Chapter 15
Chapter fifteen
Felix
Walking into my office, coffee in hand, I gave my secretary Nikki a nod. She shot me a flirtatious look, nothing new of course. But I’d never led her to believe she was anything more than convenient sex.
She got over it soon enough, after being kicked out of my penthouse the morning after without so much as breakfast. Lesson learned.
There was only one woman I’d ever let close.
Maia Dalton. She came to me desperate—eyes rimmed red, voice small as she begged for a break at the bar.
I should’ve walked away. Instead, I bought her a drink, told her I’d help if she let me.
That was how it started. Promises. A bed.
A little attention. Tiny favors that bought me leverage.
She clung to me like I was her savior. But underneath it all, she was still using me. Taking my money, my time. And I let her. That mistake? I wasn’t about to make it twice.
Settling at my desk, I skimmed through emails and the day’s agenda. Uninspiring. A slow month ahead. No one was looking to borrow, no one eager to finance. My e-commerce department was holding steady, but the rest of the day promised nothing but tedious paperwork.
I flipped through the documents Nikki had left for review, but my brows pulled together when I saw a loan receipt with a familiar name.
Jaw tightening, I picked it up. Nikki had mentioned she’d stopped by weeks ago, and apparently again a few days back. Nothing unusual—she’d done that often enough before, begging for extensions, pleading for time. But this?
Two payments. Fifty grand each. One hundred grand total toward her uncle’s gambling debt.
I stabbed the intercom. “Nikki. In here. Now.”
She slipped inside quickly.
“What the hell is this?” I held up the paper, fighting to keep my temper measured.
Her lip caught between her teeth. “Sir, I—I informed you earlier this week that Maia—” she corrected herself under my stare “—Ms. Dalton stopped by to pay a substantial amount toward her uncle’s loan.”
“Obviously, this is more than substantial, Nikki. In her case, a substantial payment would be one grand at the most…” I muttered, leaning back in my chair and rubbing my face. Where the hell did she come up with this kind of money?
She sure as hell didn’t have a better job in this city… I made sure of that. And yet the receipts were real.
She came to me begging, and I let her in. Not because I cared but because I liked the way she needed me. The way she looked at me like I was the only thing keeping her world from collapsing. I was her problem and her solution.
I kept her dependent when she tried to pull away, quiet when I reminded her who held the leash.
And now she was clawing her way out with money I knew she didn’t have.
Glancing at Nikki, I sighed, “Let her make the payments. Soon enough, she’ll run out of money from wherever the hell she’s getting it, and it won’t be a problem.”
Nikki nodded and left.
I stared at the receipt a beat longer, rage simmering inside me. Not being able to control the little bitch got under my skin.
But don’t worry, Ms. Dalton. I had your family, your future, and you in my hands before. It won’t be hard to do it again.
Maia
“What do you want?” I heard Killian’s sharp voice through Blaine’s phone, and I had to stifle a giggle as he pressed a kiss to my neck while we lay tangled in bed.
“Something came up. I won’t make it to the airport in time,” Blaine muttered, casual as ever.
“How is it that you’re the one who told me this meeting in London couldn’t wait and your ass is not even close to the airport?”
I barely heard the rest, drowning in the heat of Blaine’s mouth trailing love bites down my chest. My laugh finally slipped free as he tossed the phone to the corner and leaned in to claim my lips.
“You’re so bad…” I whispered.
“And how’s that, Sunshine?” he murmured, hovering over me with that dangerous smile.
“Killian, Brielle, and Delilah are waiting for you at the airport, and you’re here in bed with me.”
“And I truly wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, Sunshine,” he muttered, pressing deeper until my soft moan filled the room. My core pulsing around him, my arms wound around his neck, my eyes fluttering shut as my head tipped back.
It was still early morning, and his excuse for denying me sleep was that there’d be plenty of time once we were on the plane—minus his promise of introducing me to the mile-high club.
By the time we finally tore ourselves from bed and into the shower, I was half-convinced he’d keep me there for another hour if we didn’t have a flight to catch.
Soon enough, I was curled up in the back of Blaine’s private car, heading for his private jet. Just saying those words made me giddy…and, honestly, made my “private” feel spoiled too.
Despite my lack of sleep, I buzzed with excitement, like a kid in a candy store. For once, I was free to be spoiled without paying for it later. Free to be my materialistic self without worrying about my uncle or the bills piling up. Not when my sugar daddy had everything under control.
Blaine scrolled through his phone beside me, his other hand possessively gliding up and down my inner thigh. My gaze flicked to the name on his screen, the one he’d been hovering over for minutes.
“Who’s Calvin?” I asked.
Blaine sighed, dragging a hand down his face before shaking his head. “He’s a fucking idiot.”
“Okay… and besides that?” I asked with a giggle before he slid his phone into his pocket and turned to give me his full attention.
“He’s the reason we’re going to London so early. He’s basically the bane of Killian’s existence, which, by default, makes him my problem too. Instead of running his own company, he spends half his time sticking his nose into everyone else’s business… more than I usually do.”
I nodded, biting my lip as he leaned over to kiss me.
“He’s also someone I need to hide you from,” he mumbled against my lips. “He could jeopardize our entire mission impossible to keep you my little secret.”
“You sure little Delilah isn’t going to do it first?” I giggled.
“Never going to live this down, am I?” he groaned.
“You’re the one who trusted a four-year-old.”
“Almost five…” he muttered childishly, and I broke into laughter as he shot me a mock glare.
Hearing that Delilah had practically shaken Blaine down to keep our secret was pure icing on the cake. I would’ve told Brielle myself, but with Killian already less than thrilled about me and Blaine, keeping quiet seemed smarter.
Eventually, we boarded his private jet. Instead of giving in to the sleep my body begged for, I wandered through the cabin.
The jet was all plush leather and polished wood, the kind of luxury that felt surreal.
Blaine lounged on one of the sofas, shirt undone at the top, whiskey glass in hand, looking as calm and collected as ever.
As I fiddled with the sleeves of my fitted jacket, the stewardess smiled politely. “Would you like me to prepare something for you, ma’am?”
I bit my lip, aware of Blaine’s eyes fixed on me as he took a slow sip of his drink.
“No, I’m fine, thank you.”
She nodded before she disappeared toward the kitchen, or rather the galley.
Blaine leaned back, lifted his hand, and crooked two fingers at me. His eyes had gone darker, heavier. My face flamed as I crossed the cabin toward him.
I was used to his charismatic, playful demeanor. But this—this tired, oddly seductive look—was different. He patted his thigh like an invitation I couldn’t refuse.
Don’t mind if I do.
Sliding onto his lap, I tucked a stray curl behind my ear as his hand drifted over my hip. “I did some digging… the other day,” he murmured.
My head tilted, curious.
“And unfortunately, your bank account seems to be missing the third deposit of fifty grand I made a few days ago.”
My stomach tightened. His gaze held me, waiting. And all I could think was: what the hell happened to the fun, quirky billionaire who worried more about his next meal than his sugar baby’s bank balance?
It was too easy to forget sometimes that this man was powerful.
That his resources reached far beyond a secretary who doubled as his babysitter.
He knew about my so-called bills. What I prayed he hadn’t uncovered was the truth—that my uncle was in rehab and I’d been blacklisted because I’d slept with his loan shark.
His finger slid under my chin, tilting my face toward his. I swallowed hard. “That’s… a bit invasive of one’s privacy, don’t you think?”
“I think you and I both know, Sunshine,” he muttered, his other hand gliding higher on my thigh, “that I don’t mind getting a bit invasive.”
That was smooth, Mr. Porter. I’ll give you that.
Before I could form a reply, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out something small and sleek that made my eyes widen.
“Since your allowance doesn’t seem to be enough—and you didn’t bother to tell me—we’ll do this a different way.”
I licked my lips, pulse quickening. “And how exactly are we going to go about this, Mr. Porter?”
“Rather than an allowance,” he drawled, “I’m giving you a spending cap. While I’m off with Killian getting my ear talked off in pointless meetings, your job is to try and hit that limit.”
His hand slid into my hair, tugging at my scalp until my neck arched, open to his teasing bites.
“How am I supposed to do that?” I asked breathlessly.
“You’ll figure it out, baby.”
A whimper caught in my throat as his eyes locked on mine, his smile dark and tempting, proud of how easily he had me unraveling.
“After that,” he murmured, “you’ll give me a little show. Let me see how pretty my baby looks when she’s spent every dime for me.”
I rolled my eyes at his words but kissed him anyway, my hands on either side of his face. He hummed, pulling me closer before flipping me beneath him against the cushion. His teeth grazed my neck, his grip firm at my waist as I squirmed and giggled, trying to push him off.
Of all the things I liked about Blaine, maybe the most dangerous was that he didn’t pry. He knew I was paying someone with the money he gave me, but instead of demanding answers, he just found ways to give me more.
These days… freedom looked a lot like black cards and private jets—and for once, I wasn’t ashamed to take it.