Billionaire Temptations: Rich, Ruthless & Obsessed

Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Emerson

After seasoning the steaks, I threw them on the grill and started to cut up some vegetables.

“Where are you off to next?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I’ll have to look at my map.”

“Your map?” His brow arched.

I told him that I’d be right back, and I went to my room and took my map from underneath the bed. Walking into the kitchen, I laid it out on the counter.

“See these red circles? Those are the places I have already visited. The ones in black are where I still have to go.”

“You and your sister did this?”

“Yep. We had been working on this map since we were ten years old, circling all the places we would visit. It hung on our bedroom wall, and whenever we had an idea or thought of a place, we’d circle it on the map.”

He looked at me and smiled. “That was a great idea the two of you had, but I still don’t understand why you have to visit all these places now. Why not spread them over your lifetime?”

“Because, Alex, you never know when your time will be up. Never stay in one place too long. There’s too much beauty in the world to see.”

“Well, it looks like you’re going to have to slow down since your money is running out,” he spoke as he poured the wine.

“I’ll find a way.” I smiled.

I made the salad and took the steaks off the grill. Alex shocked me by setting the table on the patio.

“I didn’t think you knew how to set the table.”

“I’m not that incapable of things. I do run a multi-billion-dollar company, after all.”

He still was in his sweatpants and no shirt. Staring at his rock-hard chest and eight-pack was getting to be unbearable. The ache between my legs was getting out of control knowing what the man could do to me.

“I think what you’re wearing is inappropriate, and you should go change.”

He gave me a blank stare. “What?”

“You have no shirt on, and it’s inappropriate. Please go put on a shirt before we sit down and eat.”

The corners of his mouth curved up as he walked over to me and ran his thumb across my lips.

“You didn’t seem to be complaining when I was on top of you totally naked.”

I gulped as I remembered that night and what he did to me.

“That was different. We were having sex. We’re not having sex now, so please go and clothe yourself.”

“Fine. I will. But don’t be surprised if later, the clothes come off.” He winked and walked away.

My stomach fluttered at the thought. I set dinner on the patio, and a few moments later, Alex walked out wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a short-sleeve polo shirt.

“Better?” he asked as he held out his hands.

“Yes. Much better.”

As he sat down at the table, he looked around. “Where’s the salt?”

“No salt. It’s bad for your blood pressure. Starting today, I’m going to make sure you eat properly.”

“Shit. I love salt.”

“You’ll learn to live without it. So, since I told you my life story, I want to hear all about Alex Parker. How the hell did you become a billionaire by the age of thirty?”

“How did you know how old I was?”

“I Googled you.”

He raised his eyebrow and gave a small smile. “Why?”

“Because I needed to find out who the stranger was that my brother was sending me to stay with. And by the way? What sort of brother does that?”

“He obviously trusts me.” He chuckled.

“Big mistake on his part.” I smiled.

“Apparently, after what happened the other night.”

I laughed. “Go on, tell me about yourself.”

“I came from money. My grandfather started the company, my father took over when he died, and I did the same when my father passed away.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know he passed. How long ago?”

“It’s been about five years.”

“And what about your mom?”

“She and my father divorced when I was seventeen, and I haven’t seen her since. She moved to Hawaii.”

“Oh, nice. I mean, not nice for you, but Hawaii is nice. I was there for about four months. I loved it.”

“Of course you were,” he spoke as he cut his steak.

“May I ask why you haven’t seen her?”

“She was the reason they got divorced. She had met someone else and left him. I don’t like the guy she’s with, so I never bothered to keep in touch with her. She didn’t even have the decency to attend my father’s funeral.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Nah, don’t be.”

I could hear the pain that resided in his voice as he spoke about her.

“So, you inherited the company. Were you ready to take over?”

“I sure was. The board didn’t think so and thought it would be best if I waited a few more years, but I stood my ground and showed them I could take the company further. That’s when I invested in some hotels, made a national chain, and made the company billions.”

I held up my wine glass to him. “Congratulations. I’m very proud of you.”

He tipped his glass to mine. “Thank you, Miss James.”

“Tell me what you do for fun. Because since I’ve been here, you don’t do anything but work.”

“I have sex with beautiful women. That’s what I do for fun.” He smirked.

Ouch . For some reason, that stung. The thought of him being with other women sent a fire burning through my veins.

“Besides sex, you nympho. Do you have any hobbies?”

“I golf.”

“Of course you do.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He glared at me.

“You’re a corporate billionaire, and they all golf. I bet you conduct business on the golf course too.”

“And what if I do.”

“Ha!” I pointed at him. “I knew it. Typical corporate man!”

“I don’t appreciate being stereotyped like that.”

I rolled my eyes. “Then step out of the ‘corporate man’ stereotype and do something different.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Think about it and get back to me.”

He chuckled. “Okay, like I have time to do that.”

My light and fluffy mood changed to seriousness. “Alex, I’m serious. You had a health scare today, and you need to slow down. You’re so fucking filthy rich that you’re set for life. You don’t need to keep going at the rate you are. Life is too short to live that way. You need to let go and discover who you are outside of the corporate world. Relax and have some fun.”

“You mean become irresponsible with life like you? No thanks.”

Fuck . Did he really just say that? It was nice to know what he really thought of me.

“I’m not irresponsible, Alex.”

He laughed. “Come on, Emerson. Yes, you are. You travel around the world without any care or responsibility. You don’t take life seriously. Isn’t that why Adam forced you to come back here? So he can end this irresponsible life you’re living?”

Burn. Burn. Burn. Who the fuck did he think he was?

I set down my fork, took the napkin from my lap, threw it on my plate, and pointed my finger at him.

“This is my life, and nobody tells me how to live it. I have no regrets about how I’ve lived because I’ve been to hell and back a thousand times over! So you can shove your irresponsible words up your ass, Parker.” I turned on my heels and stormed into the house, went to my bedroom, locked the door, and threw myself on my bed. I refused to cry.