by Claire Adams
Chapter Forty: Ethan
"Smile for the camera," someone said. I put my arm around Kayla and I stared into the lens with my best grin as she smiled radiantly beside me. The view of the ocean was behind us, with the sun starting to set on the horizon, creating a stunning background for the perfect picture.
"Perfect, thanks." The photographer looked at the image on his digital camera, and nodded with satisfaction. "This will be the new cover of Speed Magazine."
"I don't think so. I'm not the model; my wife is." I swiped at him, trying to grab the camera, but he moved just out of my reach.
Joey was one of Kayla's favorite photographers and followed her everywhere. She was as used to having her picture taken as she was breathing air, but I found it a little harder to get used to.
"That's what makes this perfect," Joey said in response to my objection. "The owner and CEO of the company Ethan Colson celebrating his one-year anniversary with the love of his life, supermodel Kayla Brandt-Colson. The two of you are one of the world's hottest couples and the media will eat it up.
“People will be clamoring to read next month's issue of Speed Magazine when they see this image of you and Kayla cheek to cheek on the cover. Now give me one more shot, this time of the two of you kissing."
"No way; our intimate personal time is private. No photography. Now get out of here before I'm forced to fire you and take your camera," I shouted out, but there was no anger in my voice, just love for my wife.
Joey was right; the public craved images of us together, and since we kept our private life well-guarded, images of us as a couple were rare, making them even more sought after. We had a contract with Joey that we would buy any photographs he took that we didn't want to go public. It kept him loyal to us and gave us control of all photos seen by the public.
"How do you deal with having your picture taking all day? It's exhausting," I said to Kayla as I leaned back into a reclining chair on the beach and a waiter brought us each fresh drinks.
"It can be, but that's why I'm careful to book plenty of relaxation time between photo shoots." She grinned at me, and her smile was even more radiant than it had been a moment ago.
Being with just one woman made her even sexier to me than a string of one-night stands. I knew Kayla's body better than anyone and could make her orgasm with just a touch. Nothing could be hotter, and as impossible as it was, I swear her breasts seemed to have gotten even bigger and her hips were definitely rounder. She was becoming softer and more voluptuous, and I wanted to make love to her constantly, and she responded to my touch with the same passionate desire. A full year into our marriage, and we were still fucking like newlyweds.
"What do you want to do for our anniversary tonight?" I asked her. "The sky's the limit."
"Well, you've already brought me here to this tropical island. We're staying in our own private bungalow right on the beach, and this morning, we made love under a waterfall in that secluded lake we found hidden in the jungle. We were serenaded by parrots and wild birds, and then served this fantastic lunch of fish caught fresh from the ocean this morning. What more could a girl want?"
"There has to be something special you want to do," I insisted. "You worked so hard last month, I only saw you a few days. You're becoming as bad of a workaholic as I used to be. I want to make sure you don't forget how to relax and have fun."
"Oh, don't worry about that. I plan on taking lots of time off very shortly. We'll spend days hanging out in the park, taking long walks, and just enjoying life."
"So, why were you working so much? I know that the year we were engaged, your modeling career far surpassed just being the ad-campaign girl for Speed Motorcycles. Within months of our engagement, you were being asked to model for the covers of major magazines and posed for some of the top companies in the country.
“Major corporations would fly you around the world, and offered you huge salaries, to pose with their products or to put your face on their magazine ads. Your rise to fame was unprecedented."
"That still drives you crazy," she teased me, and I leaned over from to chair to swat her ass playfully in mock aggravation. She raised up her ripe buttocks, allowing me to make contact with her round cheek, and when it vibrated under the impact of my palm, we both felt a thrill.
"No, it doesn't. I'm secure enough in my manhood to let my wife thrive. Besides, I'm proud of you."
"So why are you going on about it?" she taunted, making me grin. She'd gotten up from her beach recliner and straddled me on mine so she could tickle my chest with her manicured fingernails.
I put my hands on her waist and slid them up her pale body to cup her breasts. Fondling them gently, I said to her, "Because, you've been able to set your own demands and work schedule for almost two years straight now. You've always been really good about keeping your work schedule within reason so we'd have enough time to spend together. Having you out on photoshoots all day, every day for nearly a month was tougher on me than I'd like to admit."
"Sorry, but I needed to get in as much work as I could before my body starts to change and I can't model anymore. This last month may mark the end of my career for quite a long time."
"What are you talking about? Is this because you’re getting older? Don't worry, sweetheart. The shelf life of a model is short, but it's not that short. You still have plenty of years left to enjoy your career."
"Oh, I know that. But if I lose my skinny body, then I won't be as marketable. Besides, I don't think I'll want to work anymore, at least not for a few years. I think I'll want to stay at home, like my mother did."
"Don't tell me you’re burnt out on your career already? You've only been doing it a few years and you act like you really love it. Some days when you come home from work, you're smiling so big, I wonder if I shouldn't be jealous that you love your career more than you love me."
It was a joke and she giggled. Tickling my chest again, she said with a smile, "Don't worry, I don't love anything more than you. It's just that I'm pregnant."
"What?" I sat up straight so suddenly, I nearly knocked her off my lap. "I don't think I heard you right? Say that again."
"I'm pregnant." She was absolutely beaming as she smiled at me. I'd never seen her looking more radiantly beautiful.
"Are you sure? I thought you were on the pill." I gaped like a moron.
"I was, but it's not a hundred percent effective. I went to see my doctor when I had the flu last month, and she told me that it was morning sickness. I was six-weeks pregnant."
"Why didn't you tell me?" I was still in shock and didn't know how to feel.
"Because I knew you would worry and make me quit my job."
"Damn right, I would. You can't be on your feet all day in harsh weather conditions with nothing on but a bikini, keeping your weight down by starving yourself. My baby needs good nutrition, and his mother needs to pamper herself and relax." I was instantly protective and felt a glow in my heart I knew was pride and pure love.
"So, I told my agent, and he got my clients to compact their photo shoots into a one-month period of time. I was able to complete all the work I had committed to for the rest of the season in just four, short weeks, and now I'm officially on hiatus. I won't be accepting any new modeling jobs until after the baby is born, and maybe not at all."
"You're really doing this?" I could hardly believe how rapidly our lives had changed, and she nodded her head. I could see from the smile in her eyes and the glow in her cheeks that she was really happy, and I was, too.
Just over two, short years ago, I'd thought I was living the dream life with my secretary blowing me under my mahogany desk in my billion-dollar company offices, but I'd never been more wrong.
True happiness wasn't money, empty affairs, or even success. True happiness was this right here: having found someone you love who loves you, too, and turning that passion into a baby to raise and love together.
As I kissed Kayla with the tropical beach behind us and felt the love we had for eac
h other envelop us, I knew that at long last, I had healed the wounds of my youth and was truly living the dream every man wanted, and I was going to enjoy every moment of it.
That’s the end of Billionaire Rides. Below I included 2 of Alexa Davis’ previous books to read as a free bonus.
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BILLIONAIRE’S FLIGHT
By Alexa Davis
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 Alexa Davis
Chapter One
Austin
"That was just what I needed," declared the gorgeous blonde as she rolled off of me onto her back. She flung an arm over her head and exhaled as she wrapped the sheet around her tanned torso and sunk into the pillows next to me. She laughed softly as she turned and said, "You doing okay, tiger?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." I smiled. "It was just what I needed, too."
"Good," she said as she lightly brushed my arm with her fingers before squeezing my hand and looking sideways. "Need another round?"
"Nah, I'm good," I said, returning the squeeze. "You?"
"I'm good." She smiled as she let go, threw off the sheet, and rolled over. She sat up and stretched, giving me a view of her full breasts before standing up and walking to the bathroom.
"That ass of yours ought to be illegal," I called after her.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she laughed. "Tell it to the judge, tiger!"
I chuckled as I swung my legs over the edge of the thick mattress and bent over to retrieve my boxers. I hated these things with a passion. Actually, I hated all clothing; it felt confining and restricting, but my mother had raised me to be a proper gentleman and so I adhered to social norms and wore what felt least restricting. I sighed as I looked at the deep blue silk shorts in my hand and then pulled them on before getting up and calling room service.
"I can't stay, you know," the blonde called from the bathroom. "I've got a date later and I'm going to have to eat something with him."
"Did I say that I was ordering anything for you, smart ass?" I muttered in an irritated tone before calling back, "Okay, no problem."
"I heard that," she said as she exited the bathroom.
"Heard what?" I feigned innocence.
"I heard you mutter under your breath out here." She smiled as she walked toward me. She was wearing a dress that wound its way around her curves like a dangerous mountain road and I shot her an approving smile as I flipped through the television channels looking for the Yankees game. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek before saying, "You know, Austin, you really need to find a woman who will do more than agree to a quick roll in the hay with you."
"But I like how we operate, Anna," I told her as I popped open a beer and took a long drink from the icy cold bottle. "It works for both of us, doesn't it?"
"It does indeed," she nodded as she dropped to her knees and bent to look under the bed for her shoes. Once she'd located the black stilettos, she pulled them out and sat down on the edge of the four-poster bed. "But you do realize that even I am going to find a guy to settle down with one of these days and then all of our fun times will be over, don't you?"
"Aww, you'd stop just 'cause you got married?" I pouted as I clicked through the channels, finally finding the game. I silently cheered when I saw the Yankees were leading the Mets.
"Austin," Anna said as she walked around the half-circle of the couch I was sitting on and dropped down next to me. She took the remote and beer and set them on the coffee table before taking both of my hands in her beautifully manicured own. She looked at me seriously as she said, "You are such a good guy. You've done so many amazing things and you have so much to offer the right woman, but you and I both know I'm not her. I'm perfectly happy being Ms. Right Now, but you need to find someone. You need a woman who will love you and treat you like the great guy you are."
"Aww shucks, Anna." I smiled a little as I looked down at the thick gray carpeting beneath our feet and made a note to tell the head of housekeeping that it needed to be spot cleaned.
"You're looking at the spot on that carpet making mental notes, aren't you?" she laughed, shaking her head.
"What? No!" I denied as I shook my head and looked up at her.
"Austin Marks," she said as she reached up and gently stroked my cheek. "I wish I was the woman who could set your heart on fire, but I'm not. I do, however, believe she's out there somewhere. You're just going to have to look a little closer and try a little harder."
"Now you're just blowing sunshine up my ass, cupcake," I grinned. She let go of my hands and punched me on the shoulder.
"You are absolutely infuriating!" she laughed. "Now, give me money for a cab."
"Wait, I'm financing your transportation to your date?" I said with mock resentment.
"Indeed you are, sweetheart." She smiled. "You know how this works. We both get what we need and then you give me cab fare!"
"You are such a scam artist, Anna." I shook my head sadly as I reached into my pants and grabbed some cash. "Here, tip the guy well for a change, will you?"
"Who me?" she protested. "I always tip well! You're the cheapskate!"
She bent down and took the cash out of my hand as she kissed my cheek. I looked up at her, wishing I could feel something more than just friendship and sexual attraction for her, then smiled as she pranced to the door and turned to blow me a kiss before she exited.
"See you next time, Austin!" she chirped.
"Yeah, yeah, next time." I waved at her with a friendly grin.
As I sat on the couch waiting for my room service order, I thought about what she's said and about how all of the wealth I'd inherited and amassed wasn't making it any easier to meet women or make real connections with them. I wanted something more, but I had no idea how to get it, so I contented myself with occasional connections with a few women friends like Anna who understood my situation. It wasn't ideal, but for now, it was the best I could do.
Chapter Two
Emily
"Mom, guess what?" I practically shouted into the phone as I stood off to the side of the terminal. "I got it!"
"Got what, baby?" she asked in a distracted tone. I knew she was at work, but I had to tell her my good news.
"I got the promotion!" I said excitedly. "I'm going to be working in first class now!"
"That's great, baby," my mother replied enthusiastically. "When did you find out?"
"Just a few minutes ago, Linda came and told me that I'll be on a flight to Sydney tomorrow and that I'll be in first class!" I didn't try to hide the excitement I was feeling. My mother knew how important this promotion was and how hard I'd worked for it.
"Oh Emily, this is so wonderful!" she cried. Then in a serious voice she asked, "Have you told Tom yet?"
"No, not yet, but I will," I assured her. "I'm on my way back from Los Angeles this afternoon, so I'll be in Vegas by dinnertime."
"Why don't you call him?" she asked.
"Mom, you know why," I warned.
"I know, but I keep hoping that things will turn around and that you two will be able to make it work," she sighed.
"I know, but you know how he is," I said quietly.
"But let's not get weighed down in that,” she said softly. “When do you leave for Sydney?"
"Thursday morning," I told her. "I've got to get things in order before I head out for that hop. I'll be gone for almost a week."
"Is this constant travel healthy for you, baby?" she asked seriously.
"Mom, I'm twenty-three. I can handle just about anything they throw at me," I laughed. "You worry too much."
"I know, but you
're my baby and it's my job to worry," she laughed with me. I knew my mother was worried about far more than my health, but I didn't want to give her cause for any more worry than was necessary, so I didn't talk about the fact that traveling three out of four weeks of the month was far better than being home.
"I know, I know," I sympathized. "I wish you would have had one more kid, you know? Just so I'd have someone to share the worry burden with and take the focus off of me all the time!"
My mother laughed loudly and then started coughing. I laughed with her until I realized that she couldn't catch her breath.
"Mom? Mom?" I called trying to get her to focus on speaking. "Mom, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," she finally croaked. After a few moments, she continued in a cheerful tone, "I just swallowed wrong and it went down my windpipe. That'll teach me to drink coffee and scold you at the same time!"
"Are you sure?" I asked, worried that she wasn't telling me something.
"Oh, absolutely sure!" she assured me. "You worry too much, baby. I'm completely fine. I just swallowed wrong."
"Alright, well," I hesitated. "Then, I'll come around and take you to lunch tomorrow, okay? Around one, is that okay?"
"Sure, that would be lovely, sweetie," she said. I could hear her smile through the phone connection. "But you do not need to worry about me. Really."
"Alright, then I won't," I lied. "I'll be there to pick you up at one tomorrow, okay?"
"I'll be looking forward to it, honey," she said. "We'll celebrate your good news in style!"
"I love you, Mom," I said.
"I love you, too, Emily," she said and then she was gone.
#
I felt a hand on my shoulder as I hung up the phone and turned to find Trish standing behind me.
"Hey, lady," I smiled as I tucked the phone into my purse and closed it. "What are you doing?"
"Picked up a red-eye to New York and decided to eat dinner in the terminal before I go to the lounge for a bit," she said as she hugged me. "Congratulations, darlin'! I heard about the promotion from the gate crew."
