Tom Billionaire Ch. 04

"Ash..."

"You could've become Tom Eriksen with ME. Taken me with you, don't you see? But NO. You had to go and find... what the fuck's her name, Veronica? Valerie?"

"Vivienne," I said quietly.

Ashlyn looked like she wanted to spit on the name. "You had to find _HER_, and make *her* your new girlfriend."

"Ashlyn..."

She shook her head. "Karl's my brother. I've never had a single sexual thought about him in my life. But he's been a far better boyfriend to me these past few months than you EVER were."

"Hey, I loved you with passion and fire and I did my hardest to make sure you never felt excluded while-"

"Doesn't matter," she cut me off. "Here, in THIS house, I'm the ONLY girl that matters to him."

I was about to say something, but Ashlyn winced and shook her head, adding, "Okay, well maybe not the ONLY girl. He and Charlotte are kinda starting to... nevermind. The point is... The point is..."

She was panting now, out of breath from her tirade and momentarily thrown off track from what she wanted to say.

"Ashlyn... I still love you," I said quietly.

She looked up at me through tear-stained eyes, mascara running down her face. And setting her jaw defiantly, she looked right at me and said, "When you had the chance to prove it, you went to Europe instead. I'm sorry... But I don't believe you."

****

"Where to, buddy?"

My departure from Ashlyn's had been rather awkward. Joey managed to remember that I was still her Daddy when she returned from Central Park. She even went and fetched the photo albums that her mom had been using to point me out for the past several months. But while I distracted myself with sitting my daughter in my lap and going through all the old photos, it was clear that Ashlyn was giving me the cold shoulder. And even Joey could sense it.

I figured I need to give Ashlyn space at a time like this, to come to terms with how she truly felt about me. I gave her my new address and number, so she could contact me at any time. And then with regret, I made my excuses to leave.

Joey crawled all over me, not wanting me to go. I gaped at her for a moment, unsure of how to respond. "I'll be back soon, baby," I told her sincerely, looking at her mother. To myself, I thought that this might be my avenue back into Ashlyn's life. If Joey wanted me around, I would have future opportunities to win my girlfriend back.

Then again, hundreds of millions of divorced and broken up couples around America managed to handle joint custody of their kids without reuniting. But I figured it was at least worth a shot.

Karl came home from work. I said goodbye to him and Charlotte. And I kissed my little girl goodbye while she pouted cutely. I kissed her mother's cheek a little more chastely, and then I headed downstairs to catch a cab.

But my mind was still on Ashlyn and Joey when the cab driver asked me where I wanted to go, and when I tried to remember my own new address, I drew a blank. "Uhh... umm..."

"Dude, you forget where you live or something?" the cabbie asked me with a smirk.

I sighed. "Just moved, actually." I pointed up at the building just outside the window. "My daughter's up there with her mom."

"Ahh..." The cabbie nodded in understanding. "Sucks, man. At least your wife lets you see her. My ex won't let me near my kids with a ten-foot pole unless it's one of my every other weekends."

"Sorry."

"Yeah, me too."

Distracted away from my sorrows by the conversation, my new address popped back into memory. I told the cabbie, and we were off.

Even though the apartment building was only about a mile away as the pigeon flies, it took almost fifteen minutes to navigate traffic. I paid my fare and then strolled past security, by now not even thinking about somebody recognizing me. How could they? I was just another New Yorker taking a cab and paying cash. I had no entourage, no security detail. I didn't ride in a Maybach or fly by helicopter. I was just another guy, albeit one with a few extra zeroes in his bank account.

So Tom Eriksen rode up the elevator to his new apartment. Once again, it took a few seconds to remember what floor he lived on. And upon reaching my destination, I put my key in the lock and went inside, expecting to find Evania standing at attention, ready for my immediate commands, or maybe Vivienne, posing seductively on the couch wanting to cheer me up or ease the worries of my day.

I found neither. Nobody was in the apartment, and I stood there in the empty room, wondering when was the last time I had truly been all alone. No Cassandra by my side, ready to leap into action at my merest whim. No Edward to take my coat, or Dorothy to whip up something heavenly delicious. No pretty models hanging out in the Common Room looking for a good time. Just me... all alone... in an empty apartment.

For someone used to having attractive companionship by his side 24/7... it was pretty frightening. And furrowing my eyebrows, I wondered where the hell my girls were. Wasn't the whole point of bringing them over from Europe to give me company so I wouldn't feel so alone?

But just then, I heard a toilet flush, followed quickly by sounds of the sink running. A few seconds later, Evania stepped out. She startled at first, surprised to see me. And then she blushed and composed herself. "My apologies, sir. I didn't see you. How was your trip?"

"It was good, it was good," I replied dismissively before waggling a finger around the empty apartment. "Where's Vivienne?"

"She is downstairs with your friends. Miss Kaitlyn was a most excellent host today. I remained up here to await your arrival."

I smiled contentedly and relaxed. Still, I said, "You didn't have to do that. You could have stayed with them and just left me a note or something."

Evania furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head emphatically. "My duty is to wait here for you, sir." The way she posed, standing rigid and clutching her hands behind her lower back only added to the force of her statement.

I smiled and nodded. "Efharisto..."

She smiled radiantly. "Parakalo." Evania then turned, gesturing me toward the bedroom. "Shall we get you cleaned up before going downstairs?"

I nodded. "Lead the way."

Though it probably wasn't necessary, Evania helped me change out of my day clothes. She was still my valet, after all. Once naked, the comely brunette hefted my cock and offered to give me a relaxing blowjob before continuing, but I passed for now. I'd made plans to meet up with Jeff and Kaitlyn for dinner, and I didn't want to keep them waiting any longer than they already had. So I was re-dressed in slacks and an evening button-down. And then the two of us headed out.

A couple of minutes later, Jeff opened the door to his apartment and ushered us in. Vivienne and Kaitlyn were chatting up a storm, although they broke off when Evania and I entered.

"Oh, Tohm! There you are!" Vivienne jumped up to greet me. She quickly circled around the couch and threw herself into my arms. Her lips began raining kisses all over my face like a crazed woodpecker, and I finally had to pry her off.

Laughing, I asked, "Did you miss me?"

"More than you can possibly understand!" she replied.

Kaitlyn chuckled. "It's no joke. Everything was 'Tom this' and 'Tom that'. All. Day."

I rolled my eyes. "I hope it was all good."

"Oh, from her end it was all good." Kaitlyn grinned mischievously. "It's good to hear that you're still the same stud in the sack as you've always been, _Tom_." She emphasized my new name with waggled eyebrows.

I just arched an eyebrow of my own. "She's telling you about our sex life?"

"We were just sharing," Kaitlyn explained. "After all, I told her the whole story about me and Lindsay and the trap door."

My eyes goggled. "You TOLD her all that?"

"Sure. Why not? She wanted to know how we knew each other. And you were a little circumspect about it last night."

I chuckled and shook my head. "I was trying to be polite."

"For my benefit. I know. But you didn't need to be. And so Vivienne was just telling us about your little traipse around the Mediterranean. Now Jeff and I HAVE to visit Mykonos."

Jeff cracked. "Yeah... You and, what, seven girls on that yacht? Including the cook and the cabin stewardess?"

I frowned. "Althea and Nika weren't involved."

Jeff laughed. "That's because you didn't have me around to help you manage them all."

I arched an eyebrow and elbowed my best friend in the ribs. "Well, you're here now."

Kaitlyn grinned. "My thoughts exactly. But that's later. Let's get something to eat."

****

Kaitlyn's dining location of choice was a French place called Savann at Amsterdam and 80th. While a little pricey, it was a small neighborhood restaurant and very close to the apartment building, so we could walk. The girls were dressed in stylish new dresses, nothing fancy but fit for the occasion. Jeff and I got more than a few second-glances as we cruised down Amsterdam with the three gorgeous ladies.

In the June weather, the restaurant was open to the sidewalk, and many diners were already seated outdoors. The owner met us just inside the front door, and apparently knew Jeff and Kaitlyn as regular guests, so we were quickly given a prime corner spot.

The owner briefly shook my hand when I was introduced as Tom. But when he laid eyes on Vivienne and was informed of her name, he quickly launched into a flurry of French that seemed effusive in its praise of her beauty.

Vivienne blushed and replied back in kind. She and the owner went back and forth for a minute, both of them grinning as the comments quickly escalated into flirtation. Halfway through, Vivienne wrapped herself around my arm and informed the poor guy that she was taken. He gestured at Evania, and all I caught was the French word for "greedy". Both Evania and Vivienne laughed at that, the pair of them being the only ones fluent in French. But in the end, Vivienne told the guy off with a teasing smile and we all sat down.

Jeff asked, "What was that all about?"

"Nothing. He was just being polite."

Jeff cracked a smile. "Polite my ass. That man wants to take you home with him," he said while jerking a thumb toward the departing owner.

"But of course!" Vivienne smiled divinely. A waitress then arrived to take our order. And my girlfriend glanced at me, putting a hand to her chest and asking, "May I?"

I looked at everyone for approval and then waved her on. "Go right ahead. No limit."

"Joh-" Kaitlyn began before catching herself. "Tom, we were going to treat you. You're our guest and after everything you've done for us, we couldn't-"

"Hey, this is me," I interrupted. "Besides, I already owe you for taking my girls shopping. Really, go nuts."

The waitress waited patiently. As soon as she heard me say "no limit", I'm sure she would have waited forever. And she was quickly rewarded as Vivienne ordered (in French) one of their most expensive bottles of wine and then proceeded to rattle off several appetizers to get us started.

The waitress hustled away to fill our order, dreaming of a big tip. The rest of us settled into idle conversation. We chatted about the neighborhood, about the weather, and about some of the sights to see while the European girls were in Manhattan. Kaitlyn delicately asked how things had gone with the visit to Ashlyn's. My tired and frustrated expression was answer enough. And we moved on to more pleasant topics.

Our appetizers had just been served, and Vivienne was giving her commentary on the authenticity of the dishes when a new voice broke in. "Kaitlyn! Jeff! Hey!"

Kaitlyn turned her head. "Lily! Hey!"

Our conversation stopped as Kaitlyn and Jeff both turned around. Both stood, Kaitlyn to hug the newcomer, a petite brunette, and Jeff to shake hands with the man beside her.

"Funny running into you here," Lily exclaimed.

"Hardly. It's our favorite restaurant," Kaitlyn replied.

"We know," the brunette said with a nod. "It's fast becoming ours. Your fault for introducing us."

"Speaking of introductions," Jeff interjected. "Lily, Skip, these are our friends from out of town: Tom, Vivienne, and Evania."

"Hey, how you doin'?" Skip turned to me first as I stood, shaking my hand.

I was nervous for about a half second. Any friend of Kaitlyn's and Jeff's would likely know of their relationship with Jonathan Kwong. And I waited to see if there was any flash of recognition in Skip's eyes.

There wasn't. He continued right on to shake hands with Vivienne and Evania, quickly too distracted by their beauty to really give my face a close inspection. And then it was Lily's turn. Again, no sign of recognition. I found it hard to believe that a little blonde in my hair and a goatee had changed my appearance THAT much. But there it was. I suppose no one was expecting to see Jonathan Kwong, Billionaire, slumming at a neighborhood restaurant on the Upper West Side after all this time.

"Lily was a classmate of mine at Columbia," Kaitlyn was explaining. "Skip here is her studly husband. We've been really good friends, especially once they moved into the neighborhood."

"_Special_ friends," Lily added with an extra hint of innuendo. Kaitlyn just blushed. Given what I knew of her and Jeff's proclivities, I wasn't exactly surprised.

"Speaking of which," Skip began in a significant tone. "Are you guys busy later on tonight?"

"Well, we're entertaining," Jeff gestured to us.

"Still..." Lily added, taking a moment to cast an evaluative eye over not only me, but also the two gorgeous women flanking my sides.

"_Lily_," Kaitlyn almost hissed in embarrassment.

"Sorry, sorry. Just teasing."

"No you weren't, you little slut."

"Guilty as charged."

Everyone got a laugh out of that, even Vivienne and Evania, who had seemed to pick up on the innuendo despite English not being their primary language. And as the mood seemed comfortable, I gestured, "Why don't you guys slide that table over here and we'll make this party of five a party of seven?"

"You don't mind?" Skip asked politely.

"Not at all. Any friends of Kaitlyn's and Jeff's are welcome. Believe me, Vivienne ordered WAY more food than we can eat, anyways."

"Well in that case, thank you *very* much," Lily said straight to me. I nodded back, but she held my gaze for an extra half-second. I sweated just a bit, thinking that the brunette had finally figured out who I really was. But then again, from the rather predatory expression on her face, I might've been just a cute guy she wanted to "thank" a little more intimately later on.

It was shaping up into an interesting night.

****

With seven people, it was impossible to maintain a single conversation without somebody getting left out. For the rest of the evening, there would be two or even three topics going on at once. And we all took our time working our way through the meal.

At first, I worried that my girls would feel neglected in the conversation. After all, while both were quite skilled, English was not their first language. And the rapid-fire pace of New Yorkers chatting about whatever enters their minds can be a little overwhelming.

But Evania (to my left) got engaged with Jeff (directly across her) in discussions about the most romantic places in Europe to take Kaitlyn on a vacation, as well as various insider tips on making arrangements and getting around. Vivienne (to my right) was chatting with Lily (across from her), as the petite brunette had taken French classes all through school and wanted the practice. And both girls would end up answering various questions about their backgrounds and what life was like back in their native countries.

Of course, that meant that Skip and Lily were asking the same kinds of questions about ME, and my supposed background. Vivienne's and Evania's European origins were obvious. Mine were less so.

"So you were just in Europe on an extended holiday?" Skip was asking, somewhat puzzled that I would be returning to New York with both an assistant and a new girlfriend without living there in some permanent fashion.

"Three months," I confirmed.

"But what is it that you do for a living?"

I paused to think before answering. I wanted to avoid any reference to Jonathan Kwong's mergers and acquisitions business. At the same time, I didn't want to create a new job I'd have to lie about. So I just answered honestly, "Nothing, really, at the moment. Have you ever seen 'About A Boy'? Well my dad didn't write some jingle, but you could say I'm living off my royalties. I've got a decent nest egg saved up – which is why Jeff and Kaitlyn are letting me buy them dinner – and I'm not really doing anything productive at the moment."

"Wow..." Skip marveled. "Sounds like a nice life."

I thought about that. No pressure from billion-dollar deals. No headache-inducing board meetings. No executives complaining in my ears. Nothing to do but relax and screw the brains out of hot, young playthings. "Yeah," I agreed. "It's pretty nice."

"But how do you know Kaitlyn and Jeff?" Lily inquired.

I glanced at my friends, pausing again to think of an appropriate response. I obviously couldn't explain that Jeff had built Jonathan Kwong's Montauk mansion.

Fortunately, Kaitlyn answered for me. "Do you remember my old friend Lindsay? The one from Beverly Hills?"

Lily grinned. "Oh, uhh... she visited in February or something, right? The redhead. Nice tongue on that one."

Kaitlyn giggled. "Yeah, that one. She and Tom were 'friends'." The air quotes around the word 'friends' was pretty obvious.

Lily just nodded, grinning wickedly. "Got it."

I chuckled and shook my head. Kaitlyn hadn't actually explained a thing, but a little innuendo went a long way to making up for it.

"Speaking of 'friends'," Lily continued, eyeing me up once again. "Would you guys mind if Skip and I tagged along back to your apartment for some cocktails?"

Kaitlyn looked hesitant, and glanced back at her boyfriend. Jeff looked at me, gauging my mood as well. I knew full well that Lily meant some "cocks" going into some "tails", and my head was swimming with fresh ideas of a seven-way orgy, allowing me to find out if the petite brunette was as much of a firecracker as I believed.

But oddly enough, the idea didn't really appeal to me. Sure, Lily was pretty, but I'd literally just met her less than two hours ago. I was still feeling somewhat drained from spending the day with Ashlyn and Joey. And really, I'd wanted to spend this time with Jeff and Kaitlyn to relax and get my head on straight.

Bringing Skip and Lily along would require me to keep my guard up even more, to protect my 'Tom Eriksen' identity. I just didn't want to deal with the headache, and the allure of tapping some strange pussy wasn't all that powerful after the sexually varied life I'd already lived these past few years.

Fortunately, I didn't have to be the bad guy. Jeff read my expression and answered apologetically, "Honestly, we'd love to. But our friends just got into town and we were really looking forward to catching up with them, y'know?"

Lily smiled and nodded graciously. "Sure thing, no biggie. We weren't even expecting to see you tonight anyways."

Skip added, "But seriously, thanks for dinner."

"No problem," I said magnanimously. "But since you won't be getting that cocktail, let me at least buy us another bottle of wine before we hit the road."

****

The extra bottle of wine ensured that the five of us were nicely buzzed by the time we got back to Jeff's and Kaitlyn's apartment, some of us more than others.

Kaitlyn and Evania were probably the tipsiest. And somehow, while Vivienne and Jeff attended to Evania, I ended up being the one to help Kaitlyn keep her balance up the elevator and down the hall. The skinny young blonde wrapped her left arm around my neck while fishing into her purse for her keys at the door. And once into the apartment, she immediately pulled me over to the couch, fell down on it, and laughed while pulling me down with her.