At the Billionaire's Pleasure (Billionaire Brothers Series 1)

by M. G. Morgan

  “Now tell me. Why did you try and leave? What are you trying to escape?”

  “I-I...” Words failed me. How could I tell him? He wouldn’t understand.

  He pressed his body against mine, manoeuvring me backwards until my ass hit the kitchen counter. He lifted his hands and carefully cupped my face. His head dipped low. His tongue trailed a path of fire from my neck down to my chest.

  He whispered against my skin, “Why were you running from me? What are you afraid of?”

  My eyes were closed and my head thrown back. The feel of his lips and hands on my body was too much. I couldn’t fight him and the words tumbled out of me before I could even think to stop them.

  “I’m afraid of getting hurt.”

  The words hung between us. David froze, his breath the only indication that he was still there, that he was alive. He pulled away from me. The look in his blue eyes made me cringe.

  “You’re afraid of me? Afraid I’ll hurt you?”

  “Yes.” I met his gaze with a searching one of my own.

  “Carrie, I thought you were enjoying what we had? What we shared?”

  His words stung. Although I knew that for him this was little more than sex; I was rapidly starting to realise for me it was a little more.

  “I do. I mean I am... But...”

  “But what?”

  He moved away from me and pushed his hand back through his hair. He puffed out his cheeks and exhaled heavily.

  “I’ve never done this sort of thing before. It’s always been more than just sex.”

  “So you’re telling me that what you and Richard had was more than just sex? It might have been more than that for you but for him it was definitely all about what he could get from you.”

  I slowly began to close up the coat I was wearing. My stupid brain had once more gotten in the way. I could have had David. He made me feel special and beautiful and I could have had it for as long as I wanted. But no, I had to over think everything. I swallowed back my tears and pushed the hurt deep down inside myself. I wasn’t going to let him see how much it hurt.

  “Where are you going?” He growled at me. The words trickled from between his lips. I could feel the anger rolling from his body in waves. “Carrie, I want you. I’ve already told you that. Why is that so hard for you to believe? I WANT YOU.”

  He spoke the words loudly placing emphasis on each letter as though I was a child who couldn’t understand what he was saying. He moved back towards me and wrapped me in his arms. His hands slid inside the coat slowly, pressing in against my skin and dragging me in tight against his body.

  When he kissed me, a frisson of desire passed between us. It surprised me and I moaned softly, my mouth opening to him. He nibbled along my lips before tangling his tongue with mine. I melted against him, my body limp in his arms.

  I broke the kiss. My arms pushed against his chest. The little voice of reason screamed at me. What was I doing? Was I crazy?

  David looked at me with a surprised expression. “Carrie?”

  “I have to go. I’m sorry, I need time to think. After everything that’s happened with Richard and now you. I just need some time to get my head straight.”

  David sighed and released me from his grip. I could see the disappointment in his eyes, as though I had just failed some sort of test. But I couldn’t help it. I did need time to think. I needed to get as far away from David as I possibly could and sort things out in my head.

  “Fine. But I won’t wait very long for you. If you don’t come back by tomorrow morning then that is it. My offer is off the table.”

  “Offer?” Was this the business proposal he had spoken of?

  “When you return—if you return—then I have a proposition for you. But not until you return. I need you to be sure, Carrie. I don’t want someone who will flake out on me at the last moment or when they’re a little unsure about something. I need someone who wants to be here. Who wants what I can give them. I thought that was you. But we’ll see.” He turned his back on me and moved away.

  I had failed some sort of test and now here I was caught up in another one. How did I get myself into these predicaments?

  Once more I closed my coat and headed for the door. His voice made me pause.

  “I’ll have my car bring you home.” His voice was cold and he never looked at me as he spoke. It was as though he was mentally withdrawing from me already. I turned and opened the door but he was there first, his hand closing over mine. He wrapped his arms around my body and lifted me from the floor.

  “I haven’t forgotten that you have no shoes.” He carried me from his apartment and down to the elevator.

  “David.”

  He shot me a cold look before I could get the rest of my sentence out. I sealed my lips together and he held me in silence as the lift travelled down. Upon reaching the ground floor I expected to be shamed as people coming in and out of the apartment building saw me in my dishevelled state. But when the doors opened I was relieved to discover we were in the underground car park.

  David carried me to the car. The engine was already idling and the driver didn’t seem fazed by David carrying me out of the building only hours before he had carried me in. The driver held the door and David slid me in across the seat.

  I looked up into his eyes but he was completely shut down. I couldn’t see any flicker of emotion as he fixed the coat around my thighs. I was his secretary once again. No more and no less.

  He closed the door and watched as the driver got in behind the wheel.

  “I’m going to—”

  “I know, ma’am.” The driver cut me off before I could share my address. Colour mounted my cheeks as I sat back against the cold leather. No doubt he thought I was some type of one night stand that David had picked up.

  Well, isn’t that what you are? the little voice in my mind piped up. I couldn’t deny it. It was right. I was little more than a one night stand but it was my fault it had gone this way. If I had just kept my mouth shut. If I had crushed my doubts and fears down inside me then this wouldn’t be happening. I could have enjoyed what he was willing to offer me and been happy. For once in my life I could have had what I wanted and been happy. But my stupid insecurities had to get in the way.

  I stared out the window as the city passed by. I needed to decide what I wanted. And if I wanted any hope of having anything with David then I needed to do it before tomorrow morning.

  CHAPTER SIX

  The car pulled up to the curb and the driver hurried around to my door. Gingerly I put my bare feet on the ground. It was cold but at least it looked kind of clean.

  “Thank you,” I said, my voice barely more than a whisper.

  “Just doing my job.” The driver’s voice was cold and aloof. No doubt he saw plenty of women come and go from David’s apartment.

  I hurried inside and up the stairs. Once I reached my own apartment and discovered it to be safely locked just as it had been left, I was relieved. Entering the apartment I scanned each room. It seemed Richard had not returned.

  I peeled the coat off and immediately climbed into the shower. The warm water ran down over my skin washing David’s scent from my body. My thighs were sticky and I scrubbed at them with soap. David had been the first man to ever cum inside me. He had said he was marking me. Marking me as his. Luckily I didn’t have to worry about any unplanned side effects. The little pill I took every evening saw to that.

  But still it had to mean something. Or was it something he told every woman he took to bed? Tears ran down my face and mingled with the water. Even the shower reminded me of him. The way he had held me. Cuffed my hands before pushing into me.

  And then when it was over. The way he had spun me around and kissed me. My lips tingled at the thought of his kiss. Everything about him screamed that he was wrong for me and yet there was a part of me that felt differently. If I ignored my better judgement and went to him. If I let him own me, was I really making such a huge mistake? I had never once ha
d these sorts of thoughts or feelings where Richard was concerned, or any other guy for that matter. What made David Ashcroft so damned special?

  Climbing out of the shower, my apartment buzzer made me jump. The shrill sound grated against my building headache. Who the hell was here at this time of the morning?

  Grabbing my robe I pulled it tight around my body and ran to the door. I pressed the answer button. “Who is it?” My voice was breathless. I used the towel I was holding to dry off the wettest areas of my hair before it dripped all over the floor.

  “I’m not sure if you remember me from last night. I didn’t get to give you my name. I’m Robert. Robert Hatcher. I helped you leave the club and find a cab?”

  My heart sped up. How the hell had he found me? And what was he doing here?

  “Yeah...” I wasn’t sure what to say. What did you say to some guy you had a fleeting conversation with who turned up on your doorstep?

  “Look, I don’t mean to be weird or anything. It’s just you seemed really upset last night and I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

  He sounded kind and very genuine and when I thought about the smile he had, it softened my initial reaction.

  “Give me five minutes. Um, I need to finish getting dressed.” The moment the words left my mouth I cursed my stupidity. He didn’t need to know I was naked or even semi-naked. In fact the less he knew about my nakedness the better. I had enough men to worry about without adding another.

  “Oh,” was all he replied, but that one word held enough lust to create a tight band around my chest.

  I moved away from the buzzer and ran for my room. Clothes flew as I scrambled to find something suitable. Obviously I wasn’t going to let him in. I would simply pretend I was on my way out. Then there would be none of the usual awkwardness that usually accompanied these types of meetings.

  There was something about his name though that struck a chord with me. I recognised the name Hatcher but I wasn’t sure from where. Dragging on a pair of jeans and a blouse, I attempted to arrange my hair into some sort of respectable style. It was impossible and it refused to cooperate in any way.

  With a sigh I left it and grabbed my jacket and purse. I locked the door carefully behind me. The last thing I wanted was a repeat of the night before. Although if Richard hadn’t returned my key then locking the door wasn’t going to stop him from getting in. Mentally I planned and decided that calling a locksmith was probably the safer idea.

  I hurried down the stairs and paused on the final step. Just a few hours ago I was leaving my apartment with David. It was strange how in such a short span of time things could change. I shook myself mentally. If I had made up my mind that he was bad for me then why was I still thinking of him? Why were all of my thoughts consumed by him?

  I could make out what I presumed was Robert’s silhouette outside the doors. He was tall and broad shouldered. If I remembered correctly then he was everything that a woman could possibly want in a man.

  I pushed open the door and stepped out into the sunshine. The look he gave me would have made another woman weak at the knees but not me. He was far too happy and had a shiny new feel to him. He reminded me of what I had always thought a playboy might be like. Handsome, far too much money, and very sleek. I couldn’t imagine Robert having any trouble charming a woman into his bed.

  “Carrie?” he asked, his boyish grin lighting up his face. It was then I noticed it. Although his smile was disarming and no doubt used to put people at ease, the smile didn’t reach his eyes. Oh they sparkled and lit up in the same way that his smile lit up his face but there was no happiness in his eyes. They were cold and for the first time since I had met him I was intrigued about this man. If he was so carefree and had time to chase down women he had met for just a few moments, why were his eyes so cold?

  “That’s me. As you can see I’m fine after last night.”

  “David, went after you. He seemed very concerned about you. Are you two an item?”

  The bluntness of his question took me by surprise. For a moment I wasn’t sure how I should answer. We weren’t really an item but I knew a large part of me wanted to change that.

  “It’s complicated,” I answered with a sigh and Robert gave me a very knowing smile. Although I wasn’t in the least bit sexually attracted to this man—at least not in the way I was attracted to David—there was something about him that made me want to get to know him.

  “How do you and David know each other?”

  Robert smiled. “We don’t know each other that well. I’d consider us to be more acquaintances that anything else. Ships passing in the night, if you will.”

  “Oh.” I chewed my lip thoughtfully before continuing. “Well, as you can see I’m perfectly fine. Nothing to worry about. It was lovely of you to be so concerned.” I moved away and headed down the street.

  “Fancy a coffee? I know a lovely little place not far from here. Perhaps there we can get to know each other a little better?” He gave me his best boyish smile again. It didn’t touch his eyes and I could feel some sort of tension radiating from him. There was something very odd about this man. And I was determined to get to the bottom of it.

  I smiled back at him in an attempt to make him think I was succumbing to his charms. I wasn’t very good at it. I never had been very good at concealing my real thoughts and feelings.

  “Alright. I guess I could do with it. I missed my usual morning coffee.”

  Robert raised an eyebrow at my statement and smiled. “Ah, too busy, were you?”

  Colour pooled in my cheeks and I turned away from him. How could he possibly think this was endearing?

  “So I recognise your name from somewhere. Hatcher? It rings a bell but I’m not sure how I know it...” I once again started to walk down the street and he matched my pace easily.

  “Hatcher Industries. It’s a company my father owns. One day I’ll take it over from him. That is if he ever decides to retire.”

  Hatcher Industries was one of the accounts our firm took care of. If I remembered correctly it was the very one that had accused David of messing up the file transfer. The one that David had punished me for. I blushed as I remembered the feel of his strong hands on my ass. I had never been spanked before. But with David doing it, it had felt absolutely right. I would have given anything at that moment to have David drive up and bend me over the bonnet of his car. Even with everyone on the street watching I would have let him do whatever he wanted to me. It was a strange feeling to know that I would give every part of myself to that man. I would let him do things to me that I had only ever dreamt about late at night.

  He was a man who could possess me completely and I could become lost in him.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” Robert’s voice made me jump and brought me back to reality with a bump. How long had I zoned out for? This was exactly the reason why David had punished me in the first place. The realisation made me giggle.

  Robert opened the door of the coffee shop we had stopped outside of. I noticed then that his hands were smaller than David’s. It made me long for his strong touch. The way he placed his hand on my lower back and guided me into a room. When he had done it, it had made me feel safe.

  “Carrie, it’s like you’re on another planet. Have I done something wrong?” I looked at Robert’s concerned face. He was being so nice and here I was acting like some sort of space cadet weirdo.

  I shook my head and smiled. “I’m fine, really. I just need to get some coffee inside me.”

  Robert grinned and let me step inside. “Then I think you’re going to like this place.”

  I took a seat whilst he went to the counter and ordered our drinks. When he returned we made idle chit chat that seemed to go on forever. I could sense he wanted to ask me something else entirely but hadn’t yet gotten up the courage to do it. Having that feeling made me feel a little nervous.

  Finally he got up the courage and when he cleared his throat I knew he was finally going to get to the h
eart of the matter.

  “So you work for David?”

  “Yeah, I’ve been his secretary for nearly a year now. Why?”

  “No real reason I just find it strange that you work for him and you would indulge him in some of his darker fantasies.” Robert lifted the coffee cup to his mouth and took a sip. I was intrigued. What did he mean darker fantasies? Yes, the club had been an odd experience. But David hadn’t done anything yet that I could really attribute to a dark side.

  “What do you mean? I haven’t indulged him in any dark fantasies or...” I cut myself off before I could continue. It really was none of Robert’s business what we got up to in the bedroom and I certainly wasn’t going to share any intimate details.

  “Oh, well my mistake then. It’s just when I saw you at the club last night and I found out you were with him I just assumed.”

  “Assumed what?” My voice had taken on a hostile tone. I couldn’t help it. Every fibre of my being told me I should like Robert but I didn’t. There was something off about him that let me know he was a bad idea.

  “Carrie, really it’s nothing. You said it yourself he hasn’t tried his idea of fun with you. Clearly you are something different for him. It’s just, I like you and I wouldn’t want to see you get hurt.”

  I opened my mouth and then closed it. He liked me? How could he? He didn’t know me and I didn’t know him. Was this how it worked for everyone else? Guys told them how they felt. It was something my friends had spoken about but it had never happened to me.

  “Look, Carrie, I can see that you care about Ashcroft. But I’m going to tell you this as a warning. He’s a user. He likes to seduce women just to prove that he can. He has taken subs from other Doms in the club. He doesn’t have many friends there. Quite a few members would like to see him disappear. But I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you. I don’t want him to use you up and spit you out like the others. You’re worth more than that.” Robert reached out and tucked some of my stray brown hairs that had escaped my hair tie back behind my ear. His touch left me cold.