The billionaire’s bet: A Seductive Deal
Clarissa Wild
Julie Valentine’s soul searching turned out to be a bad case of the author blues. Having just broken up with her boyfriend, she goes to a casino in the hopes of relaxing and getting her mind straight, while rekindling her passion for books, but not even a nice glass of wine seems to work. Writing steamy romances requires more than just leisure time.
When she meets the billionaire Dominic Fury, a handsome blue-eyed kind ladies’ man, his charms win her over. Maybe spending a night with him will give her plenty of inspiration. It turns out Dominic has a seductive request for her, one she cannot refuse.
This is part 1 of the Billionaire’s Bet and contains about 11.500 words.
This story contains hot, explicit sex and BDSM play, M/F. For 18+ adults only.
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Published by Clarissa Wild at Smashwords
Copyright 2013 Clarissa Wild
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
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Chapter 1
“He took her hand and gave it a small peck, before asking her if she wanted to be his girl,” I muttered, typing the letters. The string of words just flowed out of my brain and into the laptop, but it wasn’t anything to be even remotely happy with.
I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Delete!” I firmly pressed the button on my keyboard and erased about a couple of hundred words. I just stared at the letters, wondering how on earth I could make this interesting again. My writings had sucked the last couple of days.
No scrap that, the last couple of months was more like it.
Ever since I broke up with my boyfriend a few months ago, things had gone downhill, and I didn’t mean with me. I just couldn’t put out anything worth reading. My entire entrepreneurship of writing, publishing and selling my own books had come to an abrupt halt and hadn’t picked up since. It wasn’t because I was sad or depressed; I just lacked the inspiration to come up with something that was worthwhile.
Some idiotic voice in my head told me it was because of the sex, or lack of thereof. I hadn’t had any good sex since a long time, and even my ex couldn’t satisfy my needs. It was like my smutty side had completely dried up and all that remained was a sappy, laughable version of me, which of course, was reflected in my erotic novels.
I heaved a sigh again and took the last sip of wine from my now empty glass, before saving the small bit of work I’d written. It was a waste of time. I just couldn’t do it right now.
I got up and put on some high heels, and then grabbed the keys and went out. It was quiet in the hallway. Most guests were probably already downstairs, blowing away their money on cheap slot machines that would never yield them anything but regret, which was exactly what I was planning to do as well.
Shame, I know, but what else am I supposed to do?
My life was not something I was thinking about right now. I was only twenty three, but I was living it, that was all I knew and cared for. Trying out the cards at the poker table, enjoying the music and liquor, while writing away in my little hotel room above the casino. It wasn’t much, but it beat the heck out of staying in some lousy, one-shop town where everybody knew my name, even though I was anything but famous. I enjoyed my privacy and needed a shot of the wild life, so that’s why I came here.
I walked to the elevator and pressed the button to go down, but when the doors started closing, a man held his hand in between.
“Wait,” he said, and wriggled his way in until the doors opened again and he passed through. Eyeing him, I noticed he was wearing a fancy suit. He had a strong physique, I could tell that much from his broad appearance and the nicely fitted fabric. He was probably somewhere around twenty six. His square, stubbly jaw moved up and down as he chewed on a toothpick.
“Excuse me,” he muttered. He briefly looked at me with his big, blue eyes. He stepped beside me and our arms grazed each other, sending tiny shocks through my body. We were both facing the door, waiting for it to close again, but time felt like it had stopped. This stranger, whoever it was, had a weird effect on me I couldn’t ignore.
While the elevator went down, I glanced sideways at him. He had short, wavy hair, a bit honey colored, and I couldn’t help but think about running my fingers through it. My eyes drifted down toward his big hands, imagining they were all over me. Of course my lusty brain told me to look at his package, which was abundant, to say the least.
Julie, what in the world are you thinking? Stop it!
My eyes shot back up to his face again and only then did I notice he was staring right back at me.
My cheeks flushed, my body shivering from the heat. I cleared my throat and turned my head quickly.
Dear God, I hope he didn’t see that. I know he did though.
I heard a muffling sound and from the corner of my eyes I saw him flash a smile.
The intercom told us we’d arrived and the door opened. The guy stepped outside, took the toothpick out of his mouth and threw it in a nearby trashcan, before hurrying off though the lobby. It took me a while to get my composure back.
I straightened my cut out dress and patted my hair down before stepping out into the casino lobby. It was packed with people playing poker at the tables, rolling the dices, taking their chance at roulette and there were hundreds of people sitting behind the slot machines.
I went to the cashiers and exchanged some money for chips. Deciding I’d squander my time playing a game I’d never win, I settled for roulette and enjoyed my time betting on red, because it was my favorite color. I never won anything, of course.
When more than a half an hour had passed, I exchanged my last chips for coins and used them on the slot machines, drinking one glass of wine after the other. I was a sucker for the drink that heated my throat and eased my senses. It wasn’t like I was supposed to be somewhere anyway and my writing wasn’t going anywhere either.
I pressed the buttons and let the machine do its thing, when I noticed that same guy from the elevator was sauntering through the aisles. I immediately turned my head, afraid he might’ve seen me stare.
After a few seconds I felt a strong hand on my shoulder. His warm breath was in my neck. “Are you enjoying yourself, Miss?” His husky voice was coaxing me to close my eyes and liquefy under his hand.
Am I enjoying myself? With your hand on me, definitely yes.
“Of course,” I said. I caught a whiff of his cologne, the scent arousing my senses.
He smiled and chuckled softly. “Good. You know, you’ll have more luck if you press them within a specific amount of time.”
He took his hand off my shoulder and leaned on the machine. “May I show you?”
His smile was cheeky and too tempting to say no. I wanted to keep him here for as long as possible. “Sure.”
He nodded and then placed his hand on top of mine, the mere sensation making my heart jump through hoops. My fingers were on each of the buttons to make the machine stop, but I couldn’t move them anymore, too focused on his touch.
He pulled the lever and waited. “Right at the exact time they…” he muttered. Then his fingers ge
ntly pushed down on mine.
Each of the rows stopped on the same icon.
“Voila!” he said. The coins came spilling out of the machine.
“How did you …” I began.
“Ah, secret of the trade,” he said, and he winked at me. “Have a great time.”
Then he walked off. My eyes still followed his every move. He stopped when an old lady dropped her chips and picked it up for her. A few feet away there was a boy sitting at the floor, running his finger in circles across the carpet, just beside the seat of a much older man who looked just like him.
Must be his father.
The guy walked over to the boy and sank through his knees. When the boy looked up at him, the guy fished a few chips from his pockets and placed them in the boy’s hand whose face lit up immediately. Then he ran off and the smirk on the guy’s face was the cutest thing I’d ever seen.
A voice called out through the speakers, saying it was time for the charity event. The guy looked at the watch around his wrist and walked away again, toward a large room filled with people.
I got off my seat and drifted toward the same room, interested in what was going on, attracted by his presence. His scent and allure was pulling me in like a bee to a flower’s honey. And oh boy, did I want his.
When I peeked around the corner, I noticed there was a stage in the back. A woman stood there with a microphone, a handsome man standing next to her, and she called out prices. Female guests held up their hands and the prices shot up, while the man made some funny poses.
They’re auctioning off guys?
“Two thousand, two thousand, anyone wants to bid higher? This piece of man-meat is well worth it, ladies,” the woman called out. When the last hand went up, it was a war between two women, with one eventually giving in after hitting three thousand.
“Alright, going once, going twice … sold!” the woman behind the microphone called.
The woman in the crowd shrieked. The guy stepped off the stage and went to greet her, while she smothered him with kisses.
“Wonderful, people, wonderful. And remember, all proceeds will go to the cancer funds. Please help our cause. Thank you for your support,” the woman continued. “Welcome our next bachelor!”
And then my jaw dropped. The man that had just left his imprint on me was stepping up the stage in his hot suit. He straightened his collar, whilst all the women were shouting and screaming like fan girls. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who appreciated him.
He rubbed his stubbly jaw and the squeals in the crowd increased. Snatching the microphone from the lady’s hand, he said, “Now, now, ladies. Settle down. Pour your hearts into bidding, because as you all know, only one may win the grand prize.” He ended his little speech with a wink and gave the microphone back to the woman in charge.
“Okay … remember ladies, you can only have him for one night. Now, let the bidding begin.”
Instantly, half the room was filled with hands, pointing up at the ceiling, waving about.
He laughed and soon I could barely hear anything else but prices rising to the limit. Three thousand. Four thousand. Six thousand. Ten thousand. Money was almost flung into the air.
When the last bid came, it was an old lady who shouted the words ‘fifteen thousand’ and who’d won a night with the handsome guy. The same old lady for who he’d picked up the chips she’d dropped. I chuckled when I saw her gloat, walking off with him on his arms, the rest of the women pouting behind her.
Chapter 2
“A tequila Sunrise and a margarita, please,” I said.
“Are you on a roll tonight?” the bartender asked me while pouring the liquor.
“No, I just really need something to drink.” I sat down on a stool at the bar and rested my head on the palm of my hand.
He snorted and gave me the two glasses. I took the tequila first and sipped out the delicious tart citrus and sweet grenadine. I was ignoring that stupid voice in my head that said I was pathetic, drinking alone at a casino bar, with nothing but an old laptop and a case full of all my belongings.
I took another sip and looked the other way, toward the poker table. I saw Mister Hunkalicious (yes, he needed a name) flipping cards. He was letting the old lady win and I’d seen her glow all night long as he entertained her. They got up and she whispered into his ear. He held up his hand and she turned around, but just before he walked away, she grabbed his butt.
I almost blew bubbles into my drink from laughing, so I quickly set it down.
The old lady went to the elevator while the guy I wanted sat down again to finish his poker game.
I drank up what was left in my glass and reached for the other one. I was feeling tipsy already, but I couldn’t care less. I needed to feel at ease in order to write again. Actually, I was a much better writer when I was drunk, which was one of the things I was least proud of, but on which I was dependant for money to flow, which was of course needed to actually live.
Ah, the wondrous horrible circle of life.
“Cheers,” I said to the bartender, who raised an empty glass with me. I took another gulp from the glass and closed my eyes to wash away the guilt.
“Such an early evening for a lady like you to be drinking like that, don’t you think?”
My eyes shot open. Looking to my left, I saw Him sitting there. Mister Hot was sitting right next to me, on a stool, flexing his wrist to look at the time.
I promptly put down the glass and took my head off the palm of my hand.
Clearing my throat, I said, “I don’t know, you tell me.”
He smiled. “There are many more ways to have a good time.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Like what? Making a young boy’s day? Entertaining an old lady? Enticing lusty women?”
He chuckled with a low grunt that made my insides quiver. “I prefer the latter.”
I muffled a laugh and took another sip.
The guy beckoned the bartender and said, “I’ll have a Dirty Martini, please.”
He faced me again and held out his hand. “Dominic Fury.”
Dominic Fury? Sexy guy has a name now and it’s a hot one too. Oh geez.
“Julie Valentine.”
“Valentine? What a charming surname.”
I chuckled. “I wish I could say the same about yours, but it would just set me on fire.”
God, I’m awful with slapstick jokes.
He laughed. “I usually do more than just set girls on fire.” His wink did exactly that.
The bartender arrived with his drink and Dominic raised it. “To a wonderful evening.”
I toasted with him and we both took a sip from our glasses. It was quiet for some time, so I thought I’d break the ice. “It was very nice of you to give that oldie a great time.”
“You think so? Well, I guess, but she did pay for it.”
“Yeah, but it all goes to a charity, right? Plus, you could’ve ditched her after a while and you didn’t. I know plenty of men who’d rather rid themselves of grannies like her, grabbing your butt and stuff like that.”
Dominic chortled. “Hehe, yeah, she packed quite a pinch, if you know what I mean. Luckily she ditched me after a while. She said she was tired, but that she had a lovely time with me. Guess a little butt-grabbing is worth it.”
“You mean making people happy?”
“You could call it that. It’s what I do, anyway.” He drank some more and loosened his collar. “So, what’s your life’s calling?”
I snorted. “More like a crazy whim, I’d call it.”
He raised his eyebrows and waited for me to speak.
“I’m a writer,” I admitted, reluctantly. I shuddered from the thought of what usually comes next. People would either ask me if I’d ever make enough money, if I’d even sell anything, if it was just a hobby …
“Oh, really? Guess that must mean I’m drinking with a famous person then. I’ll drink to that.”
He took another sip while I laughed.
“Eh,
not so much,” I said. “I wish, though.” I took my last gulp and signaled the bartender to get me another.
“Hmm, so business isn’t going so well? What do you write?”
I stirred my straw around in my empty glass. “Steamy romances. I’d be selling more if I knew what to write, but inspiration doesn’t come easy nowadays.”
The bartender brought my new drink and took away the empty glass, leaving me with a new tequila to play around with.
The left corner of Dominic’s lip curled up. “If inspiration is another word for ‘having a good fuck’ then I know what you mean.”
My eyes widened when I heard that and I almost choked on my drink. I put my glass down again and felt a little queasy from the alcohol. “My, my, aren’t you the seducer.”
He chuckled. “I’d hardly call that seducing.”
We both laughed and I drank up my tequila, feeling tipsier by the second. I didn’t really care about it though. I was having a good time with Dominic and talking to him was better than sitting alone in my bedroom behind a laptop all night.
“Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Dominic Fury, but it’s time to head back and get my creative juices flowing.”
I got off my stool, but my legs were wobbly and I was very dizzy, so I almost fell over. Dominic jumped off and caught me. Now I could really feel those strong arms around my waist and it was sending heat strokes through my body.
“Wow, be careful there,” he said. “Maybe that was a little too much tequila.”
“Thanks, but I’ll manage.”
He took my arm and placed it around his neck. “No worries, let me help you. I’ll get you to your room.”
We moved forward through the lobby with guests staring at us like we were goofing off. “Hey, are you flirting with me?” I muttered, only half aware of what I was saying.
“Flirting? No, I would never,” he said, and he winked, making me chortle.
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