me, I never take a bet I can’t win. Good luck. See you stateside.”
Jon hung up the phone and headed out the door. There were things he needed to do today, plans he needed to make. He hated to admit it, but Drew was right. He needed to tell Lizette how he felt and make their engagement official.
Jon called Matt on the way to the car that was waiting outside the hotel for him. “I need you to book the observation deck of the Mori Tower at Roppongi Hills for a private engagement tonight.”
“How many in your party? Two?”
“Yes, Matt, two. I need you to ensure this is kept confidential. No one can know about tonight. I don’t care how you pull this off but I want the entire floor set up for Lizette and me. Very private, very romantic. Got it?”
“Yes, sir. I will have everything set up as you wish.”
Jon didn’t doubt that. Matt could pull off things that amazed him. Why Matt was so loyal to him he wasn’t sure, but he did know he couldn’t have made Vinchi Medical Engineering as successful without him.
Everything was going to be perfect. They would be able to see all of Tokyo from the observation deck. There was one last thing he had to take care of, and he had to do this himself. As he reached the car, he saw his driver standing, holding the door. Jon instructed him to take him to the best jeweler in the city.
Tonight he was going to give Lizette what she needed and deserved: the truth of his feelings for her.
***
Lizette rolled over only to be met by cold sheets next to her. Had she been dreaming of Jon again? That wouldn’t surprise her, as he’d visited her in her dreams every night since they’d met. Afraid to open her eyes and find reality wasn’t as she hoped, she pulled the pillow over her head, trying to smother the silence of the room. Her room hadn’t been quiet the entire time she’d been in Tokyo. Why was it so silent now? Removing the pillow, she forced her eyes open. A smile crossed her lips as the realization hit her. It had not been a dream at all.
Throwing back the sheets, she got up and searched the bathroom for a robe. Hanging by the shower was the softest robe she’d ever felt—a bit large for her, but a robe nonetheless. Leaving the bedroom, she was greeted by the wonderful aroma of freshly brewed coffee. A table held a pot of coffee, one cup, and fresh fruit. But that wasn’t what she was really looking for. She had been looking forward to waking up curled next to Jon. Since he’d risen before her, she’d settle for a kiss to start her day.
She searched the penthouse and even the balcony, but he was nowhere to be found. His clothes were still there so he couldn’t have gone back home. She searched for a note, but there was none. Obviously, he felt there was something more important than waking up and spending the day with her. He had not really explained why he was there in the first place. Yes, he’d said it was because she was there, but what exactly did that mean? He missed her physically? It was obvious they had sexual chemistry off the charts, but for her, their connection was about more than that. He’d never said he loved her; actually, he’d never said anything even close. The truth was he had the money to manipulate situations to get whatever he wanted, and right now that seemed to be her. But how long would that last? A week, a month, maybe a year? No, she wasn’t going to be his mistress, waiting around just to be replaced one day.
She remembered the hotel manager had told her they were double-booked. Now she was sure there had been no issue with her room; Jon just wanted her with him. She had been so happy to see him last night she hadn’t put two and two together.
Then she remembered the phone call last night, supposedly from the airlines, informing her the flight had been canceled. Was that even true? She picked up her purse and pulled out her plane ticket. She tried several numbers on the ticket until someone finally answered.
“Hello, I’m trying to confirm my flight today at one p.m. My name is Lizette Burke.”
“Yes, Miss Burke, we have your flight leaving at one p.m. today to arrive in Boston, Massachusetts, tomorrow evening at nine p.m. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“No, no thank you.” Anger boiled within her. Another lie and more manipulation. Did he thrive on deception? Was he even capable of honesty? How could he play with her feelings like this? Couldn’t he see how she felt about him? Probably not, because he didn’t feel the same way about her. The fact that the connection was only physical on his part hurt deeper than her heart and soul could take. No matter how sweet their time together was, she had to end it now before it went any further. She had to take back control of her life and show him he could not control everything—not her or her feelings.
The clock read 11:30. She had to rush if she was going to catch her flight. After a quick shower she threw on clean clothes, grabbed her suitcases, and flagged a cab. She arrived at the airport with just enough time to catch her flight. As the flight attendant closed the plane door behind her, she let out a long sigh. She made it to her seat and buckled her seat belt just as the plane began to taxi down the runway. In a few short moments she would be in the air and on her way home.
Back to . . . what? There was really nothing to go back to. Yes, she still had her job at Another Chance, but J
on was the company’s sponsor and was now paying her salary. No, she could no longer work there. She dreaded having to give the news to Elaine after all she had done for her, but in time she would find another accounting manager. What would she do for work? Well, at least she had a seventeen-hour flight to figure that out. Not to mention what she would do with the rest of her life now that Jon wasn’t going to be in it. It wasn’t going to be easy, but her self-confidence had grown over the last month, and she knew eventually she would be okay.
***
Jon opened the door to the penthouse expecting to hear Lizette up and moving about, but the room was quiet. Maybe she was still in bed. She had been sleeping so soundly when he woke up he hadn’t want to wake her, even though he’d found it very difficult to resist continuing where they had left off last night. If she was still in bed now, he would be more than happy to join her for a little afternoon delight.
Looking forward to seeing the sweet vision he had left earlier, he opened the door to the bedroom only to find it empty. Maybe she was soaking in the tub. He checked the bathroom but found it to be empty as well. His heart began to beat faster as he searched for her suitcases. His worst fears were confirmed—the suitcases were gone. Jon went back to the empty bed. Part of him hoped for a note on his pillow again. Something saying where she went, why she’d left. After what they’d shared last night he knew she loved him, so why did she leave?
Frustration built within him as he realized he let her slip away a second time. Then he recalled what Drew had said earlier. Women need to hear the words. Strange, because he’d always thought actions spoke louder than words. I guess that doesn’t hold true for all actions. There is one that must be spoken as well as shown. He wouldn’t make that mistake again.
The Billionaire's Secret (Betting on You Series: Book One) Page 16
