The Millionaire Door Prize (Erotic Romance) (2 page)

“What the fuck are you
. . . are you fucking my woman?” asked the voice.

“Yes, I am fucking her
. She’s so freakin’ hot, but she isn’t your woman. She’s mine now,” Xander replied, again grunting. Then he hit a button on his laptop and the sounds of a woman moaning could be heard. Alyssa gasped, then slapped her hand over her mouth.

“You prick
. I
will
kill you when I get my hands around your neck.”

“You ain’t going to do a damn thing to me.
And since you’re screwing some bitch, Alyssa has no more use for you and your puny dick. She’s riding my hard cock as we speak and swearing it’s so much better than what you tried to call a dick,” he said, again hitting the button on the computer. The sound of a woman moaning again echoed from the speakers. Then she cried out. “Man, she just loves my hard cock in her sweet pussy,” he said, moaning himself.

“Fine then
! You can have the cheating whore. I don’t want that slut,” screamed the voice. “Fuck you both!”

“Ah,
” Xander said with a chuckle, “I do believe you’re the one who was cheating on her.”

“Please, Courtney is nothing but a cunt, spreading her legs for anything.
I just give her a good time once in awhile,” her boyfriend admitted.

Alyssa ripped the phone out of Xander’s hand.
“Go fuck yourself, you dick head liar!” Alyssa screamed into the phone.

“Alyssa
, you better get your ass home now, bitch!”

“Go to hell!” she cried.

“I said get home now! If I have to come get you, you’ll be sorry,” he warned. Alyssa dropped the phone and Xander picked it up.

“She
’s not your bitch, and she’s staying with me. Fuck off, loser.” Xander hung up the phone and turned off the orgasming sound effect. A few seconds later the phone rang again. Xander powered the phone off and set it on the coffee table along with the laptop.

Love of a S
tranger

“Alyssa . . . I’m sorry,” he said, reaching for her arm. She flinched, crying even more. “Come here, love,” he said, urging her to toward him. Alyssa buried her face against his chest. Xander hugged her to him, comforting her again. “You’re safe with me,” he whispered.

Several minutes later there was a knock on the door.
She jumped. He tightened his grip for a moment. “I’ll get it; it’s probably just room service. He doesn’t know you’re here. You’re safe, Alyssa. Do you understand?” Alyssa nodded, lifting herself out of his arms. He went to open the door.

A young man pushed a cart into the room.

“Thanks, Pedro,” Xander said.

Pedro raised his eyebrows and smiled
, nodding his head at the girl. Xander shook his head and closed his eyes. Pedro nodded quietly and departed. Xander moved the table further into the room and draped a white napkin over his left arm. Going to stand in front of her, he bowed to Alyssa and offered her his hand.

“Mademoiselle, if you will please
. . . dinner is served,” he said in his best French accent. She smiled and giggled. He smiled back, glad he could make her happy, even for a moment. She put her hand in his and he escorted her to the table, held her chair for her, and opened a napkin to drape across her lap. Xander then lit the two twelve-inch, sky-blue candles and dimmed the lights.

Alyssa was very nervous
, and her eyes darted back to the door as Xander took his place across the table.

“Your soup is getting cold
,” he said, trying a spoonful of his own. They ate in silence, except for her heavy breathing and the spoons hitting the bowls. After only several bites, Alyssa set her spoon down and pushed away from the table.

“Alyssa, please don’t leave
,” he urged, wiping his mouth and laying his napkin on the table.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked, sitting sideways in her chair
, unable to look at him.

He shrugged.
“I guess it’s what I do. I help people who look like they need help. And you . . . my heart aches seeing you in pain and in serious need of help; a friend, anyone who will listen, hold you if you need be and comfort you.”

“Why even bother?” she asked
, sighing heavily and again blinking her eyes to keep from crying. Her jaw clenched.

“Because everyone needs someone,” he assured her.

She laughed
, just shaking her head, unable to reply.

Xander got up from the table
, and her eyes flitted to him warily. He pushed the table toward the door, and then shoved the couch and coffee table out of the way. She watched with a curious expression as he put a CD in the large stereo, hit play, and moved to the open floor. He held his hand out to her as the slow, romantic song played. She looked at his hovering hand, but made no move to take it. He shook his hand at her, silently hoping she would take it. Giving in, Alyssa shrugged her shoulders and put her hand in his. Xander gently positioned her left hand on his upper right arm and wrapped his around her, placing his hand just below her shoulder blade. Keeping her eyes focused on his, he curled his fingers around her free hand and held it between them.

Slowly he start
ed to dance, keeping her close to him.

“Relax
, Alyssa. I’m not trying to hurt you. We’re just dancing,” he said, feeling how tense she was.

“Why?”

“Because if we truly don’t have much to say to each other, then dancing is a good solution. We don’t have to talk. We can just dance and enjoy the music,” he said smiling and dipping her. She gasped and clung to him. He stood her back up, grinning even more with a look of mischief. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said continuing with their slow dance.

“I am a lousy dancer
,” she complained.

“You are not
. You’re just nervous. First you need to relax, and second, please let me lead.” She lowered her eyes and accidentally stepped on his feet a couple times. He stopped them abruptly.

“Alyssa, relax.
”

She nodded.

“Take a deep breath, hold it . . . release. Again, deep breath, hold it . . . release.” He shook her arms in his, shaking off the tension. “Again, now just feel how I’m moving and follow me,” he directed, and again they were dancing. This time she was a little more fluid. “Much better,” he said and twirled her in a quick circle, catching her in his arms. She rested her hands on his chest, their erratic breathing mingled, then she lowered her head again. He returned them to their dancing positions and continued on, not allowing her time to think about her cheating boyfriend and the earlier night’s events. They didn’t speak; she just allowed him to dip, twirl, and hold her. This was like nothing she had ever done in her life and as the songs wore on, a smile crested her lips and added warmth to the candlelit room.

“I probably should go home now
,” she said, panting and about to step away, but he held her fast. The sparkle in her eye dimmed as she stared at their hands, his clutching hers a little too tight.

“Why, to go back to him
? Why go home only to be lonely?” he asked without hesitation. She flinched at his words. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to be so blunt,” he added.

“So what, I
’m not allowed to go home. I guess I’m supposed to stay here with you. Is that what you’re saying? Don’t go home to my cheating boyfriend, but stay with a complete stranger? Is that your answer to my problems?” she asked, stepping away from him to once more sit on the couch, the pillow again her only comfort.

“Alyssa
, that’s not what I meant.”

“It sure sounded like it to me
,” she snapped.

“Technically
, yes then. Why should you go back to him after what he did to you? And if he left you and is now at her place fucking her, then where will that leave you? Huh? Home alone, crying, and for what? He’s the one who hurt you, correct?” He was getting angry, but not at her. Although he’d never seen her boyfriend or even knew what he looked like, his imagination added a face to the cursing, abusive voice he’d heard earlier. “And he sounds as if he enjoys threatening and hurting you.”

She closed her eyes and clenched her jaw.
Her silence was enough of an admission to the truth.

“I am in no way thinking that anything will happen between us.
I am not looking to score. I want to help you feel . . . less pain,” he admitted.

“Somehow I find that hard to believe
,” she said, disbelieving.

“Why
, because I’m a guy and you believe that’s all we think about?”

“Ah, yeah!” she stated without hesitation.

He shook his head. “Not all guys are out for a score,” he said, watching her. She refused to look at him. “So I treat you to soup and some dancing, then I guess it’s time to fuck,” he bluntly replied.

She glared up at him.
“Fuck you,” she said and threw the pillow at him. Then she jumped up from the couch and ran for the door. He got to it first, putting his back to the door. Tears were now streaming down her face.

“I’m so sorry
, Alyssa,” he said. “I am sorry.” He looked sad. “I never should have said that, and I apologize.” He was panting, so afraid she would leave and because he had been so damn insensitive.

“Please, let me leave
,” she asked, trembling in fear.

“But I don’t want you to.
And what I said . . .” He held his hand up in reference to the couch. “Again, I am so sorry.”

“What do you want with me?”

“Just to talk.”

She laughed and shook her head.
“Are you serious? Talk?”

“Yes, please.” He held his hand out to her.

“I want to leave.” Her scared voice quaked.

“Do you honestly want to go back home?”

She just stood there, biting her lip, tears blurring her vision. Finally after a few moments of silence, she swallowed the lump in her throat and shook her head. “But you’re scaring me.”

“And for that stupidity
, I’m sorry,” he said, trying to calm himself. “How about this . . . what if we were to go out, that way you won’t feel so . . . confined? We could go . . . well we already ate . . . I guess go for a walk, go see a movie . . . I don’t know, whatever,” he offered.

“I don’t know
,” she said, confused, hurt, and afraid. She shook her head and went to sit on the couch. Xander breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He went to sit next to her, picked up his laptop, and started typing again. She again huddled in the corner, hugging the pillow.

“What are you doing?” she asked
, hoping he wasn’t going to play anymore of that smut he had earlier. He presented the laptop to her.

“See, that was me in
high school,” he said, looking away.

“This is you?”

“Was me,” he stated.

“I remember you now
,” she said almost excitedly. Then some of those memories came flooding back and she looked sad. “I’m sorry for what you went through.”

“Yeah, well, we all have our little moments in life
,” he said, reaching for the laptop. Shockingly, she grabbed his wrist. This time he jumped. He looked into her sad eyes which mirrored his own.

“I’m sorry for what Thomas did to you. It was wrong and I should have done something
. You were just talking to me and didn’t deserve to get beaten up,” she said.

“He would only have hit you too
,” Xander replied, taking back the laptop and closing it. He set it on the coffee table.

She just sat
in thought, fiddling with the small hole in the knee of her jeans. “He did . . . in the car.” Xander looked at her with pain in his eyes. “He was always violent with me,” she continued.

“Why did you stay with him?” he asked
, watching her.

“Because I was a stupid kid
. I didn’t know any better. One time I did take off his ring and he . . . he punched me in the stomach. He said if I took it off again he would kill me.”

“What finally saved you from him?” he inquired.

“He got a full scholarship and moved away. I cried for three days. Not because he was going across the country, but because I was no longer his . . . slave. I had said I applied for the same college because he wanted to continue to reign over me. I pretended to get refused. I played the whole worried girlfriend part and begged him not to leave. He smacked me and said I was never good enough for him. That was the last I ever saw of him,” she confessed.

“I’m sorry
,” Xander whispered.

“I’m not.
I felt such a relief. I went to a local college and was able to find a job here in the city. I actually thought to change my name so he couldn’t try to find me. I was always afraid he would try,” she said. Her breathing had increased with those horrifying thoughts of the past.

“Apparently he found someone else to torment.” It was not a question.

“I hope not,” she said, knowing what that poor girl would have to endure. There was more awkward silence. “So, what do your parents do?” she asked out of the blue, needing to change the subject.

He lowered his gaze to the floor.
“My mother died giving birth to me, and my father died when I was fifteen.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” She again had tears in her eyes.

“It’s okay, you didn’t know,” he said with a faint smile. Then it faded. “And that’s why I’m here . . . my uncle took pity on me and he has allowed me to stay here.”

“You live in this room all the time?
Do you ever go out? Don’t you have any friends?” she asked, feeling a bit sorry for him.

He laughed
, then licked his lips. “Friends, not really, just family-type acquaintances—I guess that’s how they can best be described. As for going out, well, I have no one to go out with, so I would have to say no. Again, when I do, and that’s rare, it’s with those family acquaintances I mentioned.” He leaned back against the couch to stare at the ceiling.

“I guess we all have our own private hells to live
,” she said softly.

“Yes
, that I do agree with; in one way or another, I believe so.” Silence followed.

“Thanks for putting up with my clumsiness
,” she said, not knowing what to talk about.

“You weren’t clumsy
,” Xander replied, turning his head to admire her.

She softly laughed
, disagreeing with him. “Granted, I was a cheerleader, but I never really was much of a dancer, at least for the fancy stuff. And after these past seven years after graduating, I never had time for much of anything.”

“Funny, all I have is time to do whatever
,” he replied.

“So you
’re saying you know all those ballroom dances?” she asked, seeming intrigued.

He laughed
, throwing up his hands. “Guilty as charged.”