The Proposal (A Billionaire Romance)

by Nikki Wild

  We all walked on to our waiting buses, and I was once again alone with Catherine.

  We retired to the back of the bus and made love the entire ride to Los Angeles. Yes, the entire six hours. We came up for air a few times, hydrating ourselves, eating and napping a little, but now that I had her back in my arms, I was having a very hard time untangling myself from her.

  ***

  “This is amazing,” Catherine said, as I opened the front door. Everything was just as I’d left it. High up in the Hollywood Hills, perched on a cliff that overlooked the city, all glass, sleek and sophisticated - this house was the thing I loved the most in America. You’d never find anything like this in London, where I spent most of my time hiding from the dreary rain in my penthouse, when I wasn’t on tour, which was rare.

  “I bought this house five years ago on a whim. Ian discouraged me, telling me it was ‘impractical’ but I did it anyway,” I explained. The best thing about it was the seclusion. A huge gate and a long winding driveway up a steep hill provided me with the utmost privacy.

  And the best view in town.

  “You have too see the lights,” I said, leading Catherine through the house and into the backyard. She was in awe, and I loved it. I was proud of this place. We stepped out onto the patio, and she gasped at the view. The sun was setting in the horizon, pink and purple streaks shooting through the sky, with the lights of Hollywood sparkling in the distance.

  “I always insist on spending an extra day here when we’re on tour. I don’t get back enough on my own, so I have to take advantage of it as much as I can. I love it here,” I said, watching Catherine’s gorgeous face as she took it all in. The pink hue of the sunset washed over her face, and I drank her in.

  I knew that I’d remember this moment forever.

  I pulled her into my arms and kissed her.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” I said.

  “Thank you for bringing me here,” she whispered.

  “I guess this is the end of the road for you,” I said. I wanted to ask her to stay with me, finish the tour with me, but I still had two more weeks of traveling before I went back to Europe and that was a hell of a lot to ask of her.

  Besides, she had her own life to go back to.

  “I guess it is. I’m looking forward to the show tonight, though.”

  “It’s going to be a circus. Hollywood always is. So many celebrities, record executives, and industry people. The party tonight will be at the Whiskey after the show.”

  “Sounds like fun,” she said.

  “You’ll be there, right? You aren’t just going to take off after the show and flee the torture as fast you can?”

  She laughed and wrapped her arms around me.

  “I’ll be there,” she said. I kissed her again, and my cock twitched.

  “Promise?” I asked.

  “Promise,” she said, reaching up and kissing me lightly.

  “C’mon, let me give you a tour,” I said, grabbing her hand, her fingers intertwining with mine. I led her right to the bedroom and gently pushed her back on the bed.

  “What kind of tour was that?” she asked, laughing up at me. I stripped off my clothes, my cock hard as a rock with anticipation.

  “I don’t get much time here, luv. Figured we’d better make wise use of it. I have to be at the venue for soundcheck in two hours. Raincheck on the tour?”

  “You’re insatiable,” she chided, stripping off her short black dress. I groaned at the sight of her creamy breasts coming into view when she pulled off her bra. She laid back seductively, her soft black waves falling around her head. “Come here.”

  For once in my life, I obeyed someone.

  Thirty-Three

  CATHERINE

  “Where the fuck have you been!” Ian yelled, as we ran up to the side of the stage. We were late, of course. And I’d thought we’d surely die along the way, as we sped along in Liam’s Jag, the low, sleek machine hugging the winding roads that led from his house to the Hollywood Bowl. “We go on in five minutes, you bastard!”

  Liam smiled at Ian, grabbed his head in both hands, and planted a kiss right on Ian’s forehead. Ian laughed and pulled away.

  “You fuckin’ wanker! Get on stage now!”

  “I love you, bro,” Liam said, smiling at everyone that was standing around watching him. Rocket smiled, shook his head and walked on stage. Rhys came over, and patted Liam on the back.

  “Glad you made it, mate,” he said, turning to follow Rocket. Liam turned to me, kissed me on the cheek, pinched my ass, and walked on stage to the roar of the crowd, throwing his hands up in the air in greeting. He strapped on the guitar and spoke into the microphone.

  “This song is for Catherine,” he said. I gasped as he looked over at me and blew a kiss my way before he launched into the song.

  “Please don’t let me down, sweet mama…” he sang, before the first notes sounded and the rest of the band started playing. The crowd went crazy, singing along with him, the energy electric and sizzling. “Don’t drag me down, mama…”

  I watched from the side with Rhone again, my heart swelling with pride and feeling like I fit in for the first time. She welcomed me warmly and offered me a beer. We watched the crowd sway and sing, riding along the wave with them. Liam’s performance was an experience in itself, and I thought back to the first time I’d seen him perform. I never imagined the week would end up here, with me having feelings for this man. Now, here I was, completely enthralled with him.

  In addition to the fact that our bodies seemed to be made for each other, I was beginning to feel like I was starting to see the real Liam now. When we were alone, he was at ease, relaxed, funny, loving. He made love to me like a man, and I loved the way he took he charge, the way he knew exactly what he wanted and how to get there. He played my body like his very own finely tuned instrument, and I fucking loved it. I craved his touch constantly.

  I knew it was crazy. I knew it was against all odds. He’s a fucking rock star, for god’s sake. I knew it was probably destined to fail, but I also knew there was no turning back. Not for me, at least. And after today, I hoped, not for him either.

  We had to see this through. There was no other way. At least not any other way that didn’t involve torturous amounts of heartache.

  I was so glad to see him happy today. I hoped I had a small part in that. Because it was so rare to see him smiling, I’d still not mentioned the messages I'd received from my assistant. She'd checked the rest of Callum’s list and found the same situation with each one. Where Callum had listed the donors as receiving millions of dollars each, they all said they received a thousand dollars or less. I was sure there had to be some sort of explanation, so I was just going to ask Callum about it instead of mentioning it to Ian or Liam. He probably just gave me the wrong list, I figured.

  The beer was going right through me, and I turned to Rhone to whisper in her ear.

  “Gotta pee, be right back!” She nodded and I walked back to the dressing rooms, nodding to Big D and Matt along the way. I was really starting to feel comfortable here, and now it was time for me to leave. No matter my feelings for Liam, I did have to get back to New York and finish my story, well - start my story. I’d avoided it thus far. But I also had to go back home, figure out exactly how I was going to continue with my life, and what it would look like with Liam in it.

  But I wasn’t going to think about the logistics of all of that now. I was going to enjoy my last few days with Liam, without any drama, without any fighting, and just have fun. I was looking forward to the party tonight, and even more so, going back to Liam’s amazing house in the hills and making love till dawn.

  The dressing rooms were far from the stage, and I walked down a long hallway until I reached a door that had a star with Liam’s name emblazoned across it. I smiled to myself, the image of him shredding the stage flashing in my head.

  The room was stocked with the usual spread - beer, wine, liquor, food. What a life, I thought to my
self. To have everything mapped out for you, every moment scheduled. I was more of a fly by the seat of my pants girl, and this last week’s schedule had taken some getting used to. I wasn’t sure I’d want to do it for months at a time, though. I thought of Liam, how tired he must be all the time, and yet he never really showed it. He soldiered on, always up for the party and ready to move to the next place. Even if he was a little late getting there.

  I walked out of the bathroom and ran smack dab into Callum.

  “Oh!” I exclaimed, my heart racing with surprise. “Hello, Callum.”

  “Hi, Catherine, how are you?” he asked. His glasses hung on the end of his pointy nose, his short brown hair jutting up in spikes on top of his head. His eyes darted around, looking everywhere else instead of meeting my gaze. He wore baggy, pleated khaki’s and a plaid button up shirt under his over-sized brown suit jacket that seemed to swallow his skinny frame.

  “I’m good, thanks,” I said. “Enjoying the show?”

  He shrugged, “If you’ve seen one Electric Horses show, you’ve seen them all.”

  “Okay…” I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He was such an awkward guy.

  “How is the story going?” he asked.

  “It’s going just fine. I wanted to ask you another question, though. I’m glad I ran into you.” I figured now was as good a time as any to ask about the recipients list. “I had my assistant verify the list you gave me. The numbers that the research organizations quoted didn’t match the ones you provided us. I figured you just sent me the wrong list?”

  “You verified them?” he asked, his eyes narrowing.

  “Well, yes, we have to verify everything before it’s reported.”

  “Well, your assistant is wrong. Those are the right numbers.”

  “Well, I thought that at first, but she got different information from all of them, over a dozen names that you gave me. Are you sure there’s not a mistake on your end?”

  He turned towards the door, ignoring my question.

  “Callum?” I asked to his back, as he walked away slowly.

  He stopped when he reached the door. Slowly, he reached up and turned the deadbolt.

  “Callum!” I exclaimed. “What are you doing?”

  When he turned, I saw the gun in his hand, pointed right me, his gaze now firmly directed my way.

  “Don’t make a fuckin’ sound, bitch,” he hissed.

  Thirty-Four

  LIAM

  We were on fire tonight. The best we’d played in weeks, and I was crediting Catherine for it all. For the first time in a long time, my heart was filled with hope, and the constant rage that I felt on a daily basis had subsided. I could breathe, and it was bloody glorious.

  Even if we hadn’t had any groundbreaking discussions and forgiveness wasn’t explicitly stated, the band and I seemed to have once again swept away our differences, and my tendency to be a total ass, to come together and give the people what they’d paid for - a rock show that they wouldn’t soon forget.

  Doing our job and delivering felt amazing.

  And yet, still, throughout the entire bliss-inducing show, I was still thinking about Catherine. The way Catherine’s eyes followed me across the room, the way she watched me move inside of her, the way she saw right through my bullshit and saw the light that even I believed had faded away to nothing. The way she leaned into my touch, the way she opened herself up for me, physically and emotionally, the way her laughter filled my soul with joy.

  The way she devoured my cock like a starving woman.

  The way she pulsed around me when I slid inside of her.

  The way I couldn’t wait to get back to being naked with her in bed.

  My plan tonight was to spend as little time as possible at the party at the Whiskey and get her right back to my place as fast as possible. And tomorrow, we actually had the day off. I was looking forward to sleeping in, waking up with Catherine, and enjoying a lazy day all alone with her, with nobody around, and nowhere to go.

  We left the crowd begging for more, even after three encores. Any other time, I might have insisted on a fourth, but I wanted to get on with the night.

  “Where’s Catherine?” I asked Rhone as we walked off stage.

  “She went to the bathroom a while back, and didn’t come back yet,” she said. “I figured she needed some space or something. She’s probably in your dressing room.”

  “Okay, I’ll find her,” I said. Of course, she was probably resting, I hadn’t really let her sleep too much.

  “Great show!” Ian said, hugging me.

  “Love you, bro,” I said, hugging him back. Talking wasn’t necessary. Apologies weren’t necessary. That’s just how we were, how we’d always been. Hot and cold.

  “You driving to the Whiskey yourself?” he asked.

  “You know how much I love my Jag,” I replied.

  “Well, be careful of those fuckin’ paparazzi twats, they’re brutal in this town.”

  “I can handle those cunts,” I replied. “I’m going to find Catherine and take a quick shower, I’ll meet you all there.”

  Rocket and Rhys and Slade nodded and we went our separate ways. They’d all head over in the limo, but I always insisted on driving myself around when I was in LA. They knew better than to argue with me. Last time they’d tried to get me to do something I didn’t want to, it didn’t turn out so well.

  I walked into the dressing room, my cock already hard with anticipation of laying my hands on Catherine.

  “Luv?” I called, as I entered the empty room. I figured she had to be in the loo. I knocked and waited. Silence. I opened the door and saw she wasn’t there either.

  I walked back into the hallway and ran into Ian and Rhone.

  “Have you guys seen Catherine out here?” I asked.

  “No, not at all,” Ian replied. “She’s not in your room?”

  “No, she must have…gone somewhere. I don’t know.” I checked in Rocket’s room, Slade’s room and Rhys’ room, to no avail. I threw up my arms as I walked back up to Ian.

  “She’s gone,” I said. “She probably just walked outside or something.”

  I pulled out my phone and dialed Catherine’s number. No answer. I left her a message and hung up, then dialed Matt’s number.

  “Where are you?” I asked, when he answered.

  “In the production office. What’s up?” he asked.

  “Have you seen Catherine?”

  “She was watching the show with Rhone and then she walked back to the dressing rooms. I didn’t see her after that.”

  “Fuck!” I exclaimed, hanging up the phone.

  “Big D!” I called to him as he walked up. Surely, he knew something. That was his fuckin’ job. “Where’s Catherine?”

  “I don’t know, boss, haven’t seen her.”

  “What the fuck?” I asked, throwing up my hands. Ian and Rhone were standing next to me. “Should I be worried? I’m worried.”

  “Liam, she probably left,” Ian suggested.

  “Why would she leave?” I asked. I was completely bewildered at his suggestion. She wouldn’t have just left me without a word, would she?

  “Why would she stay, Liam? You’re a bloody mess. She got her story. Her week is up. What did you expect?”

  “No, Ian, she wouldn’t have just left. She’s going to the party with me tonight. We already talked about it.”

  Ian and Rhone exchanged glances, and I knew exactly what they thought. That I’d fucked it all up, of course she would leave. But they hadn’t seen the look on her face, the love in her eyes, earlier today. They just didn’t understand.

  But neither did I.

  Where the fuck was she?

  Thirty-Five

  CATHERINE

  “Callum, why are you doing this?”

  Stony silence greeted me, his steely gaze focused forward as he drove his car. He’d forced me out of the dressing room at gun point, hiding the gun in his suit jacket as he pressed me forward down the
hallway and into the parking garage. I’d tried to avoid getting in the car, but he’d pressed the gun into my ribs so hard.

  “Callum, please, we can work something out. I don’t know what’s going on, but I won’t tell anyone, if you just let me go. Just take me back, please?”

  He ignored me, flying around the curvy roads. My hands trembled as I tried to figure out what to do. The gun was resting in his lap, pointed right at me. I couldn’t jump out of the car, because to my right were steep cliffs that dropped down into the canyon, and I’d never survive. I thought about my phone, tucked away safely, with the ringer off, inside my purse that was hanging in the closet of Liam’s dressing room. I had no way of calling for help.

  I’d have to talk my way out of this.

  “Is it the donations? I’ll just leave it out of the story, I won’t say a word to anyone, just let me go, please?”

  Still no reaction. Terror gripped my heart, and I tried again, my voice shaking.

  “Callum, why would you want to hurt me? I don’t even know you, and you have my word I won’t say anything about the charity.”

  “It’s not you I want to hurt,” he mumbled under his breath.

  “What? Then who?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? Liam, the fucking murdering prick!”

  I gasped. “Who did he murder?”

  “My sister! Ally! You said he told you all about her.”

  “He did. But he said Ally died in a car accident, years after they broke up.”

  “She did. But it was all Liam’s fault.”

  “He wasn’t even there, it’s not his fault,” I protested. He picked up the gun and pushed it in my face.

  “Shut the fuck up!”

  I clamped my mouth shut and he lowered the gun back to his lap. The car hugged the corners tightly, he was going way too fast, and unlike the thrill I’d received earlier when Liam was doing it, this time I was sure we were going to careen over the side of the cliff at any moment.