The Billionaire Next Door (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Collection) (14 page)

“I never threatened you.”  Raul’s brows fell.  “All I
said was, you’d better not-”  He stopped short, his frown deepening.  “Hey, why
all these questions?”  Still frowning, he sat back in his chair and folded his
arms across his chest. “What are you up to?”

Solie slid her hand across the table to draw her purse
onto her lap.  “Oh, nothing.”  She shrugged then reached up to toy with her
hair.  A stray lock had fallen onto her cheek and she curled it around her
finger, all the while giving him a coy smile.  “I guess I’m still a little
peeved that you’ve been so bossy to me.  That’s not nice.”

“
Ay, mi Solie
, you know me so well.  I must
always be the man in charge.”  Relaxing visibly, Raul unlocked his arms and
leaned forward to take her hand.  “Nobody knows me like you do.”

“Ah, yes, I know.”  She was smiling back but inside she
was frantically trying to figure out a way to beat a hasty retreat.  She
glanced at the thick gold watch on Raul’s wrist.  “Oh, my Lord,” she gasped. 
“Look at the time.  I had no idea it was so late.”  She pulled her hand from
his grasp, throwing him an apologetic smile.  “I promised to watch the
Jackson’s kids tonight while they go to the movies.  You remember Rick and
Shirley Jackson from across the street?”

He looked like he didn’t remember them nor did he really
care.  He just looked annoyed that she was about to leave.  “Can’t someone else
do it?”

“No.  I promised.”  Before he could find a way to stop
her Solie gathered her purse to her and stood up.  “I’m so sorry, Raul, but
I’ll call you tonight.  Promise.”

He opened his mouth as if to respond but by that time
she was waving and backing away.  As soon as she got the chance she whirled
around and practically ran out of the restaurant, intent on getting as far away
from him as possible.  If he had any idea what she’d just done he would
probably run after her and throttle her right there in the parking lot.  She
had to get away.

Solie didn’t breathe easy until she got home, went into
the house and closed the door firmly behind her.  She locked the doors, the
windows, everything, then headed for her bedroom where she lounged around for a
couple of hours before she picked up the phone.  Now it was time to execute
part two of her plan.  Time to call Raul.

When he answered the phone he sounded sort of slow,
almost sleepy.  “Sol, you’re finished babysitting?”

If the situation weren’t so serious Solie would have
laughed.  He’d actually bought that story?  “Raul,” she said, her voice cold,
“I want you to leave me alone.”

“Huh, what?”  That seemed to jerk him awake.  “What are
you saying?  This evening-”

“Was a farce.  I only asked you to meet me so I could
get you to implicate yourself.  And I did.”  She sat up on the bed as she
pressed the phone to her ear, feeling triumphant.  “I got you to confess and I
have it all on my digital recorder.”

“What the hell?”  The words exploded into the phone,
making Solie jump.  “You played me?  You were just toying with me?”

“You could say that.  Now I have all that I need to make
a formal report to the police.  You can’t deny any of it.  I have it on tape.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh, wouldn’t I?”  She was getting bolder by the minute
and she was not afraid to let him know it.  “If you set one foot on my
property, if you even so much as try to call me, I’ll get you thrown in jail so
fast you won’t know what hit you.”

Her declaration was greeted with silence.  When Raul
spoke again his voice was strained.  “So that’s why you ran off so fast.  You
wanted to get away with your tape.”

“Of course,” she said, her tone almost flippant.  “You
didn’t think I would tell you this while sitting across the table from you, did
you?  You would have grabbed it or made me hand it over.” 

His answer was a grunt of disgust or annoyance, she
didn’t know which, but it didn’t really matter.  He was trapped and there was
nothing he could do about it.  She was in total control and he knew it.

“Here’s the deal,” she said.  “You stay the hell out of
my life and you have nothing to worry about.  But you just so much as take a
breath in my direction and I’m going straight to the police.  Got it?”

Another grunt.

“Got it?” she said again, more vehement this time.

“Got it.”  It was little more than a mumble.

“Good.”  And with that she hung up, satisfied that she’d
eliminated the one obstacle to her happiness.

And when it came to getting rid of annoying pests, that
was how you did it. 

***

Saturday night was finally here.  Time for her first
real date with Ransom.  She couldn’t count the day at the mall as a date, not
when it had happened by chance, no matter how happy it had been.  Tonight,
though, she’d planned everything to a T – her clothes, her hairstyle and her
make-up.  Tonight she was going to be a knockout.

From the slinky black dress that showed off her curves
to the four inch stilettos that made her straighten her back and thrust her breasts
forward, from the soft tendrils she’d deliberately loosened by her temples to
the crimson hue that made her lips pop, Solie knew she was sure to make an
impression.

She did one last check in the mirror then, as the bell
chimed, she drew a scarf across her shoulders and went to meet Ransom at the
door.

When she saw her date standing there, hands thrust into
his pocket as he smiled down at her, the word that popped into her mind was
‘gorgeous’.  And that was quite a compliment for a guy.

“You look wonderful,” she told him as her eyes roamed
the black-clad height of him, from his wing tip black shoes to his dark Armani
suit to the tanned skin of his neck, such a contrast to the stark white of the
collar of his shirt.  When she came to his face she saw that he was regarding
her with a look of amusement.

“Done checking me out?” he asked with a crooked grin.

She lifted an eyebrow.  “Done,” she said and responded
with a grin of her own.

Then he reached out to take her hand.  “And you, my
dear, look stunning.”  He bent his head to give her a soft kiss on the cheek.

Solie almost groaned.  As he'd leaned over her she’d
tilted her face up to his, expecting a kiss, a real one, not a peck on the
cheek.  Then she did an inward shrug.  Oh, well, maybe he didn’t want to smudge
her lipstick.

She locked the door then took his arm and he walked her
to his car.  As soon as they set off she settled into the soft leather of the
seat and watched as he took control of the sleek sports car, expertly handling
the powerful vehicle, stroking it till it purred.  It was like how, she
imagined, he would handle a woman, stroking her with a restrained power that
would have her writhing with want.  And right then Solie was dying to be stroked
just like that.

She gave her head an almost imperceptible shake.  Enough
of that fantasizing.  All that stroking and purring would come soon enough. 
Now she needed to focus on enjoying the evening with this handsome man by her
side.

Ransom got them to the restaurant within fourteen
minutes of their departure, a journey that would normally have taken over
twenty minutes.  She wasn’t complaining, though.  He’d driven swiftly but
carefully and she knew that in his hands she was safe.  Physically, anyway. 
She wasn’t so sure about the effect he was having on her heart.

To Solie’s delight, upon arrival they were ushered to a
relatively secluded table for two right by the huge bay window that looked out
onto the tropical landscape with its lush gardens and stately palms.  Despite
the shadowy veil of night the beauty of the scene was not dimmed.  The subdued
exterior lights softly illuminated the area, providing the perfect backdrop for
a romantic rendezvous.

“After you, madam.”  Ransom, ever the gentleman, gave
her a slight bow as he held the chair for her.

“Why, thank you, kind sir,” she said, playing along. 
She smiled, loving the mood he was in tonight.

They settled in for a delicious meal of roasted Atlantic
cod, local red snapper, a vegetable medley, and white wine.  Solie’s favorite
was the dessert Ransom selected for her – warm nutella bread pudding with
cayenne ice cream erasmo.  When he’d described it to her, her mouth had started
watering long before the scrumptious treat was placed in front of her.

She giggled as she took her first bite.  “Are you trying
to get me fat?”  She wasn’t the giggly type but somehow, with Ransom, she
couldn’t help it.  He was turning her into a girl all over again.

He tilted his head.  “You
could
stand to put on a
few pounds.”

“I could not.”  She threw him a scowl but then spoiled
it when she started laughing.  “Stop looking at me like that.  You remind me of
my
mamita
.  Eat, eat, eat, she says.  She’s always bugging me to eat
more and just now you looked exactly like her."

“Oh, really.”  That seemed to amuse the heck out of him
because his face broke into a grin.  “Since we’re so alike you’d better
introduce me to that
mamita
of yours.  Then we can gang up on you.”

“No way.”  She shook her head, still laughing.  “One of
you bugging me at a time is all I can take.  I am not letting you link up with
my mama.”

But even as she said the words Solie’s heart was curling
up with pleasure.  Ransom had actually spoken as if he would like to meet
someone in her family.  That could only mean he wanted to get to know her even
better, right?  It meant he really, really liked her.

Okay, so he’d said it in jest but still…

Too soon, their meal all gone, it was time for them to
leave.  Solie did not want the evening to end and when Ransom drove her home
then invited her in for a drink she accepted without hesitation.

She’d entered his home so many times before but tonight
it seemed so different, bathed in shadows with only softly subdued lights
illuminating their path to the living room.  There, Ransom tapped the digital
music system, filling the room with the sultry sound of John Legend crooning a
love song.  Before she could react he drew her into his arms and began to rock
to the rhythm of ‘Best You Ever Had’.  Tonight was the night you’d lose
control, the words said.  Had he planned this?

By the time the thought flew into her mind it dissolved
like a puff of smoke in the wind.  Ransom was doing something to her, making
her mind turn to mush, making her bones turn to jelly.  He’d slid a hand up her
back and another onto her right hip and now he was molding her into him,
leaving no room between them, not even for a breath of air.

Her breasts crushed against the flat muscles of his
chest, her body pressed so close she could feel the powerful muscles of his
thighs, she was left with little choice but to lift her face to his and let him
go all the way.

Surrendering her lips to him she welcomed the firmness
of his mouth on hers and when he took control of the kiss, sliding his hand up
to cup the back of her head, she moaned, her lips parting to receive him.

And so they danced, kissing and caressing each other as
they swayed, lost in the seduction of love song after love song.

Solie didn’t know when she got there but she jumped in
surprise when the back of her legs touched the sofa.  But then Ransom was
bending over, tilting her back into the cushions until she was lying on the
couch, looking up into his smoldering eyes.

When he made to pull back Solie reached for him, letting
him know she wanted this just as much as he did.  She pulled his face down to
hers, kissing him passionately, showing him in actions what she couldn’t say in
words.

Ransom broke the kiss and pulled back again and this
time he was successful.  “God, Solie, you’re driving me crazy.  I want you so
bad.”  His voice was a cross between a gasp and a groan.

“I want you, too,” she whispered.  “I want all of you.”

That did it.  Looking like she’d just tipped him over
the edge, he gave a guttural groan and lowered his lips but this time it was
not to kiss her.  It was to trail hot kisses down the column of her neck until
his lips caressed the tops of her breasts so conveniently exposed in her
low-cut dress.

Solie gasped and reached up to capture Ransom’s head in
her hands, pressing him to her as he kissed and licked the smoothness of her
sensitive skin, sliding his tongue deep into the crevice between her breasts.

“Ransom.”  His name escaped her lips in a breathless
whisper.  “Please.”  She said nothing more, but she didn’t have to.

As if he’d read her mind, Ransom slid a finger to shift
the top of her dress, exposing a braless breast to his heated gaze.  Then,
before she could beg again, he lowered his head to capture the turgid nipple
with his lips, sucking the bud deep into his mouth, making her gasp in
pleasure.

“Oh, yes.  Please don’t stop.”  Solie arched her back,
thrusting the nipple up and even farther into his mouth, then she sighed in
satisfaction as he sucked and nibbled, worrying the nipple, sending waves of
pleasure rippling through her.