Chapter 6
Nora was expecting to have a quiet movie night, with the house to herself when the doorbell rang that same evening. She had turned all the lights off and had been huddled under a thin cover on the couch. The light from the television screen was the only source of illumination for her, as she made her way to the front door.
When she opened the door, she felt her limbs freeze. Theo was on the other side, his hands stuck deep into his tan pants. The night breeze had lightly ruffled his usually well brushed dark hair.
“Hi,” he said, his face breaking into that grin which made her instantly melt. This man was the man of her dreams, the prototype she had been searching for all her life since she left town. Even though she looked for the same qualities in the other men she had dated, nobody had ever come close. And now that she stared at him in awe, it became even more clearer that she wouldn’t find anyone else like him. The perfect balance of gorgeous looks, intelligence and kindness.
“Dad isn’t home, he’s playing poker with his gang, but then you probably already know that…” Nora’s voice trailed as the realization hit here.
“Yeah, I know, I’m here to see you,” Theo said and without invitation, he brushed past her and stepped into the house. The sound of the television was faint in the hallway, as Nora closed the door behind them. She was trying to keep her breathing even, but it was difficult. She had no idea why he would possibly want to see her. She was nervous and jittery and aware of the oversized old clothes she was dressed in.
“Let me make us some coffee,” she said and stepped past him and felt Theo’s strong grip on her wrist. She felt like her skin had sizzled and an electrical shock ran down her spine. He let her go immediately.
“No, I’m not staying very long. I just wanted to come over and apologize for this morning,” he said, while Nora tried hard to recover from their moment of physical contact. Her throat was dry; she couldn’t make words come out of her mouth.
He towered over her, his head nearly grazing the low ceiling and Nora could smell that cologne again, which was overwhelming her senses.
“Apologize for what? You didn’t do anything,” she said and Theo let out a deep sigh.
“For my wife, Violet…her behavior was atrocious and you’re my best friend’s kid. You should be made to feel welcome in my home,” he said and Nora forced herself to smile.
“Well, I’m not exactly a kid anymore. It’s not like I need to be offered grilled cheese and juice boxes every time I visit,” she said but Theo wasn’t smiling, he only shook his head.
“Not just that, also my reaction…I shouldn’t have allowed my personal life get in the way. You came over for a visit and I deserted you because I was in a bad mood,” he said in a deep voice. Nora realized how close they were standing now, how wide his shoulders were and how easy it would be to just kiss him.
“Why were you in a bad mood?” she asked him and their gazes were locked. Everything around them seemed to be traveling slowly, like they could have been the only two people in the world. Theo’s eyes were searching her face, studying the curves of her neck and shoulder.
“Violet has that effect on me. I feel like I’m wasting my life and I have no way of stopping it,” he said and Nora gulped. Her suspicions were confirmed. They were not in a happy marriage. It sent a thrilling shiver down her spine that she had no control over.
“I’m no expert on marriages, but the last time I checked, you don’t have to stay in a marriage if you don’t want to,” Nora said, surprised by how adult this conversation between them was. Before she left home, the length and breadth of her conversations with Theo were about school or how pizza was both their favorite foods.
Theo was still searching her eyes, as though he was deciding how much to confess to her.
“Yeah well, I don’t have any particular reason to leave, except that I don’t like her. Which isn’t really a good enough reason is it,” he said and Nora felt his hot breath fall on her upturned face.
They were still standing in the dim narrow hallway of the house, just by the door. She could feel the heat radiating from Theo and wondered if he could hear how fast her heart was beating.
“Personally, I don’t do anything I don’t want to do,” she said, her gaze dropping to his lips, and then rising back up to his eyes. Theo lowered his face, just an inch, but it was enough for Nora’s breathing to stop. Her lips parted as she stared back at him in anticipation. Every nerve in her body was on fire.
“You’ve always been a headstrong girl,” he said, drawling his words and Nora couldn’t respond. Without breaking his gaze from her, he placed a hand gently on her shoulder and she felt that electrical current again. She wanted to lunge at him, to draw him into her, press her lips to him, but Theo was transfixed, taking every moment slow.
He pushed her gently, just enough for her back to graze the wall and with his thumb he stroked the bare skin on her shoulder. The tank top she was wearing was loose and the straps had fallen over her shoulders and her skin prickled with Goosebumps where he was touching her.
“You’re lucky to not have responsibilities, Nora. You should make the most of your life right now,” he said, clenching his jaw as he looked at her. She had thrust her breasts forward, closer to him, hoping that their bodies would finally touch.
“That’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m living my life,” she said and Theo traced a finger down her arm till he held her hand in his for one warm second. Then he let it go and stepped away from her abruptly.
“Anyway, I just wanted to apologize for my poor hospitality. See you around, Nora,” he said, flinging open the door and before she even had time to collect her thoughts, Theo was out of the door.
Her breasts were heaving with desire, her breathing was constricted and she felt like she was breaking into panic ridden sweats. They had come so close. She had come so close to having him. Or had she just imagined all that as well? Was he just being nice to his friend’s daughter? Nora held her hand clasped to her chest, but her harsh breathing wouldn’t recover.
She knew there was no way she had imagined it. He had touched her, stroked her skin, felt the Goosebumps on her arm as he caressed her. Her breasts had nearly grazed his chest, his lips had almost touched hers. Nora felt like she was going to go insane with desire. It had never been this intense.
In the dark, stumbling over the shoes her father had left in the hallway, Nora rushed to the kitchen where she drank a glass of cold water. It didn’t help either. She had fantasized about Theo for so long and so many years, that this experience was overwhelming. His touch on her skin was enough, having their faces so close to each other was maddening. She couldn’t know if he wanted the same thing as she did, but she didn’t know what to do with her arousal at that moment.
With her hands trembling, she ran up the stairs to her old bedroom. Banging the door shut behind her, she pressed her back to it and slid down. Her hands instinctually went to the spot between her legs where she could already feel the wetness growing. Through the thin material of her pajamas, she touched herself, gently playing with her sensitive clit till that wasn’t enough either.
Nora slid down the elastic band till it was digging into the skin on her butt. She had pulled down her panty with it, and now her fingers found her clit again. She allowed herself to lay down on the carpet and closed her eyes firmly shut as she faced the ceiling.
The image of Theo’s face looming over her was as real as it was going to get. His large warm hand on her body had left its imprint there. She could smell him, touch him, feel him…
Her fingers stroked and played with her clit even more wildly, her other hand travelled up to her breasts and she pinched her hardened left nipple. She imagined Theo’s mouth there, sucking on her breast and the wetness grew between her legs. Her fingers slipped and slid as she toyed with her clit. She could hear his harsh breathing in her ears, she imagined what it would be like to have his mouth where her fingers were.
Nora bit down o
n her lip hard as her body spasmed. She could feel the orgasm coming, pushing her over the edge and she concentrated on how hot he looked that morning. His tanned smooth skin glistening in the sun, the dusting of chest hair, the sharp jaw…the force with which he might ram his cock into her.
Nora came in an explosion and she felt her juices slide in a gush out of her. She didn’t stop playing with her clit as her orgasm came in waves, washing over her body, making her toes curl till she felt completely spent.
She was breathing loudly, panting as she slipped her pajamas and panty off her legs and lay on the carpet, naked from the waist down. She opened her eyes to stare up at ceiling and wondered what he was doing right then, while she had just orgasmed to fantasies about him.
Was he with his wife? Were they sitting at the dinner table and having a casual conversation over their meal? Did he even eat with her?
Nora rolled around and pressed her hot trembling body to the rough texture of the carpet. She didn’t want to think about Violet. No matter what Theo had told her, no matter how much she wanted to hope that they never touched or kissed or had sex…she knew that the truth was that they were still a married couple. He had just confessed that he didn’t have enough reason to leave her.
She lay there on the carpet for a while longer, allowing her body to go back to its usual rhythm. Before she finally stood up and went to the bathroom to wash herself and her hands. She shook her head as she peered into the mirror in front of her. Her cheeks were flushed from the orgasm, her eyes were bright but looked tired and spent. She would never match up to the beauty standards of Violet or the other women that Theo used to date. No matter how successful, or how grown up she could get, she would never be good enough for a man like him, she thought.
Feeling dejected and a little embarrassed with herself, Nora made her way back downstairs in a fresh pair of pajamas. She sat down on the couch with the bowl of popcorn back on her lap and stared blankly at the television.
By the time her dad came home, which was at least a few hours later, she was lying on the couch and she shut her eyes when she sensed him enter the room. She didn’t want to talk to him, she knew she wouldn’t be able to look him in the eye. He pulled the covers over her affectionately and switched off the television and Nora tried to gulp down the guilt. She had just orgasmed to the fantasy of sleeping with his best friend.
Chapter 7
Nora was working in the kitchen, when her dad came in the next day. He had just returned from his daily jog.
“I just met Theo, he’s asked us to dinner,” he told her, gulping down a bottle of water thirstily. Nora felt her shoulders tense at the thought of seeing Theo again so soon.
“At his house? Just us?” she asked, trying to sound casual about it. Her father was milling about the kitchen, opening drawers to look for a knife to cut pieces of a Granny apple.
“Yeah his place. Not just us, he’s asked the Millers and Sam too,” he told her, referring to some of their other common friends. Nora fixed her eyes on the computer screen, refusing to meet the gaze of her father. The memory of orgasming to Theo was still burning in her, and just the thought of him made her skin tingle.
“Will Violet be cooking?” Nora asked and she looked up just in time to see her father rolling his eyes.
“Are you kidding me? That woman hasn’t boiled an egg in her life. As far as I could tell, she wouldn’t even be there. She never is,” he said, sitting down at the table with her with his apple. Nora tried to hide the flushing of her cheeks as well as she could, but he didn’t seem to notice either way.
“Is there trouble in paradise?” she asked him and her father rolled his eyes again.
“It was never exactly paradise for them. At least not for Theo,” he told her and Nora bit down on her lip.
“I’m surprised to hear that. He seemed so excited before the wedding,” she said as he chewed on his apple pieces.
“Well, that was seven years ago. Once the honeymoon was over, Theo saw her for who she really is,” he said, in a voice that sounded angered. She knew that her father rarely ever lost his temper. Whatever it was, he didn’t appreciate Violet’s presence in his best friend’s life.
“Why, what is she like, dad?” Nora asked, pressing down the screen of her laptop. Her father shrugged his shoulders and looked away from her.
“She’s a gold digger. I hate using the expression, but that is the only way I can describe her. She married Theo for his money, when he was most desperate to settle down and have a family. It was only after they married that he found out that she never wanted kids in the first place,” her father said and Nora’s heart was racing. She was already picturing Theo as a father.
“So, why are they still together?” she asked, trying to keep the rise of excitement in her voice at a minimum. He shrugged again and let out a huge sigh.
“I don’t know the answer to that question, honey. He doesn’t like to talk about it. I have my suspicions that it has something to do with his own parents. You know, they got divorced when he was a little boy and he saw how miserable it made his father. Maybe he thinks that staying married to Violet is his best option right now. Maybe he’s thinking about old age. I don’t know, honey,” he explained and shook his head dejectedly.
Nora stared at her father, trying to put the pieces together. Theo had always been the strongest, most powerful man she knew. She had idolized him all her life and now she was quickly realizing that he was only human and he had his weaknesses too.
“Can’t you talk to him?” she blurted out and her father looked up at her with a jerk. She regretted the tone of her voice, afraid that it would make him suspicious about her interest in Theo. “I mean, since you both are so close and you clearly have your opinions about their marriage,” she said and looked back down at her laptop, straitening the screen again. She heard her father sigh, but avoided meeting his eyes.
“I’ve tried. Over the years, I’ve seen his spirit deteriorate. He’s immersed himself in work while his wife spends his money, drinks like a fish and probably sleeps around as well. Theo doesn’t like to talk about it. He’s become a very different man than the one I knew when we were younger,” he said and she heard the tiredness in her father’s voice. He clearly cared and he genuinely seemed upset for his best friend.
Nora stared at the screen, trying to concentrate on the words she was typing. She had never spoken about Theo with her father before, trying to keep herself away from him as much as she could. Now that the dam was broken, there were torrents of questions she wanted to ask him, but knew that would be a bad idea. They didn’t exactly share the kind of relationship where they sat and gossiped about people.
“So, how is Jack, honey?” he asked and her brows crossed.
“Fine,” she replied coldly and her father stood up from his chair. Fine, was what she guessed. She hadn’t spoken to him since she got on the flight from New York. It was too much information to give to her dad.
“Anyway, dinner’s at nine, so we should leave the house by eight thirty?” he said and Nora nodded and started typing again.
It was only after a few minutes, when her father had left the kitchen that she looked up and took in a deep rugged breath. She was replaying the scene by the pool…the look in Theo’s eyes as he stared at her when she was undressing. How he had stared at her breasts. And then Violet, and how his expression had changed immediately and so had his mood.
Nora bit down on her lip. No matter how glamorous Violet was, now she was certain that Theo had no feelings for his wife.
Chapter 8
Nora and her dad stood under the chandelier of Theo’s beautiful porch. They had just rung the bell and she could already hear the soft tunes of classical music inside the house. She was wearing a black cocktail dress with a swing skirt and long sleeves. Her shoulder length hair was smooth and shining golden and she’d gone with a more natural coral makeup.
Theo opened the door and had a happy expression on his face as he reached out
to thump her father’s back. He had walked into the house, while Theo remained at the door to greet Nora in. He was in dark tailor made pants and a light blue shirt and had his sleeves rolled up. His stubble looked fresh and his green eyes sparkled as he smiled at Nora.
“Hello, Nora,” he said in his deep voice and that lingering smile on his face made her knees wobble a little. It was like he had completely forgotten that he had touched her the previous night or that he had seen her practically naked just the day before.
“Hi,” she said, searching his eyes for a sign that he was thinking the same thing she was.
“Do you want to come in?” he asked with a laugh and she flushed and nodded her head.
“Of course,” she said, fumbling nervously with her words. Theo led the way into the living room, and as they walked towards the loud voices of his dinner guests, he placed a hand on the small of her back.
She looked up at him sharply, but Theo was looking ahead. Unbothered and unaffected by their touch, while Nora had to do everything in her power to not scream or throw herself at him. She gulped, feeling her throat go dry as they walked into the living room.
The Millers, Sam and her father were sitting about on the lush leather couches, talking loudly and pouring themselves drinks freely.
“Nora, you look absolutely beautiful,” Mrs. Miller said and she walked over to the woman and they exchanged hugs. In the next moment, Theo had appeared behind her and was offering her a glass of his finest red. She took it from him and their gazes locked again. This time, he seemed to peer into her eyes for a little longer.
She watched him as he walked around the room, offering everyone drinks before he sat down on the seat next to her father. Nora was sitting on a chair between Sam and Mrs. Miller, trying to pay attention to what the woman was chatting about.
Unwrapped by The Billionaire Page 3
