Her Millionaire Master

by Maria Monroe

  Her Millionaire Master

  By

  Maria Monroe

  Copyright © 2016 by Stormy Night Publications and Maria Monroe

  Copyright © 2016 by Stormy Night Publications and Maria Monroe

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Published by Stormy Night Publications and Design, LLC.

  www.StormyNightPublications.com

  Monroe, Maria

  Her Millionaire Master

  Cover Design by Korey Mae Johnson

  Images by Period Images and 123RF/photogl

  This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults.

  Chapter One

  Bella sipped her iced coffee through the blue and white striped straw while Mojo, the Pekingese, sniffed around the base of an old oak tree between the sidewalk and the street. Of all her ‘clients,’ Mojo was the best behaved. Most of the dogs she walked had never been properly leash trained, pulling her down the street in pursuit of squirrels or stray cats, barking loudly at other dogs, or, like the dachshund puppy she’d recently started caring for, peeing on the feet of anyone who talked to them. She’d started the dog walking business as a way to make money while she finished her master’s degree in psychology, but it had turned out to be more rewarding than she’d thought it would be. The regular exercise and fresh air kept her feeling revived, and she loved the dogs, even the worst behaved ones. The best part was she could make her own work schedule, walking dogs in between classes and her internship.

  Mojo lived just a few blocks from Bella’s apartment, in her Humboldt Park neighborhood in Chicago, so after dropping the small dog off at his home, she headed back to the apartment in an old brick three flat she shared with her roommate Claire. It was a gorgeous spring day, bright and sunny, and Bella couldn’t help smiling as she made her way down the sidewalk. Things were going well at school, and she was happy with her job. But it was Friday afternoon, she had no studying to do over the weekend, and she planned to spend the next two days just relaxing.

  On her block, she slowed down as she approached The Castle. It wasn’t really a castle, but that’s what she and Claire called it. It was a double lot surrounded by a tall wrought-iron fence, both imposing and classic. Inside the gate two old brick townhouses had been converted to one huge house. Green vines climbed up and over the red brick, giving it the appearance of a home in the country rather than a house in the middle of a big city. Though there wasn’t much room for a front lawn, the grass there was lusciously green and perfectly manicured, and two stone lions sat on either side of the wide walkway that led to the rich mahogany front door. The gorgeous house stuck out, huge and decadent in the middle of a half-crumbling and half-gentrifying neighborhood. The best thing about the house though, far and away, were the two men who appeared to live there.

  Claire had noticed them first, excitedly telling Bella about them one day. “Oh. My. God,” she’d said, her brown curls dancing around her shoulders. “You will not believe the hotties living in that huge house down the street!” It had been their second day in the new apartment, and so, on the guise of just going for a walk, they passed the house. Claire was right. They were gorgeous. One was blond and lean, wearing white shorts, a light blue polo shirt, and a ridiculously smooth and even tan. The other was dark and mysterious, with brooding eyes and dark brown hair, so dark it was almost black. It was just long enough to curl around his ears and down onto his forehead. He had on a pair of dark wash jeans and an untucked button-down shirt, blindingly white. They were inside their fenced front yard tossing around a ball for a fluffy brown mutt.

  The dark one looked up suddenly and caught Bella staring. In that second she was aware of nothing except his eyes as they held her gaze. They were brown, flecked with gold. Even from the sidewalk she could see the glint coming from them, equally sexy and dangerous. Every instinct she had told her to look away, to just keep walking, but she couldn’t. She felt captive, which was stupid. They were only looking at each other. Somewhere far away she heard Claire giggling, her silly embarrassed-not-embarrassed laugh. It wasn’t until Claire tugged on her hand that she awoke from whatever it was she was in. A trance? A dream?

  “Come on,” Claire was saying, pulling her away and down the sidewalk. “You were, like, hypnotized or something, Bella!”

  “Or something,” Bella whispered, trying to understand what had happened a second ago. She’d never been so overwhelmed by someone with just one look. One arrogant, confident, smoldering look.

  “I told you they were hot, didn’t I?”

  Bella nodded, then shook the haze away. “You always find the hottest guys, Claire. And they live right down the block from us!”

  “Yeah. Too bad they’re gay, though,” replied Claire ruefully.

  “Gay? I don’t think… He looked…” It wasn’t possible. There was no way she could have shared such an intense moment with someone who wasn’t even attracted to girls. Still, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

  “Um, two sexy, in shape, well-dressed men playing with their dog in the front yard? It’s like a commercial for homeowners’ insurance or cream cheese or something.” Claire tossed her hair back behind her shoulders and shrugged. “But we can still look, right? Nothing like some good eye candy just down the block.”

  Through the fall and winter Bella had mostly forgotten about the dark-haired guy, had mostly resigned herself to the fact that he probably was gay, like Claire had said. Still, he kept popping up in her fantasies, his eyes on hers while he took control, touched her, had his way with her. And every time she passed The Castle, she felt a flutter of excitement in her stomach at the thought of seeing him again. But she’d only caught a glimpse or two of him, and she was never close enough to catch his eye and see if the connection happened again.

  Today, nobody was out, and she swallowed down a tiny taste of disappointment with her sip of iced coffee as she continued on to her apartment. Oh, well. There was Chinese food to order, beers to drink, and a bar to go to with Claire.

  But then she heard a voice. “Excuse me!”

  She stopped and turned. Standing there was the blond guy from The Castle, dressed in skinny jeans and impossibly white Keds. He had on a tight lemon yellow T-shirt and a white sweater thrown casually over his shoulders. His dog wagged its tail eagerly as Bella approached.

  “Hi,” said the guy. “I’m Charles? And this is Max.” He nodded at the dog, whose entire body was wiggling as Bella approached and bent down to pet it.

  “I’m Bella,” she said.

  “You walk dogs, right?” asked Charles. “I’ve seen you around the neighborhood,” he explained.

  “I do,” she said. “Here.” She dug into her pocket and pulled out a slightly wrinkled business card she’d printed at home with her information on it. “You know, in case you’re interested,” she said with a shrug.

  “Actually, I am. My partner and I are going out of town, and we need someone to take care of Max for a few days. To come over and feed him and walk him at least twice a day. Are you available next week?”

  Bella nodded, feeling both excitement and disappointment. It would be awesome to see the inside of The Castle, and to make some more money. But the finality of Charles talking about his ‘partner’ clinched Claire’s theory. “I’m free,” she said. “Why don’t you give me a call this weekend to go over details and my rates.”

  “Excellent,” s
aid Charles. “Max already likes you!”

  It was true. While Bella petted him, Max lay down on the sidewalk so she could rub his belly, and when Charles tugged gently at the leash to get him to stand up he whined softly, looking over at Bella as he did.

  “It’s OK, buddy,” said Bella to the dog. “We’ll hang out next week. Lots.”

  “I’m so glad I ran into you today,” said Charles. “I can tell this is going to work out well.”

  “Thanks.”

  As she walked back to her apartment, Charles called over his shoulder, “Cute belt, by the way!”

  “Thanks,” she repeated with a smile.

  * * *

  “You have to let me see the inside!” said Claire, then shook her head and took a long drink from the frosty green Heineken bottle she was holding. “I can’t believe you’re finally going to get inside The Castle.”

  “I know, right? And their dog? Max? Is a total cutie. And when I told Charles my normal rates, he said he’d pay double because they wanted, how did he phrase it? Extra special care for their dog.”

  The girls were lounging on their futon couch in the living room, playing reruns of Reign in the background but not really watching the show.

  “Double?” asked Claire, her mouth dropping open.

  Bella nodded. “I mean, I’m going to be doing some house sitting too. Watering plants. Bringing in the mail. Keeping an eye on things, you know.”

  “Nice.”

  Bella took long drink from her bottle of beer, swallowing the cold, satisfying liquid and sighing. “Mostly? I’m excited because I’m so close to having enough for the down payment!” She was saving for a down payment on her late grandmother’s house, the house she practically grew up in and wanted to buy and rehab more than anything. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph, an elderly couple, were currently living in it, but they needed to move soon into an assisted-living complex since their health was deteriorating. They’d agreed to wait as long as they could to sell the house, so Bella was saving as much and as quickly as possible.

  “So we’re sure they’re gay, then, right?” asked Claire, putting her beer on the coffee table and getting up to check her reflection in the darkened windows. They were pre-drinking before the bar.

  “Well, he had on sparkling white sneakers. And a sweater around his shoulders. And he complimented me on my belt. Oh, and there was also the part where he referred to his partner.”

  Claire shook her head in mock sadness. “Oh, well. They’re both so pretty, though. They make a cute couple.”

  “They do,” said Bella, but she couldn’t help remembering how looking into the dark-haired guy’s eyes had sent electric shocks all through her body. How many times she’d touched herself, imagining it was his hands on her skin. And how months had passed since that happened, but she still couldn’t get him out of her mind.

  * * *

  At three, Bella headed over to The Castle to meet Charles. The plan was for him to show her around and give her a tour, since he and his partner were leaving for their trip the next day. The wrought-iron gate around the house wasn’t locked, but it took Bella a few seconds to figure out how to open the fancy clasp that held it shut. As she approached the front door, Max’s eager barking greeted her from behind the imposing front door, and she rang the bell tentatively, hearing the deep chime sound inside the house.

  A few seconds later the door opened, and Bella smiled in anticipation of seeing Charles’ happy grin. But her smile disappeared, replaced by shock as she gasped. Instead of Charles, the other man stood before her. Tall. Imposing. His almost black hair was thick, his dark brown eyes intense as they stared down at her. He was wearing what looked like an expensive suit, and his jaw was clean and smooth, as though he’d just shaved. Handsome didn’t begin to describe his perfectly sculpted face and his body, lean but strong. His physique and demeanor emanated domination, as though he had power over everyone and everything.

  “Bella.” His voice was low.

  “Yes,” she replied, her voice scratchy. She cleared her throat. “Yes,” she repeated.

  “I’m Kane. Please come in.”

  She followed him into the foyer, which was sparkling clean and neat. The space was large, the furniture expensive and minimal.

  “I, um, was expecting Charles,” she managed to say, despite the weakness in her body. Why did she feel this way? Flustered? Intimidated? She was here to walk the guy’s dog. That was it. And he was gay. What was wrong with her?

  He turned and looked at her, tilting his head appraisingly. One corner of his mouth lifted in an almost-smile. “This is my home, Bella, so it seems fitting that I should meet you before I leave things in your care, no?”

  “Um, yes,” stammered Bella. She’d thought they both lived here, but apparently that wasn’t the case.

  In her confusion over seeing Kane instead of Charles, she’d ignored Max, who was patiently sitting next to her, looking up with his big brown eyes. “Hey, Max!” she said, glad to have something else to focus on. She petted him, his tail wagging furiously against the marble floor.

  “He likes you.” Kane’s voice was almost devoid of emotion, but Bella thought she heard a touch of relief. “Your job here is very simple,” he continued. “You’re to feed Max twice a day. Make sure he has fresh water. Walk him twice a day. There are a few plants in the kitchen I’d like you to water once while I’m gone. The only parts of the house you’ll need to be in are the living room and the kitchen. You can use the restroom down the hall if you need to. I request that you stay out of my office.” He gestured at a closed door.

  “Got it,” said Bella. She couldn’t help a mental eye roll at his arrogant tone. As if she wanted to go into his office.

  “You understand, yes?”

  Jeez! “Yes,” she confirmed. “I will stay out of your office.”

  He stared into her eyes, and for some reason, the ferocity in his made her knees weak. He was being a presumptuous asshole, assuming she’d want to snoop through his stuff, like he was some sort of celebrity. Yet deep down inside, she felt turned on by the forcefulness in his demeanor. It occurred to her suddenly, as she reeled in the sexuality he exuded, that maybe partner meant business partner rather than partner partner. She couldn’t ask, though. It wasn’t any of her business, and if his weirdness about her only being in two rooms of his house was any indication of his overall attitude, he wouldn’t welcome any personal questions.

  “Good, then. You’ll start tomorrow. Do you have any questions?”

  “Not really,” said Bella. Except: Are you gay? Why are you such as asshole? And, for herself: Why does this jerk turn me on? Because she couldn’t deny the tingle she felt between her legs every time he glanced at her with his forceful and piercing eyes.

  “Good. I’ll pay you upon my return.” Briskly he strode to the front door.

  Bella followed.

  “The key,” he said, reaching a hand into his suit-jacket pocket and retrieving a silver key on a thick silver key ring.

  “Right. I guess I’ll need that,” said Bella with a nervous laugh.

  She reached out her hand, and as Kane placed the key chain in it, her skin tingled as his fingers brushed over her palm.

  “I can trust you, Bella, yes?” Kane stared hard into Bella’s eyes, and she took a step backward, even though he was only looking at her.

  “Yes. Of course,” she said, feeling suddenly indignant, and straightening up her back. Why was he questioning her so hard? She knew how to walk a dog and take care of someone’s plants. It wasn’t exactly rocket science or high level accounting. “You can trust me. Sir,” she added, winking at him. If he was going to be a dick, she’d just make light of it.

  For a second his eyes narrowed, and she swore she heard a low growling sound emanate from his throat. But then he pulled the door open and gestured at the outside. “I’ll be in touch, Bella,” he said in a low voice. “And I’ll see you in a week.”

  * * *<
br />
  Three days later, alone in the big house, Bella walked from room to room, admiring the sleek furniture and open spaces. This was what she wanted to do in her grandmother’s house, as soon as she saved up enough for renovations. She liked clean lines. Modern pieces. More open air than furniture. It would be a while before she was able to pay for fixing the house up, but that was all right, she thought, running one finger along the cool marble of the kitchen island. Under her feet the hardwood floors gleamed. She could wait. She just needed to secure the house before the old couple living there couldn’t wait any longer.

  She wasn’t planning to stay too long, but she hated to leave Max alone, and the previous times she’d come she’d left almost immediately after taking care of Max. So she settled onto the simple but elegant gray couch in the living room to cuddle with him for a while before she headed home. She wasn’t sure if Max was allowed up on the couch—probably not, given its perfection and cleanliness and the stick-up-his-butt that Kane seemed to have about stuff—but he eagerly jumped up and lay down next to her, putting his head on her lap.

  Bella checked her phone for a few minutes, but she felt distracted. Being alone at night in someone else’s house was weird. Not scary. Just different. And the truth was, her curiosity was piqued. She couldn’t stop thinking about Kane, about the smoldering look he gave her before he left, when he told her to stay out of his office. The presumption that she’d be interested enough to snoop through his stuff pissed her off. But what made her even madder was the fact that he’d been right. She was interested. He was unlike any man she’d met before. Rich. Tall. Sexy as hell. And more commanding—simply through the way he moved his body and the tone of his voice—than anyone else she’d ever encountered.

  “Just one peek,” she whispered, gently removing Max’s head from her leg and getting up. In her socks, she slid down the hall Risky Business style, feeling childish but happy as she did. Max trotted after her, his nails clicking on the floor, but as soon as she got to Kane’s office, Max lay down immediately outside the door. His body had the stubborn set of a dog who was not going to move.