The Gift, Book 3 (The Billionaire's Love Story) (9 page)

“That’s not what I meant.” She said, looking away. Then, “Naomi?”

“Is that your question?”

“You said you’re not with her?”

“She's a high-class call girl and I pay her for sex.” This secret that he hadn’t divulged to anyone up until this moment, now tumbled out of his mouth easily. Savannah’s mouth fell open, drawing his full attention to her lips which he so badly wanted to savor.

“Anything can be bought, Ms. Page, even you.”

She slapped him hard across his cheek, catching him completely by surprise, his heart giving a huge THWACK! against his ribcage. Excitement exploded along his bloodstream and he pulled her to him. She pulled back, the expression on her face one of horror and excitement—in that micro-second of emotion, he couldn’t tell. But he refused to let go.

“You disgust me,” she whispered, but she stopped pulling back and her dark, hooded eyes stared back at him, and not in anger either. If this was disgust, she had a strange way of showing it.

“You’re so turned on. I can tell by the way your eyes are so dark. You want me, Ms. Page.”

She panted in response and the stiffness in her wrist vanished. Emboldened, he slipped his arm around her waist, and inched her closer until her breasts rested against his chest. Silent, she stared at his lips, her mouth parted, and this time he couldn’t hold back.

“Do you know how much I want you?”

She licked her lips, her mouth an invitation he could not refuse. “I want to flip you over right now and take you hard against this desk.” He didn’t think, with Savannah Page, he
felt.
And the moment he said it, the moment he revealed his baser emotions to her, he saw a flicker of anticipation behind her eyes, more than anticipation, it was one of want.

She let out a soft moan, then trapped it, her eyes glistening. God help him, but when she licked her lips for the second time, it wasn’t with fear, it was with excitement. He’d bet his bottom dollar on it that if he slipped his fingers inside her panties, she would be soaking wet. Unable to hold back or think cautiously, his hand moved slowly towards her face and he traced a line around her mouth with his thumb, heard her breath, slow and long, like one of pent-up frustration being released, and took it as a sign. He leaned forward, and pressed his lips gently over hers. She sighed as their soft lips melted together and he felt her fingers rest lightly along his biceps.

She fell into his kiss but he had to keep his wits about him even though he’d dropped his CEO mantle the moment she had walked in. He wasn’t so careless that she might slap a lawsuit on him so fast for harassment. But her soft body fell against his, and the kiss that started slow and sensual, as their lips and tongues slid softly, feeling and caressing, soon turned into electric-white heat. She pressed her body hard against his, and her kisses turned urgent, like passion unleashed, her tongue lashing hard against his as if she hadn’t tasted such kisses for a long time. Soft moans, hungry moans fell from a place deep inside her; he didn’t so much as hear them as he felt the vibrations of them.

He wanted to claim her here and now, but he knew he had to bide his time. She had already set him on fire and he wanted more, but all in good time. At least he now had his answer, whether she felt the same way. Her lips, her body, her soft moans of delight all told him that she did.

But the dizzying moment suddenly stopped. She pulled back, her eyes glistening with excitement, her lips swollen and wet.

“Not everything can be bought, Mr. Stone.”

When she turned to leave, he was so hard, so taken aback, that he could barely move or speak.

Chapter 12

She had made out with the CEO.

Tobias Stone had touched something inside her that she had long buried and forgotten about. The softness between her legs was evidence enough of how badly she had wanted that kiss.

She staggered into her room and leaned against the closed door, catching her breath and letting the delicious feeling of excitement calm down. Her breasts had peaked, and she closed her eyes, living out the fantasy of his mouth sucking them hard. She had felt these strange undercurrents between them and now she knew he felt them too. She had been excited, more than eager and a little intrigued when he’d called her to his office. A flame spreading out from her lower belly and warming each inch of her body the whole time they had talked. Something had happened between them, but she couldn’t pinpoint it down to a direct moment, or a day, or a conversation. Not only had he infiltrated her mind and dreams, he now crept into her thoughts during the day.

Tobias Stone wasn’t one to show his emotions, or lose control, and the fact that he had done so, made her think that the desire she had started to feel for him wasn’t only hers.

But this fleeting moment of madness she’d shared with him, unlike anything she’d experienced before—oh dear God, she wanted more of it.

She dropped her head to her chest, breathing deeply. She knew he wouldn’t come after her, even though she wanted him to. She turned crimson at the thought of his words and with her eyes closed tightly, all she could think of was him thrusting into her as she bent over his desk—the way he said he’d take her. Losing her mind along with her senses, she half-wished he had carried out his desire.

She wanted to go to him at this very moment. Wanted him to do what he had threatened to do. But she could not. It was wrong. Or was it? Reveling in the afterglow of her excitement, she heard her phone vibrate on the desk and rushed to answer it. “Come quick!” Rosalee screamed. “Jacob is ill. I’m in the ambulance with him now.”

“What?” It was as if her heart had slipped through her stomach and fallen to the floor. “I’ve been calling you.” Rosalee sounded scared. “Come to the hospital. Hurry!”

Savannah grabbed her coat and her bag and fled.

~~

She rushed out of the taxi and barreled the main entrance doors of the hospital, rushing to the ward where Rosalee had told her they were. Jacob lay on the bed with a mask over his face. Her insides hardened like concrete at the sight of her sick child lying with his eyes closed and the oxygen cylinder beside him.

“Oh, baby,” she moaned, holding his hand tightly. His eyes lifted as he looked at her, unable to talk. “What happened?” she asked Rosalee.

“He was fine when I picked him up from school. We went back to my apartment but I noticed he was coughing and then he started to wheeze, as if it was getting difficult to breathe. I told him to take his inhaler but it didn’t seem to help. One minute he was watching TV and the next moment he was fighting to breathe. I was scared and called 911, and then I called you but you didn’t pick up. I tried so many times.” Savannah closed her eyes and tried to picture the scene of her boy fighting to breathe. And she’d been in Tobias’s office, doing other things.

A doctor entered the room and gave her a solemn look. “He’s going to be fine, Ms. Page. He’s in good hands now. Young Jacob’s asthma quickly worsened to the point that the inhaler wasn’t having an effect.”

“He’s been coughing and I didn’t pay too much attention.” Savannah murmured. It was her fault, she should have kept a closer eye on him.

The doctor walked over to Jacob and smiled. “It’s fairly common. His lungs are congested and we want to get them clear so that he won’t have any problems breathing. He should be good to go in a few days’ time.”

She looked horrified. “A few days’ time?”

“The mucus has been building up for some time. The inhaler wasn’t working as effectively. When was the last time a doctor saw his asthma care plan?”

“Not for a year. He’s been fine.”

“Asthma can creep up quickly, you and he need to keep an eye on triggers. I think it’s a combination of the lingering cold and the weather we’ve been having that have probably made things worse.”

“Does he need stronger medication?”

The doctor nodded. “We’ve increased his dose for now and we’ll continue to monitor it while he’s here. I think the inhaler he has is fine and I’m not keen to increase the dose ongoing but he hasn’t been using his inhaler when he should have and so the problem had been made worse when perhaps it could have been prevented.”

She opened her eyes. “Are you sure? He’s usually good at that.” She looked at Jacob who had closed his eyes. Guilt smacked her hard across her face. She should have checked, instead of taking Jacob’s word for it. He’d been coughing and his chest had sounded blocked but that was over week ago. He seemed fine lately.

“That’s what he told me. But don’t worry, Ms. Page, he’s going to be fine.” The doctor walked away from the bed and towards the door, motioning Savannah to follow. “Will your husband be coming?” She shook her head quickly.

“Could I have a word with you outside, please, Doctor?” She followed him out of the room and into the plastic blue and cream colored corridor. “Jacob’s father and I are divorced and it’s highly unlikely that he’ll come to see Jacob.” The doctor nodded, understanding. She was sure that in his capacity as a doctor, he had seen all sorts of stories and witnessed many similar scenes.

She inhaled deeply. “How much will this set me back?” The thought of it had been eating away at her stomach like acid. She was too scared to find out, but not knowing was worse. At least if she had a figure to work towards, then she could decide how to go about settling the final bill. “I want him to get well, and of course he’ll stay here for as long as it takes, and you give him all the medication he needs.”

The doctor smiled. “We always aim to.”

“I need a rough figure, Doctor.”

“Do you have government assistance?”

“No.” She could have kicked herself and wished that she had applied for it earlier. But no, she’d been so determined, so pig-headedly stubborn and stuck up about wanting to make a living for them both, that she had turned her nose up at any assistance, or form of welfare.

“How much, Doctor?”

“Let me hand you over to the nurse, Ms. Page, and she can answer any questions you might have,” was the Doctor’s diplomatic answer.

~~

Returning to the room, Savannah walked over to Jacob and gave him her widest smile. “We’re going to stay here tonight, Honey, and maybe tomorrow night, too.” She watched as he shook his head. “It will be fun,” she said, dismissing his sad face. “And before you know it, we’ll be back home. No school for a few days, no work for me either.” His face brightened. She gave his hand a squeeze and wanted to ask him why he hadn’t been using his inhaler. But that could wait until later. The main thing now was that he recovered fully so that they could go home.

She went over to Rosalee and sat down in the chair next to her. No words were necessary as she threw her arms around the woman and hugged her, holding on to her because she needed the comfort.

“I don’t know what I would do without you,” she said, moving away, and trying to put on a brave face. “I can’t ever thank you enough, Rosalee, for being there. For being there when he needed me. I’m sorry to put you to so much trouble.”

“Don’t you say anything more.” The elderly woman wagged her finger at her. “He’s fine, and he is getting better and that’s all we want.”

Savannah’s eyes moistened. “I’m so thankful that you’re here,” she whispered, looking at Jacob, who had closed his eyes. She fell back against her plastic chair, hard beneath her body, and as her head and shoulder drooped, she felt a warm, comforting arm around her shoulder. She leaned into it and Rosalee tightened her hold. “He’s going to be fine, and so are you. What else are friends for?”

She nodded and attempted to put on a brave face. “You go on home now, Rosalee.” She reached into her handbag and pulled out some bills. “This is for the cab ride home.” She thrust them into Rosalee’s hand but the other woman shook her head. “I’m taking the subway home.”

“You’re not.” Savannah was adamant. “I’ll call you a cab myself if I have to.” But still the woman refused to take her money.

Savannah wasn’t having any of this. It was bad enough that she’d come to the hospital, ruined her evening, and had picked him up from school. “Rosalee, this isn’t fair. If you help me, you must be prepared for me to help you.” She slipped the bills into Rosalee’s tightly fisted hand, forcing the woman to take the money. Rosalee kissed her on the cheek then blew a kiss in Jacob’s direction and disappeared, leaving Savannah in the dark and dingy room.

She was alone now with her thoughts, and the worry of mounting bills. The nurse hadn’t been able to give her an exact figure since they didn’t know how long Jacob would be in for, or what other course of medication he would need between now and his release. But the figure was ‘in the thousands’ already.

She didn’t have that kind of money lying around. She pretty much used up what she earned, give or take a few hundred dollars that she’d been trying to save. But she didn’t have hospital-stay kind of money, not when she was still paying off her credit card bill with the years of debt stacked up on it and suffocating her. She’d had two cards and had only recently got rid of one. Leaving another one, with almost ten thousand dollars of debt on it, for her to work through.

She watched Jacob sleeping and sought comfort in knowing that he was well and that he would be well enough to go home soon. She knew how fatal asthma attacks could be, and she closed her eyes and expressed thanks and gratitude that her son was alive and well. Everything else, she would think about later.