Her Secret: A Billionaire Romance Read online

  Her tongue did find its way into my mouth and I was right there to greet her with my own. We fought valiantly, but the victory on the floor was nothing compared to how she succumbed to my advances.

  We didn’t come up for air for quite some time with the applause abating with awkwardness. She finally sat back down and she almost overshot her target.

  I knew the power of seduction better than most. She was determined not to fall victim to my sweet and syrupy words.

  “I can’t feel my toes. My whole body is tingling all the way down to my fingertips. It’s somewhat similar to how you would feel if you were sleeping soundly on top of your hand.” Her recollection of the kiss was like she was reading from my playbook.

  “The slight hint of peppermint in your mouth was a nice touch. I wasn’t expecting that. We might have gone a little too far. I don’t mind an audience.” I was used to women posturing for the press to get their 5-minutes of fame. I was watching her closely fidgeting in her chair.

  The dessert had us both looking at each other. I could only imagine what she was thinking, but my mind was conjuring the possibility of making her body into a scrumptious buffet. Those cherries topping the tips of her nipples would’ve been easy to digest. I would find myself circling the bud in the infancy stage of getting hard. I wanted to slather her body with whipped cream with a direct line down to where her lips would be waiting to be consumed.

  “I would ask what you are thinking, but I don’t think I have to. It’s not just your eyes, but looking under the table gives me the idea some things about a man is the same. You have to think about your audience before you get these nasty thoughts. I hope you don’t expect anything to happen after we leave here.” It was on my mind.

  “What would you suggest?”

  “I might be convinced to take a long walk down the beach, but it won’t result in sand getting into places where it shouldn’t.” She did bring about an interesting image in my head.

  “I don’t want to be predictable. I tend to gravitate to women who are not straight-laced. You make me double my efforts to bring you into my arms. Fighting you has become a challenge to my manhood.” I didn’t mean to put her on the spot, but she was rapidly making me desperate for her touch.

  “The one thing you’re not is predictable. You did say this was going to be our first date. There’s an unwritten rule where partners don’t get physical until after the third or fourth date. Don’t try to get up.” I coughed and looked down at my current predicament.

  There was no way I could pursue her without attracting the attention of those still watching the show. They didn’t need to know the state of my hungry need for her. I was going to have to wait to cool things off before attempting a discreet exit in the dark.

  It was too bad there wasn’t any liquor on hand. Getting a woman in the mood by plying them with different libations was a good way to loosen the chastity belt around their waists. I had the key to the lock and I was prepared to use it on Erin. The challenge had been accepted. I had yet begun to fight for her heart.

  CHAPTER 11

  Erin

  It was the last day of treatment. I was going crazy to be near someone. There were many who could easily wear my mark, but one had grabbed my fascination from the moment we began our game of cat and mouse.

  I was packing up what little I had brought with me. My plane was scheduled to leave Costa Rica early in the evening.

  Breakfast had this awkward silence. Those who were leaving at the same time were trying to cope with the reality of life coming back to haunt them. This was a safe place, but outside these doors, the temptation could be seen and had anywhere.

  Jessica was my lifeline. She had agreed before she left to be my sponsor. I had consulted her on my feelings for Tyler. She made me realize how important it was to keep things from escalating.

  “He doesn’t know you like I do. We both suffer from the same sickness in varying degrees. He may not be trying to use you, but it essentially comes down to the same thing. Do you really have to get physical with him to express yourself emotionally? This is a question you’re going to have to ask yourself.” I’d been thinking about it. It was time to say what was on my mind without shedding a few layers. Her words rang true even 12-hours after I heard it.

  I followed the same path after retrieving my cup of hot chocolate and found him skipping stones along the glassy surface of the ocean. It was very calm. There was the threat of an incoming storm on the horizon. It was in the air.

  “I was starting to wonder if maybe you had cold feet.” Between therapy and dodging his hands, it was hard to find some peace of mind.

  “I almost didn’t come, but I don’t want you to read anything into it. This is our final day and we have yet to speak of the elephant in the room. I’m going to trust you with some information about my treatment here. I don’t know what you’re in for, but mine is going to make you chuckle.” He stopped me by placing himself between me and the words coming out of my mouth.

  “You don’t have to tell me anything. I do feel like we have come a long way in the last few weeks. My main concern coming here was privacy. I didn’t want any of my competitors to know of my anxiety issues. I’ve even come to terms with the underlying anger toward my parents. Dr. Evans has been quite instrumental in making me see myself as the problem.” I could have been worried about his issues, but it wasn’t like I didn’t have any of my own.

  “There’s no easy way to say this without blurting it out. I have a sex addiction. Some don’t believe in it, but it’s real. I’m ashamed of it. I used to use sex to numb myself and escape from problems. I have never been in a real romantic relationship, only physical ones. I managed it by having safe sex with my partners, and I never had sex with strangers. As part of the recovery process, I can’t have sex for three months after leaving here. I’ve been told to cut ties with anyone I have been remotely sexual with in the past few years.” I watched his face for reactions or judgement, his face didn’t flinched. Most importantly, he didn’t run away.

  I knew I probably told him more than he needed to know. Since there could be real feelings toward each other, he should know the truth about me. I may come to regret it later, but there was a sense of relief from saying the words which were on the tip of my tongue too many times to count.

  “I didn’t know. I probably wouldn’t have tried so hard to get you to sleep with me, had I this knowledge beforehand. I am sorry if my behavior made your recovery difficult.” His eyes were empathetic and kind.

  “There is no need to be sorry, I enjoyed our flirtation too.” Oh Tyler, you had no idea how much I wanted to launch myself at you and kiss you like you had never been kissed.

  “It’s time for us to say farewell. I want to stay in touch with you. I know it’s going to be difficult, but you never know what the future might hold for the both of us.” He wasn’t the least bit shocked by the revelation of my sex addiction.

  “We were all sworn to secrecy. For the first time in my life, I’ve gotten to know a man on a different level than just appearances. I’m not going to lie and tell you I haven’t thought of you in my bed. I still have a lot of work to do on myself before planning anything more than a few days ahead.” I still had no idea how I was going to make it without sex for three months.

  “You should not be judged by past misdeeds. The time has come for the both of us to look into the mirror and respect the person looking back. We are all flawed in our own ways. Our flaws are what make us real and interesting.”

  “I had a feeling something was different from the moment we met. I was happy and it had nothing to do with the ignition of sexual endorphins. I’m trying to make some sense of it all, but how can I, when it doesn’t make any sense at all. What I now know is that I do have the inner strength to fight my urges.” I was wearing the same dress on my first day symbolic of my time coming to an end.

  “I’m glad and somewhat dismayed by the reason why we couldn’t be
together. I enjoyed the conversations we have had. I got to know you on a deeper level than I was expecting. I will miss our daily chats.” I initially thought I was going to be bored with idle chitchat, but with Tyler, it was a pleasure.

  “I feel like there is a real change in the both of us. It’s like night and day from when we first entered into these hallowed halls. You seem happier and more relaxed from the first day we met.”

  “I lost a part of myself and I found it here with you. I was a critical mess when I first arrived. I saw everybody as the enemy even my therapist. She was preventing me from getting back to the life I knew. This time away has made me see the world differently, see my father and Francesca differently. Most importantly, money isn’t everything. It doesn’t even rank on my top 10.” I could see he meant every word.

  “I am learning to live with my mistakes. I was lucky to have a grandmother who cared for me enough to do this. Her passing is still something I’m trying to handle without resorting to jumping into bed with the first available man.” I took his hands, they felt soft and warm.

  “You have spoken of her often enough it almost makes me think I know her. She was always looking out for you. It wasn’t like she could stop you from doing anything, but she could lead you with a guiding hand in the right direction. Have you decided what you’re going to do with the money? I can give you some investment tips, but you didn’t hear it for me.”

  Our frank discussions had gotten personal. The heartbreak of his father’s passing and his ex-girlfriend’s infidelity had broken him. He had been rebuilt from the ground up. We all had something to thank Dr. Evans for.

  “I have my grandmother to thank for raising me and giving me a foundation to build on. I have strayed from my path from time to time, but this is a new chapter. I will use the money to help those of her children on the street and help them with their education.” I was still undressing him with my eyes. Having seen him in his element without clothes had given me the right to bring those parts to life whenever I damned desired.

  “This place wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. I don’t want to leave. I know I should, but this sense of calm and peace is hard to find anywhere else. Dr. Evans made me build a safe place for myself. I have to remember to utilize my strengths.” It was primarily the same rhetoric taken in an entirely different context, but still out of the intellectual mind of Dr. Evans.

  “We have the rest of the day and we will see each other on the plane.” He got a little fidgety when I mentioned the plane and began pulling on the newly acquired goatee. It was rather masculine and hard not to see him as a potential conquest.

  “I won’t be joining you in first class. I have made arrangements to have my private plane ready and fueled on the tarmac when I arrive at the airport. I would invite you to come along, but my first stop is in Japan to take care of some business. It’s rather out of the way considering you have a life to get back to.” I wanted to scream, but I refrained from making anything awkward between us.

  “I’ve always wanted to visit Japan. I have some things to do back in San Diego. I don’t look forward to castrating my lovers. It makes me anxious and a little emotional by the prospect of what I have to say to them. I have to remind myself this is for the best. I can’t be responsible for keeping them from finding true love. They have been pining over me and I let them for selfish reasons.” Frank and Enrique were both going to feel the wrecking ball of my stinging words.

  “If I can give you one piece of advice it would be to let them down gently. They’re not going to know what hit them. Something tells me there are going to be some lost souls after you’re done with them. Hopefully, somebody will come along to pick up the pieces.” I waited for him to proclaim his love, but we were both still reeling from the fact it was our final hours.

  “I will do what I can to mend their broken hearts by introducing them to some of my friends.” Matchmaking wasn’t my biggest strong suit, but I was willing to sacrifice my love life to see my friends happy.

  That had never entered into my train of thought all the time I had been stringing them along from one sexual encounter to another. It was unconscionable to keep them for rainy days. They knew the score, but underneath, I always feared they were looking for something more.

  “We could make out like lovesick teenagers. I wouldn’t mind having a quick feel before we have to leave. It might be enough for some closure.” He was obviously looking for some contact and he wasn’t the only one.

  “I should tell you this is a dangerous slope. I wonder if you truly understand what you’re asking of me. I don’t want to do anything to take away from the hard work I have done.” We did hold hands. It was cute and a little frustrating at the same time.

  “I had a feeling that was going to be your answer. You can’t blame a guy for trying.” His cheap feel turned out to be his hand around me with his fingers playing lightly over my bare midsection.

  They put on a beach party for those of us leaving the comfort and protection of this place. There were many different offerings including a succulent animal roasted over a spit. We both got up and danced with the local talent. There was still no liquor, but it really wasn’t needed to have a good time.

  He walked me to the taxi waiting at the curb at 9 pm. We shared one chaste kiss not wanting to tempt either one of us to go any further than that. His plane wasn’t going to leave until almost midnight to correspond with the time change over in Japan.

  The taxi drove away. I looked back to see him smiling awkwardly like a teenager. He was waving and there was a little piece of me left behind with his hands holding it tightly. I could almost feel his fingers on my midsection. Without meaning to, I mimicked the very same motion he had done with my own hands. It wasn’t nearly the same.

  CHAPTER 12

  Tyler

  It was 10-months later on Thanksgiving. With the holiday looming, I was reminded of my several attempts to call Erin after I had one too many. Every now and then, my mind wandered back to her, wondering how life was treating her. The image of her putting her bikini back on was seared into my memory. I missed our lively debates, her sexy yet unassuming beauty, and her devilish smile while teasing the living daylight out of me. I had kept track of her and we had exchanged pleasantries for a couple of months before things began to fizzle.

  “I don’t mean to be a poison pill, but maybe there’s a reason why she hasn’t stayed in contact. She might’ve found somebody else. I’m sure you’ve already thought about that.” Stella was trying to be a friend, but she was getting in my way literally and figuratively at the front door.

  “I have to do this. I don’t think I could live with myself without finding out if there’s something more there. She has this heart of gold and she makes me believe I can be a better man. You see the difference more than anyone.” I was less likely to go off the handle for no apparent reason other than to hear myself scream.

  “That’s precisely my point. Aren’t you afraid of taking a few steps back in your recovery by trying to rekindle something that might not have been there in the first place? Again, I’m not going to tell you what to do and I can only give you my unbiased opinion. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how far you have come. Business has never been better since you have grown an understanding about going green.” I had implemented several programs including a few in San Diego to eliminate my company’s carbon footprint. These ideas came to me during my time in Costa Rica.

  “I’m taking a sabbatical. I will always be there for you to consult with, but the daily minutiae of the day to day grind are getting to me. I want something more to live for than the money accumulating in my bank accounts.” I was tired of being under pressure. My thoughts constantly went back to the woman who had given me some food for thought.

  “I should be giving you my blessing. Others in my position would gladly take the reins and show you the door. I will never be the reason for your unhappiness. I came here to the outskirts of San
Diego under the pretense of keeping you informed about business. I wanted one last chance to change your mind.” No matter how relentless Stella was, my mind was made up.

  She was seeing one guy and he was a pilot. It did make sense to see her head in the clouds. She was no longer looking for the fountain of youth. Edgar was a little older, but they were smitten in a way that made me see her differently.

  “I’ve no idea how you convinced Edgar to let you go with me for this adventure in love.” I’d been in the city for a few days. Getting close to Erin wasn’t a problem. I’d seen her on various occasions without making an approach.

  I was letting my anxiety over getting rejected take me by the throat and choke me into submission.

  “Edgar knows you are important to me. He was well aware of the facts before we got together. I told him in no uncertain terms this is what he signed up for. I thought he was going to run the other direction, but he didn’t.” They say there was one person for everyone and apparently she had found the man she was meant to spend the rest of her life with.

  “I’ve been holed up here in this hotel room for almost a week. I have to get out of my own way. Today is Thanksgiving. I want to be thankful to have her in my life. I’ve drawn up some documents. You can have your lawyer read them over, but it’s pretty much boilerplate.” It didn’t matter what happened with Erin. I was ready to throw off the shackles of business for something more fulfilling.

  She took the documents, but she still stood in my way with her high heel holding the door closed. She scanned the papers one at a time. I had forgotten about her ability to speed read which made her a valuable asset in any business negotiation. This was the kind of woman who could read between the lines like nobody’s business.

  “I didn’t know you were this serious about giving it all up. It would be my honor to serve you in any capacity. It goes to show the trust you have in me. I won’t let you down. I see you still have your seat on the Board of Directors. I’m looking forward to getting my hands dirty.” I removed her leg from my path gently and gave her a nod of recognition. She was still very much my mirror image made in my likeness. I had utmost faith in her abilities.