Charming: A Cinderella Billionaire Story

by Sophie Brooks

  She turned back to the flowers, but told me about some fundraiser she and Cara were going to. It was to support the high school drama club Autumn had been part of and Cara was in now.

  As I listened, I twisted the wire to open the bottle of Cristal. I liked watching her arrange the flowers. No matter how she felt about me at the moment, she was treating the long stems very gently, putting together a casual but artistic display. Finished, she set them on the kitchen table and then turned to watch as I pointed the bottle away from us. The cork came off with an explosive pop. A little white foam shot out the top and Autumn handed me a towel.

  “What was that?” I asked.

  Autumn looked confused, glancing at the towel she’d just handed me.

  “I heard a popping sound. What was that?”

  Now she gave me a half smile, seemingly still willing to play the game. “Bubble wrap.” Now it was my turn to give her a doubtful look. “Extra strength,” she said.

  I poured the two glasses and handed her one. “To your new job,” I said, clinking my glass against hers. She took a sip and then her eyes closed as she savored the taste. Her lips were slightly parted and I wanted more than anything to lick her bottom lip and taste the champagne that way. But then with a little sigh of contentment, she opened her eyes and caught me staring. I’m not sure how much of the longing she saw on my face, but she scowled and moved a few feet away, leaning against the counter.

  Shit. This was not going as planned. I drank from my glass, swallowing the bubbling liquid down before it had had much of a chance to tickle my taste buds. It was a shitty way to treat fine champagne, but I had more on my mind at the moment. “Should we maybe… hang up?” I asked, tapping my earpiece again.

  “Then someone else will just call.”

  Right.

  “But you can go if you want,” she said.

  “I just got here.” And I wasn’t going anywhere unless she kicked me out. To illustrate that point, I slipped off my suit coat and set it on the back of one of the kitchen chairs.

  “I know. But when’s the last time we had trouble finding things to say to each other?”

  “Never,” I admitted, and then an idea struck. “So, okay, let’s stick with what we know.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, taking another sip of champagne.

  “Well, we’ve never had a problem talking on the phone on a normal night. So let’s do that. Why don’t you go back in your room, and I’ll stay out here.”

  “Really?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  “Well… okay,” she said, and she picked up her glass. She hesitated as she moved past me. “Do you need anything? I think I’ve got some chips or something—”

  “I’m fine, Autumn. But thank you.” It was amusing that she was trying to be a good hostess when I’d upset her and showed up unannounced. I suppose that was her waitress training kicking in. But she wasn’t a waitress any longer. That made tonight really special—if only I could convince her of that.

  “You’re welcome.” She was still hovering by the door, looking undecided. Finally, she turned and walked past me once again, going to the table and picking up the vase. Holding it carefully, she carried it out of the kitchen. I watched her cross the living room, absurdly pleased that she’d taken my flowers with her. She entered her bedroom and closed the door most of the way, leaving a gap of several inches.

  A moment later, I was seated at the table, loosening my tie, when a quiet voice spoke in my ear. “Hi.”

  “Hi, yourself. Is this more comfortable?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then we’re back on familiar turf, just like any other night… right?”

  “I guess,” she said, and I think she knew that I wasn’t just referring to our locations. “All right, yes. We’re good.”

  I let out my breath, unaware that I’d been holding it. That was what I’d needed to hear. “How do you like the champagne?”

  “It’s amazing,” she said. “It makes the cheap stuff taste like club soda by comparison. Thank you for bringing it.”

  “You’re welcome. I felt like a celebration was in order.”

  “I guess it was. Is, I mean. I’m nervous about the job, but excited, too.”

  “What’d you think of Heidi?”

  “Mostly I thought ‘wow.’ She’s super organized, and it’s really impressive what she’s done with her business in a few years.”

  “I think you can learn a lot from her,” I said, getting up to pour myself some more Cristal.

  “I hope so.”

  “Do you need any more champagne?”

  “I’m good for now.”

  “Okay, just let me know. Are you at your desk?”

  “Yes.”

  “What’s your bedroom like?”

  She paused, as if looking around. “Nothing special. An old desk I had as a child. And the closet, a dresser, and my bed.”

  I leaned against the counter and closed my eyes, imagining I was there right now. Hard to believe that the place I desperately wanted to be was a mere ten feet away, but right now, it might as well have been ten miles away. It didn’t matter if Autumn wasn’t ready. But maybe she was ready—or would have been if I hadn’t fucked things up tonight? Only one way to find out.

  “Do you ever talk to clients from your bed?”

  “Not usually,” she said. “I like to have my laptop nearby, and the manual, too. But sometimes I do, like if my butt gets sore from sitting too long.”

  Images of her ass filled my mind, as I replayed in my head the way it had looked when she’d bent over to get the vase earlier. But I was determined to keep my libido in check—at least until I knew she was ready. For all her dirty talk on the phone, Autumn struck me as a very inexperienced young woman. Not a virgin, probably, but not a girl who’d had many sexual encounters. That was okay with me. I liked helping women unlock their erotic potential. I liked showing them what their bodies—and mine—could do. And I’d been wanting to make her moan for three months now.

  “Would you like to lay on the bed now? If you’re finished with your champagne, I mean.”

  “I’m finished,” she said, her voice so quiet I could barely hear it.

  “Would you get on the bed for me, Autumn?”

  There was a long pause. Mentally, I counted off the seconds it took her to answer, knowing that the higher the count, the less likely she’d agree. Finally, there was a soft sigh. “Yes,” she said. A moment later I heard the faint sound of springs creaking.

  Holy shit. She was on her bed, in the next fucking room. I wanted to rush in there and make her scream with pleasure, but now was the time for control. I was used to controlling women in the bedroom, so I could damn well control myself. Even if I was in the kitchen. “Are you under the covers or over?”

  “Over.”

  “Close your eyes, Autumn. Relax. You’ve had an exciting day. Getting a new job. Quitting your old one. Just relax, sweetheart.”

  There was a faint rustling sound, possibly her shifting positions, and then a small sigh. Of contentment, I hoped. “Are you comfortable?”

  “Yes. It feels good. Only I wish I’d turned off the light first.”

  “Would you like me to turn it off for you?” There was a pause, and I knew she was thinking about the implications of that. I’d need to enter her bedroom to shut it off.

  At long last, I heard the syllable I was dying to hear. “Yes,” she said. I walked slowly to the door of her room when what I really wanted to do was to sprint. I eased the door open, and the first thing I saw was a large chest of drawers. Then the bed. She was lying on top of a pale blue comforter, her head on the pillow, her arms at her sides.

  She’d kicked off her slippers, and I could see the pink painted toenails of the one foot she’d twisted at an angle. Then there was her desk with a soft glow coming from the laptop screen. Lastly, I spotted her closet, and a shudder went through me as I remembered how she’d had to huddle in there the night of the break
-in.

  Reaching over, I flipped the switch, and room went dark. A beam of light from the living room washed over and past me, making a rectangle on the floor, and dim light slipped through the blinds on her window. I could see her form on the bed, but I couldn’t see well.

  “Is that better?”

  “Yes,” she said again, her voice quiet. I focused on the word coming from in front of me, not the version in my ear. In fact, I plucked at my earpiece and pocketed it.

  “Good,” I said. “Tell me how you feel.”

  She squirmed a little on the bed, a quick little horizontal shimmy. “Nervous,” she said.

  “You don’t have to be,” I said, and even in the faint light, I could tell that she nodded. “Do you feel anything else?”

  “I guess… a little excited, too.”

  That made me grin. “Just a little?” There was no comment from her, and that made my grin widen. “Well, maybe I can do something about that.”

  “Ford, I—” she said, the sputtered to a stop. “I mean, I want to, but I…”

  “It’s okay, Autumn. We won’t do anything you don’t want to. But I think I can make you feel good—even if I’m standing all the way over here. In fact, I know I can make you feel good. Do you want to find out?”

  I waited, my eyes straining in the darkness. Just when I thought she would refuse, I saw movement on the bed. A nod. “Is that a yes?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good girl,” I said. “Close your eyes.” I couldn’t see if they were opened or closed, but I suspected she’d opened them again.

  Leaning against the doorway, I thought for a moment, visualizing her more in my mind’s eye given how hard it was to see her. “Run your fingers up and down your belly. Lightly. Slowly. That’s it… up and down.”

  She was doing it, and my cock responded accordingly. She was fully clothed, on top of her bed, lightly touching herself, and I was already rock hard. She’d always been able to get me that way.

  “Lower now. Down to your hips. Stop there. Tease yourself… run your fingers along the crease where your torso meets your legs. I love that spot on that woman—I love licking that spot. Making her moan.”

  If I wasn’t greatly mistaken, Autumn had just issued a small moan of her own, but I wouldn’t count it as the real thing—the thing I’d been waiting months to hear—until it was my touch making her do that. “Does that feel good?”

  “Yes,” she breathed.

  “Now run your hands back up… to your waist. Slide your hands under your shirt.” She did so, and though I was barely able to see, I was imagining her fingers running along her warm skin. “Up to your breasts. Cup them for me.”

  God, I wanted that to be my hands doing that. And it would be—soon. But right now, she was a scared little colt, poised to run. If I went slowly, if I didn’t spook her, then I’d be rewarded with her trust. Her obedience. But if I scared her, if she pulled the plug on things now, I knew it would be a long time before she’d give me another chance.

  “Are your nipples hard?”

  “Oh yes,” she said, and I could hear in her voice that she was enjoying her own touch.

  “Good. Pull the cups of your bra down, under your breasts.” I could sense her hesitation, so I continued on. “I can barely see you, Autumn. Plus you’re covered by your shirt. You can do this for me.”

  Another long second, and then I saw her nod, saw her hands move under her shirt. “Tug on your nipples. Pretend it’s my lips drawing them in. Pretend it’s my teeth, lightly squeezing them.” God, I wish it was me touching her. She seemed so close and yet so far away.

  In the dim light, I could see her hands, just vague shapes moving under the thin, white tank top. “Pinch your nipples for me.” I was rewarded with a feminine gasp on her part, a sound that went straight to my cock. Autumn’s hips shimmied on the bed. “Keep still… only move your hands to work at your nipples.”

  I let a stern note enter my voice and it seemed to turn her on more. I could hear her breathing from here. It had gotten louder. “I know one way I could keep you from moving. If I tied you up. Have you ever been tied up, Autumn?”

  She didn’t answer, so I took one step closer to the bed. That seemed to jar her into speech. “No, I haven’t.”

  “Would you ever want to be?” I dragged my eyes away from the enticing image of her hands moving under her shirt and looked at her face. She was biting her lip. “Answer me.”

  “Maybe,” she said.

  “I think you’d like it. Being made to be still. Being made to react, not act. Letting a man play with your body like a concertmaster plays a violin. I think you’d like that. Not maybe. Definitely. Open your eyes and look at me.” I suspected she’d been sneaking peeks all along, but that was okay. For now.

  “Do you think you’d like that?”

  “I think so,” she admitted.

  “Good. Slide your hands out from under your shirt, but leave your bra cups down.” She’d be covered by the shirt, but I knew it would make her feel vulnerable to lose that extra layer between me and her bare skin. “Now raise your hands above your head. Cross your wrists as if I’d tied them to the headboard.”

  Slowly, tentatively, she did so. God, the sight of her wrists crossed like that. A woman with her hands tied was a wonderful gift—one to be used and teased and toyed with until she screamed with pleasure. I took a few slow steps closer, being careful not to scare my skittish little colt.

  When I was a foot or two from the bed, I looked down toward her. Her blue eyes were vivid even in the dim light, and her stretched out body, even covered, looked delicious. Her legs pressed tightly together, but I thought I saw her thighs squeezing even tighter—as if I’d turned her on, too.

  “You’re beautiful like this. Offering yourself to me. There are so very many things I could do to you in this position, Autumn.” I reached out toward her head, and she flinched but then steadied herself. Slowly, I brushed her hair away from her face and then grasped her headset, easing it off. I tossed it behind me, hoping it had landed on the desk, and then looked down at her again. She was staring up at me solemnly. Waiting—and unless I was very much mistaken—wanting.

  “Yes, there are many, many things I want to do to you. To do with you, Autumn. But only if you want them, too. If there’s anything you don’t like, anything you don’t want, just say so, and I’ll stop. Instantly. Do you believe me?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  I smiled. There was no hesitation this time.

  18

  Autumn

  “Good girl.”

  Somehow those words, which should have seemed condescending, made my pulse speed up even more. It was amazing the effect he was having on me, and he hadn’t even touched me, except to take my headset off and brush the hair out of my face. Even that brief contact made my skin tingle with excitement.

  He walked around to the other side of the bed, and my eyes never left him. I couldn’t really believe we were here. Together. In my bedroom. In some ways, it seemed like this journey had taken forever. In other ways, it felt like this moment had arrived too soon. I still couldn’t quite figure out what he saw in me. What he wanted from me. Well, okay, I knew what he wanted from me right now, but not in general.

  The mattress shifted under me as Ford lay down next to me. I managed to stay still even though half of me wanted to bolt from the room and the other half wanted to wrap my arms and legs around him in a vice grip. But I held firm and waited to see what he’d do. He liked me like this. Waiting for him to take the lead. So that’s what I’d do. I had to admit it was pretty hot. Every cell in my body craved his touch, but I held myself still.

  He leaned in, and his strong hand closed around my wrists first, pinning them to the mattress above my pillow. He slid half on top of me, his bent knee easing over my thighs, which automatically parted. Then his face was inches away, and I closed my eyes, my mouth slightly open. It was hard to stay still when so many parts of my body seemed to want to open f
or him.

  Warm breath danced across my face, and then his tongue brushed across my lower lip, no doubt tasting the sweet champagne. Moaning, I opened my mouth more, feeling his lips press against mine. His lips were warm and firm against my own. He tasted sweet, too.

  His hand went to my waist as he leaned across me, my wrists trapped above my head, my breasts bobbing above the cups of my bra, my firm nipples pushing at the thin material covering them. His knee pressed against my center, and I loved the way he was half on top of me, using his body to hold me down as his lips ravished mine.

  I’d never been kissed like this. Ever. I’d read about kisses like this. Certainly I’d described them, hundreds of times, on the phone. But I’d never actually experienced a kiss this intense. His mouth woke up every nerve in my body, and made me want more, much more. As his kiss deepened, his hand slid up under my shirt, just as mine had done a few minutes before, only the heat of his large palm radiated through my skin right down to my spine.

  “God, Ford,” I moaned as he kissed his way along my jaw to my throat.

  His voice was husky. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited to hear you moan my name? Any fucking idea?”

  It was a rhetorical question, but I couldn’t have answered if my life depended on it. The caress of his mouth on my neck was driving me wild. My hips raised upwards, wanting to feel his firm thigh press even more strongly between my legs. My pulse throbbed at my very core, and I felt such an ache there. Such a longing. Again, these were feelings I’d often described but rarely if ever felt. Actually, I don’t think I’d ever even been close to being this excited.

  Ford’s fingers found my nipple and I arched up against him. God, it was hot the way his hand engulfed my entire breast, squeezing it, kneading it, making the tip hard enough to cut glass. I writhed against his firm grip now, not trying to escape, but because I wanted to wrap my arms around him and pull him closer.