Beauty and the Billionaire: A Dirty Fairy Tale Romance

by Kira Blakely

  We felt matched, equal, and I couldn’t remember ever feeling that way with a man before.

  Tonight, he promised he had a surprise planned, something he said he’d been working to arrange for a while that had taken longer than he’d hoped. I was just glad that as we approached our final week that he’d gotten it together at all. Not that I expected gifts… I didn’t… but I loved to see joy on his face. It was a feeling I think Drake denied himself far too often. Being able to see him happy moved me, and if his preparations had come to something he wanted to show off and was proud of, then I was more than excited.

  Frankly, I just wanted to take every chance I had to spend with Drake. We’d be going back to Los Angeles in a little over a week, and I didn’t know what would come after that. Would we still continue our nightly sessions? Were we a couple? Could we be considered that now? I know what we whispered to each other at night, but so far, I’d been the only one to admit I cared about him, but that was as far as I could figure out my own emotions. I knew he cared about me from his actions—the way he’d protected me, the way he shepherded me through the steps in our BDSM relationship and ensured I had the best aftercare, the tenderness he showed me on our excursions. But was that enough?

  I wasn’t sure when I left the cocoon of the island that what I wanted was to be just his favored sub. No, I was beginning to realize I wanted far more than that, but there were few playboys in the Western world more infamous than Drake McManus. Was I setting myself up for disappointment? When he had other women available, would he just throw me aside?

  Hell, to be crude about it, was I really just another notch on his bedpost as he got the deal he wanted?

  It was this mishmash of thoughts that swirled through my head as Mrs. Johnson came in to help me pick out my outfit for the special date Drake had planned for tonight. He was as eager as a puppy to show me whatever he’d been planning, and it was cute. Everything about him was.

  Mrs. Johnson eyed me speculatively as she pulled out a blue silk shift. “You seem distracted, dear. Is everything all right?”

  I frowned back at her. Mrs. Johnson had become a surrogate mother on the island. While I Skyped with my family daily, even as Carol seemed to grow more bitter and resentful, Mrs. Johnson had also become quite the confidante. I’d told her everything about me and my family, about how sick Mom was and how we worried more and more even as this new treatment was hopefully supposed to really make a difference with the right timing and exposure.

  She was probably worried I’d gotten bad news. I was melancholy enough today.

  I shook my head and patted her hand. “I just talked to Mom this morning. She’s doing well. She’s keeping food down, looks like she already gained some weight on the new meds. I haven’t been this relieved for her in a long time.”

  Mrs. Johnson nodded but then sat on the bed. “Then why do you look like your dog just died, dear? Something is bothering you. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  I sighed and leaned against the wardrobe. “To be honest, I don’t know. It’s about Drake.”

  Mrs. Johnson gave a knowing smile. “Isn’t it always? I swear I’ve worked for him for well over a decade and I’ve never seen him light up for any woman the way he lights up for you. He cares about you so very much, and that’s a miracle.”

  Picking at my cuticles, I tried to keep the smile on my face. “I really hope so, but how do I know? He’s never said out loud that he cares about me or really likes me. I know after three weeks it’d be crazy to expect the big ‘L’ word. I don’t even know if I feel that yet.”

  Although I was beginning to suspect I did love him, that it was more than just passion simmering between us.

  “Drake keeps so much to himself. He’s used to bottling everything about his feelings up.”

  “But I don’t know where any of this goes after this and…” I stopped, finally daring to say out loud what I hadn’t even admitted to myself. “I like him. I really like him. I want us to be more when we go home, and I’m terrified that he might not feel the same way.”

  Mrs. Johnson smiled a knowing smile and passed me a light silk dress in a coral pink. “This will look best with your coloring, dear. Also, I think you more than ‘like’ him, don’t you?”

  “I…”

  “Your secret is safe with me,” she said, winking back at me.

  “I love him, Penelope,” I said, using her first name. “I think I really do. I keep telling myself it’s just caring or being grateful he saved my life or that we have fun together, but I think I love him. Oh, God, what if he doesn’t feel the same way?” I started to pace, moving back and forth across the expanse of my bedroom. “God, what if he can never feel this way about me and it’s all just for fun?”

  Mrs. Johnson stood up and then hurried across the room to hug me, holding me tight and stroking my back as I tried not to hyperventilate. “Shh, it’s all right. I think that you’ll be surprised. I know Drake, and he’s never been like this with anyone.”

  “But that doesn’t make it love,” I said, my voice wavering as I pulled away from her. “It could just mean he’s having a fun time, and I’m having so much more than that. If he’s not on the same wavelength with me, if he doesn’t love me back someday, I think it’ll crush me.”

  “My mother used to say that ‘the evil of the day is sufficient thereof’ and not to borrow trouble. I think you go through with tonight and see what happens. I believe that Drake will surprise you.”

  I nodded and swallowed hard. I didn’t want to wipe at my eyes because I didn’t want to acknowledge that I’d been tearing up. The thought of anything changing my new normal—short as our time together had been—was almost too much to bear.

  Mrs. Johnson smiled again and stroked my shoulder. “Get yourself dressed, hon, and go out there for the surprise. I think you need to have faith. I do.”

  That made one of us.

  ***

  We rode out to the far corner of the island in his Porsche, a red speedster that zoomed up the coast with the top down. The wind whipped past me as the scent of the salty sea invaded my nostrils. The stars twinkled above us, bright and pure in a way that you’d never see in L.A., and I curled into the arm he wrapped around me. Strength coiled through his muscles even then, and I could feel the power of the soldier he’d been always just coiled underneath the surface.

  When he pulled up at a small, squat warehouse, I frowned. This wasn’t exactly what I imagined.

  “Wait, is this when you murder me and dispose of the body?”

  He laughed. “So, you’ve figured out my secret plan, Ms. Fontaine.”

  I shook my head and rolled my eyes but didn’t move from his arm. “I’m serious. This isn’t exactly what I was expecting, not that it’s not great to drive out here, but this either looks like a warehouse of doom or a top-secret lab.”

  He turned off the ignition and pulled away from me. Then he sauntered with slow, easy movements to my side of the car and opened the door for me. “Well, you do have the lab part right. It’s not exactly top secret.”

  “What?”

  He crooked his elbow for me, and I caught sight of that delicious sleeve of tattoos that ran up his arm. My eyes were drawn to the anchor with the “Semper Fi” wrapped around it. “I told you I was setting up a surprise. Welcome to the Belle Fontaine Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Any injured animals or recaptured illegal pets come here for care and training to be safely released back into the wild.”

  “You set this up in three weeks?” I asked, my voice filled with awe.

  “A little less than that. I was hoping I could get it done in a week, but it just wasn’t possible. Sorry, it’s late.”

  I hopped up into his arms and squealed when he spun me around. “You’re serious? All these animals are getting saved because of me?”

  “You told me that the environment and going green was your passion before you ended up trying to save the family business. That was true, right? Or else there are going to be
a ton of disappointed fish in there.”

  I giggled and kissed his cheek. “You did all this because of me?”

  He set me down and stroked my cheek. “I did it because I had to say I was sorry. I don’t care if I have PTSD. I don’t care how things can affect me. I still scared you and then I stormed off on you.”

  “You saved me from those jerks!”

  “You were right that night. You never would have run if I hadn’t been an asshole. This can’t possibly make it all better, but I want you to know I’m truly sorry, and I’m glad you put up with me.”

  I stared into those chocolate brown eyes that were still so wounded, that seemed eternally shadowed with deep secrets and regrets. “I don’t ‘put up’ with anything. I care about you, and I mean it. I just… no one’s ever done anything like this for me. I’m always taking care of everyone else.”

  “Then you deserve to be taken care of, too,” he said, wrapping an arm around me and leading me to the doors of the center.

  When we first passed through, I was so surprised by the bright splashes of colors of all the coral, the clown fish, even the glowing jellyfish all swimming in their respective tanks. As we walked deeper, we came to an enclosure with seals being fed by a few techs in khakis and polo shirts.

  A woman with a high blond ponytail came over to us and beamed up at Drake. “Mr. McManus. We’re so glad you could make it. You’ll be happy to see that Leo and Theo are doing so much better. I think Theo’s left flipper is really on the mend.”

  I grinned at her, too; the woman’s enthusiasm was infectious. “Theo and Leo?”

  “We try and do naming themes for the animals. It helps keep them straight in the keepers’ minds. You must be Ms. Fontaine. It’s an honor to meet you,” she said, taking my hand and shaking it feverishly.

  I was overwhelmed by all this. I’d put so many of my own desires aside when Dad’s company crashed and Mom got sick. I knew that helping my family mattered, but there wasn’t anything world-saving about helping starlets with bad reputations clean up their Twitter feeds or put out the right press release. But I’d never been able to really help the world the way I wanted, and at least now some injured animals would have a new lease on life because I’d inspired Drake.

  Tears prickled at the corner of my eyes and I sniffled. “This is amazing.”

  “Are you okay?” the blonde asked, a frown marring her features. “Really, their flippers are looking pretty good. It won’t be long before they’re released back to a better location. We rescued them from some celebrity who had some exotic pets he shouldn’t have.”

  “No, I just… all these animals are safe because of me.”

  Drake nodded. “What can I say? You’re definitely a great beauty who inspires me, but this isn’t the end of the surprise.”

  “What? You bought me my own pet whale?” I joked.

  “Not exactly, but you will need a wetsuit.”

  ***

  My hand slid over the sleek, rubbery skin of the dolphin before me. He giggled—or did the closest equivalent—and threw his head out of the water. Then he chittered and dove back in. Not too far over Drake’s shoulder, another dolphin was leaping out from the water, spritzing droplets everywhere. A few yards down, a keeper was helping feed a mother and her two tiny babies, well, by porpoise standards, certainly not even a hundred pounds each yet for the calves.

  This was probably the best night of my life.

  All these beautiful animals, and all of them going onto a better life because Drake cared about what I did.

  I reached out and slid my hand over the dolphin’s snout again when he came up to me.

  Drake chuckled. “So, do I have to worry about competition?”

  The dolphin blew a stream of water through his blowhole, and I laughed when it splashed Drake in the face.

  “I don’t know. I think you might have someone who’s a little jealous,” I said, winking at Drake. When my new “boyfriend” was gone and had dived back into the water, I paddled over to Drake and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. “I think I like my men with two legs, so I definitely assume you’re safe.”

  He kissed me, his tongue promising more tonight. “Well, sometimes I’ve been called a tripod.”

  I snorted, thinking of how well-endowed he was. He could almost get away with the nickname, no doubt. “Sorry I asked.”

  I hesitated there before kissing him back. I wanted to talk to him seriously, to ask where this was all headed when this paradise ended and we returned home, but I was still so scared of the answer. For now, I had to trust in Mrs. Johnson’s words and, frankly, I didn’t think he’d created such a wonderful place for a fling. There was no point. Tonight, I wanted to enjoy the gift he’d given me, to be able to swim as free and unfettered as the dolphins around me.

  Tomorrow, I’d let the worry come back and fight against that damn calendar. It was all I could do.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Drake

  “You, sir, are happy,” Leonard said with a knowing smirk on his face.

  Mrs. Johnson set the food tray next to the refreshment he’d brought on my desk. “Exactly.”

  I groaned. When I had my most loyal servants double-teaming me, it could only mean that they wanted to talk, which was a dangerous proposition. It also meant that they had been plotting. Okay, so they probably spent all the time plotting anyway. This time, though, these two jokers were clearly up to something.

  “Thank you for the food, guys, but I was going to take a break anyway.”

  “Well, Belle’s out sunbathing on the beach, and we wanted to take some time to talk to you.”

  I eyed them. “Why does talk sound like inquisition?”

  Mrs. Johnson smiled and laughed, the false cheer a sure sign she was the mastermind in whatever deal she and Leonard had cooked up. “It’s not, dear, not unless you make it that way.”

  I frowned and shut my laptop. “So, guys, what do you have planned for me? Will it require walking the plank?”

  “Only if you answer wrong,” Leonard said.

  “Then this is a mutiny?” I asked.

  “It’s like an intervention, dear,” Mrs. Johnson said. I didn’t let her sweet tone fool me. I knew Penelope well. Under that schoolmarm exterior was a total momma grizzly. If something was going wrong for people she cared about, she’d take your head off in one swipe. “We wanted to really know how you feel about Belle.”

  “I care about her,” I said.

  While I wasn’t dumb, and I figured Leonard and Mrs. Johnson both had figured out the type of relationship we currently had, the games we played, I wasn’t about to be an asshole and spread it all over. Belle’s sexual choices were private. I mean, I was an open book about mine, but I didn’t want to betray her trust like that. Still, I didn’t need to get into the huge details. They both had figured out by now that we were sleeping together.

  Leonard threaded his hands behind his head. “I mean, do you plan to do anything beyond ‘care?’”

  I sighed, letting a long breath out and trying to relax. Under pressure, the flashbacks came back and the last thing I wanted was for Mrs. Johnson and Leonard to see that side of me, to see that fucking weakness.

  “It’s only been a few weeks,” I hedged.

  Mrs. Johnson nodded. “I try not to break anyone’s confidence, and I won’t do that, even now with Belle, but she’s worried that this is all a passing fancy and that things will change when you go back to L.A. I assured her it wouldn’t, but it would help a lot if she heard that from your own lips. If she knew that it was going to be safe when she got back, at least safe for her heart.”

  Leaning back in my chair, I balled my fists at my sides. “I don’t know what will happen when we get back there.”

  “What?” cried Leonard. “So, you were leading her along that whole time. I warned you, Drake,” he said, rolling up his sleeves.

  I rolled my eyes at what he was doing. “Come on. You couldn’t kick my ass if you wanted to, and I w
ouldn’t let you get hurt anyway. Besides, that’s not exactly what I meant. Give me some fucking credit here, man. It’s not a ‘wham, bam, thank you, ma’am’ deal and you know it.”

  “I should hope not!” Mrs. Johnson said, bringing a hand to her chest.

  “No, I mean that I’d love to keep seeing her. I’d love to keep being with her. You have no idea how I feel. I’ve never had a relationship with a woman like this ever. It’s been about just the numbers, about making sure no one knew me too well so switching off as fast as I could.”

  Leonard nodded. “Believe me, we know. But Belle is different.”

  “I know that. Don’t you think I do?” I stood up and started to pace. “But that’s the whole problem. I don’t feel like I deserve her. She can go back to L.A. and have any guy she wants. Hell, once this deal is brokered and we all know it will be, she’ll be free of her dad’s company. It’ll be stable again, and she can get her master’s in ecology and meet some smart college guy, the type she deserves. The last thing she needs is to be stuck with a crazy charity case like me. I’m not good enough for her and we all know it.”

  I stopped then and threw up my hands like some dramatic chick. “I’m serious. The only reason she came was because I forced her. Now that she has a choice, once all this is over, she probably won’t stick around.”

  “I seriously doubt that,” Mrs. Johnson said. “But she has a right to know where she stands.”

  “I don’t even know where I stand,” I replied. “All I know is I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, but I know that she deserves a life that is free from all my bullshit and baggage. I’d have her forever, keep her with me in my place in L.A. like I do here if she’d have me, but I don’t know if that would ever really work out.”