The Billionaire's Secret (12 page)

He poured them each a glass of Napa Valley’s
Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon. He was usually a beer drinker,
but Ross had introduced him to this wine a few years back. He hoped
she would enjoy it as well.

When he returned he found Lizette looking at
pictures on the mantel.

“Is this your mom?”

“Yes,” he answered as he handed her the
glass of wine.

“She’s beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“And is this your brother?”

“No. That is Brad. He was a friend.”

“Was?”

“He died five years ago in a car
accident.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. He was so young.”

Yes, too young, only twenty-eight,
Jon thought, then placed the photo back on the mantel. It seemed
like yesterday when the five of them were in college. Trent was
always talking about becoming a corporate tycoon, a goal he
succeeded in achieving. Ross talked about leaving his family’s
legendary wine business and making a name for himself, which had
proved easier said than done. Drew was out to show he was more than
the son of a lottery winner and could make it on his own. But Brad
was different from them all. His favorite saying was engraved on
his tombstone: it only takes one. He was forever the optimist. He
never talked about what he wanted to do after college. They only
found out at his funeral what he had gone on to do. Funny, they all
had had such great ambitions of fame and fortune, except for Brad.
He had money, but you never would have known it. He lived a
low-key, modest life. He would show up for events he was invited
to, but the rest of the time you never knew where he was or what he
was doing. Only after speaking to the people who attended his
funeral did they find out what an extraordinary man Brad had
become. That day not only changed Jon’s life, but the lives of
Ross, Trent, and Drew as well. They all continued to grow their
businesses, but they took a piece of Brad with them as they tried
to carry on in his memory.

“Jon, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring back
painful memories.”

As he turned to her he could see concern and
compassion in her eyes. “It’s okay, it was a long time ago.”

The ringing of Jon’s cell phone broke the
tension and pulled him back to the present. Looking at the caller
ID, he said, “I’m sorry, I have to take this.”

After a quick nod from Lizette, Jon left the
room. Lizette went and sat on the couch, taking in the warmth of
the fire, closing her eyes as she thought back to their drive
there.

The call was taking longer than she had
expected, so she picked up the remote from the end table and
directed it toward the TV, but nothing happened. She tried again
and this time music began to play. Soft, romantic, classical music.
Jon was full of surprises. She leaned back on the couch and
finished her wine. It couldn’t hurt to kick off her shoes and curl
up on the couch while she waited. The music was so soothing, and it
had been such a long, stressful weekend—her eyes closed, and she
fell asleep.

***

Jon reentered the room to the sound of
music. Where was Lizette? He approached the end table, intending to
grab the remote and turn the music off, but he stopped abruptly
when he saw Lizette sound asleep on his couch. He stood watching
her for a moment, enjoying the sight. She was beautiful beyond
compare—a natural beauty, as she only had a hint of makeup on. Even
with her fiery personality, she had such delicate features: high
cheekbones, tiny sweet ears, and lips that had driven him to lose
control more than once. As she stirred in her sleep, a strand of
her hair fell across her face. Jon bent down to brush it away. The
slightest contact brought the need to touch and taste her back to
him in full force. With his thumb, he gently traced her bottom lip.
She stirred in her sleep but did not wake. Ever so lightly, he let
his lips touch hers. A moan of his name escaped her lips, and she
awoke and arched toward him. There was no holding back any longer.
His kiss deepened, and he parted her lips with his tongue. She
eagerly welcomed him. Lizette’s arms were now around his neck,
pulling him closer, drawing him on top of her. He didn’t
disappoint. He joined her on the couch and ran his hands up and
down her body, finally finding his way under her dress to the apex
between her thighs. She was so hot and wet for him. He stroked her
clit with his thumb as his finger entered her. Her moans grew as he
continued. She opened wider for him, and he added a second finger,
now faster, harder. He watched her face as he drove her wild and
her body began to shudder; he could feel her climax around his
fingers.

Lizette had reached out to him. The hunger
in her eyes only made him want her more. He leaned down to kiss
her, but she stopped him. Then she slowly began to unbutton his
shirt one button at a time. Jon could barely resist ripping his
shirt off himself. Instead he knelt in front of her as she removed
his shirt. She traced her fingers ever so gently over his bare
chest and abdomen, lingering just above his belt. It was sweet
torture watching her unhook and remove his belt. Then she undid the
button to his pants, all while watching his reaction. She was
driving him crazy and the need to take her was almost more than he
could control. As if she read his thoughts, she brought his zipper
down and slipped her hand inside his pants to release his throbbing
cock. Lizette began to stroke him gently at first, and then she
repositioned herself and her mouth began to follow her fingers. Jon
could not contain the groan as she took him deep inside her mouth.
He reached out and threaded his hands in her long dark hair as he
watched her take all of him again and again, sucking, stroking him
with her tongue. His eyes closed for a moment, then in one swift
movement he pulled away from her, knowing another second of her
mouth on him would leave him unable to hold back his release.

When she looked up at him he said, “I want
to see you . . . all of you.” He watched Lizette get up off the
couch, and he reached behind her for the zipper of her dress.
Slowly she unzipped it, and the dress fell from her body to lie on
the floor at her feet. As she stood in only her lace bra and
panties, he told her again, “All of you.” Obeying his request, she
unhooked her bra and let it slip to the floor. Then she slid her
thumbs beneath both sides of her panties and ever so slowly drew
them off her hips until they also lay on the floor.

“I have the same request—I want to see all
of you, Jon.” Her voice trembled as she spoke.

He gladly stood in front of her and removed
his shoes and socks and then, finally, his pants. He reached out
for her as she stepped closer but out of his reach. She was
beautiful to look at. He had never seen such a perfect woman
before. There was no other way to describe her. His cock was fully
erect and ached for her. Lizette then stepped closer and reached a
hand out to rest on his chest. Jon wanted to lift her in his arm
and plunge deep inside her, but as she leaned closer she whispered
in his ear, “Sit back on the couch.” He did as she asked and
watched her drop one knee onto the couch, then the other, so she
straddled his throbbing cock between her thighs. He groaned in
pleasure and arched his head back as he entered her for the first
time. He gripped her buttocks firmly as her wet softness took all
of him deep inside. First slowly, with precision. Then faster and
deeper. She threw her head back, and he could feel her tighten
around his shaft. He plunged even deeper as his release exploded
within her.

With both their hearts still pounding, she
collapsed into his waiting arms. He tenderly kissed her forehead
and stroked her hair. They lay there quietly, just enjoying the
lasting effects of their lovemaking, until Jon broke the
silence.

“Lizette, you are a woman of many wonders.
Each time I think I have you figured out, you surprise me
again.”

“Is that a good or a bad thing?”

“Depends. I’m used to being able to read
people easily. You, however, are not the open book you appear to
be.”

Lizette blushed. “Some books you need to
read from cover to cover, Jon, in order to learn the entire
story.”

“Hmm, is that a challenge? Because I believe
there are some pages I’m ready to explore now, if you’re up to it,”
he said. “Care to join me in the bedroom?”

“I’m not sure my legs will carry me right
now.”

“That is easily fixed,” he said as he stood
with her legs still wrapped around him. He carried her to the
bedroom, where he proceeded to make love to her again and again
throughout the night, until neither of them had any strength
left.

She woke to find herself alone in bed. Jon
had told her last night he needed to be in the lab very early, and
she should make herself comfortable while he was gone. He even
jotted down his personal cell phone number and told her to call
when she was awake. She was not sure what time he actually left but
the clock showed it was only 5:00 a.m. She had to be up early for
work too, but this was too early, even for a morning person like
her. Yawning, she pulled her arm out from under the softest sheet
she had ever felt. The bed had cooled without the warmth of Jon’s
naked body next to hers. Lizette wasn’t sure at what point she had
lost her senses and decided to make love to a man she barely knew,
but she couldn’t deny last night had been amazing, like nothing she
had ever experienced before. For the first time in her life, she
hadn’t held anything back. She wasn’t the shy wallflower everyone
thought she was; instead, she’d taken control and, in doing so,
found herself. She wasn’t sure what had changed in her, but
something had. Being with Jon had given her confidence in
herself—or maybe she’d always had it but had never been with the
right person to feel comfortable expressing it. An insecure man
might not have been able to allow her to control the pace, but Jon
was never insecure.

The last several hours had felt like
something she’d read about in a romance book, not something she
ever thought she’d actually experience. In reality, all it had been
was one wild night. Not something she had ever done before, and not
something she planned on doing again. You can’t go back and undo
what had been done. She wasn’t sure she would even if she could.
She knew part of her would cherish what they’d shared last night
for the rest of her life. Yes, she would have to describe it as a
life-changing experience. But that was the problem, it had been
life-changing for her. For him, it was probably an everyday
occurrence, from the fancy restaurant to the night of passion.

The thought cut through her like a knife.
She didn’t want to think of him with another woman, or that what
they’d shared may not have been special to him. But the truth was,
she didn’t know what the night had meant to him. She only knew,
whether she wanted to admit it or not, she had feelings for him;
otherwise, she never would have spent the night with him. That
revelation hit her hard, and a tear rolled down her check. Yes, she
cared, and she didn’t want to. She was glad Jon wasn’t there so she
didn’t have to face him again.

She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do
on the morning after. This was a first for her. What she did know
though—it was time to go home. If she stayed any longer, it would
only get worse, harder for her. Men like him—rich, powerful
men—didn’t date women like her. And if they did, they didn’t date
them for long. Once the newness wore off, they moved on. The rich
lived in a world where everything was disposable, even
relationships. Lizette had learned that lesson firsthand, when she
was in college. She had dated a fellow student who came from money.
Oh, how she’d thought she was in love back then. School had always
come easily to her, so getting a 4.0 hadn’t been a problem. But her
ease with her studies meant she had more time on her hands than
many of the other students. Enough time to travel home to see her
parents, to check on the store. But no, she was too emotionally
wrapped up in her first love. He’d had her believing this was her
time to have fun and enjoy life; everything else would be there
when she got back home. He had been wrong, so very wrong. When she
finally did go home, her parents had signed the papers to sell the
store. And why? Because she was too busy “enjoying life, having
fun.” When she found out what happened, she immediately called her
boyfriend to ask for help, to see if he knew anyone who could stop
this, get it reversed, something, anything. Lizette would never
forget his words, as they changed how she’d lived ever since. “If
they weren’t wise enough to handle a business, then they shouldn’t
have been in business. You don’t become a small fish in the big sea
if you can’t handle being swallowed up. At the end of the day, it’s
just business.”

He didn’t care, and he never called her
again. There was nothing she could do—the family business was no
more. And it was her fault, because she’d been distracted from what
was important, devoting her time to someone who knew he would never
stay with her. She was just another casualty of the sea. She
decided then she would never again be so irresponsible. Life was
not a game. If you didn’t take it seriously, you could lose
everything, and there would always be someone watching, waiting to
take it from you.

Coming to New York, spending the night with
Jon, was a prime example of her losing focus on what she was
supposed to be doing—getting a sponsor for Another Chance—not
enjoying a dinner that must have cost hundreds of dollars for her
portion alone.
Well, at least nobody knows I was here or what I
did. I can go back home, no harm done this time.

It was still early enough to find her way
downtown, catch an Amtrak train back to Rhode Island, and still get
home to Chepachet before nightfall. From there she would update Ms.
Manning that Jon—oh, she had to remember to call him Mr.
Vinchi—would be researching the sponsorship and getting back to her
directly by the end of the week. There was no need to get into the
dirty details of how she ran away with him to New York and spent
the night in his bed. Nope, no reason anyone ever had to know
that.