by Marian Tee
I was wrong to walk away, Ilse.
The brochure slipped from her fingers just as she felt the person – no, him---
Ah.
She felt him moving towards her.
She sensed him kneeling in front of her.
Hands captured hers, and she didn’t resist.
They brought her hands to his face, and she started to cry, the tears raining down her cheeks silently as she felt his features under her fingers.
This face was…familiar.
Her fingers moved to trace his lip.
Beloved.
Ilse choked back a sob, but when she felt the lips under her fingers start to move, she shook her head jerkily. “N-no.” Her tone was frail and fierce at the same time. “No, Jaak.”
The billionaire’s heart constricted painfully behind his chest. God. He had thought he would never hear her say his name again.
“You don’t need to say a thing.” A smile wobbled on her lips. “I just need you to be here, and…” She raised her gaze to his, unseeing eyes that could somehow see through his soul the way no one else could. “You’re here with me now.” Her voice broke. “You didn’t fail me---”
He could no longer help it, cupping her face so he could kiss her.
“This is the last time,” he swore raggedly, “I’ll make you cry.”
And the tears fell faster even as her arms went around him, telling him without words that she believed in him.
Because she loved him.
When he pulled away, it was to slide a ring on her finger, and Ilse’s shoulders started to shake as she realized what it meant.
“Oh, Jaak.”
“Ilse…” His voice was tight with emotion. “Love me.”
“I do.”
“Need me.” And the billionaire’s voice broke, too. “I need you,” he said rawly, “to need me as I have always needed you.”
“You never had to ask. I was meant to love you, Jaak.” She smiled at him tremulously. “And that’s why I needed you before I even met you.”
Epilogue
One year later
“I’ll be out in a minute,” Ilse called out from the walk-in closet.
“That’s what you said a minute ago, babe,” her husband called back from the bedroom. “And the minute before that, and---”
“I get the picture,” Ilse yelled, “and you’re not helping.”
A moment later, and the billionaire sounded a lot nearer as he delivered in perfectly crisp English, “I love you. Does that help?”
Since her knees were threatening to buckle, yes, it definitely did help, but she would rather not tell him that. The billionaire had an all-too-big ego as it was. He didn’t need it to get any bigger, and so Ilse only allowed herself to grunt in response.
The billionaire’s lips twitched. “You can say it, babe. It’s written all over your face anyway.”
“Excuse me?”
“The fact that I make you head over heels,” the billionaire said wickedly.
Ilse made a face. “Ha. Ha. Ha.”
But her reddened cheeks belied her sarcastic response, and the billionaire grinned at the sight. Walking towards her, he asked, “Can I help you with anything?”
Ilse bit back a sigh. She had hoped she could do it on her own, but after one year of living blind, she also knew when to call it quits, and she said ruefully, “It’s nothing serious. I just…” Her shoulders moved in an almost embarrassed shrug. “I can’t find my belt.”
Ah. Knowing how much those small words had cost his fiercely independent wife, the billionaire waited patiently, his silence letting Ilse know that this would be her decision to make. If she wanted his help, she only had to say the word. But if she wanted to do it on her own, then he would let her.
Ilse’s lips curved. “Aren’t we in danger of being late?”
They were, the billionaire thought. He had a surprise party planned for her, and they had a lot of guests waiting. But out loud, he only said, “It’s our building, babe. We can go there anytime.”
After a few moments, Ilse said, “My belt looks like…”
As she gave him a description, he spotted it right away, and he bent down to pick the glittery belt from under the vanity table. “Found it.”
“Thank you.”
“Let me help you wear it?”
She nodded, and it spoke a lot about the way she sensed his presence that she no longer tensed when his fingers seemed to come out of nowhere. He wrapped the belt around her waist, cinching it in place, but instead of releasing her, the billionaire pulled Ilse close to him, her back against his chest. As his mouth traveled the side of her neck, a shiver ran down her spine at the delicious, feather-soft touch, and she couldn’t help arching her head, giving him more access.
“Happy birthday, babe.”
Her smile widening a little, she teased him, “That’s the seventh time you’ve greeted me.”
“Mm.”
His lips nibbled on her neck, but then his arms moved around her, and an amused gasp escaped Ilse as his hands cupped her breasts. “Jaak!” She turned around to face him, shaking her head. “If you keep touching me, we’ll really be late. We’re supposed to have dinner out with everyone, remember?”
He did, reluctantly. And by everyone, Ilse had yet to know it meant about two hundred guests. “We’ll continue this tonight,” he muttered under his breath. “Ja?”
“Ja---mmph.”
The billionaire had crushed her mouth under his, and but before Ilse could even try kissing him back, her husband had already pulled away, leaving her mentally flailing. She kind of wanted…more?
The billionaire grinned. “Do you want me to kiss you again, babe?” Ilse’s lips only pursed, but he didn’t mind. That look of hers only meant one thing anyway.
They walked out hand in hand, and after a thirty-minute ride, they made it to the hospital in which the billionaire had donated an entire wing in Ilse’s name. As she took the billionaire’s hand and let him help her out of the limousine, she asked excitedly how the building looked.
Glancing at the five-story structure – Ilse’s way of making him atone for the time he had tried to cheat on her, the billionaire said dryly, “It looks just like how you imagine a 150-million-dollar-property would.”
“Don’t complain,” she said severely as they started walking. “You’re lucky I didn’t go after your entire fortune.”
“Yes,” the billionaire drawled. “I am indeed the most propitious of men, to have such an, err, munificent wife.”
Ilse’s lips pursed again. Goodness gracious, but somehow, the more time she spent with her husband, the funnier she found him. And these days, she wasn’t even sure if what he said was funny in reality.
She just loved him so much she had the silliest urge to laugh at every word he spoke.
It was quite, quite embarrassing.
The billionaire remained quiet when they made it to the elevator, and she placed a hand over his heart, trying to gauge his mood. “Jaak?”
“Mm?”
“Is anything disturbing you?”
“I…suppose.” He absently took hold of her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles, thinking that ‘uneasy’ was probably the more accurate term to describe the emotion clutching his heart.
“What is it?”
He didn’t answer right away, but instead drew her out of the elevator, which had stopped at the fifth floor. The lift opened directly to the wing’s function hall, and two hundred guests turned to them, most of them holding their breath in hopes of controlling their excitement. Almost the entire de Konigh clan was in attendance, and of course Erik and Jan were there, too, and so were Gloria and the rest of the girls that made up Glory Hall. The rest consisted of friends from all over De Wallen, like the gruffly affectionate bookstore owner Mr. Peters, Charlene, and a dozen other sex workers, and de Konigh staff that Ilse had befriended in the past year.
It was definitely an unconventional mix of people, and it was perfect
, considering how equally unconventional his wife was.
“Jaak?” Ilse prompted uncertainly. “You still haven’t told me what’s wrong.”
“Nothing’s wrong,” he murmured slowly, “and I think that’s probably what’s disturbing me the most.” He cupped her face, saying softly, “My life’s been too good since you came into it.” A crooked grin formed on his lips. “And that’s what’s disturbing me. Everything’s too damn good, and I’m not used to it.”
Oh. She smiled up at him. “Poor boy.” She shook her head. “But that’s not something to complain about.”
“I know. I was thinking more along the lines of how I can make you feel the same.”
“You already do---”
“Not enough,” the billionaire interrupted. “But I’m working on it – starting now.” He paused, and his hands shook a little as he cupped her face. “I found you a donor, Ilse.”
Oh.
Oh.
Oh.
“And all the doctors agree that it’s the best match.”
Her lips started to tremble.
“Happy birthday, babe.”
She threw her arms around him. “Thank you.” She hugged him tightly, feeling like her heart was about to jump out of her chest any moment. “Thank you, Jaak. Thank you.” Pulling away, she suddenly ran her hands down the length of his body---
The billionaire stiffened, and so did most of the two hundred guests.
“What,” the billionaire managed to ask, “do you think you’re doing?”
Ilse smiled up at him, saying cheekily, “Thanking you some more.”
His eyes widened.
Hearing Ilse’s words, Erik whispered to Jan, “Let’s go outside and prepare your birthday gift for Ilse.” But really, it was all so he could make sure Ilse’s brother maintained his innocence.
“I really don’t…”
“Are you actually refusing me?” Ilse brushed a hand over his cock, which had already become engorged with arousal.
She began to stroke him, and his cock throbbed demandingly against his pants, the tantalizing touch tempting him to forget the fact that they were far from alone like Ilse thought.
“Babe…” His voice was strained.
“Yes?” Ilse’s voice was throatier than usual.
“Are you sure about this?” he grated out.
Instead of answering, she wetted her lips, and that was it. His cock won over his brain, and the fact that they still had guests, waiting for his cue to shout a surprise ‘happy birthday,’ was completely thrown out of the window.
He dragged her to the platform, where the VIP table was.
Ilse was both amused and puzzled at the same time as she felt him settle on a chair before gently pushing her down to her knees. “Jaak?”
“I’m, ah, hiding you under the table…” The billionaire bit back a groan as her fingers started unbuttoning and unzipping his pants. “In case someone walks in.”
It was unusually fastidious of him, Ilse thought, and she sent up a winsome smile to her husband. “You’re right.”
And across him, almost two hundred pairs of eyes said the same thing. Riiiiiiiiight. But theirs was more ironic than thankful like Ilse’s was.
Shaking his head in amusement, Willem murmured under his breath to Serenity, “This is why the Queen was adamantly against attending.”
Serenity blinked, and tiptoeing, she whispered incredulously to his ear, “Are you saying she knew something like this would happen?”
Willem smirked at the words. Bending his head, he whispered back to her ear, “He’s my brother, isn’t he?”
Oh. She remembered exactly what Willem had done to her during the blind dinner that the Queen and the other royals of Contini had attended.
Right. Serenity began fanning her hot face.
As Ilse finally freed his cock from its restraints, the billionaire did his best to keep his composure. He would be in control. Complete control---
She started to bend forward, and he started to tense.
When her mouth was right above his cock, she blew out a breath, and the slit on the head of his cock began to glisten with pre-cum.
She breathed again, and the billionaire cursed under his breath even as his cock jutted proudly, his arousal stretching and expanding until the head of his erection actually slapped against Ilse’s face.
Startled, Ilse almost pulled back, and a giggle escaped her.
“Sorry,” the billionaire rasped out.
Ilse shook her head. “I like it when you’re excited about me.”
And then her tongue started to swirl around the head, and the billionaire breathed hard.
She licked the pre-cum on his cock, and the billionaire’s chest heaved. Control. He needed to stay in control---
Her mouth closed all around his cock, and she began to take him further in.
“God.” The billionaire’s eyes accidentally locked with Ilse’s former boyfriend as more inches of his length disappeared into her mouth. Normally, the sick look on Issac Bakker’s face would have given him absolute satisfaction. Even knowing that Ilse and Issac were only friends, he was still damn jealous about the two.
But right now, that was the least of his concerns.
Right now---
Ilse started to suck.
“Ah, babe.” She was deep-throating him like an expert, and the billionaire’s fingers drove through her hair. “So damn good.” She began to suck harder, and another hoarse growl escaped him.
“Too good,” he gritted between clenched teeth. “Too damn good, babe.”
Her head began to bob fast and hard, and as her mouth started working its magic on him, he could feel his body tightening.
He knew he was close to coming, knew he should care about the fact that they still weren’t alone, but he didn’t.
He didn’t give a damn about anything except---
Ilse bit the side of his cock lightly, and he jerked.
She mumbled something incoherently.
“What?”
She pulled back a little, just enough to make herself coherent. “You’re so big.”
A shudder ran through his body.
And then she was sucking him again, and he began to come.
“Ilse.”
Her name rolled down his tongue before he could stop himself.
Her name, which also happened to be the cue he had earlier given to his guests.
If he said Ilse, that meant they could “show up” and surprise his wife---
The guests looked at each other blankly. Was that still the game plan?
In front of them, the billionaire threw his head back, growling, “Ilse.”
Oh.
That was the second time, wasn’t it?
Surely it only meant one thing?
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ILSE!” Thunderous applause exploded inside the function hall.
Under the table, Ilse froze, and it took several moments before she recovered enough from her shock to pull away, asking in a strangled tone, “What’s happening?” But deep inside she already knew. This was a surprise birthday party---
And now everyone knew she was giving her husband a blow job.
“Oh my God.”
The crowd of unseen guests laughed politely, awkwardly.
Ilse’s face burned. “Oh my God.”
But the billionaire didn’t seem to care about her embarrassment. He was too busy pushing her head back down, and when he sensed her resisting a little, he said hoarsely, “Don’t stop, babe, I’m begging you.”
The raw need in his voice made Ilse shudder, the sound heightening her own desire for him.
When the billionaire resumed pushing her head down on his erection, she found herself letting her lips part---
Oh my God, was she really doing this?
His cock slid back into her mouth.
How crazy life was, how unpredictable---
The billionaire began fucking her mouth hard, the head of his cock hitting the back of her
throat.
But God, life had also gotten so wildly good---
His cock began to shoot cum down her throat.
Ever since Jaak de Konigh walked into her life.
THE END
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading Jaak and Ilse, and I sincerely hope that you enjoyed it. In case you’re new to my work, you might want to check out My Dutch Billionaire, which is Willem and Serenity’s story. The first book of the trilogy is free to read.
I have two new books coming up. One of it is Heart of a Duchess, an urban fantasy that also doubles as a historical romance. You can know more about the story by reading the book preceding it, The Demon Duke and I. The other one is My Greek Beast, another hot billionaire romance that also happens to feature two old characters from other series: Alyx from How Not to Be Seduced by Billionaires and Nathan from my BBF series (swipe to the next page for links).
To enjoy an exclusive excerpt of my two upcoming books, please consider subscribing to my brand new newsletter. To sign up, just click on this link. You’ll be asked for your email address among other things. It will not be shared with any other party nor will I use to spam you with anything unrelated to my books. Just remember please that this will be a WEEKLY thing!
Until our next journey,
Marian Tee
P.S. Before I forget, pretty please consider writing even the shortest review of the book if you enjoyed it. That’s one of the quickest ways for me to know what you guys like to read from me.
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