by Savannah May
The owner lumbered up from a chair, surprised by our arrival. Valentine’s arm clamped me onto his shoulder and I felt his body tense as he prepped for confrontation. I twirled and jolted, feeling like I was being tossed on a fairground ride. Valentine drop-kicked the guy dashing at us, then spun around to elbow him, grab him and face plant him into the stone wall.
“I’m going to be sick,” I whimpered. Being up side down and thrown about had my stomach heaving.
Valentine leapt and we went flying through the air, then landed.
He hefted me off his shoulder and set me down on terra firma for the first time in days. Except the ground was now bobbing up and down on a current. The blood suctioned out of my cheeks and I heaved for real. Valentine picked me up in his arms and took me to a white leather bench. There he set me on my knees with my face over the side, staring at myself in the reflection of the green water.
His hand rested on the small of my back, so comforting, so safe. My need to puke disappeared at the same moment as the strength in my knees. I crumpled in a heap onto his lap.
He scooped me up against his chest, encircling me into his arms like two iron bands clamping around me, still bound like a fly in my rope web.
“Jesus,” he swore profusely, noticing the clamps on my nipples.
Very carefully he removed each one and tossed it into the water. My eyes came into focus at last, like I’d popped back in after an out of body experience. I lifted my gaze up to Jay and found him looking down at me so tenderly, with so much care, tears popped right up in my eyes.
“It’s okay, baby. You’re safe,” he gritted out, stroking my cheek and hair. “With me.”
He lifted me in his powerful bridegroom hold, the same one I remembered from when he carried me to my room after our first night together. This time he took a few steps across the deck of the boat and sat me curled up in the shotgun seat. After tucking his jacket around me snugly, he turned the ignition key and the speedboat glided out of the dock onto – holy crap – the Grand Canal.
“What am I doing in Venice?” I whispered.
But the throttle kicked in and the nose lifted as Valentine powered the craft down the black-green water lined with ancient huge palaces.
I lay curled in my seat, weak and very naked even covered by Valentine's voluminous jacket. This ought to be the most romantic night of my life instead of the most terrifying. In Venice, under a starry sky with the man I loved. The man who just came for me, rescued me from something to vile to contemplate.
We rounded a wide bend and a glowing white building came into view, illuminated against the black night like a beacon. Warmth infiltrated every pore and I felt incredibly safe from the sight of the massive church with the huge dome. And from Valentine at my side to protect me. I had no clue what the hell was going on and I was too exhausted to wonder.
Valentine cut the engine and maneuvered the long boat to align with a wooden dock. He dropped the rope around a striped pole sticking out of the water then lifted me into his arms. He climbed out of the boat carrying me as though I were weightless. Perhaps I’d lost a few pounds during my incarceration.
He strode down the planks and marched into a grand building, all gold and liveried servants. I shriveled into his broad chest, humiliated at being so publicly exposed. Even though his jacket was around me, my thighs were bare, I wore no shoes. I must look like a waif he picked up out of the plague.
“Sir,” the concierge ran forward and trotted alongside as Valentine walked to the reception desk.
Thank god it was the middle of the night and a thousand tourists weren't milling around the swanky lobby.
“Key?” Valentine held out his hand and one was immediately dropped.
“Does madam require anything?” the concierge inquired.
“Send up tea, some hot milk, a bottle of cognac. Fruit, cheese and that stuff Americans eat at breakfast.”
“Oatmeal, sir.”
“Yeah, that. And the biggest pair of scissors you can find.”
The doors closed on the elevator and we rode up.
“Are you okay, Baby?” he asked.
“Am I heavy?” was my response to which he laughed.
“You’re as light as a fairy princess,” he said and tipped his head down to kiss my forehead.
Okay, where is Jay Valentine, what have you done with him? Apparently all the men I thought I knew had done complete personality turnarounds.
Jay opened the door, doors rather, to a huge suite and kicked them shut behind him.
Jay crossed the room and lay me down, very gently, like placing a priceless object on its velvet pillow.
I had never felt such a blissful cloud of mattress, after dangling in ropes for god knows how long. He looked at me and all I could detect aside from concern, was adoration. But I was probably projecting, like always. Dumping the emotion that suffused hotly through me onto him.
“You’re lucky I’m tied up,” I whispered as he climbed onto the bed beside me, leaning on one elbow so his bicep flexed under the white shirt.
“Yeah, why’s that?” he husked.
He started unpicking knots. I noticed he was having a hard time not trailing his eyes over my naked body all trussed up.
“Because I’d throw my arms around you and never let you go.”
“Plenty of time for that,” he rasped and tipped his head to plant a kiss on my shoulder.
Epilogue
“Have you called the police?
“No,” Jay muttered, pouring coffee from a silver pot room service had just dropped off.
I’d woken from the most delicious deep sleep in the crispest smooth white sheets entwined around a man I adored. No denying it. He was beside me, as close as he could be without being literally inside me. I was on his bare chest, his flexing pectoral my pillow, his iron arm encasing me.
He’d removed his shirt at some point but his trousers were still on. I discovered as I trailed a light fingertip over the ridges of carved muscle. Amusing that he kept his pants on, so gentlemanly after all the intimate areas he’d probed.
“Why not? They might get away,” I said, sitting up in bed against the mound of down pillows.
Jay delivered me a strong black coffee and a kiss on my forehead.
“The police won’t do anything.”
“But he was going to slice me up. God knows what he was going to do to me.”
“God doesn't want to know about Gianni.”
“But Marc was there, and Josh.”
“I know.”
“You know?” I bleated. “Were you in on this?”
“No.” Jay barked, angry for a moment, then calming again. He brought me a plate of delicious eggs with salmon, Italian bread which I adored.
I was ravenous. And I could see there was a pile of sweet pastries to follow I could hardly wait to get my lips around.
“Then why can’t we make a report? The police have to do something.”
“They never have.”
“Okay you better tell me what’s happening because this is freaking me out.”
“Calm down Andie. Enjoy your breakfast, relax in the bath I’m running you. It’s going to take a while to explain this.”
“When do we have to check out?” I saw the old clock on the bedside read past ten.
“Whenever we’re ready. But not today and maybe not tomorrow – you need to rest.”
My heart glowed and warmth filled my breasts. I was going to be holed up in the most stunning room I’d ever been in with the man I’d hungered for. I’d go through that terror again if it meant I could make this last forever.
“Well, I think I might need to move in here permanently,” I said. “This room is gorgeous.”
“You’re gorgeous – you fit this space perfectly. You want to stay here, you can. Whatever you want.”
“Only if you come with the package deal,” I quipped, telling him for certain that he was what I wanted. We were joking around here, right? So why did Jay look so
serious?
“Oh I do, baby. You’ve got me for life now. Except you may not want to be in the same room with me when you hear what I’m going to tell you.”
He picked me up, completely naked out of the bed and carried me into the bathroom. So big, he didn’t even have to turn sideways to maneuver me through the door.
“I doubt that,” I said. “You aren’t some sociopath killer are you?”
I couldn’t resist railing my fingers across his stubbled jaw. With his arms full of me he couldn’t swipe my hand away.
“I’ve often wondered about that,” he said, his voice cracked like sandpaper in his throat.
He grimaced as he lowered me into a huge old freestanding tub filled with silken bubbles. I luxuriated while he brought the coffee cups. Then he pulled up the dainty chair and settled his large frame, putting his feet up on the edge of the tub.
This was looking serious.
“Jay, you’re scaring me.”
“Probably a good thing.”
“At least you’re nothing like Gianni, or Josh,” I said, sipping the delicious dark brew.
“Nature or nurture?” he said, mostly into his cup, like he was reading the grouts.
“What does that mean?”
“Gianni is my father,” he said stonily.
I drew a sharp breath. We sat in silence for a long time as I took that in. All of it.
“But, but you sent me to have dinner with him. He could have...”
“Did you notice the size of the helicopter pilot? Ex-SEAL. One move from that asshole and you’d have been out of there.”
“But why send me in the first place?”
“You were driving me insane. You have done since the moment I set eyes on you. I had to have you. And whatever I have they want. To destroy.”
“Who is they? All those billionaires on the yacht?”
I was picturing some ring of rich men keeping women as their pets. Competing for who was the most virile, or exhibitionist, or whatever. It didn’t make much sense. And why was Josh there in Gianni’s palace, or Marc Chapelle?
“We’re a very competitive family,” Jay said, his voice low and husky so I knew he’d never spoken any of this to anyone else. “We grew up in a world of domination from a young age. I left at fourteen and went to the States to get away. But I had to keep my eye on them. In case they got out of control again.”
“What do you mean again? I still don’t understand why Josh was in Gianni’s house.”
“He’s Gianni’s youngest son.”
“He’s,” I spluttered out – your brother?” Oh my god.
“Half brother,” Jay said, his eyes never leaving my face, watching my reactions. “As is Marc.”
Oh my freaking god, I’d hooked up with all three brothers and kinda sorta with their father. What the hell did that make me? The lengths I went to, to bring Jay Valentine around.
“But-”
I couldn’t say any more. But, but, but were the only words flying around in my head.
“I brought Josh over here, to the US I mean, to study but mostly to get him away from our father. He’d taught us the art of bondage from a very early age. But he went too far into the realm of -”
He couldn’t complete the word either.
“Sadism.”
“Josh can’t help it. As the youngest he grew up with three men all intent on control and domination and – other stuff. After we attended the Pritzker gala together, After I saw you there, I casually asked him what he knew about you and how I could initiate the design competition.”
“And when you realized he’d taken me for himself, you ordered me out to the winery.”
“I’m sorry if I was over the top, with the games. I needed to know if you were in love with him.”
“What would you have done if I was?”
“I don’t know. Something. I couldn’t have let you stay with him for your sake. But I might have had to get control of my possessive jealousy before I killed him.”
My heart expanded with emotion, close to bursting through my ribs. Jay had done so much to win me, to protect me, including saving me from god knows what in Gianni’s palace.
“And Marc?”
“I don’t know exactly how Marc got to you before me. He said he was coming out to California on a private charter. I’d never have allowed you to travel alone with him.”
“You knew he’d take me?”
Jay’s jaw flexed with tense rage.
“Sorry,” I whispered.
“He was coming out to retrieve his wife. She’s been staying with me, in hiding really for quite a long time. She escaped from the palace as well.”
I hadn’t seen another woman staying at Valentine winery. Then, oh my god: “Delilah?”
That domme bitch?
“She’s changed from who she used to be. Marc too. You can’t live through what we saw, the abuse of women, the murders and not be changed.”
“Murder?” I squeaked.
“My father's a killer, a sociopath, but he wields too much power and money to ever be caught.”
“I’m so sorry, Jay.”
“You don’t deserve to be involved in a family like this.”
“I think it’s exactly what I deserve. You’ve given me so much more than I ever wanted from a man. Will they leave me alone though? Will we be able to build a life together?”
“I’ll make sure of it, if you’ll have me. If you’ll live at Valentine as my bride.”
“Is that your proposal?” I joked. Tears welled up too fast to contain. I could hardly believe it.
“It’s my initial offer,” he said, the smile spreading hard across his gorgeous face. “I came here in a bit of a rush and forgot to pack my diamonds.”
“Oh my god,” I squealed and leapt up from the bath, causing a tidal wave of water to splash all over the floor.
I dragged him into my arms, crushing my bubble-covered tits into his bare chest. His mouth slammed down on mine as he hauled me up out of the bath and carried me back to the bed.
Afterword
I hope you enjoyed the second of the Bossy Billionaire series of standalones. The third is Sugar Billionaire and will be landing next month.
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Love is all around
Savannah x
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Also by Savannah May
Just Billionaire
Dusty & Daddy
Old Temptations
Falling High
Stunt
Enforcer