How to Seduce a Billionaire Read online

  ‘Men like that, don’t they? To see women touching themselves.’

  ‘Well, I don’t know about other men, but I do. I can’t imagine anything more provocative right at this moment. Do it, Jess, put on a show for me. If you give yourself pleasure it’ll be easier to come with me inside you.’

  With no further ado, and no more words, Jess slid her hand over her belly and down to her sex. When she touched her clit, and began to circle and stroke it, she let her fingers stray a little in the action, to touch Ellis’s shaft where they were joined.

  ‘Oh, you’re a seductress, aren’t you?’ His fingers curved in, cradling her bottom and squeezing her in time to her own strokes. The two caresses seemed to meld into one compounded pleasuring, so intense it made her sway, and the sway made Ellis groan in turn.

  Oh God, I’m so near … so close … I can’t look at him. It’s all too much.

  And yet she had to look. He was too beautiful not to look at, this rogue angel of a man with his fabulous eyes, his devastating smile, and his roguish piratical stubble-beard. Moving beneath her, he bucked upwards, while holding her, pushing in yet deeper. Was he close too? Or did he have reserves of control from years of fucking?

  The agonised set of his jaw, and the way his shining white teeth were clamped together suggested that the reserves were flagging. That she, the virgin with no experience, and even fewer sex skills, was getting to him somehow. She did have power, and shimmying down onto him, she rode a surge of sensation that arose both from his solid flesh inside her and the reaction on his face.

  Try this, Mr Sex!

  She flexed her inner muscles, clamping on him tightly, embracing him within her.

  ‘Oh God, Jess!’ he shouted, despite all his promises to be quiet, and the power surged again, like a force of nature, like a silent rising roar of complete triumph.

  Moaning herself, watching the ecstasy in his face, she tried to clench again, but couldn’t. Her control was gone, her body was pulsing and gripping on to him all of its own accord, while wave after wave of bliss washed through her loins, and deep inside her, she registered an answering pulse. Ellis was coming too, his semen spurting out into the condom.

  This time when he put all his clothes on again, they stayed on.

  ‘I’d love to stay and spend the day in bed with you, Jess, but I need to be in London in –’ he checked his slim watch ‘– in about three hours. I’ve got people flying in from Europe to meet with me, and it’d be bad manners to just brush them off, even for a woman as gorgeous as you.’ He leant forward and kissed her.

  Jess lifted her hand to cup his face as he drew away, loving the soft silkiness of his beard. She lingered. This would probably be the last time she ever touched his face.

  In three hours … When was that? She glanced at her alarm clock and got a shock.

  ‘Oh, fucking hell! I have to be at work in less than an hour.’ She leapt up off the bed – where Ellis had picked her up and gently laid her down after they’d finished – and almost knocked Ellis over.

  He grabbed her by the shoulders. ‘Hey, don’t panic. I’ll ring your boss and say you won’t be in today. Heck, you might as well have the rest of the week off.’

  ‘I can’t do that! You can’t do that! What will people think?’ She scowled at him. ‘You just drop in from on high at Windsor for a day, but I have to work there, and I’ll be the subject of constant speculation … It’ll just be … It’ll just be weird.’

  Ellis’s expression grew more solemn. ‘Of course you’re right. I’ve no desire to make things awkward for you, Jess.’ He paused, rubbing his chin where she’d touched him. ‘Could you ring in sick? Take a day that way? After all, you have lost quite a bit of sleep.’ The wicked man winked at her.

  ‘I could, but it doesn’t seem right. I hate doing things like that.’

  He reached for her again. ‘That doesn’t surprise me. You’re a very decent and right-thinking woman, Jess.’ His lips settled on hers again, sweetly and lightly. ‘Why don’t you get dressed and I’ll give you a lift to Windsor? I could make you some coffee while you’re showering.’

  No! It was too intimate. Too nice. The longer she hung onto him, the longer she’d want to. She had to get back to normal. Ellis was a beautiful, time-out-of-time experience, never to be repeated.

  ‘That’s kind of you, but I’ll get a lift with Cathy. You need to be on your way, Ellis. It’s … it’s been lovely, but we both know that’s it. You’d better go now.’

  Ellis rocked back as if she’d hit him. ‘Well, that puts me in my place, doesn’t it?’

  ‘But you said you don’t do relationships and all that, and I’m not looking for a relationship with you anyway … So it’s better not to drag things out.’

  She felt terrible now. There was a stricken look on his face. More than she’d expected. After all, not seeing her again would be a very small disappointment with another liaison just around the corner. Nothing really … Not to a man who’d lost the love of his life in such hideous circumstances.

  ‘Look, I had a lovely time. I can’t imagine a better first time, because you’re a lovely man, Ellis, and you’ve made me feel wonderful.’ Out of his line of sight, she clenched her fists, horrified by the inadequacy of her own words. ‘But we’re just ships that pass in the night, aren’t we? Admit it.’

  He looked at her very steadily. ‘We could circle each other for a while. We could have a good time. There’s much more to sex than what we shared last night … much more … It would be a joy and a pleasure to teach you a few more tricks.’

  ‘I’m not a performing sex poodle, Ellis!’

  ‘I didn’t mean it like that, Jess … I’m not putting this very well.’ He reached for her hands, holding them quite tight. ‘But we could be good to each other for a little while, and then part as friends.’

  It was tempting, so tempting. It twisted her heart.

  If I get more of him, I’ll want more of him. I already know that. I’ll want more than he can give and I’ll spoil it.

  ‘Let’s part as friends now, Ellis. Please.’

  The line of his jaw was taut. Was it genuine disappointment? Or simply annoyance at not getting all his own way, which was what he was probably used to. Perhaps a little of both, she suspected.

  ‘Are you sure? Is that what you want?’

  ‘I think it’s for the best, Ellis,’ she said, compelling her voice to remain steady and composed and not emotional. ‘Don’t you?’

  ‘There are different kinds of best, but I accept your decision, Jess.’ He gave a resigned little shrug. ‘We part as friends. No hard feelings.’ He leant forward and dropped a kiss on her brow. ‘I had a great time, and I thank you for that. And if there’s ever anything I can do for you … Anything at all … Don’t hesitate to contact me. I’ll be glad to help, and I really mean that.’

  It was a lovely offer. A gracious, non-macho response. But it also seemed so formal, and so sterile, after the sweaty, threshing intimacy they’d shared.

  ‘Sure I can’t give you a lift to work?’ He released her hands.

  ‘No, it’s fine. But thank you.’

  You’re an idiot, Jess Lockhart. A total idiot, she told herself a few moments later, as she stood in the doorway, in her robe, watching him climb inside his blue whale of a Citroën, and drive away.

  13

  ‘You’re an idiot, Jess Lockhart. A total idiot,’ said Cathy as they sat at traffic lights on the way into town. ‘Even if there was no future with him in a proper relationship, you could at least have had a nice little fling with him. I would have … in your situation.’

  Unsurprisingly, Jess’s friend had tackled her almost as soon as she’d closed the front door, demanding to know who the drop-dead gorgeous man with the old blue Citroën was. Cathy had admitted to watching from the upstairs window as Ellis was leaving, and didn’t hide the fact that she found his good looks stunning.

  Thankfully, the bigger issue, the fact that Jess had finally ‘do
ne it’, was taken as read.

  ‘I know … I know … but it just didn’t seem right. I can’t explain it.’ Jess yawned, lack of sleep suddenly catching up with her when there’d been no sign of it earlier. ‘But I can’t just go from being a non-fling type person to being a … well, being a fling type person. Not overnight.’

  ‘Well, you obviously went from something overnight to something else, didn’t you?’ Cathy put the car in gear and they sped off. ‘And don’t try to deny it.’

  Jess didn’t say anything. There was no point in trying to deny anything, but somehow explaining why she’d decided to lose her virginity to Ellis McKenna was beyond her at the moment. She still didn’t understand it herself.

  ‘And with a billionaire too! Which makes it all the more barmy that you won’t see him again, doesn’t it?’

  Jess nodded, even though Cathy’s attention was on the road. Any woman in her right mind would have at least agreed to see him again once.

  ‘Can’t you contact him and say you’ve changed your mind? Even if you just keep it casual. You really need to get into the swing of full-on dating now you’ve finally taken the plunge, Jess, and you’ll probably get some gorgeous presents out of it, at least.’

  ‘I’m not interested in his money, or anybody’s really. I only want to find the right man … and Ellis just isn’t that. Not really.’

  It was true about the money. Yes, it would be nice to have a bit more, and to know she had something in reserve to cover some unforeseen disaster, but Jess was old fashioned and for her money had to be earned via a proper job, all above board.

  ‘You could have given him a chance to be Mr Right, you know. Clicking with a guy at first sight is very rare, and you usually don’t realise you really like them until after a few dates, perhaps even longer.’ Cathy started to slow the car. They were approaching Windsor Insurance. ‘And that’s pretty much the same with sex. For it to be really good, you have to get to know each other’s likes and dislikes, and work at it a bit.’

  Ah, but it was toes-up fabulous right from the start with Ellis. Even when it hurt a bit.

  But she didn’t tell Cathy that as they said cheerio, and she got out of Cathy’s car.

  Even though she’d changed irrevocably overnight, as the morning wore on, Jess realised that Windsor Insurance was just the same as ever. Not out and out horrible, but not exciting. Excruciatingly boring. With her eyes half-closing every other moment or two from fatigue, and her concentration shot to hell, Jess decided to ask her supervisor if she could take the afternoon off from her hours of accrued flexi-time, and luckily, it was okay.

  Not only was she bone-tired, and incapable of concentrating on anything other than thoughts of Ellis, and her own ensuing decision never to see him again, she was drawing a lot of curious looks and comments from Pam and Emma, and others. Two and two were being put together, connecting her obvious weariness and the sensational VIP who’d paid so much attention to her only the other day.

  ‘Meeting someone this afternoon, Jess?’

  ‘Seen the big and gorgeous cheese lately, Jess?’

  ‘Something keep you awake all night, Jess?’

  With laughter and evasion, she fielded the friendly probes, but she was glad to get out of the building at last, and in a very rare indulgence, she took a taxi home because she was convinced she’d fall asleep on the bus and miss her stop.

  Letting herself into the house only made her think of letting herself and Ellis in last night, and on reaching her room, she could have sworn that she could still smell his cologne. And though that was probably her imagination, she was quickly convinced she could smell another odour.

  Sex. The act of sex.

  She’d done it now, and she was different, a new kind of woman. All morning she’d been acutely aware of every part of her body, especially the intimate zones. All of them. Her mouth, where Ellis had kissed. Her breasts and thighs and buttocks where Ellis had stroked and touched her.

  Her pussy, where he’d possessed and pleasured her, the awareness there most intense of all, in a bizarre kind of sensory high definition.

  Did the scents of their joining still linger in the room? Perhaps that was just an olfactory illusion, but if she was going to catch up on sleep, she’d probably better change the sheets.

  Drawing in deep breaths, she seemed to see things, too, as well as smell them.

  Ellis’s beautiful naked body as he walked towards her. Ellis on the rug, half dressed, his erection high and proud. Ellis’s sea-blue eyes, puzzled and perhaps annoyed when she’d resisted his blandishments and the temptation of a sweet sexual fling.

  Sod the sheets. The effort of re-making the bed was too great, and yet exhausted as she was, she knew sleep wouldn’t come, so she made some tea and brought it upstairs to drink. In an effort to stop herself thinking too much, she settled down to draw a little, but there were no prizes for guessing the subject of her sketches.

  The soft graphite pencil skimmed over the page at lightning speed, sometimes recording in sharp, crisp detail, sometimes capturing a dreamy, impressionistic essence. Either way, she’d never been able to record images quite this fast before. Never been quite this good?

  Ellis in his clothes. Ellis out of his clothes. Ellis’s face. Ellis’s hands. The curve of his shoulder. The sharp line of his hipbone.

  The proud elegant jut of Ellis’s cock …

  She hid the latter at the bottom of the pile as soon as it was done.

  Well, looks like you’re my muse now, Mr McKenna, for the time being at least, even if you’ll never be more than that.

  And inevitably the muse of her fantasies too; Dream Lover for the foreseeable future. He was her blessing, and the beautiful scourge of her peace of mind, all in one glorious package.

  Her eyelids drooping at last, she lay down on the bed, aware even as she drifted off that she was lying where Ellis McKenna had lain last night.

  Ellis’s main meeting during the day had remained inconclusive, and unresolved. He’d had to apologise to the attendees and arrange to reconvene. It’d been either that or be preoccupied and inattentive throughout the entire proceedings, and it was something he’d never once done before, even after intercontinental travel or the most athletic all-nighter with a woman. He despised bad-mannered business behaviour, and the only time he’d ever come close to it was ‘before’ … when there had been sleepless nights comforting his daughters when they were ill or teething, and even then, cherishing his family life, he’d mostly stayed home the next day with them too.

  Pushing memories away, he sighed and finished his tea, then stretched out on the leather-covered couch in his London sitting room, wondering what the hell was wrong with him. No, scrub that, he knew exactly what was wrong with him. A case of totally unforeseen confusion and frustration over a certain Jess Lockhart. It had to be that, because normally he could function on a ludicrously tiny amount of sleep. Today he’d been all over the place, musing on the woman who’d turned him down.

  Intellectually and even emotionally, he understood her choice. Even admired it. Women he’d known who were infinitely better off than Jess had attempted to cling on to him, as much for his wealth as for his qualities as a man and a lover, and yet she’d shown virtually no interest in his money at all.

  Yes, he could see and respect why she’d told him to go, but the primal caveman beneath was roaring almost constantly at being denied the beautiful prize.

  And beautiful she was. Far more than she obviously realised. A characterful beauty, lovely in depth rather than just gloss. Innocent, yet profoundly sensual. Another quality of which she was barely aware. She was a goddess of untapped erotic potential, and what a thrill and a feast of pleasure it would be to help her comprehend and enjoy her own powers as a seductress.

  I can’t just give up on you, Jess Lockhart. I’ll persuade you to give me another chance. I must.

  It would be intriguing to see more of her drawing and painting too. She had definite talent and she ought
to be living creatively rather than doing drone work in one of his companies. Perhaps he could do something about that.

  He started to wake up, the fatigue fading as purpose revivified him. He reached for his phone and opened his organiser. Meetings were stacked for the next few days, and he squashed the urge to cancel the whole lot. Other people’s lives and jobs depended on his decisions, and he couldn’t just chuck everything aside to satisfy his libido, not even for Jess. He’d have to stay in town this weekend, alas, but next weekend was all his, to be spent at Windermere Hall, his bolt-hole.

  It was a long time to wait in order to be with her, but perhaps that was a good thing in a way. Nothing would be worse than making her feel crowded and harried. This way she’d have time to rethink her choice, look back on their night together, and perhaps come around to the idea of giving him another chance. And in the meantime, perhaps flowers? They were a cliché, but still. Perhaps a basket of something too. Gourmet goodies, hot chocolate, those cookies she’d liked, similar indulgences. That way he could give her a luxurious treat without overpowering her. It felt crass to send more intimate gifts, like exotic lingerie and sex toys, to a near-virgin. He could lavish such items on her later.

  Smiling, he tapped the shortcut for his concierge service. His heart lifted. He hadn’t felt this optimistic and excited in a long, long time.

  14

  It’d been a weird week. The weirdest. But then again, most of her time seemed weird now, since the visit to Windsor Insurance of a certain VIP.

  She’d done nothing but think and fantasise about Ellis McKenna, the man she’d told herself sternly to forget.

  Fat chance of that!

  For one thing, there were the flowers. A gorgeous sheaf of white and orange roses, exquisitely velvety and fragrant. They’d provoked a raised eyebrow from Cathy, and more scorn when Jess had insisted she wouldn’t be seeing him again.