The Billionaire's Secret: Billionaire Obsession (Tycoon Billionaires Book 5)

by Farrell, Julie

  “A while. He babysat when my parents went out – they thought he was so kind to offer... What a great guy, you know… But he wasn’t a great guy. He was an evil sadistic bastard. I hated him, and myself for letting it happen. I wanted nothing but revenge… And then one day, I got it.”

  “Oh yeah? What did you do?”

  “I decided no more. Something inside me just clicked…”

  “What did you do?” Her eyes widened with worry. “You didn’t kill him, did you?”

  He chuckled gently. “No, course not… One night when he was there and my parents were out – it was a winter’s night – he started doing what he did… I waited until he took off his clothes and then I pretended I could hear a sound out front. I said it was probably the cops and that he should hide in the backyard. He panicked and ran out there, grabbing only his underpants. I locked him outside, freezing his balls off until my parents got back. He never babysat again. I think they knew. But they never mentioned it to me. They seemed more ashamed than I was… At the time I thought they were ashamed of me.”

  She caressed his face. “I’m so sorry, Jake. I’m so sorry you’ve been through such a trauma.”

  Jake smiled thinly. “I’ll never forget his panicked whispers that night, as I stood there watching him from the house. He was knocking on the cold window, saying, ‘Jake, Jake, let me in…’ He threatened to kill me a few times while he was out there – which obviously didn’t make me too keen to let him inside.”

  She kissed him. “It sounds like you got your revenge. But…”

  “But it leaves you cold, you know. And he never got in trouble for what he did. There was no justice. I guess that’s why I became a cop – to try to get some justice. But it didn’t work…”

  Astrid’s gaze connected deep within his soul. “You might not believe me, but I do know how you feel. Simon was so awful to me… nothing sexual, rarely violent – but the mental bullying was unbearable.”

  Jake’s muscles tensed. “When I get my hands on him…”

  “No. I want us to think about the future now. The present.” She kissed him. “But I do wish sometimes I could wind back the time to before I met him. Perhaps you feel like that too? To the age of innocence, when we were pure and full of hope. Before all the criticism; before we were told we were wrong.”

  “Maybe we can. When I’m with you I feel like that. Shiny and new.”

  “Me too.” She brushed her fingers over his face. “How do you feel now you’ve told me about your uncle?”

  “All right. Weird. Lighter I guess.”

  “I’m proud of you – I know that wasn’t easy.”

  He kissed her, pulling her close and soaking up her love. “I feel like… I feel like I need to wash away the past.”

  “You want to take a bath?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. Or a shower.”

  She stood up. “Okay, let’s shower together. We can both wash away the past.”

  He gazed deep into her beautiful eyes. “Thank you, Astrid. I think you might’ve just saved my life.”

  “Nah… But there is one thing you can do for me.”

  “What?”

  “Stop smoking.”

  He laughed. “It’s a deal. I’ll smoke my final cigarette after the next time I’ve made love to you.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  He checked his watch. “So, I should quit smoking in around an hour from now. I’ll go warm up the bathroom, hot-stuff.”

  He kissed her passionately, feeling reborn and energized, then he removed his shirt, and swaggered off to the bathroom, where he turned on the shower. He planned to steam up the room – making it nice and tropical for Astrid. With the shower running in the background, he gazed at himself in the mirror.

  He sighed. Why was it relatively easy for him to find trouble and fight bad guys, but it terrified him to tell anyone what his uncle had done to him? And yet, she’d made it so easy. It was as if a tightly fastened rusted coil had unraveled into ribbons inside him, all because of her kindness. She’d shone her light of love over him, and it’d warmed him through to his bones.

  He sighed. There was something else he wanted to do that was even more terrifying. Another confession. This time not from his past, but about what was happening right now in his heart. He gazed into his own eyes and saw the sparks of love in there for her. She’d liberated him… and he couldn’t thank her enough. Surely it shouldn’t be this hard to tell someone as wonderful as Astrid that you loved her?

  His reflection steamed over and he pulled himself back to the present. He took off his pants, then yanked open the bathroom door and stuck his head out to find Astrid gazing into the mirror at the writing desk. She was naked, other than Jake’s discarded shirt, which she’d thrown over her top-half and fastened with one button, making her look incredible. But her expression was serious. Was she also having a heart-to-heart with herself?

  “Hey, dreamer,” he said. “Shower’s ready.”

  She smiled, then stood up to join him. “Thanks.”

  He pulled her close and kissed her hard. She inspected his body. “You’re like my very own underwear model.”

  He chuckled and kissed her again – proud of how much she loved his body. He ran his finger halfway down her shirt and fingered the button that was barely holding it on. “This suits you.”

  She rubbed her hand over the material. “I like it. It smells of you.”

  “But I’d rather see you out of it… come on.”

  He led her to the bathroom, which was now full of warm steam. “How about that shower, dirty girl?”

  She grinned. “Sounds perfect. I hope you’ll rub soapy suds into my body and scrub me clean.”

  He closed the door firmly behind them. “That night we met… I had a fantasy about you in the shower… when you first met me. I’d already fallen for you by then.”

  She chuckled. “Stalker.” She shot him a mischievous glance. “What happened in your fantasy?”

  He opened his mouth to reply, but she interrupted. “Wait, let me guess… I was wearing this shirt, and I stood in the shower and got all wet…”

  She stepped into the tub and turned to soak her chest under the warm shower, making the shirt cling transparently to her gorgeous breasts. The spectacular sight electrified Jake and he was overwhelmed with an urgent desire to bend her over the tub and fuck her hard – delivering them both to sexual ecstasy.

  He removed his underwear, unfurling his straining erection, then he squirted some shower gel into his palm, before climbing into the tub to join her.

  She stole some of the gel from his hands, and lathered it up, then she smeared the suds over his pecs and abs, clearing enjoying touching his taut toned body. She gazed at him seductively and his lust rocketed.

  He undid the button of her soaked shirt and stripped it down over her shoulders, revealing her rock-hard nipples and plump breasts.

  “Fuck, you’re beautiful,” he said.

  He pulled her against himself, rubbing their bare chests together.

  The effect she had on Jake was magical. The steam from the shower filled the room, adding to the sensual atmosphere, and they kissed passionately under the warm water. Jake ran his tongue over her neck, nibbling her shoulders, then he kissed her lips again, gasping with pleasure.

  Astrid peeled off her shirt and let it drop outside the tub. “It’s my turn to get soapy, don’t you think?”

  She turned to grab the shower gel behind her, and Jake couldn’t resist caressing her fantastic butt. He pressed his hands against her hips, and kissed her ear. She groaned with desire.

  He relished the feel of her curvy body. “In my fantasy I wanted to bend you over and take you roughly from behind.”

  She glanced over her shoulder, sticking out her ass suggestively. “Well, now you can.”

  She turned back to kiss him again, then he reached out and rubbed the suds into her breasts, fondling them for his pleasure and for hers. Her eyes closed – caught in ecstasy
– so he moved his hand down and slipped it between her thighs, caressing her tenderly with his fingers.

  “I need to lick you.”

  He dropped to his knees. Their position under the jet of steamy water kept their wet bodies warm, but Jake knew he could get Astrid much hotter than this. He ran his hands over her toned buttocks, sliding his fingers between her thighs, and tonguing her clit.

  He glanced up. “Like it?”

  Astrid reached down and ran her wet fingers through his hair. “Oh yes…”

  Jake moved toward her again and teased, sucked, and caressed her pussy. The sound of her groaning encouraged him to continue, and she pushed herself strongly against his mouth, craving for him to get her there. To that place where she’d be completely possessed only by him.

  He sensed she was about to come, so he pulled away – needing to fuck her with his straining erection. He grabbed a condom from his wallet in his pants’ pocket, then he stepped back under the shower.

  “Turn around and spread ‘em,” he said, grinning.

  She laughed. “Yes, officer.”

  She turned to face the shower and splayed her legs – bending at the waist to rest her palms on the tiled wall.

  She glanced smuttily over her shoulder, making him want to ram it into her, but he needed to take it slow and gently. She was so fucking tight, and he didn’t want to hurt her. He rested one hand on her ass, then eased two fingers inside her and rubbed her G-spot. She ground her hips into his hand, and fondled her clit herself. Her pussy contracted and he realized she was already ready to climax. And he was more than ready to claim her from behind.

  He eased himself inside her tight pussy, grunting as he thrust. The pace increased, and he rushed rhythmically toward bliss – his own and hers. He pulled her tight against himself, taking over the clit-action, so she could press her hands firmly into the wall – and push herself against him. He scooped his hips under, thrusting into her hard and fast.

  Astrid let her head fall back against his shoulder, almost sitting on his lap now. He was happy to support her light weight. He felt her pussy contract as the orgasm struck, pulling him deeper inside.

  Astrid’s body tensed and she groaned with pleasure, which threw Jake over the edge and he came deep inside her – flying high and free – feeling totally liberated from the past for the first time in his adult life.

  He relished the pleasure of watching her come hard, as she experienced even more intense waves after his own orgasm had faded. Then, as she floated back to the here and now, she gazed at him over her shoulder, looking totally spellbound – utterly satisfied.

  “Wow,” she said, gasping for breath.

  He wrapped his arms tenderly around her and they hugged under the warm flow of water. Something had shifted inside him now – he could feel it. It was subtle, but he realized that a secure contentment had replaced his hard bitterness. This was true happiness. And it was all because he loved Astrid Lawrence.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Jake stood outside the motel room, tingling with affection, smoking his last ever cigarette. She was right to ask him to quit – it was a disgusting habit.

  The vast dark parking lot was daunting – he wasn’t afraid, but he didn’t like not being able to see what was ahead of him, and the crappy porch lights along the row of cabins were about as useful as the moon on a cloudy day.

  He took a drag on his cigarette. Truthfully, he was going to miss smoking – it helped him think and focus. But what if he could think just by pausing and being silent like this –without the nicotine fix and tar filling his lungs? He started to think about this, but his phone rang. It was his contact from the telecoms company giving him the address of where the kidnapper’s calls had been coming from. The kidnapper had apparently been using a cell phone, which was unregistered and therefore there was no name. But the telecoms guy had been able to pinpoint the precise address.

  Jake thanked him, promised he’d send him some money, then looked the address up online… It was an old mansion near the disused warehouse where the kidnapper wanted to meet tomorrow night. Jake did a search on the mansion and discovered a news story saying the building had been in negotiation to be sold and flattened, to make way for new apartments, but the buyer had pulled out unexpectedly because he’d heard a rumor the mansion was haunted.

  Haunted? There sure were some strange people in this world. What kind of person would pull out of a business deal because of supernatural rumors?

  He shook away this thought – it was irrelevant. What he needed to figure out was Simon’s connection with the mansion right now. Jake couldn’t find out online who owned it, but he would be able to do a land registry search… But that would mean asking the police to cooperate. He knew the Pennsylvania police would want to take over if he contacted them, and FBI would be all over it too. He wanted to keep this as low-key as possible. The last thing Emma needed was a media circus making the kidnapper nervous and accidentally blowing her head off.

  There was one other cop in town he could ask, but Daniel wasn’t going to help, was he?

  So – as usual – it was up to Jake to figure this out himself. Okay, what was Simon’s motive for kidnapping Emma? Obviously he wanted money, but why would he think Astrid’s family had anything like fifty grand, when he’d known her for all this time – and knew they weren’t wealthy.

  It was almost as if Simon was a red herring, planted by someone who might have a vendetta against Astrid’s family… But who?

  He grabbed his phone and logged into his emails – hoping something might spring into his mind if he distracted himself. There was an email from Adam, letting him know they’d definitely decided to pull out of Cole Graves’ project, so he was welcome to screw Astrid as much as he liked. Adam sure did have a way with words...

  ‘Thanks for all you did for us Jake. The technology is just too unstable for us to get involved with. Astrid did a great job. If you’re with her, tell her we said thanks, okay? God knows where Graves is planning to get his fifty grand from now, but that’s his problem. It won’t be from Quinlan Brothers.

  Good luck with the treasure hunt. Don’t forget there’s a family party next weekend to celebrate Samira’s…’

  Jake stopped reading. His gaze scanned back up. ‘God knows where Graves is planning to get his fifty grand from now…’

  Graves?

  It was certainly a motive. And it had been Astrid who’d blocked him. Could Cole Graves be holding Emma in the hope that he might get his hands on the funding that way? But where did Simon come into it? Had Graves simply managed to enlist the paid help of a disgruntled ex? Jake’s mind swum with confused threads, trying to stitch them together to find the answer.

  There was only one way to find out… Confront the kidnapper and finish this whole thing off. But one thing was for sure – Jake realized – he was going to need some armed back-up from the police, and that only meant one thing. He’d need to put his ego aside, and ask for assistance from the one person who’d probably be most reluctant to give it.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Back inside the motel room, Astrid was pumped up and ready for the final showdown with the kidnapper tomorrow, but she didn’t even try hide her surprise at what Jake had just told her. “You want to ask Daniel to help us?”

  He chuckled. “Yeah. I’ll call his cell phone first thing. But for now, come here and sleep in my arms.” Jake’s face flashed with surprise. “Jesus, did I really just say that?”

  Astrid laughed. “You did. And I’d love to.”

  The next morning, Jake called Daniel and discovered he was still in Philadelphia, having breakfast in a diner – so Jake said he wanted to call a truce, and they went to meet him.

  The diner had a red and white theme – red and white floor tiles, red vinyl stools at the white counter, and two waitresses wearing red and white dresses. Jake held Astrid’s hand as they walked inside. There weren’t any other customers in here – just Daniel sitting in a booth, eating appl
e pie.

  Astrid felt a shiver go down her spine as she gazed at him innocently eating. She trusted that Jake knew what he was doing – but she didn’t trust Daniel. He’d shown his true colors and could easily double-cross them.

  “It’s okay,” Jake said, picking up on her reluctance. He squeezed her hand and they strolled over to meet him with caution. Technically, they were fugitives and this could be a trap. After all, last time they’d seen Daniel they’d tied him to a tree, and he most likely wasn’t going to forgive and forget very easily. A wave of mischievous pride washed through Astrid as she remembered how they’d left him there like that. But he was a spiteful insecure rat, who loved nothing more than to hold a grudge. Astrid knew Jake was still furious with Daniel for screwing him over and getting him falsely dismissed from the NYPD. But Emma’s life was at stake – now wasn’t the time for vengeance. That would come later…

  Jake halted at the table, firmly holding Astrid’s hand. Daniel looked up.

  “Hey,” Jake said. “Can we trust you, or you got the place surrounded?”

  “Take a seat,” Daniel said, swallowing his mouthful. “And we’ll talk.”

  “I guess you’d like an apology for what happened yesterday?” Jake said, as he and Astrid sat on the vinyl seat opposite him. “You know, for handcuffing you to that tree…”

  Daniel shrugged. “I don’t trust you any more than you trust me. But I’m curious to know what’s with the sudden change of heart?”

  “I just want to get Astrid’s sister back.”

  Daniel wiped his fingers on his napkin. “You said you had some information?”

  “Jake’s worked it all out,” Astrid said. “He knows who the kidnapper is.”

  “I think I know,” Jake said. “Cole Graves.”

  Daniel gazed blankly at him. “And he is…?”

  One of the waitresses brought over some coffee for Jake and Astrid, so they remained silent until she drifted away.

  Jake lowered his voice to explain. “He’s the CEO of a company that Astrid’s been inspecting, and I think he’s not only got a grudge against her, but he now needs a lot of money to continue his funding. God knows why he thinks Astrid’s family would have that kind of money, but he wants Astrid to meet him in a disused warehouse this evening.”