Behind the Dragons (Book 4 of Billionaire Bad Boys Series)

10

Naomi placed the paper bag on the counter as did the two desk clerks that helped her bring up her groceries. She thanked them and walked them to the door, but they both hovered like they expected something. They probably wanted a tip. She didn’t have any money. Naomi searched her dance bag for some pocket change but couldn’t find any. She didn’t know what to do. As a waitress, she knew how lousy it was to walk away without a tip.

She checked every pocket and turned up nothing. She was flat broke after buying the groceries. She didn’t know what to do. Just then Brandon stepped off the elevator and looked surprised to see the clerks at his door. His surprise quickly turned to concern. “What’s going on?” He asked rushing into the apartment to find Naomi. He looked her over and then looked at the clerks. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine.” She assured him. “I just bought some groceries and these men were helping me bring the bags in.”

His concern quickly turned to annoyance. “You went shopping? You were supposed to come right home. How can I keep you safe if you go gallivanting around town?”

“I wasn’t gallivanting; I was grocery shopping. You have no food. How do you live with no food in the house?”

One of the clerks cleared his throat awkwardly, and Brandon took out his wallet without thinking and handed them both a twenty and they left. Brandon returned his wallet to his pocket and shut the door making sure the lock was in place.

“I go out to eat, and when I need something at home, I send out the help. I don’t go to the grocery store myself and neither will you. Send the help, that’s what the help is for.”

“I’m not going to send someone to do what I’m perfectly capable of doing. It was just grocery shopping, Gus was with me the whole time.”

“I’m going to fire Gus; I gave him very explicit orders to take you to school and back nowhere else.” He said going into the kitchen and fishing through the bags. “What is this stuff?” He said holding up a package of wonton wrappers in one hand and rice noodles in the other.

“It’s food.” She said taking them both from him. “You cook it and eat it. Eating out is expensive, and you can’t fire Gus I made him take me, he didn’t want to do it.” She said starting to put away the food she bought.

“I can afford to eat out.”

“Well, we’re not all rich.”

“While you stay with me you will abide by the rules I set forth.” He snapped.

“Oh really, when did I become a prisoner?” She asked with her hand on her hip.

“You’re not a prisoner, but it’s not safe out there for you right now.” He sighed and began to help Naomi put away the food she’d bought. “Look let’s try a different approach to this situation. Consider your stay here a vacation from the real world; consider this place like a hotel. You wouldn’t go shopping when at a hotel. You’d order room service.” He said opening a drawer and taking out a large number of takeout menus. “There are a million places in this city that deliver. Everything from classic American to authentic Indian; whatever you may be craving.”

He must be crazy. “I don’t have that kind of money to order takeout every time I get hungry.”

“I got that problem solved too.” He said returning the menus to the drawer and opening another right next to the kitchen. Naomi had never seen anything like it. It was a false drawer. It was a hidden safe. Sort of like a cash register. He punched in a code and lifted the top to reveal cash and credit cards from small bills to large denominations. There had to be a few thousand dollars in the safe. “The petty cash drawer.” He said with a smile.

Naomi’s brow furrowed with question and disbelief. “This is your petty cash drawer?”

“Yep, there’s a drawer like this in every house we have.”

“You have more houses than just this apartment?”

“My family has homes all over the world, and when any of us are in one of these many locations, we stay in the properties instead of a hotel. Every one of them has a petty cash drawer that my parents have replenished each month.” He explained.

“Your parents still pay for your lifestyle?” She asked curiously.

“They take care of certain things but make no mistake I pay my way. Since taking over this place as a primary residence, I replenish my petty cash drawer.”

“I can’t take your money.” She said continuing with her task. “I’ll just grocery shop and cook my meals.”

“You got more money?” He asked knowingly.

“No.”

“How do you intend to get more if you can’t go back to work?” He had a good point; she had no other source of income. “Just use the petty cash; I insist that’s what it’s for.”

She supposed she could keep track of what she spent and repaid it when she was free to work again. “Ok, but at least let me clean.”

“I have a service for that. The girl comes three times a week.” Of course, he did. Why wouldn’t he have a service, he was clearly too busy to clean up after himself.

“There must be something I can do to earn my keep.” She said. “I know I can cook for you. I’ll make dinner.”

“I ate just a short while ago.” He said his hand over his firm flat belly. “I’m full. I had a late lunch with my Mother.” He then smiled. “She was very interested in you.”

Naomi shut the fridge and turned to face him. “You were talking about me?”

“Well, you came up when she asked about Kobee.”

“Why was she asking about Kobee?”

“She’d seen the newspaper headlines. Anyways I told her you went to Juilliard and she was asking about the performance in January and wanted to know what role you were in.”

“I don’t have a role yet; auditions are a few weeks away. But I’m hoping to land the lead.”

“Are you that good?” He asked with a quizzical look.

She certainly hoped so. “I would like to think so.” She said with a smile.

“Why don’t you dance for me?” He suggested, placing his hand to the small of her back and ushering Naomi to the living area where there was more space. “I’ve seen enough ballets to spot someone with potential. He said taking a seat on the couch, his arms draped over the back. “Let’s see what you got.”

Well, she supposed she could, she still had on her tights. “There is no music.”

Brandon reached for the remote on the coffee table and pressed one of the many buttons turning on the stereo behind her. He quickly changed the music to something appropriate. A popular musical score from a well-known orchestra. Naomi kicked off her runners and kicked them out of the way she then took the first position and began her practice routine. She pranced and spun around the room while Brandon watched his attention never wavered.

When she finished, Brandon clapped. “Beautiful. Elegant. You dance like an angel.” His praise brought a smile to her face. “If you don’t get the lead it will be a great injustice.”

She was glad he thought so. Naomi took the seat next to him on the couch. “Will your Mother be scouting the performance?”

“Personally.” He said with a grin.

“Do you think she’d like my dancing?” She asked leadingly. She had a real advantage knowing Brandon. Unlike the other dancers at the school, she knew someone that could put in a good word for her with one of the top companies in the country.

“I think if you dance like that she will notice you.”

Naomi bit her bottom lip timidly. “Do you think I could meet her?”

His happy expression turned to one of uncertainty. “I don’t think me introducing you would be the best idea. She might get the wrong idea about us.”

“Oh, you don’t want her to think we’re an item?” She felt a little insulted. What was wrong with her? Looking around his place, she knew exactly what was wrong. She wasn’t good enough to fit into his world.

“It’s not that there would be anything wrong with you and I being a couple, well actually there is it would be unethical, but even if it weren’t it would be a bad idea. See my Mother can get a little overprotective when it comes to her boys and women. You have a much better chance of getting signed if she thinks we’re not a couple. If she thought you and I were, you know, she’d flip out and hate you for no better reason then you simply had the misfortune of dating one of her precious boys. I’ve seen it happen a million times.”

He had one of those mothers. The kind that thought no woman would ever be good enough for her son. Perhaps she was right in this case. Naomi wasn’t good enough for Brandon. Their worlds couldn’t be more different. Naomi didn’t fit into Brandon’s wealthy elitist world. Still, it would have been nice if even for a moment he liked her the way she liked him.

For a brief moment, his intense gaze held hers and Naomi thought she saw something in his eyes that she’d never seen there before, a heat that she had seen before in the eyes of men but never thought she’d seen Brandon’s. Then he looked away and awkwardly cleared his throat. “So, what would you like to do tonight?” He asked casually.

“Oh, don’t worry about me I’ll stay out of your way if you have business to attend to.” She knew he was a busy man and probably brought his work home with him. There were only so many hours in the day, and she had the feeling he used every one of them.

“I’m taking the night off. I won a major case today, and I want to unwind with a friend and tonight you are that friend.” He said patting her on the knee. “I have an idea. Let’s have some wine and take a soak in the hot tub.” He suggested as he got up.

“I’m not twenty-one.” She reminded him.

“When do you turn twenty-one?” He asked coming to his feet.

“Six months from now.”

Brandon flashed Naomi a wicked, mischievous smile. “Well if you don’t tell anyone I won’t tell anyone.” He winked at her. “Go put on your swimsuit.” He said heading for the stairs. “I’ll meet you in the hot tub.”

Hot tubbing with Brandon, Naomi couldn’t breathe. He would be undressed next to her. She would be undressed next to him. Naomi headed up to her room and found her bikini. It was a little white suit with a halter top and short boy shorts bottom. She quickly changed and looked at herself in the mirror. She’d never felt more self-conscious then she did at that moment. She adjusted her top and tried to give her small breasts a boost. Oh, how she wished she could fill her suit out better than she did.

Naomi took her bun down and ran her fingers through her long dark hair trying to give it a little body, but it fell flat. She couldn’t measure up to the beautiful women in his life. It would be so nice if he looked at her with interest; but why would he? Deciding she couldn’t do anything to make herself look better, she headed downstairs.

Brandon was already out on the balcony. He’d started the hot tub jets and, on the side, sat a bottle of white wine and two glasses. Naomi came to a standstill when she saw Brandon. He was wearing a pair of dark blue long swim trucks with a black stripe on the sides. He had his back to her at first. The trunks seemed just to hang off his narrow hips. He was bare from the waist up, and his back was well toned as were his arms, he could have easily passed for a man that worked hard all day instead of the desk jockey she knew he was.

When he turned around Naomi was breathless, he was male perfection. Right down to the coveted six pack abs that eluded most men. When he turned to look at her she couldn’t help but notice he sucked in a sharp breath and held it for a moment, his eyes raked over her, and for a second, he looked stunned, but he quickly regained his practiced composure.

Brandon picked up the wine bottle and poured two glasses. “Have you ever had wine?” He asked trying not to look at her the way he first had.

“My father let me have sake once.”

“This is dessert wine from a farm on Vancouver Island. It’s peach, do you like peaches?”

“I do.” She smiled accepting the glass he offered her. Their fingers touched, and it felt like a jolt of lightning leapt between their fingers. Naomi smelled the wine first. It was very fragrant. She took a sip and was pleasantly surprised; it was sweet. “It’s very good.”

“I like it.” He said slipping into the hot tub. He sunk into the hot water with a smile and a sigh. “The water is great, come on in.” He suggested taking a sip from his glass. Naomi stepped into the hot water and sat adjacent to Brandon. She felt awkward sitting here with him drinking; she perhaps drank too fast. “Slow down, in this heat the wine will go right to your head.”

She just smiled; she was very uncomfortable sitting here with him. She was trying not to look him in the eye. She’d never been alone with a man like this before. She’d never been alone with any man before. Nice girls didn’t do this sort of thing. Her parents would be mortified if they knew what she was doing.

“You seem uncomfortable.” He noted.

“I’m not used to this sort of luxury.” She confessed.

“You need to relax you’re too tense.” He said sipping his wine. The corners of his delectable mouth turned up in a crooked little grin. “Have you ever been alone with a man before?”

Oh dear, he had her figured out. “Of course.” She lied.

“Your father and brother don’t count.”

She couldn’t fight the smile curving her lips. “No. It’s cultural. Nice girls don’t hang out alone with unmarried men. It brings dishonour to their family if they get…” She couldn’t even finish her thought.

“Deflowered?”

“Yeah.”

He laughed. “I think you’re lying to me again. I find it hard to believe a pretty girl like you hasn’t been alone with a man.” He said with a playful wink.

Naomi tried not to laugh; he was messing with her. “I’ll have you know I’m a nice girl. Besides I’m not pretty.” She said looking into her glass.

“I think you’re very beautiful.” He said with all seriousness.

Naomi looked up and their gaze met. Was he serious? Did he think her beautiful? “Now you’re the one that’s lying. I’m flat and shapeless.”

“I like your shape. I think you’re sexy.” He confessed.

She didn’t know how to reply; she couldn’t blame his confession on the booze he’d only had a few sips unless he had a few with lunch, but he didn’t smell like he’d been drinking. There was a long lingering look that hung between them. There was a smoldering in his eyes, and she almost believed him.

***

He couldn’t believe those words had come out of his mouth. He had only meant to think it, but now that it was out he couldn’t take it back. Seeing the smile that curved her lips he didn’t want to take it back. His gaze drifted to her lips, so full and soft they begged to be kissed. How bad he wanted to kiss her lips, to pull her soft body against his own, to feel his flesh against hers. To run his fingers through her long dark locks.

Sitting here the way they were it was becoming increasingly harder to deny the way he felt. To deny what he wanted. He wasn’t sure he could continue to abstain. All he could think of at the moment was getting Naomi beneath him. Caressing her body and kissing those lips. The worse part about his outburst was he couldn’t even blame it on the wine. He was completely sober.

Naomi was staring at him, and he felt the need to backtrack. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“I think you’re sexy too.” She blurted out with a shy timid look in her dark eyes. What an interesting development. “Can I ask you a personal question?” She asked awkwardly. He nodded yes and took a sip of his wine running his game of seduction through his mind; thinking of all the possible moves he could make and all the ways she could react to them. “Why don’t you have a girlfriend?”

He considered his answer. He could tell her what he was sure she wanted to hear, or he could tell her the truth which could shine him in a bad light. Deciding to go with the truth he put his glass down on the edge of the tub and looked her in the eye. “I’ve just never been serious about anyone.”

“So, you haven’t been with a lot of women?” She asked leadingly.

“I wouldn’t think so.”

“How many women would you say?”

“Not many.” He said thinking it over. “Two or three a year since I was fifteen.” That sounded right.

“Thirty?” Naomi asked with shock.

Thirty that didn’t sound right, “No it’s not that many,” he said doing the math in his head, but he couldn’t find any flaws with her math. Maybe it was thirty. Wow, the number even shocked him. “Actually, yeah I guess so.”

“You’re a whore.” She said annoyed.

He could see why she’d think that. In her world such behaviour was unacceptable but, in his world, Brandon was considered very reserved. He knew men that had bedded triple digits. “We can’t all be saints.” He said.

“I’m not a saint.” She said defensively.

And there was his way in. Did he play his position or let it slip through his fingers? He was a red-blooded man and his instincts kicked in. “You’re a nice girl. You said so yourself. I bet you’ve never done anything naughty.”

“I’m sitting here with you aren’t I.”

Brandon just chuckled. “This isn’t naughty.” He said with a challenge.

“Like you know anything about being naughty. You’re a boy scout.” She countered.

Her confident smile amused him. She didn’t know his family’s reputation very well. He was the offspring of the Son of Sin. Bad behaviour was in his blood. Though his mother was a saint and nurtured Brandon and his brothers hoping to make them better men, sometimes nature trumped nurture. Now was one of those moments.

He felt his lips curve with an evil smile he often tried to hide. Brandon picked up his glass and drained it dry then returned it to the edge of the tub. “Drink up darling you’re falling behind.” He said taking the bottle and refilling his glass. He watched as Naomi lifted the glass to her full lips and began to drink. Brandon moved closer and placed his fingers to the bottom of her glass and tipped it higher encouraging her to drink it all in one shot. “That a girl.” When she lowered her empty glass, he was quick to refill it. This time he was generous filling her glass to the brim.

She looked at the full glass and then back at him who was already lifting his to his mouth. She watched him shoot it back like it were a shooter then he watched as she slowly lifted her full glass to her lips. She paused briefly watching him watch her and then she followed his lead and drained the glass in one shot. Naomi was so naive this was going to be way too easy.

When her glass was empty, he quickly refilled it draining every last drop from the bottle. He had more if need be but he didn’t believe it would be necessary. Three glasses for a lightweight like Naomi should be enough to get what he wanted. Booze he hated to resort to it but it was the easiest way to get between a woman’s legs, and after all his hard work he was looking for something easy.

He drank his wine and inched closer to Naomi until he was seated side by side, his arm draped over the edge of the tub around Naomi’s shoulders. He twisted in his seat, so he was facing her watching her drink the rest of her wine. “Are you enjoying the wine?”

“It’s very good,” she said placing the empty glass on the edge of the tub beside them, “didn’t we drink it a little fast?”

“Depends? How charming do you think I am?” He asked with a smile that made her giggle. That’s what he thought; she was just the right level of drunk. Drunk enough to give it up but sober enough that it wasn’t taking advantage of her.

Now it all boiled down to this, the first kiss. Brandon caressed her face and looked deep into her dark eyes. He could see the heat in those dark pools, a mirror of his desire. Brandon leaned in closer, and her eyes fluttered shut when his lips met hers. His lips grazed hers ever so lightly, but he felt a jolt of energy shocking him. When her lips parted to his tongue, Brandon’s arousal peaked. Her head tilted slightly to allow him better access to her lips. It was a sweet taste of victory like none he’d ever experienced before.

He’d kissed many women, but none had ever felt this right. When she began to kiss him back, he lost his head and pulled her into his lap his arms wrapped around her holding her against him. Her arms twined around his neck as she returned his kiss with eager delight.

He was lost in the moment but only for a moment when a thought accrued to him. Was she kissing him because she wanted him or because she wanted him to keep defending her brother? Was she doing this out of desire or did she feel like she couldn’t turn him down? Suddenly his conscience was eating at him effectively killing his desire.

Brandon eased Naomi off his lap and pulled away. She looked confused by his sudden rejection. “Did I do it wrong?” She asked her eyes searching his.

Brandon suddenly felt rotten. He was manipulating her, and it wasn’t right. “You did nothing wrong.” He said climbing out of the hot tub. He reached for a towel on the nearby shelf and wrapped it around his waist. “I’m sorry I should have never kissed you.”

Naomi climbed out of the tub and reached for a towel. “Then why did you?” She asked wrapping the towel around her. “Why tell me I’m sexy if you’re not going to do anything? Why kiss me if you’re going to pull away?” She was annoyed with him, and she had every right to be.

“I’m sorry, I know its mixed signals, but I can’t go through with it. I like you, Naomi, you’re a nice girl, and under different circumstances, I’d be all over you. Unfortunately this is unethical. I can’t go to bed with you knowing that Kobee stands between us. I’ll never know for sure if it’s happening because you want it to or you’re just afraid I won’t represent your brother. I can’t have that kind of power over you. It’s just not fair.” He said regretfully. “I have an early day. I’m going to bed.” He said and left Naomi where she stood.

***

Naomi watched Brandon walk away. Things had changed so fast, from friendly to s****l to rejection all in a matter of moments. She stood on the balcony alone wondering where things had gone wrong. Naomi didn’t understand men. She had a feeling he was trying to get her drunk but then had changed his mind once he reached his goal. Her head felt light and groggy from the wine. She would have been willing to do almost anything he had wanted.

Maybe it was a good thing he had changed his mind. She wasn’t thinking clearly at the moment. She might very well have done something she may have later regretted. Deciding to pretend like nothing happened Naomi went to bed. Like Brandon, she had an early morning.