Billionaire Romance: Desires (Complete Series) (6 page)

“Hello?” She almost barked, and her voice instantly tamed when she heard who was on the other end.

“Sounds like someone had a bad day,” he said, and she recognized his voice instantly.

“Oh no,” she said almost in a whisper, anticipating what she thought he was going to say. “Are you cancelling dinner?”

“What makes you think I would?” He teased.

“Because you’re calling me now,” she said. She closed her eyes as she waited for the proverbial axe to fall.

“I just wanted to make sure you hadn’t chickened out,” he told her. “I’m driving out now as we speak.”

She sprang up on the bed and looked over at the clock. It read six-thirty. She only had thirty minutes to spare, and she hadn’t even gone to check on the settings on the roof. “Oh good,” she said breathlessly. “I’ll be waiting,” she could hear the smile in his voice as he hung up. She hastened to shower then, stuffing the clothes back into the closet first, and instantly deciding on a pair of leggings and a loose cotton top that hung from one of her shoulders. In ten minutes she was done showering, and she twirled her hair into one loose hanging bun, snapping it together with a butterfly clip. Loose tendrils escaped at her nape and temples, but she only considered them accessories, as the only thing she had on otherwise were her earrings and a bracelet she almost always wore.

She hurried to the elevator, and got to the landing upstairs, where her breath caught in her throat when she saw what Sam had done. She had to buy him a drink one day, she thought. She had never been here for an occasion like this, and she was impressed at how the space could be transformed. She was leaving to return to her apartment when she ran into him.

“Are you the lady who asked for this?” He asked her.

“I am, and it is wonderful, thank you very much. I owe you.” He grinned broadly and was walking away when she realized she would probably need his help a little bit more. “Hey, Sam, could you give me a hand downstairs?”

“Sure thing, Ma’am,” he said as he bowed his head and followed her. She would need his help in bringing the food back up. When they got downstairs, he remained at her door until she called him inside and handed him the tray with the salad, the steak, and some bread pudding she had from earlier in the week. She followed him up once more, now bearing the ice bucket and an additional glass of wine along with water. Then, she hurried back down for the cutlery and china. Finally satisfied that everything was to her liking, she stole downstairs once more to await her guest. Never had she felt so anxious until this moment, and when she heard the clock in the lobby chime seven, she could feel the knots forming in her stomach. She checked herself several times in the mirror, spotting away sweat beads with a paper towel she had at hand. She couldn’t rest comfortably and she almost fell out of the chair when she finally heard a rap on the door. She bounded to the wooden barrier separating her from him and then inhaled sharply before she opened the door and greeted the man that would make her dreams come true tonight.

CHAPTER 3 - MELODY

She held the door back for him and leaned against it. He didn’t move right away, and she grew self-conscious as he stood there looking at her. “What’s the matter?” She asked him.

“Nothing,” he said as he moved closer, never once taking his eyes off of her, not even when he lowered his head and kissed her on the cheek. She felt her breath stop just then, and was glad he moved away lest she suffocate and never make it to dinner. “You just take my breath away.”

Okay, that did it. She was turning into mush the longer she was in his presence, and she had to turn and walk away before she melted completely. He followed her and she could feel his presence looming over her like a shadow. When she turned around again, her hands flew to her mouth as she saw him with a black box in his hand, one that he was holding out to her.

“My father always told me never to visit a lady empty-handed,” he smiled.

“You didn’t have to,” she said humbly, while longing to know what was inside the little treasure chest. “I’ve cost you enough today.”

“Like I said, my father told me that...”

She laughed as he began again. “Okay, I see you won’t be letting that go any time soon. Thank you,” she said as she extended her hand to take his gift. “I didn’t get you anything. I am afraid we didn’t have the same father.”

He laughed then. “Thank God for that, otherwise I couldn’t be standing next to you now.” He stood there looking at her with the box in her hand. “Are you going to open it?”

“Oh,” she said, having temporarily forgotten the box in her hand. She lifted the cover and was impressed by the necklace and earring set inside. They bore an onyx color, a thin thread of gold for the chain, and a pendant with a single stone set in the middle. She stared at it like she was in a trance and then looked into his eyes. “It’s beautiful.”

“You’re welcome,” he said and smiled. “Nice place you have here,” he complimented her as he surveyed the small space. “It is cozy.”

Melody was glad she didn’t keep her apartment messy; sure, there were a few things that needed replacing, like the brown carpet on the floor that was slowly changing color. She had gotten it with the apartment and had not been able to afford anything better. Now that she had a job, she would ensure that she did.

“So, I smell food, but I don’t see any food,” he observed. “Is this food like the special clothes the Emperor wore?” He asked her, and she nearly doubled over laughing as she remembered the story of the Emperor’s clothes that her mother used to read to her when she was a child.

“No, this food is very real,” she said as her eyes twinkled. He was not only light on the eyes, but on her mental state as well. “Follow me, good Sir,” she said as she used her index finger to summon him.

“As you wish,” he said, and bowed and followed her to the elevator. “Oh, we are going to the roof. I should have told you I am afraid of heights.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Don’t worry; the roof isn’t made of glass; you won’t need to look down.”

“Whew!” He mocked and she began giggling again.

“Are you always this silly?” She asked him.

“Only when I’m awake,” he grinned and she started laughing again. Before she knew it, he was kissing her, and this time her breath did get caught in her throat as his warm lips enveloped hers. She stood there with her eyes wide open as his tongue began to trace the lines of her mouth and she finally managed to respond when her wits caught up with her body. He didn’t hold her, and just him standing there in that position caused the heat to surge within her, and suddenly she lost her appetite for food. Now she wanted him, but as she reached out to pull him closer, there was a ding and the elevator opened.

This time it was his turn to be amazed at the rooftop ambience. He stepped out onto what was possibly one of the most romantic places he had seen, and even though Melody had seen it earlier, it now held new meaning for her. She held his hand and led him to the table in the center of the space, and she was almost certain she felt him tremble ever so slightly.

“You did all of this for me?” He asked.

“No, the rooftop is always like this. It didn’t require much effort on my part.” She saw the way he was looking at her and laughed. “Of course I did. I wanted it to look special as a show of appreciation for all you did for me today.”

“It is lovely, Melody, and thank you for going all the way,” he smiled, and if he never ate a bite of the food, she felt completely satisfied and appreciated.

“It was the least I could do. Now let’s eat before the food turns to stone,” she suggested, and he eagerly agreed.

He raced over to her side of the table so that he could pull out her chair for her, and she grinned, not remembering if anyone had ever been that chivalrous with her. “Thank you, and stop spoiling me, Phillip. Pretty soon I won’t even want to brush my own teeth.”

“Are you asking me to move in? My, how forward,” he said with a smile.

“You know what I mean,” she defended.

“My father told me that...”

“Your father told you a lot, didn’t he?” She interrupted him. “Tell your father many thanks.”

“So, what do we have here?” He asked as he removed the covers, and was delighted at what he saw. She watched him as he cut his portions of steak and lifted some of the salad onto another. She did the same, but she was anxious for his appraisal, and when it came she was flattered. He complimented her taste as exquisite, and the fact that he cleaned the plate spoke volumes.

“Didn’t your father tell you not to over-eat?” she asked him slyly.

“Um, I don’t remember,” he said with his mouth full of food.

She laughed and continued her meal. A light jazz was pouring through the speakers now, and he got up, letting his napkin fall to the table as he walked around to her. “Care for a dance?”

She smiled at him. “It is a lovely night for it,” she said as she rose. He led her a few feet from the table before letting his hand fall to the small of her back as he pulled her closer. Melody could feel the need rising in her again, and she held her breath to contain it. Her face rested just above his chest and she laid her head there as they intertwined hands and swayed to the slow rhythm of the music. Melody didn’t want this night to end, and she felt light headed as she stood there with him, dancing underneath the stars.

She looked up at him as the song came to a close, and felt the urge to taste his lips now coated with wine on hers. She didn’t have to wait for long, for soon enough his lips found hers again, and this time they moved only to the rhythm of their own hearts.

CHAPTER 4 - MELODY

When they separated, Melody felt like her soul was being extracted from her. She could feel a strong and undeniable connection to him, and she shook her head as if to rid herself of the feelings. He sensed her tension just then and backed away.

“Are you alright?” He asked.

“This is all just surreal to me,” she admitted. “This entire day was, and it wasn’t just you.”

“Oh,” he replied with a quizzical look on his face. “What happened?”

“What didn’t happen?” She replied as she walked over to the railing and held on, allowing the light wind that was brewing to rustle her hair. “For weeks I’ve been searching for a job. Sure I had some temporary ones during college, but nothing stable or professional, and it seemed that I would never land anything, and then it’s like I bumped into you and my fortunes changed. I’m no gypsy, but today they made a believer out of me.”

“What changed for you?” He pressed, wanting to hear what she had to say.

She looked him squarely in the eyes. “I was crying when I left that office today, and then I ran into you; you bought me coffee as compensation, took me shopping, and not so long ago, I received a call from the very same company I’d gone to this morning. They offered me a job as a non-office personal assistant to the Director, and usually I would have declined such an offer.”

“On what grounds?” he asked.

“On the grounds that I am over-qualified to be the errand girl for a wealthy man, but I accepted it; I’ll work from his home and wherever he needs me to be, but don’t worry: it will be strictly business,” she said as she smiled at him.

“You weren’t kidding; that was quite a day.” Then he walked over to her rather seductively. “And the night is still young.”

She clamped her hands on his chest and gently shoved him out of the way. “So, I have been pouring my heart out to you ever since we met, but I hardly know anything about you.”

“What do you want to know?”

“What do you do for a living, or are you just living off your father’s money?” She asked him.

“Does that sound like my father to you? I am not going to lie to you; I might be something like the rich men you described earlier, but I can assure you, I have a job, and even though my father had all of this money, I have had to work for every dime I have. I have learnt to work the business from the ground up, and I was afforded no special privileges. I wore a uniform to work like all the other staff members, and I ate lunch in the general lunch area. I was given no special treatment, but I can honestly say, in hindsight, I’m glad he did what he did. But don’t tell him I said so,” he smiled.

Hearing him talk like that did nothing to quell what was already bubbling up in Melody; his show of humility was turning her on even more than she cared to admit, and though her mother always told her not to sleep with a man on the first date, she was fast forgetting that promise. “I think we need to clear these,” she said, pointing to the dishes. She hoped that would act as a reasonable distraction for now.

“We do,” he said. “Dinner was lovely.”

Melody blushed at his words, pleased with her accomplishment. She began to remove the dishes and he hastened to assist her. They somehow managed to take all of the used utensils to the apartment without incident, and barely managed to slip them into the sink with a loud crash. “I think I broke something,” he said.

Melody laughed. “You don’t need to buy me a kitchen unit as replacement if that is the case,” she mocked.

“She makes fun of me,” he said, and walked over to her and started tickling her. She tried to run away, but he caught her as she got to the sofa. “No, you don’t”