The Proposal (A Billionaire Romance)

by Nikki Wild

Mom laughed and took a deep breath.

  “I can’t believe we’re finally here!” she said. “I’ll find us an apartment as soon as possible, Bear. Thank you for letting us use the corporate apartment until then.”

  “Don’t be absurd. You can use it as long as you like. You might find you want something a little farther out of the city after a while, but until then, consider it part of your salary, Matilda.”

  “You’ve been so generous,” she replied.

  “Well, I plan on getting my money’s worth out of you, don’t worry,” he teased.

  “I’m worth every penny. You know that,” she replied.

  I stood in the back, watching them through a maze of mirrors created by the four mirrored walls that lined the elevator walls. I could see Bear from every angle, all at once. It was like the thoughts in my head had somehow exploded into the atmosphere. I’d been swimming in thoughts of him for days now, and it was all too much.

  I exhaled in relief when the doors opened.

  “And here we go! Ladies first,” Bear said, holding the elevator as we walked out into the most beautiful apartment I’d ever seen. I glanced over at Mom and she looked downright blissful. My eyes swept over the place and I realized just how perfect it was for her.

  It was modern and swanky, in a minimalistic kind of way. The furnishings were a mirror of the ones in the lobby, all white leather and gleaming glass. The view from the private terrace was incredible and sweeping, making the city below seem almost far away.

  It took us five minutes to walk through the five bedrooms and six bathrooms, the office, the kitchen and the den, with fireplaces in every room except the bathrooms. I couldn’t help but smile at Mom’s reaction. Whatever happened, whether I stayed or not, I was glad I was here to see this. She’d worked so hard after Dad left and she rarely stopped. I was happy she had a such a wonderful place that she loved to come home to.

  “So, what do you think?” Bear asked. He seemed pleased with himself.

  “Did you design the rooms, too?” I asked.

  “Partially. I used an interior designer for the details,” he said.

  “It’s perfect, Bear. I can’t thank you enough,” Mom said.

  “No more thanks needed,” he said.

  “So, Chloe, which room do you want?” Mom asked.

  “I was thinking —,” I began.

  “— Oh, no, Chloe will be staying at a different apartment,” Bear interrupted.

  Mom and I both looked at him in shock.

  “What?” I blurted.

  “Well, you’re an adult, Chloe, I didn’t think you’d want to live with your Mother. I arranged for separate accommodations.”

  “Oh,” I replied, speechless. “But there’s so much room here.”

  “Yes,” Mom said. “There’s no need for the expense of an entirely separate place.”

  “Nonsense,” Bear replied. “Money is no object. I own so much real estate in this city, I couldn’t fill it all if I tried. I’m sure Chloe would like her privacy.”

  “But —,” I protested.

  “—But nothing. It’s already done,” Bear insisted.

  “Okay,” I replied. “Thank you.”

  “You’ll be a few blocks away. The building is a little less modern, but I think it’ll suit your needs and give you a true taste of the city.”

  “That’s so nice of you, Bear,” Mom said.

  “Y-yes, it is,” I replied. My stomach was in knots.

  Bear continued, “I’d like to take you there now. Do you mind if I show Chloe around the neighborhood?”

  “I don’t mind,” Mom replied, shooting a worried glance at me. “If it’s okay with Chloe?”

  “Yes, of course,” I replied, anticipation ripping through my veins. I’d finally be alone with Bear and I could hardly breathe just thinking about it.

  “Excellent!” Bear replied. “Take your time to settle in Matilda. If there’s anything you need, I’ve instructed the front desk to take care of you. I’ve also taken the liberty of booking you a hot stone massage. I find it to be a fantastic way of relieving stress, and I know the effect flying has on you.”

  “Thank you, Bear,” she replied, still sounding a bit anxious.

  “Shall we?”

  “S-Sure,” I stuttered, anxiety washing over me. I was so frustrated with myself. I wanted to appear the sophisticated young woman, ready to face New York and Bear with all the self-assurance that I was sure he expected. Instead, my hands were shaking and my palms were sweaty… and I was sure he could see my hard nipples beneath my clothes.

  When his hand touched the small of my back again to lead me to the door, I froze. I took a deep breath and said goodbye to Mom, promising I would call her later, and then there we were, all alone in the elevator.

  His hand remained on my back the entire ride down but he didn’t say a word to me. We stood staring straight ahead into the mirror, the two of us side by side, the heat of his fingers searing into my skin as I struggled to breathe.

  The image engraved itself into my memory. Me, trying to look professional with my tight pencil skirt hugging my hips. And Bear, to my right, towering over me, his expression relaxed and serious, his handsome face almost too much to bear. I wanted to turn to him, ask him a million questions, kiss him, touch him, beg him to slide his cock into me again.

  “You didn’t have to get me my own apartment,” I finally said, my voice finally calm and soft, a stark contrast to everything screaming inside of me.

  “Yes, I did,” he said, his voice just as calm and cool as mine. The elevator slowly came to a stop, the doors opening smoothly as he leaned his head down and brought his lips right next to my ear. He dropped his voice to a low, grumbling whisper. “We’re going to need our privacy.”

  My lips parted and a tiny sigh escaped my mouth as his hand pressed me forward out of the elevator, through the lobby and back into the waiting limo. This time, Bear sat next to me, his muscular thigh pressed against mine. He leaned forward, pressing a button that lowered the glass between us and the driver.

  “262 Central Park West,” Bear said. The driver nodded and the tinted glass rolled back up, leaving us alone.

  “I think you’ll enjoy living on the other side of the park, Chloe. Everything you’ll need is within walking distance.” His voice was low and velvety and I stared into his dark eyes.

  “What about you?” I asked.

  He raised an eyebrow and a slow smile spread across his face.

  “I live nearby, and my office is five blocks away. I’m keeping you close.”

  I nodded, trying to figure out how to form the questions wildly spinning in my head. He put a warm hand on my bare knee and a shiver of pleasure ran through me.

  “I trust you followed my instructions?” he asked.

  “Instructions?” I asked, bewildered.

  “Did you not receive my note on the plane?”

  My face flushed with embarrassment when I realized what he was talking about.

  “The note,” I nodded, doing my best to meet his piercing gaze. A flush of embarrassment blossomed on my cheeks. It took all my strength not to look away.

  “Yes, I did what you asked…”

  “Good girl,” he said, patting my knee, before sliding his hand further up my leg. My eyes widened in surprise. We were alone, but the driver was right there just a few feet away. Not to mention the millions of New Yorkers just outside the window. His hand was so warm and my legs were so cold and the sensation of his warmth sliding up my thigh was quite possibly the most delicious, welcome touch I’d ever received.

  Slowly, I spread my thighs further apart as his hand traveled closer and closer to my bare pussy. The entire time, he held my gaze, his eyes widening with surprise as I opened my thighs to him.

  Every fucking thing about this man was white-hot. The heat rolling off his body, his searing hands, his piercing gaze that locked me into it like he was putting me under a trance. My body flushed with heat as his fingertips grazed my
lips lightly. He turned his hand, his palm pressing flush up against my quivering center.

  I gasped, my lips parting as he continued to hold my gaze. Slowly, he pressed his fingers forward, one of them sliding between my lips and discovering the slickness that had threatened to fall down my thighs from the moment I read his note earlier. Another eyebrow raised and a slow smile of approval and then in an instant, he slid inside of me, a low moan escaping from my mouth.

  “Is that for me?” he growled.

  Speechless, I nodded as he sunk his finger in deeper, pulling out slowly and then plunging two back in. And then, just like that, he pulled away. I suppressed a whimper of protest, biting my lip hard instead.

  “Good girl,” he smiled, bringing his fingers to his nose. He inhaled deeply as another hot flush washed over my face. I couldn’t believe this man. And just when I thought he couldn’t shock me anymore, he pushed his fingers forward, sliding them between my open lips and twirling them over my tongue. Just like he’d done in that room at Departure.

  “Mmmm,” he murmured, “see how delicious you are?”

  His fingers slid out of my mouth and I stared at him in awe. The balls on this guy, I thought. He was audacious and arrogant, daring and dangerous.

  I fucking loved it.

  He sat back in his seat as the car slowed to a stop in front of another apartment building, an older brick building not nearly as tall as the first one.

  “We’re here,” Bear said, smiling at me as if he hadn’t just had his fingers inside of me.

  “Wow, it’s awesome,” I said, trying desperately to compose myself. “I can’t wait to see inside.”

  “Let’s go in,” he said. “But Chloe?”

  “Yes?” I asked, turning back to him.

  “Pull your skirt down before you get out. You don’t want to show all of Park Avenue what we’ve been doing.”

  My eyes shot down to my lap and I quickly pulled my skirt down, hiding my exposed flesh. His laughter was low and deep and I flashed him a quick smile, even though I wanted to die from embarrassment.

  He leaned over and brushed a quick kiss on my cheek before the door opened and we stepped out.

  “Shall we?” he said, offering me his arm. I put my hand on his arm and let him led me inside, my face hot and flushed, my pussy quivering.

  Seven

  “It’s so cozy,” I said, as we walked into my new apartment. First of all, I couldn’t believe how gorgeous and comfortable it looked, but secondly, I couldn’t believe I was going to be living here.

  “It’s smaller than Matilda’s, of course,” he said. “But I thought it suited you better.”

  “You guessed right,” I said and I couldn’t help but beam a huge smile at him. “I love it, Bear, thank you. You’re very generous.”

  “I’m happy to have you here, Chloe,” he said.

  I nodded, unsure what else to say as I walked around the apartment. It was older but it was stunningly beautiful. Intricate crown molding lined the ceilings, tall windows opened the room up to the city outside and the huge rooms were filled with informal furnishings—casual slip covered couches and dark red patterned fringed Persian rugs covered dark hardwood floors. The kitchen was entirely renovated, but even with the modern appliances and cabinets, it still had a rustic, cozy feeling to it.

  “I have a surprise for you,” he said, coming up behind me. “Actually, I have lots of surprises for you,” he added with a low laugh. “Come with me,” he grabbed my hand in his and led me down a long hallway.

  At the last door on the right, he reached out and opened it, flipping on the light switch as we walked in. I gasped in surprise.

  “Bear!” I exclaimed, throwing a hand over my mouth.

  “I’m sure you’ll need other things but I thought this would get you started,” he said.

  “It’s amazing,” I said, walking in. He’d turned the second bedroom into a sewing studio. There were dress forms lining the wall and a few long tables, a very high-end expensive sewing machine on another table in the corner and bolts of fabric lining the walls. “I can’t believe this!”

  “I want you to be happy, Chloe,” he said, smiling sweetly at me. “Your mother told me how much your fashion designs mean to you, and I want you to understand that coming here doesn’t mean giving up on your dreams and desires. New York is a pillar of fashion, and in time, I hope that you are able to make an impact of your own in this city. If anything is missing, please let me know and I’ll have it delivered right away.”

  “Bear, this…this is too much,” I said, shaking my head. I was starting to feel a little weird about everything. I barely knew him and he’d gone out of his way to make me so comfortable.

  “Nonsense,” he said, with a dismissive wave. “It was nothing.”

  “It’s not nothing,” I said. “It’s very thoughtful. This is incredible.”

  He smiled down at me, those eyes turning me to complete mush. What was happening to my life? It was like I’d been picked up and plopped into someone else’s fairy tale.

  “Come on,” he said, grabbing my hand again and pulling me out of the studio. “I want to show you something else.”

  I let him lead me back down the hallway and watched as he opened another door.

  “Here’s your bedroom,” he said. “Of course, you can change anything you like.”

  It was like something out of a magazine. The four-poster bed looked so soft and plush that I wanted to jump right in it. It was covered in a jewel-colored patchwork quilt and flanked by a matching pair of shabby chic farmhouse style tables. Hanging over the bed was a lovely painting of the outline of a naked woman under a large oak tree.

  “I love it,” I said, twirling around.

  “Look at the terrace,” he said, opening a set of French doors. “The city is still loud up here, but it’s beautiful. You have a wonderful view of the park.”

  “Oh, my god!” I exclaimed, leaning over the stone wall and looking down. Central Park loomed below, a massive, sprawling, green oasis. “I can’t believe I get to live here!”

  I turned back to him and he was staring at me, his eyes sparkling with something I didn’t quite recognize. I grew quiet, licking my lips as I waited for him to speak or do something. I was at a total loss of how to handle a situation like this. Fuck, I didn’t even know what kind of situation this even was. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, how I was supposed to act, what he expected of me.

  He reached out, gently pushing a strand of hair off my face as he stared at me silently. His eyes trailed down, raking over my breasts and back up again.

  “Chloe, we should talk,” he whispered. “Let’s go back in.”

  I nodded, following him. He sat on the bed…my bed…and I sat next to him, my hands in my lap as I looked over at him expectantly.

  “I’m sure you have questions. And most of your questions will be answered soon enough, don’t worry.”

  I nodded, listening intently.

  “First, you’re going to need a safe word.”

  “What?” I asked, my eyes widening.

  “Don’t be naive,” he said. “A safe word. You know what that is. I intend to push your limits, but I am not a monster. So, what will it be?”

  “I - I don’t know,” I muttered, bewildered. “I’ve never had one before.”

  “What’s your favorite kind of pie?”

  “What?” I asked, confusion filling my eyes.

  “Apple? Cherry? Chocolate? What is it?” he asked.

  “Peach,” I replied.

  “Okay, would you like to use Peaches as your safe word?”

  “I guess, I mean, sure, whatever, but Bear —,” I began.

  “—what?”

  “Why do I need a safe word?”

  “Darling Chloe,” he smiled, peering right through me. “Because I’m going to fuck you like there’s no tomorrow. In every position. In every one of these rooms. And the day after that, I’m going to do it again. We’ll get into more detail a
s we go along, but the last thing I ever want to do is hurt you. So don’t forget your word.”

  “O-okay,” I said, my voice cracking, my body tingling at his words.

  “And Chloe?” he said, reaching up behind my head and sinking his fingers into my hair, pulling softly.

  “Yes?” I asked, my eyes wide.

  “Test yourself. Push your boundaries. Don’t use that word unless you really mean it. As soon as you utter it, everything comes to a full stop. And nothing happens again until I say it does. Do you understand?”

  I nodded and he let go of my hair, sliding a finger down my chin. He leaned closer, his face inches from mine as he smiled.

  “Now, there’s one more thing,” he said.

  “Yes?” I asked.

  “It’s important that you do anything and everything I ask of you and that you follow instructions perfectly, no matter how strange it might seem to you. Do you understand?”

  “I think so,” I nodded.

  “Good girl,” he murmured, brushing a kiss across my lips. A bolt of electricity ripped through my body as he kissed me, but his lips were gone before I could kiss him back.

  “Any questions?” he asked.

  “Yes, a million,” I replied.

  “I don’t have time for a million questions. You can ask me one right now,” he winked, his handsome face wrinkling at the edges. I couldn’t believe the things he was saying, the things he was saying he was going to do to me. Fuck, I could barely breathe looking at him.

  “Is this my job?” I asked, finally.

  His laughter roared through the apartment and he shook his head.

  “Of course not. I’ll find you a real job. You can consider this a fringe benefit,” he said.

  I nodded, still completely confused. Did he expect me to be a sex slave and work for him at the same time? Was I seriously going to go through with this? To be honest, I would have done just about anything he asked of me, safe word or no safe word. In fact, I couldn’t imagine what we would ever need it for.

  It’s not like I was going to ask him to stop fucking me, for fuck’s sake.

  Such a request seemed like a joke right now. In fact, sitting on this bed with him, it was taking all my strength not to beg him to fuck me right this very second.