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  Can this really be happening? I still hardly know him, and yet I feel so connected to him.

  “I’m glad you made the choice to get in the car. I know it was really presumptuous of me to expect you to drop everything and come over, that’s something I have to work on.”

  His sincerity is contagious.

  “I’m glad I came over too. I didn’t know if I’d hear from you again.”

  The billionaire nods, as if he’s been told this many times before.

  “Listen, I haven’t always been great at relationships. I didn’t get to this place in life by taking time to smell the roses. But being around you is different than anything I’ve ever felt.”

  He pauses, as if wondering whether or not to continue. “I should have called you sooner.”

  The more we talk through the night the more I realize how wrong I was about Devon Marcus.

  Moving Forward

  The next morning I awake in the bed of Devon Marcus, L.A.’s premier billionaire. Devon’s nowhere to be seen, but the aroma of breakfast clues me in to his whereabouts. I look around his room and can’t believe that any of this is really happening to me. I walk downstairs wearing only my panties and Devin’s t-shirt as a makeshift nightgown.

  “Hey sunshine!” he says, putting down his Wall Street Journal as he greets me. There’s a lightness about him that brings a smile to my soul. Devon takes me in his arms as he kisses me.

  “Don’t you sleep?” I say, admiring the breakfast he’s laid out for the two of us.

  “How can I sleep with you lying right next to me the whole damn time? It was all I could do to keep my hands off you,” he says, bringing my body closer to his and diving into my neck with his mouth.

  “Thank you for breakfast. I’m impressed,” I say, grabbing a piece of toast from my plate.

  “No problem. I don’t want you going hungry on my watch.” Devon releases me from his grasp and checks his phone.

  He reads a text message and looks really annoyed. “Shit. What’s wrong with the Italians? When it comes to food and wine- they know exactly what they’re doing. But when it comes to meeting deadlines, they don’t seem to have a care in the world.”

  “Is there anything I can help you with?” I say, trying to be polite but not really meaning it.

  Devon checks his watch and looks up at me. “I have to fly to Venice for a few days. Come with me- I have some stuff I have to take care of but the two of us can play together at night.”

  Venice with Devon Marcus? I can’t tell whether or not I’m dreaming but I decide it doesn’t matter either way. I’ve spent too much time saving up on life- I decide I’m going to start spending some of it.

  “I’m not sure. I only travel in style. You’re not going to make me fly coach are you?” I tease, reaching out to touch his hand.

  “We’ll take my private jet Tabby. That should be stylish enough for you.” He grins, taking out his phone again to check the time. “Don’t make me kidnap you.”

  “Okay, I’ll come with you,” I say. Seeing Devon light up erases my fleeting concern about what to tell my boss when I call out for work.

  “Another good choice Ms. Stallings. Now you’re getting the hang of things,” he says as he lifts me up and starts to bite at my lip.

  I still can’t get over how good it feels whenever I’m in his arms. And I still don’t have a clue why he’s into me, or how long this will last. But we definitely have a chemistry that goes beyond our worlds on paper. And how can I pass up a trip to Venice with Devon Marcus?

  Gran would be so disappointed if I did.

  THE END

  Book 2: Taken by the Billionaire

  (Billionaire Erotica)

  By Rachel Masters

   2012 Rachel Masters. All rights reserved.

  Another Day At The Office

  Sara had heard over and over again how quickly the time would pass after she graduated from college. She’d always dismissed that kind of talk as coming from old folks with nothing better to do but lecture young people having the time of their lives. Now, here she was, 32 years old and wondering what had happened to the last ten years of her life.

  She’d never managed to marry (despite one relationship that had seemed destined to go the distance) and now Sara was beginning to feel like the token single woman at the dinner party.

  She’d always taken it for granted that by her early thirties she would be successful, sophisticated, trendy, and perhaps most importantly, noticeable. Lately she was feeling anything but. Her job was a grind and most of the time she was too exhausted when she came home to do much more than watch TV and make herself dinner. Sara was seriously considering quitting and trying to find a new line of work—anything to shake up her life.

  Ironically, it was Sara’s boring job that ended up changing her life….

  Peter Barrows, Sara’s boss and the president of a prominent real estate firm in the Chicago area (who should have been retired a decade ago), came by her desk one day with his cup of coffee and his condescending smirk.

  “Sara, I’ve got an important task for you to complete,” he said, taking a loud, slurp from his mug.

  She didn’t buy this for a minute. Important for Mr. Barrows meant making sure his coffee was sweetened with Splenda or that the tacky Italian art hanging on his walls wasn’t crooked.

  “I’ve got a potential investor coming to town this Friday and I’d like you to help get him settled for the weekend. Pick him up at the airport, bring him to his hotel, make him feel more than welcomed. I’d do it myself, but Linda and I are going away this weekend to the Lakes.” Slurp, slurp. Mr. Barrows looked down at her.

  Great, thought Sara. Another Friday evening ruined spent trying to collect some multi-gajillionaire’s luggage in an insanely crowded airport terminal.

  “Absolutely. I’ll make sure to make him feel welcomed,” Sara told him, trying to force a smile to her face.

  As he left her desk, Mr. Barrows was quick to add, “Oh, and Sara, please don’t mess this up. His name is Ted Jeffries, and he’s the wealthiest investor in the commercial real estate world. He’s a big deal.”

  The Pick-Up

  Sara arrived at the airport that Friday evening to pick up the investor. As the passengers flooded the terminal from their Los Angeles flight, she held up her sign as all good executive assistants do when forced to make yet another routine pick-up. She waved the sign that read “Ted Jeffries” with a certain lifelessness.

  She couldn’t help but notice a family reuniting at the gate; a husband—and a very handsome one at that—had clearly been away on a business trip. His wife and two children greeted him with a barrage of hugs and kisses.

  Sara began to drift into that space of regret and wonder.

  Where’s my tall, attractive husband with a briefcase stuffed with tremendous financial promise? Where’s my family of perfectly crafted children dressed and ready for a Pottery Barn catalog? Where did I go wrong?

  Just as her mind began to take her deeper into more self-loathing, she felt a hand, strong but gentle, rest on the top of her right shoulder. She turned to find herself inches from a man who was perhaps the most attractive person that she’d ever been this close to, at least in the past decade or so.

  “Looking for Ted Jeffries?” said the casually suited businessman.

  “Yeah, um. Yes. Mr. Jeffries?” she bumbled.

  “Please, call me Teddy,” he said, with enough confidence to lead a dozen nations. Sara was stunned. She could tell right away that this guy was smooth. And he was hotter than lava.

  He was the kind of guy she’d seen in high profiled jewelry ads in every magazine and every hair salon; the kind of guy women fantasized about but who most never had the opportunity to be this close to.

  Teddy, was an American stud. Even with a suit on, it was clear that he worked out, and that he worked out hard. His strong, wide pecs were more than evident. He had biceps that were fighting their way out of his business attire. His face… there
was something almost Greek-god like about his face. His eyes were piercing yet soft, and they were colored with the type of blue that ignited thoughts of warm, tropical waters. He had just enough facial stubble to give him that rugged, man of the land appearance, but his hair stood out perhaps more than any other feature above his neck; his hair was dark and thick- hair that only men who made a lot of money were somehow able to possess.

  The Car Ride

  Sara escorted her assignment to her company’s car. As the two headed towards the first destination, Teddy’s hotel, she became increasingly surprised at his warm, welcoming demeanor. He spoke as if she were actually important.

  “Hey thanks for picking me up. I’m sure you have better things to do on a Friday than pick up a total stranger at an airport.”

  His gregarious, inviting personality, along with his exceptional good looks and his confident attitude, were really beginning to get Sara’s attention.

  “So, Sara, what did the old man put you up to this weekend?” he said with a gentle but wry grin. Sara knew right away that Teddy was referring to her boss, Peter Barrows.

  “Mr. Barrows?“ Sara said as she quickly snapped out of her musings and into her role as a mere executive’s assistant.

  Teddy couldn’t help himself and let out an unstoppable laugh at her nervous, corporate response. “Yeah, Pete, or as you like to so formally call him, Mr. Barrows. I know he’s got you up to no good. Probably wants you to show me around the city, make me feel at home. I know how important this deal is to Pete. Truth of the matter, he had me at Chicago. I love this city from a business perspective and already made up my mind to go forward with Pete the moment that he came to me with this investment opportunity.”

  Sara was really beginning to like this guy. The super successful business clientele that she had come into contact with were not usually like this. Basically, Teddy came across as a normal person. And yet he wasn’t normal, he was the sexiest damn guy on the planet and he had a bank account the size of Texas.

  Sara couldn’t help her elevator eyes from sneaking a quick full-length scan of Teddy’s body as she unconsciously mumbled a few words out. “Mr. Barrows will be thrilled to find out that you are this interested.” Did he just notice her curious glance?

  “I need to be honest with you Sara, I really just came here to get away for a few days, and to seal the deal with Pete. If you really want to do a good job for Mr. Barrows you can start by relaxing a bit around me.”

  The feminist in her put her best foot forward to get defensive. Jeez… This guy thinks he can take charge of anyone. Hmmm… maybe he can.

  As Teddy continued to speak, he did the unspeakable and placed his hand on her thigh.

  She mustered every ounce of focus she could to keep the car in it’s respective lane. Sara’s mind was instantly going nuts as his hand sent tingles through her entire body. She sat up straight and tried with all her might to appear impervious to his touch—which could have been nothing more than a gesture of friendship—or perhaps this unimaginable stud was actually flirting with her!

  The Hotel

  When the two arrived at the hotel, Sara handled the concierge as she had done countless times before. She took Teddy up to his executive suite on the top floor of the tallest hotel in Chicago. They arrived in the suite and Teddy was quietly satisfied but nonetheless unimpressed by the all of the fixings that the hotel could offer him- a panoramic view of the city’s skyline, décor that was fit for royalty, a mini bar that made it unnecessary to venture out to a full size bar, and a king sized bed fully equipped with ceiling mirrors for those who dared to gander upwards.

  “So, um, Mr. Jeffries…” Sara struggled to get her words out.

  “Sara, I have to say, you look like you too could use a bit of relaxation- perhaps a change of plans? Old man Barrows has got you working too hard these days,” Teddy smirked. He added, “And please, call me Teddy. If I have to ask you again, you may find yourself in a bit of trouble with me. I’m here to relax, not to enforce my law upon an attractive assistant just trying to make a living.”

  Sara plodded forward as if this hunk of a man that presided in her presence did not speak a single word. “Ted, would you like me to show you around the financial district? Or perhaps the museum region is more your thing?”

  “My thing?” Teddy sarcastically questioned. He went on, “My thing, Sara, is having some fun this weekend, and museums and banks aren’t exactly what I had in mind.” The billionaire slipped his Rolex off his wrist and placed it onto a granite nightstand.

  What exactly do you have in mind? Sara began to wander in her mind and imagine how good it would feel to kiss this man… and perhaps even take it a step further.

  “Sara, why don’t you go over and take a look at that incredible skyline? What good is a view like this if it can’t be shared with others?”

  She walked up to the glass wall that overlooked the heart of the city.

  Sara was beginning to feel a bit more like herself. “Ya know Teddy, I have lived here my entire life. I’m pretty familiar with the skyline here- just maybe not from this high up.” It was her first sign of self-confidence in his presence.

  After a few quiet moments of observing the urban landscape, Sara was pleasantly stunned, as Teddy’s voice was now only inches away from her ear, “Kind of invigorating, being up so high like this. Amazing how far we’ve come in the past few decades.” He was determined to profit from her lack of experience in high society living.

  Sara’s heart began to pound as she felt the breath of this gorgeous man touch upon her ear and make it’s way to the side of her neck. She wasn’t clear as to what Teddy’s intentions were, but she was really beginning she feel as though he actually wanted her for some reason unbeknownst to herself. This guy knows what he wants and he doesn’t waste a second going after it. But why me? How? What she didn’t know was just how far would he’d attempt to take things with her.

  Her confusion diminished as he slid behind her and grasped both of her tender wrists. Everything about him was intoxicating, she thought. His smell, his dark eyes, his confidence. The thought that he wanted her was so shocking and surprising that she was almost frozen in place, staring out this window as his large, warm hands firmly grasped her wrists.

  “Surrender to the view Sara, it will make you feel alive” he said, in a voice that now rang clear tones of raw desire.

  Heat moved up her legs and into her most private spaces. Sara tried to steady her breathing. She wasn’t sure what to do. More importantly, what did he want her to do?

  Teddy pressed himself against her backside while placing both of her hands on the glass window overlooking the city. Every ounce of Sara’s body caught fire at this point. Things were suddenly happening so fast. The old-minded Sara thought to herself: “How dare this man assume that he can simply take me over in this way? We just met nearly an hour ago!”

  But her body… her body was sending her a much different message. She played the role of resistor for a brief moment as she pulled slightly away from his hips, escaping even closer to the glass. She was running out of room though, and it became obvious that she could either move completely to the side and end this experience altogether, or welcome Teddy’s hips into the back of her cotton skirt. Teddy pressed forward, as she thought he might, and pinned her hands even more firmly against the glass while pushing his pelvis against her ample behind, and thereby revealing a rather large bulge tucked behind his designer dress pants.

  As Teddy backed off slightly from Sara’s backside, he released one of his hands from her wrist in order to use his fingers to pull her dark hair away from her ear and neck. Sara’s head tilted back as Teddy’s lips made contact with her ear lobe.

  He worked his way, slowly, down the side of her neck as she melted in his seductive prowess. Teddy whispered into her ear, his breath hot on her skin. “I knew I wanted to be inside of you from the moment you picked me up today. There’s just something about you that drove me wild from the inst
ant I laid eyes on you.”

  He peeled the thin blouse just far enough off the corner of her shoulder to make room for his mouth as he made his way down her neck. As he kissed her shoulder, his hand was free to go even deeper in his quest to render her powerless. His hand made it’s way to her breast, and Teddy squeezed just hard enough to make her draw in a deep, shaking breath.

  Her nipple was stiff now, poking out of her bra. Teddy shifted his hand underneath her blouse in order to comb his fingers under the bottom ridge of her bra and onto her hardened nipple. As he played with her nipple, Sara succumbed to his unbridled masculinity. Even if part of her mind was still bothering to warn her that this was wrong on so many levels, the other part was winning out, and she knew now that she wanted him.

  Even if it was wrong. She’d never done anything like this before—never in her life had she mixed business and pleasure. But she couldn’t resist the tall, dark billionaire in his luxurious hotel suite.

  “Sara, I need to be inside of you,” he whispered to her as if to give her one last out.

  Inside of me? We just met two hours ago! Her predictable conscience was telling her to stop- that she was not a rag doll to be tossed around by this reckless stranger. But her long overdue hormones were fighting back hard. Sara tried with her last ounce of might to do what the conservative side of her mind had been extolling since the beginning, “Teddy, I just can’t do this…”

  In response, he grabbed both of her breasts, one in each hand. Sara let out a guttural moan.

  The billionaire proceeded to spin her so that she was looking into his eyes. His hands slid up along the backs of each leg and made their way to her skirt.

  As he caressed her thighs with masterful sensitivity, Teddy kissed Sara on the lips with unbridled passion.

  With eyes closed, Sara let out just the tip of her own tongue, inviting this man to move forward. The two began to kiss with a heat that Sara had never experienced in her entire life. She felt more alive than she ever dreamed possible.