The Billionaire’s Betrayal Read online

  “Yup,” I said, slurping my own oyster.

  “Damn. Miss Happy is a married woman. I’m not usually into married women.” He sipped his scotch and downed another oyster.

  I kept drinking and slurping, hoping that was the end of that conversation. Why I’d brought it up, I didn’t know.

  The waiter dropped off our lobster roll sliders, some of the cutest little edibles I’d ever seen. We both dove in, lost in the exquisiteness of fresh seafood.

  After a few minutes, Brodie asked, “So. Is there anything you want to tell me?”

  “No.” I took another sip of my martini. It was a small sip.

  “You sure? He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “Are you married or not?”

  I set my seafood fork down and dabbed my mouth with the corner of my napkin.

  “I actually am married,” I told him.

  “Ah ha. So you weren’t kidding.” So far, he seemed unfazed.

  “When I was just starting my business, I took money from an English guy to marry him so he could get his green card.”

  He nodded. He was being cool so far, so I continued.

  “In the end, it was a mistake.”

  He finished his chewing and asked, “How so?”

  Big sigh. “Contrary to our agreement, he now won’t give me a divorce, and he wants his ten thousand dollars back. I don’t have the money, and he’s threatening to tell my investors. That would ruin my company.” A rush of emotions suddenly overwhelmed me. A lump built in my throat and my eyes filled with tears. Great, crying on a date. Good going, Nara. But it felt good to tell him. If this didn’t scare him off, I didn’t know what would.

  “Jesus,” Brodie said. “What a fucking dick.”

  It was as if his sympathetic understanding broke a hole in the dike holding my emotions, because out of the blue I found myself sobbing quietly. I blew my nose into the high-end napkin on my lap.

  “I’m so sorry,” I said between hiccups. “I didn’t mean to get emotional on you. It’s just that this has really been weighing on me. I’m a wreck over the whole thing.”

  “Christ, I don’t blame you. What a shitty thing to go through.”

  I nodded. “Yup. Karma, I guess. That’s what I get for breaking the law.”

  “What a story.” The waiter dropped off our dinner, and seeing my face, disappeared just as quickly.

  “You’re not kidding,” I said, wiping away the last of my tears with the back of my hand.

  “What are you gonna do about it?” he asked.

  I thought for a sec. “I’m not really sure yet. On one hand if he exposes me, it could be the end of my company. But on the other, he would be deported. Although he seems to have figured that out. He’s ready to hide under a fake identity.”

  He shook his head in disgust. “This guy sounds like more of a loser every minute.”

  “Yup. And I married him.”

  I arched my neck and rolled my shoulders. It felt damn good to have gotten that off my back.

  “Now, you tell me something,” I said, although it was doubtful he had anything half as dramatic as I did.

  He sliced into his filet mignon. “A couple years ago, my father was convicted of fraud and embezzlement. He’s in prison now.” He popped a bite of steak into his mouth.

  Holy shit. Now that was a story.

  “Damn,” was all I could say. That was why dad was no longer in the hotel business. Okay.

  “Yup. That’s what I said when I found out.”

  “Where is he in prison?” I asked.

  “Oh, not far from here. Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining. About an hour north of the city.”

  “Wow,” I said. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Let me tell, you, so was I.”

  Chapter 16

  Brodie

  Christ, I couldn’t believe I told her my dad was in prison. Was I fucking crazy? I never told anyone that willingly.

  “How did it all go down?” she asked.

  “My dad’s business partners found out he was shifting money around to get them through a rough patch. He could have handled it differently—it’s not like he was hurting for money. But they took the case to the DA, and he ended up in prison.” Christ, did I really just say that out loud?

  She took a bite of her halibut. “How’d you end up in charge of the hotel?”

  “Well, the agreement we worked out was that I would run the hotel and make payments to the plaintiffs—in this case, my dad’s business partners. They eventually passed away, and now, I’m dealing with their sons. We had to put together a partnership, and I’ve done well by them. I want to make it up to them.”

  “Wow. Just wow,” she said, just staring at me, shaking her head. “That is a lot to take on, especially when you didn’t even wrong those folks.”

  “Yeah. Well, I love the hotel. My dad built it, and I practically grew up there. This arrangement was really the only way to save it.”

  “I’m so impressed. You’re making it work,” she said.

  “Well, it’s not been without its issues. In fact, I’m afraid something serious is brewing right now.” God, it felt good to tell her this.

  “What’s going on?”

  I told her the story of my call to the firm and how the dissolution of the partnership might work.

  “Oh my god! What are you going to do?” she asked.

  I took a sip of the Opus One wine I’d ordered. Sublime…like the stunner sitting across from me.

  “I’m not sure, yet. I’m thinking through my options.”

  “Wow, just wow. And I thought I had problems.” She gave a small laugh and shook her head.

  I held my glass to her. “Cheers. May all our problems be solved.”

  * * *

  I thought I’d been smitten before, but apparently, I’d fooled myself. This here, this was the real thing. Nara was a scrapper, not some spoiled Manhattanite like I was used to. She just slayed me. When she excused herself for the ladies’ room, all I could do was stare at the lipstick on the rim of her martini glass.

  Get a grip, asshole.

  After dinner, we had time to kill before the helicopter returned to pick us up. We headed toward the moonlit beach where a light breeze was blowing off the Atlantic. Much to my delight, she shivered, giving me another excuse to wrap my arm around her. Funny, I never needed an excuse to touch a woman before. But with Nara, I wouldn’t make assumptions. Patience was suddenly a valued virtue.

  We headed toward a pier where a couple old guys were fishing. We passed them, and at the end of the old wooden structure, we leaned on the railing and looked down at the black water circling around barnacled pilings. I inhaled the saltwater smells, which reminded me of coming here as a kid. My family hadn’t taken helicopters to get here back then. We’d piled into an old Volvo station wagon back before my dad had made it big with the hotel. Back before he’d screwed up badly enough to end up in prison.

  I turned to find Nara, eyes closed, face turned into the breeze. A few strands of her inky hair had come loose and whipped around her face. Goddamn if she didn’t take my breath away.

  I ran a light finger from her temple to her cheek, and I tucked the errant hairs behind her ear. Her eyes remained closed, but her lips formed a slight smile. She sighed deeply. I took that not so much as an invitation, but as an openness to whatever might come her way.

  I brushed my lips over hers, and she released the hottest little moan. In seconds, my dick was standing at attention inside my trousers.

  I ran the tip of my tongue over her relaxed lips. They parted with my gentle probing. She tasted like wine, only sweeter, and it was all I could do to keep from devouring her.

  When I pulled her closer, her hands fell on the back of my neck, running through my hair. She grabbed a handful and hung on hard.

  Playing rough. I did not expect that.

  Pulling back, I left her needing more. I had a sudden urge to see her face, which was all the more beautiful in the da
rk where I could really only see the contrast of her blowing hair against her fair skin. I cupped her cheeks. “You’re something, Miss Happy.”

  She looked down, maybe in embarrassment, I wasn’t sure. Then her gaze met mine. “You’re not too bad yourself, Hotel Guy.”

  “You know what?” I asked.

  “What?”

  “The cab is here to take us back to the helicopter.” I laughed.

  I could swear she looked a little disappointed that our intimate moment had to end. But she needn’t worry. There’d be more.

  * * *

  The flight back to the city was more amazing than the flight east to Montauk, with the lights of Long Island and then Manhattan glittering below. It was a quiet ride back, mesmerized as we were and buzzed thanks to good dinner wine. The limo met us at the heliport and immediately steered toward Brooklyn to take Nara home. Our evening would be over in fifteen or so quick minutes. Unless I could find a way to prolong it.

  I held her hand in my lap, running circles on her palm with a finger as she scooted closer and put her head on my shoulder.

  “Well, would you look at that,” I said. “Just barely nine thirty. Did I tell you we’d get you home at a decent hour or what?”

  She glanced at her watch. “You weren’t kidding. Wow.”

  We pulled up in front of her place.

  “Walk me to my door?” she asked.

  We climbed the stoop to a brownstone that had probably been a single family home back in the day. Now, as a sign of the times, the placed had been divided into what looked like four units, two on each level. Regardless, it was beautiful, and the dark wood entry way was infinitely cozy and warm. It made me rethink my spartan Soho loft.

  “Gorgeous building.”

  “Want to take a quick peek?” she offered.

  “Sure I won’t be keeping you up past your bedtime?”

  She laughed. “I may keep you up past your bedtime.”

  Damn.

  We entered her apartment, and before she could flick on a light, I pressed her against the foyer wall and ground my lips against hers. I’d been waiting all night to do this, to really take her, and I hoped she was as open to it as I wanted her to be. She grabbed my shoulders and pulled me tighter still. My dick was rock hard, and I ground it against her stomach. She pressed right back into me. Shit.

  I gave us enough separation that I could reach the buttons of her silk blouse. The second I got it open I pulled one of her juicy tits out of her lace bra and brought it to my lips. Her nipple was tight and pointed in my mouth, and I sucked on it until she moaned and ground my head harder into her chest.

  I wanted to take her and fuck her right there. But I knew better. If I wanted this woman, I had to ease into her life. There was something in her past holding her back. I wanted to find out what it was and annihilate it. Unless she annihilated me first.

  Chapter 17

  Nara

  I had to hand it to him…Brodie had way more self control than I ever would have given him credit for. I mean, he’d pressed into my stomach what seemed like a very nice dick, and just when I thought I would faint from him torturing my nipple, he pulled back as it were time to go home.

  Oh, no you don’t.

  Not sure what came over me, but I wanted to make him feel good. No, great. And I guess I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. I reached for his trousers and as fast as my fumbling fingers would allow, I unbuckled, unbuttoned, and unzipped until I reached him. And oh, what a treat I discovered.

  He was hard as a baseball bat and when I freed him from the tangle of shirttails and boxers, his cock bounced in freedom. I ran my hand along the shaft, which was too wide to completely close my fingers around, and marveled at the velvety softness of his skin. When I reached the head and stroked a little more gently, I could swear he growled.

  “Nara. Fuck, that feels nice.”

  That was all the encouragement I needed. I fell to my knees and pointed him in the direction of my lips. First, I licked a drop of precum from him, and then tormented him with circles around his crown. Then I took his whole head into my mouth—only the head—and created a suction that I knew hollowed my cheeks. He looked down at me in wonder, with his hands on my head. I helped myself to his balls, which were already pulled up nice and tight.

  I pulled his cock out of my mouth, and ran it over my face, dying to feel him as much as I could. He grabbed his base and gently slapped me with it a couple times, laughing.

  I ran my tongue along his length, continuing to his balls, which I pulled into my mouth. I thought he was going to lose it, right then and there. And I was just getting started.

  I encircled his head once more with my lips, sucking and licking only that sensitive part, while he stroked the length. Little by little I took more of him in my mouth until my lips had replaced his hand, and he banged into the back of my throat. My knees were getting sore from the hardwood floors, but truthfully, I barely felt them. My own sex was wet and hot, and more than a little achy.

  I was pistoning his cock with my mouth in a steady rhythm when he pulled away from me and pulled me up by the arms. I barely knew what was happening, so engrossed I was in sucking him off, and before I knew it I stood there in nothing but my panties and high heels. I went to kick off the shoes.

  “No. Keep them on.”

  And so I did.

  He threw off his own shoes in order to step out of his trousers, and when he did, he picked them up to fish something out of his pocket. He ripped open a condom and handed it to me.

  “C’mere,” he said, leading me into the living room. There, he pushed me against my sofa.

  “Put the condom on me, please,” he said quietly.

  I rolled the tight latex over his engorged hard-on, and as soon as I was done, he spun me around and bent me over the sofa back. He yanked my panties over my ass and down to my knees and his fingers flew to my hungry pussy. As he explored, we both realized how damn soaked I was. It had been so long—too long—since I’d been lightheaded from the touch of a gorgeous, confident man. I’d missed it more than I’d realized.

  “Are you ready, beautiful?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I murmured.

  He kicked my feet farther apart, and I felt him press up against my slit. I couldn’t wait to feel him stretch my pussy wide, that’s how wild he had me.

  He entered just enough to open me. I gasped at the sensation.

  “You all right?” he whispered in my ear.

  “Yes. It’s good. Give me some more.”

  And he did, sinking deeper inside, just an inch at a time, allowing me to accommodate his girth. One last push, and his balls bounced against my clit.

  “God baby, you’re tight,” he said.

  He was seated in me to the hilt, just holding himself there, while an orgasm built in me. I hadn’t known I could come without pumping, but my pussy contracted until I exploded over his thick hardness, bucking my head and screaming his name.

  Just as I began to quiet, he began to pump, plunging in and out of me until another orgasm built and I was bucking and screaming all over again. I couldn’t see or think, or even speak. All I could do was mindlessly feel him inside me, and the resulting, delicious sensations that exploded in every cell of my body and to the end of every hair.

  In my delirium Brodie swelled inside me and convulsed into shudders.

  “Yeah, it’s so good. Baby, it’s so good,” he murmured as his pumping slowed. He held me from behind with a hand on each breast as he emptied himself. His hand ran up to my mouth, and a finger found its way to my lips, tickling them lightly. He pulled out of me, discarded the condom, and pulled us down to lie on the sofa. We dozed.

  When I woke, Brodie had pulled a throw over me and was dressing.

  “Where are you going? What time is it?” I asked, sitting up, groggy and sore.

  “Not too late. Around eleven p.m. You have a big day tomorrow, and I do too. I’m gonna head home. And I’ll call you later.”
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br />   He sat down next to me on the sofa, smoothing the mess that was my hair away from my face. No one had ever looked at me like that—as if he knew me, and could really see me—but also with an intense curiosity, as if he wanted to know more.

  Wow. Just wow.

  As the door closed behind him, I lay there on the sofa where he’d left me, disheveled as hell with lipstick smeared down my chin, my ponytail decimated, and a warm ache in my pussy.

  But I came to my senses and ran to the front window to spy on him as he climbed into a cab; he must have sent the limo driver home long ago. He cut quite a figure with his height and broad shoulders in his perfectly fitted dark suit. I felt a little pang watching him pull the door closed. But just as he pulled away, he rolled down his window and took a last look at my place.

  I wondered if he saw me, because a text came in moments later.

  g’night beautiful. c u soon.

  I didn’t answer. I wanted to play it cool. I’d thrown myself on enough men with disastrous consequences and didn’t want to humiliate myself again.

  * * *

  I slept like the dead, and when my phone rang at midnight, it scared the wits out of me.

  “Hello? Hello?” I croaked. I reached for the glass of water I kept on my bedside, but in my clumsy sleepiness sent it flying to the floor. I struggled to sit up and wipe off the nightstand before I had the presence of mind to wonder who the hell was calling so late.

  “Nara? Nara is that you?” I wasn’t awake enough yet to identify the caller, but it was an accent from my past.

  “Yes, this is Nara. Who’s this? Did something happen to my mother?”

  “Nara, calm down! It’s Becca Kates.”

  Ohthankgod.

  “Becca, why are you calling me so late? It’s midnight here.”

  “Oh my goodness. I forgot about the time change. I’m so sorry! I always do that to you, don’t I? Listen, how ’bout I call you back tomorrow?” she offered.

  “No, it’s okay. I’m awake now.” Did I hear a baby crying in the background? “Becca, is that a baby? I thought your kids were older now.”