His Secret Request: Billionaire Secrets - Book Three (6 page)

"Okay, I can wait. Take me to wherever Nadia is. I want to be where she is."

"Unfortunately, that's not an option. Nadia, for the moment, is in a world of trouble and the best thing you can do right now is stay far away from her."

"Then the deal is off."

"The deal is on Ms. Falstaff. We have already discussed terms and the consequences of breaking those terms. We also discussed obedience."

That's right you pervert. We'll see how that works out for you.
Her thoughts were rebellious but it only made her more excited. This world of his was too weird, too unfamiliar. She would have to figure out how to adapt and turn it to her advantage.

"I'll make it more interesting for you." She said.

Ruben smiled. This was exactly what he loved about the smart ones, they always made it more interesting.

"If you take me with you to New York, I'll do more than stay overnight with you."

"You've got my attention. Keep talking."

"I will commit to doing exactly one additional thing for you, over and above being physically present in your home for one night. One 'personal favor' if you will."

He smiled again. She sure as hell was playing with fire.

"Are you really sure you want to take that risk?" He said.

"Take me to New York, let me see Nadia and I'll take that risk. One request. One thing only and I'll do it. No excuses, no BS."

"A kiss." He said without hesitation.

"Excuse me?" She faltered, disarmed by the simplicity. "You'll do it just to… to kiss me?"

"That's it. One kiss. I will ask you for a single kiss at a particular time and place. But I can't let you meet Nadia. Not until we're sure she's safe. I won’t risk anything happening to you, however, you can come with me and be ready to meet with her when her situation has been handled. Is that a deal?"

He extended his hand and waited.

There was something extremely flattering about the request, but also something disquieting.

"Deal." She said, and put out her hand. His fingers closed around hers and she marveled at how he could make her feel so sensual with such a simple touch. He drew her hand up towards his lips but then stopped just short and smiled.

"Close one." He said. "But I don’t want to waste that kiss." He let her hand go. "Come on, we have to hurry." He reached over and picked up her green chocolate smoothie. "Drink this first." He said. "We can’t let it go to waste."

It seemed a little odd but it looked so good she put her qualms aside and began to swallow it down while he watched and it was so, so good. The addition of the dates and vanilla just made it perfect. She would remember it for the next time she made one at home.

"It's really good." She said, putting the near empty glass back down. "You should have had them fix one for you too."

"Just a little taste will be enough for me."

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking or I would have offered you."

"That's okay. There's enough." He picked up the glass and put his lips to where hers had been a second ago then slipped his tongue inside and took the smallest lick. The action was completely natural, done without a trace of self-consciousness and it cleaved through Suzy as she sat and watched. She could imagine the tip of that tongue, exploring her, tasting her, one tiny lick at a time.

"It's quite excellent Ms. Falstaff. Really excellent, now come on, let's get going. We have a plane to catch."

He stood up and drew her along with him, holding her hand. She felt like a little rag doll compared to him. She might be smarter than him but physically he was more than her match. Maybe it was the ocean view, maybe it was just the jetlag but whatever it was, she had feeling that she might just follow this man anywhere he wanted to go.

They descended the steps together and she saw her rental car parked next to a line of high end vehicles in the lot. He led her to a large black SUV, opened the back door and helped her in, guiding her with one large hand pressed gently, tantalizing to the small of her back. There was a man and woman in front, both obviously part of his security team.

"Where are we taking her Mr. Mayweather?" The woman in the passenger seat asked with obvious deference to her boss.

"To the airstrip. Stay with her Candy." The woman looked anything but sweet and the name seemed absurd. "Fly with her to New York. Take her to the Mandarin Oriental, the usual suite. Stay with her until you hear from me."

"What about my car? My things?" Suzy said.

"Don’t worry. We'll return the car for you and anything inside will be waiting for you at my place. If you need anything in the meantime, just tell Candy."

The woman fixed her with a steely glare that dared her to ask for anything.

"My overnight bag is in the back. I can just go grab it."

She went to leave the vehicle but he stopped her. Gently but firmly.

"I'll get it." He said. "You stay here."

She watched him walk across the small lot towards her rental car while Candy observed her and the driver looked straight ahead.

"Don’t even think about it." Candy murmured.

"Don’t even think about what?" Suzy was confused, but Candy looked very serious.

"You don’t have a chance in hell sweetheart." Candy said. The driver continued looking straight ahead.

Ruben was returning with her small travel bag in his strong arms. He stepped up close to the vehicle, filling the doorway with his large, muscular frame.

"Is there anything else you need from your car?" He said.

She shook her head. "That's it. Thank you Mr. Mayweather."

Candy rolled her eyes, just barely, but it didn't escape Ruben.

"She's in your hands until further notice Candy. See to it that her needs are fully taken care of to the smallest detail. If Ms. Falstaff has any complaints I will hold you personally responsible.  Suzy, if you need anything, anything at all, Candy will take care of it. Wait for me in New York. Be ready to make good on our agreement as soon as I've taken care of your friend's situation.

"Mr. Mayweather. When should we expect to see you in New York?" Candy asked.

"I'll be in touch." He said, and closed the car door. The driver started the engine and put the car in gear. Suzy felt dazed, dislocated from reality. It was only as the car pulled out that she fully grasped she would be travelling alone to New York and it felt like the most terrible disappointment a girl could have.

********************

It was two days before Suzy saw Ruben Mayweather again. Under any other circumstances it would have been a New York getaway to die for. The suite at the Mandarin was over the top luxury with spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline. Anything she wanted was at hand and Candy, if taciturn, was there at her beck and call like a stern shadow, answering all her needs but refusing to be drawn on the subjects of her boss, the Hargrave brothers or the situation with Nadia.

Every few hours there was a gift or a note from Ruben to reassure her that everything was okay and that she would soon meet with her friend. The gifts were quietly lavish and included full sets of clothing to match every possible occasion, seemingly hand selected by stylists to match her hair, eye-color and physique. There were also gifts of technology which she found much more attractive and intriguing than the clothing and jewellery. The laptop he left her was even more powerful than the high end machine of hers that he held in captivity. The array of software was fascinating and clearly specialized to the security and surveillance industries. There was an array of  wearable gadgets as well, including watches, glasses, pocket books, small mirrors, vanity cases that all held technological secrets. It was a nerd's paradise and despite her anxiety about Nadia and her growing anticipation as to what her night with Ruben would entail, still the time managed to pass quickly.

Candy grudgingly warmed up to her when she saw how little interest she had in the clothing and jewels.

"You're the absolute worst I've ever seen." She grumbled at one point as hotel staff set down piles of boxes which she showed absolutely no interest in.

"The worst what?" Suzy was desperate for some conversation from the stern woman.

"Nerd." She said. "You look like you genuinely love that stuff."

"I do. And your boss has some pretty fancy technology."

Candy smiled for the first time since Suzy had met her.

"You don't know the half of it. He is going to absolutely love you."

"I don’t know if that's good or bad at this point."

Candy leaned in closer to her and mouthed the word 'bad' as obviously as she could and then stared at Suzy with huge, intense eyes. It was so ridiculous that she couldn't help beginning to laugh. Candy smiled, watching her amusement grow, at first with irritation but then the laughter became infectious and she began to laugh too.

"Very, very bad." She said and it was enough to crack the two of them up until they were lying on their backs together on the huge four poster bed. When she was all laughed out Suzy rolled up onto her elbows and looked at her chaperone/bodyguard.

"So come on Candy, what can you tell me about this guy that won’t get you fired? What exactly am I in for if I spend the night with him?"

Candy rolled up off the bed, straightened her suit and then sat down on chair next the bed.

"Truth to tell Ms. Falstaff, there is almost nothing I can tell you about him that won’t get me fired."

"Sounds like a hell of a boss." Suzy said.

Candy looked around the room as though checking for eyes and ears.

"Can I call you Suzy?" She asked. Suzy nodded.

"Of course you can. This formal stuff drives me nuts."

"Okay. I'm as sure as I can be that we aren't being listened to. Ruben isn't that bad. I've had worse bosses, believe me. So look, without digging myself in too deep here, the fact that he wants you to stay with him overnight is a very, very big deal."

"How do you figure that?"

"Boy do you have a lot to learn. The only man in this world more selective about his women than the Hargrave brothers is Ruben Mayweather. Clayton and Dale are famous in this town for what all they get up to with women. Jesus, don’t get me started on Dale. There's a lot of speculation in certain female circles about what weird shit must have happened to him when he was a teenager but Ruben is even more of a mystery and that's exactly how he likes it. Since you're already in his sights though, I guess it's no harm to give you a heads up. If you really want to know that is?"

Suzy was rapt and nodded her head eagerly for Candy to continue.

"Okay then, well let me tell you that this guy is OCD precise in what he wants from a girl - we are talking obsessive compulsive here - and the man only does one relationship at a time. We're talking absolute serial monogamy. We're talking obsessive, we're talking sociopathic if you ask me, so you better be ready for lock down if you want a chunk of his time."

"Well, I'm not sure I have the choice one way or the other."

"One of those huh? You guys are a rare breed. Normally it's the other way around. You have no idea what some crazy chicks will do to get next to this guy, but that's not how he likes it."

"He prefers his women psychologically cornered and blackmailed into his bedroom?"

"Who said anything about his bedroom?"

"I don't get it? I thought this whole thing was just his weird way of him getting me into the sack with him?"

Candy gave a knowing smile.

"Trust me, it gets very weird with him and very, very specific."

Suzy sat up on the bed.

"Specific? In what way exactly?"

Suzy's increasing interest made the nervous employee back off.

"Look, I've said too much already. This job is way, way too good for me to jeopardize just because another dizzy Mensa nerd got caught up in Ruben's crazy sex life."

"Come on Candy, I thought we had an understanding going here? One woman to another. What does this guy want from me and how can I beat him at this game of his?"

Candy's eyes shifted nervously.

"Don’t get me wrong." She said. "I've got nothing against you, in fact, I'd say you're the smartest chick he's ever had in here. At least from the one's I've seen. But let me put it this way, you know what quicksand is, right?"

"Quicksand, yeah sure I do. If you're in it and start to struggle it only makes it worse."

"Exactly. If you don’t want to sink, then you have to relax, lay back and then gently, very, very gently get yourself to the edge and then pull yourself out. Either way you'll end up messy, but at least one way you won't be up to your neck in a whole lot of--"

The door to the main suite entrance opened in the next room and both woman froze.

"Shit." Candy hissed. "You shut up about this Suzy. Or it’s my ass on the line." She whispered as she stood up, straightened her already perfect clothes and headed to the bedroom door.

It opened just as she reached it.