"I'll see you at work, Yanna. Take care."
Constantijin answered before I could. "I always take care of what's mine."
"I'll believe it when I see it---sir."
Constantijin stiffened. "If you are saying that I cannot fucking take care---"
Drake was already walking away, but he said over his shoulder, "That's not what I'm doubting."
I choked, a second too late in realizing what that meant. Alyx was even worse, laughing outright as Constantijin cursed in fluid Dutch.
Alyx's eyes suddenly narrowed. "You will take care of her, won't you?"
"With everything I have," Constantijin answered, his words strongly accented. It made me blink back tears.
An impish grin appeared on her face.
Uh-oh.
"Alyx, don't---"
"And you will take care of her that way, too, right?"
"ALYX!"
Constantijin lifted a brow at me before glancing back at my friend, his tone curious as he asked, "In what way?"
Alyx slowly started backing away, which was smart of her because if she had been close enough for me to reach, she'd be, like, totally under six thousand feet by now.
She said airily, "Oh, you know, like sex?"
Constantijin coughed.
"She's still a V, but I'm sure you know that and I'm equally sure you know what to do with it."
Lesson #4
Your billionaire knows a billion ways to please your body,
but he will not want to know that he has also pleased your heart.
Over my admittedly weak protests, Constantijin had booked us into the penthouse suite of the nearest five-star hotel to the station, which was literally a block away. The limousine dropped us at the basement parking level, where the manager – his name tag said so – waited for us, next to the hotel's private lift.
"Mr. Kastein, everything has been arranged according to your specifications." He bowed, his eyes never straying towards me even though I was pretty sure he was dying of curiosity why a billionaire had a female inmate in his arms.
Constantijin had still insisted on carrying me in his arms, like he wanted to atone for being late by treating me like a spoiled princess. It was embarrassing, of course, but it was also poignantly sweet.
"Thank you. Make sure we are not disturbed."
"Yes, Mr. Kastein." The manager bowed then swiped his card on the elevator.
The doors slid closed.
Feeling his heated gaze on me, which made me feel jittery, I said hurriedly, "Is this a new hotel?" I had lived all my life in Florida, but I hadn't even known this one existed until now.
"No."
"What's its name?"
"It doesn't have one."
This time, I frowned in exasperation. "I'm serious."
"And I'm not either, schat."
Oh, God. The way he said that word – which I still hadn't managed to look up – made my whole body shiver. And the damn man knew it!
"But---"
"You need to have at least one billion dollars in your account before you are sent an invitation by its management. It is how it keeps its clientele exclusive. Even if you were a client before but your bank account now is a dollar shy from a billion, then you would not be admitted here."
My jaw dropped – well actually it had done so the moment he said you had to be a billionaire just to be a hotel guest.
"This building has ten floors – and there is only one suite in each floor, except for the penthouse suite, which has the top two floors."
"You're totally pulling my leg."
"You may explore the entire hotel---" He paused.
I tried not to squirm since that pause seemed the type you should be waiting for.
"After I finally take what's mine."
I'm not going to ask him what that is. I'm so not going to---
It was hopeless.
Glancing away, I asked breathlessly, "And that's?"
His lips touched my ear, and his whisper set my body on fire. "Your virginity."
Constantijin only let me down when we entered the suite and I immediately held on to the first solid thing that could support me, which was a pole.
A pole?
My head jerked up, and I gasped when I realized that I was holding on to one of the steel bars of an unlocked human-sized cage. It was large enough to incarcerate a team, but its vast size probably had more to do with the actual dancing pole it had at the center.
I heard Constantijin shut the double doors closed behind me, and then the lights went out, making me gasp as the entire room was plunged into darkness. A second later, and another set of lights came back. The pole dancing cage glittered like a neon rainbow, while at the center of the suite a crystal heart-shaped chandelier showered golden light all over the place.
"What the heck is this place?" I whispered. I could only blink at our surroundings, just plain overwhelmed at how stunningly beautiful it was in an outrageously hedonistic fashion.
Lush tapestries covered every inch of the walls and ceiling, an exquisite but horribly expensive way to turn the suite into a soundproofed haven. Each panel of tapestry depicted a different sexual encounter, albeit tastefully rendered, like a vividly colored and lushly illustrated Kama Sutra with needle and thread.
There was no living room – or at least in the traditional sense. At one end of the room, under billowing curtains of gossamer, silk, and velvet, an expansive throne sparkled in black and gold. Pillows encased in shimmery fabrics of every color surrounded it, a harem that patiently waited for one to rule and another to submit.
At its side was a balcony, the biggest one I had ever seen in my life, a paradise of palm trees and flowers, swings and gazebos, and manmade waterfalls and ponds that looked deep enough for people to swim in.
My dad was by no means poor. He earned his first million the moment he graduated from college, and his wealth had only grown by leaps and bounds after that. But he clearly wasn't in Constantijin's league. Right now I sort of understood why even someone as obviously wealthy as Brittany could be fascinated with the wealth that this man represented.
Constantijin took my hand again. "You like it?"
"Yes." I said it even though I felt like by doing so I was admitting to liking something else – something similar to what the walls and ceilings were silently singing.
He smiled. "There's more."
Past the throne room – or at least that was what I thought it was called – was a hallway of doors, opposite a magnificent glass wall that boasted the best skyline views. Each door held a magical surprise – a library with twenty-foot-tall shelves, a glow-in-the-dark bowling room, a private theater with its own stage, and it even had its own bar and restaurant with a waiting barista, chef, and a pair of servers. The list went on and on, but there wasn't much time to really take it all in, not when we reached the end of the hallway.
Constantijin opened the last door, and the first thing I saw was a sweeping staircase. A little further in and I gasped, realizing that the staircase led to the suite's bedroom – which encompassed an entire floor.
My gaze fell to the bed – circular in shape, as enormous as a children's carousel, its headboard an intricate work of gold-plated steel. The covers and pillows were in red velvet while the sheets were in gold.
I didn't see the rest of the room. I couldn't. The bed had me gulping, and in an instant I was vacillating between breathing heavily in excitement and breathing not at all because I was too nervous.
"Constantijin---"
"It's time, Yanna." And then he wasn't letting either of us speak.
His lips demanded unconditional surrender from mine, his tongue sweeping in like a bold and conquering force that laid claim to my mouth. Dimly, I heard several ripping sounds and then I was gasping again when I realized we were both down in our underwear.
Constantijin lifted me up in his arms once more as he descended the stairs swiftly and then climbing another set to reach the bed. He laid me down gently, and I quickly scrambled up to a sitting position. Just for a moment I could only stare at him in fear. I wasn't afraid of him. I loved him. But I was afraid of this – of what was about to happen.
The bed was at least ten feet from the ground, and the knowledge led to a dizzying sensation, something that was as surreal as the thought of having this man want me so much he would lash out with such virulence whenever he thought I didn't want him back.
Kneeling in front of me, Constantijin held my face between his large and gentle hands. "Don't be scared, sweetheart."
"I can't help it," I whispered shakily. "I keep remembering the things my parents told me and..." I dealt his body a dubious look and winced when his cock actually twitched against his briefs. "We don't seem a good...fit?"
A bark of laughter escaped him. "You're seriously worried?"