For a split second the contact was intimate, close, exactly what she had craved after her terrifying 'one-kiss' orgasm, but it was too late. She pushed him away.
"Thank you." She mumbled and turned to pick up the laptop.
"You need to listen to me Suzy."
"No I don't." She turned on him. "Our contract is now over, so I don’t have to listen to any more of your creepy bullshit."
"There was one more promise you made."
Shit. She rolled her eyes and hissed angrily. It was true. In return for blindfolding her as against teasing her to death with the strip of satin she had promised to 'say' something for him. Surely he couldn't turn that into a sex game.
"So tell me. How are you going to pervert this one? What are you going to make me say to twist my thoughts around to your perverted fantasies?"
He looked steadily into her eyes.
"I want you to say this one thing and then any obligation you have to me is absolved. Immediately and forever."
"What is it?" She spat the words at him.
"Ruben Mayweather."
She rolled her eyes again and then repeated; "Ruben Mayweather."
"Just threw away."
"Just threw away."
"The opportunity of a lifetime."
Her breathing was harsh and rapid as she listened to his words. She was hurt, badly and unprepared to give an inch to man who had rocked her world in more ways than she knew how to understand.
"The opportunity of a lifetime." She finished his words with a spiteful stare and then waited. "Is that it?"
He nodded. "You're free to go. I'll pilot you back to New York and then Candy will see that you get back to Oregon by the shortest route possible. The full resources of Mayweather Services are at your disposal."
"I'll take a taxi. I don’t need you to fly me."
He nodded again. "I'll have a car take you."
That had all happened some fourteen hours ago and in the intervening time she had been driven to an airstrip in Long Island and then flown all the way back to Portland by private jet. A car had been waiting there to take her home but she had refused it and rented her own car instead. She didn’t want to risk any Mayweather surveillance technology landing up in her home.
She was out on her feet from the intensity of the previous four days, the jetlag back and forth across the continent and the long, long journey of the last fourteen hours, but she couldn't wait to see Redmond. He was, after all, her closest friend and the only male currently in her life that she could trust.
No head games, no lies and secrets and most of, no crazy sexual tension.
Her neighbor opened his front door and for a second he hardly recognized the woman in front of him, but then he raised the hand he was holding a sports drink in as recognition flashed through his head. He was dressed down in training gear having just been out for a run on the beach and looked incredibly handsome in a way totally different to Ruben Mayweather; relaxed, normal, easygoing.
Everything the Earl of Quicksand isn’t. She thought.
"Hey Redmond buddy, guess who came back? It's Suzy Tuesday."
Redmond came skittering out across the living room to the door, covered in sand, leaving big messy paw prints everywhere and then leaped up against her, licking her face.
"Oh my God, oh my God boy, it's so good to see you."
She tried to hug him and calm him down but it was no use, he was far too excited. No-one, but no-one could be as happy to see her as her trusty old mutt Redmond. She tried hard but before she knew it tears were beginning to stream down her face.
Suddenly sexy beach-jogging-heart-of-gold-neighbor guy became serious.
"Hey Suzy Tuesday, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
She looked up through her tears and saw the guys big brown eyes staring at her, so expressive, so full of concern, so unlike Ruben fucking Mayweather.
"I... I…" She looked around and the room seemed to be spinning. "I'm sorry." She said, "I'm just very tired." She felt her legs begin to go but her neighbor was there, one sure tanned and muscular arm gathering her up.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold it there. Come on Red, back up and let your mommy come through, she needs to sit down."
"No really, it’s okay."
"Ah, ah. No way. You’re not passing out on my porch and make me have to lift you up and carry you inside. Sit down right here and I'll get you something. I just made some herbal tea, I'll get you some."
He led her to the couch and then settled her down carefully before disappearing into the kitchen.
This was going to be a good day after all. He had noticed Suzy out jogging on the beach for weeks but she had never acknowledged him, always wrapped up in her own world with her headphones on. Then when she had dropped off the dog a few days ago he hadn't thought twice. Put up with the mutt for a few days and the deal would be done.
Now he had tears and herbal tea on his living room couch? This was a sure thing.
He returned to the living area with two cups, making an effort to stop himself from smiling but when he saw the empty couch his face dropped.
The couch was empty. Sexy Suzy Tuesday and her dog were long gone.
"Fuck it." He said. "Women. They just use and abuse."
********************
Six days later Suzy got the call she had been waiting for. Nadia was ready to meet her and Ruben wanted to arrange a pick up for her to be flown to New York. She texted back a time but refused the offer of door to door transportation and offered instead a location in down town Portland where she could be collected.
He might know her home address already but if he didn’t then why would she make it easier for the perverted control freak?
Ruben was nowhere to be seen until her arrival in Manhattan. The driver delivered her to a tall building in midtown overlooking Central Park, not far from where she had waited for news at the Mandarin Oriental on Columbus Circle.
Candy was there waiting for her at the entrance to the building. They exchanged a steely glare of solidarity but didn't say a word to each other until they were in the private elevator together. Standing with her back to the CCTV Candy locked Suzy's gaze in her own.
"You okay?" She said in her tough voice.
Suzy glanced up at the camera and then shook her head. No. She wasn't okay.
A flash of anger crossed Candy's face.
"I warned you about getting involved with him." She hissed reprovingly.
"You told me to sleep with him."
"I did not." She hissed. "I said that I would sleep with him. Fuck, the man is gorgeous, I'd chew him up and spit him out. I did not, repeat, did NOT say that you should sleep with him."
"I didn't."
"Oh." Candy stood back. "Then what’s the problem?"
"He did other things to me."
The lift seemed to take forever.
"Kinky stuff?"
"Weird stuff."
"Did he make you do things? Did the bastard force you to do things for him?"
"No. God no. Nothing like that. He just asked me to do things and I…"
"You what?"
"I… thought I wanted to do them but then afterwards…"
"Did you get turned on?"
Images flashed through Suzy's head, sensations flickered thorough her body's memory and for the briefest, most intense moment she was indescribably turned on yet again.
"Yeah, he rocked your boat alright." Candy said. "But now you hate yourself for loving it."
Suzy stood with her mouth open. Candy was a plain speaker, but that didn’t mean she was right about everything.
But if that was the case then why was she feeling so awkward, so uncomfortable, so damned transparent.
The lift came to a halt and the doors glided open. Candy stood with her square back to the doors, a slight grin played on her angular mouth. Suzy stared at her trying to collect her thoughts when a hand rested on the strong woman's shoulder. She immediately stood to attention and then turned to face her
employer.
"Mr. Mayweather." She said simply.
"Thank you Candy. That will be all." The woman bowed her head slightly, darted a sideways look to Suzy with a slight curl to her lips and gave the tiniest wink before disappearing down the hallway.
Suzy was still standing with her mouth open as Ruben approached her. He was entirely restored from the fatigue of the rescue operation and stood tall, commanding and as impossibly handsome as ever.
The expression on his face said nothing to Suzy whatsoever.
He extended his hand to her and she took it. Somehow, in his presence only, instinct always took her over.
God damn it Suzy. She berated herself. But then as she followed him down the hall still the feelings came. He had humiliated her but at the same time turned her on and satisfied her more than any man had ever done in her entire life. He had quite simply quaked her world to the core and she was still suffering the aftershocks.
When they reached a room near the end of the corridor he turned to her. She could hear voices coming from inside.
My God… Was that Nadia's voice?
Her heart began to race. It had been so long since she had seen her best friend. More than four years.
Ruben put his hands on her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes.
"Suzy, before you meet Nadia I just want to say one thing."
She was trembling in his hands. He had watched her, tortured her with his words, tipped her so gently, one touch, one word at a time, into a screaming orgasm exclusively for his own deviant pleasure and it just wasn't fair.
But God how the memory of that night lingered and clung to her, to every cell in her body, like nothing else in her entire life.
"I'm sorry." he said, still holding her gaze. "What I did was wrong. It was too soon for you and I want to make it up to you. In fact, I insist."
"Ruben…"
"Don’t say anything now. Nadia is waiting for you. Come on, go to your friend. Today is about the two of you, not the two of us. We can talk later."
Before she could protest he had opened the door and guided her through.
There was no time to think. The room had a spectacular view of Central Park and the surrounding iconic buildings, the room itself was a study in taste and luxury and the people gathered exuded wealth, good looks and charm, but amidst all the finery and sophistication all Suzy could see clearly was her oldest, dearest friend, Nadia Komerov.
In once glance she took in how much she had changed in the intervening years. The fiery young computer hacker and fearless technical genius looked older, wiser, a little more chastened, but still more beautiful than ever.
And she was in shock. Nadia's hands covered her mouth as she took in the person who was standing in front of her, then she jumped from her seat to hurry towards her best friend.
"Nadia, thank God. You have no idea how worried I was about you." Suzy finally found words after a long embrace.
"Suzy, my God, Suzy I'm so sorry. So, so sorry, I just didn’t want to drag you into this with me. But it's all over now."
"You should have called me baby, you know I'd do anything for you. I could've helped you."
"Don’t argue Suzy, please, not now. It's all over and nothing like this will ever happen again - thanks to these wonderful men here. I owe everything to them. Anything I can give back to these guys is theirs. Not that there's much I can offer three billionaires of course."
"I don't know about that." Ruben said. "I can think of at least one thing right now that I don’t have, that I very much want, and that only you can give me If you're really as grateful as you say you are."
"Anything." Nadia said instantly.
"Really? Anything at all?" He said with one of his maddeningly sexy smiles.
"Ruben, I'm warning you." A tall commanding man that Suzy recognized as Clayton Hargrave said threateningly.
Nadia glanced at Clayton and then hastened to qualify her offer.
"Anything in my power to give you. Within reason of course." She said.
"Okay." Ruben said. "In that case I have a very special, personal favor to ask of you Ms. Komerov."
Personal favor. The words sent a flush of anger through Suzy. His favorite words to describe his pleasure in twisting people to do his bidding.
Then tension in the room was building. Clayton looked fit to burst and Dale wasn't far behind. Suzy wanted to shout at him to shut him up or shout at Nadia to stop playing this stupid game with the man she knew was an arch manipulator, especially of women, but the situation, the setting wouldn’t allow it - she would only have made herself look like a crazy woman in front of all these people she had just met.
"Ask away." Nadia said.
"I'm warning you Ruben." Clayton repeated.
"Don’t worry Romeo, I wouldn’t dare ask anything inappropriate of your bride to be."
Bride to be? Suzy's mouth dropped open. Was this for real? In only a few days this guy had gone from being her ruination to being her future husband? She wasn't sure if she should congratulate or call a psychiatrist for her best friend.
"Besides," Ruben continued. " This is none of your business." He directed himself to Nadia again. "You'll grant me anything I ask that is within your power, which is within reason and which the beast over there approves of? Is that correct?"
Suzy was beginning to feel dizzy. Ruben had been so sincere to her just moments ago outside in the hallway but now he was back to himself; the cool arch manipulator, so sexy you wanted to eat him alive but relentlessly toying with people to get his way.
"Absolutely correct." Nadia answered. "But why do I get the feeling I'm being railroaded somehow?"
"Because it's what he does best Nadia." Dale joined in. "Don’t trust a word he says."
"Don’t listen to them." Ruben said. "Here is my request." He turned and took Suzy by the hand and looked into her eyes. "I want this one." He said with an intensity that made Suzy take a sharp breath in. After all they had done together, after all he had said to her, after all she had said to him, he had the staggering confidence and audacity to do something like this.
Nadia looked at her girlfriend, noted the look of shock and then smiled at Ruben.
"She's yours." She said. "Wish granted."
"Excellent." Ruben said, slipping a hand around Suzy's waist.
"Not so fast." Dale had jumped to his feet and squared off nose to nose with Ruben. Just like his brother he was even more gorgeous in real life than he looked in pictures and video. "Don’t forget that you owe me too Nadia and I have a request as well. That beautiful woman that the Lizard King has his paws all over is mine."
Nadia shrugged her shoulders and looked at her friend.
"Ball's in your court Suzy. I owe you some pretty big favors too. If you want either of these two clowns then they're yours. Just remember to be careful what you wish for. Especially with these guys."
Suzy looked at the two impossibly good looking and impeccably dressed men. One the incarnation of suave sophistication, the other the epitome of rugged, manly good looks.
It was surreal.
"That's right." Nadia said. "Welcome to my world."
Suzy looked at her friend and then at all the people surrounding them. It was too much. If this was some kind of game that rich people played behind closed doors then she wasn't enjoying it.
"Nadia… I'm sorry, I think I need to go. I'm sorry."
Nadia's face filled with concern.
"What is it Suzy? We're just kidding around. What’s wrong?"
Suzy stared at her friend, willing her to understand but unable to speak with Ruben standing right next to her, surrounded by all of his close friends and colleagues.
"Not here." She said.
"It's okay." Ruben said, his face transforming from sexy game player to mature concern. "I'll take somewhere until things are finished up here. We can rejoin these guys later."
"No." Suzy said vehemently. "Absolutely not."
Dale glared at Ruben.
"Stop it already you guys." Nadia said to the two men to whom she owed so much, but not so much that she would let them play games over her best friend as though she were a prize they were competing for.
"You're not helping." She said, muscling the men out of her way to put her arm around Suzy's shoulder. "Come on Suzy, come with me. Please excuse us."
She pushed her way past the men and steered her friend towards the door.
"We'll be back when she's feeling better. Maybe you boys can figure out how to behave like gentlemen before then."
Chapter Two
In the days following their reunion Nadia and Suzy got up to speed on what had been really happening in their lives over the past four years. They had always been too careful and too wise to share any personal details in their communications but now that the veil of secrecy had been lifted both were greedy to learn as much as about each other as possible. Despite the change in circumstances it was hard to break the habit of a lifetime; stay low, stay clean, leave no trace. The mantra had protected them so well and for so long that to abandon it now, even to each other, made them fear that this new world of theirs could be snatched away from them at any moment.
And then there was still the shadow of what Suzy refused to tell her friend about Ruben Mayweather and what had occurred between them.
The friends were sitting together in a darkly atmospheric café in the Village, still struggling to absorbing the seismic changes that had rocked their lives in the course of the last three weeks.
After hours of excited talk they had finally lapsed into silence, sipping quietly on their smooth, designer drinks. Nadia was enjoying a cold brewed Stumptown Chelbessa bean while Suzy savored a cold-pressed almond, cashew, agave nectar and kale smoothie. She had asked for a splash of vanilla before she remembered where she got that idea from.
He might be a bastard but he had nailed it when he added the dash of sweetness to her beloved green health concoctions.
Nadia examined her friend closely, wondering if it was the right time or not to broach the subject. Suzy looked more relaxed than she had done in all the time they had spent together since their reunion so she decided to take a risk.
His Secret Request: Billionaire Secrets - Book Three Page 9