The Billionaire Goes For Broke: Book 1: London (4 page)

Danielle knew that she always got what she wanted. And she wanted Michael Castle. She knew from the very first time she was introduced to him by her father, that she had never met anyone like him before. He had more money than her family, her father and all his friends; and he also looked like he could pose for an underwear ad campaign anytime of the day. Moreover, Michael Castle seemed to pretend that he didn’t want her as much as she wanted him. Danielle saw it in his amber eyes, from the moment their hands touched with the first shake; that he had noticed her poker-straight blonde hair, her long legs and the smallness of her waist. He had studied her in the blink of an eye, but he was more restrained about it than she was. It was the chase that set Danielle’s heart racing, and she had never chased anyone so hard and strong before.

She leaned in towards the mirror to apply a thick dab of mascara on her eyelashes. Her lips were the usual bright red. She brushed her hair into position and then turned sideways to make sure her short black dress fit her perfectly. It did. It reached just above mid-thigh, its lycra material stretching with every step she took so that her thighs looked slim and full at the same time. She put on a pair of high black suede boots and was out of the door within the next five minutes.

Taking the family car meant that their chauffeur was going to tell on her, tell her father that she had visited Michael Castle’s house in the evening. She didn’t care though, this was
her
life, she was an adult now. She could see anyone she wanted, without needing her father’s permission.

In the car she watched silently as London streets passed her by. Charing Cross, Baker Street, Mayfair; all full of people and tourists. So many men and women. Danielle knew that all she had to do was step out of the car to make each one of them stop in their tracks. Ever since she turned sixteen and discovered that her legs were longer than most girls’, her eyes were more blue and large than anyone else she knew, her breasts larger and her waist smaller than the average woman’s…Danielle used her looks to her advantage. Now she wanted Michael. She didn’t know him well enough, but she did know that she felt differently about him from all the other men she had ever subtly pursued.

Michael was a man of the world, a self-made man, a man of strength and money and self-composure. The more he resisted her, the more she felt like she was genuinely growing feelings for him. It didn’t matter to her that he was nearly a decade older than her. Some mornings she woke up realizing that she had dreamt of him, not in her bed, but on a holiday together; where they were holding hands. She hadn’t felt this way about a man before.

When the car stopped outside his house, Danielle stepped out and made sure her hair was neat in the reflection of the tinted car windows.

The door was opened by Michael’s housekeeper who then showed her into his office. She didn’t need the guided tour, Danielle knew Michael’s house by-heart. When she got his message she hadn’t known what to expect, he could be asking her to stay away from him, or confessing that he had changed her mind. Whatever he had planned to say, Danielle knew there would be only one outcome. She wasn’t going to leave without at least showing him what he was missing out on.

“Hello Danielle.” Michael said softly as she entered his office and closed the door behind her. He was sitting at his desk, his hands were adjusting the diamond cufflinks on his wrists. He was in a white shirt as clean like he had just had it laundered. His tie was a rich navy blue with a subtle lighter blue pattern. His hair as always was dark, falling in waves on the side and swept away from his forehead. The office smelt of him, a heavy oaky scent of his cologne.

“Hello Michael. I was very happy to receive that text from you.” Danielle walked over to the front of the desk. She could see that his eyes were immediately drawn to her legs, where the dress cut it off, and then flickered over to the way her breasts stretched the fabric of her dress. The low cut of the neck, he was clearly internally struggling against looking at it.

“Yes, I wanted to talk to you.” He steepled his hands on the desk, now looking directly into her eyes. His voice was strong and quiet, she knew now how he managed to run a company all by himself, at such a young age. Michael could command respect just with his voice.

“What about?” Danielle smiled at him sweetly, walking around the table to his side, so that he swiveled in his chair to look at her. His long muscular legs were spread apart. She could hardly control herself for much longer.

“We need to set boundaries. Your father works for me, he’s a colleague and I respect him.” Michael’s voice interrupted her thoughts and Danielle looked up at him sharply, her brows furrowed.

“So?
I’m
not your colleague. Why should we have rules” She snapped at him, crossing her arms over her chest now. She knew it made her breasts look bigger. His eyes went to them and then immediately swept back to her face.

“But he will not be happy to hear that you’ve been coming over here behind his back. He might start suspecting something. What you did this morning, that can’t happen again.” Michael was looking directly at her, unafraid. She admired his poise, and his ability to pretend like he was not already turned on by her.

Danielle smiled and raised her eyebrows.

“Sure. If you insist. But we’ll just be lying to ourselves. I know you want me.” She said, taking a few steps towards him. Michael still remained unfazed, looking at her as calmly as he did before. He was smiling too, like an adult indulging a child.

“It doesn’t matter what I want. This can’t happen.” He suddenly turned back around to face his desk. Danielle remained standing where she was, biting down on her lip.

“Of course it can.” She said and leant herself against the desk, even closer to him now.

“I just explained to you why it can’t.” Michael said, without looking at her. She knew he had sensed her closeness though.

“No, you explained why it shouldn’t happen. Doesn’t mean that it can’t.” She slowly lay herself down, with her back on top of the table, her body stretching across it with her high heeled boots still on the carpeted floor. Michael finally looked at her, he couldn’t not.

His eyes slowly took in the sight, of her stretched elongated body, the way her breasts stood up. Her dress had ridden up too, so that her legs were even more revealed now.

“Danielle. You have to go now. Please stop this.” Michael’s voice had changed a little she noticed, he was begging her because he knew he was close to losing control. She broke into a laugh suddenly and then placed a hand on the hem of her dress, slowly sliding the dress up towards her waist. Her legs were now in view, as was the pink satin panty that she was wearing.

“Don’t tell me you don’t want me.” She said, in a near whisper. He was watching her, his eyes green and big now. He stood up suddenly, and Danielle felt her heart racing. What was he going to do?

Michael took the few steps he needed to reach her so that he was in front of her, looking down at her. She wanted to say his name, but her voice was caught in her throat. He looked gorgeous, wise and powerful.

Without a word, he placed his hands on her waist. Her dress was still bunched up at the top of her thighs.

“Please remember, that you’re making me do this. You’re giving me no choice.” Michael said gruffly. Even though his voice was deep, he didn’t look like had lost control. He was as calm and composed as ever. Danielle breathed in deeply, watching him closely, overwhelmed by his scent and the touch of his hand on her body.

Michael used his hands to ride her dress up even more now. The smooth material slid up easily, so that eventually her breasts popped out. She wasn’t wearing a bra, and her nipples were already erect. He slid her dress over her head and flung it to the ground.

He stood over her and then spread her legs so that he could now wedge himself between her thighs. Her legs were dangling over the desk. His fingers found her nipples, which he squeezed tightly. Danielle felt a sharp tingling sensation and she moaned, arching her back upwards towards him. She wanted to see him naked, wanted to touch his bare chest. She herself was entirely naked now and she could feel his eyes scorching her skin. He was memorizing her body, her every freckle.

She reached for his tie, wanted to unbutton his shirt but he caught her hands and put them back beside her. Danielle could feel her heart pounding fast, she wanted to touch his naked body so badly. Between her legs, she could feel her panty dripping wet, an itch growing inside her. She wanted him to kiss her, but he made no move towards her now.

Instead he unzipped his pants and unbuckled his belt. She heard the sound of his pants falling to his ankles. Danielle was quiet now, watching in silence as his dick emerged. Of course it was hard already, strong and big in his hands as he slowly massaged it. His eyes were on her though, narrowed and dark blue now. His face was calm, like he was conducting a business meeting.

“Michael…” She moaned out his name. She wanted to kiss him again, wanted to undress him more, run her hands through his hair. But Michael simply pulled down her panty and in the same motion, pushed himself forward and inside her.

It took her by surprise. The sensation of having him thrust himself inside her suddenly. He was big and throbbing and his hands came forward to hold both her breasts. He was squeezing as he pushed inside her repeatedly. He was looking into her eyes and Danielle could feel herself losing control already. She hadn’t expected this. She thought he was going to turn her away again. Instead, he was inside her now, thrusting and pushing in quick muscular bursts. Danielle realized that she was moaning loudly now. His hands held on to her breasts and she could hear the squeaking sound her skin made against the wooden desk.

“Michael…” She screamed his name again and he pushed even harder. She was about to have an orgasm. Sooner than she’d expected. But she was so wet, he was so big and quick, the knots inside her belly were coming undone.

Michael quickened his pace and Danielle reached the high, shuddering against him, screaming loudly as Michael came inside her too. His face didn’t change, except that his brows furrowed and his mouth opened slightly. She dug her fingernails into his arms as she felt his body vibrate.

It was over in a few minutes. Danielle was panting still while Michael started zipping himself up. She couldn’t catch a breath even though she had so much to say. What was he doing? What was the rush? She wanted to do it again, take it slower this time.

She watched as he ran a hand through his hair, tucked in his shirt and within seconds he looked like he had been sitting at his desk conducting a business meeting all this time.

“Michael.” She managed to say just in time, as he smoothened his tie. He had turned on his heels and was walking away from her now. Danielle remained completely naked, spread eagle on his desk, her heart beating out of her chest.

“I trust you’ll be able to see yourself out.” He said as he opened the door. Danielle knew in that instant that she was in love with him, and that she was going to cry.

Why did he care so much? Michael was sitting in his bedroom, in the dark with his face in his hands. He knew his phone was beeping. It was George sending him numerous texts asking him where he was. Michael never missed a night-out with the guys. He was usually the one who was the first one to arrive, already having arranged with the bouncers at the doors to let the gang of lads in. George probably didn’t know how to get in without him.

But why did he care so much? That Victoria was dating Steve. He had slept with her once, barely knew her and yet it felt like a big betrayal. He couldn’t believe himself, that he hadn’t been able to resist Danielle. Now if Steve found out, he’d probably lose the best manager he could have asked for his company. Not that he liked Steve much anymore. He was cheating on his wife, with Victoria of all people!

Michael tried to steady his breath and think. He needed to get to the root of it all. This had never happened to him before. It was always Michael who broke the hearts, who maintained strict casual relationships, never before had he been the one to feel this way. Never before? What about Jenn?

Michael shook his head and stood up from the bed. The thought of the company’s state of affairs crept up in his mind and he sat back on the bed. What was he going to do? How was he supposed to fix this now? No matter how smooth Steve’s managerial skills were, Michael knew that it was him and only him who’d be able to take care of business. Customers were angry, they wanted a refund and the tech team was taking longer than usual to fix the bugs. One well-placed feature interview with a big American news corporation could fix it. Michael had used the tactic before. He knew the media loved him and he was the darling of the public eye. The young man who was living the great American dream, who instilled his fellow Americans with hope. One good interview was all he needed to restore the faith that people had in his company. He could temporarily distract everyone with his charm, with the promise of quality, with the insistence that he was doing everything in his power to ensure that the product bugs were fixed.

But why did he not want to do it? Michael sighed loudly and his shoulders heaved. His phone beeped again. He just didn’t have the energy. For the first time, his personal life was taking over his professional one. He felt paralyzed. Victoria, Danielle, Steve, Danielle, Victoria, the company.

He needed to get away. Get away from all this and clear his head. He’d never asked for this. He’d asked for success, fame, money, power, women…was he getting too old for it now? Now that he had everything?

A thought crossed his mind suddenly, Lakshmi! That’s what he’d bought the island for in the first place. To get away! To get away from all this.

He reached for the phone, and ignoring all the messages that had already flooded his inbox, he called Jackie.

“Hi Jackie. Can you arrange for the jet to be fueled and ready for departure? I’ll be flying to Lakshmi in the next two hours. Call me when it’s ready.” Michael didn’t wait for a response. He hung up before Jackie had the chance to ask any more questions. He needed this. His island getaway where nobody could find him, where he wouldn’t have to deal with the women in his life.

Michael stood up again, pacing the floor. He didn’t need to pack, his mansion at Lakshmi already had all the supplies he could possibly want for his stay. Thelma, the housekeeper who Jackie had hired a few months ago would make sure that the mansion was ready for him. Those were her orders. Michael had met Thelma only once, a local from Barbados, but she had made the impression of great capacity. A young woman who was grateful for the job and enthusiastic to please. He could rely on her.

He strapped on his watch, breathed in and out again and picked up his phone. He sent a quick text to George to tell him he was going away for a while. Then wrote another email to Steve telling him the same, and then flung his phone away. The plan was to hide out at Lakshmi for as long as it might take him to regain his composure. If he was going to fix his personal life, and take care of the company; the first thing he needed to do was set his mind in order.

It didn’t take Jackie long to text him back. Michael was on his way to his private Caribbean island in his Gulfstream 450 jet that he had bought and kept on standby twenty-four-seven for these kinds of situations exactly. If not mental peace, the one thing that Michael Castle had at his disposal was all the riches in the world.

Lakshmi looked more beautiful to him now, than it had ever looked before. The sand was white, the palm trees were almost fluorescent green, tall and forming a canopy all along the path from the head of the beach to his mansion. The Caribbean Sea around him was a glassy blue, so clear at the edge of the beach that Michael could see the mossy stones and the brightly colored fish in the water. He breathed in a lung-full of fresh salty air. This was home.

Jackie followed him on his tracks as he walked up the shaded path.

“I won’t be needing you for some time Jackie. Feel free to take a break.” He turned on his heels to face her. Michael had built a small guesthouse beyond the boundary of the mansion, with its own small pool and a part-time housekeeper. That guesthouse was Jackie’s whenever Michael stayed at the mansion. He saw a smile spread across the older woman’s face. She was as delighted to have a break as he was. Michael smiled back, touched her lightly on her arm and nodded his head. Jackie mouthed the word ‘thank you’ before turning to walk back down the path towards her holiday home.

He was finally alone. Those were the strict instructions that Thelma had been given. She was to live at the mansion and take care of the island with the help of no more than six people. Two security guards were assigned to look after the safety and security of Michael Castle’s property, but their job entailed the requirement to remain invisible. Michael wanted to create the illusion of seclusion. The worst thing that could happen to spoil that atmosphere was if there were plenty of people milling around the island.

Thelma had done a good job. By the looks of it, as far as Michael could tell, it seemed like currently he was the only person on the whole island.

The door of the mansion was left ajar for him and Michael stepped in. Polished white marble floors, gold plated fittings, walls made of glass so that everywhere he looked Michael could see the sea and the palm trees and the white glistening sand.

He was in a polo shirt and light khaki pants, and he slowly dragged the dark glasses off his face. This was exactly what he needed for so long, why hadn’t he thought of this before? Sweet loneliness.

“Mr. Castle.” He heard a voice behind him and the spreading smile on his face dropped. He turned around to find Thelma standing behind him, her hands intertwined together in front. For a second, the sight of her took him by surprise. He’d forgotten how attractive his housekeeper was. She was in a cotton floral-printed maxi dress. The neck plunged deep to reveal a deep cleavage. Her skin shone in the bright sun that flooded the house, the color of honey. Her dark hair was blacker than his, and fell in tight concentric curls around her. She had brushed it to one side on her forehead and clipped it. She was smiling, her teeth were perfectly white and her smile was wide. Her chocolate colored eyes looked eager to please. Her full lips were a pale red, matching the color of the flowers on her dress. She was in high heels too, the same red color and now she walked towards him.

“Hello Thelma.” Michael said, finally having found his voice.

“Don’t worry, I’m going to leave you alone. I just wanted to let you know that I’ve had small buzzers installed in all the rooms. You simply have to press any one if you need anything. I’ll come over. There is also an intercom in your bedroom and in the living room if you want to call me.” Her voice was also as sweet as honey, a slight Caribbean accent lilting her speech and Michael could feel his breath catching in his throat. Why hadn’t he noticed these things about her before, the one time they had met?

She was smiling at him still and Michael forced himself to smile back and nod.

“I’ll be on my way then Mr. Castle.” She said, making to turn around.

“Please, call me Michael.” He said and she looked at him again, her large dark eyes shining. She looked like the happiest person he had ever met. Why was she so happy? How was she so happy?

He watched her walk away. Her butt firm and round under her dress, her heels clicking against the marble floor. Michael didn’t know why he was looking at her. He shouldn’t have been. But now he was alone again, which was a good thing. Thelma would make sure he was left alone. His phone was still switched off and he had no intention of switching it back on again.

Michael looked around him and then walked into the living room. It was equally flooded with light. He found the bar at the corner of the room, which Thelma and her team had been thoughtful enough to replenish with alcohol on such short notice. He needed whiskey, now more than ever before. His head was going to explode he thought as he poured himself some in a brand new crystal glass.

The view was magnificent. The palm trees swayed outside in the breeze and he could see the sand glittering in the sun. The soft waves lapping the beach, he should be outside.

Michael placed the glass back on the bar and started undressing in the living room. His shirt came off, then his linen pants. He was completely naked. It felt freeing, his body shivered with the suddenness of this decision. Sliding one of the French doors open, Michael stepped on to his private beach. He knew nobody could see him, and he didn’t actually care.

The breeze hit him in the face as he took long muscular strides towards the water. This was the only way to get away. He didn’t want to think about the real world.