The Billionaire's Elusive Lover (10 page)

The drive home was done in silence but Alec didn’t relent on his sexual onslaught. His fingers holding her hand tickled her palm, making her stare down at their joined hands, wondering how such a light touch could make her breathing rapid, her heart accelerate and her body desperate to move closer to his, to become as close as possible.

“Alec…” she started to say but he stopped her.

“You’re home,” he said and stepped out of the car, reaching down to help her out as well. He led her up to her apartment and, at her doorway, kissed her gently but thoroughly, leaving her sighing, her eyes almost cross eyed with a desperate need to have him touch her more. “Good night, Helen,” he said softly before walking away from her.

Chapter 5

Helen woke up and stared at the wall. She was still exhausted, having woken up breathless twice during the night. She’d thrown off the covers and tried to calm down but the dream had been too vivid. She’d been making love to Alec in her dreams and she was still aching, desperate for him even now.

There was no getting away from Alec. He seemed to end up anywhere she was. Earlier in the week, he’d turned up at a photo shoot and took her out to lunch. Another day he met her in the park with a picnic lunch, then asked her about the people she’d photographed. When he went out of town for two days, he called and told her when he’d be back, asking her to meet him at the airport. When she said no, he told her to write down the date and time he was scheduled to land. And since it was his plane, he could be there anytime. “Meet me at the airport, Helen” he said. And of course, silly woman that she was, she did. And was met with a huge bouquet of white roses and a mind numbing kiss, followed by a trip to a village fair where he took her on every ride available, even voting for the best pig and largest cow. Helen hated that she laughed hard at all the silly games they played but she hated even more that he was breaking down her resistance, showing her that he was really a nice guy underneath all that arrogance.

He called her house just as she was arriving home each night and told her he was taking her out to dinner. When she denied him, he resorted to telling her where he was taking her, tempting her with savory foods and amazing desserts. She wasn’t gaining weight because she was too wound up the following day to eat, having been subjected to yet another sexual onslaught at the door to her apartment when he dropped her off.

After two weeks of this pressure, she wasn’t sure if she was coming or going at times. Waking up after one of these evenings with Alec, she pushed the pillow over her face and screamed. She hoped she wasn’t disturbing her neighbor but couldn’t help it if she was. She didn’t know what to do. She wanted Alec so much but she had a promise to her father and she had to keep it.

Helen threw back the covers and showered, changing into a pair of jeans and plain white tee-shirt. In her hair, she covered the top with an old scarf, gypsy style, then added several sets of pearls and a black leather belt. Feeling more like her old self again now that she was dressed, she grabbed her camera bag and left her apartment. She had a lot to do today.

Twelve hours later, she dragged herself back home, desperate for a long soak in the tub. She hadn’t heard from Alec today and denied that she was disappointed. She wasn’t addicted to him, she told herself as she dumped her bag down beside the door.

Looking through her refrigerator, she contemplated the contents. Nothing but a bottle of milk which was probably way past its prime, a brownish head of lettuce and one egg. The freezer wasn’t any better but at least it contained some frozen meals. Accepting that she’d have to microwave something or go out, she pulled out the meal.

The phone rang.

She ignored it and slammed the door closed on the microwave.

It kept ringing. She glared at it until it stopped ringing and the answering machine picked it up. “Helen, I know you’re there. Pick up the phone,” Alec said through the machine, his deep voice challenging her, commanding her to do something she knew would be a bad idea.

She bit her lip and contemplated the idea. If she picked it up, he’d take her out to dinner. Then he’d kiss her and drive her crazy with need, then leave her on her doorstep while his eyes demanded that she invite him in.

She turned away from the phone. The microwave dinged and she grew frustrated. “Helen, pick up the phone,” he ordered.

She opened the microwave and stuck her fork into the still frozen pasta.

Alec sighed on her machine. “Okay. I’ll be out of town for three days. When I get back, we’re going to talk. Be safe, Helen,” he said and then hung up the phone.

Helen turned to stare at the phone. Alec would be gone? For three whole days? The desolation that invaded her heart was painful and she looked around at her tiny apartment, feeling like the world had just tilted on its side and she couldn’t regain her balance.

No! She would not be upset by that news! She would be fine without him. Great even. No problems, no frustration. She could get some sleep and develop some of these pictures.

Calling her mother, she scheduled a dinner with her, then two of her other friends. She was determined to not think about him at all. Or about how much she missed him. If she thought about him during the next three days, it was only to hope that he was safe and not overworking. If she dreamed about him at night, she quickly gave herself a cold shower and pretended that everything was fine.

Four days later, Helen sighed with happiness. Another picture sold! The check in her hands wasn’t much but the picture of the sunset she’d sold would show up in a prestigious travel magazine. She might not make a lot of money on that one, but she’d get lots of recognition. And it was all because of Alec. Well, his view at any rate.

She stared at the one hundred euro check the whole way up the stairs to her apartment, almost dancing with excitement as she reviewed the name over and over again. This was the first time they’d ever accepted one of her pictures although she’d submitted several before. Even as she looked at the evidence, she still couldn’t believe that she’d finally broken through and had one accepted! It was like a special birthday and Christmas all wrapped up in one.

Dumping her heavy camera bag beside the door, she danced through her tiny apartment to the kitchen. Tonight, she didn’t even notice the chipped, blue linoleum she’d asked her landlord to repair about ten times, or the chipping paint in the corner. Tonight, all she could see was the travel magazine check and her heart couldn’t calm down. This was monumental.

She pulled out the bottle of white wine she’d been savoring the previous few days. Although it had been out and exposed to oxygen which diminishes the taste, the quality of the wine was such that it didn’t matter. At least not to her. She didn’t have the money to throw away. Since she enjoyed a good bottle of wine so much but didn’t have the money to get rid of an already opened bottle if she couldn’t drink it that same night, she accepted the slightly tarnished taste. It was still immensely enjoyable.

She changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top, immediately feeling relief from the heat. The air conditioner in her apartment wasn’t working very well so it never really cooled down. She plopped down onto the comfortable, but well worn, orange couch she’d found at a second hand shop and breathed a sigh of relief, taking a slow, wonderful sip of her wine. It was crisp and pungent and alerted all her senses that an explosion of flavor was about to hit. Then wham! Her tongue experienced the oak, the fruit and the touch of chocolate. Amazing! And oh, so satisfying.

She held the check up, blocking out the soft, yellow color of the walls she’d painted the previous year to enhance the orange couch and stared once again at the travel magazine name. She really owed Alec a thank you, her conscience told her. He’d had his office invaded, his staff corralled and brought into the event and his evening disrupted. The least she could do was send him a note letting him know that his patience was rewarded.

She wouldn’t even need to see him, she thought, her mind working a mile a minute. If she just got him a gift, some small token of her appreciation for his patience, she could simply give it to Mick and he could make sure it got to Alec. That wouldn’t be cheating on her promise not to see him anymore, would it?

Boy, she missed…No! she stopped herself. No, no, no! She couldn’t think about how much she missed him. Even arguing with him. That was completely inappropriate. It had been four days and she wouldn’t do anything about it.

She needed to just get him the thank you gift, then stop thinking about him, get on with her life.

She took another sip of wine and thought about how perfect her plan was. Her mother would be proud of her creativity and her father would be glad she hadn’t broken her promise or put herself into a situation where she might be tempted.

She was completely in control, she smiled. No worries if she dropped off a thank you gift and she could just move on after that. There would be no reason to think about him ever again. She could even see Edna when she wanted and not need to ask about Alec. Helen knew that Edna and her mother had formed a fast friendship and were having lunch together next week but Helen wouldn’t need to ask how Alec was, if he was still angry with her or with what had happened while he was out of town. Or if he was okay or if he was getting enough sleep and not working too hard….

But what could she get him? The man had so much money, he could buy just about anything he wanted. She took another sip of wine and contemplated what might be an adequate gift for what he’d done for her.

The flavor burst once more, giving her a sense of contentment and pleasure but her mind was still a blank on a gift. Perhaps one of her pictures? Maybe in a nice frame? She could even give him the sunset picture. That was the whole reason for the gift, wasn’t it?

And a bottle of wine!

Helen sat up, suddenly feeling as if the world were back to spinning properly on the axis she’d set in motion. Yes! A bottle of wine and the sunset picture would be perfect!

She savored the rest of her glass of wine slowly, thinking of all the possibilities when it came to wine and then her mind touched on the perfect bottle.

An hour later, Helen stared at the bottle, hoping inspiration would come to her. She’d gone to her discount supplier, the one down the street that had a store which looked more like a hole in the wall than an actual retail market but he sold some of the best wines, even if they were pricy. The bottle was her favorite red wine, a full bodied pinot grigio that she suspected Alec would appreciate. It had taken all one hundred dollars she’d received for the picture but the sale wasn’t really about the money. It was about recognition and a breakthrough. She didn’t usually spend a hundred dollars on one bottle of wine but what could she do when buying a bottle of wine for a zillionaire? She had to spend a little more simply because he wouldn’t care for something less than the best, she knew.

She bit her lip, considering the nights they’d gone out to dinner. She’d recognized the labels of the other wines and they’d all been excellent but there was no way she could afford those. This one, her favorite, was all she could afford but now that she’d bought it, what should she write on the note? The words had to create the perfect balance between graciousness so he understood how important this event was, and finality so he knew that she couldn’t see him anymore.

“Alec,” she wrote on the light green stationary she had on hand for notes, “Thank you so much for allowing me to invade your office. Just so you know it wasn’t in vain, I’m proud to let you know that one of the pictures will be published in one of the best travel magazines. Thank you for the opportunity. In gratitude, please accept this bottle of wine in appreciation.”

She re-read the note then nodded with satisfaction. Putting it into a darker green envelope along with a smaller copy of the sunset picture, she sealed it and tied it to the bottle of wine with a special ribbon.

She worked hard the next day and her camera bag was especially heavy since it was carrying the bottle of wine. Helen calculated she could make it to her first photo shoot, drop off the bottle during her lunch and then still make it to her afternoon appointment. It was such a simple plan, what could possibly go wrong?

Chapter 6

Alec stormed out of the airport, irritated at the whole world. He wasn’t really angry at the world but at one, cute, irritating, sexy female with eyes that wouldn’t leave his head. He wanted her. And not just her body, he’d realized grimly as he was driven from the airport back to his headquarters two days after his anticipated return. It irritated him that he wanted to talk to her even before he wanted to check in with his office.

When had he ever wanted to talk to a woman? Women served one purpose and one purpose only. They were interesting creatures, soft, lovely, full of interesting curves but not interesting conversation.

And why the hell hadn’t she tried to call him? Even once, dammit! He’d held off calling her during the whole trip only to see if she’d call him first and now he wanted nothing more than to hear her voice and see the laughter in her eyes.

Why in the world would he want to be around her, argue with her, laugh with her and hear her laugh with him? That was unheard of, he thought with burning irritation. He turned on his computer located in the car and forced himself to concentrate on the current acquisition. It would be a simple one, he knew, but strategic. The target company was vulnerable in places the owner didn’t even realize. By the time the markets opened up in three hours in Athens, everything would be all over. The man had left a key part of his small empire vulnerable and so he deserved to lose it all. No man should leave himself open to attack. Keeping his family and possessions safe was the ultimate point of a man and Alec knew that lesson better than anyone else. He had found more vulnerabilities than anyone and knew how to protect his own.