Sharing the Billionaire (Billionaire Ace #1) (4 page)

Damn he’s already touching her.
Any feelings of arousal I had instantly went out the window.

“We are going to have a lot of fun ladies,” Ace said. “Tonight we’ll be having a moonlit dinner and then, if you’re both good, we may just take a dip in my hot tub.”

“What are we going to do until then?” I asked. Ace turned and gave me a funny look, like I had stepped out of line.

“Well first you’ll get situated in your room and then you’ll talk with your friend you brought. After that you’ll do confessional about the jet ride. After that it should be time for dinner, right?”

“Sounds exciting!’ Cookie said. “I can’t wait to see my friend Angela, it’s been too long.”

“Wasn’t she there when I came to visit you last night?” Ace asked.

“Well yeah, but we do everything together.” She ran her hand up and down Ace’s chest, barely touching him through the fabric of his suit. Her eyes narrowed, locked with his. “Everything.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, laughing.

I’m finished,
I thought for the umpteenth time in the last two days. Cookie was so carefree and seductive, already promising a threesome with her best friend. I was as close to a prude as they came these days, the only action I got was my lesbian relationship with Rosy Palm’s five sisters. Maybe Ace didn’t want a whore that was going to throw herself at him and then I remembered the girls he showed up on the red carpet with. Cookie might as well have been a clone of them.

I quickly downed my Cape Cod and looked out the window while the two of them laughed like horny high school kids. Twenty five thousand dollars wasn’t so bad though.

Chapter 5

They never disclosed the location of the island to me; instead we just landed on a tiny airstrip surrounded by tall grass. I stepped out of the plane to the sounds of the breeze gently waving the palm trees and the howling of monkeys. The air smelled wonderful, it was so clean and fresh compared to LA. I could’ve stripped naked and run into the grass, never to be heard from again, if I had wanted.

“Welcome to paradise ladies, otherwise known as Ace Island,” Ace said, stepping off the jet in front of us. I was the next one onto the steps while Cookie lingered behind to check her hair and makeup.

“Seriously?” I blurted out. “You have your own island?”

“I actually have three,” he said, his eyes dead serious.

“Are you the world’s richest man?” I asked, laying it all out.

He began to laugh as I slapped my hand over my mouth. Was this a violation of the agreement I had signed? Did I just ask him about his personal life?

“No not at all,” he said. “Bill Gates and Amancio Ortega still have the leg up on me.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, looking at the ground. “I shouldn’t have asked. That was inappropriate.”

“Please Amy, don’t let the lawyers scare you,” he said, putting his arm around me and leading me away from the jet. I could feel myself starting to get turned on again, if only every man had this power in his touch. “Just relax and be yourself. If yourself is to say whatever pops into your head then by all means say it.”

“Oh my god!” The shrill scream jolted both of us and we spun around, expecting the monkeys to be carrying Cookie away. No such luck, instead she was standing at the bottom of the steps bouncing up and down in her heels. “This place is amazing! I can’t believe it!”

“I’m glad you like it,” he said. “It’s my favorite of all my islands.”

There was a small dirt road where the runway came to an end. I saw dust kicking up from the road as a Rolls Royce pulled onto the runway and began speeding towards us. It was the finest car I’d ever seen in person. To me it was special, but to Ace it was probably one of hundreds. I kept my mouth shut and my awe over the car hidden. I had to blend in and not seem like a stupid poor girl.

Ace was eyeing me suspiciously as I watched the car rolling up to us. “Do you like my car?”

“It’s beautiful,” I said, looking at the beautiful tan and chocolate two tone paint.

“It’s one of my favorite cars,” he said. “I’m glad you like it.”

A short, squat driver jumped out of the car and immediately opened the door for us. We climbed into the back with Ace between us.

“Check it out Ace; you’re the cream filling in our Oreo!” Cookie said. I was mortified that she was being so sexual already; this appeared to be her strategy. She was going to get Ace to think with his head alright.

“Well I guess I am. How appropriate with a girl named Cookie.”

We didn’t speak much on the car ride; we were too busy looking at the sights out the window. The car was perfect inside, not a speck of dust anywhere to be found. I quickly realized it was a classic model Rolls Royce, but it looked brand new. Outside the car I viewed the lush undergrowth that surrounded the road, dotted with brightly colored birds. It was a twenty minute ride to our living accommodations and the silence began to feel awkward after a bit.

I turned to look at Ace, he was staring straight ahead. His focus was amazing; he never took his eyes off the road ahead, even though the driver was perfectly capable.

Cookie’s mouth never closed the entire ride; it hung open like a horny boy picking up his first Playboy. At least there was no sound coming out of it.

The undergrowth finally gave way to a large compound in front of us. There was an armed guard at the gate, awaiting our arrival. He didn’t appear to be American; it looked like Ace contracted his security detail out.

“Welcome back Mr. Pearson,” the guard said, with a thick Hispanic accent, as we drove by. Ace rolled down the window and gave him a polite salute. Were we in South America? I was sure of it, until the head of security opened our door and let us out. He was a tall black man with a stone face and beady eyes.

“My name is Dikembe,” he said. “I am the head of security. Please listen to my team’s instructions at all times. There are wild animals in these jungles around us and they will attack humans. Please do not exit the compound, especially at night. If you must leave the compound then security will escort you.”

“Thank you for your hard work Dikembe,” Ace said, stepping forward and shaking his hand.

“Are you ladies ready to get a little rest and unpack?”

“I sure would Ace!” Cookie said, sounding like a living cartoon.

I decided we were still in South America even though Dikembe was from the Congo or Nigeria or somewhere over there. I felt bad not knowing for sure.

We were staying on a large compound that had a security building in the distance, but a large resort like building right on the beach. Each of us was given a cabin that opened onto the beach, like something of a fantasy. They were far enough apart too that I didn’t have to speak to Cookie.

As I walked through the door of my cabin I was instantly greeted by Tracy who was waiting for me on the couch.

“You made it Amy!” she said, running over to hug me. “I can’t believe we’re here. This is insane!”

“You made it here fast Tracy,” I said, looking around the cabin. It was all made of wood with a beautiful thatched roof and island paintings adoring the walls. The furniture was light, but comfortable.  “Where are you staying?”

“Here with you silly!” Tracy said. Oh boy, she was going to be here with me at all times. We were either going to be best friends or I was going to nail her chipper ass to the wall.

“How many bedrooms does this place have?” It didn’t seem all the big on the outside.

“Three. There’s the master for you, a smaller one for me and then a tiny office that they’re using as the confessional. They told me they built the cabins especially for the show!”

“Well I’m supposed to do a confessional soon I guess, but I need to relax for a minute.”

“Of course girl,” Tracy said, putting her hand on the small of my back and leading me towards my room.

“They were just finishing dropping off your clothes when you got here. I’ll be out here if you need me. They want to film at least thirty minutes of us talking.”

“Ok that sounds good,” I said, shutting the door behind me as I entered the room. It was a flimsy little thatched door, anybody could kick it down. Hopefully this wasn’t a horror movie and a raving psycho wouldn’t try to burst in on me. Then again, Tracy was staying in the room next to me so maybe the psycho would come through the wall.

I immediately made my way to the closet, throwing it open to see what they’d left me. The closet was filled with dresses, skirts, tops and bikinis. I pulled a few out and looked at them, they all seemed to fit.

“Damn these people are good,” I said out loud.

I quickly changed from my aww-shucks sun dress into a flowing white skirt and a black top that showed off my girls well enough. The dress was nearly ankle length but that was ok, Ace had gotten a good enough look at my long legs.

You’re not going to win this competition based off sex appeal anyway,
I thought as I studied myself in the mirror. Cookie had it all: she was kinkier than me, more willing to discuss sex than me and would probably go farther than me. Plus she had all the qualities men looked for these days: fake tan, fake tits, no brain. I assumed she had no brain; it was the vibe she gave off.

I took the god awful pig tails out of my hair and grabbed a blue flower to replace them. I thought I looked damned cute, but not exactly “rough fuck me on the edge of the counter” hot or anything. Still, some guys liked cute, but I was pretty sure Ace wasn’t one of them.

I exited my room to see Tracy sitting on the edge of the couch with a bottle of wine. “How about we celebrate making it on the show? We’ll both get exposure out of this!”

“You’re right, I hadn’t thought of how it’d help you too,” I said. She was getting a lot out of this too. The plucky friend that was always there for me, it might take off.

“So how was the plane ride?” She leaned in her eyes wide with anticipation. She really was interested in what I had to say.

“It was pretty amazing. The jet was huge on the inside with all kind of plush furniture and a full bar. Ace served us drinks and got to know us a bit. Well actually, he didn’t really get to know us. His questions were pretty generic. It was hard for him to talk with Bambi and the Wonder Twins in his face.”

“Is she a skank?” Tracy asked bluntly.

“I don’t want to speak badly about someone that’s not here but yeah, total skank.”

“I knew it!”

“She’s throwing her tits in his face and talking about threesomes with her friend. I can’t beat her if that’s the game.”

“Why not?”

“I’m just not a kinky person.”

“You aren’t? I can help you with that you know. I’m a freak between the sheets.”

“Thanks, but I prefer to win this off my own merits. I can’t pretend to be someone I’m not.”

“You’re an actress, that’s the definition of your job.”

She made a good point, one I hadn’t really thought of. “I mean I could do that, but I’d feel diryt winning this show that way. Besides, Ace told me to be myself.”

“And you want to do whatever will make Ace happy?” She was reading me like a book.

“Well when you put it that way I sound like a dumb, submissive little girl. It is true, I have had a crush on him since I was a teenager. That man can get me wet instantly just by talking to me and looking at me. I’ve never met someone that has a power over me like that.”

“It’s call chemistry girl.”

“I don’t know how much chemistry I could have with a man I just met.”

“It happens.”

“Not in my experience.”

“Have you ever had sex?”

“Once,” I said, looking at the ground. “I prefer not to talk about it.”

“Oh ok,” Tracy said, looking at the ground.

“You didn’t know,” I said. “It’s the reason why I haven’t had a boyfriend in three years. I just don’t trust men not to be complete scumbags.”

“Then why are you on this show with Ace? He’s not exactly the warmest and inviting man in the world.”

“I think you’re wrong about him. I think there’s someone different behind the public persona.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know if I’ll find it out through this show. They told me our dates after the show ends would all be for well...show.”

“That’s a drag to find out.”

“Not for me,” I said, gulping the rest of my wine. “I don’t think I’m ready for a grown-up relationship. I couldn’t commit to marry someone without love like they do on these TV shows.”

“That’s pretty admirable to hear these days.” Tracy had a pretty warm smile on her face, the first time she’d appeared human and not some robot programmed to be happy.

“Thanks Tracy. I’m glad you think so.”

“This might shock you Amy, but I don’t have a lot of friends.”

“You? No way.”

“It’s true, I don’t know anyone here. I had a ton of friends back in Texas, but I left them to follow my dream. It’s been tough to meet people; they think I come on too strong.”

“Well you do. I hate to break that to you.”

“I know. I’ve tried to force these things my whole life. But, what I’m trying to say is….I’m really glad you brought me along for this. I think we can be good friends someday!”

“Well you certainly seem comfortable talking to me,” I said. She was already spilling her feelings to me or did she do that with everyone?

“You’re easy for me to talk to. I feel like we’re the same person trying to make it here.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

We made small talk, mainly things we thought would look good for the camera. We trashed on Cookie some more and talked about how hot Ace was. Soon enough it was confession time.

The confession room was tiny, no bigger than a jail cell. There was a wicker chair planted in front of a camera. I sat down and picked up a microphone which clipped to my top. Unlike the other rooms in the house this one felt cold, uninviting. I took a deep breath and began to spill my guts about the jet ride.

Chapter 6

I imagined dramatic music playing as a narrator with a deep voice, like he had a pack a day habit, announced my arrival at dinner. Maybe that would be the case or maybe they’d just come back from commercial break with me at the table. Whatever the case, I was the first one at dinner.