My stomach muscles clenched as I began crying uncontrollably. Christoff reached across the car and embraced me. He truly was my rock. He silently held himself together as I completely fell apart in his arms. I cried so much I felt like I was going to be sick. I felt like I was making the right choice but it hurt like hell. Christoff held me close and rubbed my back until my sobbing subsided. My body continued to tremble as I slowly pulled away. We looked at each other in silence for several moments. Christoff bit his lower lip and pressed his tightly clenched fist to his mouth, as if to suppress something he didn’t want to escape. Although Christoff was typically rather stoical, in this moment his piercing blue eyes glistened with a profound sense of pain that hit me in the pit of my stomach. My lower lip trembled, and tears threatened to stream down my cheeks once again as I sensed the depth of Christoff’s suffering. He reached out and took my hand in his. My tears quietly overflowed as another unrelenting wave of emotion crashed into me.
“Christoff, I love you more than I think you’ll ever really understand.” I spoke softly through my tears. Christoff swallowed hard and drew a deep breath before speaking.
“Gia, I understand more than I think you’ll ever really know.”
I leaned in and a hugged Christoff and he welcomed my embrace. We held on to each other for a long time before he pulled away. He drew an uneven breath. “There is no use in us sitting here on the side of the highway. Let’s get you back to where you need to go.”
I sat in silence for a few moments before responding. “I’m at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills.” I saw a glint of curiosity in Christoff’s eyes but he didn’t ask any questions.
“That’s not too far from where I’m staying. I’ll drop you off.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For everything.”
We rode in silence for the entire trip. I struggled not to start crying again. Every time I saw Christoff try to stifle his own emotions, the ever present lump that was caught in my throat swelled. I caught him stealing longing glances at me almost every time we approached a red light. I meant what I said when I told Christoff I wished things had worked out differently. My heart sank as we pulled up to my hotel. It was really time to say goodbye.
“Gia, I’m not going to beg for you. Although part of me wants to, my pride absolutely will not allow it. And I’m not going to wait for you either. But if you ever need anything, anything at all, I want you to reach out to me. I’m not one to hold on to people who don’t want to be held on to, but I just have a feeling that this is not the last time we’ll be seeing each other... or maybe that’s just wishful thinking...” Christoff’s voice trailed off. “I’ll just leave it there for now.”
I stared at him silently as I absent-mindedly fumbled with the passenger side door. There was something about his words that haunted me, perhaps it was the fact that I knew he was probably right. It was not out of the realm of possibility that Christoff and I would reappear in each other’s lives in the future. But there was no guarantee that if and when we crossed paths again, we would be the same people that we were in this moment. Christoff reached over and embraced me. I squeezed him more tightly than I’ve ever squeezed him before. Part of me wanted to hold on to him and never let him go but the other half of me knew that once I closed the door and crossed the threshold to the Four Seasons, I was starting a new life, a life that I had been trying to create for as long as I could remember.
I kissed Christoff on the cheek. “Christoff, du bist supergeil.”
Christoff’s face lit up as a smile spread across his face for the first time that evening. “Du bist wunderschön.” We embraced one last time before I climbed out of the Mercedes and closed the door behind me. I watched Christoff drive away until his car completely disappeared in the distance.
Epilogue
I woke up from a much needed nap. I was still drained from making one of the biggest decisions of my life. I knew I would probably miss Christoff for years to come, but I was equally certain that if Trevor and I continued to see each other I would finally get to live the Hollywood fairy tale romance of my dreams. Actually based on what I was learning about Trevor, it would be a dark fairy tale with a scandalous twist. I was eager to learn more about my prince charming’s sexual proclivities. It sounded like it would make for a good hard rock song. I had an hour before he was supposed to be back from work. I took a long hot shower, flat ironed my hair and slipped on my sexiest lingerie. It was black lace. I crawled under the soft, comfortable blankets and turned on my iPod. I decided to listen to Alpha Deity’s Fall From Grace album. I was ready to fall from grace tonight. I really hoped that Trevor could reconcile the sweet innocent girl that he perceived me to be with the sexually mature woman that I actually was.
Just as I was about to crawl out of my skin with anticipation, I heard Trevor enter the living area. I sat up and took my ear buds out. “Giavanna, I have a surprise for you!” Trevor opened the double French doors. He looked like a million bucks. No make that a billion bucks. Trevor looked like a billion bucks and then some. He was wearing black leather pants and a nicely pressed white dress shirt and the top two buttons were undone. His dark hair was wild, messy and sexy.
“What is it?” I squealed, unable to contain my excitement.
“Close your eyes and open your hands.” I did as instructed, and I felt Trevor put what felt like a small box in my hand. “Now open!”
Harry Winston! “Oh!” I gasped. I opened the box. It was a platinum necklace with a diamond encrusted apple hanging from it. Diamonds! I’ve always wanted diamonds. I was so happy I could cry. It was a beautiful and eccentric piece of jewelry.
“It’s forbidden fruit. You’ve tempted me in ways that I still haven’t fully wrapped my head around, so I found it fitting. I’ve never felt sexual feelings for a woman I had a deep emotional connection to. And I’ve never felt a deep emotional connection with a woman I had sexual feelings for. But you make me feel all kinds of things... things that I was raised to believe were shameful. It’s pleasantly... confusing.” Trevor’s mesmerizing dark brown eyes glowed with adoration and, if I wasn’t mistaken, a hint of longing. There was so much to Trevor. I could tell I’d only seen the tip of the iceberg. “There is so much about me that you don’t know Giavanna. I don’t want to show you too much too soon and scare you away. So before we fully give in to temptation, I’d like at least some level of commitment from you. I want you to be mine. I want you to be my girlfriend... officially.”
“Trevor, I’m absolutely crazy about you. I haven’t even tried to hide it. And I’m certain I can handle whatever it is you’re hiding under all of those complex layers. But what about the distance.? L.A. is a four hour flight from Chicago, and we both work a lot.”
“Giavanna, I’m omnipresent. Geography is irrelevant to me. I own a jet, a helicopter and a boat, so I can get anywhere in the world on a whim. Besides, I own property in Chicago. I have a penthouse in Lincoln Park that overlooks Lake Michigan. I’m sure you would be quite comfortable there should you decide you want to move in. I’ll give you a key before you go back so you can take your time making the decision. I’ll email my secretary tonight and tell her to clear my schedule for next weekend so I can fly out and see you. I want you to be my princess.” Trevor leaned in and kissed me passionately. His kiss gave me butterflies.
“Well then it’s official. I’m officially Princess Trevor Dunaway!” I squealed in delight and sank under the covers. I was dizzy with excitement.
Trevor crawled into bed and wrapped his arms and legs around me. He murmured in my ear, as he covered my neck with smoldering kisses. His voice was strained with yearning. “Oh Giavanna, you’re my everything, you’re my princess, my goddess, and my wet dream... you’re my happy ending, you’re my everything.” I closed my eyes, eager to begin the next chapter of my forbidden fairy tale with my dark and dirty prince charming.
***
The End
Her American Billio
naire
BWWM Celebrity Encounters
Book 2
Jasmine
Jameson
Chapter 1
MY STOMACH WAS in knots as I paced the living room floor of Trevor’s immaculate penthouse. I took a deep breath and gazed out the window at Lake Michigan. There were so many memories there. A pang of nostalgia hit me as I allowed memories of Christoff to distract me from the fact that not only was Trevor almost two hours late, but it sounded like he would have bad news when he arrived. I closed my eyes and allowed the past several months to flash before my mind’s eye. My life had been a roller coaster ever since I landed an interview with Christoff Diemacht Hartmann, the frontman of the international industrial rock group Aus Deutschland. Not only did that interview get my name out there as a serious entertainment journalist, it changed the entire trajectory of my life. If it weren’t for that fateful night in Los Angeles this past summer with Christoff, I probably wouldn’t be standing here in a multi-million dollar condo, waiting for my billionaire music mogul boyfriend Trevor to get home.
I opened my eyes, and the sight of the glowing amber sunset against the picturesque Chicago skyline took my breath away. This past summer I enjoyed many Chicago sunsets, only back then I wasn’t admiring the view from Trevor’s Lincoln Park penthouse, I was down on the lake front trail in Christoff’s arms. After I interviewed him while he was on tour with the band, he flew out to Chicago to see me and we built a relationship that was a love unlike any other. Neither of us had ever experienced anything like what we had together. The relationship we built permanently changed both us. I truly believe that there was a piece of Christoff within me and I within him before either of us were ever conceived. To say we completed each other would be an understatement. Even though I would never admit this to Trevor, or anyone else for that matter, deep within I knew that I would never love anyone else the way that I loved Christoff. Before I met Christoff I was married to my work and I was so overprotective of myself that I was afraid to let anyone in. I had up so many walls and barriers that were preventing me from being completely fulfilled. But then Christoff changed all of that. Being with him taught me how to trust, how to love, and more importantly, how to be loved in return. Unfortunately, fate pulled us apart. Christoff was overseas in Germany where he belonged and I was destined to remain in the U.S. It was painful, but despite our love for one another, we went our separate ways.
A couple of months ago I had taken an autumn trip to Los Angeles to visit my best friend Amber. She’s a Grammy Award winning country-pop crossover artist. She invited me to come see her to help me get over the pain of letting go of Christoff. If it weren’t for the breakup with Christoff and all that we went through, I wouldn’t have been in L.A. at The Standard with Amber this past October, trying to nurse myself back to emotional health. I truly believe that nothing happens by accident. I was there that night because it was meant for me to meet the gorgeous and mysterious Trevor Dunaway. Trevor is a billionaire music mogul who owns multiple record labels and a music television network. But what really draws me to him isn’t his success or his business acumen, it’s his artistic talent. He’s not only a business man but he is the lead singer and producer of industrial rock band Alpha Deity, and he also produces other hard rock artists. Trevor is truly one of the most talented men I’ve ever met before in my life. We became inseparable from the night we ran into each other at The Standard. Christoff came back for me after I met Trevor, but I told him that I wanted to give things with Trevor a shot because I saw a future with him. Although I will always miss Christoff, I don’t regret my decision to give my undivided attention to Trevor.
From day one everything with Trevor had been an A-List Hollywood fairy tale. While he was courting me out in L.A. he took me out to the most exclusive restaurants and clubs, and he introduced me to people at the top of the upper echelon. Everything was perfect… well everything except one thing. He was really sweeping me off my feet, but we weren’t having sex. When I confronted him about it he said he was holding back because he didn’t want to scare me away. He said he wanted to protect me. I sensed that he was hiding something but I didn’t know what. When we did finally consummate our relationship I sensed that he was holding back.
We had been an item for over two months now, but our relationship had been long distance. Trevor stayed at his Hollywood Hills home in California most of the time because his businesses were there, and I stayed in his Lincoln Park penthouse in Chicago because my job was here. I still had my cozy one-bedroom apartment, about fifteen minutes north of Trevor’s place, but his living quarters were so comfortable that ever since he gave me the key I’d made it my primary residence. Trevor had told me on more than one occasion that he had more than enough to take care of both of us. He regularly encouraged me to leave my job at the music magazine I work for to move to California with him. Although my ultimate dream is to have my own entertainment news show on television instead of writing for a B-List magazine, I enjoyed my job and I was very vested in it. For the past several months I’d been landing the hottest stories and I had even gotten a raise recently. Trevor made some valid points during our discussions, but I didn’t think it made sense to leave my job when I was finally getting a chance to reap the fruits of my labor. The fact that we were long distance made Trevor irritable sometimes. He said he wasn’t as productive in his businesses or in his creative endeavors as he could be, because he was constantly longing for me. He also mentioned that he hadn’t been able to have the type of sex he wants to have with me yet because I hadn’t proven my commitment to the relationship by moving in with him.
My heart sank as I realized that Trevor may be coming out to Chicago to break up with me. The distance did made things a little tense between us and it had really worn on our sex life. Even though things weren’t quite as perfect as they had been when he was courting me out in L.A., the thought of losing Trevor pained me greatly. I just wished that he would trust in my commitment to our relationship. Trevor is used to everyone worshipping him and complying with his every request, especially women. I cared for Trevor deeply but I am my own person. I refused to give up everything I want just because he asked me to. I loved living in Chicago, excelling in my career, and making my own money. I couldn't even conceive giving that up but nor could I imagine my life without Trevor.
I was deeply conflicted about how I wanted to handle the distance issue, if that is what Trevor wanted to talk about upon his arrival. Part of me wondered if I was doing the right thing by standing my ground. Sometimes I felt selfish for making Trevor take time away from his business and his music to travel across the country to spend time with me, simply because I was too stubborn to move. I felt a pang of anxiety in the pit of my stomach. I was almost certain Trevor was going to break up with me. I racked my brain for things I could say to convince him not to leave me. I sighed as I closed the curtains and walked over to Trevor’s leather sofa. I sat there in silence for at least ten minutes before deciding to give Trevor a call to see what was taking him so long. He was frequently late to meet me due to the fact that he always had back-to-back business meetings, but he had never been this late before. And he said that what he had to talk to me about was important, so that he would try to get here as soon as possible.
Just as I was dialing his number I heard the door being unlocked. The sound startled me. I placed my hand on my chest hoping that it would slow my racing heartbeat. “Trevor?” I stood to greet him as he made his way through the foyer and into the living room. His tall, athletic physique looked absolutely stunning in his perfectly tailored navy pinstriped suit, crisp white button-down shirt, and his deep blue tie. The door man was a few steps behind Trevor carrying his luggage. I looked up at Trevor, then down at my white tank top and stonewashed blue jeans, then back up at Trevor. I regretted not getting myself more dolled-up for Trevor’s arrival.
“Giavanna, so sorry I’m late.” Trevor embraced me and kissed me on the cheek. “Gary, you can leave my bags i
n the master bedroom. You know where it is.” Gary quietly complied with Trevor’s orders.
“I was just about to call you. I was worried something had happened.” I tried to keep my voice steady and calm but my tone was shrill.
“Well, a lot of things happened. One of my artists is threatening to leave the label while they are still under contract and I may have to sue them. Once I finally got off the phone with legal it was already late and then Reggie and I got caught in a traffic jam on the way to the airport. You would think having a driver would make L.A. traffic more bearable, but I was on the brink of losing it.” Trevor’s perfectly fine features hardened into a scowl, and his clear, ivory skin flushed a little. He was gorgeous even when he was upset. “There were just way too many beach barbies on the road in daddy’s sports car who don’t know how to fucking drive. And to add insult to injury I had a rough flight full of turbulence. When I finally made it to Chicago we had to circle the jet for over forty-five minutes because there were too many other private jets trying to land. Today it would have probably been faster to fly commercial, but as you know this trip was spur of the moment, so I guess flying commercial wasn’t a real option anyway.”
BWWM: Bad Boy Billionaires Box Set (A Bad Boy BWWM Billionaire Collection) Page 17