The Proposal (A Billionaire Romance)

by Nikki Wild

  Chloe,

  The sky’s the limit!

  All my love,

  ~Bear

  “Thank you, that’s so sweet,” I said, smiling over at him. He walked in and led me to the window.

  “Look,” he said, pointing at the incredible view. “You can see everything from here. There’s the Empire State Building. And there’s the Old Met Life Tower over there,” he whispered, bringing his face close to mine as he pointed them out. I shuddered at the heat rolling off of him. The chemistry between us was flying like sparks and being this close to him was proving very difficult. “That’s the Williamsburg Bridge, it’s my favorite.”

  “It’s beautiful,” I said, leaning over and kissing his cheek.

  He pulled away and shook his head.

  “Not at work,” he said.

  “Oh, sorry,” I replied. “I forgot.”

  “That’s okay,” he smiled. “I’m glad you like the office.”

  “I do,” I said, turning to face him, “but honestly, Bear, don’t you think you might want to hire someone more qualified? Someone who’s done this before?”

  “Nonsense. Like I said last night, I believe in you, Chloe. Have a little more faith in yourself. You’d be surprised what you can accomplish when you set your sights high. That’s the only thing separating anyone from success, really—believing that you can do it. Once you have that, and a little bit of courage, you can do anything.”

  “I want to do a good job for you, that’s all,” I said.

  “Don’t worry about making mistakes. We all do. That’s why you surround yourself with experts, to keep yourself in check. You can run everything by me before you make any major decisions, if it makes you feel better, but I trust you’ll have good judgement.”

  “You barely know me and you have such faith in me,” I said. “Why?”

  “I think I know you better than you realize,” he shrugged.

  I smiled at him gratefully and turned back to the view. I took a deep breath, feeling like I was about to jump off a cliff.

  “Alright,” I said. “I’ll give it a shot!”

  “Good girl,” he whispered, his eyes trailing down my body, sending shivers of delight through me.

  I closed the distance between us and I couldn’t resist reaching out and touching his arm. As soon as I did, I realized how much I missed his touch. I vowed to never drink that much wine around him again. He put his hand over mine and squeezed gently, smiling down at me as he nodded encouragingly.

  “Everything’s going to be okay, Chloe,” he said.

  “Thank you, Bear,” I whispered. “For everything. And for being such a gentleman last night.”

  He smiled and lowered his voice.

  “Don’t worry about it,” he growled. “I’ll take my frustrations out on you later.”

  I swallowed hard and my stomach flipped. I bit my lip and looked back up at him before pulling my hand away from his.

  “I look forward to it,” I nodded, as we walked out into the hallway, a perfect picture of employee and employer, nothing more.

  “That’s what I like to hear,” he said. “Now, let’s go meet your new assistant. You can look over all the blueprints and figure out what you need. You have a budget of three million dollars. Let me know if you need more.”

  I froze in place and he kept walking.

  “What did you say?” I asked.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Three million dollars, Bear?” I said, my voice high and squeaky.

  “I said you could have more if necessary,” he said, with a flippant wave.

  “Bear! I’ve never handled that kind of money before.”

  “Handle it? You don’t handle it, you spend it. It’s not that hard, Chloe. Money gets easier to spend the more you have, and it’s even easier when it doesn’t belong to you. Don’t worry about it. You’ll probably be begging me for more by the end of the project anyway.”

  I laughed and shook my head.

  “Come on,” he whispered, his eyes landing on my lips, “before I make you beg for something else first.”

  My eyes widened with pleasure and I licked my lips.

  “That’s my girl,” he growled, his voice lowering. “Now, listen. Get your self orientated and go home early today because this afternoon I’m picking you up and we won’t be back at work until the day after tomorrow. You can start working after we get back. There’s no rush right now.”

  “Alright,” I whispered, silently cheering that I would get another chance to be with him tonight. “I’ll go easy on the wine this time.”

  “Good girl,” he chuckled, “let’s go.” He turned on his heel and walked away.

  I smiled and followed him.

  I was getting very good at following him.

  The view was even better than the one in my office and as I watched him walk down the long, narrow hallway, a secret shiver of pleasure passed through me as I realized just how lucky I was.

  Maybe Zoe Rothchild couldn’t handle him, but I had every intention of letting Bear eat me alive anytime he wanted.

  Thirteen

  My assistant, Abby, was a godsend. I tried to ignore the look of horror in her eyes when I told her I had a fashion degree and that I’d never done interior design before, but she was so knowledgeable and patient, that by the time I left at noon, I felt like this was something that I might actually be able to pull off.

  Not alone, of course. But with Abby’s help and Bear’s input, maybe it wouldn’t be so foreign to me after all. I had a good eye for fabric and reading the blueprints wasn’t that difficult. I felt a lot better after meeting with her and going over everything, so I went home feeling a whole lot better about my situation.

  If I could work and be useful to Bear, then maybe it would make everything else a little easier to endure.

  Not that I was ‘enduring’ anything. God, that word has such a negative connotation, but I didn’t know what else to call it. It’s not like I’d pursued Bear myself. I hadn’t asked for any of it, it had merely been thrust upon me, so to speak. But now that I was smack-dab in the middle of it, I was determined to make the most of it. I was hardly enduring anything, I was a full-fledged, willing participant.

  Especially because I had yet to identify one bad thing about it all.

  A free apartment in the middle of New York City? Check!

  A challenging, handsomely paying position for a top development firm in our nation’s greatest city? Check!

  A drop-dead sexy hunk of man that made me scream like a woman possessed? Check, check, and check!

  I had nothing to complain about, so I didn’t.

  Sure, I had questions.

  I didn’t know exactly how in the hell I was going to be able to pull this job off exactly, but I had determination and I figured as long as I added a little perseverance and open-mindedness to the mix, I had a good shot.

  And I had questions for Bear. Personal questions that were only now starting to take shape in my mind.

  Most of all, I wanted to know why. I wanted to figure out what made him tick, what made him move and talk and lead his life the way he did. I wanted to crawl behind his mask and unveil his secrets. I wanted to know things about him that nobody else knew.

  I’d been thinking about Zoe’s warning in the bathroom at the restaurant, contemplating whether I should mention our meeting to Bear or not, but so far I’d kept my mouth shut. Telling him seemed so petty. Nothing she’d said made any difference.

  Sure, Bear could be a little rough, a little domineering, but so far, he seemed harmless really. He’d certainly not hurt me and he’d had the chance last night.

  After he insisted on saying goodbye at my front door, I’d gone straight to bed, peeling my clothes off as I stumbled to my bedroom, cursing myself the whole way for drinking too much wine. I’d spent the entire day working myself up, anticipating fucking Bear again and I’d blown my chance.

  I had no idea how long this little game we were playing was
going to last. He could end it at anytime. Sure, he’d told me I could, too. He’d insisted on that safe word.

  Peaches, of all things! I knew I’d never look at a peach the same way again.

  But anyway, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t just change his mind at any point.

  Maybe he didn’t have the patience for inexperienced two-drink Chloe going way past her limit. I was pissed at myself because I knew better. And I’d ruined our entire night, even if he’d been a complete and utter gentleman about it. When he’d made me touch his cock to see how hard it was, it only reminded me of what I was missing out on—as if I could forget that beautiful monstrosity between his legs.

  So, I’d fallen naked into bed and tried my best to ease my frustrations. Nothing I did worked though, no matter what. I finally feel into a deep, dreamless sleep that only made me more frustrated by the time I awoke.

  I was determined not to let any of those events repeat themselves tonight.

  It’d been a good day and by the time I returned to my apartment, I was beat. I drew a bath in the huge soaking tub and made a cup of hot tea to relax, determined to leave the wine bottle corked. I was also hoping for a second wind, because I had no idea what to expect tonight. Bear hadn’t given me a lot of details, so I had no idea where we were going. He’d said we wouldn’t be home till tomorrow, so I packed an overnight bag and laid out a pair of casual black slacks and a red silk blouse on the bed to wear.

  I had an hour before he was due to show up and once again, my nerves were raw. He’d been so different each time I’d seen him, and I never knew who was going to show up — the sweet, kind gentleman or the demanding, raunchy sex machine. I was really beginning to like them both but after going to bed so unsatisfied last night, honestly, I was hoping for the latter.

  When he finally showed up an hour later, I opened the door with a smile. He was dressed casually tonight in dark jeans and a black sweater. It was the first time I’d seen him in a pair of jeans and the outline of his cock bulging against the denim sent chills up my spine.

  “Hello, Beauty,” he said, kissing my cheek before walking in.

  “Hi, Bear,” I replied. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “No, I’m fine,” he said, grabbing my hand and pulling it up to press his lips against the back of it. “I’m happy to see you. You look beautiful, as always.”

  “Thank you,” I replied, feeling the dreaded blush rush to my cheeks. “I’ll just grab my bag then.”

  “I should have mentioned that we’re going somewhere very cold and very rugged. You might want to repack. You won’t need much. Just jeans and sweaters and a warm coat if you have it. We’ll be staying in most of the time.”

  “We’re going somewhere colder than here?” I exclaimed. “What’s colder than here? The North Pole?”

  “Well, it is Christmas time, isn’t it? We could give Santa a visit.”

  “I’ve always been afraid of Santa,” I laughed.

  “Really?” he laughed. “Don’t worry. We’re going North, but not that far. I have a cabin up in the Catskills. Trust me, there will be plenty of warmth. You can park yourself by the fireplace the entire time, if you want. I’ll do all the stoking,” he winked.

  “Sounds heavenly,” I replied with a smile, feeling giddy that I was finally going to be alone with him for a while. “Then repacking is definitely in order. I’ll be right back.” I grabbed my bag and headed back to my bedroom.

  Ten minutes later and I was a much happier camper. I’d traded my silk slacks for my favorite pair of Levi’s and pulled the Pendleton sweater Marie had gotten me for my birthday last year over my hand. I stuffed my jeans with my favorite pair of worn-out Frey boots and filled my bag with a few more pairs of jeans and some warm socks. I left one pair of black stilettos in my bag and threw in a tiny black dress, just in case we went out somewhere nice.

  When I walked back out to Bear, he greeted me with a smile.

  “You look much more comfortable,” he said.

  “I feel much better! Shall we?” I asked.

  “Let’s go,” he said, grabbing my bag from me and opening the front door. A few minutes later and we were in the back of his limo and pulling away from the curb.

  “How long is the drive?” I asked.

  “We’re not driving,” he said. “Just wait. You’ll see.”

  “Mr. Mysterious, huh?”

  “If that’s what you want to call me,” he shrugged.

  “I can think of a bunch of things to call you,” I teased.

  He reached over, interlacing his fingers with mine and leaning in close. He kissed me gently and peered into my eyes.

  “You can call me anything you want, Beauty,” he said, brushing his lips against mine.

  “I’m excited to spend some quality time with you,” I said.

  His laughter caught me off guard.

  “Are you? You have no idea what you’re in for,” he said.

  “Oh? Should I be worried?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “Not really,” he said. “But I did tell you I would take my frustrations out on you later, didn’t I?”

  “I seem to recall something like that, yes,” I replied. Something was changing between us. There was a comfortableness now, a familiarity that wasn’t there before. Maybe I was just finally relaxing a little bit, maybe it was because I could finally breathe around him, but for some reason I was now able to look him directly in the eye without the urge to pull away. I was able to flirt with him, talk back to him without stumbling over my words.

  “Don’t worry, Chloe,” he said, his eyes gentle and soft. “I’d never hurt you.”

  “I never thought you would,” I whispered.

  “Good,” he replied, squeezing my hand. “Oh, look!” he said, pointing out the window. “We’re here.”

  I looked up and squinted my eyes.

  “We’re at the office,” I said.

  “There’s a lot more to this building than just offices,” he said, with a wink. “Let’s go in.”

  He grabbed my bag and helped me out of the limo. He greeted the doorman and the guy at the security desk, slipping them both hundred dollar bills before leading me to the elevator.

  “I know I have a lot of work to do but I had no idea you were such a slave driver,” I joked.

  “We’re not going to work!” he teased. He pressed the button for the roof and I looked at him curiously.

  “You’ll see,” he said. I nodded, waiting patiently, drinking in the warmth that was rolling off of him. I sniffed the air, inhaling the musky scent of his cologne. I wanted to etch the scent into my memory. When the doors opened, he led me down a small hallway and another man opened a door at the end of it, greeting Bear as if they’d known each other forever. Bear slipped him a bill, too.

  As soon as the door opened, a blast of air hit us forcefully. The loud flapping of propellors was deafening. When I saw the huge, shiny black helicopter waiting on the helipad like an enormous spider, I shook my head.

  “A helicopter?” I screamed at Bear over the noise.

  “It’s faster than a car,” he yelled with a shrug, grabbing my hand. “Duck your head!”

  We ran towards the helicopter and all I could think about was getting decapitated. I crouched down, probably much more than was required, but I figured I’d rather look like a wobbling duck than a headless woman. Bear jumped in first, then he pulled me up after him. The driver was wearing headphones and waved at us.

  “Hey, Alex!” Bear greeted him. Alex was hidden behind enormous headphones and a microphone that went around in front of his mouth. He threw me a wave as if we’d known each other and he wasn’t some stranger that was taking my life into his hands, all of a sudden. I looked around. Should I be signing a waiver or something to get on this thing?

  “Good evening, you two! It’s a great evening for a ride! Crystal clear out there tonight!”

  “It certainly is! It’s good to see you, brother! Thank you!”

 
“My pleasure, Bear!” he yelled. Bear helped me buckle my seat belt and I sat there shaking in my boots. I’d never been on a helicopter before and all I could think about was every time I’d ever seen one before on television.

  They either didn’t have doors or someone was jumping out of them, or both. That is, if they weren’t crashing into the side of a mountain in a fiery collision of death. I was grateful to see that this one did indeed have doors that were firmly closed by the guy outside. But then I remembered that I wasn’t wearing any panties, and my Mother would be horrified if I was found dead without them. I spent a good five seconds contemplating if would be better to be found dead with dirty underwear or no underwear at all.

  Bear slipped a pair of headphones over my ears and within seconds, the helicopter rose, shifting slightly to the side and sending my heart plunging straight into my throat. I grabbed Bear’s hand as fear spread through my veins.

  He patted my hand reassuringly and smiled at me.

  “Alex is the best pilot in town. Don’t worry, Chloe. Look at the city—it’s amazing!”

  And indeed it was. The helicopter whisked us up and around the building, weaving through the skyline of Manhattan like a slithering snake, the lights sparkling below us getting smaller and smaller as we rose higher into the star-studded sky.

  “You can see the everything up here,” I marveled. Bear nodded, his eyes reflecting the lights from the buildings. I squeezed his hand and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for this.”

  “My pleasure, Beauty, my pleasure,” he replied.

  The ride lasted for about an hour, the city falling away behind us as we headed north. Soon, the cityscape turned to open fields, the hills covered in lush dark blue forests that bordered perfectly lined crops and from up there, the horizon seemed to stretch endlessly. I found myself wishing it wasn’t so dark now that we were out of the city, because I knew there was so much I was missing, but mostly because I couldn’t stop thinking about how the darkness increased the chances of the helicopter crashing into a hidden mountain and here I was panty-less.

  By the time we started to descend, we were submerged in darkness and I was gripping Bear’s hand like a vice. My heart hadn’t stopped racing the entire trip and when Bear pointed to a light up above and told me that was his cabin, I finally exhaled with relief that this would be over soon.