by Aria Ford
“Come sit,” he said. She made her way over to the sofa without looking at him. “No, not there.”
“Here,” he said, pointing to the floor beside him. She looked up at him for a second, utter shock on her face, but instantly realized her mistake and knelt down by his feet. She was so grateful to be out of her room and back in his good humor that she didn’t even mind having to grovel at his feet.
“Did you think about your behavior?” he asked, reached down and stroking her auburn hair.
“Yes, sir,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry.”
“Good. Now you’ve had a few days to think about your situation. The end of the three months is approaching quickly,” he said.
She shifted uneasily, wondering if the few days he had spent with Vanessa had tipped the scales in her favor.
“What’s wrong? You seem upset,” he said, and reached down to her chin to tilt her head so he could look at her face.
“I’m just wondering if you’ve made your decision?” she asked. Then, without thinking, she blurted out, “I don’t want to go.” She reached and put her hand on his thigh as she said it.
He felt a sharp pang of desire as she touched him. He wanted her badly. He had plans of drawing it out for a few more weeks, but he could feel his resolution slipping away. The months before he had wondered if she was only interested in getting ahead with this opportunity, but looking into her eyes now, he could see she was falling for him.
She reached up and touched his cheek.
“Please, James,” she pleaded. She didn’t know what she was asking. To stay and work for him? Or did she want to be with him?
He grabbed her and kissed her. She reached and wrapped her hands behind his neck, kissing him deeper. His mouth opened slightly, his tongue searching for hers, and he gently pushed her back onto the floor.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you,” he growled into her neck. She was unbuttoning his shirt frantically. She moaned and her hips gyrated under his. She could feel his hard dick pressing against her through his pants. She grabbed the button of his jeans and tore them open, then yanked them down around his thighs. He pulled her shirt over her head and nuzzled his face in between her pert white breasts. She reached down and pulled her skirt up, he grabbed her hands to stop her.
“Please, please,” she begged.
He put his hand between her thighs and stroked gently, too gently. She pushed against him. Her head tipped back. She arched her back, trying to force his touch and she grabbed fistfuls of her own hair in frustration. She was about to lose control. She wanted him so badly.
He liked watching her squirm. Suddenly, he grabbed her panties and tore them off with one violent jerk. She yelped in surprise. He pulled down his boxers and grabbed her wrists, holding her hands down over her head. He thrust into her without relent. An involuntary noise escaped her throat as he drove into her again and again. She wrapped her legs around his hips, pleasure building and building until she finally shuddered, ripples of ecstasy flowing through her. James didn’t stop as her body went limp with fatigue; he held her close, making love to her tenderly now.
“I want to have a baby with you,” he groaned against her ear as he spilled himself inside her.
Her eyes snapped open as she registered what he had just said. She pushed up on his shoulders so she could look into his eyes.
“What?” she said in disbelief. “Wait, stop, stop.” She pushed him away, trying to get out from under him.
“Audrey, I’m sorry,” he mumbled as he grasped for her. I’m so stupid. Why would I just blurt that out? he thought. He stumbled to a standing position and pulled his pants back up, then walked toward her as he did up his button.
“Audrey, just give me a second to explain. Let’s talk about this,” he pleaded.
“James, you just ‘punished’ me for days for wanting you, for turning you on. Now you want to have a baby?” she hollered at him, her face burning with the rage she felt. “What the fuck? This is supposed to be a job! Or is it? You have to be honest with me or I’m walking out.”
He looked down and shook his head. “You’re right,” he sighed. “I’m sorry. That came out of left field. I wasn’t thinking. It was something I said in a moment of passion.”
“Does that mean it’s not true?” she answered. “Because that’s not what I signed up for. For starters, I’m in the middle of my degree, I’m not thinking about babies right now. Furthermore, we’re not in a relationship, you are my boss!”
“I know, I know.” He walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. “Look, Audrey, honestly. I was looking for a submissive. I’ve never had a real relationship before, so I was planning on one day having my family in that kind of relationship. But you’ve changed me. I want more. When you were in your room you were all I could think about. I would never ask you to sacrifice your education or dreams for me, but I want to be there with you.”
Audrey felt overwhelmed. She pushed his hand off her shoulder. “I have to go. I need to think.”
James was disappointed, but he didn’t want Audrey to make this kind of decision under pressure.
“Okay, I’ll have my driver take you home.”
Once Audrey got back to her apartment, she realized how uncomfortable it actually was, and she hated it. She was frustrated that things had taken this turn. When she had just been James’ personal assistant, everything had been so perfect and simple. But when she really thought about it, the more time she spent with him, the more she was falling for him. They complemented each other. When they were together, it was pure harmony. And she couldn’t deny the insane physical attraction between them; it was palpable.
She pictured his muscular chest, the little trail of hair leading from his bellybutton to his nether region. She shook the image from her mind.
A few days had passed; Audrey wanted to feel confident in her decision to leave James, but she still had a nagging feeling. She was laying in her bed thinking about it all. When you made the decision to stay there, it was to earn enough money to get through the next year of college. You did that. He was asking for too much commitment. You did the right thing.
She felt like if she repeated this mantra enough she would start to believe it eventually. But she missed him, and she wondered if he had chosen Vanessa as her replacement. The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth. She rolled out of bed, grabbed a towel and headed to her cramped bathroom for a shower.
She had been in the shower for a few minutes and was rinsing the shampoo from her hair when she heard the doorbell ring.
“Oh, God damnit,” she muttered to herself as she hastily finished her rinse and hopped out of the shower. She wrapped her towel around her head haphazardly and threw on her old bathrobe, hurrying to the door.
She grumbled about her shower being interrupted as she began to open the door but then her breath caught in her throat when she saw who it was. James was standing at her door with a large box in his hands. She felt butterflies twirl in her stomach. She was excited to see him.
“Oh, James. I’m sorry. I was in the shower. Do you want to come in?” she blurted out. Then she reached for his arm and pulled him inside without waiting for his answer.
“Yeah, I just wanted to bring all the clothes that you left. I don’t have much use for them,” he said, trying to remain casual. He looked around and placed the box on her ragged sofa.
“Oh,” she said, unable to disguise the disappointment in her voice. Though she had told herself leaving was the right thing to do, she had secretly hoped he would fight for her. She crossed her arms over her chest as if to protect her heart from any more pain.
Suddenly, James walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders, looked into her green eyes and kissed her gently. “I need you, Audrey,” he said quietly. “I know you need time to think about things, but I had to see you.”
Her head was swimming. He had come for her. That was what she had wanted deep down, but there were still so many t
hings she had to consider. She pulled away from him.
“James, I can’t give up my life to be with you,” she said firmly. “I’ve worked too hard and I am going to make something of myself. You of all people should understand that. I want to finish college, I want to get a great job.”
“I know. Audrey, I meant what I said about wanting to be with you, wanting a baby with you. But I would never ask you to give up the things that matter to you. I want you to be happy and successful,” he said, reaching for her again. He turned her toward himself. “But be those things with me. I love you.”
Tears stung her eyes. She had never had anyone in her life support what she wanted. Now she had this wonderful, handsome man that she cared about tell her that and that he loved her. She let out a little whimper and threw her arms around his neck.
“I love you too, James,” she cried.
“Come home with me, Audrey. We can plan our amazing future together,” he said and kissed her.
THE END
The Billionaire’s Mistress
Chapter One
Some days, it all became too much for Henry to deal with. By all means, he shouldn't have felt the way he did about his life. There should have been little cause for him to complain given what a lucky man he really was on so many levels. Yet he found himself, against all odds, finding ample opportunity to complain all the same. It had felt like ages since he'd derived any true happiness from his life or his circumstances, and although most men would have killed to be in his position, he found himself largely envying others the ability to live a happier, simpler life.
He'd been poor growing up. Very poor. Everything he now had, he'd worked for, broken his back and sweated for, and in that sense, at least, he could feel some degree of pride in his accomplishments. Starting from scratch, basically, he'd managed to build up something of an empire out of thin air. Through the sweat on his brow, the intensity of his efforts, and a dedication to securing his future, his lot in life had improved dramatically.
It hadn't been easy. Every step of the way there had been obstacles. People tried their damnedest to tell him that what he was trying to accomplish was impossible. But he'd done it anyway and proved them all wrong. He’d built up a staggering fortune, established a number of successful businesses, and had made his name known.
Gradually, his empire had risen to sublime heights, overshadowing even his own meager expectations for what he might accomplish in this life; and all before he reached the age of forty.
How different his life was now compared to what it had been when he was growing up. He could never have imagined that one day, he would be living in a vast, sprawling mansion on a private slice of land that was as green and as wonderful as anything he’d ever seen. His garage was be packed with multiple luxury vehicles; most of them more trophies than anything he actually used, given that a chauffeur frequently brought him from one location to another throughout the course of his busy days. He never would have guessed that he would end up married to a supermodel some thirteen years his junior, an absolutely stunning blonde bombshell who graced the covers of magazines. Nor had he envisioned himself ever being able to purchase for her such an expensive diamond ring, of the finest cut and color. But perhaps least of all, Henry had never expected that all of this- the vast mansion, the fleet of vehicles, the trophy wife, and his fortune in general- would leave him feeling drained and empty, wholly unfulfilled and questioning as to why the hell he'd ever wanted this all to begin with.
It seemed so irrational to him, and he knew that feeling this way was crazy. It was ungrateful of him not to appreciate how very, very lucky he'd gotten in this golden land of opportunity. Try as he may, however, he seemed incapable of convincing himself that all that glittered was gold. There seemed to be something of the utmost significance missing from his life. As a billionaire, he should reasonably have been able to acquire whatever his heart desired in the service of self-gratification, and the fact that he seemed unable to satisfy himself despite his resources seemed absurd to say the least.
Still, he felt so stifled by everything in his life. He was so embroiled in business affairs at the moment, involved in so many delicate deals and trades; some of which had involved his own personal assets and assumed a relatively dangerous risk. His days were packed with activity from the moment he opened his eyes in the morning, to the moment his head hit the pillow again at night. By the time the day was over, he frequently felt bone-weary , but the amount of sleep allotted to him during these hyperactive days seemed to be growing more and more scarce. Even when he had the free hours with which to refresh himself, sleep seemed to elude him entirely, tormenting him.
What was more, his wife, the woman any man would have loved to be able to claim as his mate, had gradually become yet another bane of his existence. Her personality was not at all of a corresponding attractiveness to her physical appearance, and he was gradually coming to see that more and more as the years spent with her rolled along.
When they’d first met, she had seemed as sweet as honey in every way. He'd met her at one of her shows, after he'd watched her traipse along majestically down the catwalk, strutting her hypnotic feminine assets, making him drool for her. Her very appearance had had an effect upon him that was intoxicating, and it brought down his guard. Normally, he was so in control, so composed, and he never let anyone strike him so deeply to his emotional core as this woman seemed to do.
Yet somehow, she'd managed the impossible, seducing him out of his good sense, and without even seeming to try in the process. It had all seemed so effortless on her part, and he'd allowed himself to fall so easily into her snare, regardless of whether or not its setting had been intentional on her part. He'd kept thinking, all throughout the course of her showcasing her finery on the runway, that her eyes were looking directly into him out there in the audience. Rationally, he'd known, this was very unlikely. The stage was over-lit to the point of blinding the models, and the audience was bathed in shadow, so that picking out individual faces should have proved impossible.
But that didn't at all stop him from fantasizing, from believing what he wanted to believe, or from allowing himself to be fooled, to be swept up in those eyes. The characteristics that made him a smart businessman and a successful human being, all flushed down the drain.
Through some effort, he'd managed to make Ashley's acquaintance through some mutual connections at an after party following the show. He'd been even more taken in by her in person than he had watching from afar, her every movement fascinating to him, and her demeanor one that evoked sheer, sweet innocence. She had the most charming accent, one which made her voice seem almost excessively warm and friendly, and the way she seemed to eat out of his hand was gratifying, to say the least. She had laughed delightedly at anything and everything that happened to pass from his lips, stared intensely into his eyes as he spoke. She flirted shamelessly- pushing her breasts together in a way that tempted him fiercely to gawk down into her cleavage, letting her leg graze gently up against him beneath the table. She had quite literally made him sweat. And Henry didn’t sweat.
In all likelihood, his reputation had preceded him, and she had known damn well what his station was in life. What girl of her type wouldn't try to present herself as especially cozy and romantic in the presence of a well-known billionaire, particularly when that billionaire seemed to express as much unmistakable interest in her as Henry was shamelessly doing? Hell, for that matter, there was even a nagging voice in the back of his mind that tended to speculate as to the question of whether she presented this same self to any affluent man who showered her with such attention. Surely, he couldn't be unique in that regard, and by now she'd become so accustomed to putting on this act that it appeared seamless to all those who had yet to witness it firsthand.
Still though, as the two of them drank and laughed and flirted away the evening, the connection they seemed to forge ran deep enough that he managed to overlook these creeping suspicions. For the first time in
his life, he'd fallen deeply, head over heels in love, and he didn't give a damn about his own bravado, which was his usual resistance to temptation.
He took her home that night after drinks, and they proceeded to engage in some of the most mind-blowing, excruciatingly beautiful sex he had ever before had the pleasure of experiencing. Though it was true that he was a man of significant clout, and could reasonably share his bed with whatever beautiful specimen he set his heart upon, Ashley had been one of the few women to genuinely penetrate his defenses, bringing him to a level that was beyond even his own fantasies. She'd released some brutal, carnal beast inside him, and shown him a whole new dimension to his personality in the bedroom that he'd not even known to look for in the past.
Further and further, he allowed himself to fall into his obsession for this woman, the one person in the world who had ever had such an effect on him, who could possibly make him forget about his troubles and feel at ease with the many difficulties of his day to day life.
A few months passed, and he became further embroiled in her charms. The facade of her sweetness never seemed to fail, and even if it had at any point, Henry would have been too willing to overlook any potential flaws to care. It was sudden, he supposed, but there was no doubt in his mind that his feelings for her were genuine and sincere.
And so it was that he found his way down onto one knee, proposing so shortly after their initial meeting, and Ashley broke down crying tears of happiness, accepting his offer of marriage in a heartbeat, and dabbing well-practiced tears from her eyes.