The Billionaire's Terms: Prison Or Passion (6 page)

Between two jobs and either high school or college, she’d never had any spare time but hadn’t minded, knowing that her sister was doing extremely well in school and her mother was still at home to help them, although not emotionally capable of helping herself.

And now, she was going to be imprisoned again. Not by iron bars or by crushing financial burdens but by a man who had no feelings for her other than anger and sex. It was humiliating but she bit her finger to distract her from crying. She would wait until she was alone before she broke down in tears.

At this time of the morning, it took less than twenty minutes before the limousine was pulling up in front of her apartment building. The worn, dilapidated exterior was indicative of the poor interior. But it was cheap and conveniently located close to her job which was all she’d needed while she paid off debts and expenses.

Alone in her apartment, she looked around. There wasn’t much to pack. In an effort to put more money towards her sister’s college expenses or her mother’s mortgage, she rarely spent money on herself. She had five work suits for the summer and five for the winter months. She had a few pairs of jeans and shorts. All her furniture was of the garage sale quality and she didn’t own a television since she rarely had time to relax and watch it.

She only packed her clothes, feeling a little desperate and not really sure what he’d meant by her being his mistress. He’d said so, but surely he didn’t want her to live with him, did he? That was a little drastic for only a one night acquaintance. Maybe he was just angry and would calm down once he’d had more time to think about the situation and the potential ramifications of having someone live with him that he didn’t really know.

Working that through in her mind, she felt slightly better but still ashamed that she was packing a small bag with a spare set of clothes regardless, she locked the door behind her and went down the five flights of stairs to the street level where Adam’s driver was still waiting for her. Instead of packing all of her clothes, she left everything but her two best suits, her shorts and a pair of jeans, leaving the rest in her apartment.

When she exited her apartment building, Bill was standing beside the limousine and immediately opened the car door for her. “Thank you,” she said and ducked her head inside.

He drove her through the streets and back along the road that was familiar only because she remembered the morning ride away from it. Adam’s apartment building was completely different from her own. In her building, Alicia picked up her mail in the lobby and sometimes off the floor as things spilled out from the open spaces of her mail cubby. The lobby of her building was of whitewashed cement and linoleum flooring, cracking in the corners and with light bulbs that usually didn’t work. Adam’s building was magnificently decorated with marble and brass, lovely trees situated in strategic places and soft music playing discreetly in the background.

The security guard, who had obviously been informed of her imminent arrival, tipped his hat to her and provided her with the code to reach Adam’s penthouse apartment through the private elevator. She smiled gratefully to him but was too embarrassed by her predicament to be completely open with him.

Bill dropped her bag down in the entry way and then immediately bowed out of the apartment. Alicia was left alone, just standing in the middle of the large foyer wondering what she was supposed to do now. It was only four o’clock in the afternoon and she was completely lost, unable to figure out how to deal with her current situation and scared to death.

Taking a deep breath, she supposed that she should explore Adam’s place a little more. But just being here made her feel as if the world was wrong and she was tipping sideways, isolated and punished for something she didn’t do.
Chapter 6

Adam strode into the penthouse at seven-thirty that night. He eagerly looked around for Alicia, ready to christen their agreement and see if they were really as good as he remembered or if it was only in his imagination.

He noticed her bag by the door and walked into the living room. She wasn’t there. He checked in the office but still, no one was waiting for him. He was about to become angry when he heard the small noise coming from somewhere in the kitchen area. It was a place that he knew existed but he rarely stepped into. He had a cook that left him meals he heated up, but generally had social obligations that kept him out in the evenings. Caterers used the kitchen more often than he did so it was not the first place he would think to look.

But there she was, sitting sadly at the counter with a plate in front of her with a lone sandwich, uneaten.

Adam hardened his heart against her pitiful state. He reminded himself of all the evidence against her and his feelings that morning a month ago when he’d woken up, reached out for her but only encountered empty space. He’d been furious that morning but even more so after a week of searching for her with no luck.

Adam tossed those feelings aside as being useless. He had her right where he wanted her and wasn’t about to let her go just because she was a good actress.

 

“What’s for dinner?” he asked, walking briskly into the kitchen.

Alicia jumped almost a foot, then put a hand to her throat, trying to calm down her racing heart. But it was useless as her eyes followed him across the kitchen. He was incredibly virile and overwhelmingly male, she thought as she watched him loosen his tie, staring at her the whole time.

“Anything good?” he asked, and peered down at her uneaten sandwich. “Hmm, not really,” he said, then looked back at her. “But in fact, I’m not very hungry for food,” he said.

Alicia understood exactly what he was trying to tell her and her mind rebelled against the idea of just falling into bed with him again. They had to talk and somehow she had to make him understand that she wasn’t like this.

“Adam, that night… a month ago…” she stopped, unsure of how to proceed.

 

“Yes?” he asked, one eyebrow raised as he took a bite of her sandwich, watching her with his dark, intense eyes the whole time.

She fiddled with the practical watch on her wrist, unable to look at the achingly handsome and dynamic man who was staring down at her, thinking of her as a criminal. “It wasn’t really me.”

Adam smiled for the first time that day. “I’d like you to explain who exactly it was,” he chuckled. “I was there too and I distinctly remember you being a very active participant.”

She flushed at his amusement and looked down at her hands that were fluttering around in her nervousness. “Well, yes. But that wasn’t like me. I don’t go around having one night stands.”

“That night wouldn’t have been one if you’d not slipped out like some sort of…”

She wouldn’t let him finish but put her hand over his mouth to cover it up, barring him from saying whatever he was going to say. “I’m not like that. I’d never slept with anyone before.”

He pulled her hand away from his mouth, his lips brushing the inside of her wrist “I don’t remember there being a lot of sleeping going on that night either.”

Alicia pursed her lower lip in frustration. “You know what I’m trying to say,” she shot back then stood up angrily, crossing her arms over her stomach as if the action would ward off the pain and humiliation she was feeling. She walked around the room, wishing she was anywhere but here in this amazing penthouse with the most devastatingly handsome man she’d ever met her in life, who was looking at her as if she were a bug on his shoe.

Adam had had enough. Her pacing had only shown off her figure, not that he thought she realized it, but the view reminded him of what he wanted from her. “Yes. I know what you’re trying to say and I know you weren’t like that.” He reached out and took her wrist in his strong hand, the grip not hurting but she couldn’t break his hold even if she tried. “But now we know exactly what you are,” he said softly, menacingly, “so let’s just get around to what we both are thinking about. How about if we adjourn from the kitchen and into the bedroom where we can relax and enjoy each other’s company more?” he said, taking her hand in his and pulling her along behind him.

Alicia tried to pull her hand away but his hold wasn’t as loose, nor as gentle, as she’d thought. “Adam, you’re not listening to me.”

He didn’t bother to stop, just kept pulling her towards the long hallway she vaguely remembered led to his bedroom. “Perhaps because you’re not saying anything that interests me,” he replied and stepped forward to cover her mouth with his.

Alicia tried to resist and pull her head back, but he only put a hand to the back of her head and nibbled seductively on her lower lip. The first contact was shockingly erotic and Alicia gasped, allowing his mouth full access to hers. He took advantage of her surprise and slid a hand underneath her silk shirt. Alicia gripped his shoulders, unable to stand on her own with the onslaught of passion he was able to invoke so easily. Her mind told her to fight him, to pull away but her body simply stood there, responding but still confused by the mixed messages.

“Adam, please,” she said, a tear slipping out from her eye with the shame of the situation. But she wasn’t sure if she was pleading with him to stop or continue.

“I know,” he said and took the decision into his hands by lifting her into his arms. Just like the last time, he effortlessly swung her up and carried her into his bedroom. She had a slight moment of panic but then her arms had to slide around his neck to hold her steady and her fingers curled into his hair. The touch reminded her of how freely she had touched him everywhere that night and her body took over where her mind pulled back.

With ease, he discarded her clothes and pulled her to him, naked and throbbing. “You’re just as beautiful as I remember,” he said as he laid her down in the center of his bed.

Alicia melted with his sweet words and her mouth became dry as he stood over her, taking off his own clothes. She could no longer argue against the actions that were going to happen than she could stop breathing. She accepted that she wanted him desperately. Watching him undress was like nothing she’d ever imagined. Each piece of skin that he revealed made her more desperate to have his touch back against her skin.

As soon as he was free of his clothes, he came down to her, his hands searching everywhere, his mouth exploring and Alicia cried out as the feelings washed over her.

He entered her quickly, smoothly. An easy feat as her body was more than ready for him. And since her body remembered the path his had taken her the last time and had craved the touch for so many nights, she climaxed almost instantly around him, her mind reeling as the feelings ripped through her body.

That night formed the pattern for the following two weeks. Adam would come home in the evening, usually around nine or ten o’clock at night, he would immediately make love to her and they would fall asleep in each other’s arms, completely replete and exhausted. Usually, he woke her up several times during the night, then in the morning with a kiss and more passion, leaving her worn out and shaking from his touch and the instantaneous way he could make her body respond.

Alicia was left alone for the rest of the day with nothing to do. She found that Sylvia, the maid, came in on Wednesdays to scrub the entire penthouse and, Gerard, the cook came in on Thursdays to make several complete meals and leave them in the refrigerator for Adam, all prepared to simply heat up and serve. She made friends with both, knowing they were the only people she could communicate with. She helped Sylvia with the scrubbing, enjoying the older woman’s soft humor and gentle way of looking at life. From Gerard, she discovered that she really loved to cook. As a child, she remembered making cookies with her mother and sister, but after her father’s arrest, she’d never had the time to cook, much less learn the finer points of gourmet cuisine. He would show her different tricks while they talked, forming a friendship.

In the middle of the day, she would usually walk out to the park and watch the mothers play with their children on the swing sets, jealously wondering if her life would ever be normal again. Would she ever have children? A husband? It was a depressing thought to wonder about something like that, an idea that had always been a definite at some point in the future had suddenly turned to a maybe because of her precarious position. She wasn’t even sure if she’d ever be able to find another job, much less find a husband and have children with him.

She kept those thoughts to a minimum, knowing that they wouldn’t do any good. She had to keep thinking positively and trying to figure out how the embezzlement had happened. But without a computer, she was limited in what she could investigate.

When she wasn’t cooking, cleaning or worrying, she also got to know several of the tenants in Adam’s building. Although the mail was delivered to the apartments instead of to a mail room like normal people, she walked so often, the tenants started to recognize her and say hello. She also made sure to call her sister and mother once a week so neither would worry about her. Her phone calls kept them from calling her at work where they would surely find out that she was no longer employed by Global Corporation and would start asking questions.

Alicia never brought up the reason why she was living in his apartment. Not because she didn’t want to but simply because there was no time. Adam worked hard, leaving early in the morning and not coming home until late in the evening. At that point, he simply pulled her into his arms and made love to her for the rest of the night. Alicia had tried on several occasions to speak with him, to try and get him to understand her point of view or at least claim her innocence one more time but each time she started to talk about it, Adam simply covered her mouth with his and the feelings instantly accelerated into passion instead of reason.

Alicia felt awful. She was living in limbo where her days were spent with Adam’s hired help. But she couldn’t really complain since that’s basically what he considered her. He had a maid and chef who came in during the working hours, never having met their employer. And during the nights, she was also his, but he met her in bed, the passion always just under the surface.