Head Hunter: A Virgin Billionaire Reverse Romance

by Alexis Angel

  She squeals again. “This is crazy! I mean, I’m still totally jealous. Because, well, Carter Blaine. But it’s totally awesome. Do you think you’ll be able to do it?” Her eyes narrow skeptically. “That guy is unbelievable. Seriously, five years and he still hasn’t done it? I know you’ve got some skills, girlfriend, but he’s got some serious tenacity.”

  “Tell me about it.” I roll my eyes. “Last night was…well, let’s just say it would've made any other guy give in.”

  Just then, my phone rings, and my nerves go crazy. Taking a deep breath, I turn away from Michelle and steady myself, then answer my phone.

  “Hello?” My voice comes out cool and aloof, surprisingly. At least I’ve still got it, even though Carter pushes me to the limit of staying the course with my assignment.

  “Destiny.” Oh God. Just the sound of his low, gravelly voice has my pussy aching with slow pulses.

  “That’s me. Who’s this?”

  He chuckles, as if he doesn’t doubt for a second that I know who he is. “Only the guy who had his hands all over you last night and made you come so hard you couldn’t see straight. The same guy who plans on doing it all over again with you tonight.”

  My mouth drops open. Holy fuck. That is so hot.

  “Hmm,” I say, fighting for control. “I think I might have an idea who this is. But could you be a little more specific?”

  “How about the guy with the twelve-inch cock? Does that ring a bell? Because I know you don’t see that every day.”

  I smile. Sure as hell don’t. “Oh yes, I think I know now. Carson Blake, is it?”

  “Carter Blaine, and you know it.” I hear the smile in his voice. “But make sure you get it right, because it’s the name you’re going to be screaming at the top of your lungs tonight when I sink my mouth into that sweet pussy.”

  I can’t even. Oh my God. I’m literally about to fall out on the floor in the middle of Bergdorf’s because this guy has me so hot.

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Before I blow your mind, though, how about dinner? Le Cirque?” Carter suggests, though it’s obvious it’s not a question.

  “Let me check with my assistant, but I think that can be arranged.”

  “I’ll have my driver pick you up at eight, Destiny.”

  The phone beeps, signaling the call has ended, and my hand falls limply to my side. Oh my God, that alpha thing he just did is so totally hot. I look at Michelle and scream, bouncing up and down on my toes as I tell her what he said.

  I have a date with fucking Carter Blaine. And if all goes well, at the end of it I’ll be fucking Carter Blaine. “I have to bring my A-game tonight, Michelle. I can’t mess this up. I have to be the sluttiest of all sluts. That’s the only way, right?”

  Michelle doesn’t look convinced. “I don’t know…”

  “What do you mean?”

  She purses her lips and gives me a scrutinizing look. “I know you, girl. This is not just a regular job for you. You never act like this. You like him.”

  I don’t answer her. That’s way too close to the truth. I think back about all the things I read in his file and how he seems like he’d be a really good catch.

  “Here’s what you need to do,” Michelle says. “You need to go with your gut. Be yourself. Show him the real you. Not the person you think he wants to see. That’s what they all do. And look how that ends up every week.”

  I realize she’s right. I mean, look what happened with Lorraine last week. “But if I just act like myself, then what? I’m trying to seduce a man here, Michelle. Not find my one true love.”

  She smiles. “That’s easy. Once he sees the real you, he’ll be begging to stick his cock inside you.”

  I roll my eyes. “How romantic.”

  Michelle laughs, but I think about what she said. It’s a tactic I haven’t used before, and to be honest, I really don’t feel like putting on an act with Carter. It just might work.

  11

  Carter

  I’m standing outside Le Cirque waiting for Destiny. Pacing back and forth on the sidewalk, I catch the valet watching me. No doubt he knows who I am. There’s a camera crew parked out on the sidewalk, plus an entourage of paparazzi stationed across the street. At least the camera crew isn’t allowed inside the restaurant. I’m sure they’ll have something set up to catch our date, but it'll feel somewhat normal without cameras shoved in our faces.

  I start to wonder why I’m so concerned about the date feeling normal. That goes right along with why I’m even going on this date in the first place. This is the first time I’ve ever seen the same woman more than once in my entire five years of starring in Head Hunter.

  But as the chauffeured town car pulls up in front of the restaurant where I’m standing, all those thoughts fly out of my head. I don’t have time for that bullshit. All of my focus is on Destiny as she climbs from the car.

  Holy fuck.

  She looks incredible. If I thought she was the sexiest, most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen last night at the club, she’s completely blowing that out of the water tonight in the sexy little black dress she’s wearing.

  I feel like one of those cartoon characters whose eyes are bulging out of their head as she comes toward me. That dress cradles her perfect D cup tits like it was made for her, and her amazing ass that I got up close and personal with last night looks just as awesome. How am I supposed to make it through a dinner at this posh restaurant without tossing her across the table and having my way with her?

  The look in her eye as she reaches me tells me she knows exactly what I’m thinking. She bites her lip and looks down to where my cock is obviously tenting my pants, and the effect she’s having is just as clear. Looking back up at me, she smiles a sexy and devious smile.

  “Hi…Carter, is it?”

  I chuckle and wrap an arm around her waist, letting my hand rest low on her hip, grazing the curve of her ass.

  “Good girl. You better get it right. I want to hear that name falling from your lips over and over tonight.” I give her ass a gentle squeeze, and she gasps a little breath that makes my cock twitch. Fuck, I can’t wait for later. But I do want to focus on our time together right now. I want to enjoy our dinner because for some reason, I actually want to spend time with her in a way that isn’t just sexual. What can I say? She totally intrigued me last night. And if I’m already breaking a precedent by going out with her tonight, I might as well enjoy it.

  “Carter,” she repeats softly, leaning in close and stretching up so that her words brush across my ear in a breathy sigh. “Like that?”

  I grin and lean down, brushing my lips across her ear. I feel the shiver race through her body, and chuckle softly in gratification. I’m definitely affecting her, whether she wants to play it cool or not.

  “Not quite like that,” I whisper. “You’ll be screaming it.”

  The host shows us to our table for two in the elaborate circus-themed restaurant. We’re seated underneath a great sweeping silk that looks like a circus tent, and I watch as Destiny takes it all in. She doesn’t look awestruck, and I wonder if she’s been here before. I wonder a lot about her. And I want to spend the evening finding out everything I can.

  “Sure of yourself, aren’t you?” she asks after we’re seated across from each other.

  I lean forward, taking her hand and flipping it over so that I can stroke the inside of her wrist with my thumb. Another little shiver makes its way through her body. “I’ve been called cocky,” I say.

  She smiles at the innuendo. “So I’ve seen.”

  I wiggle my eyebrows. “That’s right.”

  Destiny’s cheeks turn red, and I laugh.

  When our server approaches, I order a bottle of Cristal. “Is that okay with you?” I ask her after he leaves.

  “My favorite.”

  “Oh is it now?” The lady has class. Interesting.

  Our sommelier returns and pours us each a glass, and I lift mine in the air. “To a nigh
t of firsts.”

  Destiny clinks her glass to mine, cocking her head and studying me, and that’s when I realize what I said. I didn’t mean that kind of first, but she’s the first woman who has actually made me consider it, that has been a temptation.

  She smiles and takes a sip. “Sounds like a plan."

  12

  Ashley

  Carter watches me over the rim of his champagne glass, and his gaze makes me feel totally exposed. Like he’s trying to see right through me and find out every last one of my secrets. And I have a lot.

  I think back to Michelle’s advice. How I should just be myself. The idea sounds really perfect. There’s nothing more I’d like to do right now than enjoy this dream date with Carter Blaine. For there to be no pretense. No acting. No job to perform. I would love for it to be a real date.

  And that’s so dangerous. It’s exactly why I worry about my ability to do this job. And being here with him right now, with him so sexy and charming, makes me question it all. Am I even doing the right thing?

  “So,” he finally says, still watching me intently. “How long have you been a stripper?”

  I swallow. There it is. I can keep up with my story that I concocted after Lola Anders said she wanted me to seduce Carter at the strip club. Or I can be honest.

  Just be yourself. Michelle’s words echo in my head.

  I stare into Carter’s piercing blue gaze, thinking about all the inside info I have on him. How I want to get to know him beyond the public persona he puts on for the sake of the cameras and the media. And that’s when I decide. If I want to get to know the real him, then it’s only fair that I should let him know the real me. This doesn’t feel like a job anymore. I‘m not even sure if I want it to be. So I’m going to do it. I’m just going to be me.

  “I’m not really a stripper,” I admit, watching his face for his reaction.

  He sits back and sets his glass down, resting his hands on the table, not saying anything at first as he continues to study me.

  After a minute, he smiles and nods, leaning forward again. “So what do you do…Destiny?”

  I cringe. “Yeah, about that. My name isn’t Destiny.”

  He laughs. “I figured as much, whether you were a stripper or not.”

  I smirk. “Yeah, well, I’m not. My name is Ashley.”

  “Ashley,” he says in that deep growl of his, and I feel that same familiar tug at my core. God, if he keeps looking at me like that and saying my name in that voice, I’m going to have to stop somewhere for a new pair of panties because these are going to be totally soaked.

  “So, tell me, Ashley, if you aren’t a stripper, what were you doing in the club last night?”

  Here goes nothing. This could be it. I might tell him, and he might be furious. But I’ll never know if I don’t tell him. And I really want to know what could happen if I can just be myself.

  I blow out a deep breath and look him straight in the eyes. “I was hired by the network to seduce you at the strip club. And I failed.”

  “Wow. Okay.” Carter runs a hand through his hair, and I want desperately to do that myself. Just to touch him. And I’m totally afraid I may have just blown all my chances at getting close to him.

  He squints at me. “What are you still doing here then? Why did you agree to go out with me?” He sets his jaw. “Are you still trying to seduce me?”

  I swallow hard, thinking about how I should answer this. I mean, yeah, I was hired to seduce him. Lola doesn’t want to pay out the money he can get if he makes it through the next couple months with his virginity intact. But that’s not why I’m here right now, is it? I know it’s not. I’m here right now because I’m totally infatuated with Carter Blaine. Beyond reason. I want to get to know him for real. So I answer him with the only thing that I know is the truth.

  “Carter, the truth is, I’m here right now for one reason. For you. I want to get to know you because, well, I really like you.”

  13

  Carter

  I’m floored. I can feel the blood pounding in my head, my heart racing from what Ashley just said.

  I don’t know what to make of it. I’ve never met anyone like her. Ever. Not out of the hundreds of women over the years. She’s completely different. She’s real. She’s honest. I can tell she doesn’t care in the least about who I am or about getting a piece of me. Not about being on television or being infamous for bringing down the notorious Head Hunter.

  “Wait,” I say, holding my hand up, my palm flat. “Hang on just a second. You like me?”

  Ashley squirms in her seat, dropping her gaze in a way that’s both a little shy, and uncomfortable. It’s so fucking cute that I just want to pull her into my lap and kiss her stupid, restaurant and manners be damned.

  Finally she lifts her eyes back to me and shrugs. “Maybe.”

  I grin. “Maybe?”

  She smiles back.

  “So, you’re telling me that you aren’t here right now because you want to seduce me, take my virginity, or whatever you want to call it?”

  “Let’s just see how it goes,” she replies simply.

  That could mean so many things. Like, she wants to see how it goes because she does want to sleep with me? Or maybe it means she wants to see if there’s actually something there between us that isn’t about sex, or this TV show, or money, or anything else.

  “How it goes?” I need her to clarify this.

  She nods. “I just want to get to know you.” She bites her lip in a way that’s half sexy and half shy. “I really like you so far, and I want to know more about you.”

  So it’s not about sleeping with me. I’m totally thrown for a loop by this. I don’t even know what to think. I’ve never had this happen. Every single woman has been after something. They’ve always had an ulterior motive. Money, mostly. Bragging rights. Or straight up animal lust and the need to see my cock for themselves.

  While I’m sure Ashley is totally turned on by me, I can also tell that this isn’t about sex for her. At least, not completely. There’s more. And that’s fucking awesome. It’s almost too perfect. The one woman who I’m actually interested in to see more than once—who I can’t stop thinking about—is interested in me too.

  “Ashley,” I say carefully, “you know about the prize money, right?”

  She wrinkles her nose in a way that makes her look too fucking adorable.

  “The money that you get if you sleep with me,” I clarify. “You know that if you actually do seduce me, there’s money in it for you.”

  “Of course I know that,” she replies, and her clear eyes tell me she’s telling the truth when she also says, “I could care less about it.”

  Oh my God. The server comes with our orders then, and we eat our fancy French dinners, but I barely even taste the exquisite cuisine. All I can think about is Ashley and the things she just told me. She’s one of a kind, and I’d be crazy not to pursue this and see where it goes.

  I know I have a show to finish, and a reputation to uphold—money to win—but the idea of seeing any other woman for the next eight weeks makes me crazy. There’s no way that I want to have eight random women coming onto me and sucking my dick when the only woman I want is sitting across the table from me right now.

  We converse some more over our meal, and the more we talk, the more I get to know her, the more convinced I am that I can’t keep doing the show the way we’ve been doing it for eight more weeks.

  When my phone buzzes, I look down and see that it’s Chase. Perfect. Exactly who I need right now.

  “Excuse me for just a minute,” I say to Ashley, giving her an apologetic smile, “I have to take this.”

  Walking into the hallway of the restaurant, I answer the phone. “Chase, we have to talk.”

  “Yeah, we do. I can’t believe what’s going down right now. Lola is going to love this.” He sounds so excited, and I don’t know what to make of it.

  “Look, I don’t know what you mean or why she might love it, b
ut we need to play that up. Can you talk to her for me? See about getting Ashley on the show again for next week? Fuck, for the rest of the season.”

  I can practically hear Chase’s grin. “You got it, man.”

  “Really?”

  “Absolutely. I think this is exactly what we need to get ratings even higher than they already are. I mean, the audience has seen you resist a long parade of women for years. There’s nothing new there. But watching you resist the same woman week after week when you obviously want her? Yeah. That’s must-watch television right there.”

  I didn’t think about it that way, but he’s right. People will be clamoring to see if I give in. There will probably be all kinds of bets taken all across the country. People just waiting to cash in.

  But that means I’m going to have to suffer through weeks and weeks of waiting to have sex with Ashley. That’s a huge downside. But fuck, I’ll take that over having to film blowjobs with random women. I don’t even want to think of what she would think about that now that we’ve both realized there’s something here between us that goes beyond the show.

  I finish the call with Chase and head back to the table to find Ashley getting ready to leave.

  “Hey, where are you going?”

  She stands up and says, “You know what, I’m just going to go home. I think that’s the safest thing for me to do right now.”

  She comes up to me and goes up on her toes, wrapping her hands gently around my neck and pulling my head down to hers. She kisses me, softly and slowly, almost tentatively. Not at all like last night. It’s different, and I know we have a different dynamic between us now that we didn’t before.

  Pulling away, she gives me a little smile, and then turns and leaves.

  I stand there staring after her, totally blown away. This girl. Then I grin. Because we’re about to have eight weeks of Head Hunter together. Eight tempting, torturous weeks.