Epilogue – 6 months later – Olivia
“I can’t believe I was six months ago that we were last here!” I yelled as the plane came to a halt. “Doesn’t it seem like it was forever ago now? Oh, but Hawaii still looks so much the same. Look!”
Mark leaned over my shoulder and grinned as he admired the view. I stared at him out the corner of my eye, unable to believe that this incredible man, the one who I had gone back and forth over for a while, was now officially my husband. Mine, to be with forevermore. Not that I would ever be able to forget that, but I had the giant diamond-encrusted ring on my finger to remind me of that. The symbol of our love.
Mark’s proposal came after we had been officially together for three months, and it was so wonderfully romantic. He and Justine organized the loveliest dinner at their… no, our, I still needed to get used to that, apartment, with rose petals leading all the way from the lobby, proving to me that Lincoln had to be involved, into the elevator, and all the way to the table. There, Mark stood in his finest suit and Justine in a pretty little dress, and they made a speech about how they wanted me to be in their family forever, both saying things that they loved about me. Just as I was a sobbing mess, about to collapse in a heap entirely, Mark made our whirlwind romance complete by dropping to one knee and asking me to officially become part of the family.
Of course, I immediately said yes, even if I was an emotional wreck at the time.
I couldn’t believe how wild my life had been. One moment, I was sad and heartbroken in my hometown, gutted that I had lost both of my parents and everyone else in my life along the way. I was so sad, so lonely, I didn’t think that there was any way to claw it back from the brink of despair… but then New York came along, and with it came the family that I loved more than anything in the world: Justine and Mark.
I even had friends now too, making my wonderful life even more complete: Holden and Noriko (who I truly adored), Mrs. Stedman, of course, who was having a long weekend with Justine at the moment, and Addie from the yoga class I had started going to, and even a couple of Justine’s friend’s moms. My circle was widening every single day, and I loved it. I just wanted to keep inviting more and more people into my heart.
I might have made many more friends, but it was only the people who were truly important to our love story who got invited to our small wedding at a vineyard in Upstate New York. Mrs. Stedman, Holden and Noriko, Justine… that was it. It was a ceremony just for us, and that was how we wanted it to stay.”
“We couldn’t have come anywhere else in the world for our honeymoon, could we?” I asked while resting my head back against Mark. “It’s only ever going to be Hawaii for me and you, isn’t it?”
It had been the best of times, with us finally getting together, and the worst of times too. Not that we spoke about the dreaded moment Justine ran away anymore. I wouldn’t ever forget about it though; I just couldn’t use it as an excuse not to get what I wanted anymore. I had the family that loved me dearly.
“I’ve booked the exact same villa too,” Mark replied smilingly. “So, we can really reminisce.”
“I don’t intend to get sunburnt this time!” I shuddered as I said that. “So, it won’t be quite the same.”
Mark dipped his head down to kiss me, but we couldn’t smooch for too long because it was time to get off the plane and into the car to take us to the villa. Once inside, Mark held my hand without hesitation. It wasn’t like this the time before; we were both so nervous. Thank God we were over that now, and we were in love. People might not have believed that we could make it work because of how we got together and how short a time it had been, but I hadn’t ever been so sure of anything in my whole life. To me, it was perfect.
It didn’t take long for us to get to the villa and as soon as the car pulled up, I felt an intense heat creeping through my body. We only got married and headed straight for the plane. We hadn’t yet had the chance to consummate our union, and I had a feeling that we were going to do that on every damn surface of the place. We didn’t so much get the chance to last time, but this time we were alone.
“Here, let me get your bag.” I could almost hear the lust bursting through Mark’s tone. Judging by the deep dark desire dancing behind his eyes, he was thinking exactly the same thing as me. “Okay?”
“Are you sure?” Oh God, my own voice had gone pretty raspy! “Are you okay with that?”
I followed him towards the villa, my core already pulsing needily for him. I was like an animal, already on fire, unable to wait. I almost shoved him through the doors to get his clothes off, but he stopped me at the last moment by fixing me in place. He held his hand out to me, while he chucked the bags inside.
“I have to carry you over the threshold, you fool,” he teased. “Just so you know, we’re going to do this right.”
With that, he slipped his hands underneath me and he carried me fireman style. I wrapped my arms around his neck and stared deeply into his eyes while he carried me inside. My legs kicked out playfully, but there was nothing playful about the storm brewing inside of me. I couldn’t wait to get the pants off my husband.
Mark allowed my feet to fall to the floor once inside and he dipped his head down to meet mine. At first, the kiss was chaste and soft, a bit like the one we shared at our wedding ceremony, but it soon got passionate and not fit for public consumption. His tongue darted between my lips and made my pulse race like crazy.
Once Mark started to tug at my clothes, I did the same to him. I needed this gorgeous, sexy hunk of a man naked now, I couldn’t wait for even a second longer. We got a lot of alone time when we were at the apartment because Mark did a lot of work in his home office these days, but this was different. We were truly free.
As my dress flew to the ground and Mark’s trousers fell to his ankles, he walked me backward to the couch. As soon as my legs hit it, I tumbled backwards, more than happy to collapse in a heap beneath him. Mark growled and climbed on top of me, kissing me all over my face and neck while he unhooked my bra and I kicked my panties off. Then, just as his mouth found my nipple and he sucked it in the way that he knew would send me flying over the edge, I got his boxers out the way, and I gripped onto his thick, throbbing cock.
“Oh fuck, Olivia,” Mark groaned against my skin, tickling me all over. “You feel so good. I love you.”
He was so vocal with how he felt now; it was awesome. He was always good at letting me know what he liked in the bedroom, which was how we still had this explosive sex life even now, but now that he had finally let me in, he liked to talk to me about how much he loved me. It made me feel so damn special. I loved hearing him say those words, no matter where we were or what we were doing. It was him and me against the world.
“I love you too,” I replied while pumping his shaft. My head lolled to one side as a soaking wet, boiling hot desire got the better of me. My eyes fell closed as I gave myself over to the wonderful sensations that my husband… my husband, God, that sounded amazing, had tearing right through me. I buzzed, I vibrated, I itched for his fingers to reach me, and since we had a way of communicating our desires to one another, his hand stroked me where I needed him the most. His expert touch had me seeing stars instantly.
I groaned a deep guttural sound as Mark’s fingers slipped in and out of me, his thumb joining in to brush against my clit just enough to send me soaring towards desire. I could feel it pooling in my belly, threating to spread right through me. I guess this had been building all day long. Ever since we said ‘I do.’
“I need you,” I gasped. “Oh God, Mark, I want you right now.”
Mark whipped his hand away, and he took control of his cock, and he angled it towards me, teasing my entrance for a few seconds. He rested his forehead against mine and stared deeply into my eyes.
“I don’t need protection anymore, do I?” he asked me thickly. “What do you think?”
It was almost impossible to think straight when he had me in such a spin, but that didn’t matter. I already knew what I wanted with regards to this. I wanted a family with Mark, I wanted to give Justine brothers and sisters. Maybe this wasn’t something that we’d discussed properly in a more sensible way, but when did we ever do things in the right way? No, we didn’t, and that made everything so much more special.
“You don’t.” I shook my head rapidly and smiled up at him. This choice was the right one; we were more than ready for this, we knew that we could expand our family and do it well. “Definitely not.”
He looked a little stunned at how quickly I responded to that. “Really?” he gasped. “We’re doing this.”
I clung to him and lifted my hips, sliding him in. “We’re doing this alright.”
Mark kissed me as he started to thrust, giving me a whole range of new magical sensations now that we didn’t have protection between us, and I gave myself over to him completely. This wasn’t just any other time of us sleeping together; we were consummating our marriage and making a decision about our future too. Maybe it was that which made the hot blissful feeling that much more intense as it tore through my system. The orgasm came quickly; it burst and exploded like a volcano, the hot bliss racing through me. I clung to Mark, and I kissed him, allowing him to swallow up my screams, and as he did, I felt phenomenal.
I couldn’t believe it, I was finally here in the middle of my happy ever after, and it felt incredible. I truly was the luckiest woman alive. I didn’t head to New York City looking for love, but I did go for an adventure, and boy did I find it. I always knew it was the city for me, but I wasn’t totally aware of how much it would change my life for the better. I had sacrificed a lot in my time to care for other people, not that I would change it for anything in the world, but now I had someone taking care of me. A man so amazing he made me smile without even trying, a guy so caring he wouldn’t ever let me frown.
I finally had it all.
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BANGING THE BILLIONAIRE
By Alexa Davis
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 Alexa Davis
PART 1
Chapter One
Milo – Tuesday, January 2nd
It’s going to be okay, I did my best to reassure myself. The worst is over. It can only get better from here.
However, I could give myself positive mantras until I was blue in the face, but the fear wasn’t going anywhere.
I didn’t think I would ever be able to go to the doctor’s office again without that cold bolt of terror tearing through my body. After going there for a routine check-up twenty-one months ago and discovering that I had a brain tumor, everything had changed for me. I didn't think that I would ever be the same again.
I mean, I’d noticed bad headaches and blurred vision, but had assumed that was due to my over-the-top, idiotic, party-boy lifestyle. I’d assumed “hangover” rather than “life-threatening condition,” which, looking back, was obviously very naïve.
As the doctor spoke those words to me and I started off down a path of medical treatment and a whole load of praying, the axis that my world spun on was ripped out from beneath my feet. Everything altered, never to go back to the way it once was.
For a long while, I didn’t have anything to focus on but my health. The rest of the world just faded into the background of my mind. I’d changed inside. I felt myself shift and all my priorities become totally different, but there wasn’t any time for me to do anything about it. I just had to get myself better.
But then, as something of a surprise to me, I found things looking up. The doctors were amazed by my progress.
After the initial shock – and the discovery that maybe I wasn’t about to lose my life, after all, that I'd achieved my goal of getting better – I started to work out how I wanted my life to be different. I wanted to make progress, to live my life in a much more meaningful way, but wasn’t sure how to go about it. It seemed like such an overwhelming task, which was why there had been a whole lot of planning, but not too much action.
I had my businesses, my casinos in the heart of Las Vegas. They were going well for me, but I did want more. In the beginning, when I started off becoming a businessman, I’d invested in other companies a little bit. It was an area I wanted to get back into. I just hadn’t gotten around to it yet because I wasn’t sure where to start.
I had my millions. I’d made more than enough money in my life, but I didn’t know what to do with it anymore. I'd lost the confidence that brought me my riches in the first place. I just couldn't tell if something was a good idea anymore. It was as if my mojo had totally vanished.
Then there was my gorgeous home in Spring Valley. It was up on a hill, looking down on the best view ever with all the luxuries any man could possibly want and a swimming pool to top it off. I’d always loved it because it was the perfect place to party, to have crazy fun, but these days, partying wasn’t the top of my priorities. Instead of being surrounded by acquaintances, partying with people I hardly knew with a different girl dripping off my arm every night, I remained in the place by myself. It felt a little... lonely.
“Come on, Veil.” I smiled at my beautiful dog, trying to shake off the morose feeling inside. “Let’s go and get something to eat.” I knew he couldn’t understand me, but sometimes I just needed some noise about the place. I loved the peace and quiet, but occasionally, it got a little too much.
Today isn’t supposed to be a sad day. I am about to get the all clear from my doctor, that I’m officially in remission... I should have been happy. I should have been over the moon – there wasn’t any place for this sadness. Yet, I couldn't quite seem to get rid of it. I wasn't being ungrateful; I felt happy to be alive. I just didn't know where to go and what to do.
As Veil scarfed down his food, I ate mine slowly, chewing each bite with precision, while I watched the sun rise over the valley. I remembered how lucky I was just to see another sunrise. I could quite easily have not survived this health scare; I had nothing to feel bad about.
“What am I going to do?” I muttered quietly, wishing that the answer would magically appear in my brain. I needed to do something. I needed to shake everything up somehow, and today was going to be the day. Once I got the big news, there wouldn’t be anything holding me back. I would have to take action.
I glanced at my watch, noticing the time. I needed to speed up if I was going to get there in time, and much as I hated the doctor’s office, I didn’t have any choice.
***
Ugh, even the waiting rooms are unbearable. Why don’t they ever do anything to make it less...doctor-y? The smell, the awful décor, the crappy magazines... It was almost as if it was designed to make people like me acutely aware of their condition.
Of course, waiting rooms never used to bother me, not until I began to spend half of my life in them. I used to pity the elderly, the ones with long-term conditions whose lives revolved around their latest appointments, until I became one of them. Then I just started to resent the world and everyone else in it.
“Mr. Fuller?” the friendly receptionist finally called out, putting me out of my misery. “The doctor is waiting for you.”
She looked at me for a beat too long, giving me that familiar, drawn-out smile that could only mean one thing. I’d seen it enough to know. She wanted me to ask her out on a date. Hell, she would probably let me take her in the storeroom today if I insisted upon it. And in the past, I probably would have done it, just because I could.
Not anymore, though. I wanted to live a more meaningful life. I just didn’t feel that way about women anymore. I might finally be ready to settle down.
Sure, she was cute, with her long red hair knotted up into a bun and her t-shirt pulled down just enough to give me a glimpse of her cleavage, but she was too young for my taste, and not the woman I would be with forever. Unfortunately, these days that was enough to put me off.
“Thank you,” I muttered, brushing past her and stomping in to see the doctor.
“Well, Milo.” He grinned, pushing his glasses further up his nose. “As we already predicted, your blood tests have come back clear. Of course, we will still need to keep an eye on you, because at this stage of the game – and for a long time to come, I’m afraid – there aren’t any guarantees.”
He took in my expression, noticing the lack of smile. I tried to rearrange my features to appear less grumpy, but I couldn’t seem to manage it.
“This is great news, though,” he continued, “and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.”
“No, thank you,” I snapped quickly, always in the same manner. With my appointments, I wanted to get in and out, and questions prolonged that. That was what the Internet was for; if I needed to know anything, I could just look it up. It might have only contained the worst possible outcomes, but that was the stuff I needed to know. I wanted to be prepared for whatever could go down.
“Okay, well, what I’ll do is give you some informative flyers,” he replied tactfully, ignoring my attempt at a brush off. “That way, you should be able to find out all you need now that you have a clean bill of health.”
I felt a little bad as I left. Maybe I had been unintentionally rude to the doctor and the receptionist, too.
It was just all so much for me. I hadn’t wanted to die; that was never in my game plan at all. I just hadn’t made any plans for what I would do when I came out of this on the other side. I was focused, with only the goal in mind. I felt a little out of joint now; that was all. The bad feeling would subside soon enough. I was sure of it.
The ring of my cell phone blasted out, making me jump, and I grabbed it quickly from my pocket to answer it before I got in any trouble. I was outside the doctor’s office, but it felt too close for my liking. It was the reminder that in all my distraction, I’d left it switched on.
“Justin Gains?” I whispered in confusion as I saw the name plastered across the screen. This was a fellow businessman, someone I’d dealt with in the past, but not someone I’d spoken to in a while. It seemed strange for him to be calling me now. “Hello?”
“Hi, Milo, how are you?” His tone was so friendly that it made me a little suspicious. “How have things been?”
“Erm, up and down, you know how it is.” Did he know that I’d been ill? I wasn’t sure. It was all such a blur now, who I’d told and who I hadn’t. “How about you?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m good. Look, I was just wondering – are you still in the investment game?” Okay, we are finally getting to the crux of things. Good; the sooner I know why he is contacting me, the better. “Because I have an opportunity for you.”
“You do?” Is this it? The sign that I’ve been hoping for? The clue for where I am supposed to take my life next? “I do a little. I’ve just been thinking about getting back into it, actually. What did you have in mind?”
“I can’t go over too much on the phone, so why don’t we meet up? I’m in Sun Valley tomorrow, anyway. We could meet for lunch or something.”
Okay, well, if he is here, I can hardly turn him down, can I? Whatever his reason was for contacting me, I needed to know more. “Yeah, sure, sounds good, man. I look forward to it.”
But as we hung up the phone, I felt all putout. I felt as if I’d been out of the game for far too long and that I had no idea what was going on. Justin Gains was a good guy – there was no doubt about it. I knew for a fact that he wouldn’t try to screw me over, but there was something strange about this. Why now? Why the secrecy? There had to be a reason for it, and I needed to know.
That thought plagued me all the way home, but I knew I had to be patient. I couldn’t exactly call Justin back now and ask more questions, not after he'd specifically said that he couldn't tell me over the phone.
I would have to wait, however annoying that was. Patience might not have been my strongest point, but I was an adult. I could do it. I was sure of it. All I had to do was get through the rest of the day, have a good night’s sleep, and I would find out tomorrow. That wasn't too long to wait.