My Billionaire Stranger

by Shae Black

  “What?”

  “I know you’re scared, and worried about the breech in security today and I have no answers for you right now, it’s logical you would want to run. But baby don’t. Believe me, your safer here with me than anywhere else, we may have had a glitch tonight and I know that it is making you fucking crazy but please…you have to see that being here with some security is better than your place with none. And we don’t know the motive, give me some time to see what we can find.” He is right, but it doesn’t make me want to run any less, as irrational as it is I need to get out of here and apparently he has a direct line to my thoughts, so there’ll be no tricking him.

  “I know you’re right. But you can’t babysit me 24/7, nor I you. I’m sure your safety is more at risk than mine, she didn’t hurt me, why do you think that is? She knows this house; maybe it was a message or a threat. Did you find anything more on the video before I passed out?”

  “As far as I can tell she came in near an upstairs guest room, the window alarm was turned off, but only that one. She came in on the balcony; I think Nick was in on it. There is absolutely no other way she could have gotten in here without being detected.” Well that’s just great, I liked Nick, and figures it turns out he’s crooked.

  “How long has Nick been with you?”

  “A long time, ten years,” he sounds pained, being betrayed by a long-standing employee has to hurt.

  “Why do you think he did it?” I ask, propping myself up on my elbow to look into his eyes.

  “I have no idea Imani. I paid him more than he could ever make anywhere else I don’t think we had any issues, none that I remember anyway.” He stills and I know he’s said something he hadn’t intended to…

  “What do you mean? Are you having memory problems again?”

  “No.” And there it is, his eyes shift ever so slightly to the left and downward, he’s lying. Or he’s hiding something from me. He knows how much I worry about that fucking tumor and he would probably keep any memory problems or pain from me to prevent me from worrying. .

  “You are aren’t you?”

  “I am perfectly fine.”

  Fuck that word ‘fine’ I hate it!

  “Please Marcus, I know you don’t want me to worry, in fact you insist I don’t. Why won’t you give me some peace of mind and see the neurologist about that damned tumor!” There I said it, “Tumor”; we’ve been avoiding it since the beginning, but no more. “Ok let’s talk about my tumor Imani. You love me yes?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Have you noticed no one else does? No one I know, employ or am related to can stand to be near me. They all hate me, and with good reason. While you have been sleeping at night I have been watching old videos from the security’s data base here and at Dominus trying to figure out why. I do remember things… certain things, some parts of my life are crystal clear but others, it’s as if my brain scrambled the memories and feelings and now I can’t make sense of them. Most are negative memories, I can tell you that. Interesting though… I remember everything about my business and Megan’s life, my mother, my parents, growing up. It’s the more recent years I have trouble with.”

  He’s been so lost, much more so than I could have ever imagined. And how would I have known, we only met mere weeks ago. “Did you learn anything from the videos?”

  Sighing heavily he uncharacteristically fiddles with the edge of the blanket, so unlike the confident cocky man I have come to know. “I was a motherfucker Imani, the way I treated my staff, God, I was an incorrigible beast. And from what I can gather I was involved with some very dangerous people and into some…. dark and strange things, to put it mildly. I am sure you have felt it, the fear, the hesitancy from people when I am around and the surprise when they see us together.”

  “Yes…I’ve suspected you must have had a serious personality change since the accident, but I didn’t know you had lost so much of your memory.”

  “Not all lost, it’s all there, just very jumbled up.”

  “So why not get help, maybe it’s operable, you could go back to…” It occurs to me then, he doesn’t want to remember, he wants to keep his mind in the dark about his past and continue to be the man he is now…. for me.

  “Ahhh, beautiful and brilliant. She has unearthed my secret, and opened Pandora’s box in the process.”

  “You don’t want to change do you?” I breathe as he, closes his eyes briefly, while rubbing the back of his neck.

  “No. I do not want to be that man. I will not.” I need to have him inside of me, to be as close as we can possibly be. This man is willing to risk his life leaving a ticking time bomb in his brain so he can continue to be the man I love, the man who loves me.

  “No more talking,” I try my hand at being in control, but as usual he takes the reigns. Pushing me gently onto my back he hovers over me pressing the scruff of his five o'clock shadow against my cheek, he whispers in my ear, “I love you, my beautiful Imani.”

  “I love you too Marcus.” I feel him smile against my face as I melt into the mattress underneath him, all of my anxiety regarding the armed intruder evaporating. His scent intoxicates me, fear dissipates and is replaced by spearmint, eucalyptus and just Marcus.

  “I’m going to kiss you from here…” He drops a kiss on my forehead “To here…” He moves to place another on my neck. “And…here.” Painfully slow he trails more kisses down to my navel and above the swell of each hip, one and then the other. A shiver of anticipation travels up my spine and I wonder where he is going to explore next. Unable to continue any further hindered by his cast, he turns to his side and reaches behind my bare knee. He has changed my clothes while I was unconscious, how ironic that Marcus would be tending to me the way I did him at the beginning of our journey.

  Kissing the inside of my thigh he continues to narrate his actions until he arrives at the top of my foot. He holds my leg in both hands kissing my foot and the tip of each toe. “And finally here,”

  “Is someone watching us from the security room?” I blurt out, I can’t help it, the thought explodes in my mind and flows directly from my mouth.

  Marcus pauses before answering, “Yes, everything, everywhere, everyone, at all times, always and especially now.” Well I asked for it, now I know. I need to figure out a way not to feel so exposed.

  “Can we turn out the lights, can they see us in the dark?”

  “Yes we can, and no, they can only use the night vision outside for now, I’m having the system updated to include the inside of the house tomorrow. For now they can only see outlines, no details with the lights off.”

  “Ok, I defiantly need the lights off then.” I’ll miss being able to see him naked, I love to watch him loving me, but right now I need to feel that it’s just us, just Marcus and I, no one else. He moves away from me to switch off the bedside lamp that I’ve never known to be turned off before. I slip the silk and lace nightie over my head and remove my already soaked panties before I feel him return to my side. Strong hands glide over my body and his mouth covers mine tenderly but I have no patience for taking things slow tonight. I turn to face him on our sides and arch my back, pressing my breasts against the soft hair that smatters his chest. I beg for more using only my body and he understands, he always knows what I need, what I want, what I’m thinking. It’s as if our souls are connected, like we were made for each other by our creator, beyond body and mind, connected by the universe, two halves of one whole. I wrap my leg around his waist grinding the wet heat of my core into his still fully clothed body I protest the barrier between us, pulling at his skin-tight Henley shirt that shows every muscle on his athletic body. Obliging, he lifts up to pulls it over his head with one hand, only breaking our kiss to pass the material between us. I work on his belt and soft jeans until he kicks them off and we’re pressed against each other naked, hot, and bare.

  “I want you up here… on my mouth.” Shit I’m glad I had him turn out the lights. He tugs at my hips rolling onto hi
s back he brings me with him until I’m straddling his waist.

  “No. Here” He grabs my ass with both hands to guide me where he wants me to be and I realize what he’s actually saying. “Hold on to the bed, up here.” He points above his head to the wooden slats that make up the headboard. Marcus is in control and as always I have no inhibitions. I do as I’m told and move up his body, grabbing the slats, until I’m hovering, trembling over his face, his mouth looking down at his shadowed figure.

  “I wish the lights were on baby, I want to see you like this, spread open for me, so wet, always so wet for me.” He slips one long finger between my folds plunging deep and curling it until it hits the spot that makes me writhe against his hand. I gasp and drop my head forward. Removing his finger he slides both hands around my ass, pulling me down onto his face his tongue blazes my crease, ass to clit in one sudden hungry sweep.

  “Ahh God!” I grip the slats until my fingers ache as Marcus circles his tongue around my clit mercilessly, rotating between plunging his tongue inside of me, around my bundle of nerves and back further to my ass, over and over. “God Marcus, I’m gonna come I can’t wait!” I pant as every muscle in my body coils, preparing for release and I come apart over him, scream ing unintelligibly clenching my legs, thrusting into him, spasms rock through me with the longest orgasm I’ve ever experienced.

  “You’re gorgeous when you let go baby.” Still stunned I can’t make my hands let go of the bed, but I look down into the outline of his face.

  “How can you see me…in the dark.” I ask, trying to catch my breath. “I don’t have to see you to know, the sounds you make, my God Imani, those whimpers and moans paint a lovely picture.” I smile into the dark; he untucks my legs from under his shoulders to help me slide down his body. His rock hard cock presses against me, the tip touching my ass my palms are flat against his chiseled chest as he slides his hands to cup both of my sensitive breasts, stroking them with his thumbs, bringing them to hard peaks. The need for him to be inside me is dizzying.

  “Please….” I beg and instantly he is sitting up, sliding me back over his length effortlessly he enters me balls deep. We melt into a lotus position wrapped in each others arms. I’m beginning to forget about that cast of his more and more. This is what I needed, craved, longed for. I bury my face into his damp neck, savoring the feel of him being so deep and so still, breathing him in. He’s admitted in the past that he has trouble taking it slow with me, and this time is no different. He tilts his hips upward and I start to glide up and down over his silky cock. Marcus guides me where he wants me to go, keeping the tempo by digging his fingers into my hips when he wants more and releasing when he is too close. Pulling away from his neck, I thread my fingers through his hair; our lips crash together, his tongue penetrates my mouth at the same pace he fills me with is cock. He’s frantic under me, and I love being the one who makes him loose control this way. Grunting with every thrust his big hands spread over my ass, lifting me repeatedly he slams into my body and that familiar electric jolt starts in my chest traveling warp speed to my core. Marcus feels my walls spasming around his swollen ready cock and he follows me voraciously with his own release, yelling my name, pulsing inside me, filling me. Holding each other tight in a calming afterglow, I’m completely sated and exhausted from the stress of the day and the ecstasy Marcus always brings me in the bedroom. I’m limp in his arms as he lies back with me still straddling him. I’m tortured by the decision before me. I rest my head on his chest as he pulls the covers over us he smooth’s his hand up and down my back over the sheet.

  “Sleep,” he says.

  “Yes sir.”

  He chuckles, “You’re finally getting it aren’t you beautiful?” Too tired to put up a fuss or think up a smart ass comment I snuggle in deeper closing my eyes I forget about the sleeping pills and tranquilizers that I use to sleep, tonight I have Marcus to take me to that peaceful place instead.

  Chapter 33

  I have a decision to make; my love for Marcus runs bone-deep. I’ve told myself I would walk to the ends of the earth over hot coals for him but I’m discovering that I have seriously underestimated the fears from my past. The peace I found in his arms last night was painfully temporary; the dreams crept back in threw the cracks in my resolve, saturating my essence within mere hours. Thankfully when I woke soaked in sweat, clutching the bed sheets, breath heaving from my lungs, he wasn’t there. Dealing with his own demons, he must have given up on sleep and gone to his office. Marcus still doesn’t have a clue about the gruesome details of my torture at the hands of those monsters ten years ago. I am too afraid to tell him; no man wants a woman so terribly damaged, once he knew, those images would be burned into his memory, and this would surly be over. Until I saw the video of that women so close to me while I slept, I thought my wounds were healed and scarred over. I was completely vulnerable, defenseless and unprotected in my bed, in what was supposed to be my own home. Watching that video made something inside of me snap, self-preservation is buried deep in most people, but mine floats right on the surface.

  I have to leave him and take myself out of this equation. A person can only experience so much pain in one lifetime, and I’ve had my share and then some. I can’t do it again. I see many endings to this relationship; in the first, Marcus learns the details of my attack and is so sickened he leaves me. In the second, this stalker hurts us and somehow one of us is left behind to suffer alone. Third, and most frightening, is Marcus’s brain tumor leads him to his grave or, returns him to his former self, a man I have no desire to meet.

  None of these scenarios have an ending that I can live with. I’m trapped; I have no choice but to run. With security being stepped up a surprise escape is the only way I can get away. Marcus kissed me earlier this morning when he left our bed, saying he would be in his office, he asked me to come and get him for breakfast when I was up and around. I shower and dress, careful not to draw any unnecessary attention to myself on the security cameras. I text my dad to meet me at an ice cream shop he used to take me to when I was little. He is the only person I can ask to help me who wouldn’t require an explanation. He will be there, no question asked. It’s how my father operates and I couldn’t be more grateful for that right now. He replies with a simple “Ok” and I slip my phone in the back pocket of my jeans, a single car key hidden in my palm as I head toward the front door, praying that my car is still parked in the circle drive where it’s been since Marcus had it delivered to the house weeks ago. God I hope his office door will be closed, and that I will be able to run fast enough from the door of the house to my car without security charging out to stop me. I have the element of surprise on my side, and the fact that Marcus is on crutches doesn’t hurt either.

  Maria is in the kitchen making our breakfast, “Hola señorita Imani, is Mr. Castillo joining you for breakfast?” she asks innocently, as I pass through the living room toward the front of the house.

  “Uh… oh yes, I’m on my way to his office to get him, is everything ready?” I ask as casually as I can force myself to sound, my voice cracks, but she doesn’t notice.

  “Yes,” she answers while she sets our places, thank God she doesn’t make eye contact, I’m a terrible liar and I’m so nervous she would know something is wrong, I’m sure of it. The front door is within my sight and I hold my breath until I realize his office doors are closed. I’ll be able to pass without him seeing me immediately. Oh God, he’ll see me all right but I just need a few seconds…. Grabbing my opportunity, I break into a sprint and fly through the doors, gripping my car key as I press the unlock button repeatedly. Relieved to hear the familiar beep of the horn alerting me that my car is indeed still parked in the circle drive, I pick up the pace and dash toward it, ripping the door open and jumping inside. Doors locked, engine started, I’m pulling around the circle when the double doors to the house burst open. Marcus stands on the threshold, pain and anger on his face; our eyes lock in a slow motion moment through the passenger window
of my car as I fly by. So many things are exchanged between us in those few seconds. My fear his confusion, my anxiety, his pain, my desperation, his realization and finally his understanding.

  He knew I was going to run, he asked me not to after he read my mind last night. I had all but promised not to with my body, but my mind is in control now and it says run! Speeding down the long driveway I expected the gates to be closed, and they’re moving but I’m faster. I slip through, seconds before it’s too late. Two security guards run from either side of the gate waving their arms in the air yelling at me to stop. I watch them get smaller and smaller in my rear view mirror.

  I speed toward the main road that will take me far from the threats of violence, pain or armed attackers but also away from the only man I’ve ever loved. I have no idea that I would soon welcome all of those horrors with open arms in exchange for the pain I’m inflicting on myself by leaving. No one follows me, I had expected them to, but surprisingly I make it to the ice cream shop with no tail in sight. My Dad is there I knew he would be. He gets out of his SUV and approaches my car, tapping gently on my window. I turn my tear-soaked face to the glass; I didn’t even realize I'd been crying. He opened my door guiding me from my seat and enveloping me in his loving arms, comforting me without question as I sob into his shoulder. No words spoken, he lets me stand there and cry in the damp, misty Seattle morning until I’m shaking with cold and empty sadness. He helps me up into his passenger seat drives me in silence to my childhood home. Heat blows from the vents filling the vehicle but not my body. Without Marcus the life is drained from me, the magnetism that drew us together has nowhere to pull me, the glow that lit my soul when he entered my life has been snuffed out, I’m utterly dead inside. The pain following my attack was all encompassing, I was physically broken, spirit crushed, but this…. this is different. Back then I fought for my life, fought to get back some sense of normalcy, worked toward building a life for myself despite what had happened to me. Without Marcus I shut down, he has unknowingly become my reason to live, the center of my universe, the other half of me, how am I going to rebuild after this…. how can I go on?