Billionaire Romance: Strike to the Heart (New Adult College Second Chance Age Play Older Man Younger Woman Romance) (Contemporary BBW BDSM Wealthy Rich Alpha Male Hero Short Stories)

by Grace Rawson

  Inside the helicopter, John told Nitro, “We’re done for. We don’t know which Sheikh or where he is or even what country he’s in.”

  “I know. This is pretty much a blown mission.”

  “Damn. Those two girls are in deep trouble, and we don’t know where they are.”

  *****

  When they got back to their base, their communications specialist, Tom Walters had some information. “We can make some deductions from the information we have. The deductions will lead us to our quarry.”

  The rest of the team waited. Tom graduated from Stanford with a degree in Philosophy. No other philosopher in history ever resembled Tom Walters. He looked like a cross between a thug and a low-land gorilla. He was short in stature, incredibly broad in the shoulder and deep in the chest. His forehead started just two inches above his bushy black eyebrows. His face was coarsened by his jutting brows and chin. His body was covered with dark hair. He had to shave twice every day.

  Sgt. Tom Walters was happily married to a lovely woman who liked the way he looked and had two children who took after their mother. He went to church every Sunday when he wasn’t working.

  He continued, “At first glance, all we seem to know is that this unnamed Sheikh is going to have a celebration tonight. But we can make good assumptions from this information. The assumptions have legs and will be useful. First, he’s a Sheikh. During the last two hundred years, the word has changed from designating a religious leader or the leader of a village into a man who struts on the national stage. The growth of wealth in the Arab world set these men apart from others.

  Tom paused. “Anybody have any questions?” He looked over his team. They were all following his narrative. He continued, “Saudi Arabia has too many Sheikhs to investigate in the time we have. However, it only has seven main prostitution centers. A call to each of them in which I pretended to be an assistant of the Sheikh, making sure of the arrangements, gave me just one name. Sheikh Abu El Mofty is the only man of wealth having a celebration tonight. Two things. First, I’m assuming he’s the kind of man who would use a brothel because he’s the kind of man who buys women. Second, the use of the word ‘celebration’ in the Arab world usually connotes a family event. There is only one important event today. El Mofty’s son, Omar, turns twenty-one.”

  Tom put a map of Riyadh on their computers. “El Mofty only buys virgins. He’s a coarse, fat, smelly man. He’ll want to take Halah’s virginity at the earliest moment, but we’re in luck there. He’s not only fat and smelly, he’s lazy. He goes to bed at ten every night and gets up at nine thirty. His meetings start at ten in the morning. He won’t stay up just for another virgin, and he won’t have time to abuse her before he has to leave. I spoke with the American consulate last night. They put together a number of events and meetings that will occupy the man’s time from ten until noon. It’s 0700 now. We have five hours to get these girls out of a guarded palace in the daylight. Any questions?”

  There weren’t any. Each of the men congratulated Tom on his excellent work.

  *****

  The next morning, the man in the suit took the girls to see the Sheikh. They found clothes in the right sizes in their rooms. The Sheikh served them their favorite breakfasts and their favorite tea. They even found their favorite books and magazines in their rooms.

  Halah stopped walking immediately after she entered the Sheikh’s chambers. She hissed at the man in the suit, “You lied.”

  “That’s true, but I got you and your sister here without fuss and that was my main mission.”

  Halah looked with disgust, not at a young and handsome Sheikh, but at a Sheikh in his fifties, with a paunch, no hair on his head and a body that stopped at less than five feet eight inches tall. As he walked toward her, his odor marched before him. It wasn’t pleasant. Apparently, he didn’t bathe very often and used strong deodorants to cover the smell. They didn’t. They simply added another overpowering smell to the mix.

  “I am Sheikh Abu El Mofty.” His voice was nasally and squeaky. He stood in front of Halah. “You are my virgin?”

  Halah didn’t reply until the man in the suit nudged her. “Yes, I am.”

  He stepped closer to her. His nose was no more than four inches from hers. “I will know if you are lying. Have you known any man in any way?”

  “No. I am pure.”

  “I believe you. I could have a team of doctors examine you, but I won’t. You’re telling the truth.” He grabbed her breast. She didn’t hit him or pull back, but it was close. She knew it was the Sheikh or her crazy father. He felt both breasts and walked around her. “It’s important to me that you’re truly a virgin. I have deflowered fifteen virgins. I will only lie with women I have deflowered. I keep all of my women locked up. There are no men. You will only see me as your only man. I don’t want a disease.”

  He gripped one half of her rump in his rough hands. Halah jumped.

  He said, “Good. Firm. You have a proper figure. I will enjoy taking you.” He stepped in front of the two women but spoke to Halah. “It would be good for you to please me in bed. Women who no longer please me are given to my guards and then to one of the brothels in town. They are no longer pure when they leave me. What else can I do with them?”

  The Sheikh turned to Dalal. “What of you? Do you still have your virginity?”

  Dalal swallowed once. “No. I lost it.”

  “Pity. You’re as pretty as your sister. You will entertain at tonight’s celebration. Your new home is with the people who supply us with women. They run a clean, safe brothel. You will enjoy it.” Dalal turned white.

  The man in the suit said, “Your highness, may I have the sister? I would enjoy having just one woman. I can replace her easily in the celebration.”

  The Sheikh looked at him closely. “Gamal, you have done will today. Yes, you may have the sister.” The Sheikh looked at his watch. “We have duties until lunch time.”

  Halah and Dalal looked at each other and saw nothing but dread and hopelessness.

  *****

  The best military operations go off without drama. They’re dull. So it was with the first half of the rescue of Halah and Dalal.

  The United States government paid the cable company to cut the signal at eight in the morning. The people in the Sheikh’s palace immediately called for a repairman. John Steele answered the call. The CIA supplied a map of the Sheikh’s palace and parked a special van outside. The same heat-sensing equipment located two women in separate bedrooms. No one else in the palace was in a guest bedroom or alone.

  John got out of the van, and went to the entrance of the Sheikh’s palace. His deep tan and brown eyes allowed him access. He walked in, showed his badge to the security detail and walked directly to a closet in back of the girl’s bedrooms. It contained the cable equipment.

  A security man stayed directly behind John. The security man had a pistol hanging from one hand. John wasn’t too worried. The man looked bored.

  John removed the cover from the cable box and went to work inside, testing each circuit. The box contained the cable connection in Halah’s room. He had to move some cables aside to remove the cover from the back.

  John slipped attached a small box on her cover. It had a strong magnet. It also had a notice that it was a special security device and could only be removed with the permission of the King.

  John wrapped it up and put everything back the way it had been and walked down the hall to Dalal’s room. He went through the same procedures there.

  When he finished, he made a call on his cell phone and the cable magically came back on. John even got a signature on a work order that looked exactly like those used by the cable company. He walked out to a van exactly like the real ones.

  Before he drove away, he flipped a switch on another small box with an antenna.

  The two boxes left on the cable television wall plates pumped a gas into the room that smelled exactly like natural gas. Halah and Dalal felt themselves become dizzy and
nauseous. They pounded on their doors. When the security people opened their doors, they saw two girls with green complexions who were throwing up. They couldn’t miss the smell of natural gas.

  The people inside the palace evacuated and called the hospital. An ambulance pulled up and regular paramedics took the two girls away.

  When the Sheikh and the man in the suit came back, they were told about the medical emergency. The man in the suit anxiously called the closest hospital. He was told that two young women had been admitted but had left the hospital against their doctor’s orders. No one at the hospital had any idea where they’d gone.

  *****

  When Halah and Dalal recovered from the effects of the gas, Nitro and John drove them to the US Consulate.

  During the journey, Dalal rode in the back seat with Nitro. She touched a scar on his arm with her finger. “You have scars. Where did you get this one?”

  “Fallujah. Sniper.”

  “Do you have a lot of scars?”

  “Twelve. None in places that matter. I’m still alive.”

  She traced a tattoo with her finger. “You have tattoos.”

  “I’m covered with them. None on my face, though.”

  “Good. I don’t like them on the face.” She turned on her seat and faced him. “How tall are you?”

  “Six feet eight inches.”

  She studied him for a few seconds. “Would you do me a big favor?”

  “If I can.”

  “We’ve been through a lot in the last day and a half. I was terrified most of the time. I know I’m safe now, but I’m still jumpy. Would you mind holding my hand? It would help me a lot.”

  “I’m glad to.”

  Nitro’s big hand engulfed Dalal’s and she leaned on his arm. She took a deep breath. “That does help me. Thank you.”

  In the front seat, Halah whispered in John’s ear, “Is the big man in the back seat a good man? My sister is attracted to him.”

  John said, “Yes, she can trust him.”

  Halah turned around in her seat and said to Dalal, “You can trust him.”

  Dalal smiled up at Nitro. She took his hand and draped it over her shoulders. She scooted as close to him as she could and put her legs over his. Nitro pulled her even closer. Dalal said, “You’re not married, are you? Or going with anyone?”

  “Not any more. I wouldn’t do this if I was.”

  “Good.”

  Matthew Strater was the official in charge of security in the United States Consulate. Halah looked at him.

  “Can I have John stay with me?” she said. “Please? I don’t have anyone, and I don’t want to be alone.”

  Dalal joined in. “I’d like that too. We don’t have any men that we can trust”

  Mr. Strater had daughters. He understood the state of their emotions. He said, “Certainly. If they don’t have to get back to their base, they can stay with you as long as you want them to.” He turned to his assistant. “Put them up in our safe house overnight.”

  He then pulled Nitro and John away from the girls. He said, “Gentlemen. These women have been terrified for hours. Treat them with care. They have to feel safe and cared for. Will you do that for them?”

  Nitro and John nodded and said, “Yes sir,” in unison.

  *****

  The safe house turned out to be a penthouse in an upscale hotel. It had special locks on the door and guards in the corridor.

  The girls had clothes to try on. John and Nitro were alone in the living room of the suite. Nitro called the base. “Yes, Lieutenant. They personally requested us to stay with them. I don’t know how long.” He broke the connection, and turned to John. “We’ve accomplished the mission,” he said. “We’re on stand down.” He became serious. “I feel a connection with Dalal. It couldn’t come at a worse time. You remember that letter I got back in the base?”

  “Yes. It didn’t look like good news,” said John.

  “It wasn’t. Gloria broke up with me. I was serious about her. I don’t think I can deal with another woman right now,” said Nitro.

  “You might surprise yourself. I’m in the same situation. The commander asked me whether I was through mourning before we left,” said John.

  “Dead women take up a lot of room in the heart.”

  “They do. It’s hard to move them out.”

  The girls came back. Dalal took Nitro’s hand and led him to a bedroom on one side of the suite. Halah led John to the other.

  Dalal stood in front of Nitro with the joy of discovery in her eyes. She ran her hands over his arms and his massive chest. She said, “You’re so nice and big. I like that. The men in the village are all scrawny.”

  She glanced at his eyes and stopped moving her hands. She said, “You’re unhappy. I can see it in your eyes. Tell me why.”

  Big men who don’t cry will sometimes let a bit of their emotions show when they’re with a sympathetic woman. Nitro’s emotions ambushed him. He set his jaw hard and couldn’t talk. Dalal watched as two tiny tears appeared in his eyes. She said, “Oh dear. It’s serious, isn’t it.” She tugged him to a chair by a desk and sat on his lap. She put her hands on his cheeks and made him look at her. “I want to know what made you sad. But first, you have to feel acceptance and love. Let me do this.”

  Dalal wrapped her warm arms around his neck and head and put her cheek on his. She kept one hand on the back of his head and rubbed her soft skin against his rough face. She said, in a very faint and very loving voice, “Whatever it is, we can make it go away if we work together.” She kissed his cheek. “Do you feel me touching you?”

  He nodded.

  “Does it feel good to you?”

  He managed to speak. “It feels like you’re saving my life.”

  “I am. Stop. I have to do something.”

  She stood up then hiked her skirt up and sat down on his legs facing him. She played with his ears and rubbed her hands on his neck and chest. “When you want to, tell me what made you sad.”

  He didn’t speak for a moment. Dalal said, “That’s okay. Put your arms around me and pull me close to you. I’m a woman. I’m soft. I’ll comfort you. I care about you. You saved my life. I can help you save yours.”

  Nitro threw his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. He did it suddenly, like a man lunging toward the food that will save him from starving.

  Dalal said, “Oh my. It’s really bad.”

  Nitro spoke directly into her ear, as if he wanted to make sure no one else heard him. “Could we just stay like this for a while? You feel so good to me. I need you.”

  She held his forehead against her shoulder and stroked the back of his head. “Yes. I think that would be just the right thing. We can take all of the time you want.”

  Halah and John faced each other across the bedroom. Halah said, “Could I talk to you up close?”

  John thought about it for a moment. “I have to tell you, I’m probably not fit company for a woman who needs a sympathetic shoulder for comfort.”

  Halah walked up to him. “Tell me why.” She didn’t touch him.

  “I was going to marry a girl named Gloria. I loved her deeply, but she died in a car accident nine months ago. I can do my job as a SEAL; but when I’m not working, I feel dead inside. I don’t seem to have any emotions. That’s what I meant.”

  “I understand. I’ve lost the man I loved. He was killed by ISIS a year and a half ago. That’s why I joined the CIA when they asked me to help. I loved him just as you loved your fiancée. Jarrel worked against ISIS. He knew he might not come back from his last mission. He told me not to waste any time moving on with my life. He said he wanted me to have a full life with a man and babies just like he would have given me.”

  “He sounds like a good man. He didn’t come back from that mission?”

  “No. He was killed by a sniper’s bullet.”

  “We’re in the same situation, and we need to get out. Pity our dead lovers didn’t tell us how to do it.”


  “Yes, I know. How do you move on? There must be a way.”

  Nitro and Dalal hadn’t moved in ten minutes. Dalal said, “We’ll be more comfortable on the bed. Let’s go there.”

  “I’d like that. We can only hold each other. There’ll be no sex. We just met yesterday.”

  “I know. It wouldn’t be fitting.”

  They took their shoes off and crawled on the top of the bed. Nitro leaned against the headboard and opened his arms. Dalal pressed as close as she could to his side and threw her arm over his chest. He tightened his arm, bringing her closer. She sighed.

  They stayed like that until Dalal said, “I want more.”

  Nitro looked at her, waiting for her to tell him what she wanted.

  Halah and John would have stayed as they were, in stasis, in the center of the room, if Halah hadn’t said, “I need some cold water,” and walked toward the little refrigerator in the corner. She tripped and fell right into John’s arms. He caught her. Her chest landed on his, her arms around his shoulders. Instinctively, they held each other with their arms and hands.

  Both looked like someone had hit them hard between the eyes with something hard and heavy. Halah swallowed and looked at John. John just looked at the far wall.

  Halah said, “What just happened?”

  “We’re touching each other. We didn’t mean to, but it happened anyway. How does it feel to you?”

  “Wonderful. No one’s held me in a year and a half. What about you?”

  “It feels important. Like a turning point in my life.”

  Halah dared to turn her head to look at John’s face. They’d been looking over the other’s shoulder. John moved to see her eyes. He said, “This is magical. I’m afraid to let you go. It might not happen again.”

  “I know. Let’s stay here for a minute and try to get used to it.”

  “Good idea.” He brought her in front of him so that her cheek was close to his. “This is better. More comfortable.”

  “Yes. More comfortable.” She pressed her body against him in hesitant little movements. Finally, she felt his strong, hard body from her chest down to her knees. She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder.