Love & Lies

by Jessica Wood

  “Your passion amazes me,” Liam whispered, as he stroked her long hair from her damp forehead. “Please tell me you’ll stay for a month. I’ll help your family even if you refuse, but it would mean so much to me if you would stay. I’ll pleasure you like this every night if you’ll let me.”

  Tears came to Gemma’s eyes knowing that her family’s business would be granted the loan no matter what. She wanted to show Liam her appreciation for his help. More than that, she wanted to feel the intense, sexual pleasure he had given her that night again. Stroking the hair on his chest, she smiled softly in the dark and whispered, “Okay, I’ll stay for a month. I promise.”

  In the blackness of the room, Liam Taylor grinned with satisfaction. His plan was coming together more easily than he had hoped. Now he just needed to keep her happy until the end.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Gemma woke up the next morning with a smile on her face, feeling more rested than she had in years. The bed was so comfortable, she thought she could sleep in it forever. The thick drapes blocked out the sun so she wasn’t disturbed by the rising, hot sun.

  At first, she was startled to wake up in her strange surroundings. But then, she remembered all that had happened the day before and flopped back against the fluffy pillows with a happy sigh. As she thought about it, this arrangement with Liam would be like taking a month long vacation in a luxury resort, only everything was paid for and as an added bonus, she got to have incredible sex with a handsome billionaire. Life didn’t get any better than this.

  Gemma pressed the button for maid service and within minutes, she was enjoying a continental breakfast of French press coffee and the most exquisite pastries she’d ever tasted, all served to her right in bed. Then she took a leisurely shower and dressed herself in a simple sundress and sandals that she found in the closet.

  When she looked at the clock on the nightstand, she saw that by this time of day she would have been at work for hours already. She felt like a kid playing hooky from school. At first, she reveled in the naughtiness of it, but the feeling quickly turned to guilt.

  “I’d better call into the office and let them know I won’t be in today, or any day for the next month,” She said aloud to herself. That was when she realized her purse and cell phone were nowhere to be found. There was no phone in the bedroom, or in the hallway, or anywhere that she could see for that matter.

  She saw a pair of maids busily changing the sheets in one of the guest bedrooms and cleared her throat to get their attention.

  “Yes, Miss? Is there anything you need?” one of them asked.

  “Aren’t there any phones in this place?” Gemma asked with a slight tone of panic and frustration in her voice.

  “No, Miss. Mr. Taylor doesn’t like the noise and constant distraction a ringing phone makes. The only one in the house is in his private office.”

  “Take me there now,” Gemma demanded, with an unusually forceful voice that surprised even her.

  The maid showed her how to navigate the labyrinth of hallways to Liam’s office. When she got to the office door, Gemma entered without even knocking.

  Startled, Liam jumped up from his chair. With a phone in his hand, it was clear Gemma had interrupted him in the middle of a phone call. Liam quickly regained his composure and motioned for Gemma to have a seat in the padded chair across from his desk.

  Gemma shook her head and crossed her arms in a posture of angry defiance, making it clear she had no intention of sitting. Liam said into his phone, “Excuse me, but I’ll have to call you back later.”

  “Where are my purse and my cell phone?” Gemma demanded, going off on him the moment he set the receiver back into the cradle. “How dare you take my things from me without even asking? And how can a mansion this huge not have a single phone I can use? I notice you have one in here for yourself. I bet you thought you could just keep me here as your secret prisoner without a fight. Well you’re wrong. Now give me that phone right now or I’m out of here.”

  When at last she paused in her angry tirade, Liam got up from his desk chair and held it out for her to sit in. Speaking gently, he said, “I’m afraid the laundry maid washed your purse by accident and ruined everything in it. Here, use this phone to make as many calls as you’d like. I had all the other phones removed from the house because I couldn't stand all the constant ringing. I like my home to be a peaceful sanctuary. I’d have this one removed too if I could, but unfortunately, it is a necessary part of business. You are not my prisoner here and I’ll replace your purse and cell phone today.”

  Gemma sat uneasily in the chair, no longer sure if her anger was justified and feeling a little embarrassed by the angry fit she’d thrown. She picked up the receiver and realized she couldn’t even remember who she had wanted to call. Not wanting to look even more foolish, she glared at Liam and said, “Do you mind? This is a private call.”

  “Actually, I have a lot of confidential business documents in here and I’m afraid no one is ever allowed in here without me present.”

  “Well isn’t that convenient,” Gemma said snidely as she glared accusingly at him. “No phones, no privacy. I don’t have anything of my own with me anymore. The only things I had that belonged to me were destroyed.”

  “I’m sorry about that, but I’ve provided everything you need. Look in your suite and you’ll find an entire wardrobe of clothes I had picked out for you.”

  “Exactly!” Gemma exclaimed. “You picked out. Nothing here is mine. I went from being an independent college graduate in charge of running an entire corporation to being your dress up doll overnight.”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry,” Liam said. “I think I know a solution. Let me drive you into the city and you can pick out an entire wardrobe yourself. Anything and everything you could possibly want to wear for the next thirty days and it’s all yours. We’ll go to the best boutiques in town. No price is off limits.”

  “Are you serious?” Gemma gaped. Her idea of a solution would have just been to drive home to her apartment and pack a bag, not an extravagant shopping spree.

  “It’s the least I can do. I know you’ve sacrificed a lot by agreeing to stay here with me for a month. Please allow me to repay you in this small way.”

  Gemma pause to think about before nodding her consent. She tried to play it cool, but inside, she felt a little giddy with excitement. She’d always been so jealous of the women who could go on such shopping sprees in movies and television shows with batting an eye or worrying about the finances. And now, it was happening to her like a modern day fairytale.

  ***

  She could almost hear the song, “Pretty Woman” playing in her head as Liam took her from store to store as she tried on dresses by all the top designers, complete with shoes and accessories to match. She felt like a little girl in a candy shop.

  “Thank you so much for buying me all this today. You really didn’t have to,” Gemma said at the end of the day as they were driving home with the backseat of the Ferrari jammed full with boxes and bags.

  “It was fun for me too,” Liam said. He looked like he meant it as he looked over at her. A wistful little smile crossed his face and he said softly, “When I was young, I used to go shopping with my mother. It always made her feel special.”

  Gemma intuitively sensed that she was getting a rare glimpse of Liam’s inner self. Within moments, however, it was gone and the blank mask he seemed to always wear covered him like a shield again.

  Liam pulled the car over and parked it next to a giant oak tree on the lonely private road that wound up to the mansion. He gazed at Gemma in the dark, moonlit night. “That’s what I wanted to do for you today,” he said. “I wanted to make you feel as special as I think you are.”

  “Well, you succeeded,” Gemma said with a smile. She was wearing one of the new outfits he’d bought her that day, a flirty, floral print summer dress with a sweetheart neckline.

  “There’s one more gift I wanted to give to you,” he said as he re
ached into his pocket. “I bought it while you were trying on clothes. I hope you like it.” He pulled out a small velvet box.

  Gemma looked at him with surprise. Without a word, he handed her the box. She held her breath and opened it to find the most stunning emerald pendant she’d ever seen.

  “Liam, it’s breathtaking,” she gasped in surprise. “Thank you, but I can’t possibly accept something so extravagant.” She handed the box back to Liam.

  “You can,” he insisted as he pushed her hand with the box back toward her. “I want you to have it. It reminded me of your eyes”

  “I don’t know what to say. No one has ever given me anything like this. Thank you so much.” Gemma couldn’t find the words to express how she felt about receiving such an extravagant gift. She held up her hair while Liam fastened the necklace chain around her neck, securing to pendant in place so it nestled just above her cleavage.

  “I feel the same way about you agreeing to stay with me for the month,” Liam whispered in her ear.

  Gemma felt tears stinging her eyes. How could anyone think that merely having her company was akin to a precious jewel, and yet, she sensed that Liam sincerely felt that way and wasn’t just giving her some line.

  Without even thinking, she leaned forward and kissed him passionately. His lips parted beneath hers and their tongues mingled as they both wrapped their arms around each other.

  The front seats of the car were too cramped to do anything else, and so they laid on the tall, soft grass underneath the oak tree and made love right under the stars. It felt magical and Gemma didn’t even notice or care about all the leaves that got caught in her hair.

  “I hope you didn’t think you needed to do that to repay me for the gifts today,” Liam said afterward as they drove the rest of the way home.

  “I did it for the same reason you bought me the pendant,” Gemma said as she stroked his hair to remove any twigs in his hair.

  “Why is that?” Liam asked, arching his brow.

  “Because I wanted to,” Gemma said sweetly and leaned her head on his shoulder as he drove.

  Liam put his arm around her and smiled to himself as she leaned against him, admiring the way her pendant glimmered in the moonlight. All thoughts of replacing her cell phone or leaving had completely disappeared from her mind and only thoughts of decadence and joy remained. This was just as Liam had hoped would happen.

  CHAPTER SIX

  For Gemma, life in Taylor Mansion was surreal. Every morning when she woke, she found that Liam was already locked in his office for the day, busy with his job or whatever it was he did in there. There were always fresh cut flowers in a crystal vase on the bedside table in the suite she shared with him and a handwritten note from Liam telling her how happy he was that she had decided to stay and promises of what they would do together later that day.

  She busied herself by touring the mansion. The library was filled with books from practically every author and on every subject, not to mention newspapers and the latest magazines. The media room featured movies that hadn’t even been released to theaters yet, as well as all her favorite modern classics. The gymnasium provided equipment for a full workout and she could have a personal trainer to guide her in her exercises if she chose. Best of all, she loved the indoor pool and would alternate between swimming laps or just relaxing by floating on her back in the comfortably cool water.

  Once she got used to living in the mansion and realized that servants never came into occupied rooms unless called, she became comfortable enough to even swim nude. It became her late morning routine.

  “Now that’s a lovely sight,” a familiar voice said. Gemma was startled to find Liam leaning against a wall by the poolside watching her with a gleam of pleasure in his eyes.

  “What are you doing here?” Gemma cried out, feeling embarrassed. They had had sex together every night that week and she had officially moved into his suite. He was an incredible lover who made her body feel good in ways she hadn’t even known were possible. Still, they had always had sex in the night under the cover of darkness and this was the first time he had seen her fully naked in the bright light of day. Just knowing that he’d been standing there staring at her in such a vulnerable state when she hadn’t even known he was there unnerved her and made her feel like a shy virgin again.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said. “I was able to complete my last meeting early. You’ll be glad to know all the assets I need to liquidate for your business loan will be accessible as cash by the end of the month. I wanted to surprise you with the good news.”

  “Well you definitely surprised me.” Gemma splashed water up out of the pool and onto the slacks of his expensive tailored suit. The good news made her happier than ever.

  “Hey!” Liam laughed. “I’m going to get you for that.”

  Gemma squealed with joy and swam to the far end of the pool while Liam stripped naked and dove into the water after her. They played a game of cat and mouse, or perhaps shark and mermaid, until finally she allowed him to catch her and they had wild sex in the cool water. Afterward, they laid out on fluffy towels by the pool side, basking in the warm rays of sunshine that came through the tall windows, silently enjoying each other’s company.

  “Why are you doing this for me?” Gemma asked in a quiet and serious tone, breaking the silence with the question that had been burning in her mind since she first came to the mansion.

  “I already told you.” Liam said nonchalantly. But Gemma wasn’t satisfied.

  “No, I really want to know. Don’t give me some story about wanting to be more philanthropic. You could have helped a thousand different people in a thousand different ways. Why me? Why now? You have to liquidate your assets to loan me the money? Why are you going through so much trouble and so much expense just for me?”

  Liam closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them, he saw Gemma leaning over the top of him, staring at him with those penetrating eyes of hers that looked like sparkling emeralds flecked with gold and lit by fire. There was so much he wanted to tell her, but couldn’t. Swallowing hard against the lump in his throat, he said simply, “When I was a boy, my mother left me and my father for another man. For a long time, I was lost and didn’t know what to do with all the pain I was carrying around. I feared I might be crushed by it. Then I saw you and everything changed. You were walking out of Manfield Unified Bank and the expression on your face was like you had seen heartbreak for the first time.”

  Gemma gasped. She remembered the day she had gone to that bank. She didn’t remember seeing him there, but she was so wrapped up in her own troubles at the time, she wouldn’t have. That had been the first bank to refuse to give her a business loan and the start of the saddest day of her life.

  “I followed you,” Liam continued as he caressed her cheek. “I was intrigued by your beauty and the sadness in your eyes. When I saw that pain transform into passion, determination, and a willingness to do whatever you had to do, I was mystified. Here was clearly someone who had been through heartbreak and yet you were able to transform the pain in your heart into a fiery will to persevere. I knew I had to learn your secret so I could transform my own life. So when I heard you talking in the café and telling your friend that you would do anything to save your family’s business, I saw my chance. I hoped that if I could convince you to stay with me for a month, some of your passion for life might rub off onto me and wipe away my misery.”

  Gemma could hardly believe what she was hearing. She was so moved by Liam’s story, she couldn’t think of the words to respond. Instead, she ran her fingers over his naked body, feeling the heat of his bare skin and the muscles rippling beneath it. When she came to his most sensitive organ, she pressed her lips to it, kissing him tenderly from tip to base. His cock quivered beneath her gentle touch and began to grow hard, despite having just climaxed a little while ago in the pool.

  Gemma ran her tongue up and down the length of him, bringing his cock to full erection withi
n seconds. As she prepared to take him fully into her warm, wet mouth, she smiled and said, “And did it work? Did bringing me here help you?”

  “In more ways than I can say,” Liam said honestly, and then groaned with pleasure as she took him deep into her throat and began to suck him hard with her mouth.

  “Oh my God, that feels amazing,” Liam groaned, stroking her long damp braid as she suckled his cock. When she used her forefinger to delicately massage the sensitive area between his anus and balls, he nearly exploded with ecstasy right then.

  “Be careful or I'm going to come,” he groaned as he forced himself to pull his manhood from her mouth.

  “But I want to thank you for everything you’ve done.” Gemma smiled, caressing her naked curves seductively. “Not just for saving my family business, but also for bringing me here, spoiling me with so many wonderful presents, giving me so much sexual pleasure, and saying all those beautiful amazing things about me. No one has ever thought I was that special and I want to show you how much I appreciate it.”

  Before Liam could object, Gemma took his balls into her mouth and gently teased them with her tongue while she stroked his erection with her hand. She could feel he was about to climax, when suddenly Liam pulled away.

  “No, I don’t want to come on your beautiful face. I want to come in that incredibly, hot pussy. Get on your hands and knees,” Liam said, his voice raspy with passion.

  Playfully, Liam complied, kneeling on her hands and knees on the soft fluffy towels by the pool. She spread her thighs wide and bent low on her elbows, raising her ass enticingly and inviting him to enter her.