Billionaire Vacation

by Nella Tyler

  He nodded, climbed out of the bed, walking naked and unabashed to the bathroom. I couldn’t help but stare at his magnificent buttocks – so hard, so…so…sexy. As the bathroom door closed, I slowly sat up in bed, pulling the sheet with me. I ran my hand through my tousled hair and looked around for my clothes. I thought most of them had been left downstairs with the forgotten pizza, but then I remembered that we had gotten halfway up the stairs last night when he suggested we go back and retrieve our clothes – just in case. Now I eyed them lying in a scattered heap on my side of the bed. I thought about that. My side of the bed. It sounded nice.

  I suddenly felt antsy, like I needed to get up and move. I slowly got up and stretched, relishing the feel of my sore muscles, even the muscles in my groin. I felt like I had been through an intense workout, which was true, in a way. I had enjoyed so much pleasure last night that I still couldn't get over it. I hoped that Luke felt the same way.

  After I got dressed, I moved to stand by the window, watching the sunrise. The sky turned a number of colors that reminded me of orange sherbet. Luke hadn't turned on the shower water yet, but I did hear his electric shaver. I wondered if he liked to take long showers. I actually took quick showers, only taking longer showers infrequently. I didn't have the patience for it. Nevertheless, Luke could be one of those guys who took longer showers than most girls. What did I know? It would be fun to find out.

  The truth was, I didn't know much about Luke at all, which is why I looked forward to seeing where this relationship went. I wanted to slow things down a little, focus more on getting to know him on the inside, rather than just go at it like a couple of rabbits. I definitely knew that I wanted more from him than just sex. Any relationships I'd had in the past have been rather short lived, not because of anything I did, but because I think the guys got bored with me.

  Would Luke grow bored with me? After all, we had jumped to the sex pretty fast. Was that all our relationship entailed? I guess I'd find out. I turned from the window and cast my gaze over the room. I stared at the bed, at the rumpled sheets, the slight scent of sex still hanging in the air. Why shouldn't it? We'd gone at it most of the night. Then my gaze passed to the nightstand on his side of the bed. I saw his cell phone lying on it. Instantly, curiosity took hold.

  I stared between the phone and the bathroom door. No, Molly, don’t do it. I tried to convince myself not to snoop through his phone, but my innate sense of curiosity got the better of me. I quickly stepped to the bathroom door and pressed my ear against it. Just then, I heard the squeaking of the faucets as he turned on the shower water. I waited a moment, just in case he decided to step out, but he didn't. I heard the shower door open and then snap close.

  Quickly, my heart thumping anxiously, I stepped toward his nightstand and picked up his phone. The screen lit up and I quickly checked his contact list. Lots and lots of names, a longer list than I would have expected, and very few that I recognized. I did see my father’s name. I was pleased to see my name on it, but not so pleased to see that other woman's name still in his contact list, the one I had read about in the tabloids. I frowned. Was he still seeing her? I certainly hoped not. I wondered if there was a way I could casually bring it up in conversation, but decided that there wasn't.

  At the same time, I wasn't too happy with the thought of sharing Luke with anyone. Not because I was obsessively jealous, but because I didn't want to pick up any STDs from any skanky women he was sleeping with. Yes, Luke had used a condom when we had sex, and I appreciated that, but even condoms didn't offer foolproof protection.

  I got out of the contact list and then accessed his e-mails, thumbing over the screen. I saw our latest text messages to each other, and then I began to see more text messages that had more to do with business than personal interests. As I scrolled down, I got the distinct impression that these were messages regarding some type of investments; the kind of messages one would engage in for investment trading, buying and selling. Short and abbreviated. I saw lots of them, back and forth from the username gottahaveit – interest rates, status reports, comments to buy, sell, and how much.

  Because my father was heavily invested in the stock market, it didn't take me long to decipher most of the messages. They definitely had to do with the stock market. So Luke played the stock market? That wasn't so unusual. Through my Google search of him last week, I had learned a little bit of how he had inherited his money. Part of it came from a Fortune 500 company.

  Still, this amount of activity surprised me. This is why he kept himself locked in his office all day long? Was it possible that he was actively involved in trading, watching the stocks, domestically and internationally, on his own? That might account for the amount of time he spent locked up in his office, but at the same time, made me wonder exactly how much money he had and how much he was investing into these various stocks. I saw so many names of different stocks that my head began to swim. I paused a moment and lifted my head and looked toward the bathroom door, but the shower water was still running. I heard him humming and smiled.

  So, Luke was not one of these people who had a money manager terribly involved in how he operated his investments or his portfolio. It looked to me as if he probably did most of it on his own. He had learned it on his own. Impressive. I knew, from watching my own father work at it for years, that the business of investing, trading, and watching the stocks rise and fall, keeping track of the economy, interest rates, and everything else involved in financial transactions could be a terribly time-consuming task.

  In fact, come to think of it, and seeing how heavily Luke was invested in doing it himself, I was rather amazed that he had time to take off and take me to the beach the other day or even to spend the entire evening and night romping in bed with me.

  Still, the more I scrolled down the messages and noted his earnings from his investment manager and from various stock sites; I began to see more pluses than minuses. That wasn't that unusual. Maybe he was just a savvy investor and bought and sold all the right stocks. Still, as I continued to scroll down through more than a month's worth of messages, I realized that the vast majority of his investments had come out ahead. He was earning money hand over fist, with very few losses. How could that be? In fact, the amount of the money he was investing continued to grow, while I saw very little mention of losses or even break-even moments.

  Who could be so lucky? Especially someone new to money? A horrible thought hit me. Could it be possible? Once again, I cast a glance over my shoulder, heard the water still running, and quickly scrolled down through another month's worth of messages. I tried to calculate in my head. Over the fast two months, he had probably gained over one million dollars with his investment picks. Again, that wasn't terribly unusual, but I didn't see any huge losses. That was unusual. That was the name of the game. That was what the stock market did. Even my father experienced losses, sometimes into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. I didn't see any of that here.

  I began to frown. Could it be possible? Did he have inside information about company stocks, or regarding some of the bonds and stock options that I had seen? Then I realized what I was thinking. My heart skipped a beat. Insider trading? Luke? While I knew that not all insider trading was illegal, most of it was. The idea that Luke could be involved in something like that left me feeling cold inside. Of course, as a corporate director of his own estate, he could buy and sell stock in his own company or companies, which was considered legal as long as they reported such trades to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

  However, if he was getting fed information that was not available to the general public and investing based on those tips, what he was doing was illegal. That brought me to another alarming thought. Was my father somehow involved? I knew I was jumping to conclusions, but I couldn't really help it. It was staring at me in the face. How else could anybody gain so many profits without at least some moderate losses? My mind began spinning and my heart thudded dully in my chest. Just when I thought things ha
d gotten back onto an even keel. Just when I had made a decision to try and make this relationship with Luke work. Just when I had started to trust him…

  I quickly exited Luke's e-mails and got back to the home screen. Feeling guilty, I wiped my fingerprints off of the phone and then put the phone back exactly the way I had seen it before my curiosity had compelled to pick it up. Now I wish I hadn't. I knew enough about finance to know that the SEC severely frowned upon any type of breach in fiduciary duties and even the slightest of tips when it came to information.

  I also knew very well that the SEC had brought insider trading cases against not only directors and corporate officers, but employees of corporations and companies. It didn't even matter if the tips came from a family member, friend, or even a business associate. Anyone caught providing inside information or knowledge even "hinting" that it might be a good time to buy or sell, could be held under the strictest guidelines of insider trading as defined by the federal government.

  Case in point: Martha Stewart. She had been given some information by a friend that worked for a company creating a cancer drug. It turned out that the drug had been rejected by the Food and Drug Administration. Stewart had invested thousands of shares in the company, and as a result of the information her friend provided, she sold her stocks right away. The problem was, she had done so before the information had been made public.

  Something as simple as that could be classified as insider trading by the SEC. I had no idea whether Luke was involved in that, but how could he not be? Could anybody be that lucky? Did he have some magic formula that enabled him to pick the best stocks and pick just the right time to sell?

  However, was Luke selling or trading public stocks based on information that he was getting from an informant, information that the public wasn't aware of? No doubt about it, insider trading was one of the most common security laws broken in the financial industry. Of course, punishment – if you got caught – depended on the situation.

  My mind was in turmoil now. Was I jumping to conclusions? Was I allowing one suspicion to run rampant? Was I jumping to conclusions and judging Luke unfairly without knowing all the facts? It was difficult to say. After all, I couldn't exactly come out and ask him about it, could I? I couldn't just tell him, when he came out of the bathroom, “Hey, Luke, I was snooping around in your phone. Are you involved in insider trading?”

  Great. Just when I had resolved one problem, I had resorted to my insatiable curiosity…no, I had snooped were I had no business snooping. Still, wasn't it better to know then go into a situation blind? The aspect of Luke's involvement in potential insider trading was disturbing enough, but what about my father? What if-

  I heard the water turn off in the shower. I quickly glanced around, made sure that his phone was where he had left it, and then put some distance between me and the bed. I moved to stand by the window. Luke, insider trading. What else could it be? My heart sank with disappointment, but didn't go so far as to tell me to cut my losses and run. Maybe I could find out more without letting him know I was on to him.

  A second later, the bathroom door opened and Luke emerged, first looking at the bed, and then turning his head to find me standing by the window. He grinned.

  "Hey, gorgeous."

  Maid for Him #4

  Chapter 1

  My heart skipped a beat as I watched him step further into the room. I clasped my hands together so he wouldn't see them shaking with nervousness. I don't believe I had ever acted quite so snoopy in my life before, but Luke wasn't exactly a talker and I needed to begin to figure things out on a deeper level – especially if I was going to throw caution to the wind and encourage a deeper relationship with him. Hence my snooping, even though I shouldn't have.

  And while I now knew what Luke was up to, I just couldn't come right out and accuse him of it. He would know I'd been snooping on his phone. What a way to engender trust, right? Could I be wrong? I didn't think so. I had grown up listening to my father wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, and negotiating. I had heard him talking about insider trading on many occasions. I knew the vernacular, the vocabulary, the abbreviations and slang of working the stock market. For some, there was a fine line between legal and illegal maneuverings, and I'm sure my father knew every trick of the trade to stay legal. The problem was that with Luke, he probably didn’t have similar skills and he could get himself into some serious trouble if he didn't tread lightly.

  "So, Luke, if you don't mind me asking, are you and my dad already involved in a business venture or are you just considering one?" Luke had moved to his dresser in the opposite corner of the room and opened the top drawer. I saw his hand pause as he reached into it. He turned to glance over his shoulder at me.

  "What?"

  "I'm just trying to understand this relationship you have with my dad."

  He shook his head and continued reaching in the drawer to retrieve boxer shorts. Without hesitance, or any indication of embarrassment or shyness, he dropped the towel to the floor, and with his back to me, stepped into the shorts, offering me a glorious view of his buttocks.

  "I'm not sure I understand what you mean, Molly. I don't consider it a relationship at all."

  He turned to face me and I tried to keep my gaze focused on his face or else I knew I'd be distracted. I hesitated, not sure how hard to push. "I need to know how deeply you’re involved with my dad…if I decide to talk to him about us, or this situation, I need to know where things stand, don't I?"

  Luke sighed. I could tell he wasn't exactly happy with the question, but at the same time, I think he knew that if he refused to answer, I would probably, and rightly, get a bit upset.

  "Let's just say that we’ve been tiptoeing around each other, okay? You know as well as I do that your father is a very influential businessman in Raleigh – the entire state, actually. I need to learn from the best, don't I?"

  I supposed he was right, but I still needed to broach the topic of his investments. I decided to just forge ahead. With a slight laugh, I stepped toward the bed and sat down at its base. "You know, Luke, I know a few good investors, many of whom work with my father. If you're looking for some good advice, I could definitely put you in touch with some very good people." He stared at me thoughtfully for several moments. I worried that I had overplayed my hand.

  "What makes you think I don't have my own ‘people'?”

  I shrugged, trying to play it cool. "Well, you just mentioned my father, but not anyone else. You have a money manager then?"

  He frowned. "Not exactly, why?"

  I shrugged again. "Luke, I grew up around this environment. I know how cutthroat it can be. I also know how difficult it can be to find someone to trust, someone to show you the ropes, to understand regulations and stay clear of things that can get you into trouble."

  "What makes you think I don't know what I'm doing, Molly?"

  I shook my head. "I don't, Luke, it's just that…well, you yourself admitted to me that you weren’t really experienced at all of this. I'm just thinking that if there's any way that I can help…"

  He didn't look at me as he moved to the closet and opened the door. I was surprised to find that it was a walk-in closet. He disappeared inside for several moments, and I breathed a slight sigh of frustration. I was afraid I was messing this up. Was I giving myself away? My heart was thumping, not because I was afraid of Luke or anything like that, but because, well, I wasn't sure how he was going to react.

  I didn't want to be involved with someone who was doing anything illegal, but at the same time, I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Without coming right out and asking him, I had no way of knowing, did I? I wouldn't have been surprised if he came out of the closet and told me to drop it, distracting me with some other comments or suggestions.

  I was surprised when he emerged wearing a pair of faded jeans, loafers without socks, and a dark blue T-shirt. However, it wasn't his clothes that surprised me, but the look on his face. He frowned at me, in what
I construed as suspicion.

  "Look, Molly, this is going to sound harsher than I mean to imply, but to be honest, any concern you have over my money should end at your paycheck."

  It took a moment for his words to sink in. I just sat there, staring at him in shock. Had he really said that? After the hours we had just spent in his bed? My surprise soon gave way to hurt, then anger. I just had spent another night with him in bed and he was talking to me like that? I stood, prepared to leave the room, go downstairs, and gather my work supplies. His words had cut me to the core.

  "Fine," I said, my voice short. "I keep forgetting that I'm just a maid," I muttered under my breath and then rose from the bed to make my way to the door. "I don't know what I'm talking about, so forgive me for being so forward-"

  "Molly, I told you-"

  "You know, Luke, you can be such a prick sometimes, you know that?" I said, turning to face him, hands on my hips. "I was only trying to help because I would hate for you to get caught up in something that might get you into trouble. Investing can be tricky, especially if you don't have people you can trust working for you and advising you.” I paused, glaring at him. “But you know what, I'll keep my mouth shut. I'll just do my work and then spread my legs for you in bed, and that-"

  "Molly, I didn't mean to imply that at all-"

  "Well, you know what, Luke? That's how it sounded!"

  "I didn't mean to imply anything of the sort,” he said, extending a hand toward her.

  I ignored his hand, reaching for the doorknob.

  “The thing is, I need to learn the ropes my way. I'm doing okay, better than okay, and-"

  "Oh, I know you are," I snapped, losing my temper. "I only brought up the topic as a courtesy."