Greene's Riches (A Billionaire Romance - Vol. 2) (3 page)

At the end of the best meal she had ever had at Launceston Place
,
in which they had discussed almost every sight to see in Paris and Alexis had been thankful to have Richard’s culinary expertise to guide her through the menu, the couple enjoyed dessert together. Both had quieted down, simply smiling at one another over their espresso and apricot soufflé. Alexis never wanted this moment to end. She was so happy with Richard right now and nothing was complicated and it all seemed easy. She wondered how long the easy part would last, but pushed the thought from her mind as he fed her another bite of soufflé.

“I’m sure you’ve already figured this out, but I’m very excited to be taking you to Paris with me,” he said with a side smile that made her want to kiss every bit of his beautiful face.

“I can’t wait,” she said, feeling like she was going to burst with happiness. After a moment’s pause, she said, “I would love for you to tell me more about yourself, Richard. I feel like I know you so well, but in reality, I hardly know anything about you.”

She noticed his energy change. It was less uncomfortable than before, but he still seemed like he did not want to be on this subject.

“Okay,” he said, wiping his mouth with his napkin lightly. “What would you like to know?”

“I don’t know,” she said, tilting her head at him. “Tell me about your family.”

“Okay, well, I have a sister and two brothers. I don’t speak to my dad and my mother is amazing,” he said without animation.

“Oh,” she said, realizing he clearly was not a fan of this subject. But she wasn’t quite ready to let it go. “Tell me more about your mother.”

He smiled slightly. “Well, she is kind of crazy, but lately I’ve been realizing how wonderful she is. She always cooks for me when I’m home, even though she has at least three people around that she pays to do it for her, and she always cares just as much about a stranger as she does about one of her children. She would do anything for anyone and she has.”

She felt sadness in his voice as he spoke about her, even though he was smiling. “Thank you for sharing that with me. She sounds amazing.”

“She is,” he said. He took a deep breath. “And she has just been diagnosed with lung cancer. Never smoked a day in her life.”

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry,” she said calmly. “I’m sure she’s so thankful to have you looking out for her, though.”

He nodded. She wasn’t sure what to say next, without sharing more sadness about her family.

“You know, I’d love for you to meet my brother sometime. I don’t know if you ever will, but he’s always coming up with some new fundraiser of some kind. He’s only got a mind for that kind of business and he’s constantly having financial trouble because of it, but he’s really great at it.” She hoped this was a way for him to change the subject if he wanted to.

“That’s amazing. I’ve been a lot more into fund raising since my mom told us. Or at least, I’ve been trying. At first, I just started donating money to any cancer organization that I heard of, and then I thought that it would be nice to start one in her name. That maybe it would help her fight it, you know? But she’s been getting worse lately. Every time we talk on the phone, she tries to hang up quickly and I know it’s because she doesn’t want me to hear her coughing so much.” His eyes were watering some now as he stared into the candle.

As Alexis reached for and held both of his hands in hers, he smiled slightly and apologized. She shook her head, keeping the silence. All she wanted to do was wrap him in her arms and incase him with love right now.

Eventually, their server broke the somber quiet, by checking on them one last time and leaving their tab on the table.

After paying, Richard stood from their booth and put his hand out for her Alexis. She felt strange as they walked out of the building and waited for Logan to pull up the car. No wonder he hadn’t been sharing much about himself; he had been trying to avoid the topic that was probably always in the back of his mind. She wondered if he was upset with her for making him bring it up.

When they got back in the car, Richard reached for her hand and lightly lifted it to his lips. With kisses that barely made contact with her skin, he moved his way slowly up her arm, pulling her closer and closer to him with every one. Soon he was breathing into her neck and she was breathing his husky scent in deep.

They remained close without speaking until they made their way back to her hotel room, where they began a tender exploration of one another. This was very different than the last night that they had been together. Their movements were slow, purposeful, and she knew that hers were filled with a kind of love this time. She ignored the feeling that it was too soon to feel love for this man and let his touch take over her being. With every movement and response, she felt closer to him. This kind of intimacy did not lack intense passion; he squeezed her hand, pushing her arms up against the head of the bed as he lightly bit and kissed her neck, her breasts, and back to her lips. She felt as though she could feel him with every part of her body, not just the ones he was touching. As they reached their climax together, every movement in perfect rhythm with the other, she felt as though they had merged into one being and she knew that she never wanted to turn back.

When she woke a few hours later, she found herself snuggled as closely as possible to the warm, bare body behind her. She loved the feeling of being wrapped up in his arms. She listened as he snored ever so slightly and smiled. Although she did not want to wake him, she loved the idea of taking a luxurious bubble bath with him in her oversized tub in the suite he had paid for and pretending that time did not matter to either one of them.

As she attempted to remove herself from his tightly woven grasp, she felt him stir.

“Mmmm,” he responded to her movement, pulling her in closer.

“Hi,” she whispered.

“Mmm,” he answered.

She smiled at his sweet sleepy answers. “I have an idea.”

“What,” he whispered, groggily.

“Let’s take a nice warm bubble bath,” she answered.

“Mmmm mmm,” he answered.

“Oh, come on,” she whispered, beginning to slowly push herself into him. “I’ll let you see me naked.”

He pushed back into her with a sensual force just before she wriggled her way out of his grasp and headed for the bathroom.

As she ran the bath, filling it with salts and conditioners, she looked back to the bed. She laughed, as he had apparently begun to stretch and then fell asleep with his arms above him.

She slowly crawled back on top him, the bath still running in the background. She started kissing his broad chest lightly, working her way down his body as he slowly came back into consciousness again.

“Wake up, sleepyhead,” she said, wondering how she was managing to sound cute and be seductive at the same time. She began kissing more intensely, as she felt him begin to respond beneath her. She ran her hand up his thigh as she lingered with her lips on his stomach now, though she was still entirely above the covers. He was at least alert enough to be looking at her now, she noticed as he sighed and began to bite his lip in response to her actions.

She moved herself back towards his head now, completely on top of him, and kissed his neck, making him breathe deep just before whispering, “There’s more where that came from over here.” She then quickly moved off the bed before he could pull her back and proceeded to get in the bathtub slowly since it was so warm. Then she waited for him.

After a few minutes, he came and stood against the pane of door, his nakedness not making him shy in the least. He smiled as he watched her resting in the bubbles.

“You always get what you want, don’t you?” he said, grinning.

“It wouldn’t be fair if you were the only one, would it?” she answered, without looking at him. Then she smiled and beckoned him over to her. “Come on in. The water’s nice and warm.”

She loved the ruffled look of his hair. She watched him ease himself into the water behind her.

“So, do you take 1 a.m. baths often?” he said, casually.

“I try not to make a habit of it, but sometimes it’s hard to sleep.”

“I’ll say,” he said, jokingly.

“Hey,” she laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ll make it worth your while.”

“It already is,” he said, his hands beginning to slowly massage her shoulders.

She loved how sweet he was even when she had dragged him out of bed in the middle of the night. She let him massage her shoulders and neck for a few minutes and then slowly moved back into him. He began massaging her chest as well and then her breasts, which actually felt wonderful in both a sexual and relaxing way, she was surprised to find. Soon, she had turned and was facing towards him.

They kissed passionately for a while as water lapped over the side of the tub and splashing onto floor occasionally, and then she began massaging his legs, slowly working her way up. After just a few minutes, he had pulled her on top of him and soon there was almost more water on the floor than there was in the bath. As they reached the peak once again, she let herself be loud this time, honestly unable to hold back. Everything about him felt so good to her.

“Mm, I liked that. This is better than any dream I could have been having instead, so thank you,” he said after they had rested in silence against each other for a moment, the water calming around them.

“Mmm hmm,” she responded.

“Look who’s not talking now,” he said, laughing.

“Mmm.”

“You’re perfect, Alexis. So perfect and beautiful, inside and out,” he said softly, surprising her.

She pulled herself back and looked into his large eyes, which were now greener than ever seen them.

“No one has ever said that to me before. At least, not in a nice way,” she answered, trying not to tear up in front of him.

“Well, no one else matters then. Because you are,” he said, hand on the side of her face.

She gazed into his eyes, not daring to say a word for fear that she would blurt out words of love way to soon, but she knew in that moment that she loved him in some way. She knew it was too soon and all, but she could not help her feelings for him. How could she not love him was the real question.

In the morning, Richard had to leave early, but he would not do so until he had insured that she had ordered the largest breakfast arrangement possible for herself, which she had only agreed to thinking that he might stay.

“But I have to go,” he said in response to her surprise that he was leaving. “I have meetings until we leave Friday night. I’ll send a message your way when I know for sure what time we’re heading out.”

And with a kiss, he was gone again. She could not believe that yesterday morning she had been in such a different state of being concerning their relationship. She felt like a new person after their amazing night together. She knew with certainty that that was the best Wednesday she had ever had.

****

Alexis looked at her computer again, surprised that there were no emails from work. Jacob had certainly been wondering why she had yet to turn in another story for the magazine, especially the fluff piece that he had assigned her. She decided to curtail any complaints from him and write the story and send it to him before he asked for it.

Before she could open a new document, there was a knock on her door. She wondered who it could be; she prayed that it wasn’t Brandon again. When she reached the door, she peered out the peep hole but whoever was on the other side had their thumb over it, “Hello?”

“Madame, I have a request of you!” Richard exclaimed from the other side, using his French accent again. Alexis smiled as she opened the door and was stunned to find him wearing a tuxedo and holding a garment bag. A piece of blue fabric peeked from underneath the bag, sending her heart into a frenzy, “I know that this is last minute but can you spare a few hours to be my date for another fundraiser?”

“I’d say that I don’t have anything to wear, but judging from the bag you have that covered,” Alexis smiled and waved him into the room. He laid the bag on the bed and drew her into his arms. His lips were warm and inviting, she felt her knees go weak. She pressed against him and puckered her lips for another kiss. After they pulled away, she looked at him with a devious grin, “Unless of course you want to change into the contents of the garment bag.”

“There’s that witty banter that has me so entranced. Now, darling will you please be my date? I know this is last minute, and normally I would ask my sister but she went to help my mother out. She isn’t feeling all that well.” Richard shifted his eyes away from her; Alexis swore that there was a tear falling down his face. “If you have to work or something, please feel free to turn me down. I would understand, you know.”

“Well you did punch a guy for me, so I think that I can take one for the team,” Alexis grabbed the garment bag and unzipped it. The gown was one of the most gorgeous pieces of clothing that she had ever laid eyes on. It was blue with black lace covering it, the neckline plunged and there was a slit up the leg. “Give me one second and I will be ready for you.”

Richard watched as she went about getting everything that she would need for the evening ready. The only pair of earrings would not go with the fancy gown that Richard had picked up for her, she knew. They were simple diamonds that she had brought with her just in case she needed to class up one of her work outfits. “Don’t worry about accessories, Darling. I have some being sent up any minute now.”

“How do you always…” Richard put his finger to his lips in an effort to get her to stop talking. She went to say something but thought better of it. She grabbed the garment bag and went into the bathroom. She was still awed by the gown, as she took off the clothes she was wearing, her eyes remained on the dress.

She was astonished by how she looked in the dress. Her eyes seemed to pop with the blue material. What was even more amazing was that it was the perfect size for her, it hugged her body in the right way. She grabbed her brush and began to do her hair. She played with different ways to do it, up in a bun or a ponytail. Briefly she thought about curling it but decided to wear it down and straight. If she had had more time to get ready, she would have showered and put on make-up. Instead she put on a layer of lipstick and opened the bathroom door.

“You look incredible! As I knew you would,” Richard smiled and stood up from the bed. He crossed over to her and wrapped his arms around her, pulled her closer to his body. He kissed her forehead, then her nose, and finally their lips met. “I know we’ve only known each other for a few days but I am quite fond of you.”

“Thank you, Richard. One of these days I really want to know what your secret is, how you always know exactly what will look good on me and how it will fit me. It confounds me how you know this stuff,” Alexis looked up at the man and wondered what kind of secrets he was hiding. The thought vanished when he pressed his lips to hers again; it was a tender kiss, one that made her head swim. “Was that your answer?”

“No of course it’s not. You are an astute reporter who would sniff out the truth in almost no time. The truth is, I had nothing to do with picking out the clothes that I have bought for you, other than giving my credit card number and your size. I have an associate who handles all of that for me, because if I was in charge of it, well you would be wearing a lot less than what you are.”

“Remind me to thank this mysterious assistant of yours, sometime. Whoever it is they are brilliant and somehow they seem to know how I would look in almost everything,” She twirled around, showing off the dress. Her mind flashed back to a little girl she had seen before boarding her flight for London, the girl’s views on love had made her realize how distant she had been with Brandon. Richard smiled his appreciation, and pulled a small box out of his back pocket. Her heart thudded in her chest. Part of her wanted it to be an engagement ring but logically she knew that they hadn’t been together long enough. “What is that?”

“Open it and find out,” He handed her the small box. When she opened it, she was astonished to see two diamond earrings lying on a felt pillow. The light hit them and they reflected the light back, making her close her eyes for a second. The brilliance of the diamonds hurt her eyes and made her wonder what Richard was expecting in return. “Let’s put them on you. I just know that you are going to look lovely in them.”

Richard took one out and put it in her ear and did the same with the other one. He pulled the hair off of her neck and gently kissed it, sending a wave of passion surging through her body. “Thank you, Richard. Thank you for everything.”

“Well I felt that I owed you a little something, seeing as I came over and asked you to come with me last minute. Normally I would have asked my sister to come with me but she is still helping my mom.” Alexis would have sworn she saw a tear forming in his eyes but it was gone just as fast as it appeared. Richard took a deep breath and gave a weak smile, “Darling, we should get down to the car. Logan is waiting for us. And there just might be something else in the car for you.”

“Really that’s not necessary. You’ve done enough for me; you have been more than generous with everything. The least I can do is be your date for, uh, what exactly am I your date for again?”

Richard sucked in a deep breath and released it. A small smile formed in the corners of his mouth. He tilted his head down to Alexis’s and pressed his lips to hers again. “I forget which one this is, in fact I had planned on going to a business dinner when my secretary called me and reminded me of the function.”

“We should go then,” Alexis knew that pushing for more information would do no good; Richard wouldn’t tell her more than he already had. She grabbed his hand and led him out of the room. The elevator ride was fraught with silence and stolen glances; she would look at him and then look away when he looked at her.

“Hello ma’am, sir.” Logan bowed and opened the Limo door for them. Alexis slid in first with Richard following her closely. The driver closed the door and got into the car, raising the partisan to give the couple privacy. After a few minutes of silence, Logan lowered the separator and cleared his throat. “Sir, there is something up here for you. I apologize that I didn’t tell you about it before.”

“No problem, Logan. Can I please see it?” Alexis gasped when Richard pulled back a large box with ‘Cartier’ engraved on it. Richard smiled when he saw her face, he handed her the box. “I knew that I had forgotten something in my rush to get up to your room and see you. I hope that you look this, it’s a token of my appreciation and yes infatuation with you.”

Alexis opened the box and gasped when she saw the contents. A sapphire necklace in the shape of a pearl, the chain was made of sterling silver. When she lifted it out of the box, she noted that it was very heavy for a piece of jewelry. “Richard, it’s beautiful. I mean it’s too much, I can’t accept it. It’s too much…”

“Nonsense darling, if you hadn’t agreed to come with me this evening who knows what would have happened. As I said, it’s a token of my appreciation.”

“You would have found a way to occupy your time, I’m sure some starlet or socialite would have kept you company,” Alexis winced when she heard the note of jealousy that had crept into her voice. She closed her eyes and prayed that Richard had not heard it as well. “I mean, uh, I meant that…”

Beep, beep, beep. Alexis sighed, relieved that she didn’t have to explain herself because of the ringing cell phone. She waited for Richard to fish it out of his pocket but he remained stoic, a sly grin on his face, “I do believe that is you, Darling.”

****