THE BILLIONAIRE'S FOREVER CONTRACT

FOURTEEN

"Alexander" Lucien nodded towards the approaching man. He was doing all he could to not snap and plant his fist in the smirking face and he could hardly tell if this was as a result of him buying Mara's painting.

"How much more money do I have to offer for you to sell the painting to me" he asked again coming to face Lucien.

Lucien was some inches taller than he was so it was almost comical having to look down at the man

"The painting is not for sale" Lucien enunciated.

From his side eye, he could see the gallery owner fidgeting whilst glancing from one billionaire to the other

"Bold of you to assume that I need more money, Alexander. You seem to have forgotten whom you speak to."

"Ahh, far be it for me to forget a Rodrigues but everything has a price although I am yet to figure yours."

Lucien smiled like he found what Alexander had said amusing before he turned, totally dismissing the mafia boss

"Wrap the painting, I shall pick it up on my way out and do be careful with it, I would not want my fiancée's gift falling into the wrong hands." Lucien told the gallery owner who rushed to comply with his directions.

He could feel the burning stare of Alexander Russo's eyes on his back as he watched before the man let out a small chuckle

"I will be seeing you around, Rodrigues" He said and walked out.

"indeed" Lucien thought grimly

He knew of course that his drill with Alexander was far from over.

...

Mara watched as Alexander stormed out of the event with his bodyguards trailing after him, mean looking goons with arms held straight to their side and palm fisted. She had seen a gun when one of them had raised his tux and this led her to wonder what Lucien had said about drugs and the Russo's. He was nowhere to be found of course and although she was enjoying the rather startling display of talents, her eyes roamed the room, searching for her companion. It wasn't long after Alexander's departure that Lucien showed up, taking his seat beside her with a rather satisfied smile on his face

"What have you done this time?" she asked, watching him

"What do you mean by what have I done?" He responded

"I just saw Alexander leave with his entourage of mean looking men and trust me when I say he wasn't happy."

"That is totally not my fault or business. Let us just say that I changed my mind about selling you to him"

"Wasn't that the whole point of this art exhibition? To have your work sold and recognized?" Mara asked him confused. She could hardly understand men and did not know why she bothered at all

"Not to someone like Alexander" Lucien said vehemently before turning and gracing her with one of his most charming smiles; one that always made her weak in the knees

"The painting is a gift to you, Mara. Thank you for being my muse and agreeing to this arrangement."

"The arrangement works for us both, you do not need to thank me" Mara told him but could already envision the painting above the fireplace in her home

"Thank you" She said as a follow up

"Ready to leave? I think I have seen enough" He told her.

She got up and took his outstretched hand and allowed him lead her to the car

"Something else to do" Lucien murmured as he turned towards Mara, the cameras clicking away at them

Mara eyed him, she understood what he meant and so she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his head down towards hers. Lucien wrapped his arms around her waist drawing her to himself so they aligned like they had been molded together and with cameras still clicking away with more intensity, his lips descended.

The last thing on Mara's mind was that they were in public; Lucien had that effect on her, one that made her forget herself and want to drown in the entirety of him. Her mind was having troubles comprehending that this was just a show for the public and not something she should dwell too much on. He kissed her like she was the only source of oxygen on earth and when their tongues touched, stars exploded in front of her eyes.

Lucien could feel his erection rising and he drew Mara closer so she could see... and feel how much she affected him. A groan escaped his throat as he let go of her and watched her eyes flutter open, the desire evident in them.

"We should get into the car before I ravish you for the world to see" He murmured, his voice dripping with need.

A blush stained Mara's cheeks as she nodded and waited for him to get the door, she had no issues with being ravished by Lucien anywhere and anyhow he wanted.

They were silent on their way back, he had instructed the driver to go straight to the address she had given; he was going to drop her off before heading to the studio, hopefully to work out the arousal he was feeling just by sitting next to her. The kiss had escalated, just as everything always did when it came to her.

"Do you think they bought it?" Mara asked when she was able to speak

"They definitely did" Lucien reassured her.

Damn but he bought it; their act at intimacy.

...

They got to Mara's building and without waiting for the chauffeur she had opened the car door and jumped out, she wanted to be away from Lucien and his enigmatic presence; one that always turned her brain to mush.

"I will see you to your room" He said, following her out of the car

"That won't be necessary" Mara clipped and immediately hated herself, she was acting like a fool while he stood there all collected with that incredibly attractive mouth raised in a smile

"I wasn't asking" He told her as he placed his palm in the small of her back and guided her to the elevator.

It was empty save for the two of them and Lucien was resisting the animalistic urge to have her against the elevator door, fuck the consequences. He wanted to be a gentleman and he was sure this wasn't what Mara wanted, he wasn't about to be disgraced by her refusal of him.

"See you later, Mara" He said, touching his mouth to her forehead

They were standing in front of her room door on the last floor

"Later, Lucien" Mara said softly before entering her room and closing the door, her forehead tingling where he had kissed her.

She could only think about how long before she surrendered to her feelings for Lucien and if she wasn't just another one of his conquests.