INDISPENSABLE: Part 1: A Billionaire Romance (8 page)

Sarah spoke quietly and looked away as the car slowed, and Brock knew if he wanted anything with this woman he’d have to give everything. That might be just too high a price.

She continued to speak. “I can survive on my own, but I’d like to think there’s someone out there for me. I’m not interested in starting anything with anyone who isn’t in it for the long haul.”

“Sarah, I understand you want what most people want. I’m not sure I understand why you have to deny yourself pleasure though. It is possible to enjoy another person without having to fall in love. It’s very liberating.”

“Until someone falls in love.”

“Sex, pleasure, orgasms don’t have to be about love. But they are about feeling emotions and about allowing yourself to give pleasure and receive pleasure. With practice, you come to see that love is a separate issue.” The car came to a full stop, and Brock knew they were inside his garage.

“You must’ve broken many hearts with that attitude.”

“No. I have a business contract drawn up and negotiated for any physical relationship.”

Sarah stared back at him. Her eyes wide, and her mouth open just a little as she gasped. “Does it involve money?”

“Yes, but I pay for a service not a body. I pay for a specialist in her field. It’s an agreement so both parties are comfortable and protected. It helps when it’s in black and white, no grey areas. No blurred lines.”

Harry opened Sarah’s door and invited her out. Brock got out his own door. “I’m so pleased to welcome you to my home, Sarah. Let’s get inside and get the Affogato on the go. I have some excellent vanilla bean ice cream my chef makes himself and some wonderful caramel vodka you may enjoy in yours.”

“You have a chef?”

“Cooking is not a talent of mine. Plus, I have other mouths to feed.”

A flash of curiosity went across her face, but she said nothing.

He took Sarah’s hand and went into the internal door which came out in his foyer. The twenty-foot saltwater tank was alive with color and movement. Brock loved how the coral reef he’d created in there instantly relaxed him.

“Wow. Brock. That is breathtaking.”

“I love it. I’ll tell you all their names one day.”

“You’ve named them?”

“All hand chosen and bred in captivity, no wild fish here. I help breed some endangered species, too. But I have a whole separate place for that. I have hand-reared all of these.” He was incredibly proud of the tank. “The coral included. It’s a living animal you know.”

“Totally unexpected.”

“Bet you thought I’d have a couple of big, angry sharks in there.” He grinned back at her. Brock loved his large aquarium, and he could see by Sarah’s face she did too. She’d squatted down close to it and watched the activity with a smile. A clown fish darted out of an anemone and darted back in.

“Nemo!” Sarah pointed and laughed. “This tank is so massive. It must’ve been years building up everything inside.”

“It’s been a while. But it’s worth it. Better than television.”

The bright colors and the movement of the tropical fish never ceased to entertain. The swaying of the wonderful coral, scuttling of crabs...there was always something going on. Brock could watch them forever.

Sarah stood up and smiled at him. Her face was even lovelier when she relaxed and smiled like this. “What a surprise packet you are. You might be human after all.”

“I’m not sure I’d go that far.” Brock laughed with her. It struck him that he’d never had this before. Never had anyone other than his staff who took care of the place in here to smile with. They were likely only smiling because they didn’t want to upset the man who paid their wages.

This felt good. “Come on into the lounge room. You can see the other side of the tank from there.”

“I never expected you to have pets, let alone an underwater paradise.”

“Do you like animals?” He led her around through the arch that opened up into a large sitting room from the entrance foyer.

“Yes. I miss having a dog to share my life. Grew up with dogs and cats.”

“Great. You can have pets at the new apartments.” Brock gave his fast and loud whistle. At the same time from around the other corner, he saw his lean and tall greyhounds come sauntering towards them. “You should love Romeo and Juliet then. They are ex-racing dogs; I rescued. I fell in love with them.”

Sarah’s gorgeous eyes lit up, as she watched them approach. The dogs gently sniffed her hands and both sat down. They looked up at her with their big, gentle eyes, and Brock knew exactly how they felt. Sarah had an affinity with the world that mesmerized every living thing around her. When she was in the room, everyone knew it. Everyone watched her. She went down on her knees and put one arm around each of their necks and hugged them close.

“Hello, babies. You’re both so beautiful.”

Brock laughed when the dogs licked her on each side of her face. “They love you.”

“How can you tell?” Sarah ruffled their ears and stood up again. The dogs sat and waited for a pat from Brock and then made their way back to their big beds over in the corner of the room.

“If they didn’t, they would’ve ignored you and walked off. They do disdain very well, and unimpressed is a specialty of theirs.”

“No wonder they get along with me then.” Sarah grinned. “I must say, Brock, I am impressed right now. You’ve done well. I’m so glad we came here. I don’t usually get invited anywhere after a major panic attack like that.” Her expression took on a more serious edge. “Most people give me a very wide berth. Can’t blame them I guess. Hard enough for me to understand why it happens.”

“Your attacks don’t define you.”

“Not anymore. They used to. But I’ve learned how cope. Bella has gotten me through a lot of tough times.”

“Well, if it helps, Romeo and Juliet like having you here. They don’t care for any of my other work colleagues.”

She walked around the room looking at the artwork. Brock had many modern artists displayed, and a few of the classics.

Art was something he enjoyed very much, and he hoped to get Sarah to agree to her brother’s work going up in the gallery of new works he was organizing in a few months.

“How many other
colleagues
have you had in here?”

“Not many. I’ve had a few dinner parties for work purposes. Launched a few products here. Welcomed a new CEO from my overseas companies. That sort of thing. It’s not a huge place, and it’s easier to just get the chef to do something in-house for smaller gatherings.”

“I have to say, this place is smaller than I expected you’d have. It’s fantastic.”

“I prefer close quarters. Makes it more like a home than an asset. I do have bigger holiday places, but this will always be home to me.”

“I think I’ve misjudged you in many ways, Brock.”

“Yeah well, don’t worry, you’ve judged me right in just as many ways. Some fish and a couple of dogs doesn’t make me a saint by any means.”

“Maybe not, but you aren’t the devil you want everyone to think you are either.”

“I’m not so sure about that, Sarah.” He moved closer to her and pulled her into his arms. Sarah didn’t stop him, but she wasn’t relaxed either. “Just a kiss.” He touched his lips to the softness of hers; he couldn’t seem to resist for long. She responded to him, her body relaxing a little and melding into his.

But Brock didn’t deepen the kiss. He wasn’t risking spooking her. He had a proposition he hoped she’d consider later.

“Take a seat. I’ll get the liqueur coffees ready.” Brock liked that. He’d made her think about the man he was and not just what was portrayed. He gathered his ingredients and sat them on the counter. Then, he ground the coffee beans.

Once he’d started the coffee, he wondered if Sarah might like a snack. He walked back to the lounge room and saw Sarah with her arms around the dogs, who both wagged their tails madly. He stood a minute to take in the sight. Sarah Beaumont was fantastic, and he wanted her more than ever.

He went back to place a scoop of ice cream in each glass mug, and he poured a good slug of caramel vodka over the top. Saucers and a teaspoon on each, and he carried them back to where she laughed with the dogs.

After a quiet command, Romeo and Juliet went back to lay on their beds, and Brock sat the coffees down on the small table. “The bathroom is just through that door if you want to freshen up. I’m not sure you want a dog slobber facial.”

Sarah’s laughed warmed the whole room, and the dogs both raised their head and their tails thumped on their beds. “I guess I’d better have a wash. They are so beautiful. How did you find them, and how did you come up with their names?”

“I’ll tell you when you come back. Do you want a snack? Chef always has a cheese platter in the fridge.”

She jumped up and headed for the bathroom door. “Yes please, that sounds perfect.”

Brock grabbed the platter and unwrapped it, then took it in and placed it between the coffees. The cheese and fruits looked colorful and enticing.

Sarah sat down again and used her spoon to taste some Affogato. “That is heaven. Thanks.”

“Greyhounds are a very gentle breed. A little lazy actually. They like sleeping best and aren’t all that high energy despite their racing profession.” Sarah nodded. “They were litter mates, lived side by side in their crates, raced together often, and when the time for them to no longer be needed, they escaped death row.”

“I don’t want to hear about that bit.”

“A recue group took them in, and I found Romeo, but when I went to take him, he wouldn’t leave the room. I dragged on his lead, and he baulked. He stood by Juliet and licked her ears.”

“Oh my God, how sweet.”

“She laid down on the floor, and he laid next to her. So I knew, if I took one, I’d have to take both.”

“Amazing.”

I wanted a companion dog that didn’t require me to exercise it for hours a day, I researched and came up with greyhounds. I liked that I could rescue them, and they are very content in a quiet home environment.”

“Quiet?”

“Very quiet.”

“You know, I’m surprised. Your public persona is, well…polar opposite to what I’m seeing here.”

“Professional and personal are two different things.”

“Just where do all those hard partying, woman-killer stories come from?”

“My youth, my break-out times now and again, and a damn good marketing and media relations department.”

Sarah sat her empty glass mug down and turned her wide eyes on him again. How he wished he could evoke that look in more personal ways. He wanted her in the worst way, but he knew revealing his fetish for sexual dominance might be too much-too soon.

“Are you saying those news stories are planned?”

“Most of the time.”

“Why would you do that and have the playboy reputation out there?”

“Scandal gets more attention than Mr. Nice Guy.”

“That’s crazy.”

“But fun. I do like fun. How about you?” Brock couldn’t resist her soft skin and ruby lips any longer. He traced a finger down her cheek and very lightly around her generous mouth, ripe for the taking. He wanted to see her suck her luscious, thick bottom lip in, bracing herself for the unknown, as he held her body captive and delved deep into her mind.

She wouldn’t submit easily. She’d be a challenge, and that scared Brock a little because it made her all the more attractive to him. But, he’d have to invest emotions into it. Now, he just called someone on his list and had a session. It was all accepted and agreed to. All he did was indulge his need for domination, and that took the edge off for a while.

What he didn’t have to do was persuade or convince. He didn’t have to build a personal level of trust, or a personal relationship. With Sarah he’d have to do both, and this mouth so close to his now was probably worth it.

But he couldn’t give her the forever that she needed. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to; he just couldn’t. What he needed to do was take her home right now and be her employer from here on because there was no way out of this other than heartbreak for her and a whole new level of self-loathing for him.

He shouldn’t have brought her here to his home. No other woman had been here since the very worst year of his life, and he couldn’t take Sarah to his other residence. That was designed purely for sex. You brought friends home, didn’t you? He assumed so, sadly lacking in any experience there.

His mind worked overtime so much, he hadn’t noted the change of the mood in the room. Sarah had moved closer and leaned up. When her lips brushed his, his mind wasn’t ready. He wasn’t expecting the vanilla scent and taste of sweet, creamy Affogato still on her mouth to pitch him into immediate predator mode.

He wrapped his hand in her hair and used it to tilt her head back, and when she gasped and her mouth opened to him, he took advantage because he had no choice in the matter. He simply couldn’t stop.

He kissed her hard and raw, her pliant mouth surrendering to his harsh, vibrant need to taste her, to take everything from her he could, and to make her do as he commanded. The very thing that was likely to drive her away was the only way he could love a woman completely. He’d hurt someone badly, physically, and he had lived in fear of it ever since. Quite simply, if he let that side take over, if he was pushed too far, he was dangerous.