Forever Together

by Naughty Aphrodite

  Steve cast around for someone who looked to be in charge but saw nothing but pandemonium. Shrugging, he tapped the nearest person – a young redhead with three eyebrow piercings – on the shoulder.

  “Can I help you?” she asked, giving his expensive suit and healthy appearance a disdainful once-over.

  “I’d like to talk to the person in charge,” said Steve. “About a donation,” he continued, to make sure that he didn’t get sent away again with some excuse. Most people, he’d learned, found the promise of money difficult to turn down.

  “Well, your timing could be better,” said the girl, maintaining her disdain. “You want Selena. Go down the hall and her office is the third door on the right,” the redhead gestured to the hall at the far side of the chaos.

  “Thanks,” said Steve. He smiled, but the girl had already turned back to her packing. With a shrug, Steve began picking his way across the lobby.

  The hall was quieter and Steve massaged his throbbing temples. In retrospect, maybe he should have waited until this afternoon before coming down here. But Steve could never hold back his excitement. When an idea took him, he had to run with it right away.

  As instructed, he knocked on the third door on the right, which bore a nameplate reading Selena Moreno, Director. Whatever he had been expecting from the director of the help center, the beautiful Puerto Rican that opened the door was certainly not it. Tall and slender, Selena had long, lustrous brown hair and honey colored skin. Her large, hazel eyes looked up at Steve through thick lashes. And Steve made a concerted effort to keep his eyes on hers instead of letting them wander along her long legs and perfect curves. Her clingy red tank top and equally tight skinny jeans were not helping the cause.

  “Yes?” Selena asked, crossing her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow. Her body language made it clear that she didn’t have time for him.

  “Uh…I…” Steve swallowed and collected his thoughts. “I’d like to make a donation.”

  Chapter 4

  It was the center’s last week and Selena had a list as long as her leg of things to do before they closed their doors for good. So when there was an unexpected knock on her office she was not exactly pleased. Opening the door, she found herself looking at a handsome, well-dressed man. His dark, tightly-curled hair was stylishly cut and his expensive-looking and perfectly tailored suit accentuated his trim, muscular body. His dark eyes widened at the sight of her – she had that effect on unprepared men – and she fought to keep her own eyes from rolling. Who was this Philly asshole? Some politician in search of a publicity boost? She sighed mentally. Just what she needed: another fair-weather donor. Well, she told herself, least he was easy on the eyes.

  “Yes?” she asked brusquely when he said nothing.

  “Uh…I…” the man swallowed, clearly caught off guard. “I’d like to make a donation.”

  Selena laughed. “You’re a bit late, buddy,” she told him. “Thanks, but we’re already sunk.” Hoping that would be that, she took hold of the doorknob, her thoughts already back on her mountain of paperwork.

  “Wait,” said the man, putting a hand on the door to keep her from closing it. “I know this is totally eleventh hour, but I only just heard about this place this morning. Like, two hours ago.”

  “And what? You drove straight here?” Selena asked skeptically.

  “Pretty much,” the stranger replied. “I don’t want this place to close. I want to donate $50,000 to keep it running.”

  Selena laughed again. “That might sound generous to you, but, to be perfectly frank, that’s barely enough to cover all the repairs this place needs, never mind rent and staff salaries and supplies. Like I said: thanks, but you’re too late.”

  “Wait, please,” said the man. “Can we just talk about this for a second? I really do want to help.”

  Selena sighed. Clearly, she wasn’t going to get out of this so easily. “Okay, fine. Come into my office. Or what’s left of it at least. What’s your name anyway?”

  “Steve,” said the stranger, pulling a business card out of his wallet. “Steve Jackson.”

  “Well, Steve, I’m Selena, as I’m sure you already know.” She tucked the business card into her pocket with little more than a cursory glance and bent to pick a stack of files off a chair. She heaved them onto her already full desk and gestured for Steve to sit. As he did, she leaned against her desk, running a nail along the loosening trim of the plywood edge.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Steve.

  “Likewise, I’m sure,” Selena replied, though she honestly couldn’t care less. “Anyway, like I said, Steve, this place supports a huge quantity of kids in a variety of different ways. It takes a lot of money to keep it going and government funding just isn’t what it used to be. While I appreciate you’re coming all the way over here, I’m afraid that $50,000 simply isn’t enough to keep this place running. Now, I have a lot of work to do before we close on Friday, so if you wouldn’t mind letting me get back to my filing, I’d very much appreciate it.”

  “I know it’s not enough,” said Steve, staying in his seat. “I’m well aware of how many homeless kids there are in this neighborhood. That’s why I don’t just want to donate $50,000. I want to donate $50,000 every month.”

  Selena felt her eyebrows rise. “Every month?” she echoed. “That’s…very generous of you.” She frowned at the wealthy man in front of her. “What do you want in return?” she asked.

  Steve looked genuinely surprised. “Uh, nothing?” he answered. “Should I want something in return?”

  She smiled. “You people always want something in return: a tax break, a photo shoot for your electoral campaign. What’s the price tag on your donation?”

  The man chuckled. “It honestly doesn’t have one. But, if it makes you feel better, how about you come for dinner with me tonight and we can go over the finances and see if we can make this work. That’s my price.”

  “I’m not going, fuck you,” said Selena bluntly. “I love this place, but I won’t sell myself for it.”

  Steve looked shocked and his face went red. It was actually kind of cute, Selena thought.

  “I…I wasn’t…I just…” Steve cleared his throat. “Selena, I don’t expect any favors of any kind from you. I just want to help. You can come to dinner or not. I’ll donate the $50,000 regardless.”

  Her curiosity got the better of her and Selena gave in. “Okay, fine. What time?”

  “How’s 7? I can pick you up if you’d like.”

  “I’ll still be here at 7,” she said.

  “Great,” Steve smiled warmly, “then I’ll know where to pick you up. See you tonight, Selena.”

  Already regretting her decision, Selena nodded goodbye as Steve left her office, closing the door behind him.

  ***

  7 o’clock rolled around much faster than Selena had thought possible. On her lunch break, she’d dashed home to get her second best dress out of the back of her closet and stuff it, a pair of heels and her makeup bag into a backpack. After everyone else had left for the night, she had a quick shower in the center’s bathrooms, which were empty for the first time in the center’s history, and shimmied into her dress. It was shortly before 7, so Selena hurried to put on her face and do her hair.

  Turning herself this way and that, she took stock of the final result and nodded in satisfaction. Her hair was out of her face in a simple milkmaid braid, which always looked fancier than it was, and her green dress clung to her body in all the right places and brought out her eyes. She put on a simple gold necklace and earrings and slid into her heels. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d worn these shoes. Working at the center was exhausting and didn’t leave her much time – or much money - for partying. If nothing else, it would be nice to have a night out.

  At 7 exactly, Selena watched from just inside the center as a sleek black car of a kind not often seen in Camden glided to a stop in front of the building
. Steve appeared out of the back seat and held open the door, smiling at Selena through the center’s glass doors. He really was a very handsome man, Selena thought, eyeing the way his suit stretched across his muscular shoulders.

  “Hello again,” said Steve as she came out to meet him.

  “Hi,” she said, her tone as brusque as it had been that morning. Just because he was pretty did not mean that he wasn’t wasting her time, and Selena had more important things to think about than sexy millionaires wanting to play saint.

  Except, as the night went on, it became more and more difficult to remind herself of this. Steve’s driver took them to one of the fanciest restaurants in Philadelphia, and Selena suddenly felt underdressed in her simple dress and cheap jewelry. But, if he noticed it, Steve didn’t seem to care in the least how other diners looked her as he guided her to their table.

  “Would you like to choose the wine?” Steve asked, offering her the list.

  Selena shook her head emphatically. “God, no. I trust your judgment.” Selena didn’t know the first thing about expensive wine. She usually just bought whichever bottle had the prettiest label.

  “I’m glad to hear it,” Steve smiled and rattled off some incomprehensible vintage to the waiter, who was eyeing Selena with ill-concealed disdain. Turning back to Selena, Steve watched her fidget in her seat. “You look uncomfortable,” he said.

  Selena blushed to be caught out. “I…this just isn’t really my crowd,” she gestured at the other diners with her chin.

  Steve glanced around the restaurant and then turned back to Selena, smiling. “Forget about them, Selena. People with money think that they’re the only ones with the right to certain privileges, but they’re wrong. This is a democracy after all. I’ve found that the best with people like that is to simply go in acting like you own the place. After all, you have just as much right to be here as they do.”

  “Act like I own the place?” Selena asked with a doubtful smile.

  Steve nodded. “98% of people are wildly insecure, no matter how rich they are. If you act confident, they’ll follow your lead simply because they’re afraid of doing something wrong. Though, if you’d like,” he smiled at her and Selena felt something flip flop in her stomach, “we can always go somewhere else.”

  Selena glanced around the restaurant at the wealthy diners and shook her head. “No, there’s no way I’d ever be able to afford this place on my own. I don’t want to miss my chance,” she gave him an impish smile.

  He laughed. “Fair enough. Now, when the waiter comes back, I’m going to get him to have you taste the wine. He’ll pour a little into your glass. Swirl it around a few times, smell it, then taste just a tiny bit. Let it sit in your mouth for a moment. Then, as if you were doing him an enormous favor, nod your approval, okay?”

  Selena giggled. “Got it,” she said.

  “Excellent. Now, do you know what you want?”

  When the waiter returned, she sat up very straight and did as Steve instructed, doing her best to look unimpressed by the entire procedure. The waiter smiled at her ingratiatingly and poured them both more. Steve ordered for them and the waiter went off again.

  “Fantastic job,” said Steve, raising his wine glass to toast her performance.

  “This is really nice wine,” she replied, slightly breathlessly, as she clinked her glass to his.

  “Yes,” he replied, “it is.”

  As the night wore on, Steve charmed Selena more and more. He was funny, smart, and very down to earth for someone worth a cool two billion. Whenever he smiled at her, Selena could feel her stomach turn over and her pussy tingle. But, as this dinner only made more evident, he may as well be from another planet. He was rich, successful, and confident, whereas all she had were street smarts and a scrappy attitude. She’d been born and raised in Camden and, for all that she was smart and tough, she didn’t think she could ever fit into the glitzy world that Steve inhabited.

  At the end of the night, as his driver pulled up in front of her dingy apartment building, Selena looked up into Steve’s warm eyes and fought back the urge to kiss him. Forget it, she told herself. He’s probably got five supermodel girlfriends waiting for him all around the world.

  “Thank you,” said Steve softly. “I had a very nice night.”

  Selena laughed. “It’s me that should be thanking you, Steve. I haven’t eaten so well in all my life.”

  He smiled. “Well, maybe that, if nothing else, will convince you to come out with me again one day.”

  She smiled wryly. “Yeah, maybe,” she replied. She doubted she’d ever see him again.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow to go over the building refurbishments,” he told her. “I’ll bring the first check.”

  “Sure,” she said, still unconvinced. “See you tomorrow, then.”

  He nodded. “Bye, Selena.”

  “Bye, Steve.”

  They sat looking at each other a moment longer, neither really wanting to leave. Then Selena cleared her throat and, with another smile, got out of the car. She watched it drive away feeling a little sad. She was sure Steve would have forgotten all about her and the center by the next day.

  Chapter 5

  Sunlight woke Steve from a very nice dream. He and Selena had been alone in last night’s restaurant and he’d been going down on her on the fancy parquet floor. She’d been screaming his name and just about to come when his alarm had gone off.

  With a groan, Steve rolled over, one hand on his throbbing erection. He knew he’d only known her for a day, but he’d never been so taken with someone in all his life. As he waited for his hard-on to fade, Steve reached for the phone. He wanted to drop off his check right away so that they could reopen as soon as possible. And yes, while he could just have the money transferred, he felt this was a good excuse to see Selena again.

  When his driver dropped him off at the center, Steve was surprised to find that everyone was still packing. With a frown, he headed for Selena’s office. His knock was greeted with a barked, “Yes?” Pushing open the door, he stepped inside.

  “What do you nee—Steve!” Selena’s surprise was evident as she looked up from her work.

  “I told you I’d be by today,” he said with a faint smile, “and yet you still seemed shocked.”

  Selena blushed. “I didn’t really think that you would go through with it,” she admitted.

  “Used to being let down?” he asked rhetorically.

  She nodded.

  “Well, I’m a man of my word,” said Steve as he passed her the promised check. “Plus, I’d like to help out, if I can be of any use. I’m pretty good at lifting and hammering, if you need any of that,” he smiled.

  Selena blinked, noticing for the first time that he wasn’t wearing his usual suit. Instead, he was sporting a purple t-shirt and gloriously form-fitting jeans. “I…that would be great,” she grinned.

  ***

  The week went on and Steve came down every day to help get the center back on its feet. With his money, they renovated the old building, adding new facilities and modernizing the ones they already had. The work was moving quickly and Selena hoped to have the place up and running by the end of the month. The only snag was her growing feelings for Steve.

  After several weeks of working side by side, Selena had found herself falling for the charming billionaire in a way that she never had before. Unlike most of the men she’d known, he could be counted on to show up when he said he’d show up, to finish what he said he’d finish, and to do all of it with a smile. But despite his open, down-to-earth nature, Selena still balked at the idea of telling him about her past life on the streets of Camden. Everyone had their limits, and she was sure dating an ex-drug addict/thief was beyond Steve’s. So, she admired from afar and told herself to get real.

  Steve, on the other hand, was doing his best to convince her to open up. The more time he spent with Selena, the more he admired her – and the more he was convinced th
at she was the woman for him. One Friday he decided to seize the day. He dawdled getting his work done, saying goodbye to everyone else as they left, knowing that Selena always stayed an hour or two longer than the others. When everyone was finally gone, he took his chance.

  “Yes?” Selena’s voice answered his knock.

  Steve pushed open her office door. “It’s just me.”

  Selena smiled at him. “What can I do for you, Steve?”

  The billionaire swallowed. “Well, I was hoping you would come out for a drink with me.”

  Selena’s eyebrows shot up. “I…uh, I have a lot of work to do,” she stalled.

  “Nothing that can’t wait until Monday,” Steve replied. “Please, Selena.”

  Selena sighed. “Okay,” she said at last. “I’d…that’d be nice.”