Shades of Submission: Fifty by Fifty #1: Billionaire Romance Boxed Set

by Hunter, Adriana

  Jack shouldered him out of the way and walked straight to Janet's bedroom. He found a duffle bag in the closet and started shoving clothes into it. He opened a drawer and grinned at all the frilly lady items inside. He emptied the entire drawer into the bag and then moved to the next drawer.

  Then he looked at the hanging clothes. Janet sure had a lot of fancy stuff.

  He was rummaging around for something else to put her clothes in when he saw her father standing hesitantly in the door.

  "Is she alright?"

  "I need another bag."

  "I'll get one. Is she?"

  He nodded brusquely and the man disappeared, coming back with a garment bag and another large suitcase. He helped Jack as he packed Janet's things.

  In the end, Mr. Mahoney ended up carrying half of her stuff out to the car with Jack. He teared up when he saw Janet in the passenger seat.

  "Thank God you are alright."

  Janet didn't say anything as they loaded the car. She stared straight ahead until Jack was in the drivers seat. She glanced at him for reassurance. He nodded. Janet turned to her father.

  "Goodbye dad."

  That was it. She turned away from the open window and Jack pulled away from the curb.

  **********

  Janet stared out the window of the SUV at the huge metal sign that read 'JH Bikes.' Jack owned his own custom bike shop. He'd said he was good at fixing things. How had she not known about that?

  From the looks of it, business was booming.

  "I live on the top floor. There's a couple of empty floors up there too. It's not much but-"

  "Are you kidding? It's awesome."

  He looked relieved. She was coming to realize that he did care what she thought. Very much so. She smiled and got out of the car.

  "Jack!"

  A couple of guys were in the shop working. They raised their hands in greeting, looking at Janet curiously. Jack scowled and grabbed a handful of her stuff. She looked at his hand gripping her luggage. He could carry a lot with those huge hands.

  That wasn't the only huge thing he had… she blushed, remembering making love with him that third time on the deck in the open air. He'd laid a blanket down on the hard wood and then he'd taken her twice. Fast the first time and then slow the second. That was four times they'd done it in one night. She was a little bit sore to tell the truth. But she didn't care.

  Not one bit.

  She followed him through a large metal door to an industrial elevator. He pulled the gate down behind them and threw the lever, watching carefully as they rose three stories. There were a lot of empty floors.

  "Who owns this place?"

  He glanced over his shoulder at her.

  "I do."

  She raised her eyebrows and looked around.

  "This elevator has a lot of possibilities."

  He turned sharply and threw the lever. His mouth opened as he gathered her meaning. He took a deep breath and shook his head to clear it.

  Was he blushing?

  He started the elevator again.

  "I'm going to remember that you said that."

  She felt a funny little dip in her stomach at his words. They sounded like a promise.

  The elevator stopped at the third floor and he raised the gate. Janet looked around in wonder. It was an enormous loft. The kind you see in Magazines about New York Artists. It was clean and spartan, with very little furniture. There were a few things here and there, a table and chairs under a long bank of windows. Bookshelves. Jack read books?

  And there against the back wall was an enormous bed. It looked like a California King. Of course it was. A big man like him needed a big bed. It rested on some sort of platform built out of wood.

  "I can get more stuff."

  She looked at him curiously. He'd set her bags down and was watching her carefully. She ran her fingers over the back of a heavy wooden chair.

  "It's beautiful Jack. I love the furniture. Where did you get all of this?"

  "I made it."

  She stared at him, momentarily dumbstruck. Then she smiled at him. He looked so serious and she wanted to make him smile again. His smile made him light up.

  "Is there anything you can't do?"

  He smiled, an adorably lop sided grin. For a split second she saw the little boy toiling in the kitchen. Unloved and uncared for. Her heart broke a little bit.

  "I can't dance."

  She laughed. She couldn't help it. Then she saw the metal staircase leading upwards.

  "What's that?"

  He took her hand and led her towards it.

  "Come on. I want to show you something."

  **********

  Jack pushed open the door to the roof. He'd only just begun building the deck up here in his spare time. But it was going to be spectacular when he finished. He stole a look at Janet to see what she thought.

  She was smiling and spinning in a circle.

  "You can see the mountains from here!"

  He walked over to a tarp and lifted it to reveal his tools.

  "It's not done yet."

  She was giving him an odd look suddenly. She looked… suspicious.

  "How many girls have you brought up here, Jack?"

  "None. Not ever."

  She sighed and hugged her chest with her arms. He stared at her long, beautiful legs. She was still wearing his t-shirt. He hoped she'd make a habit of wearing his shirts around the house. He took a deep breath and exhaled.

  Here goes nothing.

  Here goes everything.

  "I want you."

  She tossed her head in that familiar proud way. He grinned.

  "You've already had me, remember? Four times. I thought you didn't do repeat customers."

  She arched her eyebrow at him, daring him to answer that.

  "No Janet. I mean I want you. Permanently."

  Her eyes opened wide.

  "You do?"

  He nodded and smiled at her uncertainly, just a little bit worried about what she might say. That was a lie. He was worried. A lot.

  She was beside him in an instant, laughing as she planted tiny kisses all over his face. He leaned down and took her lips. Ten minutes later he had a thought.

  They should finish unloading the car so he could take it back to Dev.

  His body molded itself to hers instinctively as she pressed herself into his with equal force.

  Dev was going to have to wait.

  11

  Devlin sat at the bar at the clubhouse, killing time before Kaylie got off of work. He waved as Jack walked into the room and crossed to the bar. He laid Dev's keys on the counter.

  "Thanks."

  "No problem man! I was psyched to try out your sick ride."

  Donnie leaned on the bar and leered at them suggestively, handing Jack a ginger ale.

  "Speaking of rides…"

  He let the words hang suggestively, making Jack scowl furiously. Devlin couldn't help but laugh and slap Jack's back.

  "How's Janet? Kaylie's been out of her mind with worry."

  Dev and Donnie stared at Jack as a slow smile lit up his face. They'd never seen him smile that like before. Hell, they'd never seen him smile period.

  He downed his ginger ale and nodded. Then he walked out of the clubhouse. An odd out of tune sound followed him as he left.

  Dev glanced at Donnie who was staring at Jack with his mouth open.

  "Dev, please tell me I've lost my mind…."

  Devlin laughed at Donnie, who seemed to be at a loss for words for once in his life. He wished he had a camera to capture the awestruck look on Donahue's face.

  "Is Jack humming?"

  “He is. God help us all, he is.”

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  Sunsets and Kisses

  Juliette Jaye

  I looked out the window as the captain announced we were about to begin our descent into Georgetown.

  “Crazy,” I muttered to myself as I looked out the window at the tur
quoise ocean, glistening in the early afternoon sun, like nothing else I’d ever seen. “I can’t believe this is happening to me.”

  Suddenly the plane lurched downwards, and I quickly snapped my seatbelt back on, driven out of my reverie. Looking around, however, no one else was panicking. Well, the pilot did say we were going to descend I thought to myself.

  It was my first time on a plane, ever, and I didn’t really know if I liked it or not. This was a day for a lot of firsts, in fact. First time on a plane, first time seeing the ocean, first time leaving the country, first time going to a hotel that cost more than $100 a night. And the best part was I wasn’t paying for any of it.

  A few months earlier my sister Anna, a nurse at a local hospital, had encouraged me to enter one of those “win a house” charities that benefited the children’s hospital. I mean, when someone tells you to buy a lottery ticket that goes straight to kids with cancer, there’s no real way to say no, is there?

  Of course, I dreamed about winning the house, knowing it was totally not going to happen. And it didn’t. But I did get a phone call telling me I’d won the second prize, an all-inclusive, all expenses paid trip to the Grand Cayman Islands. A full week at a luxury resort without having to pay for any of it. I didn’t even know where the Grand Caymans were! I mean, I knew they were in the Caribbean, but that was it. I had to look up Georgetown on a map.

  The prize was for two people, and seeing as I, Julia Marley, have been single for way longer than I’d like to admit, I automatically invited Anna to come with me. She accepted, of course, then three days before we left found out her best friend was having her baby just a little bit early, and decided to stay behind instead.

  So that’s how I ended up alone on a plane to the Carribean, being whisked out of the sky towards the beautiful ocean. Growing up in Columbus, and never really travelling more than the two hours it took to get to my grandparent’s house when I was a kid, as well as one family trip to Chicago when I was twelve, meant I had never seen the ocean, never been one of those kids whose parents took them to Hawaii.

  Now I was twenty four years old and studying to be a nurse like my older (and much wiser) sister Anna. I’d always wanted to go into medicine, but while my grades were good, they weren’t the exceptional that I needed to get into pre-med, and I didn’t want to rack up hundreds of thousands of dollars of student loans, either.

  So instead I started working retail, and when I realized at twenty three that there was no way I could do that for the rest of my life and actually support myself, I started asking Anna about nursing school.

  The more I read about it, the more I loved it, and after enrolling and being accepted into a program and starting my studies, I realized I loved it even more than I thought. I still worked retail part-time to make some money, though I did have to get some loans to pay tuition and some of my bills. Not that one room in a three bedroom apartment, a pre-paid cell phone and a diet that consists mainly of Ramen noodles costs a lot.

  Of course, this trip was just the cherry on the cake. As soon as I found out when I was going I put my two weeks’ notice in at work, and was so thankful that the trip was a month or so before exams started; I could afford to miss a week and still have time to catch up and study. This trip was going to be the perfect way to unwind after an exceptionally tough few weeks.

  When I left Columbus that morning it had been 35 degrees and overcast, threatening to snow. Of course, being a good midwester, I had on my heavy jacket and a thick pair of gloves, which now sat on top of my carry-on bag, with me wondering why I thought that was a good idea. The pilot announced that it was a beautiful eighty five degrees in Georgetown, and I didn’t need him to tell me there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky.

  As the wheels touched down on the tarmac, I knew it was going to be an amazing week. Little did I know just how amazing it was going to end up.

  * * *

  When we got off the plane I picked up my bag and looked around. I was told someone would be there to pick me up, and sure enough, I saw a darkly tanned man in a suit holding a placard with my name on it.

  I went up to him, wondering how I was supposed to introduce myself, but I guess I made it a little bit too obvious that I was heading towards him, as he instantly smiled and said, “Ms. Marley?”

  “Yes, call me Anna, hi,” I replied.

  “I’m Louis, your driver,” he told me, and before I knew what had happened he took my suitcase from me and led me out of the terminal. As soon as we left the air conditioned building the heat and sunlight hit me, and I started digging in my purse for my sunglasses. This was nicer than Columbus summers, for sure!

  “A little bit bright for you?” Louis asked with a smile as he headed off to the left.

  “Absolutely not! This is perfect! Paradise!” I exclaimed, throwing my arms out to the wind, making Louis laugh.

  Louis led me only a few steps away to a late model sedan with plush leather seats, pre-air-conditioned, even though I was more than happy to feel the heat on my face for a little bit.

  I felt like a princess as Louis held the door open for me, no one had ever done that for me before in my life! Instantly my thoughts turned to my ex, Tom. It had been almost a year and a half since we’d broken up, and I swore I wasn’t going to get into another relationship for a long time afterwards. He had started off so loving and kind – though he never did hold a car door open for me – and then one day changed. He started yelling at me, then hitting me. I eventually realized I wasn’t going to change him, that it wasn’t my fault after all, and I left him. But it left a sour taste in my mouth when it came to men, and I hadn’t dated anyone since.

  I forced the thoughts of Tom out of my head. This was my perfect vacation, I wasn’t about to let thoughts from the past ruin it.

  “So this is your first time visiting the Grand Cayman Islands?” Louis asked as he drove off into traffic.

  “It is, how can you tell?” I replied

  “Most people do not come with winter clothes,” he answered, and I cringed as I looked down at the jacket and gloves poking out from my carry on. Whoops.

  “Well, the weather wasn’t quite as nice where I came from.”

  “Of course. You have come at a beautiful time, the weather here is not too hot right now either. I’m sure you will love the island.”

  “Me too, thanks Louis. Absolutely,” I replied, gazing out the window at the passing scenery.

  Louis drove along the road, winding alongside the beautiful ocean. I couldn’t stop staring at it. I wondered if I asked if Louis would stop the car right here so I could go out and dip my toes in it. A part of me knew he would say yes, but I still didn’t dare do it. I had always been a bit shy about things like that. Plus I didn’t want to seem like some sort of redneck that didn’t belong, or anything like that.

  Little did I know that was exactly how I was about to feel.

  After about a half hour long drive, with the road getting more and more deserted, Louis drove past a subtle but elegant sign indicating the resort. Palm trees lined the long avenue as we drove in, and that was just the start.

  “Oh my God,” I couldn’t help but exclaim as I looked out at Corinthian columns out the front of the large building, blindingly white in the sun, and yet still not feeling out of place at all.

  “It’s nice, isn’t it?” Louis replied as he pulled up to the front.

  “Well, that’s definitely the understatement of the year,” I replied. Louis opened the car door for me, helped me out of the car, took my bag and guided me along to one of the “reception rooms”, where I had a comfy chair to sit on in front of a desk with a receptionist, like I was sitting at a bank or something.

  The room had floor to ceiling glass windows, and a small pool of perfectly clear water flowed past outside. Colorful trees swayed in the light breeze behind, and through them I could see the ocean once more, so inviting in its perfection.

  “Hello Ms. Marley,” the lady at the desk told me, smiling, and I won
dered what wizardry was worked to make sure she knew my name without me even telling her. “Welcome to the Grand Isis Resort. I’m Leilani and I’ll be introducing you to your villa.”

  “Thanks,” I replied breathlessly, looking around. The room was modern décor, minimalist with a few nice touches. Freshly picked orchids sat in a vase at one end of the desk, and on a table to my left stood a half dozen bottles of sparkling water and a bowl of tropical fruits. This was like something from a movie.

  “Everything has been paid for already, and you’ve got a room credit of $1500 to be used anywhere on the premises, be it activities or at one of the five restaurants we have on the property. All you need to do is give your room number to the person helping you, and everything will be charged to that amount. Now, let me show you to your villa.”

  Leilani got up and I stood up as well, following her. We went back to the front of the building, where Louis was waiting with a golf cart, my suitcase and carry-on bag already loaded onto the back. He smiled at me as I climbed into the back of the cart and drove off, Leilani telling me all about the amenities the resort had to offer.

  Spa treatments, snorkelling, glass bottom boat tours, it all felt so crazy that I could do any of it! I knew what I wanted to do for the first day though: I was going to sit on the beach, with a Long Island Iced Tea, and enjoy the water.

  Louis sped along lightly cobbled tiles through a maze of villas, until he stopped in front of one. Leilani led me inside, and it wasn’t until I saw the size of it that I realized this was mine, all mine! I thought there had to be four, five rooms in the building, not that I had it all to myself!

  My jaw dropped to the floor when I walked in. It was the perfect combination of traditional island décor with a modern touch. A fifty inch plasma TV was at one end of the living room, a plush leather sofa at the other. Leilani led me to the King sized bed in the bedroom, speaking to me the whole time, but I didn’t hear a word. My ears were ringing. Was this really going to be my home for the next week?