A Billionaire's Game (Ellsworth Brothers #2) (7 page)

“So, Landen and Thea are back from their honeymoon?” asked
Drake the following day.

“Yeah. They went to Iceland, Ireland and then Paris. Thea
was beside herself with excitement. She showed me pictures upon pictures and
more pictures. I’m glad she had such a great time though. They’re so in love.”

“I guess they are,” replied Drake, pouring himself a
scotch. “Do you want something to drink?”

“No thanks. I’m good. And, I told them about us.”

Drake paused and looked up at her. “You did. I’m guessing
they didn’t have many good things to say about me.”

“You guessed correctly. They warned me again, saying how
you’d hurt me in the end, and you’re just a player and you know, that you get a
new woman every week practically.”

Drake walked over to Jill, tilted her chin up to his face
and said, “I haven’t wanted anyone else since I met you. And that’s been what,
almost a month now.”

“I know. It just makes me nervous.”

“You? Nervous? Since when?”

“I don’t know. It’s just that Thea is my oldest and
dearest friend, and I wonder how she can be so wrong about you.”

“That’s easy. She’s only heard stories told by Landen. She
never took the time to get to know me at all.”

“You’re right. I know you’re right. Forget I said anything
and come over here and kiss me.”

Waggling his eyebrows, Drake approached her, grabbed her
around her waist and tossed her over his shoulder. She slapped his tight ass
repeatedly. Drake waltzed into the bedroom and promptly threw Jill on the bed.
Never taking his eyes from hers, he began to undress. The seduction was slow
and sensual. He unbuttoned his shirt slowly revealing his muscled chest. He
pulled the shirt out of the waist of his dress pants and tossed the shirt on a
nearby chair. Next he unbuttoned his pants and lowered the zipper. He pushed
them down his strong thighs along with his boxers as he slid off his shoes and
socks.

Then he stood in front of her, naked in all his manly
glory. There were ridges and dents and curves all outlining muscles, his abs,
pecs and the vee that led to his cock. Jill licked her lips and sat mesmerized.

Drake crawled onto the bed and pulled her legs out from
underneath her body. He pulled off her socks and shoes and lifted her foot to
his mouth. He slid his tongue over her delicate toes. “Yum. I love the taste of
you everywhere.”

Jill giggled, “Gross! You’re licking my feet! And, that
tickles. You have to stop!” she said with a shriek. Drake stopped torturing her
toes and moved upwards toward her waist and the button and zipper of her jeans.
He eased her out of her pants, threw them aside and kissed his way up her legs.
They were both breathing hard.

Jill crossed her arms and took hold of the hem of her
shirt and lifted it over her head. She sat before him in bikini panties and a
sexy underwire bra.

Drake growled as he kissed up her stomach to her cleavage.
His tongue explored the peaks and valleys of her breasts while his hands ventured
behind her back to divest her of the bra. As soon as her bra was gone Drake
went to work pulling her underwear down and off her legs. “Much better. If you
couldn’t already tell, I prefer you naked,” Drake said as he kissed his way up
her calves, parting her legs and then kissing the inside of one thigh and then
the other. Jill groaned.

“Oh, yessss,” she said. “Baby. Oh, god. Yes, please kiss
me there.”

Drake raised his head and challenged her. “Where do you
want me to kiss you? Behind your knee? On your ankle? Beneath your ear?”

“No,” growled Jill. “I want you to kiss my pussy.”

Grinning, Drake replied, “Yes, baby. That is exactly where
I’m going to kiss you, on your pussy.” Spreading her lips with his fingers he
reached forward with his tongue until he felt the soft, wet skin. “Mmmmm… you
taste so good, baby. I can’t get enough of you. Just sit back and relax. I’m
hungry, so I’m gonna have some pussy for dinner.”

Stretching her body sensually, Jill sighed happily and
threaded her fingers in his short, cropped hair. Her little mews were
indication that Drake was doing all of the right things. He licked. He sucked.
He nibbled and then flicked his tongue quickly over her clit. Jill could hear
Drake slurping up all her juices, and it made her desire for him increase
exponentially.

Drake continued his ministrations until she was writhing
beneath him. “Drake, I’m going to come. Drake!”

Glancing up at her face he murmured an acknowledgement.
“Yeah you are, baby. You’re going to come all over my face.”

And with that her vaginal walls clenched, and Drake
inserted two fingers inside her so he could feel the spasms of her pussy.
Rising up on his forearms he grinned at her, his cheeks covered in her
moisture. Before she knew what was happening his mouth was on hers, and she
could taste herself. No man had ever done that with her before, and she decided
that she liked it. She kissed him back greedily, only breaking apart when she
needed to take a breath.

“Oh my god, Drake. That was phenomenal. I mean, oh my god.
No one other than you has ever made me come like that and then kissed me.” Jill
blushed and covered her face with her hands.

“Don’t go all shy on me now. Are you being serious? No man
has ever made you come on his mouth?”

“No, well, I mean, I guess so. It’s just when you do it,
it’s different. It was more.” Jill couldn’t find the words. “Let me taste you,”
she insisted, and Drake turned his body so he was lying on his back. Jill
scooted down the bed until she was face-to-face with his enormous erection.

“Baby, you’re so big,” she declared, and it was true. His
dick was large, not so much in length, but girth. The man was endowed. Starting
at the bottom she licked up the length of his cock and circled the tip. She
used her tongue to perform a few tricks she’d read about in books, and much to
her liking, Drake responded enthusiastically. She took his length into her
mouth and moved her head back and forth, mimicking the in and out thrust that
would soon be taking place when he entered her body. She took him in as far as
she could and gagged a bit as his cock filled her mouth.

“Oh god! Babe!” Drake shouted. Groaning, he grabbed Jill
by her arms and pulled her up to the head of the bed so he was in a position to
enter her cunt. Quickly, he reached into the bedside table and pulled out a
condom.

“I want to do that,” Jill said indicating the condom.
Drake handed it to her and she slid in over his straining erection.

Without wasting a second, Jill immediately straddled his
legs and guided his throbbing dick into her wet pussy. She groaned as he filled
her. She began moving up and down and back and forth. Over and over she felt
him pulse inside of her.

Quickly, Drake took control and pulled her into his body
and entered her from behind. He lifted her top leg so he had a better angle and
could press onto her g-spot. His thrusts were so hard and felt so good that
Jill got lost in the sensations. She’d never felt so connected to any man
before. She’d had her share of lovers, but no one brought her body to life like
Drake did.

Before she knew it she was coming again. Drake had
repositioned them and kept thrusting mercilessly. When Jill cried out again she
collapsed onto his body, completely spent. Drake moved above her body and, just
before climaxing, pulled out, his cum spurting onto her stomach and chest. He
too collapsed with a groan.

Drake pulled Jill’s body into him, spoon-style, and
wrapped his arms tightly around her torso. With a contented sigh they both fell
asleep.

“No peeking now,” Drake insisted as he held his hands over
Jill’s eyes. It was three weeks later as they walked tentatively into her newly
remodeled apartment.

“I can’t see anything,” she complained in response.

“Okay, ready? Here goes!” Drake removed his hand from her
face, and Jill blinked as her eyes adjusted to the light.

With a gasp she turned, taking in her new surroundings.
“Drake. What… I mean… it’s gorgeous! Oh my god, Drake. It’s perfect. How did
they know? It’s so me.” She turned and hugged him. Tears appeared in her eyes
and she hurriedly wiped them away. “It’s so beautiful. I can’t believe you did
all this for me. Thank you so much.”

With one hand on her chest she looked around the room
again. The living room had been completely redone. A new leather sofa in a rich
caramel color sat against the far wall with an industrial looking coffee table
that gave the room a bit of a modern chic yet homey feel. A sleek entertainment
center stood about five feet high and in the center was a brand-new, state-of-the-art
flat screen television with a kick-ass sound system.

“I know you like your music, so I made sure they found the
best sound system for your place; and speakers have been wired in every room so
no matter where you are, you can always hear what’s playing.”

“Drake, this is too much. I can’t believe it.”

“I wanted you to have the best. I know you love your
place, and I felt bad because I’m the one who caused the fire, so it’s only
natural that I should fix up the place.”

Jill glanced down and gasped when she saw the new wood
flooring and the lush wool rug that created a cozy gathering area in the living
room. She gazed into the kitchen and was shocked at the change. “The kitchen
too?” she exclaimed.

“Of course, the kitchen too. Babe. I mean come on.” Drake
shrugged his shoulders like it was a no-brainer.

The floor was tiled in rich reds and browns, with a thread
of grey stone running through the pattern. Jill ran her hand over the smooth
new countertops, and she couldn’t resist opening the door of her sleek new
oven.

“Oh my gosh. They even gave me new kitchen towels and
everything. Drake, I can’t thank you enough.”

With a huge smile, Drake pulled her into his arms and
kissed her passionately. “It was my pleasure. Just seeing the joy on your face
makes it worth every penny.”

Jill kissed him again and pulled him into a tight hug.

The embrace was interrupted when Drake’s phone rang. He
glanced down at the screen and said, “I have to take this, babe.” He put the
phone to his ear and answered with a gruff, “Ellsworth.”

Jill watched the expression on his face turn cloudy and
dark. She was used to seeing him get moody while talking on the phone, but this
was different. He actually turned away from her and walked into the hallway to
finish the call.

She walked into her bedroom and instantly fell in love
with the minor updates they’d done in there too. The new bedding, a muted shade
of green suited her taste perfectly. Her old, bulky leather recliner had been
replaced with a smaller chair complete with a matching ottoman. Glancing down
she realized they’d even installed new carpeting. Shaking her head in
disbelief, she walked back into the living room addressing Drake. “Baby, you
will not believe what they did in the bedroom…” Jill stopped talking as soon as
she saw him. His hands were on his hips, and his face was beet red.

“Fuck.”

“Drake, what’s wrong?”

“Dammit. Shit. I gotta go. Business stuff. This is such
bullshit.”

“What can I do? Drake?” she asked questioningly, but he
just ignored her, turned and walked out of her condo and down the stairs to
leave the building.

“What the hell,” she said aloud. She grabbed her coat and
purse, locked the door and ran down the stairs after Drake. She was determined
to find out what was going on. Obviously, it was bad because she’d never seen
him so upset before. As she exited the building she saw his SUV pull away from
the curb. Quickly she threw out her hand and shouted for a taxi. With the
screech of brakes a cab stopped in front of her. Jill climbed in and told the
driver to follow that black SUV. The driver clicked the meter to on and took
off with a start.

Drake arrived at the warehouse minutes later and exited
the SUV as soon as it stopped. “Wait here, Benny. This may take a while, but
when I’m done I’ll need to leave pronto.”

“Got it, boss. I’ll get the car turned around and ready to
head out.”

Walking toward the entrance Drake looked back at his
driver, pointed a finger at him and said, “You’re the man, Benny. Couldn’t do
this without you.”

Benny nodded his head and turned the SUV around so it was
ready to exit the enclosed parking lot at a moment’s notice. This didn’t happen
often, but Benny knew when Mr. Ellsworth told him to do this, he really meant
it. His boss was a no-bullshit kind of guy, and the last thing Benny wanted to
do was piss him off. He compensated Benny very well for his time and effort. It
meant he was basically on call 24-7, but the cash was worth it.

Drake walked down the dark hallway and took the steps to
the second floor two at a time. He was seething. All of his players had lost
this week, and they’d lost big.

Drake employed a team of card sharks to play poker in high
stakes games for him. Each player earned a percentage of the winnings as
payment; the more senior and trustworthy the player, the larger the
compensation.

The money to play in each game was Drake’s money, though,
and so when a player lost, Drake took the hit.

On rare occasions Drake himself would play if he felt like
it, or if the losses started piling up as they had over the last few months.
His trust fund was gone and without the winnings from these games or handouts
from his dad or brothers, he’d be broke. He hated—no, he
despised—going to his family for money, but what the hell. They had more
money than they knew what to do with, so why not share in the wealth? He was a
part of the family, after all.

Maybe he didn’t work in the family construction business,
but he viewed his role as kind of a P.R./face of the family type thing. He was
well known for being a very eligible bachelor, even if he was constantly seen
with a different woman. He showed up for family functions. He loved his mom. In
fact, she was the only person he really cared about. He also cared about her
opinion of him. Losing face in front of his mother would be devastating. Drake
felt that his mother was the only one who really saw him as his own person and
not just the family fuck-up.

His dad, well, he could take or leave him. William
Ellsworth was a self-righteous prick who only cared about himself and his
money. Admittedly, he did love his wife, Caroline, and he took good care of
her. Well, he hired lots of good help to care for her.

Landen, the eldest, was the golden boy, and always had
been since the day he was born. He could do no wrong. Drake had been shocked to
hear that Landen had gone up against his father when he’d taken over the
position of CEO from William Ellsworth. He’d never seen Landen do that, and
secretly Drake admired him for it. In fact, he had doubted his brother had the
balls to stand up to anyone.

Westin, the youngest, was easy to get along with, but he’d
been brainwashed against Drake just like Landen. All they saw was the bad
stuff, such as when he came to them for money or drank heavily. Westin always
tried to involve Drake in the family business or make plans to meet for dinner,
but Drake just put him off. It wasn’t worth the effort. Westin’s opinion of
Drake wasn’t going to change just because they’d share a meal once in awhile.

Drake approached the group, deeply engrossed in their
game, then stood watching with arms crossed over his chest. He could tell right
away that his man was sweating big time and that there were a whole lot of
chips at stake. Drake gritted his teeth in frustration. When the hand was
finally over and the winnings went to the opponent, Drake walked quickly toward
his player and escorted him to the hallway.

“What the fuck are you doing? What the hell was that? You
bluffed with those shitty cards? Do I not pay you to win? Jesus!”

“I know. I know. I’m just having a bad streak,” the
flustered man replied.

Drake grabbed him by the collar and shoved him against the
wall. “Listen up and listen good. Losing is no longer an option. Now, because
of your incompetence, I have to sit down at the table and play myself because I
can’t trust you morons to do what I pay you for. Get out of my sight before I
decide to punch you.”

Gasping for air, the man nodded his assent. As soon as
Drake released his hold on the man, he bolted down the hallway and down the
stairs to leave the building.

Shaking his shoulders and regaining his composure Drake
sidled into the room.

“Mr. Cunningham,” Drake greeted him.

“Mr. Ellsworth, so nice to see you in person. Don’t tell
me you’re here to play a round yourself?”

“I am. I’ve decided it’s a good day to take over the reins
and get the job done right.” Drake scratched his head before continuing. “I
need a favor.”

Mr. Cunningham grinned at Drake’s obvious discomfort. “And
what favor would that be?”

“I need a small advance.”

“How small?”

“500 large.”

Tsking, the man responded, “That’s not very small, Mr.
Ellsworth. And if I do recall, you still owe me a small payment,” said the man,
emphasizing the word small.

“One game should take care of that payment,” replied Drake
haughtily.

Mr. Cunningham turned to the goon standing to his left.
“You heard the man, we’re going to play cards. Let’s start with a brand new
deck of cards.” A cellophane-wrapped deck of cards was placed on the table.
“Please, Mr. Ellsworth, would you do the honor of opening the deck?”

Without taking his eyes off of the man sitting opposite
him, Drake unwrapped the cards.

“Please. Feel free to shuffle.”

Removing the jokers, Drake took the cards in hand and
expertly shuffled the deck, the thwack of cards hitting each other filling the
room.

Soon the cards had been dealt, and the first hand was
underway. The tension in the room was palpable. Drake chose to get two new
cards. In his hand he held a queen of hearts, jack of clubs and ten of clubs.
Silently he prayed to the poker gods everywhere. He needed all the help he
could get if he was going to win enough money to be able to pay the loan shark
sitting across the table. He’d never been in this position before. That is,
down money before he even started playing. He told himself to calm down.
Showing stress while playing poker made you an easy target. He sucked in a
breath and regained his unruffled demeanor.

His two new cards were a 2 and a 5. Fuck. Not a good way
to start the evening.

Outside, Benny waited patiently, only taking his eyes off
of the door to the building every once in awhile. Suddenly a taxi crept forward
and abruptly stopped, and a woman exited the vehicle. He recognized her at
once. She was the woman Mr. Ellsworth had been spending time with lately. Shit.
This couldn’t be good. Mr. Ellsworth never brought his women with him to the
card games. He’d have to distract her to keep her from going into the building.

A knocking on the car window drew his attention. He calmly
lowered the window.

“You’re Benny, right?”

“Yes. I believe you are Ms. West?”

“Yes!” she replied, relief in her voice. “You remember
me.”

“Of course I do, miss. I could not forget someone as
beautiful as you.”

Jill blushed at the compliment and then refocused her
thoughts. “I’m looking for Mr. Ellsworth. Is he in that building?”

The cabbie honked his horn and Jill signaled that she’d
just be a moment. “He’s in there, isn’t he?” she said, pointing at the
warehouse.

“Ah, miss. No worries. He told me he’d just be a moment
and then I was to drive him to the Grand. You should wait for him there.”

Jill wasn’t convinced. “I don’t know, Benny. He was very
upset when he left my condo. I think I should wait for him here.”

“He would not want you to wait here in the car. It would
be much too cold,” replied Benny, wincing when he heard the lame excuse leave
his mouth.

The cabbie honked again and began to turn the car around,
headlights sweeping the parking lot, in an effort to leave.

“Please, just wait one more minute,” Jill pleaded. “Benny,
is Mr. Ellsworth in trouble?”

“Trouble? No, miss, there is no trouble. He just meets
his…” Benny paused to think of the correct response, “…his associates here.
They like the look of the building and think it has great potential for
remodeling as condos.”

Jill looked skeptically at the man and sighed. “Well, I
don’t want to get you in trouble. He’ll probably be really pissed if he finds
me waiting for him. I’ll go back to the hotel. Please don’t tell him you saw
me.”

“Right. Got it, miss. No worries.”

Hastily, Jill ran toward the cab, jumped in the back seat
and sped away.

Benny let out a huge sigh of relief.

About an hour later Drake burst out of the warehouse, the
door slamming loudly behind him. He flung open the door of the SUV and shouted,
“Go. Now.”

Without hesitation Benny started the car and drove
speedily out of the lot.

“Sir, Mr. Ellsworth? I don’t mean to disturb you,” Benny
started, his eyes looking at his employer in the rearview mirror, “but I
thought you should know that I had a visitor about an hour ago.”

This caught Drake’s attention immediately. “Was it the
cops?”

“No. No one like that. A woman.”

Drake grabbed the back of Benny’s seat and leaned forward.
“Shit. It was Jill, Ms. West, I mean. Wasn’t it? Fuck.”

“I can confirm that information, sir. I told her I
wouldn’t tell you she was here, but since you guessed the information I don’t
want to lie to you.”

“Good man, Benny, Good man,” Drake said as he sat back in
his seat.

“To the Grand, sir?” inquired the driver.

Drake nodded his assent, and the car made quick work of
the short drive.