Driving Stick (Bride of the Billionaire Book 2) Read online

  I don’t even wait to watch him go inside. I quickly pull away from his building. I glance in my rear view and watch as he goes inside. A few minutes later as I’m driving, I feel a strange sinking feeling in my stomach. I just met him, and I’m missing him already?

  3

  Desiree

  The drive home is the longest drive of my life. My brain literally won’t stop jumping from one thought to the next like a frog skipping across lily pads.

  Did that really happen?

  Did I just do that?

  Did I really just have my first kiss?

  And who is that guy, anyway?

  Despite all those thoughts fighting for their place in my mind, there’s one that continues to win out every time: will I ever see him again?

  It’s not that strange of a thing to think. He is attractive. There’s no denying that…and attractive would be putting it mildly. He’s incredibly good-looking. Probably the handsomest man I’ve ever met.

  No. Not probably. Definitely.

  So wanting to see him again could just come down to a natural, biological attraction, right? Nope.

  There’s something more to it. He’s mysterious and I want to know more. What does he do for a living and how it is he can afford to live where he’s living?

  I’m all ready to tell my mom about the encounter when I get home, but as I step inside, I find her sitting at the kitchen table, crying, with a piece of paper in her hand. She sees me and forces a smile – the one she always gives when she’s trying to act like nothing’s wrong.

  “Hey, honey! How was your drive?”

  Ugh, how can I even begin to tell her what just happened now?

  I set my purse down and pull up a chair. “What’s wrong, Ma?”

  Usually when something bad has happened, Ma finds a way to break the ice to me by throwing in a joke or making things seem like they’re not as bad as they are. But this time, when she looks at me, tears pour out of her eyes.

  “Honey, I am so sorry,” she cries. “But...we’re being foreclosed on.”

  My heart shakes. I know we’ve been having some money problems lately, but I didn’t know they’d gotten this bad. The bills from dad’s cancer treatment piled up after he lost his insurance coverage. He’s been gone six years now but we’re still paying off his medical debt.

  Mom got laid off from her accounting job a few months ago and has been working at the local plant nursery but they don’t pay much. I thought between the two of us that we’d be able to survive. I guess I was wrong.

  “When?” I ask. My heart’s breaking – for my mom. She’s tried so hard to keep our lives together, and I know this must be killing her.

  “We have until the end of the month.”

  Three weeks.

  “Don’t worry, Mom,” I say as I go over and put my hand on her back. “We’ll get through this.”

  Honestly, I don’t know how, but I’m doing my best. If I falter now, so will she, and then everything will be one big mess. But as my mom wipes her tears with a napkin, a thought springs into my mind.

  Caleb’s offer…

  “I am not joking. How’s ten grand a month sound?”

  But I can’t. Maybe I don’t know much about men (aka anything), but I know enough to know that Caleb doesn’t just want me behind the wheel of his car. He wants to be behind me.

  Did I just make a dirty joke to myself at a time like this? What is wrong with me?

  “Come on, Ma,” I say. “Let’s have some ice cream and watch Netflix. We have all the time in the world tomorrow to worry about this.”

  Ma glances up at me as she wipes her tears and smiles. “It’s nice to know I have the best daughter in the world.”

  I wake up the next morning to the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. I glance at the clock: 10:38 AM. Ma should already be at work, so unless she forgot something at home and has come back for it, there’s someone else outside. Brushing my hair out of my face, I listen, and seconds later, hear a heavy knock on the door.

  A man’s knock.

  I’m instantly afraid. There shouldn’t be anyone visiting us, especially now, especially a man. Mom doesn’t have any male friends, and neither do I. The landlord is a man named Martin, though…maybe it’s him?

  “He—hello?” I call out timidly.

  “Hello!? Desiree? Can you come down here?”

  My heart leaps as I recognize the voice.

  Caleb.

  This is not okay. This is so not okay. A hot wave of anxiety starts at my toes and doesn’t stop until it hits my cheeks. Even my ears are tingling as I swing my legs out of bed and stand. The images of what happened yesterday hit me like a slideshow…

  …his eyes…his chin…his lips…

  I don’t even know what to do. I want to hide.

  Why did I even say anything!? I should have just stayed quiet!

  “I know you’re there,” he calls out. I can tell he’s smiling. “Why don’t you come downstairs?”

  “I—I’m not dressed!”

  “Even better,” he laughs. “Just get your ass down here.”

  Grumbling to myself, I stumble into a pair of sweat pants, brush my hair back with my fingers, and make my way to the front door. I look terrible, but what does it matter? I’m just going to tell him to go away and that I can’t take the job.

  Yes. That’s what I’m going to do…

  I take a deep breath and pull it open and find him standing there wearing a simple pair of khakis with a white T-shirt and a pair of black sunglasses, his hair slicked back.

  Wow, he looks like a model.

  “Still asleep?” he asks. “Early bird gets the worm.”

  “I have to admit, Caleb, I feel a bit like the worm right now with you showing up at my house unexpected and unannounced. How…did you even know where I live by the way?”

  Caleb waves his hand dismissively. “Oh, you know the Internet. You can find anything out these days. But let’s not focus on that right now. I know about your problem and I’m here to fix it.”

  “My…problem?” I ask hesitantly. I should be totally creeped out right now, but my biological urges are on overdrive. He’s just so insanely handsome. I can hardly believe he’s even talking to me.

  “The eviction.” He smiles as though we were discussing the latest movie we saw this weekend. “I know about it, and I’m here to help.”

  My jaw drops as my brain goes into another spin. “So…not only do you know where I live somehow…you also know that my mother and I are being forceclosed on?”

  Caleb smirks and shrugs. “Look, I’m here to offer you the job again,” he says. “That’s twice I’ve offered now, and that’s something I never do.”

  Something about the way he’s looking at me makes me suddenly aware of the fact that my hair’s a mess and I’m not wearing any makeup.

  Or a bra…

  Caleb has obviously noticed that as well, as I watch his eyes flick down to my chest before returning to my eyes.

  “It was your old man’s house, right?” Caleb asks. “Take my job. Come be my driver. I’ll give you the salary I promised, ten grand, and I’ll pay off your house and his medical debt. Think of it as a signing bonus.”

  “And what do I have to do for this signing bonus?” I ask.

  Caleb’s eyes flash and any doubt that was still in my mind about what he really wants is completely washed away. But his response actually surprises me.

  “Desiree, I would never make you do anything you didn’t want to do,” he says with a boyish smile that works its way into my chest. “But after you spend time with me, you will want to.”

  4

  Caleb

  “There,” I tell her as I end the call to Tammy, my assistant. “Your father’s debt will be gone by the end of the day.”

  We’re in the Range Rover. Desiree’s at the wheel. She begged me to let her shower and get some better clothes on before we left, but I wasn’t having that. I like her the way she is. I’ve had en
ough of the Manhattan gold-diggers and their tight dresses and plastic surgery. Desiree is real, honest, and driving my dick wild.

  I want to tell her to pull off the main road so I can bend her over the back seat and bury my cock inside her. The way her hair drapes over her delicate shoulders draws my eyes to her breasts. She’s braless, and her nipples are hard. I’m dying to see them…get my lips around them while I slide my hand between her legs.

  “How are you doing this?” she frowns. She’s still skeptical as hell – as she should be – and before she left, she sent a text to her mom letting her know where she was going, and turned on location tracking on her phone so if I “drugged and kidnapped” her, her mom would know how to find her.

  “I’d rather not say,” I reply. She still doesn’t know who I am, and I’d like to keep it that way for now. I’m feeling something for her that goes beyond the overpowering lust that’s pounding beneath my pants, and I don’t want to fuck things up by letting her know she’s driving a billionaire. She’ll understand when we get home.

  “You’d rather not say…” she replies slowly as she twists her lips and wrinkles her nose. “And I’m just supposed to work for you? You could be a…a criminal. Like a mafia guy or something. Or a crooked politician.”

  I laugh. “I am definitely neither of those. Although I know a fair number of politicians.”

  “Well, you’re going to have to tell me,” she replies. “Or I’m not taking this job.”

  “Then I’ll just call my assistant back and cancel the payment on your father’s debt.”

  Desiree glances over at me and frowns again. She’s so adorable. My cock pulses with desire….

  …Desiree…my only desire.

  “That’s not nice,” she replies.

  “Who said I’m nice?” I ask.

  “You are,” she replies with confidence.

  “Oh, I am? How do you know that?”

  She shrugs. “I just know. But that wasn’t nice.”

  We make more small talk as we head into the city. It sounds strange, but as much as I want to bury my cock inside her and watch her gorgeous face as I make her come over and over again, I’m actually enjoying just talking to her. I haven’t had this honest of an interaction with a girl in a long time. Being a billionaire can have its disadvantages.

  She’s starting to loosen up when we pull up in front of the house and park. She glances at the building, then at me, then at the building again and frowns. “This is your place?”

  “I dunno.” I shrug. “What would you think if it was?”

  “I’d think…that you were some kind of rich guy.”

  “And would that make you think differently of me if I was?” I ask. I can’t believe it, but I’m actually hanging on her next word. Jesus, what is this girl doing to me?

  Desiree cocks her head to the side and thinks, then shrugs. “I dunno.”

  “You dunno?” I laugh. “That’s your answer?”

  “I’ve never really met any rich guys before,” she replies. “But you must be pretty well off if you’re offering me ten thousand dollars to drive you around for the month.”

  Either she doesn’t care about the money, or she’s the best actress I’ve ever met.

  “Come on,” I say, getting out of the car. “Come inside.”

  I study her reaction as she follows me up the steps. She stiffens slightly and gasps slightly as I open the door and we step into the foyer.

  “Oh, okay…” she says simply as I close the door behind her. I don’t say anything; I just watch again. Most girls’ eyes light up right now as they start to imagine the big score they’ve just made. If they can just lock me down, the rest of their lives will be taken care of.

  But I don’t see any of that in Desiree’s eyes. In fact, she almost looks uncomfortable.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask.

  She shakes her head and smiles at me. “No, nothing.”

  “What?” I press.

  “I just—I’ve just never seen anything like this before,” she says as she tries to take it all in – the marble floor, the grand piano under the spiral staircase, and the crystal chandelier hanging overhead. “Except on TV…has your house been on TV?”

  “Never,” I laugh. “I wouldn’t want it to be. Despite who I am, I’m a pretty private guy.”

  “Despite who you are?” she asks.

  “Do you want a million dollars?” I ask. I study her reaction, looking for the signs. But I see none. She responds almost instantly.

  “What? No.”

  “Why not?” I shrug, my desire for her growing with every second.

  “I don’t know,” she replies, sounding indignant. It’s like she’s offended by me even asking the question. “It just wouldn’t feel right. I want to work for my money.”

  I can’t believe it. I’ve found my dream girl.

  “Work for it…” I muse as I start to salivate. My cock’s screaming to be unleashed. Her innocence has me steaming. I’m feeling like an animal with an overpowering desire to breed. Desiree is a real woman. I bet she’d be an incredible mother.

  It’s time to seal the deal.

  “Come with me,” I tell her. I take her by the hand and feel a rush of blood between my legs at the touch of her soft skin and the warmth of her body. I can’t wait to get my face between her legs. I bet she smells like a fucking goddess.

  This is the first time I’ve brought a girl to the house and not been thinking about when she’d be leaving. Even the thought of Desiree leaving to go home enrages me. This is where she belongs, and this is where she’s going to stay.

  I reach into the top desk drawer and pull out my tablet. I quickly unlock it and open to the contract I’ve had prepared. Her eyes move from mine to the screen, but I keep watching her. I’m completely entranced by her beauty…her sexiness. It’s nearly impossible to keep my hands off her, because I know that once I have ahold of her, I’ll never be able to let her go.

  5

  Desiree

  “What is this?” I ask. I know very well what it is; I just have to say something to break the tension.

  “An employment contract,” he replies. I can tell by the tone of his voice that he completely understands what I’m doing. He’s a smart man, which leads me to my next question.

  “Who are you, Caleb? This is…this is so much money. You could hire someone for way less…”

  “Caleb Rawls,” he says. “Of Rawls Incorporated. Ever heard of me?”

  I know that I probably should have, but I haven’t. I shake my head, which strangely causes him to smile.

  “I’m the CEO of a large media company,” he explains. “Online advertising, traffic analysis, brand building. Things like that.”

  “So you’re rich…?” It’s the kind of question you really aren’t supposed to ask someone, but right now, I need to know.

  Caleb shrugs and runs a hand through his hair. “That all depends. Is three billion rich to you?”

  My jaw almost falls off. Three billion? My eyes dart around the lavish office – the rich wood paneling, the desk that probably cost more than my car, and out the door to the lavish foyer and piano. The home is definitely worth tens of millions of dollars…

  “A b—billionaire?” I ask. “Are you serious?”

  “As a heart attack,” he replies. “But that’s a story for another time. What I need you to do now is sign the contract.”

  He takes my hand and moves it to the tablet, causing me to briefly come to my senses. This is something a lawyer should be here for, but I sign it anyway. It’s almost like I’m watching myself do it. For some strange reason, I feel like it’s the right thing to do – like I’m safe in his hands.

  Somehow I know that Caleb would never hurt me.

  When I’m finished, Caleb slaps the cover on the tablet shut, sets it aside, and looks down on me with a look that lets me know exactly what he’s thinking: he owns me now. I expect him to kiss me, but he doesn’t. He takes my hand again and leads me
from the office.

  “Where are we going?” I ask. We’re walking straight toward an enormous abstract painting on the wall, swirling lines of blues and orange.

  “I have to go over your position with you, don’t I?” he asks.

  He stops in front of the painting, presses a hidden button in the frame, and the entire thing swings open to reveal a hidden elevator. The door slides open, and he pulls me inside. It’s just large enough for the two of us. He presses the B button and I feel a slight lurch in my stomach as the elevator descends. My stomach is already twisting itself into knots though, so it’s no big deal.

  I feel his eyes on me the entire way down but don’t have the courage to look at him. This is all happening so fast. Yesterday I was worried about where my ma and I were going to live, and today I’m working for a billionaire for more money than I could ever imagine.

  Who knew?

  The elevator stops, and the door slides open to reveal a lavish garage filled with luxury cars. I don’t even know the names of any of them. The only one I recognize is a lime-green Lamborghini, and that’s only because I saw it in a YouTube prank video once.

  “These are the cars you will be driving,” he explains as he leads me out of the elevator. Rows of soft lights click on above us.

  I’m buzzing like I’m filled with electricity. Caleb’s grip is strong on my wrist, and I just naturally follow him as he leads me from car to car, explaining what each one is, when he uses them, and what I should be careful of when I drive them.

  But to be honest, I’m not really listening. I know what’s on his mind, and I’m just waiting for it to happen. But the longer he continues to talk, the more I wonder if it’s really going to happen. Is it possible that yesterday’s kiss was just a slip-up on his part? A mistake? A man like Caleb must have countless women. Maybe he was just horny or wanted to show me that he can have whatever he wants, and then went home and had an orgy with a squad of models.