Mr. Big: A Billionaire Romance (10 page)

Chapter5

Determined to be successful in her endeavor to get Alexander into bed on their third date, Mia visited the salon again and had everything that she could have done, done. Her hair color was enriched; her hair was styled. She got a manicure and pedicure, she was waxed and exfoliated, rubbed and pampered, and when she left, she looked better than she had in years.

Her confidence boosted, she bought herself a new dress. It was made of fire engine red silk, with a strap over each shoulder, a gently arched V shape over her breasts, and from there it was gathered all the way down her waist to the hem that laid just above her knee. It was form-fitting to her body, offering subtle hints at all of the curves that were just beneath the smooth material. She knew she looked smoking hot in the dress, and there wasn’t another dress in her closet that made her look as good as the dress she was wearing.

If he could tell her no looking like she did that night, there was no hope for her. She was sure of it. She sprayed herself with a lightly spiced perfume that she hoped would leave him hungering for her, and she slipped white diamond earrings into her ears. She looked into the mirror and knew that there was nothing she had left undone.

Just as her assuredness had emboldened her, the doorbell rang and a flash of panic zipped through her like lightening. He was there and it was time. She couldn’t stop the thrills that tingled in her body or the happiness that bubbled in her more than any of the champagne that the two of them had shared together.

She took a deep breath and opened the door, looking up at him with as casual a smile as she could manage, though it grew a bit when she saw the momentary expression of raw desire on his face as he took in everything about her. He recovered swiftly and handed a bouquet of red roses to her with a barely controlled gasp and a smile.

“You look stunning. I…” he paused and drew in a long breath, “I love that dress.”

She could see by his smile and his eyes that he did indeed love it, and it made her feel as though perhaps she may just be successful in her endeavor that night. She was going to give it everything she had.

“Thank you!” she laughed lightly. “I like it too.” She put the roses in a vase and returned to him at the door. She noticed him stealing glances at her all the way from her door to the car, and even in the car as he drove her to his home. She loved every single second of it.

Alexander lived in a high rise building like she did, but as they entered his home from the private elevator that they used to reach it, she discovered that he lived in the penthouse. Her mouth fell open a little and her eyes widened in astonishment at the elegance and style that surrounded her as she stepped from the elevator car into his foyer. It was done in marble with gold metal fixtures, and a large crystal chandelier hung from the domed ceiling. It was easily the grandest looking home that she had ever been in, and she was completely amazed by it. Dark wood furniture graced the halls and rooms that she could see as she stepped down from the foyer into a sunken living room. The furniture was all in dark leather, and accents of cream and gold lightened the room considerably. The thick rugs placed over the marble floor were cream colored, as were the walls and ceiling. There was crown molding at the top of the walls and set into the ceiling as well, and a large chandelier hung in the living room, glowing softly.

She gazed around the room at the paintings on the walls, the vases and sculptures, and the grand piano in the corner beside a twenty foot tall glass wall that overlooked the vast stretch of Manhattan stretching out below the building.

“Do you play the piano?” she asked in curious surprise, looking at it. It was pristine.

He shrugged and smiled. “When I have time, which unfortunately hasn’t been too often lately.”

Mia bit her lip and looked at him with a shy sort of smile as her attention left the beautiful room she was standing in and focused more on the man who was standing in the middle of it watching her.

“So… I thought we were going out to dinner…” she paused, “not that I mind being here with you at all, but… are we going out to dinner?” she asked with a little laugh.

He chuckled and gave her a nod. “In a manner of speaking, we are going out to dinner, and we are staying in as well.” He walked toward her and she tipped her head at him in confusion.

Alexander held his hand out to her and she slipped hers into it. He twined his fingers with hers and walked her through the living room into a library that was walled with dark wooden shelves filled with books. There was a large desk with a Tiffany lamp on it, and an antique looking telephone. At the far end of the room there were two long leather sofas that faced each other, and in between them was a glass table with a gold base.

They walked through the library to a doorway and Alexander opened the glass door and led her through it. There was a deck with a spiral staircase, and he stepped aside and ushered her up the stairs in front of him. The air was cool, and the night was dark and inviting. She had no idea where he was taking her, but every step had shown her beauty she had never imagined, and she wanted to keep going.

As she reached the top of the stairs, there was a small gate, which was already opened. She stepped through it and found herself on the rooftop of the building, but the rooftop was unlike any other she had ever seen or imagined before. The entire rooftop was one enormous garden, complete with paths and walkways, fountains, trees, bushes, flowers, and a glass gazebo which had a raised roof and was built in the shape of an octagon.

She felt his hand on her lower back and she turned to stare up at him as he smiled down at her. “This is incredible! I’ve never seen anything like this!” she laughed in her amazement.

He nodded and shrugged. “Well, it’s hard to find a good place to put a proper garden in New York City, so I had to buy the penthouse so I could put the garden up here.”

She blinked. “You bought the penthouse so you could put a garden up here?”

Alexander nodded again and laughed as he took her hand and led her down one of the pathways that would take them to the gazebo. “I did. I like to have a natural peaceful place to get away from the madness of the world sometimes, but I don’t really want to get too far out of the city, so when I don’t mind being in public, I go to Central Park, like we did.”

They reached the gazebo and he ushered her inside. There was a table inside it, covered with a maroon cloth and set with fine china and crystal. Every thoughtful touch that could have been added to the table had been added, from the flowers in the center to the single piece of chocolate waiting for each of them on their plates.

“When I want something more private, this works best for me.” He added, finishing his prior statement.

Mia gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. “I can’t believe this!” she spoke barely above a whisper. “This is the most beautiful thing… I…” she paused, unable to finish her sentence as she looked at everything around her in the glass room. It was warm, and there were candles of varying sizes and shapes placed all over the room. There were vases of the same red roses that he had brought to her, each one set at different intervals on pedestals at the perimeter of the room. It seemed to her that it must be from some kind of dream.

“How…” she tried to ask, but he just pulled out her chair and gave her a wink.

“I thought we’d have a nice dinner up here. You enjoyed Central Park with me so much that I thought you might like it up here too.”

“I love it,” she answered with a wide grin as she took the seat he offered her. He sat near her at the table and reached for the bottle of champagne chilling in the bucket beside the table. He popped the cork and poured each of them a glass of it, and lifted his to her in a salute.

Mia loved the bubbles as they cascaded over her lips and tongue, and she grinned thinking about how the night was starting out. It was overflowing with romance, and she was sure that this was going to be the night that he finally made love with her. She could win the challenge, and then she could go to Italy for a long visit.

The only thing she hadn’t figured out was how she was ever going to get him off of her mind. He had somehow lodged himself in it firmly, and it didn’t matter what she did, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him, or dreaming of him. Mia hoped deep down that after the challenge was won, he would fade from her thoughts, but as she sat there with him, sipping their champagne and talking, she began to wonder if she really did want all of what they were sharing together to end when she had reached her goal.

A waiter appeared through the doorway and began bringing them their meal. Mia watched in awe as each course was brought in separately, and each one proved to be better than the last. She was certain that somehow she must be dreaming. The soft strains of a violin sounded and she turned to see a violinist with his instrument standing near the doorway of the gazebo, playing just for them.

When the meal was over and the table was cleared, Alexander took her hand and led her out of the gazebo back into the garden on the rooftop. He wrapped his arms around her and began to dance with her to the music that the violinist played. As he held her close to him, she closed her eyes and breathed him in. His scent was the same as it had been the first night that they had danced together, and it filled her mind with all the sweet memories of that night as they made new memories together, dancing on the rooftop together.

As the music played, he nuzzled his mouth close to her ear and brushed his lips as delicately as a feather over her skin. She drew in her breath and a smile formed on her lips as she closed her eyes and let her head fall back. Every place that his lips touched began to send waves of heat through her and with every kiss she wanted more. His mouth moved down the side of her neck until he reached her shoulder, and then he lifted his chin and brought his mouth to meet hers, pressing his lips against hers and tasting her softly and tenderly.

Alexander slid both of his hands to her back and pressed against it, drawing her snugly against him, and as he did so, she grew breathless, wishing that there was nothing between them. His kiss deepened and from deep in his chest a soft groan sounded, making her heart beat just a little faster. She let herself believe that this was going to be the night that they would finally be together, and anticipation began to burn through her.

“Mia….” He whispered her name against her lips as his mouth moved over hers. Her lips sucked and pulled at his sensually and he breathed her name again. “Mia….” A moment later he lifted his mouth from hers just a little way and gazed into her eyes as he held her close. “I’ve tried my best to resist you, to wait until we know each other better, and you just don’t make it easy at all. Being around you, being with you is becoming like a drug to me. I think about you so often when we are apart, and I just can’t seem to get you out of my mind.”

His confession made her smile. She was relieved that all of her efforts hadn’t been in vain and that she had just as much of an effect on him as he had on her. His hands moved from her back to her face and he cupped it, his expression growing serious.

“I know you’ve wanted to explore intimacy with me, but we held off. I don’t think I can hold back any longer. I don’t think I can wait to be with you. I want you to stay the night with me tonight. Stay here with me, make love with me…” He trailed off, his eyes pleading finally for what his body had needed with her, and what he had denied them both up until then.

Fire melted its way through her belly and thighs, spreading all throughout her body with a speed and intensity that she had never felt before with him or anyone else. She smiled at him and leaned up to kiss his mouth. “Yes… Alexander, yes,” she said quietly, and he let his breath out in a gush of relief. He kissed her in return for a long moment and then took her by the hand and led her back down the spiral staircase and away from the rooftop.

They passed back through the library again and the living room, and he took her to another staircase that led up to the second floor. There was a short hallway that ended in a double door. He reached for the handle and pushed it open. They walked through together and she stared in wonder at the luxury of the space where he slept.

Thick curtains hung over windows that spanned almost every wall of the room, and in the center of the room was an enormous bed. At the foot of the bed, a few feet from it, was a long low glassed in fireplace. It had already been turned on, and the room was warm, and the light from the fireplace danced and flickered along the walls and the bed. Mia saw that it made her red dress almost seem to glow, and she felt warmer on the inside of her dress than the fire that leapt and wavered before her.

Alexander walked with her to the bed and then turned to face her. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?” he asked quietly, looking intently into her eyes. In answer, she smiled at him and reached her hands up to the top of his shirt, fingering the buttons and pulling each one apart as she leaned up and pressed her lips to his.

He sighed almost inaudibly and reached his arms around her, holding her close for a long minute before she pulled his shirt off of him and then slipped his pants from his waist. He trailed his lips from her mouth slowly down her neck to her shoulder where he slid the straps of her dress off and then reached behind her back to where the zipper was, pulling it downward until the dress fell away from her body and she stood before him in nothing but her small red panties.