Movie Merger (Bad Boys Billionaire Bachelors Club #2) (6 page)

Standing in the glass shower, pleasuring myself was kind of a sensual experience in itself, and I closed my eyes, fantasizing about Marshall walking in on me and watching me pleasure myself. I could see the look on his face. It was one of amusement, excitement, and anticipation, like I was his own little peep show in that glass shower case. My fingers knew the exact spots to reach to give me pleasure and I pressed my back against the glass, enjoying the hot steaming water cascading down my front side as I moaned gently, giving me the sexual release that my body had been craving.

After the shower I found myself quickly getting absorbed into work again, just to be surprised by Marshall showing up with some lunch for us to eat. Apparently his days’ worth of meetings were taking place in a room he rented at the Venetian. It was a pleasant surprise and I was eager for the break so I could share some more of the information I’d been finding out about the merger.

The problem was that as soon as I started to talk about it Marshall began to cut my food and then feed me. It was an instant distraction that made my thoughts jump from talk of a business merger to thoughts of a more intimate sort of merger. I had to admit that I’d thought Marshall would have made a move by this time and it had me edgy. The more he teased me and did the little gestures that were so kind and sweet, the more I wanted him. Maybe that was his game. I wasn’t sure, but I couldn’t complain. It was working on me, and I was having a hard time fighting my overwhelming attraction to him.

I was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans today, knowing that it would be rather foolish to get all dressed up just to sit in the hotel room all day. When Marshall came to stand behind me and give me another one of his famous sensual shoulder massages I nearly slid right off my chair. It felt that amazing.

“You seem so tense, Becca. You have to make sure you take care of yourself and stretch out. It’ll help you feel better and think better,” Marshall said. I couldn’t respond because I was in bliss from his strong fingers giving me the massage.

Then Marshall’s hands traveled to the front side of my shoulders and I could feel his fingertips graze my cleavage, instantly making me get goose bumps on my skin. His touch was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. It was so soft, but it radiated such intensity that I was almost overwhelmed by it.

Much to my dismay, Marshall’s internal clock went off and he realized that it was time for him to go again. Just as easy as he’d turned on that smooth sexy side he turned it off and was all business again. I wondered what it would be like to be able to change moods and emotions that quickly. It seemed like it would be exhausting.

With another casual farewell, Marshall made his way out of the room and I began my process of unwinding from thoughts of his touch and tried to focus on work. Admittedly, it was challenging and I decided that this was the perfect time to take another shower—a cold shower that snapped me back to reality and out of my dream state.

The shower did the trick and I began to work again. Once again, Marshall showed up for a quick supper and this time he brought a stuffed animal with him. It was a white tiger, like the ones that Siegfried and Roy had at their Secret Garden and Dolphin Exhibit at the Mirage. It was so big and soft, oddly enough reminding me of the way Marshall could be. Tender and larger than life one minute, but then all instincts and power the next.

This time Marshall massaged my calves and legs, almost making me purr…it was absolutely incredible. I had never experienced anything like it and it made my senses come alive from the tips of my toes and let’s just say…further north. I’d hoped this may be it, the moment I’d been starting to long for. However, I was wrong. Once again that clock went off inside Marshall and the business side reigned supreme again. He said he’d be back later and wasn’t sure of the time.

Once again, I was asleep when he got home and found that he was up before I awoke. I don’t know how he was so stealthy, but I never heard him. I’d never thought of myself as that deep of a sleeper either. It must have been all that work I was doing. It was exhausting being so thorough and detail oriented with documents that I didn’t know everything about. Luckily, I had the fortune to call up my dad’s firm a few times for some resources. It was a blessing having my dad and a few of the other people at the office at my disposal when I had a pressing question.

Working non-stop through the files made me lose track of time. Day and night began to blur, and I was falling into a routine, but beginning to understand the entire case much better.

The next day proved to be another day devoted to business, not being able to get an audience with Marshall about the merger, and getting some awesome massages that sent my hormones into frenzy. I didn’t know how long I’d be able to take this. I needed to get a release and I wanted it to be Marshall. My own hands were not cutting it any longer. No matter what, I was longing for Marshall’s touch. Craving him to make a move on me…so much so, that I didn’t care if it would interfere with our working relationship anymore.

Chapter 10

Something changed in Marshall after a few days in Vegas. It wasn’t noticeable in the waking hours, as he was actually becoming quite easy for me to understand and keep up with. The changes occurred during the night time hours, when much needed sleep came. He started to have dreams. They didn’t seem like nightmares necessarily, but he’d mumble in his sleep and whimper, sounding like a young boy more so than the in control billionaire. Naturally, the sounds would wake me up immediately and I always looked over to him to see what I could do.

The look on Marshall’s face during these haunting dreams captivated me. He looked like a sweet and innocent child, but one that had been hurt by the actions of another. The pain in his voice would grow as his dream intensified. I remembered what he’d told me about his mother being a drug addict, a prostitute, and not a very good mother. I wondered if that was what he dreamt about. Were those memories still that vivid?

During these moments my hands went over to Marshall’s back and I would rub it gently, hugging him closely as he slept, hoping that my embrace would let him know that someone was there who did care and would protect him. After the first night of these dreams I wanted to ask Marshall what the dreams were about so badly too, but decided against it in case it would embarrass him. That was the last thing I wanted and knowing that I could provide some sort of comfort to him during them was enough for me.

One night, after Marshall had drifted back off to sleep after an episode I couldn’t fall back asleep. I thought about what his childhood must have been like and how much pain it must have still caused him despite his success. Maybe he’d never had the chance to heal or recover from it. My mother had passed away when I was twenty. It had been unexpected and in a car accident, but for Marshall, his mother not only kept him when she was in no condition to be a good mother, but she’d never told him he had a father—a father who may be known as a great eccentric when he was alive, but could have made a difference. It was so selfish and I just didn’t understand how someone could do that. Problems or no problems, how could you not look at the man before me now as a small boy and see that he needed you?

The very next night Marshall’s nightmare was really bad. He was asleep, but sitting up in bed and I had my arms wrapped around him, hugging him tightly and gently stroking his hair, hoping to provide him some comfort. A tear was trickling down my cheek as I worried about the pain he must be feeling to start having these nightmares so suddenly. He didn’t have them the first few nights that we were here in Vegas, only the past three.

Marshall’s eyes suddenly opened, looking startled and frightened. He stared at me, trying to process what was going on.

“It’s okay, Marshall. Just calm down. I’m here for you,” I said, continuing to rub his head and back.

Marshall didn’t respond, but I could hear his breathing start to calm and his chest stop pounding. He put his head down and looked away, acting embarrassed that he’d been caught in the nightmares. I wanted him to know that he didn’t need to feel that way. I was there to help him.

“I’m here for you, Marshall. I only wish I could stop you from having these nightmares. I’m so sorry you have them.” I was aware that more tears were trickling down my cheeks, and I didn’t want Marshall to think that I was pitying him, but I wanted him to know that I cared—that someone cared.

“I’ve had them all the time, even as a child,” Marshall blurted. He’d said his words so quickly. He was rushing to get them out and just release the information now that his secret was out.

“And as an adult?”

“Only when I get really stressed out. Maybe it’s this merger or something like that. I’m not really sure.”

“You need to trust your gut instincts if you have a bad feeling about the merger, Marshall. You’ve been so busy that we haven’t had a chance to talk about it. I’ve found some things in the paperwork that definitely concern me, making me think it’s a bad idea for you.”

There was a look of relief in Marshall’s eye and he tried to lighten the mood, showing his smile once again. “Well, it appears that I have a free moment right now and I definitely won’t be able to fall back asleep. Why don’t you tell me what you’ve learned?”

I laughed. “Okay, I’ll tell you everything I know. Even if it is 3 a.m.”

Marshall laid back down and rolled over to one side, showing his muscular chest to me and I did the same, plopping my head up on my elbow. I began to unfold everything that I’d been learning about the merger that was a definite concern to me.

I started with the executives that seemed to orchestrate everything for the merger with Silver Fern Productions more than his father, showing that they must have some motive for doing so. I told him that I’d checked into the executives that had done so and all of them except two were no longer with Foothill Studios since Marshall took over, but they were advisors to Silver Fern Productions. This made it pretty clear that they had a financial interest in the merger, something that would profit them. Also, there was no evidence that his father had ever signed any of the agreements for the merger, only his executives. However, there was no agreement or Power of Attorney granting those executives power to do so that could be found. I’d told him how I also had double checked the courthouse records to make sure and there was nothing there either.

As I continued talking, excited to get out all the information I’d found, Marshall looked at me and I could see something changing in his eyes. He was starting to look more relaxed and I perhaps detected a sense of relief. Then a smile came to his face that stopped me dead in my tracks.

“You look so beautiful when you talk business. I can see your passion for it and have no reason to doubt what you’re saying, Becca. Excellent work. Now, I suggest we get back to sleep for the few hours of relaxation time we have remaining before another busy day starts.”

I didn’t really know what to say. Obviously I had loved hearing that I looked beautiful talking business with him and that my passion clearly showed through. However, I was once again surprised at how quickly he could go from one thing to the next. As soon as he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me, I didn’t mind his sudden change. His embrace was inviting and it made me feel so good, like he was protecting me the same way I wanted to protect him. At that moment, I didn’t feel a sexual urge between us, but a connection between two people who needed to feel wanted…two people who had experienced such pain that getting back to the level of trust and love we both desired, was a struggle we needed to lean on each other for.

Surprisingly, I fell back asleep easily. I really wasn’t sure if Marshall did or not because my back was to him as he held me tightly in his arms, resting his chin on my shoulder. Our bodies were molded together and he held me so close like he didn’t want to let go. Truthfully, I didn’t want him to either.

Chapter 11

Morning came and I was shocked to see that Marshall was still in bed next to me, waking up right along with me. I looked at him and smiled, trying to assess what his mood may be after realizing that I knew his secret last night. I couldn’t be sure, but I thought I saw relief in his eyes and that made me happy. I wanted nothing besides the best for him.

“Good morning,” I said, smiling.
Oh my God. I want to reach over and kiss him so badly right now.

“And good morning to you. I guess I was tired this morning,” Marshall said, sitting up and swinging his legs over to the edge of the bed. He turned his head and looked at me. “Thank you for the information last night. I’m sorry I hadn’t allowed you to share it earlier.”

“I’m glad I’ve been able to find out what I have so far. I’ll keep working on it. I’m sure there’s more,” I said. I was already getting in business mode. If the merger was what was causing Marshall stress and having to relieve those painful memories in his dreams, then I wanted to be the one to help alleviate that. I just couldn’t stand the thought of him suffering from a selfish woman’s behavior. It didn’t matter to me that she was on drugs or whatever. She made deliberate choices that negatively impacted him. It angered me.

“I trust you. You’ve actually proven to be quite invaluable to me,” Marshall said. I smiled, knowing that those words didn’t come easily to him and trust certainly didn’t either.

“Thank you. That means a lot,” I replied. “Do you have a busy day?”

“Pretty busy and actually starting pretty soon,” Marshall said. He sprung up and started to prepare for his day.

“Hopefully it all goes your way,” I said. “If anyone can make that happen, it’s you.”

“Really?” Marshall asked. He turned to look at me and I saw sparks in his eyes. I instantly melted, feeling like he’d just looked right through me and into my mind, seeing what I had been picturing us doing.

“Really,” I replied. I tried to sound confident, but for some reason my stomach had butterflies in it. I felt myself getting wet just thinking about what may be going through Marshall’s mind. It was easy to do since I had seen him in action before. Try as I might to suppress my desire for him, I wanted him. My body was craving his touch. I had been very patient, but it was wearing thin.