The Tycoon's Proposal(8)

"Are you insane? Do you know how difficult it is to find work?" she demanded of him.

"That was a crap job and you know it. I did you a favor," he said. His tone of voice said he really did think he'd done her a favor. She rolled her eyes at him and sat back in the car, crossing her arms across her chest and glared out the window. She had no idea where he was taking her, or even what to say to him.

Ryan watched her, as she did her best to pretend like he wasn't even there. He was irritated by her, acting as if he'd committed some crime, when what he'd done, was help her out. She was much better off without an unsafe job and she'd soon be thanking him. He grinned, as he thought about how she could thank him properly.

He was irritated by how much he desired her. He'd wanted her more than life itself when they'd been teenagers but they'd both been far too young and had never cemented their relationship. They'd certainly done some heavy petting but he'd never taken her and made her his. He was ready to rectify that. 

The car pulled up to his gate and slipped inside for the long ride up his private driveway. Nicole seemed to tense more, as she realized they weren't on the main road anymore.

"Where are you taking me, Ryan?" she demanded to know.

"To my house, so we can finish our chat privately," he simply replied.

Nicole looked at him nervously. She'd been in no way prepared to step into his house. It was truly his domain and she didn't want to leave the vehicle. The driver pulled up to the massive home and opened the back door. She stubbornly sat there, refusing to exit the vehicle.

"You can get out and walk in, or I can carry you," Ryan said to her. The driver said nothing and Nicole knew Ryan wasn't bluffing so she reluctantly exited the car and followed him toward the house.

He opened the front door and she stood there in shock. She knew Ryan was incredibly wealthy but if she hadn't, the sheer size of his home would've clued her in. She didn't understand why he would possibly need a place so large. The entryway alone was bigger than the house she'd grown up in. She looked around in awe and desperately tried to tamp down her reaction.

Ryan watched her trying to contain her amazement and smiled to himself. He was no longer the poor kid who hadn't been good enough for her. He felt great at what he'd accomplished. He'd worked hard for everything he owned and he was in a position now to have anything he wanted. And currently he wanted Nicole.

Nicole was suddenly so exhausted she could barely even stand, let alone walk the long hallway they were traversing. The house seemed to be endless but she placed one foot in front of the other, as she followed him deeper into the home. Finally they rounded a turn and he led her into an inviting room with a warm fire crackling.

She didn't ask him permission. She simply walked over to the comfortable looking sofa and got off her aching feet. Soon a woman walked into the room and placed a tray near her, which had a steaming cup of coffee on it, along with cream and sugar. She doctored up a cup and took a revitalizing sip. It was pure heaven. She hadn't had such good coffee in forever.

Before she realized it, the entire cup was gone and Ryan was taking it away and placing a new cup in front of her. She prepared the coffee the way she liked it and sat back, sipping more slowly on her second cup. She didn't know what was in it but her eyes were feeling even heavier than before and her body was in a complete state of relaxation.

"Are you feeling better?" Ryan asked, snapping her out of her trance.

"This must be decaffeinated because I'm having a hard time staying awake," she answered him.

"It has a shot of rum in it to sooth your nerves," he answered, with a slight nod. Nicole was irritated with him for doing that without her permission but the liquor was doing its job and she felt too relaxed to yell at him. "I need to make a call, so we will talk when I get back," he said and left her alone in the room. Nicole breathed out a sigh of relief. She wanted nothing more than to simply relax for a few minutes before they had the conversation.

She knew she needed to ask for his help with her sister and she was more confident he would help but she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to handle whatever he wanted out of her in return.

She was beginning to think he was going to want his pound of flesh in return. She shuddered, as she sat back and closed her eyes. Her mind drifted back to the awful day so many years before.

She'd been sixteen years old and he was eighteen. They'd dated for about a year and she was head over heels in love with him. That had been the summer things had gone to hell with her family. Her father had always been abusive but he'd worked full time and she'd managed to keep Ryan away from him. Her mother had been around but not much of a parent.