The Billionaire's Gamble

by Penny Wylder

  In two steps he's in front of me, drawing me towards him. He presses me against the glass of the windows and kisses me.

  “Yes. I'm very sure.”

  And so am I.

  4

  Nolan

  I wake to pleasure.

  It takes a few seconds for me to place where I am—in Las Vegas. In my hotel room. With Dani.

  Whose lips are currently wrapped around my cock.

  What?

  I blink my eyes open, and in the ambient light pouring in the windows, I see a shape under the blankets, and the flick of her tongue confirms that I’m not dreaming. “Dani,” I say, my voice rough with sleep, “what are you doing?” Her soft chuckle rises from under the fabric, and my cock goes fully hard. “I thought it would be pretty clear,” she says.

  Her mouth wraps around me again, encasing me in pure heat, and I groan. Her laughter vibrates on my skin, and I flip the blanket back to see her looking up at me with mischief in her eyes. She sucks on the head of my cock, releasing me with a popping sound, and holy fuck that’s hot. I sit up on my elbows, watching her. I’m surprised—this isn’t something I would have thought she’d do. Not that I mind.

  “Why?” I ask, mentally kicking myself. But I don’t want her sucking me off because she feels like she somehow owes me. I’ve had that happen before, and it’s not fun.

  She raises an eyebrow. “Why not?” I open my mouth to make her clarify, and she takes my cock in her hand, gently squeezing. “Nolan,” she says, my name honey in her voice, “stop talking and let me do this.”

  It’s my turn to raise an eyebrow. Women don’t talk to me that way. Hell, no one talks to me that way. But I’ll let her get away with it…for now. I grin as I imagine all the things I can do to her while I tell her to stop talking and let me pleasure her.

  Her eyes glance downward for a moment, and she smiles at me. Dipping her head out of view, I feel her lips touch my balls. I hiss out a breath at the unexpected contact, and a groan follows quickly as she opens her mouth. Dani’s tongue is tentative, cautious. She explores me with her mouth and my cock twitches against her hand in time with her exploration. When she takes them into her mouth, it’s enough to make me lose control. I ball my hands into fists, the muscles in my thighs flexing, fighting to keep still and let her continue at her own pace.

  Pleasure creeps outwards from her mouth, and I find myself entranced watching it in the half-light. She releases my balls from her mouth, moving upwards towards my cock. Using her fingers, she strokes along the shaft, sending tremors along my nerves. Her tongue tastes me, running along my cock from the base to the tip, where she stays. She locks eyes with me, smiling as she laps at my head, licking me like I’m the best lollipop she’s ever tasted.

  My mouth has fallen open, and I’m trying to do something, say something. But fuck, this girl has me hypnotized in a way no one else has even come close to. Nothing matters but the sensation of her tongue, stroking against me again and again. She’s driving me mad with her steady pace, every flick driving me just a little closer to my release. Then, without warning, she takes me fully into her mouth, and I curse loudly. She laughs, her voice vibrating against my skin and I feel the urge to thrust my hips, force myself deeper.

  Dani’s eyes never leave mine as she works her way up and down my cock. Everything about this is sweet agony—the way her lips drag against my skin, the way her hair is falling in her eyes, the motion of her body as she moves up and down. I shouldn’t have let it go this far. I should have said goodnight after we had our drinks and let us go our separate ways. She doesn’t need all the baggage that comes with me, but even now I know I would not have done anything differently. There’s something about Dani that draws me towards her, makes me want to claim her and make her scream my name. I’ve never seen anything hotter than the way she came for me, except maybe the way her mouth curves around me, making a noise so purely sexual that any blood I had left in my body races to my groin. She closes her eyes.

  I’m close now, so close, and every pull of her mouth is sweet torture and I can’t hold back anymore. I reach out, running my hand through her hair, tangling my fingers in it. I guide her mouth further on my cock, and she lets me have control like she was just waiting for me to take it. I curse under my breath. She makes me want to see just how far I could push her, just how much she would give to me.

  “Look at me,” I say to her. “I want you to watch me while I fuck your mouth.”

  Her eyes snap to mine, wide and dark. She’s just as aroused as I am, and I can’t wait to return the favor to her, but right now she’s mine. I guide her down onto me, slow and steady, pushing my cock until I feel the beginning of her throat. Her mouth contracts and I pull her off me, letting her catch her breath, but she never looks away.

  I pull her back onto my cock, tightening my hand in her hair as I give the command, “Suck.” She does, and I have to hold myself back from coming right this second. “Yes,” I say, pulling her head further down onto me, “Suck my cock.” Even the sloppy sounds of her sucking are driving me mad.

  “Dani,” I say, and she freezes. Her eyes haven’t left my face, just like I told her to. “I’m going to use your mouth now, and you’re going to swallow every last drop. Do you understand.”

  The sight of her nodding with my cock between her lips is almost enough to make me let go. But not quite. Her eyes go wide as I push myself deep.

  I thrust my hips, fucking her mouth as I hold her head still. The scrape of her tongue is driving me mad, and I find myself grunting with every thrust. I want to go deeper. I want her to take all of me. Dani’s eyes are locked on me and I see them water as I push her to her limit. Her mouth is absolutely filled with me, and I thrust harder. Faster. She moans as I reach the back of her throat, and it sends me over. Sweet raging fire explodes through me, racing through my cock up my spine and splintering through my brain. I feel myself come, filling her mouth, and I hear the wet sounds of her mouth trying to keep up with everything I’m giving her. The pleasure pulses through me, making my muscles buck and spasm before it’s gone. I’m breathing hard, trying to come back to myself.

  Fuck.

  I force my eyes open, see Dani’s mouth still wrapped around my cock, trying to clean up the cum that’s leaking out of the corners of her lips. I watch her swallow. Watch her clean me off with that sinful mouth. My body doesn’t even soften, already raging for the next taste of her after that spectacle. She lets me go, licking her lips as she leans back on her knees, a far-too-satisfied look crossing her face. I hold my hand out, and she takes it.

  Yanking her towards me, I flip her underneath me and pin her to the bed with my body. We’re eye to eye, and I see the laughter there, and also the need. My mouth is on her neck before I can stop myself, tasting her skin. I move to her breasts, knowing even now that we’re not going to be sleeping much anymore.

  “What are you doing?” she asks, breathless already.

  I raise myself up to meet her eyes, cocking an eyebrow. “Stop talking,” I say, “and let me do this.”

  She laughs, and I dive down to taste her skin again. This woman is going to be the death of me.

  5

  Dani

  There's something beeping in my ear. I want to kill it.

  Groaning, I rub at my eyes and try to sit up. But I can’t. There's a very solid and deliciously warm arm wrapped around my naked body. Wait, naked? Looking over at Nolan sleeping beside me, it all comes back.

  Last night was…wow. Watching him sleep is strange. I kind of like it, though. He's so peaceful... so relaxed. I'd be relaxed, too, if that alarm would shut up. Why is it even going off? A flutter of despair swims through me. “Oh shit!” I say loudly. “My flight!”

  Nolan stirs, sitting up to blink at me. “What's wrong?”

  I roll off the bed, landing hard on the rug. “My plane, I need to get changed before I miss it!” In a blur I redress, trying to find everything I discarded. I've got almost all of it, but as I spin aro
und the room, I can't find one thing.

  “Here,” Nolan says behind me. I freeze, spotting him standing in the corner with my bra in one hand and an amused smirk on his handsome face. I go to take it from him, but he shakes his head. “This might be the last time I see you. Let me do it.”

  His words take the wind from my sails. The last time? Ugh. He's right, though. Neither of us lives in Vegas. In fact, I've got no clue where Nolan lives. I turn around, holding my arms up so he can scoop the bra around my front, then clip the back. The bra itself feels a little strange, but then again, I don’t usually have someone put it on me. He helps me into my dress, and my body noticeably laments the fact that he’s helping me put clothes on. But I can’t think about that right now—I’ve got other things to worry about.

  Nolan is in just his slacks and shirt from last night, the vest and tie gone. “I'll walk you to your room.”

  “You mean run me there,” I say, practically flinging the door to the hallway open. “If I don’t run I’ll probably miss—” Light explodes in my eyes, and for a second I’m blind. I stumble backwards into Nolan. “What the hell?”

  “Got it!” a deep voice says. Heavy footsteps shake the floor as someone runs off.

  “Son of a bitch,” Nolan growls, pulling me behind him like he’s shielding me. “Fucking paparazzi.”

  I'm still dazed, clinging to him as my vision returns to normal. “Did you just say paparazzi? What's going on?”

  He tugs me back inside the hotel room, glancing out the door as if he expects more photographers to appear out of thin air. “I'm sorry. There's a very good chance—no. Not a chance. Your photo will be all over the internet in a probably a few hours.”

  Okay, now I'm really lost. “You lost me at paparazzi. Why would anyone stalk your door to take a photo of me?”

  “Not of you, exactly... of us. Of me.” He grimaces, looking at the floor. “Have you ever heard of the Silver Lions?”

  I'm ready to say that I haven’t, but something triggers in my brain. Gerard. The creeper from last night said something about Silver Lions in his monologue about how great he was. “You're one of those bankers?”

  He makes a face again. “Yeah. It’s a tabloid name they came up with for us, and as much as I hate it, it stuck.” Taking a deep breath, he looks me right in the eye. “I'm Nolan Coldwater. Chairman of the Board at Coldwater Bank. The press have had a growing fascination with us—with me—lately. I'm sorry, Dani, I should have told you.”

  I feel like the ground sways underneath me. Everything makes sense now. The risky gambling, his fancy clothes, being here for work. A thought occurs, “But wait, I don't understand. Why did you…choose me?” The words feel funny in my mouth, and I hope against hope that I wasn’t wrong. I hope that Nolan isn’t a guy who fucks everything that moves and that what might have been one of the best nights of my life isn’t about to burst into flames because I don’t read tabloids and didn’t know who Nolan Coldwater was. The questions come hard and fast in my mind—how many other women has he brought to this hotel room? How many other women has he flirted with over whiskey? Does any of it even matter if I’m never going to see him again?

  I realize that Nolan has been talking and I wasn’t listening. His face looks broken—devastated. I try to focus on his words. “—just didn't want to go to another meeting. This was never something I wanted to do. I’m only in this position because of my father and there’s no way out of it. I came to Vegas for meetings, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I wanted to escape for a little. Vegas is good at letting you do that. At least it was until I became one of the most recognizable people in the country. I was on my way to another meeting when I saw you with that asshole.” He looks at me, and the grief shifts into a wry smile. “I went for a drink so I could play hooky. But you didn’t know who I was, and the longer I spent with you, the more I didn't want it to end. I've never run off like that before, you just made it so easy.”

  I’m staring at him, and I realize that I’ve forgotten to breathe. Inhaling sharply, I say, “You played hooky.” My mouth feels sluggish with words and realization. I hear myself and I sound incredulous. “You skipped out on a meeting for a multi-billion dollar company so that you could have a drink with me.”

  He tugs his hand through his hair, and the way he does it—so automatic—makes me think it’s a nervous gesture. That he’s nervous right now, telling this to me. “That's the truth. It was fun to be with someone who didn't know who I was. I'm sick of people trying to get close to me because of money.”

  I think about Gerard, how slimy he was when he mentioned money, and I get it. I really do. I reach out to him, gently tracing my fingers over his forearm. He watches me as I do it, like he’s holding his breath and waiting to see what I’ll do next. He doesn’t have to wait long. Something clicks into place with me, and I decide that it doesn’t matter. What happens doesn’t matter, because last night was amazing, and more importantly it was genuine. I stand up on my toes, pressing a kiss to his lips. “It's okay,” I say. “I get it. Besides, last night was amazing. My sister would be very relieved to know I let myself do something ‘stupid’ for once.”

  His arms encircle me, and I think to myself the paparazzi should have stuck around to see us. This is a much better picture. My phone beeps again and I snap back into reality, “Shit!” I curse, pulling free. “My flight. There’s no way I’m going to make it now unless you have a helicopter stashed on the roof.”

  Nolan chuckles, reaching out and massaging my shoulders. It feels great. “No helicopter, but I do have an idea.”

  “Does it involve time travel?” I ask, distracted by his hands and the fact that I absolutely can’t afford another flight.

  He sweeps my hand into his, guiding me out to the elevator. “Let's get your luggage. We’ll get lunch, and then I’ll buy you a new ticket home. It’s the least I can do.”

  “I—seriously?”

  “I'm very serious.” His eyes darken, making me flush.

  “Deal,” I say, leaning into him, feeling myself relax as my anxiety is replaced with excitement. “Is closing a deal always this easy for you?”

  “Sometimes.” He kisses my forehead, brushing my hair back from my face. “But,” he whispers, “few deals are as nice as this one.”

  I believe him.

  As I’m boarding the plane, I notice people looking at me. They’re not staring, but they’re doing that thing where they’re definitely trying to look me up and down while I don’t notice. At first I think it’s because I’m a mess. I haven’t showered, and even though I’ve tried to make myself presentable, I still have sex all over me. Hell, I still have last night’s dress on.

  “Excuse me, Miss,” a stewardess says. “Can I see your ticket?” I pass it to her; she squints, then smiles. “This way, please.”

  Now it's my turn to give a funny look. I was already confused at being in such an early boarding group, and I’m even more so when she takes me only a few rows into the plane. “This is first class,” I say.

  “Yes, of course.” She taps the ticket in my hand and pointing to the window seat. “That's you. Get comfortable and let me know if you need anything.”

  For a minute I look between my ticket to my seat. Nolan. He didn't have to do this. Buying me a ticket was already fantastic—I didn’t realize that it was going to be first class. It’s a nice surprise.

  Sitting down, I groan as I feel how soft the seat is. Damn, the rich have it good. I feel a twinge of jealousy that I’ve never felt before. Up until now, I’d always imagined that people with money were jerks. Spoiled rotten millionaires who had no time for anything but being asses and counting their wealth. Gerard was one, for sure. But Nolan…no. He'd been amazing. Memorable—that’s for damn sure.

  Next to me, a woman in a high pony tail sits down and immediately gives me a side-eye. What, do I just look like I don't belong up here? It isn't until I glimpse her phone screen that I see something that explains her reaction. Could it
be that fast? Pulling out my cellphone, I open the internet browser.

  All over the front page is a photo of me and Nolan. I'm disheveled in it, panic in my eyes since I'd been rushing for my flight. I check another news site, and another. The headlines ran an array of things:

  Lion Sleeps with Mystery Woman!

  Is Nolan Coldwater a Playboy?

  Did She Blackmail Him, or Did He Pay Her?

  I can't help it—I start to laugh. The lady next to looks over again, wary this time. Covering my mouth, I muffle the sound. I'm not upset by the headlines, those are pure insanity and Nolan did warn me it would happen. I do wish the photo of me was nicer, though. It’s not exactly how I pictured looking when I got my fifteen minutes of fame.

  My phone buzzes. The plane hasn't told us to put them away yet, so I answer the call. “Hello?”

  “Dani!” my sister, Kelly, screams. “Oh my god what did you do?”

  I sit up, shifting the phone to my other ear. When I do, something moves in my bra. It's been feeling off since this morning, but I'd ignored it. “Kelly,” I say, half-laughing. “It's not a big deal.”

  “You slept with a billionaire!”

  Okay, now I was giggling. Ugh, this damn bra. Reaching back, hoping no one sees, I fiddle with the strap. Finally—there. My fingers find a hard object that I know doesn't belong anywhere near my breasts.

  What the hell?

  “Dani,” my sister hisses. “Are you listening to me? I said go on vacation, have fun, not cause a scandal!”

  I'm barely listening. In my fingers I hold up a circular piece of plastic. A poker chip? Not only a poker chip, a one-thousand-dollar poker chip. Turning it over, my heart kicks up a notch. I had wondered if somehow that this was an accident…not actually from Nolan. But the back of the chip vanishes every doubt I have this is from Nolan. On the back is some writing in black marker.