What Money Can Buy (3 page)

"Have you managed to arrange
what I
asked for, Alberto?"

His
friend nodded. "Yes, Mr King. Of course."

Jason looked at me. "Come, Lauren. We're going to go to the hotel where you can get changed. Then w
e’ll
go to dinner. But before that, Alberto has arranged something very special for you. Something you'll never forget as long as you live."

I was be
mused. "Which is?"

Jason brushed my cheek with a finger and I felt
tiny electric shocks surge
through me. It was as if he had taken me in his arms, kissed me passionately and beg
u
n to rip my clothes off. Just that simple touch of his skin on mine was enough to make me want him even more
now
than before. But I wouldn't show it. Not at
this stage. Not yet
.

"
You’ll find out soon enough
, Lauren. If I told you
it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?"

The h
otel was typically beautiful. It was several centuries old and my room was gigantic, a mix of period furniture and elaborate artworks. The dress Jason had promised me in his office back in New York lay neatly pressed on the bed. It was a
stunning
black ruched Catherine
Malandrino
number, exactly as he had specified
, and in my correct size
.

There were
also
two boxes – one contained a pair of black Christian
Louboutin
high heels, worth more than my monthly salary. The blood red soles contrasted perfectly with the sleek black
leather
of the shoe, and everything about these Italian masterpieces felt luxurious and expensive. Decadent, even. But that was nothing compared to what lay in the other box.

I opened it to find Simone
Perele lingerie. There was a black, l
acy unpadded bra together with a matching pair
of
skimpy panties. At the front, the lace provided barely enough coverage to conceal my modesty; the back was little more than an expensive thong. I wasn't quite sure how to take this – was he planning to strip me down to these later? Something told me t
hat was his intention – to ravage
me, exposed in
expensive underwear, wi
th my equally luxurious dress poo
led at my feet.

The
thought
turned my stomach, but in a good way. Butterflies danced inside as I ran my fingers over the thin lace. At first, I was hesitant – a part of me wanted to demand that I was flown home immediately and this
charade
, nothing more than what was turning into an elaborate seduction, would be ended. But part of me wanted it more than I would ever like to admit, even to myself
. As I slipped on the underwear
and admired myself in the full-length mirror stood in
a
corner of the room, I started to
realize
why I was he
re.

Because I l
ooked amazing. Beautiful. Sexy.

I had never worn
clothes
so expensive in my life. And yet, something about that underwear and those high heels elevated me
, literally and figuratively
. They seemed to pump up my calf muscles in a way other, cheaper shoes hadn't. My nipples, hardened
by
the
thought
of what was to come, were alluringly visible beneath the thin fabric of the bra. And, even more outrageous, was the glistening of my mo
i
st
, neatly-trimmed
pubic hair beneath my exquisitely delicious panties. I slipped my hand over the
gusset
, feeling my warmth, as I continued t
o look at myself in the mirror.

I took
a thumb and
forefinger and pinched
gently
at one of my erect peaks, causing myself to moan out. The
thought
of Jason, his strong hands sliding over my bare skin and
cupping
my
breasts in my lacy black
bra, became too muc
h to bear. I closed my eyes
and parted my legs, standing
in the center of the room
on my five inch heels with my
drenched
sex ready to be pleasured. I slipped my hand down into the tiny panties
and
stroked delicately at my clit.

It was desperately sensitive and only a few seconds of stimulation almost brought me to orgasm. But it was too soon. I wanted the pleasure to last longer. I slid my fingers further down, between my slick folds, and slipped one, then two fingers inside. I hooked them slightly and stroked at my g-spot, the rough patch of skin so
rarely
found by a man. I felt my legs begin to tremble as I quickened the pace of my hand, and I knew that I w
as about to come. I pressed my p
alm against my
swollen
clit to send myself over the edge.

"Jason!"

I never thought I would scream his name this soon. Warm juices gushed inside me, and my stomach tightened, my head spinning momenta
rily. My legs buckled and I fell to
my knees as I brought myself to an explosive orgasm at the
thought
of him inside me. I laid down on t
he sumptuous carpet of the suite
,
a
vision of ecstasy in lingerie and high heels, and I slowly began to return to reality. I tasted the nectar on my fingers, the juices sweet and delicious, a product of my desire for the man who
had
brought me here.

As I lay there, I began to question everything that was happening. What was his motive? What were his reasons for bringing me
to Italy
? Surely it wasn't just to have sex with me? He could have anyone he wanted, so why pick a lowly temp from
eight
floors down in his company?

All the questions I had, all the concerns
and motives
I
had imagined, would be answered in time -
I was sure of that. A part of me decided not to
worry about
it any longer. I was here, in Venice, and I
intended to make the most of the experience
. Maybe I was being naive. Maybe I was even being used. But for
that moment
, I
decided on a course of action.

I was going to have some fun.

"Open your eyes."

Jason removed his palms from my face and I almost collapsed at the scale of the room I was in. Frescoes and ornate, gilded artwork adorned the walls and ceiling. My jaw dropped. "Oh my God."

"This, Lauren, is your surprise."

I bit my lip and found myself
welling up
. I'd never seen anything so beautiful in my life. "What is that? Where are we?"

I had been led here from St Mark
’
s Square by Jason with my eyes covered. It was late, and the tourists had either gone back to their hotels or
were
out somewhere eating dinner. We would be soon as well, but fi
rst Jason had insisted he show
me this.

"That,
Lauren, is a Titian.
An absolute masterpiece.
And this is the D
oge
’
s Palace – or the Palazzo Ducale to
call it by
its correct
name
."

I walked slowly around the ornate room, my senses desperately trying to tak
e
in what was around me. "What was this building
used
for?"

Jason circled me in the opposite direction. "It was the seat of government in Venice. This is where the Republic came to me
et and rule over the city. The D
oge was the head of government, and this was effectively his residence."

"How old is it?"

He looked at me with a slight smile. The dim lighting
made those
features
even more a
ngular and handsome; he was gorgeous – and he knew
it
. "It was built in
the
1400's, I believe. Give or take a couple
of
hundred years."

The click of my high heels echoed around the room and I rested against the wall, press
ing my back and hands against the cool marble
. I flashed Jason a smile,
looked
down for a moment
in embarrassment
, then looked back up to see his
beautiful
blue eyes staring directly at me, his hands in his pockets. "Now what?" I asked.

He slowly walked towards me, like a hunter stalking his prey. He had me in his sights, and I was frozen. I didn't want to run. I didn't want to move. Instead, I wanted to submit to him. I wanted him to kiss me. Within seconds, he would grant my wish. He pressed himself close
against
me, and put a hand around my waist, brushing my cheek slightly with his fingers. I could smell
that wonderful
aftershave
again, and I felt drunk on the aroma of salt water and sea breezes.

"Are you read
y to do something outrageous?" h
e asked.

My throat was dry. I licked my lips. "Depends what it is. If you're going to propose, the answer is no. I'll save you the embarrassment now."

He laughed. "No, Lauren. That comes later. For now, I just want to do this…"

His lips met min
e, and I didn't resist. Instead
I responded, kissing him back, my tongue exploring his mouth as he did with mine
. He tasted delicious, his stubble gently grazing my chin. I felt my
nipples h
arden beneath my little black dre
ss. His body, pressed against
me
,
provided a reminder of what
made him so irresistible
in the first place. His hard chest muscles beneath his crisp white shirt crushed themselves against my breasts. I felt my rock
hard peaks against his pectorals, my
obvious physical arousal giving the game away.

Oh God
, I thought as we co
ntinued to kiss, hard and slow
.
Oh
G
od
oh
G
od
oh
G
od
.

He placed both hands around the small of my back and pulled me to
him.
H
e kissed my neck, his lips and tongue sending
little earthquakes
through my body. When he reached my shoulders and collarbone
, I was ready to strip off there
and then. I felt his
increasing
hardness pressing against me and
a
warm r
ush of juices flooded me down below
.

"Wait," I said, pushing him away slightly. "We can't do this. Not here. What if someone comes in?"

He kissed me again. "We're the only ones here, Lauren. This place has been closed to the public now."

"So how come we are in here?" I asked.

Jason smiled again. "Because, Lauren, I a
m a billionaire. If I want the D
oge
’
s Palace opened
privately
so I can seduce you, then I will
damn well
get
it
opened. When I ask for something, I get it."

So this was the arrogance I had been warned about. "Really? You always get what you want?"

He pulled me to him, causing me to gasp. "Always."

Before
I
had chance to react further, he was unzip
p
in
g
the back of my dress. He flicked the straps off my shoulders and
let it drop to the floor, then took
several steps back
to explore my body with his eyes
. He smiled approvingly.

My immediate reaction was to cover myself up, but I couldn't do it. My body broke out in goose bumps and I felt my legs begin to tremble. I was scared, yes, but I was more scared of not allowing this to happen. God, I wanted this man so much. I wanted him inside me – now.

"You've got an incredible body
,
Lauren. You look ravishing."

I took a deep breath and pulled myself together. I stood, legs apart, with my hands on my hips. If there's one thing I knew for sure, all the money in the world wouldn't be able to stop the average man turning to a lump of jelly in front of a gorgeous woman in sexy lingerie and high heels. For a
man used to being in control,
he was now at my mercy.