The Scandalous Billionaires Collection (15 page)

Jason was still looking at her with his
intimidatingly gorgeous eyes.

"Suzy. Do it for Melissa. Please. Tell me
everything you know."

She had known him for less than two hours but
already she felt closer to him than she did to the vast majority of
the human race. This man was perfect for her big sister; she wanted
to save the world and so did he; she wanted to control everyone in
order to help them and he was obviously a huge well-meaning control
freak as well. Both of them were young, glamorous, attractive, but
neither of them seemed to care about it.

"Melissa kissed a client." She blurted out.
Jason didn't move. "Is that bad?"

"Tell me more." He said, giving nothing
away.

"He's just some guy, Bill or something his
name is. Or maybe that's not his real name. She was helping him for
years while she studied, still working under supervision. The guy
got most of his therapy for free. She helped him through his
divorce, helped him to rebuild his relationship with his kids. She
cured him of his anxiety attacks and a bunch of other stuff. Then
one day he told her this long sob story about how he had longed to
be kissed by his mother when he was a little boy. She had been a
very cold woman, she never hugged him or kissed him. Ever. Can you
imagine that?"

Jason nodded his head and thought of his own
father. He said nothing.

"So while he was still bawling Melissa put
her arms around him and kissed him. On the forehead. The guy went
crazy saying she did all kinds of stuff to him. That she was after
his money, after his body, trying to control his mind. Personally I
think the guy needs a slap upside the head for being such a stupid
ungrateful asshole."

"Do you know this man's name?"

"Like I said, Bill. Maybe. Do you think
there's anything you can do?"

Jason looked at her, his eyes as mysterious
as ever.

"Thank you Suzy." he said. "You made the
right decision."

He gave her a peck on the cheek that gave her
more thrills than she had had in the last four years and then stood
up. Nodding to her he left without another word.

Suzy remained sitting for a long time
afterwards, watching the door that Jason had closed behind him. She
didn't want to admit to herself how uneasy the conversation had
left her feeling. Melissa had told her those details in good faith.
They were confidential. Had she just saved her big sister's career
or had she just ruined it?

No damn way in the world to know.
She
thought.
Jesus Christ Suzy Price, you are such a stupid little
girl.

********************

Jason got into the sleek sports Bentley that
had been left outside Suzy's apartment by his staff. He pulled out
into the street and then put a call through on speaker to Sandy,
Melissa's trusted receptionist.

"Sandy. This is Jason Demovic. I need some
information."

Sandy was still in bed nursing a hangover
after a late night out. He nearly choked when he heard the name of
the caller.

"Oh my God. Mr. Demovic? Is that really
you?"

"I don’t have much time Sandy."

"How did you get my number?"

"I need some information. Are you willing to
help me out?"

Sandy was in awe and totally turned on by the
fact that Jason Demovic had his personal number and that he claimed
to need his help for something--but he wasn't so overwhelmed that
his quick mind didn't also see a moment of opportunity.

He sat up in bed and composed himself.

"That depends." He said. "I might need
something in return. I'm not the kind of boy who just says yes to
every tall dark and handsome stranger who calls needing for
help."

"I'll give you fifty thousand dollars. In
cash."

Sandy gulped and coughed again.

"Name it." He said with rabid intensity.

"I need the name of the client who has made
the complaint against Dr. Price."

"I'll need more than fifty thousand dollars
for that kind of information."

"How much more?"

"Much, much more. But it's not money I
want."

"What is it? I don't have much time."

"I want a signed photo of us together. I want
to kiss you on the cheek. I want you to come and visit my mother in
Cincinnati because she is your BIGGEST fan ever.
And
I want
an invitation to have dinner with you. Just the two of us. You and
me, alone, at Jean Jacques, New York City, and then drinks in
Bertelmann's bar." His rapid fire list of demands had left him
short of breath. "Give me all those you gorgeous man, and
then
you can have your information."

"I'll do all of it. Except for Jean Jacques
and Bertelmann's. I don't need Chauncey Tales starting rumors about
my sexuality."

"I can do your place for dinner and drinks
instead. Just the two of us."

"Don't push your luck Sandy. Like I said, I
don’t have much time, now do we have deal or don’t we?"

"You're a tough cookie Jason. I like that.
What the hell, it's a deal."

"Right answer. Now what's his name."

"Date first, name later."

"I'm recording this conversation Sandy, and I
know about your criminal record which you never disclosed to
Melissa or to your temp agency."

"It's William Kingsley. The little rat's name
is William Kingsley."

The call ended.

Sandy flung his cell phone across the bedroom
and stifled a groan. "I am such a stupid man-whore." He hissed.

"Did you say something?" His boyfriend
mumbled into the pillow.

"Oh shut up man-whore's man-whore." He
said.

*********************

Jason weaved through the late morning traffic
with ease. He was hungry to be alone with Melissa again but there
was still some business to take care of before he could think about
that. A feeling he couldn't name gnawed at his guts and he needed
to put
that
to bed before he could take Melissa
into
bed again. It drove him mad that he couldn't quite put his finger
on what it was. Sure he was apprehensive but it was in a way that
was totally unfamiliar to him. Jason didn't do anxious; he did
adversarial. Where other people worried about outcomes his appetite
for action and dominance was merely whetted.

But this was different.

The goal today wasn't to demonstrate his
strength to Melissa but to expose his weakness and to uncover
aspects of his personality unknown even to himself. After that he
wanted to claim her as his own. This woman was going to be his, one
way or the other. She would fix him psychologically, sexually and
then he would fix her and her sister's lives in every way he knew
how.

The feeling still gnawed at his guts and
although he didn't dare name it that feeling was deep, slow burning
fear.

Fear of what?

She would fix him, he would fix their lives,
but then what happened after that? Cut them loose? Wasn't that what
he usually did? Just like Beth Lindsay from the Channel Five
news?

Is that what he was afraid of?

"Fuck." He shouted like an animal into the
air conditioned interior of his luxury car.

He ordered his voice activated phone to call
the private dick he had on retainer to watch Melissa at all
times.

"Patricia Trimble. PI."

The hard boiled lady answered
immediately.

"Trimble. What can I do you for Jason?"

"What's new on Dr. Price."

"Broke up with her boyfriend Conor several
months ago. He was sleeping around unknown to her--"

"Old news. Do we have anything on her pending
case?"

"That's harder. Professional ethics are
pretty strong in the psychoanalytic community."

Jason snorted. "You should tell that to the
one who tried to shake me down earlier this year."

"Maybe. But the ethics committee proper is a
little different. They're tight lipped and too much snooping around
could get your sweetie, I mean, Dr. Price, into more trouble."

"Get me everything you can on William
Kingsley. He's the weasel who made the complaint against her. Get
me something to destroy that little fucker with."

"Consider it done."

"That's what I'm paying you for. Got anything
else for me?"

"There's one thing."

"Shoot."

"Melissa has a psychoanalytic supervisor by
the name of David Smith."

"I'm paying you to tell me things I don't
know Pat, he's the one who gave me her number."

"Did you know he's been stalking her?"

"What?"

"Yeah, that's right. So much for professional
ethics."

"What's his deal? Is he into her?"

"Big time. He's been estranged from his wife
for the last year but I don't think Melissa knows this. Plus he's
been snooping around about you as well."

"That little bastard doesn't know who he's
dealing with."

"He's been trying to follow you but he's not
very good at it."

"Take him down. I want all his dirt and by
the sounds of it there's plenty."

"Do you want us to take any action or just
gather information?"

"Information. You know the drill Pat.
Leverage. I want to know so much about these people that when I say
jump they'll shit their pants and scream 'how high?' at the same
time."

He ended the call and in theory should have
felt a little better.

If he was going to bare his soul to someone
then he would make damn sure that he knew more about them than
God.

His instincts told him to trust Dr. Melissa
Price and his instincts were rarely wrong. His instincts also told
him that fucking her blind was the answer to all his problems.

Sure Jason, what could possibly be wrong
with that scenario?
He asked himself sarcastically and felt the
knot in his stomach tighten another notch.

Melissa looked around at the airstrip and realized
she had no real idea as to where she was.

"Dr. Price, please come on board. Mr. Demovic
will be meeting us at our final destination. He's taking his own
plane there. He had some last minute business to attend to."

"But what about our…"

"Please Dr. Price, we've been cleared for
take-off. We need to get you seated and strapped in."

Melissa decided to give in to the
increasingly bizarre circumstances and go with the flow. 'Go with
the flow' was yet another thing she didn't do but she was getting
used to doing things that were way outside her comfort zone. Today
wasn't any normal day, in fact it was unlike any other day in her
life until now. Maybe she needed a new kind of logic to meet the
challenges of totally new kinds of situation.

She climbed the air-stairs and then stopped
in awe as she entered the cabin. This was totally over the top. The
aircraft was more like a penthouse apartment with wings than a
plane.

"You have got to be kidding me." She
murmured.

The pretty flight attendant smiled and handed
her a clipboard with some forms to fill out.

"Just some formalities." She said. "You can
take a seat while you sign off on these. Would you like a drink
while you take a look at the menu? Or if you prefer you can just
tell me what you would like and the chef will do his best to fix it
for you."

"I just ate." she said. "But thank you. Thank
you very much."

The crew bustled around while signed on the
dotted lines and then she strapped herself into the plush, ultra
comfortable seat. The flight attendant reappeared, took the
clipboard from her and then took a seat next her, ready for
take-off.

"I'm right here if you need anything Dr.
Price, unless you'd prefer some privacy."

"Not at all, no, in fact I think I'd prefer
company even if it is a short flight."

"Well, it's not all that short, although Mr.
Demovic will make much better time in his jet and he's a great
pilot."

"Of course he is." Melissa rolled her eyes.
Hobbies of the rich and famous, always trying to one-up each other
with expensive past times.

The plane began building up speed for
take-off.

"Have you ever been to Paris before Dr.
Price?" The attendant asked.

"As a matter of fact I haven't. But I've
always wanted to go there."

The attendant smiled.

"Why do you ask?" Melissa added.

"Didn’t Jason tell you?"

"Is that what you call your boss?"

"He isn't that kind of boss. Once you get to
know him he's really nice. As long as you never question anything
he does. Then he can really fly off the handle."

"He likes to be in control, I know that
alright."

"But he didn't tell you about Paris?"

"What about Paris?"

"That's our destination. He's taking you to
dinner in Paris tonight."

"You mean dinner in Canada."

"No. I mean in Paris. Paris, France."

Melissa's face blanched. Paris… She had
wanted to go there her whole life but had never had either the time
or the money to go. With all her financial worries and Suzy's
medical issues a trip like that was firmly in the realm of
impossible dreams, but now it seemed she was on her way there
tonight via luxury private jet to have dinner with a
billionaire.

A young, hot billionaire who was madly,
insanely into her bones.

She shook her head and did a double take on
reality. This couldn't be happening. This absolutely, positively
shouldn't be happening.

"Turn the plane around." She said
tightly.

The attendant smiled.

"I'm afraid that's not an option Dr.
Price."

"Is being arrested for kidnapping an
option?"

"But Dr. Price, you can't just change your
mind and turn a Boeing 727 jet around after take-off, do you know
how much fuel that takes? How much that costs? And we already have
a landing slot booked in Charles de Gaul International
Airport."