Just like Grey (Series ONE Complete Set): Billionaire Romance

by Jessie Cooke

  I was excited about Axel’s party for a lot of reasons…but mostly, because I couldn’t wait to wear my new dress. It was an Adrianna Papell that I found on sale at one of the bridal stores in Manhattan. It’s a dark burgundy with a floral lace bodice and an illusion neckline. It’s sleeveless and the back plunges in a “V” to my waist. It stops at the tops of my thighs. I splurged a little when I got my nails done and I got a spray tan too. I stood in front of the full-length mirror after I finished with my hair and make-up. I’m not a vain person, but tonight I would actually say I looked hot. My skin was even glowing and I had to wonder if that was because of all of the wild sex that Mark and I have been having lately.

  After that day with the restraints, I printed a “Guide to Mild BDSM” for couple’s offline. The first thing we started doing every night was rolling the dice. The person who got the highest number got to choose Dom or Sub and what we would do for that evening. So far we’d tried out homemade nipple and clit clamps, tickling with feathers, delaying orgasms and gentle spankings. I haven’t come so much in my entire life. Mark has been really getting into it too and the best part is that despite my little jealous episode with Axel yesterday…I was practically over my crush.

  “I’ll be damned!” Mark walked into the bathroom. He was looking at me like he was the big bad wolf and I was little red riding hood.

  “You like?”

  He shivered. “I love. I have no idea how I’m going to make it through this night without attacking you.”

  I grinned mischievously and said, “Maybe you don’t have too. It might be kind of fun to get it on in the bathroom…knowing everyone else is only steps away.”

  He shook his head and put his big hands on my waist. “You are turning into quite the little minx,” he said, bending his head down for a kiss. I met his lips with mine and when we broke it I said,

  “Are you complaining?”

  “Hell, no!”

  “Here, let me do your tie. You look pretty damned yummy yourself.” I wasn’t lying. Mark was wearing a black suit with a dark blue shirt underneath and a dark blue and black striped tie. As I tied it for him, all I could think about was taking it off him later. He’s right; I’m turning into a minx. “There, now you look perfect.” He stood behind me and I looked at us in the mirror. We looked good together. We were going to make some awesome looking kids someday.

  Mark hugged me again and went to get his shoes. I had a pair of Jimmy Choo’s that a co-worker had given me a few years back. She’d worn them only once on her honeymoon and when her husband cheated on her six months later, she sold everything he’d ever bought her. She wouldn’t let me pay for the shoes. I’d been dying for a chance to wear them, and I’d bought my dress specifically to match. They were mostly silver, but they had one tiny little strap on each side that matched my dress perfectly. They also had a six-inch heel…which I wasn’t used to. As I slipped them on I told Mark,

  “Don’t get too far from me tonight. I might need you to hold me up.”

  He started to say something when his phone rang. He looked at it and said, “Hmm, it’s Tom. This is a weird time on Saturday afternoon for him to be calling.” He put the phone to his ear and said, “Hey Tom is everything okay?” I watched his face as he listened to what Tom had to say. All of the color was draining out of it. After several seconds he dropped down onto the bed. “Why hasn’t he talked to me if I’m a consideration for your job?” He listened again and said, “Yeah…okay…I’ll see you tonight.” He ended the call and continued to sit there like he was in shock.

  “Tonight? You’re not flaking on the party…are you?” He didn’t answer me and after several minutes I started to worry. “Mark, what’s wrong?”

  “Your boss…” Oh shit! What did Axel tell him? No…that was Tom. Axel and Tom don’t know each other…do they? Damn it! There’s nothing to tell anyways.

  “What about my boss, Mark?”

  Mark finally looked at me and said, “Axel offered Tom a job…and apparently, he’s going to offer me one as well. Tom has a meeting with Axel’s attorney this evening and he wants me to be there.”

  “What kind of job?”

  “It’s a CEO position with an advertising agency he bought in L.A. Tom said he’s offering an outrageous salary, housing and transportation…”

  “L.A.? You’d have to move?”

  “CEO baby! Tom didn’t say exactly what he was offering but he said it was more than twice what he makes. Tom makes over a hundred grand a year. Baby…This is a huge opportunity.”

  I felt like I was going to cry. Why now when we’d just finally found our stride as a couple? “It sounds like it,” I said. All of a sudden Mark smiled.

  “This is a huge opportunity…for us. Come with me, Holly. I mean…I need to find out more about it first, but if it’s as great an opportunity as Tom says it is, it could change our lives. Come with me?”

  I was giddy. This would be a chance for a fresh start for us both. I threw my arms around him and said, “Yes! Of course I’ll come with you if you go.”

  He hugged me and we kissed again. I felt his hand go to one of my breasts. “Mark, baby…we don’t have time for this. The Uber car will be here in less than ten minutes.” Mark hadn’t wanted to drive after we had a few drinks tonight, so he’d ordered a car and driver for us. It looks like I’d be riding in it alone. “Couldn’t you meet with the lawyer another time? I’d really like you to go to this party with me.”

  “I’m sorry baby. I have no idea what’s going on. Tom said it had to be tonight.”

  I nodded. I understood. This was a once in a lifetime chance for him…us…I wonder why Axel didn’t tell me. “It’s okay. Maybe you can come when you finish your meeting?”

  He put his arm around me and pulled me into his side. “I will. This could be a new beginning for us, baby. You could go back to school. We could start talking about the future.” Mark had been avoiding talking about the future for several years now. He always told me he wanted us to be financially stable before we took the next step. I had grown complacent with the way things were…but the thought of planning a future together was suddenly exciting to me.

  Axel’s party was being held in one of the ballrooms at the Four Season’s hotel on 57th street between Madison and Park. I’d never been inside the hotel so that was another thing I was looking forward to tonight. When I walked into the lobby, my jaw dropped. It was gorgeous with plush carpeting and fresh flowers in expensive vases. There was a sign that pointed towards the ballroom. I’d ended up being a little bit late due to Mark’s change of plans. I was hoping they hadn’t eaten yet…I was starving. When I got to the ball room I pushed open the door and gasped.

  The ballroom was huge with soaring ceilings that had to be over twenty feet tall. There were tables set up all around with red linen table cloths and soft candles burning in the center of each one. Further past that there was a small stage where a band was setting up and a dance floor. There was a horseshoe shaped bar along the other side of the room with nicely dressed bartenders and velvet and lace clad barmaids.

  “Can I help you Miss?” I jumped. I hadn’t seen the…hostess, I guess she is, come up to me.

  “I just wasn’t sure if those are nameplates I see on the tables?”

  “I’ll take care of her.” It was Axel. He’d walked up behind me and now he had his warm hand on the small of my back. All it took me was one look at his gorgeous face to realize I’d been wrong. The crush was in no way over. He smelled like something spicy and sexy and he had on a silver suit with a black tie…God, he looked good enough to eat. He leaned in close to my ear and said, “You take my breath away.” I shivered. I know that a woman with a boyfriend she was thinking about the future with should tell another man that’s not okay, but judging by the dampness of my panties that would make me just a bit hypocritical.

  “Thank you. So do you,” was what I chose to say. Axel led me across the room, past tables full of elegantly dressed people to a table nea
r the front. There was no one else at the table and when he pulled out my chair and I sat, I saw that the gold nameplate said, “Holly.” There were no other nameplates at the table. Axel pulled out his own chair and sat down next to me. He took my hand and brought it to his lips. What am I doing? Why am I not telling him to stop? I felt his warm, soft lips brush against my palm and once again, I shuddered violently.

  “I’m so glad you came, Holly.”

  “Thank you. So am I.” I was suddenly feeling flustered and having a hard time even speaking. God, what is this man doing to me? What am I allowing him to do? I looked around the room full of beautiful people…men and women both and I wondered why me? What is it about me…plain, ordinary Holly that Axel was drawn to? There was no denying that he was drawn to me like I was to him. Was there? Is he just playing with me? Why hasn’t he asked about Mark? “Axel, did you offer Mark a job in L.A.?”

  He smiled at me. It was that intimate…just for me smile again. The one that set my insides on fire. “Yes, I did.”

  “Why?”

  He gave me an amused look and said, “I needed someone who knew the advertising business. I thought of Mark originally because of you. But after I did my research, I realized that he and his boss Tom were just the type of men I needed for this job.”

  I wondered if he’d thought about losing me when this move happened. I didn’t ask him. What if he told me it didn’t matter? “Assistants” were a dime a dozen anyways. “That was really nice of you. Mark’s really excited. The lawyer wanted to meet with him and Tom tonight though. I’m not sure he’ll be able to make it to the party.”

  “That’s too bad,” he said. He didn’t look sincere. I was about to ask him if he’d planned it that way when I heard my name.

  “Holly!” I turned towards the familiar voice. It was Maggie from the temp agency. I almost didn’t recognize her in her black silk cocktail dress and heels. Maggie was the queen of casual and I’d never seen her in anything other than jeans and a t-shirt.

  “Maggie!” I jumped up and gave her a hug.

  “Look at you sweetie! You look amazing!”

  “So do you,” I told her. She scoffed.

  “I look like an old lady in a dress.” She looked at Axel who seemed to be trying not to make eye contact with her. “Hello Axel.” He finally looked up at her and smiled. I recognized it as one of his “charming” smiles.

  He stood up and said, “Maggie, my darling. You look radiant.”

  Maggie cocked an eyebrow at him and narrowed her eyes. “You are so full of it.”

  He put his hand over his heart and said, “That wounds me, Maggie. You know I’ve been pining for you for years. I’m just waiting for you to say the word and I will serve you the world on a silver platter.” Even Maggie wasn’t completely resistant to his charms. I saw her lips quirk. She shook her head though and said,

  “You’re too much.” Then she looked at me and said, “Where is that handsome boyfriend of yours?”

  “Um…he had a business meeting.”

  “Oh, that’s terrible.” She gave Axel a look like she somehow knew it was because of him. “You’re welcome to come and sit with me and the girls at our table.”

  “I’m keeping her company,” Axel said.

  Maggie rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you are,” she said. Maggie had been the one to fill me in on Axel’s reputation before I went to work for him. She’d told me to be careful. My wet panties were a good indicator that I hadn’t heeded her warning. She looked back at me and said, “We’re just over there if you decide to join us.” I glanced over where she indicated. I saw about six young women at the table. They were all employees of Maggie’s. I suddenly wondered how many of them Axel had slept with.

  15

  Holly

  Axel and I sat back down just as dinner was being served. It was poached salmon and it was amazing. After dinner the dessert cart came around. As we looked it over, Axel rested his hand on the back of my chair and leaned in close to me as he looked over my shoulder. His breath on my neck gave me goosebumps.

  “The cheesecake looks good,” he said.

  I was afraid my shaky voice would give away how turned on I was just from being so close to him as I said, “I think I’ll pass on dessert. I’m pretty full from dinner.”

  “I’ll take the cheesecake,” he told the waiter. He reached around me to get it and when he did, his arm brushed up against mine. My insides were like Jell-O in the summertime and it wasn’t even skin to skin. We turned back towards the table and he took a bite of the cheesecake. All of a sudden he tipped his head back and closed his eyes. He made a sound that came from deep in his throat. It was a sound like the one most people reserved for sex…it was pure ecstasy. He opened his sexy eyes and looked at me through hooded eyelids. “God in heaven that’s good. You have to try this.”

  “I’m really not hungry…”

  He cut a small piece off with his fork and then reached for it with his fingers. I was about to protest again, but I was shaking too hard to speak as he brought it to my lips. I parted them slightly and let him place the dessert on my tongue. He let his fingers linger in my wet mouth and because I’ve completely lost my mind, I closed my lips down on them for just a second. I saw the look of pure lust on his face and realized what I was doing. I pulled my head back and closed my eyes. The dessert was decadent…but that wasn’t why I closed my eyes. There was just no way I could look directly at him right now and not give away how I was feeling. As it was, I could barely control my breathing enough to get oxygen to my brain. I forced myself to open my eyes. He was still staring at my face.

  “Mm…that’s good,” I said in a breathless voice. He smiled. His face was so close to mine. I thought he was going to kiss me…and I didn’t make a move to stop him.

  “Axel!” An older man approached the table.

  Axel looked annoyed or maybe frustrated. He took a breath before turning around towards the man. “Godfrey! How the hell are you?”

  “I need to talk to you about Shanna.” The older man had a thick, southern accent…and he was angry.

  Axel looked at me. He stood up and said, “Godfrey, this is a party. I’m not going to discuss business tonight.”

  “She’s playing shithole bars in Cincinnati Axel. You won’t take my calls. You don’t answer my emails. I can’t get past security to get up to your floor. What the fuck are you trying to do to her?”

  Axel lowered his voice, but his tone was unmistakable as he said, “You want to talk about this here Godfrey? Okay, here we go. Your daughter is a junkie. She blew off two major venues and I lost a ton of money. A ton. She’s lucky that she’s playing at all. When she chooses to get into a program and stop putting that nasty shit in her veins…we’ll talk. Until then, you have two choices, enjoy the party or get escorted out.”

  The old man looked like he might hit him. He was breathing hard and sweating…his face was turning red and I thought he might have a heart attack. “I’ll go,” he said. “But before I do I need to say this. You are a hypocrite. I’ve seen you packing your nose with that powder your dealer keeps you supplied with. How dare you think that’s any different than my little girl’s addiction? You need to do something for her Axel, or I swear to God I will ruin you.”

  Axel sat down and looked at me. He looked like he was searching my eyes for something. I waited and he finally said, “I’m not an addict.”

  “Axel…”

  “No please, listen to me. I work with these young, talented kids’ day in and day out. I watch some of them excel far above even what I expected out of them. Then, I watch others piss it all away. They party from one town to the next, pumping that shit into their system until it breaks down completely. I’ve never stuck a needle in my veins. I only use the cocaine to keep myself going. I’m too busy…I don’t always have time to sleep…”

  “Axel, why are you telling me this? I’m your assistant. Why do you care what I think?”

  For the first time since I me
t him, he looked nervous. I even heard the tremor in his voice as he said, “I don’t…. Shit! That’s not what I mean. Of course I care what you think. I just don’t want you to think poorly of me.”

  “Why?” I have no idea what I was doing. What did I want him to say? Did I want him to admit that he cared? If he did…then what would I do? Would I admit that I was beginning to have feelings for him too? Would I admit that to my boyfriend?

  “Why? Um…because you’re more than just my assistant, Holly. You’re…” Say it Axel. Say it. “You’re my friend…right? I don’t want my friends to hear things like that and think they’re true.” I’m his friend. That’s it. I work for him and we’re becoming friends. Somehow I need to pound that into my suddenly feeble brain. I’m going to go to Los Angeles with my boyfriend…and someday he’ll be my husband and Axel will be his boss…and a fond memory. This man will never settle down. He will never have feelings for me the way I think I’m beginning to have for him.

  The band began to play just then and for a second my over-active imagination scripted it to my life. Just a couple of short months ago I was complacent with my life. Now, I am standing on a tightrope, unsure of which way I’m going to fall…and if I do, who would catch me. I’m a fool. Did I seriously want this man to tell me that he cared about me? Was I suddenly so into my new BDSM hobby that I was becoming a true masochist? This man would tear my heart into pieces if I gave it to him. I know that. What the hell is wrong with me?

  “I don’t think you’re an addict,” I said. I didn’t know what else to say, but that seemed to satisfy Axel. He smiled and picked up my hand. He pressed it to his lips and said,

  “Thank you. Dance with me?”

  I didn’t know how to say no, so I let him take my hand and I followed him out to the dance floor. He smiled at me and I let him put his arm around me and pull me in close. I felt the tickle of his beard against the side of my face and I felt his chest heaving up and down like he couldn’t get enough air. I closed my eyes and I let the music flow through me as I told myself Mark’s new job was a blessing. It was a chance for me to get my head screwed back on straight. Axel messes with my head. I’m not even sure if he intends to or not. His flirting is just something he does…with every woman. Look at how shamelessly he flirts with Maggie. She’s old enough to be his mother, yet he can still make her blush. I am a fool for thinking he had any feelings for me. If I offered to sleep with him, he’d probably say yes…but the same could probably be said for more than half the women in this ballroom. Axel is young, rich, sexy and powerful. He likes sex the way he likes his blow. He may or may not be addicted to it…but he doesn’t choose to live without it either.