The Billionaire's Muse Complete Series Box Set

by M. S. Parker

  “I’m sorry I called you an ice queen and then joked about the whole virginity thing.”

  I’d never really thought of myself as a person who was easily embarrassed, but this was getting to be a habit. “Reb, seriously, it’s okay. Let’s just get to work.”

  He opened his mouth like he was going to argue, then closed it again when I glared at him. He nodded. “All right.”

  “Good.” I turned away so he couldn’t see the relief on my face. Rehashing things would only make working with Reb more awkward. “The key to keeping the press on your side rather than them spinning things into a negative light is to make the experiences personal.”

  “And how do we do that?”

  “By figuring out what matters to you.” I did my best to fix on my professional face before I turned back to him. I would’ve used the same strategy with any client in a similar situation, but asking these questions of Reb felt a lot more intimate than it should have. “Obviously, music, but that’s the part of you people already know. We need to show them the man behind the music.”

  He ran his fingers through his hair, flicking little droplets of water down onto his shirt. “What if music is all I am?” He gave me a sideways glance. “I haven’t been able to write for more than six months. What if I can’t ever write again and that’s the legacy I leave? A stalled career and bad decisions?”

  “I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen.” I crossed over to him and put a hand on his arm. “I can’t help with the music, but we’re going to fix it so that these past couple months are only going to be a blip in an otherwise reputable career.”

  “How?”

  I took a step back and let my hand fall to my side. “Tell me about yourself. The things you like. What you’re passionate about.”

  His eyes locked with mine for a moment, and I swallowed hard at the intensity I saw there. Then he was moving, turning away so he could walk over to the couch and take a seat. I stayed standing.

  “I thought you did your research on me.”

  “That can tell me facts, not beliefs.”

  He studied me for a moment before answering. “My mom was a teacher’s assistant when she was married to my dad, so I’ve always had a weak spot for educational charities.”

  “I’ve heard your mother talk about her time as a TA,” I said. “She doesn’t explain though why she was working when her family is certainly well-off enough that she doesn’t need a regular job.”

  “My grandparents didn’t approve of her marriage to my dad,” he explained, his tone casual, as if this was something he’d gotten used to saying. “They eloped, actually. He was getting ready to be shipped overseas, and he wanted to make sure she was taken care of if something happened to him.”

  “He was military?” I hadn’t been able to find much about Reb’s father, only that he was dead.

  Reb nodded. “Special Forces. We weren’t allowed to know much about what he did, and even after he died on an assignment.” His mouth quirked in a sad smile. “I was sixteen.”

  My heart squeezed, and it was hard not to go to him then. To comfort him. To make him think of only me. “Oh, Reb, I’m so sorry.”

  “Thank you,” he said. “Losing him almost destroyed my mom. She’s always been proud of him, but she can’t talk about him much. Even after all this time, she hasn’t gotten over him.”

  My heart broke even more for him, and for his mom. My mom had raised me alone, and my father had never been more than biology and a cautionary tale. She’d never dated anyone, barely showed any interest in romance, and she sure as hell hadn’t pined over any of the ‘rock gods’ she’d slept with.

  I couldn’t imagine loving someone so much that the loss of them changed my world forever. Well, I loved my mother, but that was different. Kids expected to outlive their parents. But when someone made a vow to love someone until death parted them, they never wanted to think that they’d have anything other than a lifetime to fulfill it.

  “My older sister is terrified that her daughters will join the military someday. My younger sister works with Doctors Without Borders in some of the worst places in the world because she thinks that’s what my dad would have wanted.” He stared down at his hands thoughtfully. “A few months after my dad died, I talked to a recruiter. I started working out so I’d be physically ready as soon as I turned eighteen, but I kept it to myself. I didn’t want to hurt my mom, but I felt like this was how I could honor my father.”

  I moved closer but resisted the urge to touch him.

  “Two months before my birthday, I was driving home from a party, and a drunk driver ran a red light. The crash didn’t do much damage, but I was stuck in the car. There was a fire, and I couldn’t get out. A guy driving by stopped and pulled me out before the car caught fire, but because he had to rush, he accidentally dislocated my left shoulder.” Reb’s hand rubbed his shoulder as if he could still feel the pain. “It was bad enough that it ended up keeping me from enlisting.” He looked up at me. “I’ve never told anyone that.”

  I tried not to feel warm at the admission. It didn’t mean anything more than he found me easy to talk to. Like how someone might feel comfortable talking to a therapist. Nothing more.

  I brought the conversation back to the matter at hand, not wanting to risk things going from personal to intimate. “I think I have enough to work with. I’ll have something set up for the end of the week.”

  “Oh, okay. Good.” He stood, a troubled expression on his face for a few moments before disappearing. “I’ll keep the weekend free.”

  “Friday too,” I said. “I’ll let you know as soon as I have something scheduled.”

  He walked me to the door, opening it partway before stopping. “We should do something this weekend. Something besides work. I’d like to take you somewhere. A club. We can have some drinks. Dance. Loosen up some.”

  I started shaking my head as soon as I realized what he was asking. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Professional, remember?”

  “Think of it as a reward for hard work.” He gave me that irresistible smile. Not the plastic one he threw out to reporters, or even the polite one he had for fans. No, this was the smile that had made me melt into a puddle of malleable goo.

  I sighed. “Let’s see how things go first.”

  He beamed, and I mentally cursed myself for not being able to say no to him. As I left, I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to do well on his next project or not. One option was definitely safer for me, but rooting for him to excel wasn’t only for professional reasons. It wasn’t even all because I wanted him to do well.

  Even though I’d given myself repeated warnings, I still wanted him.

  Nineteen

  Reb

  I slid my hand over the curve of her hip, then dug my fingers into her flesh to hold her in place as I slid inside. She was tight and wet and hot, everything I’d imagined and better. She moaned and whimpered, the sounds making me even harder. Everything had been building toward this moment, all the dancing around and flirting, the tension.

  I reached out and took her hair, wrapping it around my fist. I pulled her head up so that I could see her expression in the mirror in front of us. So I could watch every nuance…

  I jerked awake, my heart racing and my breathing ragged. The central air pumped cold air into the guest room, but my skin was still damp with sweat. I tossed the sheet aside, glowering down at the erection tenting my boxers. Of course, I had to have an erotic dream the night before I was supposed to see Paige again. Because it wasn’t difficult enough to not get a fucking hard-on whenever I was around her.

  I stretched my arm out and snagged my phone from the bedside table. The alarm I’d set was still ten minutes from going off, but I knew that it wouldn’t do any good for me to lounge in bed until it did. It made more sense for me to spend a little extra time in the shower. My hand wasn’t exactly the attention my cock would’ve preferred, but it was the quickest way to solve my problem.

  Paig
e’s text had only given me a time and an address, not an explanation of what the place was or what I’d be doing, so I was surprised when the taxi dropped me off in front of The Kamden McBride Foundation, a private organization that worked with veterans.

  How had Paige figured out that I was connected to this place? No one knew about my yearly anonymous donations. I hadn’t even told my mom or sisters about it. I supposed Paige could’ve followed the money, but that would’ve taken some serious resources. Unnecessary ones at that since all she would’ve needed to do was ask me. It didn’t fit with what I knew about her. And Chester couldn’t have told her because he managed me, not my money, and certainly not my inheritance.

  As long as Paige didn’t reveal my monetary contributions, I wouldn’t push the issue, but I was curious.

  She was leaning against the front of the building when I arrived, absorbed in something on her phone, and I allowed myself a moment to appreciate how her skirt showed off her legs. Her hair was pulled up behind her head, a few waves left to frame her face, and the memory of my dream hit me hard. I could almost feel the silk of her hair across my palm.

  This was going to be a long day.

  But, apparently, a good one.

  I didn’t have much time for things to think about my dream, or about the club I’d invited her to, because as soon as we walked into the building, she put me to work.

  I talked to every veteran there, thanked them for their service, listened to the things that concerned them. And I shared about my father, how I remembered what it was like to say goodbye when he left for tours, somehow knowing – even as a kid – that he might not come back. I told them about the first time I remembered going to the airfield to pick him up, about answering the door when a pair of officers came to tell us that he wouldn’t be coming home again.

  Talking about it wasn’t as difficult as I’d imagined.

  I played requests, everything from “Happy Birthday” to “God Bless America” to “Sweet Home Alabama,” and for the first time in a long time – with the exception of playing for those kids – music was fun. And not just for me either. Everyone was smiling and laughing, including Paige and me.

  For hours, I didn’t think about all the stupid things I’d done or what else I was going to need to do to get my career back on track. I even managed to keep from thinking too much about how much I wanted to drag Paige somewhere private and show her how good it would be to submit to me.

  As things wound down, she and I finally had a couple minutes to stand back and breathe.

  “Thank you,” I said quietly.

  “Just doing my job.”

  I reached over and grabbed her hand. Her eyes widened, but she didn’t pull away. “No, you could have set me up with some flashy publicity stunts and considered your job complete. You didn’t just gloss over what I’d done, give it a Band-Aid. You found things that I’d actually enjoy and be good at.”

  She shrugged. “I didn’t need to change who you are, or re-vamp your image. People just needed a little reminder of why they liked you in the first place.”

  “I needed the reminder too,” I said, squeezing her hand. “Thank you, again.”

  For a brief moment, I thought we’d address the connection we couldn’t seem to shake, but then her phone rang, and it was over.

  She turned to take the call, and I started to make my goodbyes. By the time she was done, I had a taxi waiting, and the two of us walked out together. I tried not to think of how similar this was to what had happened just a week before. I knew I couldn’t kiss her this time, and not only because the taxi didn’t offer us the same privacy. If I was going to see if the two of us could be something more, then I needed to play this right.

  Which meant, as we pulled up in front of Paige’s apartment building, I leaned toward her. “About my reward…”

  Twenty

  Paige

  Dress sexy, he’d said. He asked me to a club, told me to dress sexy, and then let the taxi carry him away. I’d spent most of the night wondering if I’d imagined it or if it had been some impulsive gesture that he’d immediately regretted. Then, this morning, he sent me a text, telling me when he’d be by to pick me up.

  And I’d spent the rest of the day switching between trying to talk myself into canceling things and finding the perfect outfit.

  By the time I finished my light dinner, I’d decided to see things through and then settled on a dress for the night. The most daring dress I’d ever owned. A deep, rich green, it made my eyes pop and my skin glow. It clung to every curve, had a daring neckline, and the length was short enough that I’d never been comfortable wearing it before. I’d never had anywhere to go where it’d seemed appropriate. Certainly not any work function.

  This, though, wasn’t a work function. It didn’t matter that Reb had joked about it being a reward for his good behavior. We both knew we were crossing a line here. Going to an art show had been getting close to unprofessional behavior even before the incident in the limo, but a club…even before he’d said to dress sexy, I’d known it meant something more, though what, exactly, I didn’t know.

  I buzzed him up and smoothed down some non-existent wrinkles as I waited for him to come to the door. My stomach was in knots, reminding me why I’d previously avoided this sort of thing, and the fact that I thought Reb was worth all this trouble freaked me out almost as much as the date itself. Maybe more, if I was being totally honest with myself.

  Then I was opening the door and praying that I didn’t embarrass myself. The stunned expression on his face as he saw me calmed my nerves a bit. It wasn’t the type of shock that came with a condescending I never thought you could look that good statement, but rather the same sort of breathless oh that I had going on when I saw him.

  He wore fitted pants that were either leather or denim but did amazing things for him either way. His shirt was short-sleeved and tight, emphasizing the muscles I’d felt the previous week while showing off the tattoos on his arms. He definitely looked more the bad-boy rock star tonight than the wealthy philanthropist, and even though I didn’t want it to, my body tightened in response.

  “Damn…” he finally said.

  His eyes had darkened to a shade of purple I hadn’t realized was even possible, and the heat in them turned my insides to liquid.

  “Not so bad yourself,” I admitted, my voice shakier than I liked.

  He grinned at that and held out a hand. “Shall we?”

  I placed my hand in his and tried not to shiver. His fingers wrapped around mine, his grip firm, but not too tight. Neither of us spoke as we made our way down to the car he had waiting. It wasn’t a limo, but it was definitely nicer than anything I could’ve afforded.

  Once we were settled into the back, the driver pulled away from the curb, and Reb poured me a glass of champagne. I wasn’t much of a drinker, but I appreciated the chance to have something to take the edge off.

  “After we get there,” he broke the silence, “if you’re uncomfortable, if you want to go, just tell me.”

  I frowned. “Uncomfortable? I wasn’t raised Amish, Reb.” Why did people always assume that just because I was a virgin or because I wasn’t a social person, that I was sheltered?

  He finished the rest of his drink and set his glass aside. “I can tell.” His eyes sparkled. “The dress gives it away.”

  I laughed, and some of the tension in my chest eased. Not all of it though, because I was still trying to figure out why Reb thought a club would make me uncomfortable.

  As soon as we passed through the short foyer and into the club itself, his reasoning became clear.

  Because this wasn’t just some swanky private club; it was a sex club. Specifically, an S&M club, or a BDSM club, as was more accurate.

  “Paige?”

  I looked up to see Reb watching me with a concerned expression on his face. I raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to show me around, or should I find someone else to do it?”

  His expression darkened, and he
stepped closer to me. “You’re here with me, Paige.”

  A little thrill went through me at his words. They should have bothered me, but something about them told me it wasn’t meant as an insult. It didn’t take a genius to figure out his role here. He carried himself with the sort of power that demanded attention, and it wasn’t only in his professional life. He drew people to him, and I wasn’t the only one who saw it, who felt it. Thanks to popular entertainment over the last few years, I knew the title for someone like that was Dominant.

  He took my hand and tucked it tight against his side, taking me farther into the club. I felt eyes on us, and it wasn’t just my imagination. People moved around him, smiling, dipping their heads. The looks I got were more curious than hostile, but there were a few people – men and women alike – who didn’t seem too pleased with my presence. No one said anything though.

  Not that I would have noticed it if they had. A slow, seductive beat pulsed through the club, but it wasn’t the music that had my attention. No, I was trying to act like seeing leather-clad, chain-wearing couples grinding against each other was normal for me. Like the threesome on the stage wasn’t anything new.

  Both men were bare-chested and wore black leather pants, but that was where the similarities ended. One was well over six feet tall and solid, like a linebacker. He was dark-haired, with a square, blunt-looking face. The other was shorter and slimmer, with pale hair and a narrow face.

  The woman was tiny, probably even smaller than Sine, with piles of golden blonde hair, and pierced nipples. Which were both clearly visible beneath the sheer, shimmery dress she wore.

  “Let’s get a seat to watch the show,” Reb said, putting his mouth next to my ear so I could hear him.