Romance: The Billionaire Alpha Collection (24 page)

The End

Romance:

The Billionaire’s Pleasure

Penny Ward

Chapter 1

I love returning to the countryside.

I love the relaxed vibes, the lack of hustle and the endless possibilities.  Every paddock is full of dreamy long green grass, beautifully kept horses and endless wonder.  I haven’t returned to the countryside for many years but I love it when I am here.  I can feel my entire body relax as I breathe in the clean country air.  As soon as I fill my lungs with a deep breath, all my stresses and pains are forgotten.

Not so long ago, my life was magnificent. 

I had graduated with honors in law from a good university, landed my dream job, and was dating my perfect man.  My life was perfectly mapped out and planned, and it was all going to design.  Over the next ten years, I was going to marry my boyfriend in a large, joyous wedding, then we would buy a house in the suburbs and have two children – a boy and a girl.  I would then return to work after spending five years at home with the children, and work my way up the corporate ladder.

My life had no risk or excitement and that was how I preferred it.

But all that changed two months ago.

My dream boyfriend, Joel, was having an affair with his blonde, bouncy, bimbo secretary.  It explained all those late nights at work and all those weekend trips away.  The relationship was happening behind my back for six months before I found out.

Prick.

My dream job turned into the career from hell.  I am in the office at seven o’clock in the morning and leave at eleven o’clock at night.  My boss is a sexist pig who touches my perky butt at every opportunity.

Bastard.

And then I found out that my mother is getting remarried.

Sigh…

It’s a sad state of affairs when your mother has a better love life than you.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my mother and I want the best for her, it’s just… I wish my life were going as well as hers.

My mother, Laura, has had a lot of ups and downs in her life and deserves to find love.   She put up with my drunken father for too many years before gaining the courage to kick him out.  I hear from him occasionally and I think he is currently living in Europe, acting like a drunk. 

I spent the first half of my childhood in the countryside where my father worked as a farmer.  My father would come home from a hard days work on the land, drink too much and then yell, and occasionally hit, my mother.  She’s a country girl at heart but one day she had enough.  He tried to hit her but she fought back, striking him with a frying pan.  I was only eight years old but I remember clapping when he fell to the floor. 

That night, Mom was frantic.  She grabbed two suitcases and loaded us onto a bus heading to New York.

I loved it. 

Through my innocent eyes, it was a city full of endless opportunity.  I loved the change of pace and the fast action of the big city.  Things are always going at full pace in New York and sometime, I struggle to keep up.

But the city makes me feel alive. 

Mom was single for the next twenty years as she struggled to find her way.  She was always a country girl and she never found the right type of man in the city.  Mom met Timothy, a ranch owner from the country, on an Internet dating service.  I warned her against using any services but Timothy turned out to be pure gold. 

He was the perfect match for her.

They communicated online for months before they gained the courage to meet.  He made the trip to New York and met Mom in a busy bar.  She said she had never seen a man more uncomfortable in the city but she was smitten by his handsome looks.

She happily packed up her things and moved back to the countryside six months later.  Twelve months after that, they are preparing for their wedding. 

They have planned to have the ceremony in the backyard of their ranch with views out to snow-capped mountains.  The ranch is in a remarkable and stunning location, with a large homestead as the centerpiece.  Timothy has two hundred horses that he runs from the estate, and is the major employer of the people from the nearby local town, Cider Springs.

Mom says that she already knows most of the community by their first name.   The whole town has embraced her with open arms and she has never felt more at home and comfortable. 

I met Timothy once before when I flew out for their engagement party.  Timothy’s first wife passed away over thirty years ago, which left him to raise his only son alone.  My Mom tells me that he worked very hard to teach good values to his son.

This marriage also means I have a new instant family, not that I want one. 

When I came out to the engagement party, I didn’t get to meet the son, Jackson Steele.  He was too busy with work, apparently.  Who is too busy that they can’t even make it to their own father’s engagement party?

As I exit my car after driving up to the long driveway of the ranch, a familiar figure comes running out the front door of the homestead.

“Rachel!”

Joanne, my much-loved younger cousin, greets me with enthusiasm.  Our mothers are sisters and we went through a lot together.  Neither of us had siblings, so we looked to each other a lot for support during our childhoods.  There’s two years difference between us but that never mattered. 

We are as close as one could hope.

“It’s so good to see you,” the tears well up in my eyes as I embrace Joanne in a tight hug.

“You’re looking well,” she comments.

That’s not true. 

I know I look tired.  And I look tired because I haven’t eaten or slept much lately. 

“So do you,” I reply.  That is the truth. 

Joanne is now twenty-six years old and she has blossomed into a beautiful woman.  Her long blonde hair drapes elegantly over her shoulders and she moves with a sexy rhythm.

“How’s that man of yours?” I ask.

“He’s well.  He couldn’t make out to the wedding because of his work, but he is looking forward to meeting you.  I’ve told him all about you and he really wants to meet you.  We should be able to come over to your apartment next month for dinner.  You can meet him then.”

“I would love to meet the man who tamed you!”

She laughs, “He hasn’t tamed me.  I’m still a wild one!”

She growls like a tiger and we laugh joyfully together. 

It feels so nice to laugh again.

“And you?  How are you holding up?”

Joanne should know better than to ask that question.  She knows my life has fallen apart.  She knows that all my best-laid plans have been messed up.  I shrug my shoulders to her and she embraces me in a hug again. 

“Where are you staying?” I ask Joanne.

“I’m staying with my mother in one of the local’s houses.  They’ve been kind enough to put us up for a few nights.  Apparently the only hotel in town booked out very quickly when the wedding was announced.  It sounds like the town has doubled in size for this weekend.  There are even people camping at one of the farms.  I don’t think towns like this are built for a large influx of people.  Where are you staying?”

“Mom got in early and booked me into the only hotel in town.  It is a really small hotel with six rooms and I can’t imagine that it’s going to very glamorous.  I’ve just driven for two days and now I have to sleep in a crappy hotel with what is likely to be a very uncomfortable bed.  And there’s another problem with the booking.”

“What’s that?”

“Mom said that because of the shortage of rooms, she booked me into the accommodation to share a room with Jackson, Timothy’s son.  There is really not a lot of accommodation out here.”

“Have you met Jackson before?”

“No, he didn’t come out to the engagement party.  I have no idea who he is.  Mom started telling me about him but I didn’t really listen.  I think he is about thirty years old and he is also from New York.  Mom said he is flying out for the wedding.  But the nearest airport is still 50 miles away.”

“Awkward…” she laughs, “The first time you meet a man and you have to share a room.”

“I told Mom that I didn’t want to share but she said that everything is booked full and we would have to share to fit everyone in the town.  This ranch already has twenty of Timothy’s family staying in it and all the accommodation is also full.  So hopefully, Jackson doesn’t snore!”

As I state those words our thoughts are interrupted by the noise of a loud helicopter whirling overhead. 

The helicopter comes closer to where we are standing on the driveway and the dust starts to whirl around the ranch.  The helicopter approach is noisy, brash and distracting. 

The chopper hovers around for a while and then lands on a nearby paddock, creating a cloud of dust over Joanne and I.

“Who is that?” Joanne’s mouth drops to the ground as the pilot of the chopper exits. 

A tall silhouette exits the chopper beneath the slowing blades, and the echoing noise of the helicopter dominants my own heartbeat.  A man walks smoothly out of the cloud of dust towards us, his swagger evidence of his confidence.

“Arrogant prick,” I comment as I look at my newly cleaned car covered in dust, “He could have landed further away and not have frightened the horses.  And look what he’s done to my hair!”

The man that walks toward the ranch out of the cloud of dust is as impressive as I have ever seen.  Despite walking through the cloud of dust, he looks perfectly clean and immaculate. 

Even his white shirt is dust-free.

“Yummy,” Joanne states, still with her mouth on the ground, “I think this wedding just got a whole lot more interesting.”

“Arrogant prick,” I state again, “I hate people like that.  He could have had some thoughts about us and landed further away.  Imagine flying in like that and creating so much dust and noise!”

“But so handsome…” Joanne whispers as he comes closer.

“And doesn’t he know it,” I snap back.

“Hello girls,” the deep, seductive voice greets us as he passes by.

Timothy comes down the steps of the homestead to meet the approaching man. 

They embrace in a solid hug and Timothy looks to us with his arm resting on the tall man’s shoulder.

“Ladies, I’d like you to meet my son, Jackson Steele.”

Damn.

Chapter 2

After an uncomfortable introduction to my newest family member, Timothy leads us into the homestead to see my mother.  Joanne and I walk behind Timothy and his son, and Joanne’s eyes do not leave Jackson’s butt the whole time. 

I slap her gently on the wrist to tell her to stop staring at his nice tight body but she smiles at me, and makes grabbing motions with her hands.  I have to admit, despite being disgusted by his arrogance, Jackson does have a very tight butt. 

The homestead is a large single story home with a porch wrapping all the way around the house.  The whole estate has a calm and relaxed feel to it.  I could imagine Mom sitting on the front porch, watching the sunset into the mountains with a glass of white wine in her hands.

This seems to be the place where Mom was always destined to arrive in her life. 

“Mom!”

Mom grasps me in big hug and we hold each other tightly for a long time.  When we pull away from each other, Joanne is there to hand out tissues.

“Women,” I hear Jackson scoff to his father as we wipe away our tears, “Always crying over nothing.”

I glare at him.

How dare he? 

Who does he think he is?

Just by his look I can tell he thinks he is so important and above everyone else.  I hate that in people. 

Just because you flew in on a helicopter does not make you more important than other people.

Even looking at Jackson makes my teeth grind.  I despise that level of arrogance.

“It’s so good to see you, Rachel.  Thank you so much for coming,” Mom wipes my tears, “But you look tired.  It must have been a very long drive for you.  Let me get you an extra strong cup of coffee.”

Mom always has a way of saying things as they are.  If I look tired, Mom will tell me the truth.

“It was a long drive.  It took me two days to drive from New York,” I say as we walk into the kitchen, “I didn’t have the luxury of flying a helicopter in.”

Jackson hears my sarcastic comment and stares back at me.  I want to poke my tongue out at him and tell him he is a loser.  I want to say that I have no respect for this type of rich boy.

But I freeze under his glare.

His eyes are so piercing.

“The kitchen is in here,” Mom calls, pulling me away from Jackson’s glare.

“That’s Jackson,” she says as she closes the door behind us, “He is Timothy’s only son and they haven’t seen each other in over a year.  He’s flown in from New York today.  It looked like he couldn’t make it because of the business he runs, but he was able to move things around at the last minute to fit a few days in out here.  Timothy is very proud of his successful son and was over the moon to hear he could make it.”

“Who in New York can afford to fly a helicopter?”

“Only the richest,” Mom smiles.

“How rich?” I question.

At that moment the door to the kitchen opens again, and Timothy and Jackson enter.  They both stand well over six feet tall, and they look rough, tough and attractive standing next to each other.  They have similar eyes and strong jaws, but Jackson is clean and manicured while Timothy has spent many more days working under the hot sun. 

“I don’t think I formally introduced myself,” Jackson holds out his hand to me, “I’m Jackson Steele.  It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

I leave his large hand hanging in the air for a few moments, before I sigh, “I’m Rachel.”

Jackson’s hand wraps around mine, enveloping it.  His nails are perfect but his palms are rough, warm and strong. 

My heart skips a beat and he can sense it.  His smug glare is all knowing. 

“Rachel is a very pretty name.”

My body temperature starts to go up.

Why?

This arrogant man does not impress me… 

Does he?

No, of course he doesn’t. 

I don’t like his sort.  I don’t like the men who think that just because they have made some money, they are really important.  I don’t like his type at all.

Do I? 

Well, maybe I am a little impressed.

Just a little bit.

“I am sorry I covered your car in dust out there,” he says, “But I had to land the chopper somewhere.  In New York, I have plenty of places to land but here in the country, there are no designated landing zones.  I had to land the chopper in the flattest area possible and that just happened to be next to your car.”

I shrug my shoulders. 

I am not usually lost for words but I don’t know what to say. 

“Did you have a long drive?” he asks in his smooth, silky voice.

There is an uncomfortable silence in the room as everyone waits for me to respond to the question. 

But I don’t respond. 

Instead, I stand in the kitchen looking like a mute fool.

I don’t know why but I am speechless.

“Normal people drive cars,” I blurt out with a bitchy overtone.

It catches everyone off-guard.

“Right, well,” Timothy interrupts with a wide smile, “Now that you two have been formally introduced, let’s go and have a drink to relax and catch up.  It’s been a long trip and you deserve to have a beer with your father.  I would love to hear about how that business of yours is progressing.”

Timothy slaps his hand proudly on Jackson’s shoulder and walks back out of the room.  I look back to Mom and she is staring at me with an expressive stare.

“What?” I say responding to Mom’s bemused expression.

“Nothing,” Mom smiles, “But to answer the question before we were interrupted… he is unbelievably rich.”