The Billionaire (5 page)

I took her to the mall and directly to the apple store
where I proceeded to spoil her. I tried to fix seventeen years of neglect in
one afternoon, an impossible feat, yes I know, but I will never stop trying.

"Gideon, this is too much."

She tried to protest when I got her a new phone an
iPad and a Mac. I knew part of her reluctance was due to her father's reaction,
but I was on top of it, in fact I almost wanted him to react to it; that would
give me an excuse. Any wrong move on his part going forward was all the excuse
I will need to remove her from under his care and there wasn't a damn thing he
could do about it, by law she was old enough it was only her attachment to him
that was keeping me from making my move.

Hmm, that's food for thought, a bit drastic Thorpe,
but if he forced my hand I would do it.

But do you really want to pick up that gauntlet? Get
embroiled in some sort of tug of war over a girl you’d just met? For her, I'd
risk it, I'm beginning to think there isn't much I wouldn't risk for her, to
see her this happy always.

From there I dragged her off to a clothing store, her
eyes opened and she acted like just what she was, a young girl. I still had to
force her to try on things and then to let me buy them for her.

"Uh, maybe I should leave this stuff at your
place?"

"Why would you do that? Your phone and new
computers are for you to use, especially to call me." I nudged her before
hugging her under my arm. We were attracting a lot of attention, I'm sure
people were trying to figure out the relationship between the twenty something
guy and the much younger school girl, still in uniform no less.

I could care less but I didn't want my Blossom feeling
uncomfortable, though she didn't seem to notice the attention thank God, that's
just one more thing to make her feel self conscious.

"I'm not sure..."

"You're worrying about your dad again, I told you
everything's going to be okay, nothing for you to worry about."

I was gonna make sure I had eyes and ears on the
Sanders residence for as long as she remained there so there was no need for
her to worry.

We finished up with all those little necessities every
girl should have, perfume, lipstick, lip gloss, of course she had to choose
cherry which meant I couldn't wait to kiss it off her lips.

We were loaded down with bags of which half were for
the condo. There were things bought specifically for there, like her new silk
robe for relaxing evenings when she stayed over, her favorite shampoo and body
creams which she’d always liked but never bought. I got her two of everything,
one for home and one for my place.

She didn't have to tell me anything for me to know the
asshole never gave her any spending money, the more I learned, the harder it
was for me to think about letting her go back to him.

Dinner was a simple affair in a little bistro that I
liked. I ordered her the leek and potato soup as a starter followed by poached
salmon in hollandaise sauce with asparagus and new potatoes.

She was such a delight to spoil, I found myself
looking forward to things that I had never paid much attention to in the past.
Like the upcoming holidays, not to mention her birthday which would be in a few
short months.

I smiled at the thought.

"What? What are you smiling about?"

That’s my little girl, so attentive to my every
action.

My smile grew wider. "I'm imagining spoiling my
best girl for the holidays."

"Who me?"

She blushed with a look of uncertainty on her face. My
poor baby, so unaccustomed to attention, I felt my hands clench into fists. I
refuse to let thoughts of her father and what I would like to do to him intrude
on our time any more this evening.

My only thought from now on would be of her, of making
her life something beautiful.

It was pure torture taking her home after all that. I
had stolen more than a few kisses in the back of the car. Like now, we were
almost to her house and I had her on my lap as I taught her how to kiss me the
way I liked, with lots of tongue and playfulness.

"Give me your tongue."

She obeyed hurriedly and I took her tongue into my
mouth. She’d put on her new lip-gloss, I knew it would torment
me,
she tasted like innocence and sin.

I wanted to plunder and devour but reminded myself of
my promise. Not until after her birthday, Damn I hope I can last that long. She
drew forth such strong emotion in me I wondered how I would keep myself in
check when already I wanted her so badly it was like a gnawing pain in my gut
that would not be assuaged until I had her for the first time, and perhaps not
even then.

"Sir we're here."

Dammit, not enough time, never enough time. I held her
away from me holding her little face in my hands.

"You call me if you need me do you hear me
Ashley?" Fuck I don’t want to leave her. Beg me to take you home with me
baby, just say the fucking words.

She looked at me questioningly, with a light frown
until she got my meaning.

I saw shame and embarrassment cloud her face and
wanted to walk into that house and beat the shit out if him, soon. That's
another promise to myself he'll pay, not only for what he had done to her all
her life, but also for what he’d intended.

Chapter 7

It was with a heavy heart that I left her there. I'm
not usually one to go against my instincts, and it bothered the hell out of me,
that now, when it was most important, I had no choice but I couldn't just
remove a seventeen year old girl from her fathers' house on a whim. He was the
only family she had and she had no idea what he really felt about her, well
maybe a little bit but I don’t think my baby really understood all that was at
play here. What child can accept that he or she isn’t loved unconditionally by
their
own parent?

I will eventually have to tell her these things but
our relationship was too new. For all that the attraction between us was very
strong I’m still relatively a stranger to her. This was the man who’d been the
only constant in her life, and no matter his treatment of her, I was sure my
Blossom had strong feelings for him, it's just who she is.

Back at my place I paced the floor in worry while
sipping a snifter of cognac. I found myself checking my phone every five
minutes to see if she'd called and I somehow missed it. I had eyes and ears on
the house so that gave me a peace of mind but still every second that she was
in his presence was like torture. I wanted to just go over there and take her,
bring her home. But I was afraid of alienating her; what if she blamed me?

I need for our relationship as unconventional as it
already is to go smoothly, that wouldn't happen if I acted on the caveman
mentality that she seems to draw forth from me. Being with her this afternoon
had only solidified my feelings, that this was right, that we were right
society be damned. I will let nothing and no one stand in my way, least of all
her bastard of a father.

I hate the position I must take, knowing what I know
about him and about his plans for her future. I hope he took my threats
seriously, because I would have no problem destroying him if he harmed one hair
on her fucking head. As for his sick twisted plans against his own flesh and
blood, I could only be thankful that I came along when I did.

The mere thought of it was sickening to think that
anyone could think to do such a thing to their own flesh and blood was beyond
the realm of human decency.

I have to stop thinking of these things, for now
anyway, otherwise my well laid out plans would go up in smoke. I have to tread
very carefully. When she does eventually come to be with me here, or in our new
home, which I’m hoping she would help me pick out sometime in the near future,
I want it to be a happy occasion, and not because I had to drag her from the
clutches of her deranged father.

I tried losing myself in work, the work I had put
aside to take her shopping today. She was such a delight, found such pleasure
in the littlest things. I wouldn't let my mind go to the fact that she was this
way because Cliff Sanders had deprived her for so long, when I think of her
being a small child at his mercy my stomach hurts.

Fuck, I can't do this. She'll just have to be mad at
me for a while, the more I think of it the more I feel like an unfeeling cad
for leaving her there. I was hounded by an unsettling feeling in the pit of my
gut, had been fighting it ever since I drove away and left her there. Please
don’t let her hate me for what I’m about to do. “I’m coming Blossom, for better
or worse you’re mine now and I take care of my own.”

I was pulling on my jacket when my phone finally rang,
without even looking I knew what it was, my heart raced and my blood ran cold.
"Thorpe."

"Ah sir, there seems to be some sort of
altercation taking place in the residence should we intervene?"

"Yes, subdue and contain, I'm on my way."
This is your fault Gideon, you knew what type of man this was and still you let
her go there, how could you? I will have to beat myself up later right now my
only thought was getting to her. I didn't call my driver, I took the Aston out
myself I needed speed.

I reached the house in less than fifteen minutes, as I
walked up to the door I could hear her father railing against my men. I kicked
in the door and walked in on my worst fucking nightmare.

One of my guards had the asshole sequestered in a
corner of the room while the other sat on the stairs with a crying Ashley.
Without uttering a word I walked over to the stairs and picked her up. Her
little body was trembling uncontrollably and I wanted to commit murder. I had
to shake the blood from my eye before I could see to her. I took deep calming
breaths so I wouldn’t scare her anymore than she already was before kneeling at
her feet and drawing her into my arms.

I checked her over for any sign of physical harm but
there was none evident. I took a sigh of relief at least she'd been spared
that, I hoped.

"What happened here Ashley?" I kept my voice
level though the rage threatened to choke the fuck out of me. I can’t end her
father in front of her. That’s what I kept repeating to myself as I awaited her
answer.

She was crying too hard to answer so I turned to my
men, they would’ve everything that went on inside the house. "What
happened?"

"We heard breaking glass and screaming then
crying, we weren't sure what was going on so we called you."

"Thanks guys! Did you hit her?" I looked at
the man whose neck I imagined wringing.

"I didn't touch the little bitch."

I made to step towards him until I remembered I was
holding her in my arms. She cringed at his outburst and I drew her closer to my
chest as if to shield her from his words. How many times had he called her that
and worst? The stupid fuck; not now Gideon, take care of Blossom first, deal
with him later.

Without another word I turned and walked up the stairs
with her still clutching me as if afraid I will leave her. Never a fucking
again, at least I had the asshole to thank for giving me this golden
opportunity. I kissed her brow and gently passed my lips across hers. “Which
room is yours baby?"

I spoke softly as if to a child, she had yet to say a
word and I had no idea of the extent of his latest attack and how traumatized
she might be.

She pointed out her room to me and then buried her
face in my neck. It's when I opened the door that I saw the destruction.
Everything I’d bought her had been either broken or torn to shreds. This too
was my fault, she'd tried to warn me, but I stupidly believed that my threats
would keep him in check.

It seems his hatred of her far outweighed his fear of
me, or my retribution. I turned and left the room with her still in my arms.
She won't
be needing
anything here after today.

Downstairs my man was still standing guard over him, I
wanted to plow my fist in his face but that would mean putting her down which I
wasn't ready to do.

I sufficed myself with giving him a glare, in that
look I told him everything he needed to know. His tyranny of her was at an end,
now mine of him will begin.

"Leave him." I walked out of there and to my
car, my men followed behind after I had secured her in the front seat. The
piece a shit came outside but kept his silence, wouldn't want the neighbors to
hear what was going on. I could care less about his reputation, but her I will
protect, his time will come. It burned a hole in my gut not to put a bullet in
him right then and there but she came first. I had to get her the fuck out of
there and to safety, only then will I think of what to do with him. I could
give my men the order to take care of him but this was personal. He’d fucked
with mine after I’d warned him, that’s an affront, an insult that will not and
cannot go unanswered.

I didn't look back at him as we drove away, just took
her hand in mine, kissed her palm, and took her home.

She curled into a ball in the front seat of my car,
not saying a word just crying her heart out. I thought of settling her down at
home and going back there to beat the crap out of him. I don't remember ever
feeling such violence against another person in my life and I’ve done some
violent shit.

When we reached my place I faced a moral dilemma, a
first for me. Should I lead her to the guest room or have her stay with me? I
had no intentions of touching her, not yet, but I didn't want her to spend the
night alone, not feeling the way she was.

I parked in the underground garage and came around to
let her out, she climbed into my arms like a child; broke my fucking heart. How
could anyone hurt such a sweet, loving heart as hers? The tears were finally
gone but she was still sniffling as she once again buried her face in my neck.

I used the card to access my private elevator thankful
that I had privacy. I tried putting her down but she just clung tighter and
made a distressed sound. "Ssh,
ssh
, it's okay
baby, I've got you."

I kissed her brow as the elevator climbed to the
penthouse,
since she refused to release me I guess I had my
answer. She didn’t want to be alone.

I walked to the master suite and placed her gently on
the bed. She was already in her pajamas and all she had on her feet were socks
so I just placed her under the covers.

"Look at me baby." I pushed her hair back
from her face so I could look into her eyes. Her beautiful eyes
that were
now red from too much crying.

"You want to tell me what happened
sweetheart?"

She shook her head and buried her face in the pillow.
There was no need to push, I'm sure my guys had a recording of what had gone on
in there, I just wanted her to talk.

"Okay, we'll talk about it tomorrow when you’re
ready.” I took some time to formulate my next words in my head. This was it the
point of no return and I knew that no matter what she was staying with me. I
just hope she wanted that too, it would be fucked to start our new life
together on a bad note, but there’s no way I would ever let her go near him
again.

“Do you know what's going to happen next Ashley?”

She turned over and looked at me, her eyes puffy and
red, she looked like a lost little girl, and I could kick my ass for putting
her in this position, for not following my gut the one time it counted the
most. I was so cocky, so sure of myself that I had foolishly put her in danger,
now I will have to fix things.

"You're going to stay here with me."

"For tonight?" Her voice was so sad and so
unsure, how will I ever indo the damage he’d done to my sweet girl? Killing him
won’t fix that. It sure the fuck would make me feel a fuck of a lot better
though.

"I was thinking more like...forever, if that's
what you want." No matter what she says she’s not going back.

"But what about my dad, isn't he going to make
trouble for you? I don't want you to get hurt because of me." She seemed
afraid all of a sudden, holding onto me even tighter. What the fuck?

"Hurt how baby?" What the fuck had he said
to her?

"Just be careful okay, don't go see my dad
anymore, and if it's okay I want to stay here with you, but how?" Her
words were all rushed and jumbled together but I got what I wanted. I’ll deal with
her fears later, I’m not afraid of that fuck but I guess for her he was the
scariest thing she knew. Fucking monster.

"Don't worry about it I'll take care of
everything."