"I'm worth more than you can spend in ten lifetimes so I don't want you worrying about that stuff okay?"
When she didn't answer I chanced a glance at her and found her worrying her lip again. I know she wasn't accustomed to anyone spending money on her but she would have to get used to it, I intend to spoil the fuck out of her everyday for the rest of her life. “I don’t really know what to buy, I’ve never…”
“So buy everything you like I mean it Ashley if you see something you want I want you to get it.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
“Fine I’ll just have to help you then.” I decided to change the subject and asked her about school instead. That seemed to settle her a little and by the time we pulled up to the mall she was a little more relaxed. Nothing had been said about Cliffy, she hadn’t brought him up and I’d be fucked if I was going to. Let’s hope this was a case of out of sight out of mind.
Our first stop was one of those young people stores with nothing but jeans and t shirts where I had her change out of her uniform first before we got down to some serious shopping. Then I dragged her into every high- end store that had decent clothing in the window.
It was almost five hours later when we returned home laden down with shopping bags. Once again she looked like a teenaged girl, her eyes alight and bursting at the seams to go through her loot again.
"Go ahead babe, I'll start dinner, come find me in the kitchen when you're done."
She kissed me again for the one-hundredth time before heading off to our bedroom. Our bedroom, I liked the sound of that. Where before I guarded my freedom like Cerberus at the gates of hades, I was more than happy to see it go down the drain, she fucking owned me. Completely and irrevocably, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Chapter 9
She came downstairs not even ten minutes after disappearing with her loot, all flushed and happy. And just the sight of her made me smile. She looked so young and carefree here, the way she was supposed to.
"That was quick." I kissed the top of her head my hands were dirty since I'd been marinating salmon steaks for the grill.
"I started to try them on, but then I missed you so I came back down." Shit, could she be any sweeter?
"Hop on up here then and keep me company, then after dinner you can model for me okay baby."
"Okay." She blushed and grinned as she hopped up onto the counter, barley making it without my help. She was so tiny, my heart clutched, I could've lost her before I found her. Not now Gideon, just concentrate on making her happy. That’s your new mission in life don’t let that twisted fuck intrude here. This is your first real night together in her new home you have to make it special.
"Can I help?"
"Nope, I've got it covered. I'm just grilling salad's already made. I would offer you a glass of wine but I don't want to corrupt you...yet." I smirked at her and she blushed.
"In Europe I can have wine."
"We'll talk about that when we're there." She pouted at me, her bottom lip just enticing me to take a bite.
"Ummmm cherry. You trying to get me to eat your lips off?" She giggled as my tongue licked across her lips, shoulders scrunching up to her ears as I tried for a nibble there too.
"Now behave yourself so I can feed us, you tired my old self out with your shopping."
"Me? That was all your fault. I was finished two hours before you were ready to leave you kept finding stuff for me to try on."
She's right too. I'd had a blast watching her try on new outfits her eyes widening as each pile grew and bigger and bigger. And that was just the beginning.
I'd also introduced her to another form of shopping, where someone else got to model the clothing while we got to sit and sip on champagne or in her case sparking cider and nibble on foie gras on toast points which I enjoyed and Blossom turned up her nose at. We'll have to work on her palette.
For all our complaining we'd both enjoyed ourselves, she was now the proud owner of a complete wardrobe that would be the envy of any teen princess.
She'd gotten her ears pierced at my insistence when I caught her staring at earrings in a shop window. She was now sporting a pair of Tiffany's two-carat diamond studs, which her fingers kept gravitating towards repeatedly.
I opened the French doors that lead off the breakfast nook onto the patio where I had the grill already heating just waiting for the fish.
I'd skewered some fresh pineapple rolled in sugar to grill as well, a nice accompaniment to the fish. When I'd asked Ashley what she wanted for dinner her first choice had been McDonald's of all things. I'd squashed that out the box but after she'd explained that she'd never had one of America's favorite fast food burgers, I'd almost cried for her.
Immediately I'd shifted my plans for the weekend, Saturday was going to be dedicated to her only. Whatever she wanted to do, but there was definitely a Big Mac for lunch in her future.
I hope I survive it I haven't eaten one of those things since I was a teen. Mom wasn't too big on fast food either, though it wasn’t for the same reasons as her dick of a father. At least we were allowed one every once in a while, we just weren't allowed to make a habit of it, which was as it should be.
"I know; I'll set the table." She broke my inner ramblings with that announcement as she jumped down off the counter.
"Already done baby, just relax, there's nothing for you to do."
I could tell she was nervous, probably not accustomed to sitting idly by while someone else did all the work, took care of her. I wondered what her evenings had been like at home. Did he make her wait on him hand and foot? Was she even allowed to watch television? Come to think of it, there hadn't been one in her room, and I can't imagine she wanted to spend her free time in a room with him unless she absolutely had to. Put it away Gideon she’s here now and she can watch all the mindless drivel that teens seemed to like on the tube anytime she likes.
I lit the tapered candles in their silver holders in the middle of the table when dinner was ready.
She blushed as I seated her and I couldn't help kissing her heated cheek. Such a delight my little Blossom.
"I hope you like it."
"I don't think I've ever eaten so much salmon before I met you."
"Do you like fish, it's good for you."
"I think so I mean I've fried lots of it when dad would go fishing with Mr. Stark..." Her voice tapered off at the mention of her father.
Taking her hand I gave it a squeeze, rubbing my thumb back and forth across her palm. I pulled her to me for a kiss. If it's the last thing I do I'm going to wipe that desolate look from her face for good. I'll be damned if he'll cause her any more sorrow or heartache.
"You hanging in there baby?" She nodded her head before taking a bite of her fish.
"This is good Gideon, I like it."
"Good I'm glad."
We enjoyed the rest of our meal over much lighter conversation. I asked about school and what these tests she was taking this week were all about.
I wasn't surprised to learn that she was in the top one percentile of her class, which she told me was unknown to her father.
She'd taken her SATs and passed with flying colors and some other aptitude tests they were giving kids these days that they didn't have when I was in school.
Apparently she'd done well enough to be accepted to an Ivy League school, but daddy dearest had nixed that. Well I'll get all her affairs with the school straightened out. I had the necessary papers now, she was old enough to speak for herself, and we didn't need his signature for anything. Asshole.
I still didn't like the idea of him being her guardian of note so I’m gonna have to deal with that first.
"Would you like to get married?" She dropped the fork and looked at me with wide-open eyes.
What the fuck? I hadn't meant to say that, what the hell had just happened? We barely knew each other, she hadn't even met my parents, and she was so fucking young. I was going to wait, what the hell happened to waiting until sh
e got settled in?
Yeah, all those things were true but when she jumped from her seat into my lap, her arms going around my neck to hold me in a chokehold, I knew it was the right move.
If I could just get my heart to calm down we'd be good to go.
Fuck Thorpe, you really are nuts, you've lost your fucking mind over this girl. How do you go from being totally against giving up your freedom to getting married to a girl whom you'd only just met?
I haven't even really kissed her yet, not the way I wanted to anyway. I had no idea what her likes and dislikes were. What were her favorite things to do? In fact I knew nothing about her except that the way she made me feel, I'm sure I'd never feel that good again with anyone else. Never!
There was a lot to be done I had three months before her eighteenth birthday. I'd already committed myself to waiting until then before taking her to my bed...well, before making love to her there since she was already sleeping in my bed.
"You won't change your mind will you?"
"Well you haven't answered the question yet so..."
"Yes, yes, yes, yes." She squealed, peppering my face with kisses after each enthusiastic yes and I was grinning like an ass.
"So when... How? Tomorrow?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, not so fast little one, we have to plan it, sometime after your birthday."
"Why do we have to wait?" I hated to see her lose that exuberance but I had to do this right for her sake.
I kissed her nose before looking into her magnificent eyes.
"Because I have a mother who would skin me alive if I ran off and got married without telling her. She's going to want to plan an extravagant event whether or not it's just us, or she invites half the state."
She grew rather quiet and sullen and I was beginning to realize that I hated to see her look anything but happy. Lifting her head up, I caressed her cheek lovingly.
"What is it, what's wrong?"
"What if she doesn't like me?" She looked close to tears, I guess it's only natural for every new daughter in law to worry about whether or not her new mother in law would approve, but somehow I think there was more going on here than that.
She looked fucking petrified, just as she had that morning when she asked me if this was home.
I pulled her closer to me, hugging her with all the love I had in me for her.
"She'll love you baby, I promise. There's nothing for you to worry about okay, I'll introduce you to them soon and you'll see. I have a sister your age, her name's Tula and she loves to shop. I can see you two hitting the shops together, not to mention her obsession with on line shopping. I'm sure my credit cards are gonna get a work out." I tried to tease her out of her sulk.
She blushed at that and hid her face in my chest.
"Oh no I spend too much."
"Ashley cut it out, we've already had this conversation, what's mine is yours, you can never spend too much okay? Look at it this way, what if I wanted to spend time with you and you had lots of free time? Would you spend your free time with me, or would you be mad that you had to?"
"I could never be mad at spending time with you."
"Well see, that's exactly how I feel about the money, time is more precious than money and I have tons of it. I want to spend it on you. In fact, I'm getting you your own cards and your own account, that way you don't have to wait for me to do anything if you see something you want you can just buy it." And I can erase the picture of you in want and going without from my mind.
"I don't know what to say, this is all so...so, I don't know, is this a dream?"
"No dream baby, we're both just very lucky to have found each other." She makes it so easy, I just want to love this girl with everything I’ve got. I hope I don't fuck this up I'm not sure if I should get her a therapist. How much damage had been done to her psyche? She seems so well rounded and even keeled for someone who's lived with a virtual sociopath her entire life.
I'll keep an eye out for the next couple of weeks at least and if I notice anything off I'll handle it. Her life had been drastically changed overnight I'd literally swooped in and taken her over. I have to be sure not to overcrowd her, she already had one overbearing male figure in her life she didn't need another. But the way I felt about her, I know it's going to be tough keeping myself in check.
I do want to take her over, dominate. I have this uncontrollable need to be a part of every aspect of her life. Maybe because I know she'd been hurt by her father for so long, I don't know. What I do know is that no one else has ever made me feel this possessive. Like I needed to own her and that just sounds so sick. But it’s the truth, whether it’s her upbringing, her youth, or that innocent air about her I just know she makes me want to take over every aspect of her existence; like I have to stand between her and the rest of the world.
With Lynn and anyone else that came before her we spent as much time apart as we did together. In fact maybe more, but the thought of letting her out of my sight fills me with distaste. If I had my way she would never spend another night out of my arms. Which might be difficult since she had school and I sometimes travelled for business, sometimes out of the country, I’m going to have to figure something out because I’m pretty sure that was out.
Fuck, I can't think about that right now, I'm just making myself crazy.
"Hey, isn't school almost out for the summer?"
"Yep, just a few more weeks and it's summer vacation."
"What do you usually do on breaks?"
"Umm nothing?"
"You never went anywhere, did anything with friends, go to the beach, stuff like that?"
"I don't really have any friends Gideon." She hung her head as if in shame, I felt my ire rise once again.
"Well you do now Blossom, you have me." I teased her out of the funk I sensed was coming on again. Fucking Cliff Sanders; what an utter and complete asshole, if I hadn't hated him before I would now.
What seventeen, almost eighteen-year old girl didn't need friends? The more I learned about her life with him, the more convinced I became that I'd done the right thing by taking her out of there.
"Let me know when your classes end. We need to make plans, can't have you sitting around here all summer now can we?"
"Really, where would we go?" Her eyes lit up and she bounced in my lap making me laugh and groan at the same time.
I've been fighting a hard on ever since she climbed into my lap. I don't want to scare her half to death but neither did I want there to be any uneasiness between us. She’s going to learn about my body’s reaction to hers sooner or later. There’s no way to keep it hidden for the next three months.
I stole a kiss to distract her from my rod poking into her thigh, soft gentle kisses no tongue as yet, I didn't want to push my luck.
Although I'd promised myself not to make complete love to her until she was older, I knew it was unrealistic to think that I could lie next to her every night and not touch her. I knew there was going to be a lot of touching for the next three months.
That night she slept on my chest, her legs snuggled between mine, and me, the guy who couldn't stand cuddling slept like a fucking baby with her sweet weight on top of me.
The next morning we were more relaxed with each other. I let her browbeat me into eating breakfast, at least if was just fresh fruit with muesli and fresh squeezed orange juice.
She seemed more in her element here, puttering around my kitchen in her school uniform, the little band around her head making her look even younger. I almost felt like a perv, especially when I trapped her between my body and the island and ate at her cherry flavored lips.
"I can't wait to make love to you."
I felt her whole frame shiver at my whispered words, good, maybe I'll keep her primed between now and her birthday. By the time I actually get inside her she would be stoked for it.
"Gideon, don't say stuff like that." She was red as a cherry, her face hot to the touch when I kissed her cheek but she had a little shy smile as she tried t
o hide from me.
I needed to get her off to school. I still hadn't listened to the tapes yet and I wanted to get that done today, then there was a lot to do to prepare for our future.
Chapter 10
I took her to school on my way to work, and didn’t that sound fucking insane? I’m the twenty-six year old head of a Fortune Five Hundred company and my girlfriend is a twelfth grader, for fuck’s sake. What if I hadn’t seen her that day? Or the wind hadn’t been blowing in just that way that made her play in her hair the way she had that caught my eye? I shudder to think what might’ve become of my beautiful girl then. No matter what I’ll never regret having her in my life.
Sanders had been right though, there were some who would scoff at the disparity in our relationship, and some could kiss my ass. I answer to no one, which meant no one had any say in what the fuck I do with my life. The only people who mattered were my family and I had no doubt they’d love my girl. Mom especially would want to mother here, which was fine by me she could use all the love and attention she could stand. But first they’d have to stand in line because it was going to be a while before I felt like sharing my treasure with anyone else.
“Do you get out early again today baby?” We’d pulled up to the school and some of the kids were checking out the limo but couldn’t see beyond the tinted glass. I’d decided against asking her about friends at school because I was pretty sure she had none but…”Does anyone here bother you Blossom?”
“No I pretty much always just kept to myself. I think some of them thinks I’m weird but no one has ever been mean or anything. And no I’m not getting our early. Will you still be able to come get me? I can find my way back I think, it doesn’t seem that far.”
“Don’t be silly of course I’ll cone get you.” I kissed her cute little nose as the driver came around to let her out.
“I don’t want to take you away from anything if you’re busy…”
“Hey, I’ll never be too busy for you ever okay.” That got me a smile and a quick kiss, which only left me wanting.
The Billionaire Page 6