At His Warning: The Billionaire's Beck and Call, Part 8

At
His Warning: The Billionaire’s Beck and Call, Part 8

By Delilah Fawkes

“Maybe
you didn’t hear me, Lex? I said, let her go.” Chase Drake stood still as a
statue, his eyes blazing with dangerous intent as he surveyed the scene before
him.
 

Lex
held me tight for a moment longer, then let out a nervous chuckle and eased his
grip.

“What’s
the matter, Chase? Can’t keep track of your girl?”

I
jerked my arm away and stumbled away from him, staring daggers at the man who
may just have ruined one of the best things to ever happen to me when he
grabbed me and kissed me. What was his game? Why would he do this to his
partner? Hell, why would he do this to
me?
I’d barely met the man, but here he was trying to destroy one
of the best things to ever happen to me.

My
head still swam from that last shot of whiskey, but I braced myself against the
wall of the hallway. The shock of the past few minutes had helped clear away
some of the spinning queasiness, but I didn’t trust myself not to swerve on my
heels just yet.

“It
seems it’s you I can’t keep track of,” Mr. Drake spat. “Why, Lex? Why must you
always try to ruin me? All the women I’ve dated, you’ve tried to steal away.
Didn’t you realize it just showed me how fickle they all were instead of
breaking me? How they were only interested in my wealth if you could tempt them
away so easily?”

Lex’s
eyes narrowed, the muscles in his jaw tightening. “Is it so hard to believe
that someone would choose me over Chase Drake,
golden
boy
?” He spat the
last words, his lips pulled back in a snarl.

“I
was never the golden boy, Lex. I just wasn’t an asshole like you.”

Lex
made a noise like a growl deep in his throat. Things were definitely getting
out of hand. I edged slowly away from him, hoping to escape his notice.

“What
makes you think she’s any different? Maybe she likes a man who takes what he
wants, huh? Not some fucking boy scout...”

“Keep
your hands off her,” Mr. Drake said, his voice calm despite the fire in his
eyes. “I won’t ask you again.”

“Or
what? What are you gonna do? What’s Chasey gonna do about it?”

Lex
lurched toward me, trying to grab my wrist again, but I shrunk away. What the
hell was going on between these two?

I
screamed as Mr. Drake’s fist connected with Lex’s face.

For
a moment, time seemed to slow down. I saw Lex’s eyes go wide, his arms shoot up
too late, just before his head snapped back with the impact. I backed up fast,
giving the two men space just as Lex lashed out, his fist swinging toward Mr.
Drake’s stomach. Chase batted his hand aside and connected again with a vicious
uppercut.

“Stop
it!”

I
covered my mouth with my hands, unable to look away, worried that this would
get out of control, and maybe already had. Should I call for help? Or should I
move in and get a couple of kicks in before the fight was over?

My
head throbbed. Everything was happening so fast.

Lex
landed a glancing blow on Mr. Drake’s face before he was tackled into the wall.
The men were grappling now, grunting and straining as each tried to gain the
upper hand. Mr. Drake pushed away and squared his shoulders, ready for the
attack. Lex’s fist jabbed forward, but Chase was too quick for him, stepping
aside, then following up with a blow to the face. Lex cried out and held a hand
up, his fingers shaking. Blood poured down his chin.

“You
broke my fucking nose!”

Mr.
Drake bent down and ripped Lex’s pocket square out of his jacket pocket. “Go
clean yourself up, Lex.” He tossed the handkerchief in his face. “It’s over.”

Lex
Smith straightened up, holding the cloth to his face. Red blossomed onto the
fabric as he stared at us both in a way that made my skin crawl. Then, he made
a lewd gesture and slunk down the corridor, disappearing from view around the
elevator banks.

I
stared at Mr. Drake, not quite believing the scuffle that had just occurred
between two grown men. I was torn between being appalled and impressed,
especially since Lex had gotten a well-deserved beat down.

“Come,
Isa. You’ve had a long night.”

He
opened the door of the penthouse suite and gestured for me to enter. I shook myself
out of my
 
state of shock and made myself
move, planting one foot in front of the other until I was safely in the room
and deposited on the edge of the bed.

Mr.
Drake sat beside me, breathing heavily. A cut above his eye was starting to
trickle red.

“You’re
bleeding.” I grabbed a tissue from the bedside table and dabbed gently at it,
stopping when he winced.

“I’ll
be fine.”

I
lowered my hand, crumpling the blood-stained kleenex. “I’m so sorry.”

I
looked down at his blood, staining my fingers, and noticed my vision beginning
to blur as the tears welled up.

“You
didn’t do anything wrong.”

Mr.
Drake’s hand cupped my chin, bringing my eyes up to his. A hot tear rolled down
my cheek, and he brushed it away, the rough pad of his thumb more tender than a
kiss.

“He...
He just grabbed me. I tried... I tried to knee him, but...”

“Shh,
Isa. I know. I believe you.”

His
hand found its way into my hair, wrapping a loose curl around his fingers,
caressing my neck. His gaze softened as he touched me, each stroke of his
fingers through my hair releasing my tension until I felt like putty in his
hands.

“Why
does he hate you so much?”

The
question was out before I realized it, my thoughts spoken aloud when I’d meant
to keep them private.

Mr.
Drake’s eyes narrowed, then focused out the window, over the twinkling lights
of the city.

“He
and I have known each other since prep school. Did you know that? As boys we
were always together, our families close from summering in neighboring cabins
by the lake.”

He
ran his hand absently over my shoulder and down my arm as he spoke, making me
shiver.

“Lex
and I had so much in common, even though our personalities were so vastly
different. We were both ambitious and bright, but Lex had a knack for getting
into trouble. He loved pulling pranks and seeing how far he could push people
before they reached their limits. His father was a hard man. An authoritarian
with a penchant for drink.” He looked at me and cocked an eyebrow. “Let’s just
say, they didn’t get along.”

His
hands covered mine, his warmth calming me like a soothing balm.

“I
was the opposite, focusing on working hard and lending a helping hand to my
classmates. My mother used to say I saw the best in people... and that was the
only reason Lex and I were close, but I don’t know. I just thought he went too
far at times. His father used to praise me in front of him, talking about the
two of us to my parents like we weren’t standing right there with them...
Saying he wished Lex had my grades or my discipline.”

He
paused, sighing, and I could see how the memory still pained him.

“It
got to him. How could it not?”

“That
would be terrible for any child. Being compared like that.”

Mr.
Drake slipped his fingers through mine and squeezed them. “He pretended that he
didn’t care, and for a while, I believed him. I was young and foolish. I
thought we were as close as brothers when we founded this business together.”

He
brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it softly. “But, as you know, things
change. These problems always have a way of coming to the surface.”

I
looked up and brushed my fingers over his jaw line, tracing the lines that gave
him such masculine beauty.

“Thank
you,” I said.

“For
what?”

“For
believing in me. For believing I wouldn’t betray you.”

He
leaned in, kissing me in a way that stole my breath away.

“Isabeau,
you don’t have a cruel bone in your body.”

“And
how would you know that?”

“Just
the way you are. How you took care of your family. How you take care of me,” he
said. “I’ll always believe in you. You make it easy.”

I
kissed him back, releasing my fear and doubt in that moment, letting the feel
of his lips on mine wash away my worries.
He believes in me...

I
moaned, opening my mouth to him, my tongue exploring his languidly as the kiss
deepened. I was lost in a haze of sensuality when he pulled away.

“Not
tonight.”

I
leaned in, trying to capture his lips again, but he held me by my shoulders.

“Why
not?”

He
chuckled low in his throat. “You’re drunk.”

“I
don’t care.”

His
eyes flashed in warning. “I’m going to bring you some aspirin and a glass of
water. Take them and hydrate, then get some sleep. That’s not a request.”

“But,
I-”

I
closed my mouth at the look on his face. He would not be disobeyed, even though
I could tell by the tenting in his pants he wanted me as much as I wanted him.
I wanted nothing more than to reach over and stroke him through the fabric, to
unzip him slowly and reach in, wrapping my hand around his hard length.
Instead, I nodded, sighing. It would do no good. Chase Drake had made up his
mind.

After
the water and the pills, he undressed me and lay down behind me, spooning me to
him.

“You
know I want you, too, Isa,” he whispered, his breath tickling my ear. “But I
won’t make love to you when you can’t properly consent.”

I
snuggled back against him, his words making me feel desired. Protected.

He
believed me. He took care of me. He held me close to him when I needed him by
my side.

I
was safe in the arms of Mr. Drake.

And
I knew I always would be.

***

Morning
arrived, bringing with it a dull, thumping headache and a whole new batch of
problems.

I
rolled over and rested my head on Mr. Drake’s chest, breathing in the delicious
mixture of his spiced cologne and the musky smell that was all him. I ran my
hand lightly through the sprinkling of hair over his pecs, listening to the
steady sound of his breathing. If I could have stayed in bed with him all day,
I would have, maybe watching old movies and ordering room service to ease my
hangover. But I knew we still had investors to please and tasks to accomplish.
I sighed with longing and pressed a kiss to his skin.

Despite
the throbbing in my skull, I still wanted him, wanted to tease him and stroke
him before feeling him inside of me. I ran my hand lower, skimming over the
hard planes of his abdomen before sliding below the sheets.

A
rough hand grabbed my wrist, Mr. Drake’s low laugh rumbling through his chest.

“And
just what do you think
you’re
doing?”

I
laughed, too, then touched my head and winced. Too loud. Mr. Drake pulled back
and smoothed my hair away from my face.

“Headache?”

I
nodded. “Mmm hmm.”

“Aren’t
you supposed to use that as an excuse
not
to make love, Isa? You seem to be doing this all wrong.”

I
stretched back on my pillow, letting the sheets fall off my full breasts. I
smiled as his eyes traveled downward, his pupils darkening.

“But
what if making love will cure me? Isn’t it worth a try?”

He
looked like he wanted to pounce on me, but then furrowed his brow. “I don’t
want to hurt you.”

“Maybe
we could... go slow?” I pulled the sheet lower, letting the cotton slide down,
revealing the curves of my body.

He
groaned as he watched, his hands soon wandering where his eyes had traveled.
His fingers grazed my sex, lightly playing over my folds as I gasped. Our lips
met as he stroked me softly, his tongue sliding across my teeth.

“I
don’t usually do it like this,” he said. “But right now, I just want to make
you feel as good as possible.”

I
grinned, thinking of his dungeon.
No kidding
.

But
I groaned as he leaned down and kissed his way around each breast, stopping to
lap at each nipple until it tightened into a peak. I loved that he could be as
tender as he was rough, drawing pleasure out of me the way a master musician
draws beauty from his instrument.

When
he entered me, it was slow and steady, his hips rocking forward and back,
letting me adjust as we began our slow dance together. He looked into my eyes
as we moved, the rhythm of his body matching each hitch of my breath, each
small moan escaping from my lips.