ROMANCE: Billionaire Romance: All Yours (Sexy and Funny Romantic Comedy, Mature Young Adult Romance) (The Billionaire Next Door Book 1) (3 page)

“Apparently
not
all
my problems disappear.”

He brushed
his finger down my arm, sending a hot shiver up my nerves.

I shook my
head. “I think I’ll be leaving now. It’s clear to me that you have no intention
of helping anyone but yourself. It’s been nice - actually, it hasn’t been nice
meeting you at all. Goodbye, Mr. Powers.”

“Sophia,
please-” He grabbed my hand, but I slipped away from him, strutting away on my
red high heels.

The string
concerto became louder and choppier. A dramatic tone filled the room as I
walked away.

A tug
behind me caught me off guard and my back was pushed up against the wall. Jason
leaned in against me, pushing every inch of his hot, toned body against me.

“I can’t
let you go.”
His
hot breath tingled on my lips. “I can’t stop thinking about you, Sophia. Since
the moment I met you, I’ve been dreaming about seeing you again.”

“You say
this to all the girls-”

“No I
don’t, and I wish you would stop saying that. It’s insulting.”

My cheeks
burned. Despite my hatred for Jason Powers, he was still a human with feelings.

“I’m
sorry.”

“Whatever I
did, I can fix. Just tell me what to do.”

I shook my
head attempting to look away, but Jason put his finger on my chin, making sure
I was looking at him.

“Sophia -
when I saw you,
I knew
.
”

We stared
into each other’s wide, sincere eyes as Jason’s last words rang in my ears.
Thick, electric tension hung in the air between us.

Jason’s
pupils dilated. He parted his pink lips. A deep ache within me willed me to
kiss him, but I knew I couldn’t - I wouldn’t…

“Jason-”

Jason
pushed his lips into mine, placing one hand on the back of my head and the
other on the small of my back. He pressed his body into mine, and I swear I
felt us melt into one another. His tongue stroked against mine, as we made out
deeply and passionately.

Pushing
myself against him, I felt every hot, hard inch of his toned body.

Fuck.

His hands
explored the curves of my body as his talented tongue massaged against mine.
Moving the slit of my dress to the side, Jason’s hand crawled up my bare thigh,
sending a wave of pleasure rushing up my thighs. The area between my legs
throbbed harder as he inched closer to the string of my thong.

A rush of different
emotions and hormones rushed through my body. My heart knew it was wrong to
give into Jason Powers, but my hot, throbbing body wanted this
bad
. With
every beat of my heart, the hot desire deep within me pulsed harder and hotter
throughout my body. This pleasurable haze was about to flood any conscious
thought remaining in my head.

Just a
little longer and I would be putty in Jason’s strong hands.

“NO!”
I ripped my lips from Jason’s and
pushed him back. “I can’t do this with you, Jason. I can’t betray my friends
and family that way. You’ve already ruined so many peoples’ night tonight. You
can add another person to that number.”

I pushed
his body away, feeling his hard chest under my hands. Jason looked at me with a
confused and regretful look on his face.

“Sophia-”

“Don’t
follow me.” I rushed outside, only to remember that I was in the middle of
nowhere and that I’d have to call a cab.

“Shit.”

My body was
still hopped up with adrenaline from my encounter with Powers as I called the
cab company.

Surprised
that Powers hadn’t followed me, I sat outside in my Jessica Rabbit dress hoping
a cab would arrive soon so I could get out of this nightmare.

Thinking
back on my night, I wasn’t sure if I accomplished anything - all I really did
was yell at Jason Powers. Sure it was cathartic, but it would not get my
friends’ jobs back.

I groaned.

At least
now he would know what an asshole he was.

A sexy,
successful asshole
.

No!

My
subconscious was not doing me any favors. I wanted to push Jason Powers out of my
mind forever.

I
couldn’t believe I kissed him.
I couldn’t believe I kissed him,
and I liked it
.

Ugh.
I shook my head.

“I didn’t
even get my free steak,”
I mumbled to myself.

In the
distance, headlights shone over the horizon. The cab was arriving.

I stood up,
ready to wave at it until I realized it wasn’t my cab. It was a regular car -
with a couple inside. They parked in front of the building and made their way
into the restaurant.

The way
they were dressed was divine!
The woman wore a beautiful satin gown and
her older husband wore a gray suit.

Another car
showed up, and then another.

What was
going on?

“Excuse
me.” I stopped an older couple who was about to enter the building. “Do you
have reservations?”

“We did,
then they were canceled, and now they’re
uncanceled
!
Isn’t it the silliest thing?” The gentleman responded.

The
bejeweled woman jumped in, “I’m happy for it - the Caesar salad is
to die
for
.” She scrunched up her nose. “Yum!”

“
Uncanceled
?” I asked, looking at the man again.

“Jason
Powers called me himself, saying the reservation was back on!”

“Wasn’t
that kind of him? He’s so handsome, that Jason Powers - ooh! I do hope I get to
meet him tonight.” The old woman squeaked.

The old
couple shuffled into the restaurant.

Jason Powers,
you sneaky bastard…

I watched
as more cars pulled up to the restaurant, hoping that one of them would be my
ride home.

“So, it
looks like the restaurant is full of happy customers.” Jason Powers’ voice made
me jump as he sneaked up behind me.

“So it
seems.”

Jason
chuckled. “And even then, you’re not amused. You know Sophia, you’re a hard
woman to satisfy.”

“I’m not
amused
because you’re only doing this to get into my pants.”

“That’s
because I want to satisfy you.” He smirked.

Ugh
. I rolled my eyes.

“Listen,
Sophia.” Jason placed his hand on the small of my back, sending a shiver up my
spine. “I’m going to have you, whether it’s sooner or later.”

He leaned
in as he said this. I felt his breath on my collarbone.

“I always
get what I want.”

A part of
me hated that I was so aroused.

“You
disgust me,” I said.

“I’m trying
my hardest.” He smirked. He traced the shell of my ear with his delicate lips.
My eyes rolled back in my head, but I quickly pulled myself back to reality.

“If you
were truly trying your hardest, you wouldn’t flaunt your money in my face.”

“I wanted
to flaunt something else, but you wouldn’t let me.” He kissed me gently on the
ear. I pulled back.

“You’re
ridiculous.”

Jason
looked at me with a confused look on his face, not used to having women turn
down his advances. His dark sparkling eyes bore into mine.

My taxi
pulled into the parking lot. Jason tugged at my hand, pulling my attention
towards him.

“Sophia -
I’ve never met anyone like you. I’m not going to let you get away. Tell me what
you want me to do.”

I laughed
and shook my head. “It’s not a single thing you can do, it’s your whole
existence, your whole modus operandi. You come into this town and strip away
everything we have just to make sure you have the best of the best.”

“I don’t have
the best of the best,” he said, taking my hand and threading his strong fingers
through mine. “Not yet.”

I pulled my
hand away. “You may own the world, but there’s always a price.”

Jason looked
deep into my eyes. It was a good thing I was strong because I was sure I could
fall in love with him just by staring into his eyes for too long. I tore my
gaze away from him.

“Sophia,”
he urged, pulling me closer. “Tell me.”

I had to
give the guy credit - he was working hard to get on my good side, and it was
almost working. I knew if I didn’t leave soon, I’d be sucked into the hurricane
that was Jason Powers.

“Maybe if
you prove to me that you aren’t a member of the 1% who thinks they can do
whatever they want - if you prove to me you’re someone who actually cares about
Jacksonville, then maybe…
maybe
I’ll be interested.”

The pool of
desire in my belly cried out to me:
Kiss him! For the love of the sky and
the Earth - kiss the man!
But my brain remained calm and focused on walking
towards the cab, which is what I did.

“Sophia!”
Jason called out to me, but I was already at the door of the car. Without
turning around, I got into the backseat.

I made my way
home, not in a fancy black car with a personal chauffer, but in a regular old
taxi.

~Chapter 4~

Although I
knew turning down the advances of the infamous Jason Powers was the right thing
to do, I still cursed myself for my decision.

Of all the
women in the world, Jason wanted me -
me!

That night
was spent tossing and turning in my empty bed, thinking about Jason’s
invigorating scent, his fitted gray suit, and his strong body pressed against
mine. My dreams were filled with his tender kisses and his hand sliding down
the small of my back.

The
screeching ring of my phone tore me from my heavenly dreams. I sat up and
rubbed my eyes, wishing I could go back to sleep and dream about Jason Powers.

Jason
Powers… ugh.

Now that I
was awake, the thought of him disturbed me. How could I ever think he was sexy?

The phone
screeched again. It must be my mother - the Jacksonville fair started in an hour and she
was always worried that I would sleep in. Bleary-eyed, I walked around my room,
looking for my screeching phone. Finally I found it under the red, silk dress.
I rubbed my eyes and put the phone up to my ear.

“Hello?”
The scratchy tone of my voice revealed that I had just woken up.

“Hi,
sleeping beauty.” Jason’s deep sexy voice sounded over the other line.

Fuck!

My heart
raced in my chest.

What did
Jason Powers want from me?

The phone
burned in my sweaty palm as I panicked, wondering what to say.

“What do
you want?” My voice cracked.

Shit!

Why was
I so nervous?

Moments ago
I couldn’t care less about the man, but my deep subconscious reminded me of the
sexy dreams I had last night. My stomach clenched.

“I guess
someone hasn’t had their coffee yet this morning.”

I rolled my
eyes. “I’m hanging up now.” I held the phone close to my ear, hoping he
wouldn’t call my bluff.

“Sophia -
wait.”

I smiled
wickedly. There was an exhilarating feeling to being wanted by such a powerful
man.

“I wanted
to thank you,” Jason continued.

“Thank me?”

“Yes, for
opening my eyes last night. You see, I don’t date a lot of -
smart
-
women. Their eyes are usually clouded with dollar signs and they fail to see
me. You’re the first woman I’ve ever met who has actually called it as it is.”

I nodded as
I listened. “It sounds like you should surround yourself with different
people.”

“That’s
what I’m trying to do with you.”

There was a
beat of silence between us.

Fuck!
What do I say?

“Well,
you’re welcome,” I said. “Now if you don’t mind I have stuff to do-”

“Wait.”
Jason’s voice was deep and commanding. A deep part of me clenched. “There’s a
gala this afternoon, to celebrate the opening of the new Powers mall in Jacksonville. I want you
to join me.”

I let out
an exasperated sigh.
The man didn’t listen to anything I said!

My
subconscious slyly reminded me that if I went to the gala, I’d get to see Jason
in a suit again, but my brain was quicker and smarter, shutting it down.

“I’m sorry,
Jason Powers. I can’t go to the gala with you today.” I tried to hide the fact
that I was
seething
inside.

“And why
not?”

“Because,
Jason.”
I managed to make his name sound like a curse word. “I’ve already made
previous engagements to dog-sit at the Jacksonville
fair today, because that’s what this community does. So as much as I’d love to
go to a gala celebrating the fact that you now have an extra couple million in
your pocket-”

“-A couple
hundred
million-” Jason interjected.

The way he
said such a huge number so casually made my breath hitch. “Of course, well, I’m
afraid I have better things to do. Have a good day, Mr. Powers.”

I clicked
off my phone and shut off the ringer.

Adrenaline
pumped through my body.

Had I
really just hung up on the billionaire CEO?

I smiled
wide.
Yes I had
. I got ready for the day with a jump in my step. Jason
Powers was a naive bastard, just as I had suspected. Any regrets I had
regarding turning him down were long gone.

***

Still
riding high from my morning wake-up call, I made my way to the Jacksonville fair.

The Jacksonville fair was an
annual tradition and people from surrounding towns would drive all night just
to attend it.

As I made
my way by foot, I approached the fair. Walking through the employee entrance, I
saw the
ferris
wheel turning, full of laughing
children. Songs from the top 40 charts blasted from the speakers throughout the
park. The smell of corn dogs, buttery popcorn, and cotton candy filled the air.
As I walked, vendors called out to me in an attempt to sell me jewelry, hats,
and various novelty items which would probably end up on the ground or in the
trash by the end of the day.

Walking
past the haunted mansion, I saw a large sectioned off part of the park where
there were about fifteen dogs running around and playing.

“Sophia!”
My mother called out to me. Victoria
looked summery in navy blue shorts and a comfortable pink blouse. “I’m so glad
you’re here. It’s been crazy!”

Several
small dogs were jumping at her legs, attempting to bite at the red Frisbee she
held in her hand. With a whip of her arm, she flung it off into the distance
and the dogs ran off after it.

“Sorry, I
slept in a bit - I don’t know what got into me.” Images of a half naked Jason
Powers filled my mind for a brief second before I banished the thought to the
dark corners of my mind.

“It’s okay
- can you go fill up the bowls by the water station? I’m sure some of these
dogs will need some refreshments soon.”

“Sure
thing.”

I made my
way to an area with a hose and bowls laid out on the ground for the dogs. The
sun was coming down strong and I felt bad for the dogs who were running around
with their thick coats. One by one, I filled up the bowls with cool water. As I
did so, a few dogs ran over to me, drinking the water straight out of the hose.

Petting the
dogs behind the ears, I savored the moment. This was much,
much
better
than sitting in a stuffy gala wearing uncomfortable clothing.
Even though
Jason Powers would be there, dressed in his nice fitted suit…

Stop it!

I berated
my subconscious for constantly bringing up that devil of a man. He had no
business occupying space in my mind.

But he
was so sexy.

Argh
!

For the next
few hours I focused on caring for the dogs and helping out Victoria, who seemed
to be having the time of her life. The more focused on my work I was, the less
time I’d have to think about Jason.

Taking care
of the dogs turned out to be more draining than I expected. Before I knew it,
it was already past noon and my stomach was grumbling.

“Mom! Are
you hungry?”

“I could
eat,” she called out from the other side of the park.

A couple of
owners had come by to pick up their dogs after spending all morning at the
park. Things were a bit slow now, but they were sure to pick up after the two
o’clock rush.

“I’ll be
back!” I washed my hands and headed towards the gate into the park, where I saw
someone bringing in another dog.

Was
that?

No it
couldn’t be…

It was!

Jason
Powers was walking a puppy through the fair,
and he was coming straight
towards me!

“Oh, Sophia
- I didn’t think I’d run into you.”

I folded my
arms across my chest. “I somehow doubt that’s true.”

The puppy
was a golden retriever, and was clawing up my shins. The cute little ball of
gold fuzz was impossible to ignore. I bent down and started petting the little
guy behind his ears.

“This is
Destroyer,” Jason said.

“Destroyer?”
I laughed as the little puppy licked my palms. “He doesn’t look like a destroyer.”

“You should
see what used to be my loafers in the car.” Jason smiled.

I couldn’t
help but laugh at the idea of a puppy destroying an expensive pair of Jason
Powers’ shoes.

“Wait -
this is
your
dog?”

Jason
shrugged his shoulders. “Of course, why else would I be walking him?”

“Jason -
please don’t tell me you bought a dog just to come visit me here. Wait,
shouldn’t you be at the gala right now?”

“No, I
didn’t buy this dog just to visit you. And yes, I should be at the gala. You know,
it’s mighty forward of you to think that I do all these things for you.” He
traced his thumb along his delicate lips.

I bit my
lip as I looked at him.

“Well, you
have done a lot of crazy things so far.”

“When I do
crazy things, it’s because the outcome is usually worth it.” The corner of his
mouth hooked up into a smirk.

I melted a
little on the inside.

Why did
Jason Powers have to be so damn sexy?

“Shit,”
I said, as I watched another
dog-owner walk by us and check their dog into the dog park. “I have to go get
some lunch for my mom. She’s been here all day.”

“I’ll go,”
Jason said.

“That’s
nice of you but it’s unnecessary-”

“Sophia,
don’t worry about it.” He said my name with such conviction that I avoided any
further arguing.

Handing Destroyer
off to me, Jason walked off towards the food vendors. Picking up the soft puppy
in my arms, I looked at his tags, which had been registered just over a week
ago.
Before I met Jason
.

I cocked my
eyebrow, watching as Jason disappeared into the fair.

What’s
your game, Jason Powers?

Destroyer
licked my face as I made my way back to the dog park.

Jason
returned with two armfuls full of nachos, sandwiches, corn dogs, and drinks.

“Wow.”

“I wasn’t
sure what you liked so I got a bit of everything.”

“I can see
that.”

“Is that a
corn dog?” Victoria
walked towards us and helped me relieve Jason of all the junk food.

“It sure
is.” Jason smiled. “I’m Jason.” He put his hand out and shook Victoria’s.

“Nice to
meet you, Jason. I’m Victoria.
I haven’t seen you much around these parts before.”

I looked at
Jason with a stern look in my eyes - if Victoria
found out who he was, there was no telling what kind of anger would come out.
I’ve seen Victoria
mad, and it’s not pretty.

“That’s
because I’m new here.”

“Is that
right?” Victoria
asked while she
scarfed
down her corn dog.

“I just
moved out here from a bigger city. I’m enjoying it a lot so far, actually.”

“So this is
your first time to the big Jacksonville
fair!”

“It is.”
Jason smiled wide, putting on his charm. I could tell from the way he spoke to Victoria that he
probably tended to attract older women. “Actually, it was Sophia who told me to
come.”

“Good
girl.” Victoria
wrapped her arm around waist and squeezed me. “Sophia is always full of good
ideas like that.” She winked at me.

Oh no.

I could
tell Victoria
thought he was hot. She was always trying to set me up with guys.

“She’s
special, alright.” Jason’s dark, dazzling eyes looked right into me. I felt
almost naked under his stare.

“Well, I’ve
got to get back out with those dogs. I’ll let you two enjoy your lunch.”

We made our
way into the little tent where Victoria and I kept all our stuff.

I let out a
sigh. “That was close.”

“What was?”
Jason asked.

“In case my
storming off last night wasn’t clear enough, you’re not very well liked around
here, Jason.”

He smiled.
“I’m aware of that.”

“Then why
are you out here?”

“Because
I’m trying to change that. I want to make people in my community happy - I
don’t want them to hate me.”

“Wait - so you
actually ditched your gala to be here?”

“I had to
be closer to you, Sophia.” He put his hand on my leg. A hot tingle shot up my
thigh. “I want to get to know you better.” He leaned in close to that his mouth
was on my neck. His hot breath caused my hairs to stand up on end.