Billionaire’s Quarry: A Billionaire, Bad Boy, Romance (An Alpha Billionaire Romance Boxed Set) (80 page)

Peyton

Pax chews on Rachelle’s cell phone. Thank goodness it’s in a case that’s water proof. “So he had the unmitigated gall to hold on to you like you were his possession as you slept?” I ask her as she’s told me Blake holds her like he owns her all night long. “The bastard!”

I cover my mouth as Pax looks up at me and laughs then says, “Asturd.”

My cheeks go red. “Now I have to get Kip to say that word in front of Pax so he never can blame me for that new word that was just added to Pax’s small vocabulary. Crap!”

“Rap,” Pax parrots.

Rachelle picks up her drink and motions toward my son. “One day, even little Paxxie Poo is going to be a grown man and how will he treat women? Like he owns them, I bet.”

“You might want to slow down on the slow gin fizzes there, Shell. Just sayin’ it’s your second and you’re kinda looking a little woozy.” I pick up Pax and hold him on my lap.

She looks at her half full glass. “How much damn alcohol did you put in here, anyway, Peyt?”

“One lid full to a whole coke. You’re kind of a lightweight, Shelly. Sorry to break it to you.”

With a groan she puts the glass down. “Why does life have to be so difficult? Why does the thought of a man holding me as I sleep have to make me so mad? Why is it that the thought of him never holding me all night again makes me so upset? Why, Peyttie, why?”

“Cause you want him to do that for you, sweetie. We all want someone to care for us. But letting that into our head is hard as anything. I was thinking I didn’t need Kip to take care of our son. Now I can’t think about having to do this all on my own.” I get up and carry Pax with me to go sit by her and put my arm around her.

She buries her head in my chest. “I love him, don’t I?”

“I think it’s quite possible you do, sweetie. It’s not all bad, I promise you.” I pat her shoulder and she starts to cry.

My heart feels as if it’s breaking for her as she says, “What if I let myself fall in love with him and he leaves me alone like my mother did. If she could do it to a little, adorable three-year-old, he could do it to a mean, old, twenty-one-year-old.”

He could, I know he could and I know it would devastate her, but what is life if you never take a chance?

“Yeah, you’re right. Don’t risk it. Go it alone. Do what you’ve been doing. Leave love out of it. There was that last guy. What was his name again, Rick? Yeah. Rick. Maybe call him. You could never fall in love with that asshole.” I pat her back and she laughs a little.

“He was awful, Peyton. I only let you in on about half of what he did. I was afraid you’d go kick his ass.” She looks at Pax and he’s already trying to form the word with his mouth. I thrust her cell phone back into his little mouth. “Oops, I mean, bobo. I was afraid you’d go kick his bobo if you knew what all he did to me. It was degrading, and I allowed it. I allowed that to happen to me. Why? Why do you think I did that?”

Now she’s really letting me in and I can see she needs more help than she’s let on before. “I tell you what. I do think you need time away from men. Maybe someone to talk to who knows about these things isn’t such a bad idea after all. There’s not a one of us who’s perfect. Everyone needs help now and again.”

She looks up at me with tear stained cheeks. “But a shrink? I don’t want to be labeled a nut job, Peyt. Do you really think a shrink is what I need?”

“Let’s not call it that. Let’s call it a good friend who knows a lot about things, helping another friend out. I’ll find you someone.”

She shakes her head. “Peyton, I can’t afford that.”

“You know I’m not going to allow you to pay for this. It’s a friend helping a friend after all. Nothing more than that.”

The way she lays her entire weight, which isn’t much, on me tells me she needs me more than ever. She saved me once, I can help her now. She’s a good girl with a good head on her narrow shoulders.

Her words come out soft as if she’s exhausted. “Peyton, it’s just what Blake and I have is so intense. It’s as if I really do need him. My body and mind not only want him, I need him. And why does that make me so angry?”

“It just does for some freaky reason,” I say as I hold her to me and Pax runs his tiny hand over her long, black hair.

It would be nice if life was a little bit easier!

Blake

The rain is still pouring down as I take the young woman Kip set me up with to make Rachelle jealous into the restaurant she works at. Peyton let Kip know Rachelle went back to work even though she didn’t need to yet.

Kip found this groupie, and she is hot. Blonde, short, tight, red dress and sky high heels. Not my type at all, but hot none-the less. She checked her make-up on the short drive here not one time but six, count them, six times. Reapplying her red lipstick three of those times.

If I kiss her it is a fact my lips will slide off hers and look every bit as red as hers are right now. Her boobs and ass are fake as hell too. But hey, I need a little arm candy and she’ll do.

The restaurant Rachelle is doing her internship at is a five-star thing of beauty. Not according to my date, Cleo, though. She says her name is Cleopatra. I have my doubts, but why wouldn’t a woman who has changed nearly every God-given thing about herself change her name too?

We sit down and order a couple of drinks and I watch Cleo scan the room. She leans in and whispers as she holds her Champagne cocktail in her long, slender hand with long, red, fake fingernails, “Not too fancy for five-stars. This drink is watered down and I’m not at all impressed. Is that Miley Cyrus? What a dump!”

“A dump, huh? I don’t know, it looks pretty good to me. And I hear the food is excellent,” I say as I pick up the menu and look for something to eat.

Cleo sits back and sips her drink. “Order me something, stud. I hardly eat anyway. I have to maintain this figure after all.” Her skinny hand flows over her no curve body.

“Yeah, that’s a thing of miracles,” I say as I think about how it’s a miracle she’s alive.

Dark eyebrows arch up at me as she wags the half full glass at me. “Miracles? Now what you have going on is a miracle. But I’m sure you know that. What are the chances that after dinner you and I can play with each other for a little while? I bet I can make you scream!”

 
Oh! I know she would!!!

I smile and wag a finger at her. “Now, Cleo, behave yourself.”

“Never!” she says and takes the rest of the drink down in one gulp. She snaps her fingers. “Garcon, another please!”

The night creeps by as my fake date orders drink after drink and curls her nose up at the food placed in front of her. “This will never do! Who made this slop?”

I nearly fall on the floor and have to take in a deep breath. “Cleo, I don’t think that’s a real good idea.”

With a snap of her long fingers the waiter walks away. “I’ll get her, madam.”

Fuck me! He’s going to get her!

Cleo looks over at me and my plate of delicious chicken and snarls. “Don’t worry, lover. I’ll have the little imp who tortured your chicken fix that as well.”

“Mine’s fantastic, please don’t bring my food up to her.” I see Rachelle in all black, her hair pulled into a ponytail.

She walks up to Cleo without noticing me as Cleo stands up and turns to her. Cleo’s finger moves back and forth in Rachelle’s face before she can say a word, Cleo says, “So you think you know how to cook. Let me tell you that you do not! You have no business in that kitchen. The salad was bland, I took one bite and hated it. And how can you call that Salmon? That is Cod, bitch!”

Rachelle’s eyebrows go way up. “Mam, if you are indeed a mam, let me assure you that the fish on your plate is Salmon. It’s a pink color while Cod is white. But if you prefer, I will make you something else.”

Cleo’s long arm moves, and she points to me. “And my man’s chicken is raw.”

I most likely have a deer in the headlights expression on my face as Rachelle looks around Cleo and sees me. I smile and wave a little. Red covers her face and neck and what is showing of her arms. She looks back at Cleo. “Did you say your man?”

“I did,” Cleo says as her head bobs around. “So, how do you suppose you can fix this?”

“How could you?” Rachelle asks as she runs away.

How could I?

“What’s her problem?” Cleo asks. She sits down and I motion for the waiter to come over.

“Sir?” he asks.

I whisper in his ear. “Have a cab take this woman home and I’ll give you a thousand dollars. I swear.” I place a hundred-dollar bill in his palm and he looks at it then grins.

“Will do, sir.”

I give Cleo a smile. “Hey, I gotta go use the facilities.” I get up and she waves me away as she slurps down a lot more booze.

Rachelle barrels, if you can call what a tiny, five foot two woman doing barreling, out of the ladies’ room. Once her red-rimmed eyes catch mine, she turns on her heel and goes right back inside.

I stop outside the door. It’s been two weeks since she tossed me out of her apartment. Two weeks since I’ve seen her face. Two weeks since I’ve tasted her sweet kiss.

A woman walks out and I take her by the arm. “How many others are in there?” I ask in desperation.

“Only one,” she says as she looks me over. “I think she works here.”

“Good, thanks.” I let her go and run my hands over my white starched button up shirt and my black slacks.

To the left I crick my neck and place my hands on my waist. Then I repeat the process to my right and open the frosted glass door. My angel stands at the first sink and she has tears running over her pink cheeks.

My heart breaks into a million pieces and I hold my arms out. “Baby!”

Soapy water is thrown into my eyes and I’m blinded.

Rachelle

“Why would you bring another woman here, Blake?” I scream at him.

He wipes the soapy water out of his now red dimmed eyes. At least his now look like he’s been crying just like mine do. One hand he throws out and grabs my wrist.

“To see how you would react and you did a lot more than I thought you would do, Rachelle.” He tugs at me to move into his arms, but I hold my ground.

“That was cruel. You know it is and I just can’t believe you would do that to me,” I shriek at him.

His hand on my wrist is sending heat through me and I shake him off. He looks wounded as he looks at his hand. “Baby, please stop this.”

I turn to walk out of the ladies’ restroom and his hand lands on my shoulder, spinning me back to him. My hand flies out and lands on his tight stomach. My insides turn to mush in an instant.

Though I’m furious at him my damn body falls into his. His arm runs around my shoulder, pulling me tighter to him. His soft lips touch the top of my head and I start to quake inside.

With a little groan, I run my hand over his pecs and abs and my knees go weak. “Blake, I…” I stop my mouth from saying what it wants to.

“What do you want, Rachelle? I’ll give you anything you want.” His hands roam all over my back and through my ponytail.

Sweet kisses he pecks on top of my head and then I look up and he peepers my face with them. “You,” I say and he picks me up and walks forward until my back is against the frosted glass of the door.

He presses into me as he moves his lips to cover mine and I’m lost. I can’t struggle any longer. I need him. I need him to take me this way. I guess I always will.

My breasts mash against his hard pecs as his tongue swirls over mine. I cup the back of his head to make him kiss me harder. My other hand pulls at the buttons on his shirt. I have to have my hand on his silky, soft skin which flows over the rock hard muscles he’s hiding under the shirt.

I melt as my palm touches the first pec. My stomach tightens and I moan with how wonderful it feels. His hands fidget with his pants and I can feel his hard cock as he pulls it out and presses it to me.

He pushes my pants down in the front and moves my panties to the side and I wrap my legs around him. His massive hard on slides into me achingly slow and it takes my breath away as it does.

My lips quiver and I pull my mouth from his. Our foreheads touch and our eyes meet as he moves into and out of me slowly. His mouth moves as he says, “I love you, Rachelle.”

Tears fall over my cheeks and I want to return his words, but I can’t make myself do it. He’s too dangerous to me. Look what he has me doing in the restroom of where I work!

“Harder,” I whisper.

“As you wish,” he says then pulls back and pounds into me. Over and over he pounds into me until I can take no more and shatter around him.

“Blake,” I breathe out his name as I find the orgasm that’s waited for him to bring it on.

“Rachelle,” he says in a hoarse whisper. “Baby, I love you.”

He stiffens and groans as he releases his hot juices into me. My body shakes as it knows he has to let me go and it doesn’t want that at all. My feet hit the floor when he releases me.

With a step back he fixes his clothes as I fix mine and we walk to the sink to wash our hands. He fixes my ponytail which was knocked askew as he pressed me to the door.

“When do you get off?” he asks as he runs his hands through my hair, combing it down to straighten the little rogue hairs.

“Ten, why?” I ask as I dry my hands.

“Why?” His blue, brown eyes dance as he smiles at me in the mirror. “Because I want to spend the night with you, duh! I can pick you up and take you to my hotel room. It’s a sweet set up and there’s room service for breakfast in the morning. They make fantastic crepes. I’m sure yours are much better, but theirs are pretty great.”

I turn and stare up at him with my mouth slightly open. “Blake, this.” I gesture around the ladies’ room. “What happened doesn’t mean we’re back together.”

Now his jaw drops and his hands grip my wrists. “Damn it, Rachelle. You’re treating me like a piece of shit. I didn’t fuck you in the God Damned Ladies’ room. I made love to your stubborn ass. You can’t just brush me off like some hard dick that had to have a taste of your sweet pussy. That’s a horrible way to treat someone who loves your crazy ass!”

“Crazy? So you still think I’m crazy?” I say with a control I don’t exactly feel. “Did Peyton tell you I’ve been talking to someone, because if she did I may have to strangle her?”

“Talking to someone?” Confusion fills his handsome face. “Who? Who the hell are you talking to? And why would you? You can talk to me anytime you want to.”

Oh! He doesn’t know I’ve been talking to a therapist!

“Don’t worry about it, Blake. Now let me go. I have work to get back to. I’m surprised they haven’t sent someone looking for me yet.” I struggle to make him let me go and he finally does.

I look at my wrists to find them red where he held them so tightly. I hold them up so he can see what he did to me. “Look, control freak!”

“Oh my God. Baby, I’m so sorry,” he says as he wraps me in his arms.

He smells so fucking good I have to stop inhaling in order to keep my wits about me. “Let me go, please.”

Reluctantly he releases me. His hand takes my chin, and he makes me look at him. “I will be outside at ten when you get off. We need to talk. I’m not about to let you go. So whoever you’re talking to, let them know you have a man who’s not afraid to fight for what he wants. And I mean that both physically and mentally, baby.”

Letting my chin go, he tweaks my nose and turns, walking out of the ladies’ room and leaving me with my mouth agape.

He’d actually fight for me!