The Billionaire (7 page)

I cleaned up before going to work and at about one I
left to pick her up at school. Our house hunting will have to wait one more
day. Today I’m going to fill every closet in the penthouse with shit for her. I
thought of calling my sister over to get her input but changed my mind. I’m
just not ready to share her with anyone else as yet not even family.

She walked out with the rest of the kids and headed
for the car, the down look on her face disappearing as she climbed in next to
me.

"How was your tests love?" I drew her in to get
a fix it felt like forever since I’d dropped her off. I looked at her to make
sure she was okay and that there were no lingering effects from her ordeal the
night before. I’m sure that shit’s
gonna
fuck with her
for a while but I’m gonna do all that’s in my power to cut it out like a
cancer.

"Easy." She seemed more at ease than when I
dropped her off as she clutched my arm while I drove. Maybe I was worrying for
nothing. Damn, if one morning of freedom could do that for her then I would see
that it never changed.

"We're going shopping again today love, you need
clothes and stuff."

"That's too much, after yesterday."
 
She pulled away and fussed with her seat
belt.

"Ashley, do you have any idea how much I'm
worth?" She shook her head no, and how refreshing was that? Shit any of
the females of my past acquaintance would sell an ovary for the chance to go
shopping on Gideon Thorpe’s dime.

"I'm worth more than you can spend in ten
lifetimes so I don't want you worrying about that stuff okay?"

When she didn't answer I chanced a glance at her and
found her worrying her lip again. I know she wasn't accustomed to anyone
spending money on her but she would have to get used to it, I intend to spoil
the fuck out of her everyday for the rest of her life. “I don’t really know
what to buy, I’ve never…”

“So buy everything you like I mean it Ashley if you
see something you want I want you to get it.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“Fine I’ll just have to help you then.” I decided to
change the subject and asked her about school instead. That seemed to settle
her a little and by the time we pulled up to the mall she was a little more
relaxed. Nothing had been said about Cliffy, she hadn’t brought him up and I’d
be fucked if I
was
going to. Let’s hope this was a
case of out of sight out of mind.

Our first stop was one of those young people stores
with nothing but jeans and t shirts where I had her change out of her uniform
first before we got down to some serious shopping. Then I dragged her into
every high- end store that had decent clothing in the window.

It was almost five hours later when we returned home
laden down with shopping bags. Once again she looked like a teenaged girl, her
eyes alight and bursting at the seams to go through her loot again.

"Go ahead babe, I'll start dinner, come find me
in the kitchen when you're done."

She kissed me again for the one-hundredth time before
heading off to our bedroom. Our bedroom, I liked the sound of that. Where
before I guarded my freedom like Cerberus at the gates of hades, I was more
than happy to see it go down the drain, she fucking owned me. Completely and
irrevocably, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Chapter 9

She came downstairs not even ten minutes after
disappearing with her loot, all flushed and happy. And just the sight of her
made me smile. She looked so young and carefree here, the way she was supposed
to.

"That was quick." I kissed the top of her
head my hands were dirty since I'd been marinating salmon steaks for the grill.

"I started to try them on, but then I missed you
so I came back down." Shit, could she be any sweeter?

"Hop on up here then and keep me company, then
after dinner you can model for me okay baby."

"Okay." She blushed and grinned as she
hopped up onto the counter, barley making it without my help. She was so tiny,
my heart clutched, I could've lost her before I found her. Not now Gideon, just
concentrate on making her happy. That’s your new mission in life don’t let that
twisted fuck intrude here. This is your first real night together in her new home
you have to make it special.

"Can I help?"

"Nope, I've got it covered. I'm just grilling
salad's
already made. I would offer you a glass of wine but
I don't want to corrupt you...yet." I smirked at her and she blushed.

"In Europe I can have wine."

"We'll talk about that when we're there."
She pouted at me, her bottom lip just enticing me to take a bite.

"Ummmm cherry. You trying to get me to eat your
lips off?" She giggled as my tongue licked across her lips, shoulders
scrunching up to her ears as I tried for a nibble there too.

"Now behave yourself so I can feed us, you tired
my old self out with your shopping."

"Me? That was
all your
fault. I was finished two hours before you were ready to leave you kept finding
stuff for me to try on."

She's right too. I'd had a blast watching her try on
new outfits her eyes widening as each pile grew and bigger and bigger. And that
was just the beginning.

I'd also introduced her to another form of shopping,
where someone else got to model the clothing while we got to sit and sip on
champagne or in her case sparking cider and nibble on
foie
gras
on toast points which I enjoyed and Blossom
turned up her nose at. We'll have to work on her palette.

For all our complaining we'd both enjoyed ourselves,
she was now the proud owner of a complete wardrobe that would be the envy of
any teen princess.

She'd gotten her ears pierced at my insistence when I
caught her staring at earrings in a shop window. She was now sporting a pair of
Tiffany's two-carat diamond studs, which her fingers kept gravitating towards
repeatedly.

I opened the French doors that lead off the breakfast
nook onto the patio where I had the grill already heating just waiting for the
fish.

I'd skewered some fresh pineapple rolled in sugar to
grill as well, a nice accompaniment to the fish. When I'd asked Ashley what she
wanted for dinner her first choice had been McDonald's of all things. I'd
squashed that out the box but after she'd explained that she'd never had one of
America's favorite fast food burgers, I'd almost cried for her.

Immediately I'd shifted my plans for the weekend,
Saturday was going to be dedicated to her only. Whatever she wanted to do, but
there was definitely a Big Mac for lunch in her future.

I hope I survive it I haven't eaten one of those things
since I was a teen. Mom wasn't too big on fast food either, though it wasn’t
for the same reasons as her dick of a father. At least we were allowed one
every once in a while, we just weren't allowed to make a habit of it, which was
as it should be.

"I know; I'll set the table." She broke my
inner ramblings with that announcement as she jumped down off the counter.

"Already done baby, just relax, there's nothing
for you to do."

I could tell she was nervous, probably not accustomed
to sitting idly by while someone else did all the work, took care of her. I
wondered what her evenings had been like at home. Did he make her wait on him
hand and foot? Was she even allowed to watch television? Come to think of it,
there hadn't been one in her room, and I can't imagine she wanted to spend her
free time in a room with him unless she absolutely had to. Put it away Gideon
she’s here now and she can watch all the mindless drivel that teens seemed to
like on the tube anytime she likes.

I lit the tapered candles in their silver holders in
the middle of the table when dinner was ready.

She blushed as I seated her and I couldn't help
kissing her heated cheek. Such a delight my little Blossom.

"I hope you like it."

"I don't think I've ever eaten so much salmon
before I met you."

"Do you like fish, it's good for you."

"I think so I mean I've fried lots of it when dad
would go fishing with Mr. Stark..." Her voice tapered off at the mention
of her father.

Taking her hand I gave it a squeeze, rubbing my thumb
back and forth across her palm. I pulled her to me for a kiss. If it's the last
thing I do I'm going to wipe that desolate look from her face for good. I'll be
damned if he'll cause her any more sorrow or heartache.

"You hanging in
there
baby?" She nodded her head before taking a bite of her fish.

"This is good Gideon, I like it."

"Good I'm glad."

We enjoyed the rest of our meal over much lighter
conversation. I asked about school and what these tests she was taking this
week were all about.

I wasn't surprised to learn that she was in the top
one percentile of her class, which she told me was unknown to her father.

She'd taken her SATs and passed with flying colors and
some other aptitude tests they were giving kids these days that they didn't
have when I was in school.

Apparently she'd done well enough to be accepted to an
Ivy League school, but daddy dearest had nixed that. Well I'll get all her
affairs with the school straightened out. I had the necessary papers now, she
was old enough to speak for herself, and we didn't need his signature for
anything. Asshole.

I still didn't like the idea of him being her guardian
of note so I’m
gonna
have to deal with that first.

"Would you like to get married?" She dropped
the fork and looked at me with wide-open eyes.

What the fuck? I hadn't meant to say that, what the
hell had just happened? We barely knew each other, she hadn't even met my
parents, and she was so fucking young. I was going to wait, what the hell
happened to waiting until she got settled in?

Yeah, all those things were true but when she jumped
from her seat into my lap, her arms going around my neck to hold me in a
chokehold, I knew it was the right move.

If I could just get my heart to calm down we'd be good
to go.

Fuck Thorpe, you really are nuts, you've lost your
fucking mind over this girl. How do you go from being totally against giving up
your freedom to getting married to a girl whom you'd only just met?

I haven't even really kissed her yet, not the way I
wanted to anyway. I had no idea what her likes and dislikes were. What were her
favorite things to do? In fact I knew nothing about her except that the way she
made me feel, I'm sure I'd never feel that good again with anyone else. Never!

There was a lot to be done I had three months before
her eighteenth birthday. I'd already committed myself to waiting until then
before taking her to my bed...well, before making love to her there since she
was already sleeping in my bed.

"You won't change your mind will you?"

"Well you haven't answered the question yet
so..."

"Yes, yes, yes, yes." She squealed,
peppering my face with kisses after each enthusiastic yes and I was grinning
like an ass.

"So when... How? Tomorrow?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, not so fast little one, we
have to plan it, sometime after your birthday."

"Why do we have to wait?" I hated to see her
lose that exuberance but I had to do this right for her sake.

I kissed her nose before looking into her magnificent
eyes.

"Because I have a mother who would skin me alive
if I ran off and got married without telling her. She's going to want to plan
an extravagant event whether or not it's just us, or she invites half the
state."

She grew rather quiet and sullen and I was beginning
to realize that I hated to see her look anything but happy. Lifting her head
up, I caressed her cheek lovingly.

"What is it, what's wrong?"

"What if she doesn't like me?" She looked
close to tears, I guess it's only natural for every new daughter in law to
worry about whether or not her new mother in law would approve, but somehow I
think there was more going on here than that.

She looked fucking petrified, just as she had that
morning when she asked me if this was home.

I pulled her closer to me, hugging her with all the
love I had in me for her.

"She'll love you baby, I promise. There's nothing
for you to worry about okay, I'll introduce you to them soon and you'll see. I
have a sister your age, her name's Tula and she loves to shop. I can see you
two hitting the shops together, not to mention her obsession with on line
shopping. I'm sure my credit cards are gonna get a work out." I tried to
tease her out of her sulk.

She blushed at that and hid her face in my chest.

"Oh no I spend too much."

"Ashley cut it out, we've already had this
conversation, what's mine is yours, you can never spend too much okay? Look at
it this way, what if I wanted to spend time with you and you had lots of free
time? Would you spend your free time with me, or would you be mad that you had
to?"

"I could never be mad at spending time with
you."

"Well see, that's exactly how I feel about the
money, time is more precious than money and I have tons of it. I want to spend
it on you. In fact, I'm getting you your own cards and your own account, that
way you don't have to wait for me to do anything if you see something you want
you can just buy it." And I can erase the picture of you in want and going
without from my mind.

"I don't know what to say, this is all so...so, I
don't know, is this a dream?"

"No dream baby, we're both just very lucky to
have found each other." She makes it so easy, I just want to love this
girl with everything I’ve got. I hope I don't fuck this up I'm not sure if I
should get her a therapist. How much damage had been done to her psyche? She
seems so well rounded and even keeled for someone who's lived with a virtual
sociopath her entire life.

I'll keep an eye out for the next couple of weeks at
least and if I notice anything off I'll handle it. Her life had been
drastically changed overnight I'd literally swooped in and taken her over. I
have to be sure not to overcrowd her, she already had one overbearing male
figure in her life she didn't need another. But the way I felt about her, I
know it's going to be tough keeping myself in check.

I do want to take her over, dominate. I have this
uncontrollable need to be a part of every aspect of her life. Maybe because I
know she'd been hurt by her father for so long, I don't know. What I do know is
that no one else has ever made me feel this possessive. Like I needed to own
her and that just sounds so sick. But it’s the truth, whether it’s her
upbringing, her youth, or that innocent air about her I just know she makes me
want to take over every aspect of her existence
;
like
I have to stand between her and the rest of the world.

With Lynn and anyone else that came before her we
spent as much time apart as we did together. In fact maybe more, but the
thought of letting her out of my sight fills me with distaste. If I had my way
she would never spend another night out of my arms. Which might be difficult
since she had school and I sometimes travelled for business, sometimes out of
the country, I’m going to have to figure something out because I’m pretty sure
that was out.

Fuck, I can't think about that right now, I'm just
making myself crazy.

"Hey, isn't school almost out for the
summer?"

"Yep, just a few more weeks and it's summer
vacation."

"What do you usually do on breaks?"

"Umm nothing?"

"You never went anywhere, did anything with
friends, go to the beach, stuff like that?"

"I don't really have any friends Gideon."
She hung her head as if in shame, I felt my ire rise once again.

"Well you do now Blossom, you have me." I
teased her out of the funk I sensed was coming on again. Fucking Cliff Sanders
;
what an utter and complete asshole, if I hadn't hated him
before I would now.

What seventeen, almost eighteen-year old girl didn't
need friends? The more I learned about her life with him, the more convinced I
became that I'd done the right thing by taking her out of there.