The Billionaire's Gamble (13 page)

Four weeks later, Sabrina was floating on cloud nine as they traveled back from Europe together on Zeke’s private plane. They’d spent a week each in London, Rome, Venice and Paris. Sid showed her around the amazingly beautiful sights of the city, fed her fabulous foods and exquisite wines. But the nights were the best. Each night, Sid took her into his arms and showed her how to make love in so many ways she had lost track. Each moment with Sid was more amazing than the one before and Sabrina was completely, helplessly in love with her new husband.

Each morning, she would wake up to find a small jewelry box on the pillow beside her. Sid was usually gone from the room but she could always hear him talking on the phone or typing on his computer. She would pick up the jewelry box and open it up and each piece was more spectacular than the one before.

One morning when he gave her an incredible diamond necklace, she threw on the peach silk robe and walked out to the hotel terrace where he was sipping orange juice and reading the newspaper. “Sid, you’ve got to stop this,” she said, laying the box on the table beside the pot of coffee.

“Stop what?” he asked his eyes moving up her slender body to see underneath the sensuous silk robe she was just belting. But he pulled her down onto his lap instead of letting her sit in the chair beside him. He nuzzled her neck and tossed the paper onto the table. “Kissing you?” he suggested.

She wriggled deeper into his lap, throwing her arms around him. “No. Not that,” she said, shivering as his mouth moved to her ear lobe.

“What would you like me to stop doing? This?” he suggested, his hand moving from her waist to her breast, pushing the peach silk aside as his thumb flicked the hardened nipple, making her groan in response.

“No,” she gasped.

“You’re going to have to explain, Sabrina. I’m running out of ideas on what you don’t want me to do,” he said and slid his hand beneath her silk robe. Without any effort, he lifted her up so she was straddling him instead of laying across his lap. “I want you to be open with me. Tell me what you don’t like” he said. He pulled the silk off her shoulders easily, leaving Sabrina completely naked in the early morning sunlight of their Paris balcony.

He reached behind her, fumbling with something as his mouth captured her breast in his hot mouth. A moment later, she felt the coolness of the diamonds and platinum against her bare skin as Sid latched the diamonds around her neck.

“You look stunning,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “You should always wear diamonds to breakfast.”

Sabrina sat across his legs with nothing on but the diamond necklace. She watched him in surprise as he ran a finger down her stomach, sipping coffee nonchallantly.

“What are your plans for the day?” he asked as if he were discussing the weather.

Sabrina shook her head, shivering with need and not sure exactly how to get him to finish what he’d started. “Sid?” she asked, her hands moving to his bare shoulders. He was only wearing silk boxers at the moment but she licked her lips as she reviewed her options. “Please!” she begged.

“Please what?” he asked, his fingers trailing down her thighs, then up the inside, stopping just before he reached the core of her being.

She could feel his erection and knew that he was just as aroused as she was but still too embarrassed to tell him what she wanted. But he was going to force it out of her and a part of her was excited by that as well. “I want…” she started only to falter and bite her lip in embarrassment.

Sid took pity on her and leaned forward again. “Tell me,” he said. “Or show me. I want you to know that you can say anything you want,” he explained.

 

He lifted her up and quickly discarded his silk boxers. “Show me Sabrina,” he encouraged.

 

A moment later, she heard the harsh intake of his breath as her soft hands tentatively captured his erection. “Anything?” she asked.

 

“Absolutely,” he said between clenched teeth. “Anything that you’d like.”

Sabrina slipped off his lap and bent down between his knees. Taking him into her mouth carefully, she tested him, tasted him, enjoyed the power she currently had over him as she did to him everything he’d been doing to her. It wasn’t long before she was hauled up, back onto his lap but her legs were on either side of his thighs now. “You’re a fast learner,” he said a moment before he entered her, strong and powerful. Sabrina watched in fascination as she controlled the pace for as long as he’d let her. Then he took over, clasping her hips, moving her in ways she’d never done before, reaching the heights of orgasm quickly and with complete satisfaction before she collapsed onto his chest.

“I think you need something to wear with that necklace,” he said when their breathing had finally stilled.

She laughed and shook her head. “No I don’t,” she replied. In the end, he won the argument. They spent the rest of the day shopping for clothes for her. It was wonderful fun as they walked into the various boutiques and while Sid sat in a chair, Sabrina was led to a dressing area and items were brought to her for her review. She would then show off the outfits to Sid who either nodded or shook his head, depending on the outfit. It was a very different experience from her other shopping experiences and she was amazed at how their tastes in clothes were so close. Until it came to the underwear. Sid pulled her into the store before she knew what they sold and as soon as she saw the lacy apparel, she tried to pull him back out, her face red with embarrassment even as the salesperson strolled confidently up to them.

It was another case where Sid could sit in a chair while she modeled the items but Sabrina absolutely refused. So instead, Sid chose all of the clothes, picking up lacy, see through, delicate items that both excited and embarrassed her. When they reached their hotel that night, she did model them for him, one after another until he pulled her down beneath him and made love to her, tearing the thin scraps of material off her body in a storm of passion.

Their four weeks of honeymoon in the fashionable places of Europe was one of her dreams come true and she was so grateful to Sid for giving her this time with him. She was flipping through a fashion magazine on their final flight to Las Vegas. Sid was on the phone and she was paying more attention to his conversation than to the words in the magazine. She loved even hearing his voice. It was so strong, masculine and confident as he gave instructions to his staff.

There was only one thing that had marred the past month. said that he loved her, or even cared for her. She knew he cared. many ways. But he never said the words.

Sabrina watched him for a few minutes across the plane. Sid had never once He showed her in so

She knew going into this relationship that he didn’t love her and she had to make her love enough for the two of them. So why was she now letting the absence of the words make her feel bad? How could she learn to live with what he could give her and not want more?

He hung up the phone and looked up at her, smiling slightly and crooking his finger for her to come over to him. She instantly complied, loving the way his hands instantly reached for her and pulled her down into his lap instead of letting her sit down in the chair next to him she’d originally been moving toward.

“That was a very serious expression on your face. What were you thinking about?” he asked.

Sabrina laughed, delighted that he had been aware of her, even when he wasn’t looking. That meant something, didn’t it? It meant something more than just a physical need, she thought. She translated that to mean they had a mental connection, even though it might not be emotional. Yet.

“I was thinking about how decisive you were. It’s impressive,” she explained, her arms wrapping around his neck as his hands settled her hips onto his lap, then one hand sliding down her thigh over the silk of her slacks.

“Hmmm….” He said, but nothing else on that subject. “I have the forms for you to fill out to change your name on your credit cards and social security,” he said a moment before his mouth captured her ear lobe between his teeth.

Sabrina inhaled and shivered. “No need,” she said, turning more to him.

 

Sid pulled his head up slightly to look into her eyes. “What do you mean? You’ll have to fill out the forms in order to get your name changed.”

 

Sabrina looked at him and realized he was serious. “I’m not changing my name,” she said, sitting up slightly.

Sid obviously didn’t like the sound of that if the anger that appeared banked in his eyes was any indication. “Sabrina, what are you talking about? You’re my wife. Of course you’re going to change your last name.”

Sabrina pulled herself out of his lap and took the seat next to him, needing to put a little space between them. She’d known this would be a battle with someone as dominant as Sid tended to be. It was one of the reasons she hadn’t worked very hard to bring it up. Oh, she’d tried on several occasions but when something distracted either of them, she didn’t come back to the subject immediately. Now she’d have to deal with his questions and get him to understand her point of view.

“Why would I do that?” she asked, only a little intimidated by his stern expression. She knew he got angry but he always held his temper in tight control. “There’s no reason for me to change my name. Besides,” she smiled gaminely, “I’m actually saving you money by not needing to change my business cards,” she explained.

“Business cards? Why would you change your business cards? You’re my wife. You don’t work anymore,” he said.

Sabrina gasped. “Are you firing me?” She stood up and walked across the plane. This was a whole different issue than simply changing her name. The name change issue was completely under her control and she wouldn’t give in on that. She would maintain her own identity but Sid had control of her job. It wasn’t fair, but life wasn’t always fair, she knew.

Sid looked back at her, obviously confused by what was brewing up to be a bigger argument than he was expecting – but he hadn’t been expecting one at all. “Firing you? Why would I do that? You’re going to give up your job. I already have several people lined up to interview for your position.”

Sabrina turned back to face him, feeling hurt and betrayed. “Sid? Why would you have done that to me? You’re firing me for no reason.”

Sid stood up and walked over to her, turning her so she was facing him. “This is a ridiculous conversation. You’re my wife. You have absolutely no need to work. I’ll take care of you so you definitely don’t need a separate income.”

She pulled back, the hurt too deep. “What about if I want to work? I love my job. You didn’t tell me that marrying you would mean that I wouldn’t get to do it anymore.”

 

“What the hell are you talking about? Of course you won’t work anymore. You can spend your days shopping and getting the house ready.”

There were so many things within his latest statement that caused offense that she picked up on the least offensive and latched onto it. “House? What house? What’s wrong with the penthouse you already have?”

He put his hands on his hips and glared at her as if that question were completely ridiculous. “It’s a penthouse. We can’t raise children there,” he said firmly.

She had to give him that. “Yes. That’s true. But we’re not having children for a while so what’s the rush? Why can’t we just stay at the penthouse where everything is convenient? Or if you want more privacy, we can just take my house off the market. It’ s small, but not too small for the two of us.”

Sid put his hands on his hips and faced her, his irritation apparent. “There is no rush. I just assumed that you’d want to get the house ready before you became pregnant.”

Taking a deep breath, Sabrina tried to regain a modicum of patience. “I think there are several things we need to talk about. We sort of rushed into this marriage but there’s no reason we can’t discuss each other’s opinions and come to some sort of compromise.”

Sid nodded. “I agree. The compromise is that you’ll stop working, change your name and become a real wife.”

Sabrina bristled at his autocratic tone but she bit her tongue, hoping to make him see reason. The phone rang, interrupting her next comment though. He picked up the phone since it was the internal line. He listened for a moment then nodded his head. “Thank you,” he said and then hung up the phone. “That was the pilot. We’ll be landing in Vegas in five minutes. We need to take a seat and get our seat belts on.”

Sabrina exhaled, glad for the distraction. “Fine,” she said and took her original seat, farther away from him.

They landed without incident but the moment they were on the ground, Sid’s cell phone started ringing and since he’d been out of the office for a month with her, she didn’t resent his need to check in with his office. She leaned back against the leather seats of the limousine as it carried them through the streets of Las Vegas. They arrived at the private, underground parking lot, then were whisked up to the penthouse suite via Sid’s private elevator.

“Sabrina, I have to get down to the office. There are things I need to go over. Let’s discuss this over dinner. Okay?” he said, taking her hand in his and pulling her against his hard body.

“That would be fine,” she said, not wanting to continue the argument but also not willing to give in to him either. She had her own ideas and wasn’t going to give in to his autocratic, cave man mentality.

“Make yourself at home,” he said. “I think your clothes will probably be delivered by now. Just move any of my clothes around to make space for yours.” He kissed her hard on the mouth before releasing her and leaving her alone.

Sabrina watched him leave, admiring the way he held himself with so much confidence.

Standing alone in the quiet, enormous penthouse, she thought about what her next move would be. Crossing her arms over her stomach, she considered her options. She could either give in to his wishes and that would maintain peace in their relationship. Or she could ignore his demands and do what she felt would be right for both her own state of mind as well as the long term needs of their relationship. Should she give in and take a stand later on? Or start as she meant to continue?

There really was no option. She knew what she had to do to maintain her own sense of self-worth. There would be fireworks, she knew. But Sid would just have to see reason.