At the Billionaire's Pleasure 3: For Love or Lust? (BDSM Billionaire Series) (3 page)

I glanced down at his ruined trousers and nodded. It was the least I could do. I fumbled through my bag and fished out my keys. I remained silent as I let him in and we climbed the stairs. It was an absurd situation. Only a few days before I had been contemplating my future. No man in my life and no sign of ever having one. Now here I was with David and Robert. I didn’t count Richard. He was a Dick in more ways than one.

But David was unlike any man I had ever been with. He was different. Something in him spoke to me. It hit me then. What was I doing? I was mad. Walking away from him had been the worst mistake I could have made. I wanted him and if he wanted me then what was I worried about?

I opened the front door of my apartment and stepped inside. The broken glass on the floor caught my eye and it brought memories of the night before flooding back. He knew exactly what to do to my body to get me to respond to him. He pushed all of my buttons. What I needed to do now was learn to push his right back.

“The bathroom is just back there.” I indicated to a door down the hall and left Robert to find his own way. Heading into the kitchen I pulled open the fridge and took out a bottle of chilled water. I had made up my mind as soon as Robert was cleaned up and he left I was going back to David.

I had been foolish to leave him. He made me feel things like no other had in the past. I owed it to myself to find out just what he could offer me. After all what was the worst that could possibly happen?

“Carrie, can you come here for a minute?” The sound of Robert’s voice from down drew my attention. There was no way he could get the coffee stain out of his trousers but he could at least dry it. Heading to the bathroom I knocked on the door.

“It’s ok you can come in. I just want to ask you something.”

Without thinking I pushed opened the door. I stumbled back into the hall in shock as I caught sight of Robert. He had stripped off all of his clothes. His wet trousers lay across the towel rack and I could see that he had made no attempt to dry them.

The fact that he was naked was bad enough but it was his erection that had me shielding my eyes.

“What the hell are you doing?” I asked my voice was high and breathy but it wasn’t excitement I was feeling.

“I know you want this, Carrie. I’ve sensed the connection between us from when we met last night. But I have just one thing. You called me sweet. And well I am anything but sweet.” He moved out of the bathroom and cornered me in the hall. His hands wrapped into my hair and as he kissed me hard.

For a moment I was shocked and couldn’t move. Surely this wasn’t happening. The moment I felt his erection press against my stomach I knew it was. I pushed him away wiped my hand across my mouth.

“How dare you!” My voice was shaky as I tried to scrub the taste of him off my lips.

Robert smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “Carrie, it’s just a matter of time. Why fight it?” He made to move towards me again but the buzzer sounded.

His smile grew even bigger and a curl of suspicion grew in my stomach. The buzzer sounded again and Robert started to laugh.

“Carrie, you should see your face.”

I didn’t want to answer the buzzer. The way Robert was looking from me to it told me everything I needed to know. For some reason he knew exactly who was downstairs.

“It’s rude not to answer the door.” His grin curved up into a sly smile. If I didn’t answer then I knew he would find a way to get inside. David was very
determined
when he wanted to be.

I slid my hand across the buzzer and answered.

“Carrie, it’s David. Look I don’t like how we left things this morning. Can I come up? I just want to... to see you. When I got your message... Well let’s just say I’ve behaved stupidly. It’s just I’ve never met a woman like you before who intrigued me so much...”

I opened my mouth to answer him, but it was as though Robert had been waiting for his opportunity.

“Carrie, come back to bed.” He spoke the words over my shoulder and directly into the speaker. There was no mistaking the sound of his voice and what the tone implied
.

“You have a guest.” David’s voice had turned icy and a shiver ran down my spine.

“David, wait I can explain.” But the only sound on the intercom that I could hear was static. He was gone.

Cursing I turned back to Robert who had retrieved his clothes from the bathroom and was tugging them on. He smiled at me. Anger blurred my vision and my body shook.

“Why? Why would you do that?” Tears spilled down my cheeks, hot and heavy.

“Nothing personal, sweetheart. This is something between me and David. Call it an old score.”

“But why? I don’t understand. What did I have to do with it?”

“You were perfect. Played right into my hands. If I’m honest I’m not sure what David sees in you. Usually he prefers the skinnier types. But you do have a certain charm, I suppose.” He buttoned his shirt as he spoke.

“But...” My words were choked off with tears which I scrubbed angrily from my face.

“God you are
gullible
. David cares about you. You are different. He has never behaved this way with a woman before. He has never chased a woman before. So I knew you were his weakness.”

“Weakness for what? Why would
you
do this to him
? T
o me? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“I told you. It’s payback. Some say it’s a bitch.” He gave me his boyish smile and my hands itched to slap it right off his face.

“Anytime you fancy some no strings fun. Give me a call.” He dropped his card on my table and opened the front door. “It’s been a blast. Hope you have a good evening.” He left and his laughter echoed in the hall. I ran after him and slammed the door.

He had ruined it. David now thought I was playing away with another man when really the only man I was interested in was him. I needed to salvage it. If Robert was right and David did care about me then I stood a chance of fixing it and setting it straight.

I needed to go to him. I had to show him that he was the only one for me. If that meant agreeing to his proposition, no matter what it was, then so be it. My future happiness depended on me fixing this issue.

***

The ride over in the taxi was excruciating. Although I had just been to his apartment the night before being driven there by someone who knew the way and giving directions to someone who didn’t were two very different experiences.

When the car finally pulled up in front of an apartment building that looked somewhat familiar I jumped out. I flung some cash into the front seat before looking up at the building before me. All I could do now was hope that he was in. If he wasn’t then I would just have to sit and wait for him. However long it took. I would wait for him.

I pushed open the doors of the lobby and scanned the area. The door man looked familiar and I let out a sigh of relief. Being in the right place was the first step. Making my way over to the desk I tried to calm my nerves. If David refused to see me I wasn’t sure what I could do.

“I’m here to see, Mr Ashcroft, David Ashcroft.”

The doorman gave me a disapproving look before picking up the phone.

“Who may I say is here?” He asked as he placed his hand over the receiver.

“Miss Grant.” I squared my shoulders and pushed my hair back off my face. I didn’t need to let the doorman see that his disapproving looks were getting to me. After everything that had happened I already felt bad enough. Part of me wondered if he remembered me from the night before. Perhaps that was part of the reason for his objections to me.

The doorman replaced the receiver and gave me a hard look. “Take the elevator to the second floor.” He turned away from me and I didn’t thank him. As far as I was concerned he was judging me unfairly. He didn’t even know me.

Getting into the elevator I tried to take several deep breaths. My mind was in chaos and my stomach was full of butterflies. Would I be able to go through with this? Would I truly be able to submit to David? How hard would it be?

I had heard plenty of horror stories about women abused by men under the
pretence
that it was mutual pleasure. David wasn’t like that. Or was he? Nervousness made me chew my fingernails. And when the elevator came to a halt and pinged open I jumped.

Closing my eyes I sucked in a deep breath. I needed to do this. I needed to know if we had a future. I stepped out into the hall and looked up and down its length before I spotted David’s door. It was the only black door in the hall. I hadn’t paid too much attention to it the night before. I had been far too engrossed in what David was doing to my senses and my body.

Standing outside the door I rang the bell. Several seconds dragged by and I was sure David wasn’t going to answer the door. When he did my heart sank.

He gave me a cold hard stare. He looked at me as though I was a stranger and it hurt to see him do it. I knew that from his perspective it was justified. But if he knew me. The way he claimed to know me then he would know that I wasn’t the type to randomly pick up men.

We stood staring at each other and several minutes passed by. Finally I gathered enough to courage to speak to him.

“Can I come in?” My voice came out more as a squeak than a normal human voice.

He merely stepped away from the door and moved further into the apartment. I followed him inside and shut the door.

“Look about earlier...” I stared but he cut me off.

“It is none of my business. I was a little disappointed to see that you had lied to me but it is not something that I can’t get over.”

“Lied to you?” I asked. Confusion clouding my mind.

“I asked you last night had you received a better offer. And you denied it. I see now that you had. Tell me, Carrie, what could he give you that I didn’t?” David’s voice remained cold and clinical. It was almost as though he were discussing the pro’s and con’s of an account at the firm.

“David, you don’t understand I didn’t receive a better offer.”

“Carrie, I’m really not interested in what you get up to in your free time. I understand now why you could not agree to my proposition and why you were so confused.”

“Stop it!” I yelled. I lifted my hands and ran them through my hair. He was being deliberately obstinate. If he would only stop for a moment then I could explain everything.

He watched me, his dark eyes filled with hurt and accusation. It surprised me to see such emotion there. In a moment it was gone and once again his eyes were unreadable.

“I didn’t get a better offer. I wasn’t lying. What happened earlier was a huge misunderstanding. One I hope you can shed some light on. I take it you know Robert Hatcher.”

David had the good grace to look surprised. “ What has Robert got to do with any of this?” Understanding slid across David’s face. “It was Robert. You slept with Robert Hatcher.” His voice stabbed the words at me and I covered my face with my hand.

“No. I didn’t sleep with anyone. Why are you so
determined
to believe that I did? David, I’m here because I’ve made my choice. I want to agree to your proposition. Whatever it entails, I want it, all of it. I want what you can give me.”

He looked sceptical as he paced around the room like a caged animal.
“I heard him there, Carrie. I heard what he said.”

I moved towards him and put my arm on his shoulder. He froze for a second and looked down at where I held him. When he turned towards me the look in his eyes surprised me. There was an intensity deep within him that threatened to burn me if I got to close.

“I’m bad for you, Carrie. Look at what I’ve put you through already. Are you sure this is what you want?”

I swallowed back my fear and let my feelings for the man before me bury it deep within me. “Tell me what I have to do.” I whispered the words.

“Give me one week. You will be mine for one whole week starting from now. If after that time you decide that this is not for you, if it is too much. Then so be it, I will release you and you can go on to live your own life. But for this one week, Carrie, you will be mine completely. Everything I say you will do. Do you think you can do that”

I nodded and then remembered what he had told me before. He needed to hear me say the words. “Yes. I can do that.”

“For one week I will be your master. You will not touch another man unless I agree to it first.”

“Yes, Master...” The words tripped off my tongue. It sounded so easy.

David growled and swept me up into his arms. His kiss was bruising and when he bit my lip I moaned. When he drew away from me my knees were weak and my head swam with lust. I had not realised until he kissed me just how much I craved his touch.

“When you are around me unless I tell you otherwise you will wear the clothes I pick out for you. Or you will remain naked. Is that clear?”

Very slowly he tugged my t-shirt off and unclipped my bra. My jeans quickly followed until I was down to my underwear. He turned me around and pushed my upper body down across the marble. The cold surface bit into my skin and my nipples hardened.