Bbw romance, p.9
BBW Romance, page 9
“ Oh for things to be easy and boring.”
April looked and saw Nigel’s eyes turn dark with thought again. She supposed that for him, a boring life would have been ideal. She could not imagine what it would have been like for him. Did he have grandparents battle for custody of him, or did servants and lawyers raise him. He did not talk about that in the Playboy interview. April found herself curious again, and wondered if she would have the chance to explore that deep into him.
They danced for a few more songs before walking out onto the veranda and back up to Nigel’s cabin. They held hands as they walked, taking in the view of the stars above them. April concentrated on trying to remember the names of any of the stars and constellations she saw and was ashamed that she could not. She should know them. She had learned about them in high school.
She never applied herself, and that knowledge drove home her precarious situation. She always assumed that her father’s money would be there to take care of her. She would just move from that security to the security of a man. Now, that option was not open to her. She was not marriageable material. She was fine for a fling, but she did not want to live her life being the naughty fling of rich men.
She was going to have to decide on a direction for herself. She realized that depending on her mother was not the answer either. She was an adult. It was time that she acted it, and took on the responsibilities that brought.
Nigel let her into the cabin and followed her inside. He walked to the fireplace and turned on the gas starter. The logs, April realized, were only for show, to create a simulated fireplace. It was still beautiful, however, and she found herself pushing aside her thoughts and worries for another day.
She walked over to the couch and sat down. Nigel joined her and when he leaned close to her, April welcomed his kiss and his arms around her waist. She thought of making love to him in front of the fireplace and her excitement grew.
He broke the kiss and brought his hand up to April’s cheek. She looked into Nigel’s eyes and wondered at what thoughts were behind them. His eyes still looked contemplative and serious.
“ I want you to stay with me,” Nigel said.
April smiled. “I can sleep in your room if you’d like.” She knew that was not what he meant, even as she said the words. She did not want to have the conversation that was coming. She realized that she had been running from it since their shower today and she thought she understood why now.
“ That will be nice, but that’s not what I mean,” Nigel said.
April put her finger on his lips. He took her hand and kissed the back of it, bringing it back down to her lap.
“ It is not fair,” he said. “You’re going through something you should not have to go through. Nothing that happened is your fault, but you’re suffering for it.”
“ Lots of people suffer for things that aren’t their fault.” April suspected that Nigel suffered a lot. What was it actually like, growing up the son of a woman who killed herself and her husband? How many years did he spend wondering if that would happen to him? How many people treated him as if it would?
Nigel let out a sigh. “They do. I would help every single one of them if I could. We can’t. We can only help those we can.” He paused and sat back. “Do you know about what happened when I was a child?”
April nodded her head. “I read an interview where you talked some about it.”
“ The woman who took me out of the fire, she was my nanny. She was a kind woman. She was stern, and I grew up thinking she was mean sometimes. She took care of me. She did not have to stay with me. She could have let my family’s lawyers find someone else. She was burned very badly in the fire. I lied when I told the interviewer I didn’t remember the night very well. I did, but I didn’t want to talk about it. She refused to let the paramedics treat her or take her to the hospital until she knew I was okay. She ended up being scarred very badly because of that, but it was the kind of woman she was. She stayed because I was the person she could help.”
April took in a deep breath and squeezed Nigel’s hand tightly.
“ I want to help you. You were not working here because you wanted to. You were here because you had to be. No one should have to work like that. I don’t want you to have to work like that.”
April felt her heart filling and breaking at the same time. She cared about Nigel, more deeply and more quickly than she thought she would ever care about anyone. She could see herself easily falling in love with him, if she were not there already. She appreciated what he wanted to do, and she thought she understood what it meant to him.
That did not mean she could just accept it.
“ Did you know I couldn’t name a single constellation in the sky tonight?” April asked.
Nigel gave a small laugh. “I think I know the Big Dipper and Little Dipper. Not everyone knows the constellations.”
“ No, but people can point to the things they do know,” April said. “I can’t. My whole life I have depending on other people. I depended on my father to put me through school. I knew I just had to wait to get married and have another man to depend on for my livelihood. If it didn’t work out, I would be able to get a nice alimony settlement and probably more money from Daddy again.
“ I can’t do that anymore. It doesn’t matter that it’s not fair. It matters that it life now. If I go back to school, I can get a real degree. I can figure out what I want to do with my life and do it, and not have to depend on anyone else.”
Nigel brought his hand up to her cheek again. “It’s a hard place, I know. The most important person in your life let you down, and depending on another person after that is scary. What happens if I let you down?”
April felt her heart break. She did not want to look at Nigel that way, but he was right. That was exactly what she was scared of. It was more than that, though. She could not expect him to pick up where others left off in taking care of her. It was not just a matter of what he might do anymore. It was what she had to do.
“ You’re such a wonderful person,” April said. She leaned against the back cushion of the couch and let herself gaze into Nigel’s eyes. “From most of the stories I’ve read about you, you’re this carefree playboy who does philanthropy and just enjoys his money. You really are so much more than that. It’s not that I think you would hurt me. I’m scared of it, but I know better. It’s also what I have to do for me.”
Nigel leaned his head against the back cushion and looked at her, silent in whatever contemplation he was in.
“ I have no idea how I’m going to do this. A lot of people work their way through college. Some of them take student loans. I can do that too if I have to. If I talk to the financial counselors, they’ll help me find a job and work out a schedule that I can pay for. I can always change schools if I need to. People do it every day. I’m no one special; I just thought I was for a long time.”
Nigel let out a deep breath. She could see understanding and acceptance in his eyes.
“ I could see you with a career. I think if you find something that you’re passionate about, you could really put yourself into it and do something amazing,” he said. “I would like to see that.”
April smiled. “Thank you.”
“ Can I pay for school?” Nigel sat up again.
April was stunned and unsure how to answer his question. He had turned this around somehow and she felt as though she had been flipped on her head. “Pay for school?”
Nigel nodded. “I see the people who work their way through college. Sometimes they can pursue what they want. Sometimes they have to compromise. I want you to find and pursue whatever you want. I can pay for your school. You can stay on campus or with me, which ever you want. I won’t pressure you there, though I would like to keep seeing you after this week.”
April’s mind was still trying to catch up to this strange change in their conversation. She tried to find words, and could not get anything to make sense from her mind to her mouth.
“ You can say yes,” Nigel said. “I would really like that.”
April let out a laugh and sat up. She shook her head and looked down, trying to let her mind finish playing catch up. Nigel was serious about helping her. She did not think it was just some passing fancy of his. His understanding and his persistence told her how intent he was on this. She looked up and smiled at him. “Okay. But I get to pay you back for my school, even if I’m just donating it to your foundation. I appreciate it, but I want to be able to give something back to you.”
Nigel returned her smile and broadened it. “I can accept that. You will have to apply yourself, though. I fully expect you to find a career that you can follow through on.”
April moved closer to him on the couch. “I promise. I’ll think about it this summer and decide.” She paused before kissing him and pulled back. “What do I do during the summers?”
Nigel put his arms around her waist and pulled her down to him. “I’m sure we can negotiate something.”
He kissed her. April welcomed his tongue through her lips.
She thought again of making love to him in front of the fireplace and moved her hands up to unbutton his shirt. She didn’t know if this would be the night that she would make her decision to give her billionaire lover a baby, but it was a good place to start.
*****
The Billionaire’s Wish
Braden Davenport was on cloud nine. Even now as he pulled off his helmet he felt great. He was on a streak, and this was going to be his best season yet. He brushed his hand through his jet black hair and smiled at the people around him. It was nice having fans. They were the only constant in his life, always there to cheer him on. The problem was, they didn’t really know him.
That’s not to say that it isn’t great doing what you love for a living. He had been able to buy his first house at 23, and at 29 he owned three. He liked to have a nice place to stay whenever he was in his favorite places. Racing was a dangerous sport, but it was in his blood, a part of him. Being here in Austin for the MotoGP race had been a fluke, but a happy one.
He was a last minute add in and he was happy he had said yes. He would always rather be racing, than home alone or out with some nameless girl that didn’t know him very well. For now he was home in TX, at least for the next two months. It was the place where this all began and he was happy to be there.
He loved the dry air and the open grounds in the hill country and the city life in Austin. His next race was in Vegas and he was happy for the break. The win today would put enough money in the bank that he could live off of for years, but it was never enough. Having lived such a hard life growing up, he liked the better, secure, lifestyle he had now.
He had basically lived his life in a boy’s home. He had never known his father, he had gotten out as quickly as he had been pushed into this world. His mother was heartbroken and soon became an addict. He still remembered what it had been like finding her there at 7. She had made the wrong person mad, and they had given her some bad stuff. He had found her unresponsive, lying on the living room floor.
They didn’t have a phone so fortunately he was able to run to a neighbor and they called the police for him. He still carried around guilt because he couldn’t save her somehow, even at 7. He had eventually left the boys home, and over time he had made very few friends. He had a difficult time trusting people, getting close to anyone.
He got his first job at the thrift store in town and he learned, sometimes the hard way that life was about making the right choices or you end up with nothing. Over time he managed to secure a room and that’s when he met Gerald and Abbie Smith. Older, they were frequent shoppers where he worked, and they always amused him.
At 80, Gerald was a big bear of a man. Abbie was a tiny little thing and 77. Abbie would tell him he looked too thin and Gerald would pull him aside and talk cars with him, something he had always loved. After a year or so they had invited him to dinner. At 19 he still seemed like a kid to Abbie, she was always fussing over him and making sure he actually ate when he came over. To Gerald he was much more. He had been the first to teach him to race. He owned some bikes, he was a collector of sorts, and the moment Braden rode one his life changed. He maneuvered the bike like a second skin. After some help from Gerald’s contacts, he quickly became successful and was able to secure himself a future in racing. When Braden was 21 Gerald had passed away and Abbie followed a year later. He had moved in to help her after Gerald’s passing and he had held her hand when she passed.
That had been seven years ago now and he could still remember it like it was yesterday. He shook his head, remembering, and smiled. He made sure his bike was loaded and heading back to Mike, his mechanic's place. He had a garage there and it needed some tweaking. It felt a little loose on the right turns. Mike threw him his keys and gave him a wave. Mike was the best mechanic around, and more importantly, his best friend.
They had met in his early years of racing, and been friends since. Braden knew he had a team, one of them would have been happy to take the bike to Mike’s. The most important thing that Gerald had taught him was that the bike is your money and the only way you can ride it safely is if you have a hand in what goes on with it. The bike was his family, and he protected it as such. He finally set off for the hour drive to Marble Falls.
Mike had always been a party guy. One girl to the next and one disaster away from an addiction. What he did have was a nice house, and a serious garage behind it. It was the one thing he always took care of. His mother would come over once a month and clean up some for him. As he pulled into the parking lot of the townhouses Braden noticed the changes.
The place next door had been vacant the last time he was here, he wondered if Mike even knew someone had moved in. He was taking the next few weeks to run off with his newest girlfriend and had given Braden the key so that he could drop some things off, and pick up some things for the bike. He noticed her the moment he pulled up. He watched amused as a woman was desperately trying to get her key to work in her door knob.
“ Damnit.”
She was angry and she was beautiful. She finally kicked the door and turned to go to her car. She stopped when she saw him watching her. She gave him a half smile before pushing her hair back and squaring her shoulder.
“ I’m not usually so easily flustered. My key broke off in the door… now I am rambling sorry… so yeah, I should go.” She turned to go again and he finally said something.
“ I can probably get that out of there if you want me to try.” He crossed his arms as she gave him a half smile.
“ That would be… well… yes, please.” She smiled at him again and he went to the truck.
Chloe closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was standing here rambling like an idiot. It always happened when she met a guy, especially an attractive one. Attractive didn’t even begin to describe this one. He was, by far, the most attractive guy she had seen in a long time. He had black hair and dark eyes and just enough stubble on his face to give him that mysterious look. She had never even kissed a guy like that and she never would. It certainly didn’t hurt to watch him though. He was all muscle, and it was obvious he worked out. She blushed as he came back towards her, hopefully he hadn’t seen her looking him over like that.
He smiled as he worked on the door. She had been looking him over and it made him smile. The fact that she blushed when he looked at her made him like her even more. He finally broke the broken key out and he turned to look at her again. It was her eyes that struck him first. Deep blue and full of life, they contrasted the abundance of red flowing hair. She was a big girl, he liked that about her. She had curves in all of the right placed and he wanted to touch every single one of them. He glanced at her hand, no ring that was a good first step. He handed her the broken pieces of the key and when his eyes met hers he saw her blush again.
“ It should be fine now, I had to put some lube in it.” He gave her a half smile.
“ What… oh thanks.” She gathered the pieces up and headed towards the door. “Thanks again…”
“ Braden… my name is Braden.” He held his hand out to her and she shook it.
“ I’m Chloe, nice to meet you.”
“ Perhaps I can get you to have dinner with me sometime Chloe?” He watched the myriad of emotions cross her face.
“ Sure, that sounds like fun.” She turned to head back in again and he smiled.
“ Chloe can I get your number?”
“ Oh, sorry.” She wrote it down and turned to go again.
She was a flighty one, but that was part of the excitement for him. He watched her go inside and he left, heading for his place in the hills. She was timid, something he would remedy. Even now he thought about her curves and how they would feel under his fingers. He rarely ever lost at this and he didn’t intend to start now.
Chloe shut the door with a thud. That was very sweet of him, offering to have dinner with him. It was typical of some guys, nicer ones anyway, to offer to take the big girl out. She didn’t need to get paraded around and everyone’s opinion of him go up because he did her a favor. Still, he seemed genuine. She made her way into the house and took a good long look at herself in the mirror. She had been working hard to lose weight, to be in better shape. She was down 20 pounds but she still hated the way she looked. Aside from her friends and her little brother, she was alone. In some ways it suited her. She’d had one serious relationship and that left her ready to just put the idea of love and romance behind her for good.
After, she made her way into her room to throw on pajamas and spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning until Charlie got out of school. At 12 he was more than a handful of energy. In a week he would be gone with friends on vacation, and she would really be alone all summer. He had been living with her a year and a half now, but some days it seemed like only yesterday that he had moved in. She had been 22 and ready to tackle the world when she got the call. Her parents and her little brother had been in an accident. Like most people she didn’t think anything could happen to her. She had rushed to the hospital, but her parents were both gone, leaving Charlie, with her. It had been a rough start, but they were good now.
