Desire

by Simone Sowood

  “Is that an industry event?” she asks.

  “It is.”

  “And Shawna wants me to go?”

  “She’s eager for you to go. Phone and talk to her if you like.”

  “I have never been to New York before.”

  “Even better. You’ll love it.”

  “Maybe. I don’t know. This whole idea is so sudden.”

  Rummaging through her purse, she pulls out her phone and types something. I was kind of hoping she’d phone Shawna.

  When I told Shawna I wanted to take Grace and that she’d miss work until Monday, she reacted in a shameless, pathetic way. It was all I could do not to tell her off.

  I finish my coffee as I wait for Grace to do whatever it is she’s doing on her phone. A moment later, the phone chimes. Grace looks at the screen and shifts slightly in her chair.

  She raises her eyes to mine, and says, “Okay, let’s go to New York.”

  Chapter 12

  Grace

  I can’t believe I’m going to New York like this. This morning was just a normal workday, and suddenly a billionaire turned up to whisk me away for the weekend.

  Anna was adamant that I go. Under no circumstance was I to come back to the office. And under no circumstance am I to come home a virgin.

  “This is my apartment,” I say, opening the door.

  Leo follows me inside, and I close the door. The second the latch clicks, I realize we are alone together again for the first time since the closet. My heart speeds, wondering if anything will happen.

  Instead of stepping away, Leo stands beside me at the door. The scent of his spicy cologne fills my lungs. He’s so close that I can feel the warmth from his body. For a second I forget where and even who I am.

  He lifts his hand. I brace for him to touch me, my heart racing a million miles an hour. But he simply scratches the back of his neck.

  Clearing my throat, I head to my bedroom to quickly pack.

  Not knowing what I should bring, I grab my full-sized suitcase from the back of my closet and lay it on my bed.

  I search through my underwear drawer for my nicest bras and panties. Or at a minimum, the least bad ones. Every single pair of panties I own is cotton, and I curse myself for not having a single satiny pair.

  Once I fill my suitcase with twice as many pairs of bras and panties as I need, I open my closet and stare meaninglessly at the contents. I have no idea what to bring.

  I pad back into the living area of the two-bedroom apartment I share with Anna. Obviously, I know Leo is in my apartment, but still the sight of him makes my heart race all over again.

  Leo is standing in front of the bright pink sofa Anna had before we moved in together. We tape snapshots to the wall above it, calling it our memory collage, and dozens cover the space.

  Most seem to be of Anna and Tyson.

  “Who’s that?” Leo asks, pointing to a photo of Anna.

  “That’s Anna, my roommate. She works at Mini Motivations too.”

  “She sure has a lot of hair colors,” he says turning to me, his eyes twinkling.

  “A different one every week.”

  “Are you ready to go?”

  “Not quite. What type of clothes will I need?” I ask.

  “I already told you, you don’t need to bring anything.” His eyes rake over me as he speaks, my body burning everywhere they go.

  “I have to bring something, obviously.” As the words leave my mouth, I can’t help but wonder what I’m getting myself into.

  In the coffeeshop, Anna texted me and told me, no, demanded I go and have a good time. A once-in-a-lifetime weekend in New York, during which I happen to lose my virginity.

  Even with that purpose in mind, I can’t help but feel nervous. I’m stepping into the unknown.

  “Bring whatever you think is best,” Leo says, moving away from the couch.

  His eyes lock on mine as he makes his way to me. My body simultaneously erupts in nervous butterflies and tingling desire. I swallow hard, frozen to the floor.

  He stops in front of me, his body almost touching mine. I swallow again, trying to coax some saliva into my mouth so I can talk, but all the moisture in my body has pooled between my legs.

  For a few moments all either of us does is breathe.

  Lifting his hand, he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. The backs of his fingers graze my cheek in the process, sending a jolt of electricity through me that makes me tingle from head to toe.

  “I missed being locked in a cupboard with you,” he says, his hand coming to a rest on the back of my head.

  Without thinking, I place my hands on his arms. His powerful biceps are evident even through the suit fabric. I accidentally whimper.

  Leo leans, brushing his lips across my forehead, and I struggle to keep my knees from buckling.

  How am I going to last a whole weekend in New York with him and retain any of my dignity?

  I try to push the image of Shawna giving me two big thumbs up out of my mind. Part of me thinks my dignity is already gone.

  He puts his lips to my ear, and in a low voice says, “I’m going to make you feel a thousand times better than in the closet.”

  Through no choice of my own, I whimper again.

  “This is kind of a crazy thing for me to do. I’ve never done anything like this before,” I say, my voice barely audible.

  With his lips still at my ear, he says, “I know, I’ll take good care of you.”

  “As long as you know it’s my first… you know.” I feel I have to make it clear that I’m a virgin. Maybe it would make him change his mind. I don’t know. I’ve always been about full disclosure with my boyfriends.

  Not that he’s my boyfriend. I don’t know what this is. Being taken away for a weekend by a billionaire to lose my virginity doesn’t really have a term.

  Leo pulls his head back and stares straight into my eyes. “I know — I’ve touched you, or have you forgotten?”

  I shake my head slightly. “Definitely not.”

  He grips the back of my head, and closes his mouth over mine. Our tongues swirl in a perfect dance, and the tingles in me turn into electric currents.

  Moving my hands from his arms to his back, I pull my body tight against his.

  As we kiss, his dick grows harder and harder against my body. I grind myself into it, encouraging him.

  Suddenly I wonder why we’re going to New York at all. Why, when we are mere steps from my bed?

  My walls are drenched and ready for him, right here. Now.

  I want to hurry before I have a chance to change my mind.

  I grind into him harder. But instead of deepening our kiss, Leo pulls away.

  “We have to go, I can’t miss my meeting,” he says, and steps away from me, his pants tented from his huge erect cock.

  My body screams in protest, but I understand. He told me before that we had to go, and I convinced him to let me come and grab a few things.

  I manage a weak smile before turning and heading back into my bedroom.

  Without thinking too much about it, I grab a whole selection of clothing. Everything from jeans to my nicest dress. From the bathroom, I take my toothbrush and toiletries and shove them in the mesh pouch on the inside of the suitcase lid. Finally, I throw in my make-up bag and hairbrush and zip up the case.

  It takes effort to haul it off the bed, which is ridiculous considering I’m only going for a weekend.

  Setting it upright, I extend the handle and wheel it out of the bedroom.

  I throw my head back the second I see Leo again. I will not end up like my mother and sister.

  Gripping the suitcase handle, I rush into Anna’s bedroom and start searching through her drawers.

  I pull open the bottom of three drawers in her bedside table. Bingo. A large box of condoms sits beside a bottle of lubricant, a vibrator and a pair of handcuffs.

  Trying to touch as little as possible, I pull out the box of condoms and take a strip of condoms from it
. I stuff them into the outside pouch of my suitcase.

  Half jogging, I hurry out of the room and back to Leo.

  “Ready to go,” I say, bursting with anticipation.

  Chapter 13

  Leo

  “Wow, this is way smaller than I’d pictured. Is it really safe to go so far in it?” Grace asks as we enter the cabin of my jet.

  I try not to laugh. “Absolutely, I’ve just flown across the Pacific in it.”

  “Fine. I’m putting a lot of trust in you this weekend.” I love her sarcasm. Not many people dare to speak to me that way.

  Gesturing to one of the plush cream leather seats, I indicate for Grace to sit down. I take the seat facing hers, and we both do up our seatbelts. A narrow walnut table separates us.

  The flight attendant, Josephine, secures the door shut and we taxi onto the runway. She’s wearing chinos and a loose blue T-shirt, a uniform I picked out and insisted upon myself.

  Josephine’s around my age, early thirties, and is excellent at her job. Though she’s a natural blonde with Swedish parents, I’ve never seen her as a woman to conquer in the bedroom. I require myself to be professional with all women who work for me.

  Grace rests her forehead on the cabin window as we take off, examining the landscape below. Once the plane levels out, Josephine reappears and takes our drink orders.

  While Josephine’s getting the drinks, Grace and I chat easily, discussing nothing in particular. The more we talk, the more animated she becomes and I’m finding her more irresistible by the minute.

  “Your coffees,” Josephine says, placing two mugs on the table between us.

  “Thanks, that’s all for now.”

  I’m already wired from all the coffee I’ve drank today, but I take the mug to my lips and sip anyway. As I hold the mug to my mouth, I let my eyes rove over Grace.

  She still wearing her work clothes, but this time I notice the swell of her tits through the thin fabric of her blouse.

  My mind immediately imagines ripping it off her and my dick twitches in my pants. This is dangerous.

  “I’m really sorry, I have to do some work before my meeting this afternoon,” I say, needing the distraction.

  “That’s fine, I don’t mind.”

  “There’s Wi-Fi.”

  “Oh, wow, I didn’t know you could do that on planes.”

  Grace takes her phone out of her purse, and starts tapping the screen.

  Taking my laptop from the compartment under my seat, I set it up on the table in front of me. As I lift the lid, I regret the artificial wall it creates between us.

  She’s still busy on her phone and I turn my attention to my work. This afternoon I’m meeting with my top five senior executives to discuss the potential acquisition of a hi-tech toy company.

  None of them know how badly I want to sell the company, or how I’m against hi-tech toys. But I have to go along with the façade of being an owner who cares.

  And I do care. I care about the high-quality toys we produce, and the joy they bring to children’s lives.

  If the modern world wants hi-tech toys, I am one man and not going to be able to change anyone’s mind. It’s children who are losing out, but at least they aren’t my children.

  I try to focus completely on the materials for my afternoon meeting during the bulk of the flight. Josephine brings us drinks and snacks regularly, and Grace and I chat during the interruptions.

  Our discussions are incredibly at ease, like she truly belongs here and it’s even as if she’s always been here.

  I put my energy back into my work.

  Part of me realizes I’m doing this because if I don’t take my attention away from Grace now, I’ll end up fucking her right here on the plane. That would be fine, but I keep reminding myself that she’s a virgin.

  She deserves better than losing her virginity by frantic sex in a plane where the pilots and flight attendant would hear everything. And I don’t have a proper bed on this jet, only seats that convert into single beds.

  No, she deserves better.

  Distracting myself from Grace, I open my email. A message from Laura, my assistant, immediately sticks out to me. The subject line is Your Brother. I click on it. It’s a forwarded email from my lawyer.

  Have examined your father’s instructions in depth. They are ironclad. The only way to overrule your brother’s wishes is if you can show he is mentally incapable of making his own decisions.

  My shoulders slump as I read the words. She writes a bit about what situations this would arise in, and I scan through the words.

  The final paragraph catches my eye again.

  However, there is another potential option. As you know, the trust stipulates that all children of Alexander Newbury have equal control of Newbury toys. But for the sake of the trust, children means children and grandchildren. If you had a child, that child would have a one-third say in the company.

  Meaning your say would be reduced to one-third. And your brother’s say would also be reduced to one-third.

  Since you would be the legal decision maker for your underage child you would have a two-thirds say over the decisions regarding the company.

  My mind immediately shifts to my ex-wife, Tina, and the children we never had. I feel myself sinking into the darkness, and shake my head to pull myself out of it.

  Leaning back in my seat, I briefly wonder if there were any accidental pregnancies with any of the women I’ve slept with over the years. That would be convenient.

  Grace sneezes, and I raise my eyes to hers. She gives me a coy smile, which illuminates her entire face. It makes me hope there weren’t any pregnancies that I don’t know about. I banish the fleeting hope I’d had at the idea from my mind.

  So back to square one, I have to convince my brother to sell.

  Unless.

  An idea tries to form in the back of my mind, but I can’t coax it to fruition. I stare out of the window at the blue sky, letting my mind go blank. But the idea still doesn’t form.

  Sighing, I turn my attention back to my emails.

  Josephine appears and brings us each a bottle of water and a glass.

  “It’s not much longer, but would you like anything to snack on?” she asks.

  “Grace, would you like anything?” I ask.

  “We’ve eaten and drank almost nonstop the entire way. I don’t think I can fit anything else in me.”

  Her words immediately make me think of what else I like to fit in her.

  I suppress a smile and wave Josephine away.

  “As I said before, I have to attend a black-tie event tonight, and look forward to having you at my side. I’ve arranged for you to be taken shopping for a dress while I attend this meeting I unfortunately can’t get out of,” I say.

  “Shopping?” Grace says, quirking an eyebrow.

  “Yes, I told you that you didn’t need to bring anything with you.”

  “I don’t know, my credit cards are pretty maxed out.”

  I laugh, my upper lip curling in the process. “Don’t be ridiculous, I don’t expect you to pay for anything this weekend. I’m the one bringing you to New York, everything is my treat.”

  “I thought you didn’t like it when women use you for your money.”

  “You didn’t ask for it, I’m offering it.”

  “That’s very kind of you, thank you. Will you be paying for my hotel too?”

  “You want to stay in a hotel?” I ask, trying to hide my disappointment.

  “Where else would I stay?”

  “I have ten bedrooms, you’re welcome to pick anyone of them you want,” I say, wanting her in my bedroom.

  “Ten?” she exclaims.

  “Yes, take your pick. You’re my guest this weekend.” I contemplate the situation and quickly add, “unless you’d prefer to stay in a hotel.”

  “Your place kinda sounds like a small hotel. I look forward to staying at it.”

  Good girl, I think. I look forward to fucking her in each
of my bedrooms.

  Chapter 14

  Grace

  This is unreal. I can’t stop thinking how crazy today’s been as I stare into the full-length mirror. I feel like a princess.

  A princess in a red dress.

  After we arrived in New York, Leo gave me a quick tour of his palatial apartment. I settled on taking the bedroom with the best view of Central Park.

  And then he ran off for his meeting.

  It was hard having him leave me. Especially after the way he showed up at work this morning and whisked me off on his private jet was as if I was in a fairy tale.

  The plane ride itself was amazing, just being with him. Chatting casually together felt so natural. Nothing was forced or awkward, unlike it could be with my previous boyfriends.

  I spent the last hour shopping. Followed by a manicure, pedicure and getting my hair and make-up done. Leo had arranged everything. He apologized for the lack of full-body massage, but there wasn’t time.

  We have to leave for his event in a few minutes. I’m just having one last look in the mirror before I emerge from my bedroom.

  I can’t believe how amazing I look.

  The red evening gown has a plunging neckline that goes to my stomach. It’s backless, and I’m not wearing a bra. Something I’ve never done before, given the size of my breasts. But the expensive dress has enough built-in support. Ever since puberty, I’ve been painfully self-conscious of their size and have always felt awkward. If I wear regular tops, I end up looking like a bimbo. But if I wear loose tops, I end up looking fat.

  I’ve never been able to win.

  Until now. The plunging neckline shows off my cleavage but somehow it looks classy. Like I’m about to pose on the red carpet at the Oscars.

  There’s also a high slit that goes all the way to the top of my thigh. Turning around, I look over my shoulder into the mirror and the requisite Oscar back shot.

  Damn, these Louboutin heels really make my ass taut, and the fabric drapes over it in the most flattering way. For the first time my big behind seems perfectly proportioned to the rest of me, and I’m actually glad for the meat on my bones.