Lily and the Billionaire: The Complete Collection

by Ana Vela

  She was aware that she probably seemed like a different person; the last time they had communicated she had been in the depths of a man-hating inner rant following a disappointing sexual exploit with Daniel; whereas now…well, she could still feel the glow of her most recent encounter with Daniel and his girlfriend.

  Edwin seemed to read her thoughts, commenting softly:

  "You are having a better day today, aren’t you?"

  Lily nodded, grinning. "I've never been in this place before - didn't even know there was somewhere like this in London! It's beautiful." she enthused. "You want to try this tea?"

  He nodded, and she picked up the silver teapot by the little cushion which was thoughtfully placed on its handle, pouring what to her surprise turned out to be a deep red liquid into the two glasses.

  "Oooh, looks interesting", she said.

  "What is it?" inquired Edwin.

  "I have no idea", she admitted.

  "Ah!" said Edwin, pleased. "Good. It’s always healthy to embrace the unknown". He picked up his cup and lifted it, raising it to Lily in salute. She raised hers to him, and looked into his eyes as they said "cheers". It reminded her of the first time she had tried Daniel's herbal tea, and memories of that glorious erotic time filled her with pleasure and arousal. She lifted the tea to her lips and sipped. It was sweet and a little spicy, with a deep flavour that seemed to penetrate her entire body with soft warmth.

  "Wow!" she breathed, closing her eyes to really take in the flavour. Edwin did the same, clearly enjoying the tea as much as she. They opened their eyes at the same time, and Lily felt an electric schock as they locked gazes again.

  "Sayeed has really given us a special one,” noted Edwin, with pleasure.

  "You know what it is?" asked Lily, intrigued. Edwin sipped again, exploratively.

  "There is definitely hibiscus in there,” he noted. "But…I don't know what else…"

  "Hibiscus! Wow. I've never had hibiscus tea before". The word evoked in Lily strong images of tropical islands and steamy jungle nights; pure exoticity. Edwin smiled at her, appreciating her child-like pleasure.

  "So, you have been here before?" asked Lily.

  "Oh yes. I love it in this place.”

  "Somehow it doesn't seem to…suit you", pointed out Lily. He laughed.

  "Ah yes, you mean my suit doesn’t fit in here?” he laughed, playfully brushing the sleeves of his woollen suit in a faux-businesslike manner, continuing, “We always have the surface image to consider.”

  Lily fidgeted, confused; not at all sure how serious he was being.

  "But…Who you are inside is reflected on the surface", she pointed out; "unless you are lying to yourself".

  "Aha!" breathed Edwin, leaning forwards, his eyes shining at her as if she had just made a very important discovery; "but who are you?"

  Lily laughed. "So you're a philosopher!"

  Edwin sat back, delighted. "Isn’t everyone? But like everyone, I'm also… many other things…"

  He smiled enigmatically and Lily, helplessly intrigued, prompted, "I'd love to hear all about them…"

  "That makes me feel incredible", admitted Edwin, "but sometimes, words are inadequate. These things are always best when we….show them".

  Lily looked down, tongue-tied. What can you say to a comment like that? Still she was feeling very comfortable in his presence. She was surprised how different she felt from when she had seen him in the coffee shop. She had marked him down then as an inconsiderate businessman; lost in the world of money to the point where he could not see any other way of getting things.

  "I suppose it doesn't really make sense to judge on first appearances", she mused slowly, sipping the delectable tea again.

  "A quick recognition of a person’s character can be very useful, though", pointed out Edwin. "How many areas of life do you know where people use their clothes to their advantage?

  Lily could certainly think of one. She looked down at her top, one of her tried and tested tip-bringers; a skin-hugging affair with short sleeves which was made of a kind of iridescent material that somehow reflected two different colours, and whose collar revealed just enough cleavage to pique the imagination.

  "But when I use my clothes for work, I'm still being myself", she said. "It's not like I lie to people".

  "Still, maybe it's unavoidable to be putting on some kind of character", remarked Edwin. "There's nothing wrong with that, of course - it's fun – as long as we remember that whichever role we play, we’re always much more than that."

  He sipped his tea, smiling in a way which seemed to say, 'but what do I know, anyway?' and fell silent again.

  Lily considered this. "I don't know if everyone feels that way", she remarked.

  "No," agreed Edwin, "many people are playing games very seriously when they are really only games. Sometimes it can get overwhelming, especially in this city. That's why I love coming here!" he gestured around at the delightful little bar. "It's so rare to find a place in London to come and relax. A place for the reflection of what people feel deeply, inside. Not just"-

  "Not just a dingy room where the only thing people care about is getting drunk and looking at girls", finished Lily, thinking about her own place of work. If The Corner was a reflection of someone's deeper self, that person could probably do with some kind of counselling.

  "Indeed", nodded Edwin. "Or maybe even worse are the brightly lit, shiny places filled with phony decorations. Do you notice that people there seem to have this uneasy sense that something is…missing in their lives?"

  Lily nodded, shuddering. He was speaking her deepest feelings; feelings which she had not thought about for a long time, too engrossed had she been in just working to try and make a living.

  One of the reasons why she had chosen to find bar work when she first moved to London rather than something with higher pay was her conviction that she did not want to be another dreary person in a suit, slowly losing her soul as she spent every day surrounded by grey. At least in a bar she was constantly interacting with people. True, sometimes she deeply resented this interaction, but it was real, in a way that she could not imagine with a nine to five office job.

  "Do you feel this sense that something is missing?" she asked him across the table, her eyes roving around his muscular frame. He certainly gave an air of being generally satisfied with life, and he confirmed this by smiling,

  "Me? Not anymore."

  Yet his eyes twinkled at her playfully, and she got the impression that he felt she knew what she should be asking next. Unsure, however, she sat lost in thought. This was certainly one of the most unusual conversations she could ever remember having. Edwin did not seem to want to talk just for the sake of talking; they had had none of the usual social exchanges and she realised that she had not found out anything about his life; how he lived or where he was from.

  ‘Who knows?’ she thought. Maybe underneath this talk he was just a ruthless businessman, who kicks people to get them out of his way.

  But, she wasn't sure she could believe that. She did feel she was getting to know him and was enjoying the sensation of not feeling like she had to talk. They sat together in silence, comfortable, content to be without words for now. A huge mixture of emotions were being provoked inside Lily which she did not want to consider now; however, she felt tantalisingly close to…well, to something.

  "And you?" Edwin asked gently, after some minutes of simply sitting and drinking their tea.

  "Huh?" asked Lily, "what about me?"

  "Do you feel that something is missing?"

  "Umm…" Lily looked down and then glanced up, wondering what to tell him. "Well, sometimes. I suppose…" she added thoughtfully, "that everyone feels it, sometimes.”

  He laughed. "You may be right", he twinkled at her. "And it's important to have things around us to help us remember what it is we really want".

  "Like what?" asked Lily, intrigued.

  "Inspiration. It comes from everywhere. From our friends... an
d our lovers." His sea-coloured eyes met hers and for a moment they seemed to be seeing inside her very soul. She felt a delicious twinge, down in her intimate regions, and breathed deeply, trying to contain her feelings.

  "Isn’t it important for our lover to be able to fulfil our…deepest desires?" he softly suggested.

  She gazed at him, thinking about Daniel and the threesome; and she felt her arousal, already stirred, growing steadily.

  "Isn’t our deepest need…" he added, "to express ourselves…?"

  She bit her lip, almost painfully turned on by his hypnotic presence.

  But suddenly his face cracked open in another illuminating grin, breaking the spell somewhat.

  “Of course, we express ourselves in all kinds of ways. What’s your favourite way?"

  Lily sighed, very confused. What game was he playing?

  "Well I… I like to paint", she offered. Somehow it sounded strange coming from her mouth. It was as if she was hearing an echo from a past self, which she had made quiet for so long that now she was unsure whether it could still speak up.

  "And when do you feel the most… inspired?" asked Edwin, leaning forwards.

  Lily considered. She supposed she hadn't felt inspired enough to paint for a long time. But she had been too busy working! She told herself.

  "If it wasn't for my job, I suppose I would be painting all the time", she said carefully. "But, you know…everyone has to work…" he nodded sympathetically, although she got the feeling that there was still an undercurrent of humour in him. Was what she was saying funny? Maybe, to such a successful man. She took her phone out and glanced at it, realising that she was out far later than she would like to be, considering that she had to work in the morning.

  "Hey, umm… I'm really sorry, but I'm going to have to go", she said, stifling a yawn. Her whole body felt ready to simply fall to the floor.

  "Sorry? It's so funny how often people say that here" he laughed. "You don't need to be sorry for anything! It's been a fantastic pleasure talking with you. I hope I didn't tire you out too much…"

  "Oh no, it wasn't you!" she assured him. "It's been an experience! Really." She looked him in the eyes, enjoying his powerful presence, almost as if he had some kind of huge force inside him; like a flood, controlled, and waiting to pour out at just the right moment.

  He moved towards her, giving her the impression of great energy, pulsating nearer.

  "Then perhaps you would grace me the enjoyment of a repeat experience?" he asked.

  She was already pulling her phone out of her bag, moved by his force, and handed it to him to put his number in. He did so with evident delight, and passed it back to her with another enigmatic, lingering glance. He got up to say goodbye, and kissed her politely, but tenderly, on the cheek. His lips were soft and almost humming with the power that she sensed so clearly from him. She tingled all over, closing her eyes for a second, drinking him in, forgetting herself. After a brief eternity she came to, and smiled at him.

  “Good night, Edwin", she said.

  “Good night, Lily.”

  She walked towards the door, and as she passed into the street she heard him once more.

  "Remember..." his smooth voice reaching her from deep within, "when we are giving our true gift, life is always easy."

  She paused under the awning, and nodded, though in some confusion. And as she took the final step, leaving the building, she felt like she was stepping through the gateway of a world of magic and wonder.

  *******

  As she walked towards the bus stop, fast to stop her legs from falling asleep, she realised that she had completely forgotten to pay for the tea. Oh well, she was sure Edwin would not mind. Especially if he was as loaded as he seemed. But if he was so rich and successful, why was he hanging out in a tiny, back street tea shop in South London? She wondered.

  ‘What a mysterious man,’ thought Lily, wondering what to make of him… not yet realising the depth of the enchantment.

  Over the next few days, she thought a lot about what Edwin had said about inspiration. And remembering that Daniel had asked her to become involved in an art project he was working on, she called him up, asking if she could begin painting with him.

  "Heeey, Lily!" he purred down the phone. "Of course you can! I can think of some fantastic things we can do with our…painting…" she could almost feel his erection through the airwaves, exciting her immensely.

  It was in very high spirits that she hunted out her art box and chose lovingly some of her favourite brushes, and a set of oil paints and one of watercolours, to take with her to Daniel's. He had said that he had materials but she wanted to bring some of hers anyway. It had been so long that it felt like a highly significant moment.

  Joanna, her flatmate, noticed Lily's unusual behaviour. "Wow! What are you going to paint?" she asked, highly intrigued.

  "I have no idea", admitted Lily, "but I'm sure I'm going to love it!"

  "Wow", said Joanna wistfully, "I wish my life was so exciting!"

  But maybe it can be, thought Lily as she sat on the bus to Daniel's place, looking out of the window at the winter sun beaming out for once, in a fleeting shaft of brilliance between the passing clouds. She supposed it was probably possible to find exciting things everywhere, if you looked. Maybe some people don't know how to look, though…

  She was definitely excited to get to Daniel's place. He had implied all kinds of things with his comments, and she was eagerly imagining them painting each other's entire bodies and then making wild sex-prints on a giant sheet.

  Or maybe I can paint things on him, she explored, fantasising about covering him in red with sexy little horns on his forehead, and a long, pointy tail. She giggled, breathing shallowly and glancing surreptitiously around to see if anyone on the bus could tell she was having erotic fantasies. Luckily they were all lost in their own individual worlds, plugged into headphones or staring at phone screens. At first Lily felt her arousal fading as she contemplated the all; not looking at each other; not speaking. But then she realised: they're probably all fantasising as well!

  At least, I hope they are…mused Lily. Licking her lips, she alighted and made her way eagerly to her rendez vous.

  She was still fantasising as she stood on Daniel's doorstep, and her knickers were already thoroughly moist by the time she entered his living room. He had relegated the cushions which habitually covered the floor liberally to the edges of the carpet, revealing a large space. She put down her bag and turned to him eagerly, her pussy moving almost without her noticing to point at him. "So," she said, "tell me all about your…project".

  He looked her up and down in unconcealed lust. She was wearing a tight red shirt which seemed to accentuate her curves in all the right places, and contrasted fantastically with her deep brown hair and green eyes.

  "Oh, it's a very exciting project,” he assured her, "it's going to be a mix of lots of different things… All of the most powerful media we can find, we will bring it together" - he stepped closer to Lily and clasped her hands - "bring it together in a fantastic fornication of colour and sound, and…" he pressed himself against her, rubbing his face on her neck, smelling the sweet smell of her arousal.

  “Of all the senses", he added softly.

  “Oh, really…" breathed Lily, very taken in. She pushed her face close to his, sticking out her tongue and licking his ears and cheeks.

  “All the senses, huh?" she asked, rolling her tongue over his lips, relishing his sighs of delight. She was feeling more and more that with Daniel, she could be all that she wanted to.

  "Mmmm…" he said, rubbing his whole body against hers. He was highly turned on by her excitement; more so than he had been even in their fully charged previous encounters.

  "Wow, Lily", he marvelled, "you are one sexy sexy lady!"

  They rubbed together again, enjoying each others' arousal, and he had to start unbuttoning that tight blouse of hers. He ripped the buttons open, so hard that one of them pinged off into a
corner, making them both laugh.

  "Music!" cried Daniel, and hurried over to the speaker set. Lily followed him and began to fondle him from behind, feeling his delightfully wide penis through his trousers, pushing her hand down inside to grip him seductively. He gasped, barely able to concentrate on the music machine he was fiddling with.

  "This music is the kind of thing I'm talking about for our project", he explained - with difficulty, because her hand was producing a lot of gasps and moans from him.

  "Oh, really?" asked Lily, intrigued on one level but also desiring, well - him. She spun him around as he stopped fiddling and a funky mix of latino and ska came through the speakers, with a meltingly smooth saxophone gliding over the top. Daniel grabbed Lily and pulled her to the space in the middle of the floor, gripping her hands as they began to dance wildly to the music. They stepped forwards, close enough to rub their crotches against each other - then back, giving each other flirtatious looks. Daniel spun Lily around with his hand above her head and as she spun back into him, laughing, she grabbed the belt of his trousers and undid it, as they continued to dance.