Lily and the Billionaire: Vol. 2

by Ana Vela

  Anna grinned mischievously at her. "Thank you too, Lily", she smiled warmly and Daniel moaned in agreement. He pulled himself out of Lily and sat up, stroking both women in gratitude.

  "Thank you everyone!" he said.

  Anna began fondling his balls, winking at Lily, and he started to stroke her pussy. Lily watched, a different feeling filling her now. There was no thought of awkwardness or jealousy in watching the two people who had just brought her so much satisfaction satisfying each other too. However, along with the still oscillating waves of her orgasm she could feel also a wave of tiredness beginning to break unstoppably over her. She felt like nothing could have gone better in that adventure and was pleased to leave now, at the peak of it.

  She said her goodbyes and left Daniel and Anna to their further romping, wandering out into the night, still permeating with the glow of what she had just experienced. Reaching the bus stop, she read that she had thirty minutes to wait until her bus arrived. She stood before the electronic bus timetable, jiggling, trying to decide what to do. She really felt too tired to walk but she was also buzzing lightly and sitting still on the hard, unforgiving bus stop bench definitely did not appeal either. She wandered around the bus stop in a circle, musing; glancing around herself.

  The bus stop was on quite a busy main street in South London, which she had never really walked down before. Immediately around her were large, Victorian houses which had been converted into various things; flats; bars; one even looked like it had a theatre in the basement. Still pondering what to do she wandered away a bit from the bus stop and glanced down a few side streets. Houses; a couple of fluorescent takeaway restaurants.. Nothing special.

  She wandered a little further, not sure what was guiding her but walking without hesitation down the next side street. More houses. And…halfway down the street there was a soft orange glow emanating from a cozy-looking building with tables and chairs out the front. Lily approached it, intrigued. As she came closer she saw that the glow was coming from a number of intricately carved iron lamps hanging from hooks on poles. The whole front of the bar – for she assumed this was what it was - was also intricately carved; geometric stars and tessellating patterns fitted perfectly around leaves and vines, covering the entire wooden facade. It was beautiful! She decided to go inside for a drink until her bus arrived.

  Entering, Lily was enchanted by what greeted her. The walls of the nearly empty bar were covered variously in sumptuously coloured rugs and paintings of further geometric designs; with more lamps hanging from the ceiling, these fitted with multi-coloured glass so that the whole place flickered colourfully. Arabic sounding music was softly playing and the low tables were separated tastefully by carved wooden screens and large pots of plants. She chose a seat in the corner; a squishy bench strewn with embroidered cushions. Sinking into it, she gazed around her, delighted.

  Sitting in the other corner were a few men who looked like they might be from Pakistan or Bangladesh muttering quietly and smoking a large water pipe - which smelled deliciously fruity.

  No sign of any workers, though. Lily wandered if she should go and look for them; but just then a young, brown-skinned man wearing a round hat with a flat top appeared at her table, smiling.

  "Drink?" he enquired.

  "Oh!" said Lily, not sure of what to order. "Erm…what do you have? Could I get a red wine maybe?"

  The youth shook his head, laughing. "Sorry, we don't serve alcohol here", he explained. "We're Muslims, you see".

  "Oh!" Said Lily again, suddenly feeling awkward. But the young man laughed again, noticing her discomfort.

  "That doesn't mean this place is only for Muslims. This place is for everyone!" he laughed, spreading his arms wide and instantly putting Lily at her ease again.

  "We have a wide selection of teas. Would you like to see the menu?"

  Lily considered. She did not really know anything about teas (apart from black tea of course) and did not trust her ability to choose. "Why don't you pick one for me?" she suggested. "Your favourite, if you want". The youth nodded warmly and disappeared again.

  Lily sat back, relaxing. Actually this was working out very well, she thought. She had told herself that she should be drinking less alcohol and now here she was in a place where she couldn't drink even if she wanted to. And it was such a pretty bar! She gazed around again, fascinated by the paintings, trying to work out how the painters had fit together the patterns so perfectly.

  As she gazed, lost in art, she heard the door opening again and turned instinctively to look at who was entering. It was a tall, tanned man wearing what looked like a very expensive suit; so well-fitted was it to his powerful frame. Somehow there was something familiar about him…

  To her immense surprise she recognized him as the man who had offered to buy her a coffee a few weeks ago; the man she had so viciously (and possibly as an overreaction, she conceded) turned down. What on earth was he doing here?

  He turned around, surveying the bar, and noticed her. He paused, fixing his eyes on her in surprise, and she locked gazes with his blue-green eyes for what felt like a very long moment. Then he blinked and, smiling, he approached her in the corner.

  "I don't believe you gave me the pleasure before," he said, in his deep American voice, "of knowing your name. I would be delighted if you would indulge me now…if you wish?"

  He flashed her his beaming smile, the one she remembered from the cafe, that seemed to emanate perfect happiness. Confused, still feeling a bit bad about her previous overreaction, she flustered; "Oh! It's Lily…"

  "Lily!" repeated the man, entranced. She fidgeted uncomfortably and said, "Look, um, look do you want to sit here? I mean, I think maybe I was a bit…rude to you before but…"

  "I'd be delighted", he cut in, sliding into the chair opposite her across the table.

  She looked up at him, still a little confused. At least he did not appear to have been offended by her behaviour in the slightest. Still smiling, he offered her his hand across the table. "My name is Edwin", he beamed, as she took his hand. "Please, don't worry about any past events".

  "I do think I was a bit rude though", admitted Lily. "I mean, I don't even know you…"

  Just then the waiter returned with a silver teapot and painted glass cup on a little, intricately carved golden tray. Lily was so delighted about how every detail of this place was concerned with beauty. Even the tray was intricately carved! As the waiter placed the tray on their table, he recognised her companion and said, "Good evening, Mr Waterman!"

  "Salam Aleikum, Sayeed", smiled Edwin. "How are you?"

  "Very good, very good! Shall I bring another cup for you?" Edwin looked enquiringly at Lily, who nodded, pleased.

  "I'd be happy to share", she said.

  Edwin's warm, friendly manner was appealing to her more and more, and she could sense something…mysterious about him that she wanted to explore further…

  She was aware that she probably seemed like a different person; the last time they had communicated she had been in the depths of a man-hating inner rant following a disappointing sexual exploit with Daniel; whereas now…well, she could still feel the glow of her most recent encounter with Daniel and his girlfriend.

  Edwin seemed to read her thoughts, commenting softly:

  "You are having a better day today, aren’t you?"

  Lily nodded, grinning. "I've never been in this place before - didn't even know there was somewhere like this in London! It's beautiful." she enthused. "You want to try this tea?"

  He nodded, and she picked up the silver teapot by the little cushion which was thoughtfully placed on its handle, pouring what to her surprise turned out to be a deep red liquid into the two glasses.

  "Oooh, looks interesting", she said.

  "What is it?" inquired Edwin.

  "I have no idea", she admitted.

  "Ah!" said Edwin, pleased. "Good. It’s always healthy to embrace the unknown". He picked up his cup and lifted it, raising it to Lily in salute.
She raised hers to him, and looked into his eyes as they said "cheers". It reminded her of the first time she had tried Daniel's herbal tea, and memories of that glorious erotic time filled her with pleasure and arousal. She lifted the tea to her lips and sipped. It was sweet and a little spicy, with a deep flavour that seemed to penetrate her entire body with soft warmth.

  "Wow!" she breathed, closing her eyes to really take in the flavour. Edwin did the same, clearly enjoying the tea as much as she. They opened their eyes at the same time, and Lily felt an electric twangle as they locked gazes again.

  "Sayeed has really given us a special one,” noted Edwin, with pleasure.

  "You know what it is?" asked Lily, intrigued. Edwin sipped again, exploratively.

  "There is definitely hibiscus in there,” he noted. "But…I don't know what else…"

  "Hibiscus! Wow. I've never had hibiscus tea before". The word evoked in Lily strong images of tropical islands and steamy jungle nights; pure exoticity. Edwin smiled at her, appreciating her child-like pleasure.

  "So, you have been here before?" asked Lily.

  "Oh yes. I love it in this place.”

  "Somehow it doesn't seem to…suit you", pointed out Lily. He laughed.

  "Ah yes, you mean my suit doesn’t fit in here?” he laughed, playfully brushing the sleeves of his woollen suit in a faux-businesslike manner, continuing, “We always have the surface image to consider.”

  Lily fidgeted, confused; not at all sure how serious he was being.

  "But…Who you are inside is reflected on the surface", she pointed out; "unless you are lying to yourself".

  "Aha!" breathed Edwin, leaning forwards, his eyes shining at her as if she had just made a very important discovery; "but who are you?"

  Lily laughed. "So you're a philosopher!"

  Edwin sat back, delighted. "Isn’t everyone? But like everyone, I'm also… many other things…"

  He smiled enigmatically and Lily, helplessly intrigued, prompted, "I'd love to hear all about them…"

  "That makes me feel incredible", admitted Edwin, "but sometimes, words are inadequate. These things are always best when we….show them".

  Lily looked down, tongue-tied. What can you say to a comment like that? Still she was feeling very comfortable in his presence. She was surprised how different she felt from when she had seen him in the coffee shop. She had marked him down then as an inconsiderate businessman; lost in the world of money to the point where he could not see any other way of getting things.

  "I suppose it doesn't really make sense to judge on first appearances", she mused slowly, sipping the delectable tea again.

  "A quick recognition of a person’s character can be very useful, though", pointed out Edwin. "How many areas of life do you know where people use their clothes to their advantage?

  Lily could certainly think of one. She looked down at her top, one of her tried and tested tip-bringers; a skin-hugging affair with short sleeves which was made of a kind of iridescent material that somehow reflected two different colours, and whose collar revealed just enough cleavage to pique the imagination.

  "But when I use my clothes for work, I'm still being myself", she said. "It's not like I lie to people".

  "Still, maybe it's unavoidable to be putting on some kind of character", remarked Edwin. "There's nothing wrong with that, of course - it's fun – as long as we remember that whichever role we play, we’re always much more than that."

  He sipped his tea, smiling in a way which seemed to say, 'but what do I know, anyway?' and fell silent again.

  Lily considered this. "I don't know if everyone feels that way", she remarked.

  "No," agreed Edwin, "many people are playing games very seriously when they are really only games. Sometimes it can get overwhelming, especially in this city. That's why I love coming here!" he gestured around at the delightful little bar. "It's so rare to find a place in London to come and relax. A place for the reflection of what people feel deeply, inside. Not just"-

  "Not just a dingy room where the only thing people care about is getting drunk and looking at girls", finished Lily, thinking about her own place of work. If The Corner was a reflection of someone's deeper self, that person could probably do with some kind of counselling.

  "Indeed", nodded Edwin. "Or maybe even worse are the brightly lit, shiny places filled with phony decorations. Do you notice that people there seem to have this uneasy sense that something is…missing in their lives?"

  Lily nodded, shuddering. He was speaking her deepest feelings; feelings which she had not thought about for a long time, too engrossed had she been in just working to try and make a living.

  One of the reasons why she had chosen to find bar work when she first moved to London rather than something with higher pay was her conviction that she did not want to be another dreary person in a suit, slowly losing her soul as she spent every day surrounded by grey. At least in a bar she was constantly interacting with people. True, sometimes she deeply resented this interaction, but it was real, in a way that she could not imagine with a nine to five office job.

  "Do you feel this sense that something is missing?" she asked him across the table, her eyes roving around his muscular frame. He certainly gave an air of being generally satisfied with life, and he confirmed this by smiling,

  "Me? Not anymore."

  Yet his eyes twinkled at her playfully, and she got the impression that he felt she knew what she should be asking next. Unsure, however, she sat lost in thought. This was certainly one of the most unusual conversations she could ever remember having. Edwin did not seem to want to talk just for the sake of talking; they had had none of the usual social exchanges and she realised that she had not found out anything about his life; how he lived or where he was from.

  ‘Who knows?’ she thought. Maybe underneath this talk he was just a ruthless businessman, who kicks people to get them out of his way.

  But, she wasn't sure she could believe that. She did feel she was getting to know him and was enjoying the sensation of not feeling like she had to talk. They sat together in silence, comfortable, content to be without words for now. A huge mixture of emotions were being provoked inside Lily which she did not want to consider now; however, she felt tantalisingly close to…well, to something.

  "And you?" Edwin asked gently, after some minutes of simply sitting and drinking their tea.

  "Huh?" asked Lily, "what about me?"

  "Do you feel that something is missing?"

  "Umm…" Lily looked down and then glanced up, wondering what to tell him. "Well, sometimes. I suppose…" she added thoughtfully, "that everyone feels it, sometimes.”

  He laughed. "You may be right", he twinkled at her. "And it's important to have things around us to help us remember what it is we really want".

  "Like what?" asked Lily, intrigued.

  "Inspiration. It comes from everywhere. From our friends... and our lovers." His sea-coloured eyes met hers and for a moment they seemed to be seeing inside her very soul. She felt a delicious twinge, down in her intimate regions, and breathed deeply, trying to contain her feelings.

  "Isn’t it important for our lover to be able to fulfil our…deepest desires?" he softly suggested.

  She gazed at him, thinking about Daniel and the threesome; and she felt her arousal, already stirred, growing steadily.

  "Isn’t our deepest need…" he added, "to express ourselves…?"

  She bit her lip, almost painfully turned on by his hypnotic presence.

  But suddenly his face cracked open in another illuminating grin, breaking the spell somewhat.

  “Of course, we express ourselves in all kinds of ways. What’s your favourite way?"

  Lily sighed, very confused. What game was he playing?

  "Well I… I like to paint", she offered. Somehow it sounded strange coming from her mouth. It was as if she was hearing an echo from a past self, which she had made quiet for so long that now she was unsure whether it could still speak up.


  "And when do you feel the most… inspired?" asked Edwin, leaning forwards.

  Lily considered. She supposed she hadn't felt inspired enough to paint for a long time. But she had been too busy working! She told herself.

  "If it wasn't for my job, I suppose I would be painting all the time", she said carefully. "But, you know…everyone has to work…" he nodded sympathetically, although she got the feeling that there was still an undercurrent of humour in him. Was what she was saying funny? Maybe, to such a successful man. She took her phone out and glanced at it, realising that she was out far later than she would like to be, considering that she had to work in the morning.