The Billionaire & the Princess

by Katherine E Hunt

  I nod and put my hand down. “Thanks.”

  A woman in scrubs comes in and pushes everyone out of the way. “What’s going on here then? You’re a popular young lady. Let’s have a look at you.” She shines a light into my eyes. “What day is it today?”

  I have to think about it. What did I do this morning? Yesterday. “Saturday, probably Sunday by now.”

  “Good. Now follow the light.” My head spins as she makes my eyes jerk from left to right and back again. She holds up a pen. “Grab the pen, please.” Is there tequila in my drip? It takes three tries, but I get it in the end.

  “Everything seems as we suspected. A very mild concussion. No bones broken, but you are going to hurt all over for a few days at least.” She turns to Hank. “I’m going to keep her in overnight. You can pick her up tomorrow, but no driving and calm for a few days at least.”

  “Thank you so much,” says Hank, grabbing my hand back in his.

  “I’ve got to get back too, plus I’ve got a million messages from everyone wanting to know if you’re alright. I’ll come see you soon, okay.”

  Hank puts out his free hand to grab hers and turns away for a second. “Thank you, Jen.” Tears fill his eyes. “You don’t know what it means, you being here. Take …” he pauses, “… take care of yourself.” Hank Baresi, king of the unsaid words. I might have bashed my brain, but I know how much he loves his sister and I know if his father has his way we won’t be seeing her again.

  I lie back into my pillow and close my eyes. My head is pounding and the room spins, but I have enough coherent thought to remember what happened today.

  His face is red from crying. This is all my fault. We could have died.

  “I’m sorry.” It doesn’t even begin to encompass the regret I’m feeling right now.

  “No, no, no. You have nothing to be sorry about, I shouldn’t have made you drive home. I was so angry.” He climbs up onto the bed, next to me. Delicately reaching behind me, he pulls me into a gentle hug. “You scared the shit out of me. How you survived that crash, I will never know. You can't do that to me ever again, do you understand? My poor heart can’t take it.”

  I laugh. “Ouch.” It hurts to even breathe, let alone use any other muscles. “Trust me, I have absolutely no intention of ever having my car hit head-on by a truck again. You have my solemn word.” That split second when I thought we were going to die will come back to haunt me for the rest of my life.

  He kisses the top of my head. “Caitlyn, I love you.”

  I snuggle into him. “I know. I have to tell you something. I’m so tired.” I can hardly keep my eyes open and the warm embrace of Hank’s arms is sending me back to sleep.

  “It can wait. Get some sleep. I’m going to go get changed. I will be back later. Don’t go anywhere.”

  I close my eyes and nestle into him. “You’re funny. Don’t go until I’m asleep, you’re warm and you smell like love.”

  I’m woken by movement. It’s still dark outside, and somebody has put on a bedside light. “Hank?”

  “I don’t think anybody has ever compared me to my youngest son. He takes after his mother’s side of the family.”

  I open my eyes, wide. Guillermo Baresi. Who the fuck let him in? What am I thinking, he probably owns the place.

  “What do you want?” I turn away from him. He’s an evil little man, and he scares me. I’m about as vulnerable as I can be right now and he knows it.

  “I think we need to have a chat.” Only a chat? Well, that’s a relief, I’d half expected him to grab a pillow and stuff it over my face. Finish the job.

  “I have nothing to say to you.”

  “I’m going to make you a proposition, one you can’t refuse.” Oh, please. My head hurts too much for this rich guy’s shit.

  “Oh, I think I can refuse. Leave me alone. Never come back. See, easy-peasy.”

  He leans over me, squeezes my shoulder so tight it has to leave a mark. “I told you I would destroy you. I told you that if you did not leave my son alone, if you continued to encourage him in his stupid little pursuits you would regret it.”

  I grab the call button, press it. “So you sent your favorite truck driver to deal with me.”

  He moves back, releases his grip. “Oh, you silly little girl. I don’t hurt people physically. I don’t have to. And I would never harm my son.” I press the call button again. “The nurse isn’t coming, she’s busy.”

  Okay, now he’s starting to scare me.

  I grab my water. Staying calm and in control is the key here. “Say what you have to say, then leave.”

  “I will give you two options. You can stay, keep pretending that you’re in love with my son, even though he’s no longer worth anything to you. But let me be very clear, you will never work in media again. Ever. Anywhere. And Hank? He will never see his family again. I will make sure that his beloved mother does not utter another word to him until she goes to her grave, which, let’s be honest, without her darling Enrico, is going to be an early one.”

  I think of my mother, of that cold church. The first place Hank had ever taken me to was lunch with his mother. He’s always joking about how he’s the favorite. Guillermo is absolutely right. It would kill her.

  “His mother would never do that.”

  “Oh my poor girl, you underestimate me. My wife will do exactly as I say. You see, she quite likes her life exactly as it is, she knows what would happen if she defied me.” That poor, sweet woman. After everything Hank has told me about his parents’ relationship, my heart breaks for her.

  I sit back and take a breath. “You’re so occupied with money, you don’t even see people, do you? If you did, you would realize that whether Hank has a penny to his name makes no difference to me.”

  He snorts. “Shut up. As if I haven’t dealt with your kind before. I haven’t even begun. I have friends in high places. That house of his will be declared unfit for sale. It won’t be worth a penny. You won’t only be broke, you’ll be in debt. Enrico will soon be left behind by everybody he loves. His precious friends won’t find him so interesting once he’s got no money in the bank. This lifestyle doesn’t come cheap. A little word in the ear of my golf buddies and their sons will no longer be so keen on keeping in touch. He brought shame on his family and they would not wish to do the same”

  He can’t do that, can he? He has a point though. Chad, Jonny, Ted, they all depend on their parents. That would be so incredibly cruel. But cruelty is the point, isn’t it?

  I will destroy you, he’d said.

  My head hurts. I lie back down, close my eyes. “What’s the second option?” No, really, I’m dying to know.

  “Ah, you see, I knew you couldn’t refuse. You sign this little piece of paper I have in my hand. Ten million of the finest American dollars in your bank account by midnight tonight.”

  My heart races. I can’t believe I’m even asking this. “And what would I get for my money?”

  “In one week you leave here and never come back. You never talk to my son again and you don’t tell him about our agreement. He gets to keep his friends, his family, even that stupid little property he loves so much.”

  My head is pounding, I just want him to leave. “Really? He gets to do the job he loves?” I doubt that.

  “Of course not, a Baresi in construction. Don’t be ridiculous, girl.”

  I look at him. This sweaty, little pig of a man, willing to ruin his son for loving the wrong woman. How many times has he done this to another of his sons? Just how deep will his relentless need to control his children go? He is reveling in this, smiling as he buys off the greedy little gold-digger. Ten million dollars is nothing to this man. Small Change.

  “No, thank you.” I smile at him. “I’m sure we’ll be just fine.”

  “What?”

  “We’ll take our chances.” His face contorts into rage.

  “You stupid, fucking little bitch. Just take the fucking money.” He’s so shocked and angry, like a child ha
ving a tantrum.

  I begin to laugh. First a chuckle, then louder and harder until I’m cackling away, holding my sides from the pain. He’s so angry, he can’t bear it, he lifts his fist.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Hank steps into the room, his hand tightens around his father’s wrist. “Get out.”

  “You deserve each other.” His father spits it out. He grabs back his hand.

  “OUT!” screams Hank. He’s white as a sheet, his hands balled into fists.

  His father smirks. “You’ll come running back when you need the money.” He walks out.

  Hank rushes to my side. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” This poor guy is having a day of it.

  “I’m fine, he doesn’t scare me.” It’s a lie, but I’m more concerned about Hank than ever before and I just want to sleep off this headache. “I want to go home and look at the stars with you. I don’t want to stay here anymore.” His father has me rattled. He’s not used to people saying no. I’ve gone too far. I need us both to feel safe tonight and the only safe place around here is in Hank’s arms.

  “Whatever you want. I’m going to get the nurse. I’ll be back straight away, I promise.”

  I nod. If there’s one thing I’m sure of, Guillermo Baresi will never hurt his son again. I will make sure of that.

  Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for myself.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Hank

  She’s home. As much as this house can be considered a home. The downstairs bedroom here is more practical than the apartment. I canceled the sale. It can wait. The most important thing is making sure Caitlyn is okay, safe.

  “Good morning.” We fell asleep hand in hand last night, her body too pained for hugging. I push her hair off of her face. Even covered in cuts and bruises she is beautiful.

  She smiles, and everything is right in the world. “Do you know what happened yesterday?” she asks. “You told someone you loved them for the very first time.” Her smile grows, and she tips her head to the side, maybe waiting for an encore.

  “I did,” I reply. “And then I said it to you.” She goes to thwack me on the arm, but can’t even lift hers.

  “Everything hurts. This sucks. Plus, I need a shower.”

  “There’s a bath in the ensuite, or showers upstairs.” Her eyes light up. “You want a bath, don’t you? Right. Give me five minutes.”

  The warm water runs into the foam, forming huge soapy clouds. The smell of roses fills the room. I undo her robe, let it fall to the ground. She stands naked in front of me.

  “I have never had so many bruises in my life.” She’s all colors of the rainbow, with cuts down her arms from the shattered glass. I hide my discomfort. We’ll play pretend for now, like everything is okay. I don’t want her worrying about my problems, her health comes first, everything else can wait.

  I wish I hadn’t been so giving yesterday, I’m horny as fuck for her. I imagine sliding my hands down her back, running my fingers along the little curve of her spine and grabbing that butt. Those boobs, I just want to bury my head into them, dive right in. My hand sinks to my dick and I readjust myself, she’s getting me hard just looking at her.

  “You’re still hot as hell.”

  She giggles coyly. “Nurse Hank, you’re supposed to be in charge of making me better. You heard the doctor. No sex.”

  “I still can’t believe you asked the doctor. No, I take that back, nothing that comes out of your mouth ever surprises me.”

  “I love you, Cowboy.” I cackle. That stupid nickname, she’s never going to let me forget it. Okay, she’s got me, the whole love thing, that’s going to take some getting used to. We’ve said it now. I can believe it.

  “I love you too, Princess.”

  Pulling my t-shirt over my head, and unbuttoning my jeans, I strip down to my boxers. She gulps, her eyes moving up and down my body. “You’re getting in with me?”

  “It’s not a Jacuzzi. I just don’t want to get my clothes wet.”

  “Yeah, it would be a shame if you got all soapy,” she replies, winking at me.

  “No sex, Caitlyn. Orders of Nurse Hank, and I must be obeyed.” She rolls her eyes, sulking. We’re like dogs on heat.

  “Well, crap, it seems like such a waste, me being bedridden and all.” She stumbles slightly, putting her hand out to steady herself.

  “Let’s get you washed.” My hands sink delicately behind her thighs and I lift her up, letting her sink into the hot, soapy water. A face towel in my hand, I kneel down, wet it in the soapy water and slowly drip it onto her hair, avoiding the stitches on her scalp. Then squeeze a little shampoo onto my hand and massage her head.

  “Oh god, this is amazing, better than sex.” She giggles and pushes her head against my hands.

  “Oh yeah? Looks like I need to work on my technique.”

  She turns her head, kisses my soapy forearm. “Nah, you’re good.”

  I squirt shower gel on my hand, sit her up, and run my fingers up and down her back, to groans of delight. I’m not averse to a back rub myself. There will definitely be payback at some point. It’s only fair. This is the second time I’ve bathed this woman in two days.

  I lie her back down. Rub soap from her shoulder to her arm. Each motion as delicate as I can. She flinches at every touch. Her hands are so dainty, her nails, so pretty for the wedding, are now scratched and broken. When we have money again, when the house is sold, I’m going to treat her to the best manicure in town, no expense spared. She deserves the world and one day I’m going to give it to her.

  Her feet are so pretty. That pedicure at Becky’s house the other day did wonders. I’ve never known someone who hates footwear as much as Caitlyn. The minute she is inside, her shoes and socks come off. My barefoot princess. She sinks back down into the bath, her eyes closed, and lets out a pleasured moan.

  “Oh my god, that is incredible.”

  Something on her foot catches my eye. “You have a tattoo?”

  “It’s Latin. Perserva. It means Keep going. It reminds me that no matter how hard it gets, how difficult life is, you’ve just got to stand up and keep walking. Don’t give up.” She lifts her head, looks at me. “I want you to always remember that. Sometimes bad things happen for good reasons. Never give up.”

  “A touch too philosophical for me.” I laugh. I still haven’t heard from my family. As long as I have Caitlyn I’ll make it through. I made my choices.

  I slowly trace my fingers up her leg, she’s fit, not like a runner, but well defined. Her thighs are covered in fine little hairs. I long for the moment I can trace my tongue up her thigh, taste her sweet pussy. This is going to be the longest week of my life. Why didn’t we just do it yesterday? Why did I insist on making it all about her? My boner agrees.

  As my fingers reach her clit, I turn to face her. Should I touch her, what did ‘no sex’ actually mean? Her eyes are closed, head resting on the edge of the bath.

  “What the fuck are you waiting for?”

  I laugh and slide my hand under her butt, lifting her out of the water. As my fingers glide down between her stubbly folds, my dick gives a little jolt, jealous of my hand. I have to be careful; I don’t want to hurt her. Water is no lubricant. I rinse my hand, trace my finger around her pussy, gauging her reaction.

  She bites her lip, lets out a moan. I stroke her so lightly I’m barely touching her. Brushing against her skin. Her pussy wettens for me. I sink my fingers deeper inside of her, my thumb circling her clit, barely touching.

  She cries out, shakes beneath me, her pussy tightening on me and then releasing.

  Almost immediately her hand flies to her head. Shit. She flies forward, cries out in pain, sending waves of water splashing over the side of the bath.

  “My head.” I lower my face to hers. She tilts her face, places her lips on mine, reassuring me. “I think, I think I need to get out, lie down for a while, sorry, it was great, sorry, thank you.”

  “I’m so sorry, shit. Sorry.”
Damn it, sometimes my dick takes over my brain. I just can’t with Caitlyn, I want her constantly.

  “You didn’t hurt me at all, it wasn’t your fault.” She laughs, but this is no laughing matter. What the hell was I thinking? I drain the water, gently rinse her off, then lift her out of the bath and dry her. Carrying her to the bedroom, I lay her on the bed, lie by her side. She snuggles up to me, running her fingers up and down my chest.

  I ache for her, but I know better. Fighting the desire to roll on top of her, kiss her, make love to her. I’ve only been looking after her for half a day and I’m already doing a terrible job.

  “You feeling better?” She nods, smiles. “I can call the doctor out, if you need me to.”

  “No, it’s fine, really the pain is subsiding, I think it was the rush of blood to the head.”

  “God, I really want to make love to you right now, you know that right? But, I’m not going to do anything until you are one hundred percent well again.”

  “Hank, much as it pains me to say it, we should wait.” She giggles at her pun. “Who knows what kind of injuries a woman with a concussion could sustain making whoopee with a man of your musculature, plus I’m not quite sure I could handle everything that’s going on down here.” She runs a solitary fingernail down the outside of my underwear, making me flinch.

  “Kissing and stuff is okay though, right?”

  “Kissing and second base is just what the doctor ordered.” She slides her hand down into my boxers and, not able to wait a second longer, I bury my head in those sumptuous breasts.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Caitlyn

  Exactly one week after the wedding and the showdown with Hank’s father, the doctor gives me the all-clear. The magazine has been closed down; the office is empty. Hanks owns the building, so my apartment is still there, but I’ve not wanted to leave his arms all week. Concussion is hard. Headaches, confusion. I have had a rough week.