The TROUBLE With BILLIONAIRES: Book 1

by Kristina Blake

  “Let me assure you, we do appreciate it,” Rawn told him.

  “Not enough.”

  Knowing the battle had been lost well before we even left for Italy, I tried another tactic. “May I?” I asked, reaching for the telescope again.

  “If you must.”

  Swinging the telescope around to the Northern sky, I searched for a very important constellation. “Come have a look,” I prompted Rawn, holding the 3D glasses out to him.

  He did, bending low to look through the lens. I heard him murmur softly in awe as he did.

  “The cluster of stars that look like a house with arms—that’s actually the King,” I told him. “Also known as Cepheus, of whom the company we work for is named after. In Greek mythology, Cepheus was the king of Aethiopia. His wife was Queen Cassiopeia, his daughter Princess Andromeda—now all constellations in the night sky. Cassiopeia angered the god Poseidon by claiming her daughter to be fairer than his water nymphs, and so Poseidon sent a sea monster to destroy Aethiopia. The fate of the kingdom seemed hopeless, until an oracle told Cepheus that to save his people he must sacrifice his daughter. And so he did, chaining her to a rock. Just as the sea monster rose from the depths of the ocean to slaughter Andromeda, the hero Perseus arrived and destroyed the creature.” I paused to stress my point. “At times, a king may think he’s doing what’s best for his kingdom, but really he’s just sacrificing something wonderful.”

  Dr. Giordano patted me on the back. It was such as simple gesture, but it moved me. I figured he was a man that reserved such gestures for those he considered worthy.

  Rawn stood tall, taking everything in. “This really does have personal meaning to you, doesn’t it, Dr. Giordano?”

  “My wife is up there—amongst those stars. I want everyone to see her. I won’t break on this. I’m as stubborn as that mule over there,” he said, pointing to the donkey, now curled into an old car engine, asleep.

  “When are you due to sign with the Germans?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  Rawn sighed, looking up into the sky, conflicted. “Don’t,” he finally said. “We’ll market the telescope to the general public. You’ll have your wish. What’s your wife’s name?”

  “Alessandra.”

  “Then, I introduce you to the Alessa 3D X100. She’s not as beautiful as the original, but I’m sure she’ll do just fine.”

  ***

  “You know what this means?” I alluded as we headed back to the Ferrari, having said our goodbyes to Dr. Giordano.

  “That I just made a potentially career-ending decision?”

  “No,” I said, practically skipping across the junk-filled yard. “I get to drive!”

  “You cheated,” he accused, throwing me the keys. “You compared me to a king.”

  Happily, I slid into the driver’s seat. The leather was the same as the rest of the vehicle, but it felt different. It felt like power.

  “You do have a license, don’t you?” he asked, buckling his seatbelt.

  “Well, now that you’ve convinced Dr. Giordano to sign with Cepheus Scientific, at least one of us does,” I stated. And then I reversed backward and sped away before Rawn could ask any further questions.

  The hum of the engine was an exhilarating reward. I had never controlled a machine quite like this before. I liked it. Having to take the bus when I returned home seemed too dull to imagine.

  I followed the main road back towards Naples, silent as I concentrated on the darkness around us. The last thing I wanted to do was accidently run over a baby eel. Plus, the silence made the thrill of driving all the better.

  The trouble with sports cars, however, was that they drove fast. All too soon, we approached the city lights of Naples, my adventure in the Ferrari almost over.

  “Continue through the intersection,” Rawn told me.

  I was confused. “I thought our hotel was to the right?”

  “It is. But there’s something I want to show you first.”

  The secret.

  Obeying, I followed his directions as we cruised across the city, my speed tamed now that we were no longer within the abandonment of the countryside. Eventually, he had me park outside a rather regal building made of a dark sandy texture—almost pink in color. Tall palm trees lined the street in front of the building, centering an entrance burrowed between two marble columns.

  “The archaeology museum? It’s closed.”

  “To the public.”

  “We’re the public,” I reminded him.

  “Not tonight. One of our clients happens to be a wealthy benefactor of the museum. I had him pull some strings. He was more than willing. He’s a shipping tycoon. We helped him update his ships with a navigation system that uses satellites to show on a map where pirate ships are hiding and where they are heading. That way his ships can stay far away.”

  The only part of that story I absorbed was pirate ships. “Wait, pirates still exist?”

  “Sadly.”

  “With eye patches?”

  “Sadly not.” He held his hand out. “The keys, Madison.”

  Reluctantly, I parted with the keys as if they were my freedom. “Remind me to tell Santa I want a Ferrari for Christmas.”

  For the second time that day, I took my heels off, not wanting to slide on the stone steps that led into the museum. A man in a curator’s uniform let us in. Taking my hand, Rawn led me down a corridor only partially lit, leaving eerie shadows on many of the artifacts. We walked until we reached a wing guarded by metal bars that reminded me of a cage. Above the entrance was a sign: Gabinetto Segreto.

  “The Secret Room,” Rawn translated. “Or the Secret Cabinet. Only adults are allowed past this point.”

  Only adults... I was barely an adult. “Is this a real thing or did you set it up to turn me on?” I asked, unsure if I wanted to go in.

  “It’s a real thing,” he proclaimed, leading me through the gate. “Countless visitors enter here every year.”

  I instantly saw why it was reserved for adults. It was a sex room, but not in a boudoir style orgy kind of way. The hardwood floors and whitewashed walls were actually quite plain. But the artifacts… There were clay figures with genitals that stretched out far past their bellies and paintings of men pinching the breasts of women. There was nowhere to look within the wing where there wasn’t some sort of copulation happening, and not always with humans.

  “It’s…erotic,” I said, not wanting to hurt his feelings. He had clearly gone through a lot of trouble to show me the room, but enlarged penises just didn’t do it for me, not unless it was the soft flesh of the man beside me.

  My face must have said it all. “Let me show you the back,” he said, adamant.

  He took me to a wall of frescos that were much more seductive than phallic figurines, especially in the dimmer lighting. I studied the frescos, feeling my body respond. There was a romanticism to knowing they had been painted thousands of years ago. The romanticism was only fuelled by the acts depicted within, many of women riding men, or men taking a woman from behind.

  “Do any catch your eye?” Rawn asked, standing very close to me, enough that I could feel the hard lines of his body pressed into mine.

  “This one,” I said, indicating the fresco in front of me.

  It was in bad need of repair, but through the cracks in the plaster, I could make out the image of a woman in bed with a man. He was propped up against pillows, his cock fully erect, waiting. With one knee on the bed and one knee raised, she had her legs spread out in front of him. Her crevasse was wide open, and she was about to slide herself over his cock. It looked like she was in control of their lovemaking, but the way she looked shyly to the side, a blush upon her cheeks, I got the feeling that though she was a willing participant, he was in command. “What is this place?”

  “Some say the work of Cupid, the god of love and desire. The artifacts in this room were found in Pompeii and Herculaneum amidst the ruins.”

  “Pompeii…that was the town destroye
d by the eruption of Vesuvius so long ago.”

  “Yes. It’s not far from here. It would seem the citizens of Pompeii and Herculaneum embraced sexuality and were unashamed to revere it, knowing it represented the fertility necessary for life to exist. Since being found during more modest eras of human history, these artifacts have been locked away and banished into secrecy, seen by only a select view. But not anymore. Now anyone of age can visit the Gabinetto Segreto.”

  “So it’s not really a secret. Not anymore.”

  “Rightfully so. These frescos were never meant to be shunned or labeled obscene. The artifacts in this room should be celebrated, as they were in Pompeii and Herculaneum. It’s tragic that so many people perished under the fire of the mountain, but at least they lived without shame of who they were, or of what they desired.”

  He kissed my bare shoulder, sending shockwaves down my body.

  We’re not going to fuck in a museum, are we? I worried, certain there were security cameras around.

  His lips continued to press against my skin, trailing away from my shoulder to my neck. “I trust you,” I moaned softly, my willpower fading.

  “Then, I better get you back to the hotel,” he said, depriving me of his kisses. My skin felt unnatural without them.

  The cool breeze of the night helped pull me from my trance. “Who’s driving?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

  “I am,” Rawn asserted. “I’m taking control.”

  ***

  “I’m still angry with you,” I said, standing in my bedroom in the hotel suite. I was suddenly very much aware of just how much man Rawn was and how much I still had to learn about the world.

  “And why is that?” he asked, circling around me, running a hand lightly across my neck.

  “Why did you really leave me alone in the woods? You say it was to avoid any awkwardness, but I know you were lying. I trust you, but not fully. If you want my full trust, tell me the truth.”

  “Sex with you was…more than physical. Gazing upon you naked in the wildflowers of the meadow, your skin illuminated by the moonlight…it turned my soul. I couldn’t have that. I’m not the type of man who comes with heartstrings. I can’t give you what you deserve.”

  And neither can I.

  “Then why are we here?”

  “When I found you in my office yesterday morning, it took all my strength not to take you then. You do something to me, Madison. You’re…undeniable. I have to have you, even though my better senses tell me to leave you well alone.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re dangerous. I feel unsteady around you. Out of control.” He continued to circle me. “Even now, with you standing here in that flirty dress…the way the loose skirt hints at what’s underneath…” He stopped and grabbed me, his arms strong around me. “All I want to do is rub a hand up your thigh.”

  He did, lifting the hem of my dress, his hand like fire against my skin. My body responded, pressing against him. My mind allowed it because it didn’t want to think. It didn’t want to admit that what Rawn said was true. I was dangerous for him.

  “Take me,” I breathed and reached for his zipper, but he stepped away.

  “You trust me?”

  “I do,” I confirmed.

  “Then do as I say. I want you to unbutton your dress, but slowly. Allow me to see every inch of you.”

  “Too late for that,” I said, remembering how his tongue had circled my clit.

  “Shhh… Just undress.”

  Bit by bit, I undid the buttons at the front of the dress, allowing the navy cotton to fall off my shoulders, and then to the floor, leaving me in nothing more than my bright yellow bra and panties.

  “Like the sunshine,” he uttered with approval.

  I waited with anticipation, eager to see just how much of a man Rawn was. I knew he was large, but I wanted to see the stiff shaft of his cock.

  But he didn’t undress. Instead, he came up to me and kissed me hard, bruising my lips. It made my body rev into full gear. Beneath his touch, I purred.

  “Feel how much I want you,” he said, sliding my hand down to the bulge of his pants. I took his cock into my hand and caressed it. “See what you do to me,” he growled.

  “I see,” I said, staring straight into his amber eyes.

  He stepped back, and my hand dropped. “Go lie in the bed,” he ordered, tracing the lines of my body with those eyes.

  More than happy to, I crawled onto the soft mattress, the satin quilt an added sensation against my skin, which was hot with the urgency of my desire. I made myself comfortable, and by the time I turned to face Rawn, he was already naked. Fully. Naked.

  My god, I thought, enjoying the bulge of muscle on his arms and how his abs looked more like those of a Calvin Klein underwear model than a corporate overlord.

  In his usual casual manner, he joined me on the bed, his body hovering over mine. He hadn’t touched me yet, not in the way I wanted, but already my body was fully aroused, my panties saturated with my yearning. Being in bed with Rawn was nothing like being with the boys I dated in college.

  Sensing the way I craved him, he stuck two fingers straight into my panties, causing the puddle to grow.

  “I like how wet you are,” he rasped, withdrawing his fingers—much to my dismay.

  Settling on the mattress between my legs, he ran his tongue over my panties, drinking in the moisture, and up across my naval, stopping only when he reached my breasts. Seizing the strap of my bra with his teeth, he pulled it down, revealing my nipple, which he expertly flicked his tongue across, causing a flush to form, uniting my core with my tits. Moaning, I arched my back, allowing him to take more of me in his mouth. As he sucked, he began to grind his hips, pressing his growing cock against my thigh. So close…

  It was good. So good. But it wasn’t enough. My body cried for him—for the feel of his cock inside me, taking me over the edge.

  Trading his teeth for his hands, he tore my bra away, then my panties, leaving me as ripe as he was. With the weight of his body against me, he nibbled at my ear, teasing me, prolonging my release. Then he grabbed me around the waist and rolled me over so that he was propped up on the pillows, and I was on top.

  “Let me see you,” he insisted. “Show me your flesh.”

  I understood. The fresco. The one I had pointed out. The woman in the fresco had been positioned in a way that fully exposed herself to her lover.

  “I can’t,” I whispered. Yes, Rawn had seen all of me the night in the woods, but it had been dark. The lights in my hotel room were warm and calming, but they were still lights.

  “You can,” he encouraged. “Think back to the fresco. Mimic her position.”

  Experiencing firsthand why the woman had a blush upon her cheeks, I lifted my leg so that my knee was raised, and I slightly parted my lips. It was the furthest I could go.

  “Stunning. Now slide yourself over the tip of my cock.”

  Relieved the show was over, I obliged, moving over him so that his cock massaged the outside of my crevasse, my wetness flowing over his rod. His warm flesh against mine triggered my need further.

  “Can you stand it?” he asked. “To be so close to full satisfaction but have it withheld?”

  “No,” I admitted. “It’s agony.”

  “Do you trust me?”

  “I told you that I do.” I didn’t understand all the talk. With my body screaming to the heavens, all I wanted to do was fuck.

  Reaching forward, he maneuvered my hips away from his so that we were both lying on the bed facing each other. I was confused, my body apprehensive, waiting for the release I was entitled to. I had shown him what he’d wanted. I’d exposed all of myself to him. Now, I wanted all of him.

  Rawn smiled. I had never before seen a smile full of so much warmth and wickedness at once. “Caress your breasts,” he instructed. “Pinch those pink buds of yours.”

  “What about—”

  “Trust me,” he interrupted, using my words
against me. “I want you, Madison. More than I’ve ever wanted a woman before. But I want to show you that I know what’s best for you. Now caress your breasts.”

  When I did, it was more than my body could handle. A wave of bliss rocked through me, making my head light. But my body had more pleasure to offer. Knowing this, Rawn stroked the tip of his finger lightly around my clit, as if he were finger-painting my sex.

  “Keep going,” he encouraged. “I want you to come harder so that I can see what you look like when you touch the stars.”

  His touch felt like a feather, making complying with his wishes easy to do. Another current of glory ripped across my body. I rode with it, letting it overcome my entire being, moaning loudly, my song of joy.

  As I recovered, he pulled me close into his arms. I could feel just how much he enjoyed the show. “Watching you was unforgettable. It makes being naked in bed with you torturous. But I like the torture. It’ll make taking you next time we’re in bed together all the more euphoric.”

  “So you don’t plan on abandoning me in Italy?” I teased.

  “No,” he promised, nuzzling my hair. “I promise, you’ll never be lost in the woods again.”

  Chapter Seven

  Rain. I should be used to it. It always rained in Portland. I was born in it. But it washed away the dream Italy had been. Sitting in the car that was driving me home to my apartment, with Rawn by my side, I was suddenly very much aware of my reality.

  I was out of my depth with Rawn. I was only twenty-one. I should still be hooking up with doe-eyed boys who organized anti-war protests and visited their moms on Sunday. I wasn’t ready for the torment any type of relationship with Rawn was sure to bring.

  And then there was my sister…

  Fate did not determine who loved whom. It only decided who lived and who died. Who got to experience the rain, no matter how dreary, and who lived far beyond the rain, perhaps in nothingness.

  “I hate the rain too,” Rawn said, interpreting my frown.

  “I don’t hate it,” I mumbled, wishing the driver would hurry up and reach my apartment. “It just makes me think.”