Chapter 11 #2
He seems to think about this for a moment, then leans back in his chair and smiles. ‘You know how humans love to count and rank things? That it gives us a sense of our place in the world?’
‘Yeah, I guess.’
‘But did you know there’s an unofficial ranking system for uber-wealthy people?’
‘I did not know that.’
‘Yeah. They’re sectioned into different tiers. Tier seven is anyone with seven figures, so between a million pounds and nine million, nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine pounds. And ninety-nine pence, I guess.’
‘Whoa.’
‘So, tier eight, by that logic, is anyone with eight figures, so ten million up to just under a hundred million.’
I shake my head in awe. ‘Jesus. These are eyewatering amounts of money. Imagine what you could do with that kind of wealth.’
‘Yeah, sure, but don’t forget, most of it will be tied up in company shares and investments. It’s not like people have that sort of cash lying around in their bank accounts, not if they have any sense anyway.’
‘And – don’t tell me – billionaires are tier ten?’
He smiles. ‘Exactly right.’
‘Like you?’
‘I just squeak into that tier, yeah.’ He gives a nonchalant nod that makes it clear he’s not nonchalant about this at all.
‘Fuck. But once you’re only a small way into tier seven you’ve got more than you’d ever be able to spend in a lifetime.’
‘Yeah, after that it’s all just about who’s got the biggest number.’
‘Inches, millions – both ways to feel superior to your fellow man,’ I say with a wink.
He grins at that. ‘Well, yeah. At its most basic level, I guess so.’
I nod. ‘I get it. I’m a stats lover myself with a healthy interest in gaming, as you know. It’s all about those dopamine hits when you move onwards and upwards.’
‘Yeah, it’s hard to beat.’
‘On the flip side, it also means people with a competitive disposition or a gambling habit can get unhealthily hooked on getting a bigger number or better chart place to the detriment of everything else.’
He folds his arms. ‘Are you suggesting that’s me?’
‘I might be very subtly alluding to that, yes,’ I say, with another wink.
He shrugs. ‘I suppose you could say I’m a bit obsessed with where I rank. Like a true gamer.’
‘Yeah, that follows. I guess it’s going to take someone pretty exceptional to keep your attention in the long term if that’s what they’ve got to compete with.’
His eyebrows shoot up. ‘You make me sound like a cold-hearted bean counter.’
‘Not my intention, I promise you. Just a general musing about why, perhaps, you found it so hard to find someone to bring to this wedding.’
‘It wasn’t that hard in the end. You agreed to it, didn’t you,’ he points out with a smile.
‘Yeah, at the very last second. You got lucky, dude, don’t try and pretend that you didn’t.’
‘I did get lucky, yeah.’ Reaching across the table, he takes my hands in his and gives them a gentle squeeze. ‘I really am glad you came.’
I waggle my eyebrows at him. ‘I’m glad I came too.’
He grins widely and seductively at me. ‘There’s plenty more where that came from. If you’re interested?’
‘I certainly am,’ I say with a returning grin, already eager to get back to the villa for more fun sexy-times with him.
* * *
Raffa
When we finally get up again, after amusing ourselves by having sex on just about every available surface in the villa, we go outside to hang out and make the most of our amazing view.
I’ve brought my laptop out with me and I’m sitting on a lounger while I check my emails, much to Ida’s vexation.
She’s currently in the pool, swimming back and forth, her lithe body slipping through the water and being the mother of all distractions.
In my peripheral vision, I see her stop swimming and wade to the side of the pool, leaning her elbows on the side and propping her chin on her hands so she can stare at me.
I try to ignore her, but it’s impossible.
Letting out a sigh, I look at her, cocking my head and raising a jokey eyebrow.
‘Can I help you?’ I ask, though I know what it is she wants.
‘Come on, Billionaire Bean-counter. Stop that and come and swim with me.’
Yup. That’s what I thought she’d say.
She grins at me and despite my frustration at being interrupted I can’t help but grin back. Her smile is disarming. She’s disarming. She’s cheeky and warm and teasing and challenging, all at the same time.
‘Look, I’m sorry, but I’ve really got to check these in case there’s something important I have to deal with right away.’
Getting out of the pool, she walks over to where I’m sitting, dries her hands on her towel, and before I can object, she lifts the laptop off my legs – putting it onto the table next to me – then swings her leg over me and sits down carefully on my crotch, right on top of my erection.
‘Ooh, what’s this? I sense insubordination in your ranks,’ she jokes.
‘Yeah, well, you’re a real distraction, you know.’
‘I do know. I thrive on it,’ she says, leaning down to give me a kiss.
‘That’s become very clear to me,’ I say when we come up for air.
I’m wet pretty much all over now, but finding it hard to care.
‘It’s a shame you’re such a workaholic. And that I’m fundamentally against long-term relationships right now,’ she says on a sigh.
‘It is a shame, yeah.’
We look at each other, our mouths pressed into teasing smiles.
‘Are you really going to work through the rest of this holiday? Look around you. Look what you’re missing while you’re staring down at your laptop. You’re in paradise but you may as well be in some beige office somewhere.’
I give her a discerning look. ‘That’s what it takes to stay on top.’
‘You really like it on top, don’t you?’
‘I do, yeah.’
I suck in a breath, fighting with my desire as she gently rocks her pelvis back and forth, rubbing herself against my very interested cock.
‘Me too,’ she murmurs with a smile.
‘So I see,’ I say, my voice sounding strained as I try to keep it together.
I shouldn’t let her distract me like this. I have things I need to keep a close eye on. So, with a huge effort of will, I put both hands onto her hips to still her movement. ‘But I can’t do this right now.’
She mock-pouts. ‘Spoilsport.’
‘I know.’
Folding her arms and clearly not intending to budge off my lap, she asks, ‘I have a question. Why don’t you think you deserve a day off?’
‘I don’t think it’s about deserving it.’
‘Why don’t you allow yourself time off then? What’s driving you so hard, do you think?’
‘I want to succeed.’
‘Doesn’t everybody?’
‘Not like I do. I’m a special case.’
She nods, then leans down and kisses me gently on the lips.
‘What was that for?’ I ask.
Her grin is wide. ‘I’ve always had a weakness for troubled souls.’
‘Yeah?’
‘Yeah.’
‘What is it that you find so attractive about them?’
‘They always seem to have this crazy kind of sexual energy,’ she says with conviction.
‘Interesting,’ I say, rubbing my thumbs across the tops of her hipbones.
I feel her shiver with delight and my cock gets even harder.
Dammit.
‘Why do people choose the partners they do, do you think?’ I ask, trying to bring the mood back to chatty banter, so I can find a way to persuade her to leave me be for a while and let me keep on working.
Which is going to be hella difficult when I’m so wound up and turned on.
‘Well.’ She fixes me with a serious expression, as if she’s about to give a lecture.
‘Freud had a theory called repetition compulsion. Apparently, we choose partners who act in a way we found challenging when we were young – usually behaviour we found tough from a parent or someone we were close to. We then spend our time with that new person trying to resolve whatever we weren’t able to get a handle on or solve in our youth.
Hopefully the benefit being that this time we’re in a safer environment, with someone who’s equal to us and who’s prepared to support us on our journey of self-discovery and help us heal our damaged soul. ’
‘Whoa. That’s heavy. Where did you hear that?’
‘I read about it. Probably online somewhere. I’m a fount of useful information.’
‘So it seems.’ I nod slowly. ‘Interesting. So, I’m destined to get together with someone who’s going to constantly put my needs second to theirs, or just disappear on me out of the blue?’
She frowns at that. ‘If that’s your childhood trauma, then yes. I guess so. It depends whether you put much store in Freud’s theories. They do have some flaws, I feel.’
‘Doesn’t everything?’
‘True.’
‘And what about you?’ I ask her.
‘I guess I’ll be going for someone that’ll never give me the attention I crave and will constantly bugger off and leave me to deal with whatever crisis I’m going through on my own.’
It’s my turn to frown now. ‘Hmm.’
There’s a tense silence where we both pretend not to be thinking too hard about why we’re so drawn to each other.
‘You know,’ she says brightly, clearly attempting to dispel the tension we’ve created, ‘a great aunt of mine, who’s sadly passed now and who I absolutely adored, once said to me, “Being playful is so important – especially with your partner. It keeps you young and curious and willing try new things together.” That really stuck with me.
I’m determined to still play and mess about and stay open to doing new stuff, even when I’m old. ’
‘Huh. I like that. It makes sense, I guess. Life can get too serious sometimes.’
‘It definitely feels like that some days. Don’t get me wrong, I love the freedom of being an adult, but some days I just want to be a kid again and have someone else deal with all the crap.’
‘I know exactly what you mean. My life got very serious in the last few years.’
‘Yeah. You’re a proper grown-up,’ she says with a smile.
‘I’d like to think so.’
‘I’m guessing no one ever holds you to account any more, or says no to you, since you got so wealthy and influential?’
‘Come to think of it, they don’t much, no.’
‘That must make you feel pretty powerful?’
I think about this for a second. ‘Yeah. It does.’
‘But you’re responsible with it, right?’
‘I try to be, yes.’
‘It must be easy to let it get to your head – the fact you can have anything you want, any time you want it.’