A Billionaire's Life Ch. 04

Kate startled and then glanced at me hesitantly. "Yes. It's very pretty. But it's also very expensive." She then started to turn away and looked across the street towards Taylor's shop, the same wistful expression on her face.

I was immediately reminded of the sadness in her eyes last night when she asked why I wouldn't cum in her. And filled with a desire to somehow make it up to her, I said, "Hold on, now. Let's go try it on." I took Kate's elbow and started pulling her towards the front doors.

She resisted only briefly. "I can't afford THAT," she protested.

"Just... come on..." I said soothingly, and she let me lead her inside.

After quickly removing the thin necklace she was currently wearing, we stood together in front of a mirror, the sales clerk watching approvingly as I fastened the new necklace's clasp behind Kate's neck.

She stared at her reflection and reached a delicate finger up to touch the diamond solitaire pendant. The look on Kate's face was all I needed to know that she adored the necklace. "It's beautiful."

"You're beautiful," I whispered in her ear. And then standing straight I nodded to the sales clerk. "We'll take it."

Kate quickly turned. "Oh, John!" And then she put her arms around my neck and kissed me.

As we were walking out, Kate slipped her hand into mine, beaming happily and practically shoving her chest forward in an effort to show off the necklace to anyone who was walking by. And as we waited for the crosswalk, Kate leaned in and asked, "Isn't your birthday next month?"

"Don't remind me," I said. Thirty was just such a BIG number.

"Well, now I'll have to make your present *extra* special," she giggled.

Two minutes later, we rejoined Taylor and Charlotte in the boutique shop. Kate immediately went to her friend and proudly showed off the necklace. Taylor smiled and gushed and told her how pretty she was, but when they separated and Kate went to go browse some of the outfits, Taylor flashed me a dark look.

I didn't understand it at the time, and the flash went away quickly. After that, Taylor was all smiles and eventually we headed back to rendezvous with Cassandra at the helicopter.

Cassandra similarly smiled and congratulated Kate when the delighted blonde went to show off her necklace once again. And as I settled into the helicopter seat with my wife and assistant both flanking me, I sighed and thought once again how perfect my life was.

It was an unusually quiet flight home. Kate was lost in her own world, fingering her necklace and looking out the window dreamily. Every now and again she would glance at me and start grinning widely, and from the furtive looks she was giving me up and down to my crotch, I was certain she was already planning her way of thanking me for the gift.

I was looking forward to being thanked.

But I tried not to let a predatory leer come onto my face. Instead, I just beamed back at Kate and didn't even notice Cassandra and Taylor exchanging looks with each other across me.

And then, when we landed and everyone went inside, my wife and assistant were quick to corner me in the Master Bedroom.

"You bought her jewelry?" Taylor hissed as she rounded on me with a nasty glare in her eye.

"Huh?"

"That wasn't a very good idea, Jonathan," Cassandra intoned as she went to stand beside Taylor. When both of my ladies folded their arms across their chests and gave me stern looks I knew I was in trouble.

"What's the big deal? I've always bought the girls little gifts. Remember the dresses for you guys?" I asked Taylor. "Or the new iPhone for Mia when she was drooling over it?"

"Those weren't jewelry."

I shrugged. "I bought Kaitlyn and Lindsay almost the same kind of necklace."

Cassandra tilted her head up. "If I recall, that was right around the time you declared them your little mistresses."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I see where you're going with this, but it's not like they were any different than Rebecca or Mia or anything. The mistress title was just a game, something of a turn on for Kaitlyn. But they weren't 'kept women'."

"But I think you've finally crossed that line where Kate is going to think she is," Taylor said reproachfully. "Did you see the way she glowed on the helicopter? Next thing you know she's going to start referring to you as her boyfriend to all her model friends."

Taylor held up her own necklace off her chest and chirped in a Valley-girl voice, "Look at what my boyfriend bought me!"

"It's no big deal."

"A five hundred dollar iPhone is no big deal, Jonathan," Cassandra said in a firm voice. "Do you realize how much that necklace cost?"

"I dunno. Wasn't really paying attention."

"Almost five thousand dollars, Jonathan. It's the kind of thing a man buys a girlfriend, wouldn't you say?"

"I... well..."

My wife rolled her eyes and half-turned her back to me. "Taylor, hey," I reached a hand out to her. "Come on. You can't think Kate's a threat to you, do you?"

"No, of course not," my wife sighed and let me circle my hand over her shoulder. "But don't be surprised when you find out you just ruined your credibility to insist she's not a 'kept woman'."

"One necklace doesn't change that. She's no different from Rebecca or Mia."

"They pay rent, for one thing. Johnny, she lives here rent-free. She has sex with you whenever the urge strikes you and hasn't turned you down once. You help out her career and now you're buying her jewelry. THAT'S a girlfriend or a mistress or kept woman or whatever you want to call it."

"YOU helped out her career, Taylor."

"Doesn't matter. It's still all coming from this house, your house." Taylor sighed. "And more the point, when have you ever bought Rebecca or Mia jewelry?"

I never had.

"And have they ever turned down sex with you?" Taylor continued.

I nodded my head. I'd made it a point to never force myself on one of them if they weren't in the mood or just had other things going on. Rebecca and Mia were friends, without obligation.

"Congratulations, Johnny. You've got yourself a mistress."

***

That night, things only kept on steamrolling. Kate first tried to corner me in my bedroom and give me a blowjob before dinner. But despite her insistence and my own dick complaining that Kate was quite the accomplished cocksucker, I turned her down. Taylor's angry expression was still stuck in my mind.

Then, a last minute crisis with our Tokyo trip forced Cassandra to head for our home office just as dinner was being served. I went with her for a minute until she shooed me out of the office, assuring me she could handle it. And when I returned to the dining table, Kate had relocated herself into Cassandra's empty seat.

That put Taylor and Charlotte on my left in their usual spots, but now the invisible pecking order was Kate, Rebecca, and Mia on my right. I'd known Kate was competitive, but I hadn't been expecting her to do something so blatant. And from the looks on Rebecca's and Mia's faces, they weren't too happy about the situation either.

Not willing to make a scene or an accusation without knowing if there was something really going on or if it was an innocent mistake, I didn't comment and neither did Taylor. We all went about dinner in a normal fashion and with normal conversation, save for Kate making googly eyes at me to a level beyond the usual.

When dinner was over, Taylor glared at me and I nodded my head. Something had to be done behind the scenes to make sure everyone was on the same page. Quickly, I sorted through the potential locations. Taylor was heading for the stairs, which meant our bedroom was taken. Cassandra was in my office. So that really just left Kate's bedroom as somewhere quiet to have a conversation. It wasn't the sort of thing I would want to do in the media room or game room or anything, and all the little living rooms were too open.

"Hey Kate, uh. Can we talk in your room for a bit?" I asked neutrally.

Kate misread my question because she blushed and started grinning. "Of course. I haven't *thanked* you yet for the beautiful necklace."

I sighed, not wanting to explain in the dining room that what she had in mind wasn't what I'd meant. So I nodded and we started walking towards the guest wing.

Rebecca and Mia, unfortunately, seemed to agree with Kate's interpretation of my question, and they both gave me dark looks as I passed them. I was beginning to understand their resentment. They'd both been around much longer than Kate and all of a sudden, appearances seemed to indicate that I'd chosen a favorite.

I'd have to deal with them later, but for now, I followed Kate into her bedroom. A second after I closed the door, Kate pushed me against the wall, pressed her body against mine, and clamped her lips onto my mouth.

For a moment, I returned the kiss with instinctive passion, taking in Kate's sweet scent as she devoured my mouth with her own. But then reason kicked in and I quickly grabbed Kate's arms and pushed her a foot away from me. "Kate, no, wait, wait!" I sputtered and dodged my head while she kept trying to bobbing her head at me like a raptor attack.

When she realized I wouldn't stay still long enough to let her kiss me, she gave up. "Aww..." she pouted and then relaxed. I let go of her arms.

Immediately, the horny blonde dove back in at me and as I put my hands up to ward her away, I ended up palm-first at one of her boobs and she moaned as my hand reflexively closed around it.

"No! No!" I fought her off as if I was being raped. I managed to slide out from my position against the wall and I walked quickly to the other side of the bed. "Kate, hang on!"

"What?" she whined. "I WANT you."

"Kate, we really need to TALK," I huffed. "As in TALK. That's not a euphemism for sex."

"About what?"

"About us."

"Oh, goody." She hopped forward and slid onto the bed, patting the space beside her.

"Uh, I don't think that's a good idea," I declined the offer to sit with her. That was her first sign things weren't about to go as she'd been expecting.

"Why not?"

"Kate... we're friends, right?"

"MORE than friends," she husked and reached for the shoulder straps of her top, readying herself to pull them down her arms.

"Right. But I need to make this clear. You're not my girlfriend."

The smile vanished off her face for a second before coming right back up. "Well, I know. I mean, you ARE married. So you can't have a public girlfriend. But-"

"No, I mean I'm not your boyfriend, you're not my girlfriend, and there is no 'kept woman' mistress-type relationship. You know that, right?"

Her face fell again and her hand immediately went to the necklace she was still wearing. "But... I thought..."

"Kate, we talked about this when you first moved in, remember? No obligations, in either direction. You've no obligations to sleep with me or care for me or do any girlfriendly things for me. And I'm not going to provide and take care of you like a girlfriend."

"But you already DO," her eyes narrowed. "Housing? Clothes? Jewelry? You're no different than Stavros was."

That sunk my heart. "Aren't I different?"

She didn't immediately answer, her forehead crinkling as a pensive expression crossed her face.

I sighed and paced around the room. Putting my hands onto my forehead, I turned and then tried to appear as honest and open as possible. "Kate, I tried to tell you from the beginning, I don't keep mistresses strewn about the world to be my beck and call."

"I can see that. But then that just makes me your first," she canted her head and shrugged.

"Do I make you feel like a... a mistress?"

"You say that like it's a bad thing. Don't you get it? You make me feel protected. You make me feel stable in a world of instability. I know you care about my well- being. So maybe you don't love me. So maybe you have a wife. With you, I don't have to worry how I'm going to survive. Don't you see? I *actually* feel HAPPY. Being a 'mistress' to you is one of the best things that's ever happened to me."

"Is that why you sleep with me, though? Out of gratitude? Obligation for sheltering you?"

"Well... yes, in part."

I groaned and turned around. "That was never what I wanted."

"John, don't make it out to be something... dirty. It's not. I'm not whoring myself out to you for a roof over my head. Really, what we do is no different than what you do with Rebecca and Mia."

"It is," I said with conviction, only recently having realized that distinction.

"How?"

I sighed and leaned onto the edge of the bed, moving closer but maintaining my distance from the pretty blonde. "Let me put it this way, Kate: Why did YOU start having sex with Mia?"

She shrugged. "It's fun. Mia's very pretty and sexy. She wanted to. I wanted to. It's just sex."

"Anything more?"

She shrugged again. "Not really. I mean, she's fun and all and the girl has SO much energy. But she's just a friend, I guess."

"But why did you come after me? Was I just a sexy guy and a good reputation? Was I just a friend?"

"You-" Kate began and then cut herself off. "Well..."

"Kate, I asked you in the beginning not to feel obligated. But please be honest. Were you trying to seduce me so that *I'd* feel obligated to take care of you?"

"No!" she answered reflexively, but then she caught my steely gaze. "Well, the thought MAY have crossed my mind."

I sighed and hung my head. "Kate, I won't deny that the sex with you is incredible. But I'd hoped we were doing it because it brought us both pleasure."

She reached out and put her hand on mine. "It does." She sighed and began to stroke my arm. "Look, John. If you were just another guy with a 9 to 5, I still would have wanted you. You're really sweet and you've always been so nice to me. And yes, you're sexy and you've got quite the reputation amongst the modeling girls," she shrugged. "But I still would have wanted you, even without the money. Isn't that enough?"

"But you wouldn't have wanted to become my mistress in that situation."

"No. I can't survive out there on my own, John. I need someone like you or Stavros to support me."

I didn't even have the heart to claim she didn't. Everything I'd seen about Kate's life and actions showed that she really did see being a mistress as her lifestyle. "Kate, I don't want to lead you on. You are a beautiful young woman and I am very attracted to you. But as long as you see me as... as money and a ticket to a better life, we can't continue."

"Why not? It's not like you can't afford me. Really, in a household like this, I'd be just a minor expense. A drop in the bucket. Why can't we just continue the way we have?"

"It's not about the money. It's the principle. I'm not Stavros. I don't keep mistresses."

"Apparently you do," she pointed at herself.

At my annoyed expression, she sighed almost angrily. A frustrated expression came to her face and she shook her head before glaring at me. "Fine, you're different. Stavros wasn't a blockhead who didn't even *realize* he was keeping a mistress!"

I exhaled and got off the bed. "Kate. I don't know how I can make this any more clear. You are Taylor's friend. That was reason enough to take you in and go to work getting you a new modeling contract. Sex was never part of the deal, neither requested nor implied. If anything, you owe any favors to *Taylor*, not me."

Still sighing heavily, I paced around the bed again while Kate watched me impassively. "You are... quite beautiful. And quite sexy. And I am very attracted to you. I wanted to sleep with you, I won't deny that. And I thought you wanted me just like you wanted Mia, for the fun of it."

"I do."

"I want to see you happy. You'll notice I never bought anything like that necklace for Rebecca or Mia. You HAVE touched some part of my heart. I care about you."

"I care about you too, John."

"But if I asked you to pay rent like Rebecca and Mia? If I stopped buying you gifts? At least anything more than I would get anyone else? If I wanted you to just be a friend with benefits, the way they are, would that be okay? Would you still want 'us' to be 'us'?"

Kate looked up at me and for a moment I felt hope seeing the expression in her eyes. She truly enjoyed being a part of our group.

"Please, Kate. I WANT you here," I said earnestly, my eyes mirroring my plea. "Everything in action would be exactly the same. We'll go to parties. We'll take spontaneous vacations. But I just need to know you're your own, independent woman."

For a second, it looked like she would agree. She'd become friends with the girls around her and once her modeling career picked up again, she'd be able to be self-sufficient at the least. But then the practical side in her won out. She might become self-sufficient, but her only way to live a life of luxury was as a rich man's girlfriend. Her eyes hardened. "I don't think so. I need the support, John."

I sighed and turned away for a long minute. All was silent and the longer the room stayed quiet, the harder I felt this was going to be.

Then, I finally turned back to Kate. "I would never kick you out of this home. Please understand that. But I don't want you to be a 'kept' mistress. And when your career improves and you get back on your feet, we WILL be asking you to pay rent and keep your way like Rebecca or Mia or any other guest. We're friends Kate. We CAN'T be anything other than that."

Kate looked at the mattress in front of her for a long while. I felt a riot of emotions welling up in me, some of them screaming at me to take it all back and tell her I would love her and care for her and support her forever. Would it really be so bad to let her have her way? She'd care about me the same and all I needed was to spend a little money on her, money I didn't need anyways.

But then she quietly reached up and unfastened the clasp to her necklace. After removing it, she pooled it into the palm of her left hand and then held it out to me. "You should take this back."

Biting back the tears that threatened to come into my eyes, I stepped forward and collected the necklace. Kate did start crying then, but all I could do was leave the room.

***

Things got a little awkward in the house after that night. Rebecca and Mia's mild resentment towards Kate turned to sympathy and pity when they realized we'd "broken up" for all intents and purposes. A part of me wondered how we could break up when we'd never been together. But then Cassandra reminded me that Kate and I had briefly been "together" even if I was too stupid to realize it.

Taylor was torn between happiness that she was my focus once again and sadness to see her friend suffering. And Kate herself seemed a hollow shell whenever I saw her.

Kate still went on her modeling gigs and we still took all our meals together as a group. But the sexual atmosphere in the house had noticeably dampened, with pretty much everyone careful not to show too much affection or make too many sexual innuendoes whenever Kate was around. It just didn't seem fair since she pretty much "couldn't" have sex with me.

It wasn't that I cut her off from me. We had a moment together when I stopped by the Common Room and I came within an inch of pressing our lips together and then carrying her away into her bedroom. But at the last moment, she started crying and all I could do was hold her while she sobbed against my shoulder.

Another time, I tried to push through the awkwardness and invite her to join Mia and me in the pool for a little playtime. But Kate got a haunted look in her eyes and she left the room.

And by the time Cassandra and I were to fly off to Tokyo for a week, the rift between Kate and I was complete.

***

"I'm cumming! I'm cumming! Cum with me, baby! Cum inside me!" Taylor shuddered as the climax passed through her. And with her legs bent over my spread thighs and her fingers digging into my back, she pulled me along with her, and my cock began firing cannon shots of semen into the back of her womb.