“I have a surprise for you today,” I said, unable to keep the smug look from my face.

“You do?”

“Absolutely.”

“What is it?”

“It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you now would it? Let’s have a shower and get dressed. I’m taking you out today.” I shuffled off the bed and held out my hand for her to follow. She could take care of my now raging erection in the shower and, with a bit of luck, we could be out of the hotel in an hour.

She rolled over lazily and looked up at me from under her lashes.

“As long as I’m with you, I don’t care where in the world we are.”

Fuck, I loved her candid honesty. She didn’t play games or give me the runaround. She said how she felt and that was it.

“You’re so fucking sweet. But since we are in London and it is your first time, I’m taking you to see all the places you had on your list.”

“That’s the surprise?”

“Nice try.” I smirked. “The surprise comes later. If you’re a good girl.”

She jumped to her feet and placed her hand in mine. Her gaze drifted to my dick which was standing hard and proud, aching for her mouth.

“Somebody is happy to see me.” Letting go of my hand she gripped my cock instead and pulled me toward the shower.

“Hey, I’m attached to my dick, be gentle.”

Her throaty laugh was sexy as fuck, but she didn’t relent.

“Let’s get this cocky sucker sorted so we can start our day. He’s freaking insatiable.”

Fuck, am I that transparent?

I couldn’t help chuckling; this woman had her priorities straight. I loved how she wanted to take care of me—and my cock—without me begging.

16: Layla

As much as I enjoyed being alone with Grayson, I couldn’t help dancing around the room as I got ready. Would this be our first un-official proper date?

The smile on my face grew wider as I recalled the last few days. Every moment with him had exceeded my wildest expectations already, another surprise from him was sure to blow my mind. How was he going to top a week away in a luxury hotel penthouse?

Calm down Layla. I wiped my sweaty palms on my arse as I checked it out in the mirror.

Mmmm, was it my imagination or was this skirt tighter than before? Since I was really a pants-and-t-shirt kind of girl, I seldom wore skirts, but Grayson had mentioned in passing that he loved it when I wore dresses, so I was going all out to please him.

I had put in more effort than usual. I had blow dried my hair in a specific style even though it took freaking ages to get it looking right. Applying makeup took even longer because I struggled to master the eyeliner flick on the corners my eyes. When I was finally happy I liberally applied mascara to my eyelashes. To complete my look, I painted my lips with the pink lipstick Sloane had made me buy for the ball. Thank God I still had it in my purse.

“Wow, although my first choice is you without clothes, you look good enough to eat,” Grayson said as he patted my ass. “Love the tight skirt. I may have a difficult time keeping my hands off your arse.”

“Is that right, Doctor?” I teased, more than a little pleased that my efforts had paid off. When I was with Grayson I felt daring and confident, and I realized with a bit of a shock that lately I’d been nothing like the geeky girl I used to be.  He made me feel good about myself and it showed. I liked how I was transforming as my confidence grew.

“I feel underdressed. Maybe I should change up—”

I grabbed a handful of his firm arse stopping him. “Don’t you dare. You look as if you’ve been poured into these jeans and I’m loving the view. Not to mention the rolled sleeves of your shirt.” I fanned myself playfully, all the while fucking him with my eyes. I’d never grow tired of looking at this fine specimen of a man.

“Anything to please you, baby. Anything.”

His arm snaked its way around my waist and drew me closer to him. He moved my hair to the side and kissed my neck. Oh Lord, I was done for when he did that. It was my weak spot, especially when he nibbled on my ear lobe as well. As expected, that was his next move and it sent shivers down my spine. I squeezed my thighs together to try and relieve the ache a ittle.

“You make me happy, Grayson. Every part of me,” I said, pulling away. If he kept this up, I’d be naked and under him before we reached the exit “As your reward for this surprise, you can have your way with me tonight, okay? Whatever you want.”

His eyes gleamed with excitement and lust. “Fuck, Lala, don’t make promises you can’t keep. Those are damn dangerous words.” The intensity in his gaze warned me of things to come. Delicious things. Things I couldn’t wait for. How in hell could he make me wet with his words alone? The tingle between my legs nearly made me cancel on his plans and collect on his threats.

Nearly.

Seeing London with Grayson would be something I’d cherish for the rest of my life. I wanted to make as many memories with him as what I possibly could before we returned to reality.

17: Layla

Our first stop was Harrods.

“As you requested, my lady,” Grayson said as he handed the Bentley’s keys over to the valet.

“Wow, you really did listen,” I said, laughing when I realised where we were. I’d heard that Diana, the Princess of Wales, had been a customer and ever since I’d always wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

“Of course I did. I may not look like I’m paying attention, but I listen to every word you say, baby. And today you get to shop here, anything you want, my treat.”

Playfully I slapped his arm as I shook my head. “Oh, Grayson, that’s not the reason I wanted to come here. I wanted to see the famous building and its Egyptian influences, not to shop.”

“What? A women who doesn’t like to shop and won’t help me dispose of my billions? Are you sure you’re not an alien?”

“You’re the doctor. You tell me.”

He rubbed his chin as he appraised me with a sparkle in his eyes. “Well, you are a freak in bedbut . . . you’re more like a tigress than an alien.”

“Is that a compliment?” I smirked indignantly.

“Sure is. My little tigress. Fuck, I love when you go from nerdy girl to predator as soon as your clothes come off. It’s like a dirty little secret and know what I love even more?”

I licked my parched lips and shook my head. Tiny beads of perspiration formed between my eyebrows and I wiped it away with the back of my hand. Just his talking about it made me horny as fuck. I would’ve thought I’d be used to it by now but no, my body reacted to his words as much as it did to his hands, mouth and cock.

“That it’s our secret. No one else knows that under your sweet and caring exterior lies a feisty woman who can light a fire in this man and drive his cock crazy.”

“Yeah, let’s keep that between us, okay?”

This was wrong on so many levels and I was certain our affair would not be met with approval from our family. For starters, the scandal that would send the media into a shark-like feeding frenzy and would cause so much damage, a shudder ran down my spine just thinking about it.

Just after the divorce, his whole company nearly crumbled. Milton’s wife—and mother to the heirs of the mining dynasty—running off with another man couldn’t have come at a worse time. Global setbacks had already caused the share prices to tumble, the scandal just added fuel to the already raging fire. Built on family values and virtues, the board of directors were old school and unforgiving.

That was when my mother met Milton Forbes, when he was at his absolute lowest. Left with two children and an empire that was on the verge of collapsing, he wasn’t exactly the perfect catch. But against the odds and with Mum by his side, Milton had fought back and survived the onslaught.