Billionaire Romance: Flame

Another

A M Futures

Production

Belle Winters dream finally comes true when she elopes with her handsome German billionaire boyfriend Dennis Kroesh to pursue a cross country road trip across the American Pacific Coast. Only that her dreams did not involve being shadowed by the police, him running into an ex, let alone, her spending a night behind bars.

Dennis knows he could lose Belle forever because of his errors. But when he asks her to marry him, will she say yes?

Chapter One

The one and most important rule to follow when eloping with a hot young billionaire is to be sure that he is truly independent from his control freak father. Belle Winters knew that rule by heart. It was the only rule she had willingly broken in her life. Her heart pummeled against her chest now that the consequences were knocking at the door.

Belle sunk further in the luxurious passenger seat of the white Maserati Ghibli as a patrol police car whizzed past the gas station. It didn’t matter that she was concealed behind dark tinted windows, guilt had already arrested her and the gnawing feeling in her stomach attested that it would not be too long before the police caught up.

She squeezed the cellphone in her hand. Sliding the screen with a finger, a message popped up. She cancelled it and tried to dial a number. The call failed.

“Bloody rotten reception!”

She angrily tossed the phone over her shoulder. It flew over the lavish interior seat, landing at the back. In the same instant, the driver’s door opened. Belle started.

“You alright?” The deeply accented Germanic voice that always tingled her ears, said.

Quickly, she plastered a smile on her face and feigned composure.

“Yeah.”

Her deep blue gaze stalled on Dennis Kroesh. She didn’t blink or breathe for a full moment until he was comfortably settled right next to her. She could hardly blame herself for gawking either. Dennis had the looks of an angel and the haughty manner of a devil. He was tall, clean shaven, deep set topaz eyes and bore a strong jaw. To top it off, he had style. He wore a casual tight fitting jacket over a white shirt which emphasized his long ripped torso and brought out his long neck, then finished the look with fitting Bermuda shorts and closed leather designer shoes. However, it was the fact that he had takeout in his hands that mesmerized Belle most.

“I expected that would be a disaster. Turns out ordering your own food isn’t so bad, after all,” he said.

“You’ve never done that before?” Belle was amused.

He grinned, taking in her youth-like face. “No, Sir. Elliot does everything for me.”

Elliot was Dennis’s Butler. A very loyal man. Belle liked him but she was glad that Dennis had left his entourage behind, to be with her and only her. The idea left her heart in puddles and her eyes wide with adoration.

Dennis stretched his muscular arm to the backseat, in search of something. He found her phone and gave it to her, then retrieved a crocheted beanie hat. Belle giggled as he placed the hat over her wavy brunette hair with overgrown bangs.

“You shouldn’t have. Oh, I thought I’d lost it forever.” She kissed him on his temple.

He beamed at her, and then started the vehicle. Their great American adventure had just begun.

Chapter Two

Belle Winters was feeling quite dreamy. It was like she was a teenager again. The vehicle was park by the roadside so she propped her legs out of the window seat. There she was, on a great road trip across the Pacific Coast of North America, seated next to the love of her life while he munched on burgers. Dennis extended his burger and she bit out of it even though she had her own. She giggled. 

“I’ve never been out of London before.”

“Gee. Your life is a bore,” he said without thinking.

Belle swallowed hard. He’d killed her euphoria with only that one sentence. She knew not to take it to heart but still asked, “Do I bore you?”

Quickly, he filled the rest of the burger into his mouth. He ignored her question and said, “This tastes
so
good! I should buy that burger chain.”

“You’ve never had a burger before?” He shook his head and took his time to swallow. She wanted to let it pass but simply couldn’t so when she saw he could freely speak, she asked again, “Are you bored with me?”

“I would never take a nun anywhere with me.”

“I’m easy then?”

Dennis stared at her quizzically. He was smart and knew when to tread lightly. Belle, on the other hand, was feeling cranky but only because of what she’d recently found out.

“Is something the matter?”

“I’m sorry.” She pulled her legs back into the car.

“I hate it when you apologize for nothing.” Belle bit her lip to stop herself apologizing again. “Tell me. If anything’s wrong, I can correct it.” Sincerity was etched in his topaz eyes.

“Your father.”

“Oh!” That was a sensitive topic.

“He’s put out an arrest warrant for me. My mother sent me the alert. It’s all over the media… If I go back to London, I’m going straight to jail. For kidnapping. You.”

Belle didn’t expect him to burst into laughter. Dennis was so amused that tears poured from his eyes and his barely perceivable dimples marked his cheeks. She loved his hearty laugh but not when it was at her expense. Seeing the scowl on her face forced Dennis into composure. Grinning from ear to ear, he grabbed Belle’s hands into his firm warm grip.

“As long as you’re with me, I will be with you. And nothing and no one will come between us. Not even my father.”

“Hujar Kroesh, the mogul who terrorizes any soul he crosses paths with?”

“My father may be a bulldog but he has his soft side.” Belle rolled her eyes at that. “So, no, he won’t come between us.”

“You will stand up for me if he does?”

Dennis reached out his hand to her shoulder. She was wearing a sweater even if the weather was fair. He gently helped her take it off. Beneath it she wore a stringed cotton dress that showed her generous cleavage to great advantage. Belle had never worked out a day in her life but she was blessed with small waist, bulky bosoms when set free from their bra – which she wasn’t wearing and fit thighs.

Lifting her dress, she shifted from her seat and onto Dennis’s lap. He received her by rubbing her waist with his hand and rolling up the window with another.  Belle was feeling her happiness peak again. She let Dennis kiss her neck and collarbone while she ran a hand through his hair. She was starting to feel heated. She had always wanted Dennis so bad but now she had him. She lifted her dress so as to take off her thong.

Dennis grinned as he took off his belt when, out of nowhere, there was an abrupt knock at the window. Belle jumped in panic and in so doing hit her head on top of the car. When she tried to retain balance, her elbow smacked Dennis right on the nose so that by the time he rolled down the window, he had a little blood dripping from his nose. 

The policeman who had knocked at the window scrutinized their faces. Dennis had blood on his nose, a belt in his hands and a mean look that came with being disturbed, while Belle appeared a trifle vulnerable as she desperately tugged at her dress in effort to appear decent. They looked suspicious.

“I’m police officer Roger Gregory. I’m going to have to ask you to step out of the car.”

“Why?” Dennis was tense. He’d wet his pants a little and didn’t want some police officer fining him for arousal.

“Your car is parked by the road. I’m obliged to investigate. Please comply,” Roger said.

Belle was out of the vehicle in a heartbeat. She didn’t want to get on the wrong side of the law, or ruin the road trip. More, she was terrified of getting caught. Dennis only exited the vehicle because she had. When he stepped out of the Maserati, his eight foot height gave off a haughty demeanor, while Belle looked like a fragile child with her large blue eyes. The police officer didn’t like what he saw.

“Are you alright ma’am?” he asked Belle.

“Yes. Yes. I’m fine.”

“The law is here to protect and serve you. You don’t have to be afraid--” the policeman was saying.

Dennis was flustered. “What’s this?”

Roger ignored Dennis and kept his gaze on Belle. “Is this man hurting you?”

“Excuse me?” Dennis was offended.

“No…” Belle said.

“His nose is bleeding. Self-defense is not a crime, you know. We can lock him up and he won’t hurt you again.”

Belle squealed, suddenly amused. “No. Dennis couldn’t hurt a fly if he tried. Um. We were making out… I hit him, accidentally. We are on a good old road trip. We are from London, you see.”

Roger had his arms akimbo. He scowled as he processed what she was telling him. Authoritatively he moved towards the Maserati, running his hand on its smooth exterior. This flustered Dennis.

“Then I hope to only find tea and biscuits when I search your car,” Roger said. Dennis intercepted the police officer, daringly staring him down. The officer wasn’t intimidated. He asked, “Are you obstructing justice?”

“What justice? We’ve done nothing wrong so back off and go back to doing your petty job!”

Belle touched Dennis’s hand. She didn’t want a confrontation to ensue. His uptight behavior made him appear guilty when they’d done nothing wrong.

The police officer was adamant. “What is it? Think I’ll steal your tea?”

Roger made to push past when Dennis violently shoved him down on the tarmac road. He pointed a finger at the policeman.

“You will not harass my vehicle, insult my country or intimidate my girl!”

“What are you doing?” Belle cried.

She watched, in shock, as the policeman struggled to get up. Dennis swiftly ushered her into the car and jumped into the driver’s seat. Pushing a button, stepped on the gear and they were cruising again from Santa Barbara toward Los Angeles.

Adrenaline pumping and veins popping, Dennis clutched the steering wheel with both hands. He was going well beyond the speed limit and not wearing a seatbelt. It was unclear what exactly had ticked him off from the minor incident yet he was in such a bad temperament that he didn’t even dare gaze at Belle, lest she see the anger blazing in his soul.

Even though she didn’t see his eyes, Belle felt his roused energy. She clutched onto her seat, yet not for the mad speed they were travelling at. Her heart thudded. She had never seen that side of Dennis before. The angry side. It terrified her. Of course, it had to make sense. That was where all his passionate vigor in his lovemaking came from.

Belle started to question whether she really knew the man she had eloped with. Just how many demons was Dennis hiding?

Chapter Three

Without warning, Dennis drove the Maserati off-road. After a forty five minute drive, they came to a beautiful resort. It was far away enough to give them cover in case the police had chosen to pursue them. For a long moment, they sat in deafening silence.

Belle did not welcome the heavy air. Turning to him, she grabbed her sweater and cleaned the dried trickle of blood off his nose.

“I saw him take note of our plate,” she said.

“The dweeb!” Dennis said. He was still incensed.

“I’ve never seen you like this before.”

He huffed, and then locked his topaz eyes into her blue gaze. He studied her round cheeks, straight nose and spotless forehead, taking in the curly baby hairs marking her hairline. Visibly, he let his guard dropped.

“Did I scare you?” His voice cracked and quickly he feigned a cough to cover it up. Belle caught it though. She nodded subtly. He sighed heavily. “This is supposed to be like our honeymoon.”

“A cross country trip?” she asked, teasing.

“Yes. An ordinary drive in a foreign country, with an ordinary girl and guy, in an ordinary car…”

Belle couldn’t help but grin. A Maserati was an ordinary car to Dennis Kroesh. Indeed, it was true that she was an ordinary girl but he was no ordinary guy. He was born from money while she was struggling just so that she and her single divorced mother could get by. It hadn’t been an ordinary drive either, what with her fear of being apprehended and he overreacting at nothing.

“I get to know you. You get to know me. We make love,” he was saying.

She flirtatiously squeezed his thigh, prompting a nervous laugh from him. He rolled his shoulders as though shaking off any bad energy and forcing himself to relax, mostly for her sake and not his.

“You’ll love it here.” He was excited again.

“You’ve been here before?”

“I’ve been everywhere.”  With that, he grabbed her hand and helped her out.

The Roadside Resort was a neat place. The building was clean and adorned in cream paint though none of that stood out because the tropical garden theme they had set at the entrance was breathtaking. Everything was green, the air was fresh and there was barely anyone else. It was a small resort with a few sufficient staff. Dennis had even had to park the car by himself but he didn’t mind.

Inside, the floor was polished with marble, the walls adorned with hand painted art depicting nature and the receptionists’ desk seemed to be made out of small trees and creepers. Upon closer inspection, Belle saw that the nature making up the desk was faux unlike the blossoming garden outside. She and Dennis approached the receptionist where a cheerful lady with tanned skin, immaculate manner and a body fitting expensive dark blue suit, greeted them.

“Do you have a reservation?” The receptionist, whose name tag identified her as Dina, asked.

“We got in a fix--”

“I’m sorry sir, we cannot help you if you do not have a reservation. You’ll need one before coming here,” she said cheerfully as though delivering the most upbeat news.

“We can book now,” Belle said. She was feeling tired.

Dina inhaled noisily, as though she’d just been asked to babysit her most troublesome niece. “I’m sorry but we are backlogged for four weeks. Reservations are off the roof. Okay, we can do something for you.”

“Yeah?” Dennis and Belle said in unison.

“If you make a reservation now, we could have your room ready in five weeks.”

“What?” It was Belle’s turn to get pissed. For all she could see, there were no customers walking about. Dennis pulled her aside before she could gouge the receptionist’s eyes. “We can’t just--”

“I’m used to Sir. Elliot doing these kind of stuff for me but I guess I have to be my own man now.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Make a call. I know the owner. Can… can you make the call for me?”

“Okay.”

“Great.”

Dennis ushered her a few steps away from the reception as he relayed a number to her. She was astonished that he knew the number by heart but turned a blind eye to it. She made the call and it was answered almost immediately.

“Hello?” A female voice said.

Instinctively, Belle gave the cellphone to Dennis. He refused to receive it and made multiple gestures that she did not understand.

He whispered. “You speak… for me, like Sir. Elliot would…”

“Oh. Oh.” Belle felt a little lost, still she stuck the phone to her ear and said, “Hello?” It was a dead line. The responder had already hung up.

Judging from her face, Dennis said, “She’s a busy woman. Try again.”

“Why can’t you make the call yourself?” Belle asked, politely.

He raised his hands. He had no cellphone on him. That was just how rich he was, someone always made and answered calls for him unless it was private. She frowned a little.

Dennis didn’t see what the big deal was. He tried to explain to her. “I’ve never reserved my own hotel room before. Just tell her it’s me. Mention Kroesh. She’ll give us the best suite.”

Belle was ready to do it, though she wasn’t sure how it made her feel.

“Like your butler?” she asked.

“No. Like my girlfriend, please babe.” He grinned.

She hated it when he did that. She just couldn’t say no to him when he was smoldering. She started to dial then stopped.

“What is her name?”

He hesitated as he tried to rake his brain. “Jez. Jaz. Jasmine. Yeah, that should be it?”

Belle shook her head imperceptibly and placed the call again, under the close watching eye of Dennis. He seemed anxious again.

“Jasmine!” she screamed when the call was answered.

“You must have the wrong number. This is Jessica,” a woman with a sexy commanding voice, said.

“We are calling from Roadside Resorts. Um. We…” Dennis kept pointing at himself so she said, “Um. I am calling on behalf of Dennis.”

“Dennis?”

“Yes. Mr. Dennis Kroesh has just been refused a room at--”

“Dennis Kroesh is here?” The voice on the other end was suddenly excited.

“Yeah. Can you assist us?” The line went dead. “She hung up.”

Dennis smiled as if it was the most common thing. He put his hand across her shoulder then veered her outside. “Let’s take a walk.”

Belle didn’t understand what was going on, yet one thing was for sure, she was miles away from her comfort zone. She only hoped she would survive. She trusted Dennis, however, she couldn’t trust herself to be in her best state of mind. Besides, being close to him had revealed to her sides of him she never knew; his depth, his mental processes and his temper. Studying his behavior had showed her that he was ferocious, much more intellectual and much much hotter – so much that she might just get burned.