The Billionaire Goes For Broke: Book 1: London (2 page)

Victoria held up the nautical themed short shift dress to her body, scrunching her face up at the mirror. George had left a voicemail on her phone, inviting her to a barbecue at Michael Castle’s new house in Chelsea and she couldn’t be more thrilled. The thought of having to spend more time with George would have dissuaded her from taking up the invitation; one dinner with him was enough. Aqua Shard was a treat to eat at, but still, George did not make for exciting company.

Michael Castle, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. She’d met him once, introduced at a party by a mutual friend, but she could still see those gorgeous eyes piercing into her soul as clearly as if he was standing right in front of her. Her immediate instinctual reaction had been to run a finger along his sharp chiseled jaw when she first saw him but she had managed to stop herself just in time.

The dress she was holding up was navy blue in color, barely reached her knees and was embroidered with small white anchors all over. She wanted to keep it casual, and she’d received the dress for free from one of her sponsors. Victoria quickly slipped into it, enjoying the smooth cotton feel of it against her skin as she zipped it up on her back. Her friend, Zach, who usually took the photos for the blog was on a holiday in Spain. Her phone was in her hands and she decided to take a selfie instead, like the good old initial days of when she had just started her blog. Her hair was loose and long, it grazed her waist as she swung it around into position. She looked around her expansive room, wondering what would be a good spot. The balcony! It was warm and sunny outside, the perfect weather for a nautical themed selfie. She grabbed her sharp-edged dark-tinted Chanel glasses on the way out and eventually found the perfect spot for the photograph.

Leaning herself against the railings, she threw her head back so that her long chestnut silky hair fell behind her, tumbling downward. Victoria smiled into the camera as she held the phone up at an angle. She wasn’t one to pout for her selfies, she liked them casual and natural. Her hot-pink lipstick would contrast well with the navy of her dress; she thought as she clicked away, shaking her head from side to side. A couple of clicks later, she was satisfied with the one where her hair was shaking midair, flowing around her to capture the motion. Her torso could be seen, enough to give her followers an idea of the dress.

With a few taps on her phone, she had uploaded the photo to her social media accounts. She would have much preferred if Zach was around, but she wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to advertise the dress; the one time she’d be wearing it.

Back in her room, she found her brown leather sandals, the small circular blue bag she was going to carry for the day and she was all set to go. Her hair had, as always, magically fallen back into place in a long sheath of silky curtain around her.

Her chauffeur dropped her off at the address George had left for her in his message. The house looked old and new at the same time, even the polished oak door had a certain modern-old world charm to it that Victoria immediately noticed. As she knocked on the door, she studied the thick bright green ivy on the red brick wall on the front of the house. This man, even though he was a young bachelor who had just bought this house; definitely had good taste, or at least the money to hire an ingenious decorator.

George opened the door. He had a glass of whiskey in his hands, his wispy blonde hair was brushed to the side, struggling to cover up his early male-pattern baldness. Victoria smiled politely as George took a step towards her to give her a half-baked hug.

“You made it!” He said excitedly, pulling away from her almost immediately. Victoria detected a lilt in his voice, George was already drunk.

The house was large and teeming with people. Michael had clearly thrown his door open to the entire neighborhood, or maybe even the whole of moneyed London! She walked through the foyer, gazing up at the low hanging crystal chandelier. Some people smiled at her, some of the women waved, eyeing her from head to toe to closely scrutinize what Victoria Collinger had decided to wear for the day. She was used to it by now. In public these women treated her like anybody else in the crowd, politely making conversation but online she knew exactly what fake aliases they had chosen to comment on her blog, ask for advice and be the first ones to click on her shopping links. Victoria didn’t care, she didn’t need their public adoration. As long as they continued to buy her recommended clothes and shoes and accessories, she continued to make money and keep her sponsors happy.

“Let’s go find Michael. He’s a great friend of mine.” She heard George say, whom she was now following through the groups of chattering people. She rolled her eyes behind him, revolted by George’s need to try and gain brownie-points by simply being associated with Michael Castle. Even the previous night, when she’d agreed to go for dinner with him to Aqua Shard, George couldn’t stop talking about his great friend Michael, how close they were and how Michael had bought a house in London just so he could spend more time with George. Did he know that his good friend Michael also made Victoria wet between her legs?

She nearly chuckled at that, as they stepped out of the back of the house on to the large garden. She dropped her sunglasses back from the top of her head to her eyes again, to shield herself from the bright London summer sun. The garden was large enough for her to not even be able to detect where it ended. Everywhere she looked there were groups of people with drinks in their hands, hats on their heads and dark sunglasses. A couple of barbecues had been installed on the side, where hired caterers cooked for the guests and passed along plates of sausages and chicken legs.

“There you are, Michael meet Victoria.” She heard George say, and instantly blushed when she found Michael Castle in front of her, his amber eyes focused on her face now. Victoria was grateful for her sunglasses, so that he couldn’t see exactly how nervous he made her.

“Hello Victoria. I’m glad you could make it.” Michael’s voice was strong and deep, he stretched out his large hand towards her and she gingerly shook it, amazed by how small her own hand looked in his. She had tried to smile, but wasn’t entirely sure if she had been successful.

“You have a very nice house.” Victoria said, her hand still in his as he continued to gently shake it. The smile on his face was wide, displaying his bright white teeth which had surprised her initially. His eyes were still on her when she decided to pull her hand away from him.

“Thank you. It’s still a house, not yet a home.” Michael said, digging his hands into the pockets of his biscuit-colored linen pants. His casual white and brown checked shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and Victoria could see the muscles on his shoulders move. His chest was too broad, his hair was too dark and neat, and his legs looked too long and strong. She had to look away.

“What you need Michael is a girlfriend.” George said with a laugh and Michael laughed too.

“I’m sure you don’t need a girlfriend to make this house a home.” Victoria found herself saying and Michael looked back at her.

“So what do you suggest?” He asked, the smile not leaving his face.

“That you spend more time here by yourself, get to know the house, find comfort in the rooms.” Victoria said, slowly raising her sunglasses back up on top of her head. She wanted him to look into her eyes as she spoke. Suddenly she wasn’t nervous around him anymore, she had found her confidence back again.

“Victoria is a blogger, this is her inspirational mode on.” George thumped her on the back sharply and Victoria crossed her brows when she looked at him. George withdrew his hand immediately, looking slightly nervous.

“Careful there my man. Don’t treat the young lady like one of your prized horses.” Michael said and George laughed nervously. “Thank you for the advice Victoria. I might have to try it out. Now I know what you think of my party though. That it’s some sort of cry for help, that I’m trying to drive away my loneliness by surrounding myself with people I don’t know.” Michael continued, still smiling, drawing Victoria closer and closer to a point of no return. She had never met a man before who was so confident, so friendly and down-to-Earth at the same time. Despite throwing one of the most lavish barbecues she had ever attended. Victoria smiled, tracing out his face with her eyes.

“Those are your words not mine.” She said and dropped her gaze to her hands.

“Should I get something for you to drink Victoria?” George asked, lightly touching her shoulder. Victoria subconsciously drew her shoulder away, but remembered to smile at him. She didn’t want him getting too comfortable with her, she had managed to extract all the use there was of George.

“Yes, thank you very much George. A Bloody Mary please.” Victoria said, looking back at Michael who was still staring at her.

“Right away then.” George was happy to receive his orders and he fluttered away nervously.

Victoria bit down on her lip and raised her heavy lids up to look at Michael. They were standing in silence, staring at each other for several seconds.

“How was your evening with George?” Michael asked, his voice was a little more relaxed now. Victoria threw her head back and laughed a little.

“Disastrously boring.” She said, leveling her eyes with him again. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, she wanted to see how Michael would react to that. Whatever she thought of George, he was right in that regard; the two men were good friends indeed. She watched Michael’s jaw clench, even though a weak smile lingered on his face. He wasn’t the kind of person to break character in an awkward moment.

“I will make sure to
not
convey your regards then.” He said and Victoria laughed again.

“Honestly, I don’t care what you tell George.” She said, dropping her voice a little. He was standing close enough to her now so that she could touch him if she wanted to, and she did want to.

“Why did you accompany him here then?” Michael asked, smiling, knowing the answer to the question already.

“I didn’t accompany him here Michael. I simply accepted
your
invitation.” Victoria licked her pink lips, noticing how Michael’s eyes went directly to it. His smile had vanished, and its place a look had replaced on his face which Victoria recognized. He wasn’t putting on a show anymore, he didn’t want to pretend.

Victoria took a step towards him, too close for comfort, unabashed by what others in the garden who might be watching them might think.

“What about your drink?” Michael was whispering now, as she saw him clench his hands into a fist inside his pant pockets. Michael was struggling to control himself, he wanted to hold her.

“I hate Bloody Mary’s.” Victoria leaned in to whisper in his ear. Michael was smiling again when she pulled herself away and she couldn’t help but smile back up at him. She could hear George’s footsteps rushing towards them, but she didn’t turn around to look at him.

Victoria and Michael tumbled into his bedroom, he was holding her up by the waist. From the garden to the bottom of the stairs, they had managed to walk politely side by side. As soon as she took the first step up, he had grabbed her by the waist, picked her up and thrown her over his shoulder.

They were kissing now as he pushed her into the room, his hands slowly feeling the fabric of her dress as he guided her towards the big four-poster bed in the middle of his new lavish bedroom. She smelled of daisies, like everything beautiful about a London summer. He had tried to grasp her hair in his hands, but it was soft and smooth and it slipped away.

Her hands were on his chest, and then slowly untucking his shirt out of his pants. They hadn’t spoken a word since they took their leave from George, leaving all his guests downstairs to fend for themselves.

Now she was on the bed, arching her hips up towards him as Michael fell on her, to kiss her neck. Her neck was long and smooth and felt like butter to his lips. She had parted her legs so he could lie between them, pressing his body to hers. He could feel her breasts rising and falling as he licked a wet trace down her neck to the top of her breasts. Michael couldn’t control himself much longer, he found the zipper of her dress at the back and in one swift movement had brought it down. Her short dress sleeves loosened and fell away at her shoulders. Victoria was blushing. She hadn’t struck him as the kind of woman who was capable of blushing. Michael’s hands went directly to her breasts as he pulled the dress down.

Her breasts were covered in soft baby-pink lace and he hurriedly unhooked her bra to reveal small bouncy breasts and the most perfect nipples he had ever seen. Michael sucked on them hungrily, noticing how Victoria arched her back more, raising her hips to meet his, moving her waist so that his cock grew harder and harder between her legs.

With one hand he grabbed her left breast, keeping the nipple in place inside his mouth, with the other hand he pulled up her dress so that his fingers could find her soft wetness. Victoria moaned, and he followed, pushing the lace panty aside so that he could feel her properly.

She was wet, soft, dripping with desire and he slowly pushed his finger in, then two, pushing and pulling out gently so that her moans grew louder and louder. He could feel Victoria’s fingernails digging into his flesh, through the fabric of his shirt. Her eyes were tightly shut and her hot-pink lips were wide open, her screams getting louder. She was losing breath, losing control as he pushed deeper inside her, relishing the moment when he could be inside her as well. Victoria’s body shuddered, as he felt her wetness grow, flow out, her moaning became groans and her body was quivering wildly. Michael smiled, he knew exactly what to do to make a woman orgasm sooner than she expected. The trick was in judging a woman well, knowing what she needed. Once she was satisfied, there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do to satisfy him, repay the debt.

Michael pulled his finger out, bending his head down to gently kiss her breasts. Victoria opened her eyes, as if in shock and bit down on her lip.

“That was glorious Michael Castle.” She said softly, still trying to gain back her breath. Michael smiled and sat down on the bed, giving her some time to regain herself. Victoria didn’t take long. Within a few minutes she had climbed up on his lap, wrapping her legs around his waist.

“Your turn.” She whispered in his ear and gently sucked his earlobe. Michael laughed and started pulling her dress up, over her head. She looked beautiful naked, her breasts small and just the right size for his hands, her hair tumbling down her shoulders, reaching her waist as she adjusted herself over his erect hard cock trying to escape the confines of his pants. Her arms were slim, but her thighs were rounded and sexy. Her waist was small so he could hold her tightly without trouble.

She was focused on unzipping his pants now, and then unbuttoning his shirt. She seemed to like the look of his broad shoulders, his vast chest, weaving her fingers through the soft smattering of dark hair on it. She used her hands to bring out his cock, peeling down his pants so that her soft strong thighs were now wrapped around his bare waist. Michael didn’t believe in underwear anymore, and Victoria chuckled when she saw his cock surprise her.

Her hands were small as she held his cock, slowly rubbing it and massaging it so that Michael had to throw his head back and press his eyes down to be able to control himself. Victoria giggled as she increased her massaging pace, there was nowhere to go from here, Michael was as turned on as he could possibly get. He needed to be inside her.

She understood him, lifting herself a few inches so that when she sat back down, he could feel himself sliding inside her. She was small, tight and still wet and Michael felt like he was going to explode instantly. He had dreamt of being inside Victoria Collinger since the first day they met, but she was even more delicious than he had imagined her. She took it slow, pushing him inside her inch by inch, moaning with the sensation. Michael was grunting too, enjoying the feeling of slipping into her. He held her by the waist as she accommodated him into herself completely and then started moving her hips.

It was too much, Michael couldn’t simply allow her to control him like that. With a laugh he lifted her up and pushed her back down on him, watching her breasts bounce with the movement. Victoria squealed. They both increased the pace, looking into each other’s eyes. Her hair flowed, her breasts bounced in front of his eyes, his grip on her waist tightened. Their bodies pressed against each other as their pace kept increasing. In and out, thrusting into her and then pulling out immediately. She was so hard to resist. He was going to orgasm too soon he feared.

But Victoria’s face was scrunched up too. His cock inside her had set her in motion again. He could feel her muscles tense up as she continued squealing. Michael groaned loudly and her fingers dug into the flesh of his shoulders. They were both going to orgasm together. He felt himself shuddering against her, emptying himself into her, her toes grazing his back were curled up. Her head was thrown back, she was swinging in his arms as he watched her breasts rise and fall. It lasted several seconds, hers longer than his. He held on to her, watching her body heave slowly till she pulled herself back up to look him in the eye.

Victoria Collinger was a piece of work. He hadn’t met a woman like her, not one he could remember however. She smiled and he pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders now. He wanted her to rest her head on his chest, but she seemed to be resisting against it. Eventually she did, and he placed his chin on her head, closing his eyes so he could catch a breath. They were still quiet, he was satisfied. The feeling was of peace. Good sex always made him feel like that, like he was ready again to take on the world.

His mind travelled to work, to his old Chicago home, to images of his childhood, to summer barbecues from his childhood, to college parties, to “Jenn.” Michael suddenly said aloud.

“Jenn? Who’s that?” Victoria pulled away from him just as Michael’s eyes flew open. “Michael?” She urged again, she was looking into his eyes now.

“Nobody. Sorry.” Michael said, fumbling a little with his words. This had never happened before. How could he have been this stupid? The one thing you should never do, say out loud the name of a woman who is not in bed with you.

“Is that an ex-girlfriend?” Victoria had pulled away from him now, dangling her legs from the bed. Michael was surprised to find a smile lingering on her face; that was not the reaction he had expected, she surprised him more and more with every passing moment.

“Forget it. Sorry I said that Victoria. Yes, she is an ex-girlfriend. I haven’t seen her in eight years now.” Michael swung his legs over the bed too, inching a little closer to her. He could feel himself going hard again, just by looking at her.

“Doesn’t look like you’re over her yet.” Victoria said, swinging her hair behind her as she bent down to pick up her lingerie from the carpeted floor.

“Just an honest mistake. Trust me, I’m over her.” Michael said, watching her intently, the way her back looked naked and bent forward like that. Her soft skin was irresistible.

“Whatever you say Michael Castle. Eight years. Why did you break up?” Victoria was putting on her bra now as she spoke and Michael looked away from her. He didn’t want to be talking about Jenn, not with Victoria, after they just had some real explosive sex.

“We were in college. We were never a good match. She was an Environmental Science student, I was studying Business. It was just never meant to be.” Michael stood up now, picking up his pants off the floor. Victoria was pulling up her panties now, rolling it up her endlessly long smooth legs. Michael felt himself harden again and he turned around so she wouldn’t be able to see. He didn’t want to come across as someone who couldn’t control himself around her.

“Sounds like bad chemistry I suppose. But, something reminded you of her.” He felt a soft slap on his back and he turned around to find Victoria fully dressed, even though he had barely put his pants back on.

“Weird. I’m sorry again. It didn’t mean anything.” Michael was fumbling with his words now. Victoria ran her fingers through her hair and it was back in place, as if it had never even been touched.

“Don’t worry. I didn’t take offense. We don’t even know each other, I didn’t expect you to have fallen in love with me already.” Victoria smiled, her lipstick was still intact, how did she do it? Michael knew he needed to watch himself before he came very close to falling prey to Victoria’s charms. He was close to that already, and she seemed like the kind of girl who wanted to take it slow.

“We don't know each other
yet
.” He said, reaching for his shirt behind her on the bed. Victoria smiled again and bit down on her lip.

“True. Very true. I hope we can get to know each other again.” She said and brushed past him towards the bedroom door. Michael caught her hand just in time.

“Can I ask you out for dinner next weekend? Saturday? The South Bank food festival at nine?” Michael asked, knowing he was taking a risk. Victoria had grown up in utter luxury, he knew that.

“Food festival? You mean, eating food from stalls?” Her face was scrunched up, she was more surprised at the thought than disgusted. Michael remained quiet, giving her time to think. Had she ever eaten anywhere other than an exclusive restaurant or a hotel?

“Alright. I’ll see you there.” Victoria said and he let go of her hand. She turned back once before she walked out of his bedroom and Michael smiled. The way into Victoria Collinger’s heart was to show her that there was a world out there, right outside her doorstep that was yet to be explored.