The Billionaire's Betrayal

ALICE

The sensation of butterfly kisses running down the column of my neck forced me to open my eyes to the man who made my blood sing and my soul glow.

Gideon’s sea-green eyes gazed down at me full of love and purpose. I knew he would be extra demanding today—wanting me in ways I couldn’t imagine.

“Good morning, little peach,” he murmured against my skin, his voice a deep, sexy baritone that was the result of a good night’s sleep.

“Happy birthday, my sexy husband,” I replied, wrapping my arms around his neck and placing my lips against his as he made quick work of removing my clothes, before pushing his thick length straight into my dripping core.

My body arched to meet his deep thrusts as he poured his love and passion into me, leaving me no choice but to take it.

The sound of our breathy moans was all I could hear as the sensation of Gideon moving in and out of me left me grappling for my other senses.

He made sure I couldn’t feel anything except him as he powered into me, making me wish for this delicious torture to go on forever and at the same time to stop right away because the intense pleasure was driving me insane.

It still left my mind reeling how after so many years of being together, Gideon still had the power to torture me with pleasure.

Normally, couples got used to one another in the amount of time my husband and I’d been together, but not me.

I believed I would never get used to Gideon being my husband or the way he could play my body like his own favorite instrument.

“You were not very nice to me last night, little peach,” he said as he bit my left breast, causing pain to arch deliciously up my spine.

How could he turn pain into pleasure? Why did his dark words turn me on?

“Good things come to those who wait,” I managed to reply, thinking back to last night when Gideon wanted to have sex at exactly midnight because he wanted me to be his first birthday gift.

But I did not allow him to touch me as I wanted him to make love to me first thing in the morning because according to me, the rising of the sun marked the start of the day.

“Well, I was not able to sleep very well last night, so don’t be surprised if I don’t let you get any sleep tonight,” he stated as the force of his thrusts increased, pushing me further and further into the abyss of pleasure.

“I’m yours, Gideon. You can have me whenever you want, however you want,” I told him just as he stilled on top of me.

He groaned as he reached his climax, pushing me toward my own as stars exploded in front of me, blinding me to everything but the sheer pleasure short-circuiting my nerve endings.

“Damn right you are. Mine and only mine. You so much as think about another man, and I wouldn’t hesitate to commit murder,” he gritted out, his eyes flashing with conviction as his arms tightened around me in a possessive hold.

I cupped the side of his face. “Never, Gideon. You’re the only one for me, now and forever. There is no place for any other man in my heart. It’s only you. It’ll always be only you.”

“Exactly. Only me,” he repeated before bending down and kissing me. It felt like he was forcing me to swallow every ounce of love he had for me, branding me so that no one else could have me.

It was only when I started to feel dizzy due to the lack of air did he pull away, allowing me to breathe freely once again.

“Come on, it’s a big day today. There’s a lot to be done, and if you keep me here any longer, then everything will be delayed, and trust me, I do not want our guests leaving without having dinner,” I said.

I made to get out of bed, but as always, Gideon refused to let me go.

“Not yet. I want to spend some more time with my beautiful wife, especially since last night she managed to get her way,” he grumbled, playfully nipping my ear, causing me to shriek loud enough to wake up the kids.

“You need to be a big boy now. You’ve turned thirty today,” I said.

“Turning thirty means you should be more accommodating to your husband’s needs,” he argued.

I chuckled. “Is that so?” Before he could react, I pulled him down before rolling over and sitting on top of him.

Well, if my husband wants an accommodating wife, then he shall get it,” I said before taking a hold of his thick length and gently sliding down on top of him, our groans of pleasure drowning out everything around us.

***

“Mum, can I help you with anything?” Abioye asked me as he stood watching me pour batter into the cupcake trays.

“No, thank you, sweetheart. Why don’t you go and make sure your brother and sister are not playing in the dirt?”

I really did not want to have to change either of my children’s clothes. Abioye was old enough to know when it was okay to have dirt on his clothes and when it wasn’t.

“Are you sure? I know Jack and Lily are in the play area,” he continued.

“And is the play area dirty?” I asked him as I put the tray in the oven and washed my hands.

Once the cupcakes were done, I could go and get ready. The guests would be arriving soon, and I wanted everything to be perfect today.

Gideon and I have come a long way since that fateful day at his office when I went for the interview. I never thought I would end up loving the man who only seemed to care about himself at the time.

And now I couldn’t imagine my life without him. I just wished he would spend a little more time with me and the kids because his work keeps him away from us.

The children miss him a lot, and they look forward to the weekend when he should be around, but even then, he seldom has time due to handling multiple projects and deals at the same time.

“Uncle Nico is there, so it’s clean,” Abioye answered.

I knew he would not leave the kitchen until and unless he helped me with something, but I did not want to engage him in anything that could potentially hurt him.

He was still too young, but he was determined to help me with everything, no matter how much I told him that I didn’t require any help.

“All right, then you can sit and keep me company.”

I dried my hands with a paper towel while observing Lola cooking dinner for the family. I had cooked a couple of Gideon’s favorite items, but we still needed to feed a lot of people.

Now that Helga was out of the picture, Lola was the new housekeeper, and so far she seemed to be all right.

However, I still had my reservations with her because of what happened with Helga, but hopefully, with time, I would learn to trust her more.

“Are you sure I cannot help you with anything?” Abioye asked again just as Nico came bounding down the stairs looking frustrated.

“Nico, what’s wrong?” I ran my eyes over him, making sure he was breathing properly and not having any heart problems.

Though the surgery was a success, I couldn’t get rid of the lingering fear that something might happen to him.

Every doctor in the world reassured me that Nico’s heart was perfectly fine now and that I shouldn’t be worrying. I wondered if I would ever be able to get over this anxiety.

“Your kids are not letting me read my book,” he complained.

“Umm, is it for school?” I asked.

Nico was going to be taking his GCSEs next year, and he was dedicating most of his time to studying so that he was prepared for his exams as he wanted to become a doctor and therefore did not want to get distracted.

I wondered if there was someone who would force him out of his shell and get him to have a normal student experience.

“Yes, it is for school. Can you tell them to leave me alone for two hours at least, and then I’ll play with them all they want?” he pleaded with me.

“You can tell them.” I suppressed a giggle at his scowl.

“I already did that, but they want to play hide-and-seek. You’re their mother, they will listen to you,” he argued.

“All right, all right, calm down. I’ll go see the kids, and you can go to your room and finish your book because the guests will be here soon, and I don’t want you holed up in your room with a book, is that clear?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said before taking off, leaving me with Abioye once again.

“Come on, let’s go see what your brother and sister are up to.”

While climbing the stairs, Abioye was way ahead of me while I was making sure he didn’t trip and hurt himself.

However, once on the second floor, I saw Brian Maslow, Gideon’s father, in his bedroom standing in front of his wife’s portrait.

He was dressed for the party, but the wetness in his eyes told me that he was not ready to face a crowd.

“Forgive me, my love. Forgive me for taking this chance away from you. You’re not here to see your son turning thirty. Forgive me, darling,” he said, caressing the portrait of his wife as tears spilled freely from his eyes.

“Mummy? Why is Grandpa crying?” Abioye asked, concern shining in his eyes.

“He might be sad for some reason, darling. Why don’t you go on ahead and check on Jack and Lily while I talk to your grandfather,” I told him, giving him a gentle nudge in the direction of the play area.

Once Abioye was out of my sight, I steeled my resolve and knocked on the door, hoping Brian Maslow would not tell me to get lost.

I watched as he quickly wiped his face with his hands before turning to me with a smile. “Alice? What a nice surprise? I was not expecting you here.”

“May I join you for a few minutes? If...if you’re not busy, that is.” I didn’t know why I was so afraid of this man, maybe because he was the only one who had the power to separate Gideon and me.

“Of course, I was just talking to my wife here. You might think I’m losing my mind now, but I don’t know how else to talk to her, so this portrait is all I have,” he explained.

“I don’t think you’re losing your mind. If I were in your place, I’d do the same,” I told him, hoping to give him some peace of mind.

Brian sighed as sadness pooled in his eyes. “I’ve regretted that day every day since it happened, and I’ll continue to regret it until the end of time. Do you think she’ll ever forgive me? I took everything from her.”

“I think so. Despite her not being there to support you, you did your best to raise your children.”

“I’m the reason she was not there to support me. And how did I raise my kids? One ran away to be with the one she loved; the others grew up hating me because I refuse to accept their partners.”

“They don’t hate you. They respect you. I know what hate is like, and trust me, none of your children hate you. They obey every command of yours because they look up to you. You are their hero, Mr. Maslow,” I said.

I hoped he wouldn’t tell me to mind my own business and keep my speech to myself.

“I wouldn’t be so quick to agree, dear one. I just hope my wife is able to forgive me. That’s all I want now.

“I know my children are happy in their lives, and I think the time has come for me to step back and allow my sons to take over the company,” he said.

“Aren’t they already in charge of the company?” My brow furrowed in confusion.

“They are, but I’m still the head, and I think it’s time I passed on the baton to Gideon. He has more than proven himself that he is capable of running the business and helping it thrive.

“I shall announce it during dinner. Until then, it’ll be a secret between me and you,” he answered.

I was happy for Gideon, I really was. He had dedicated his life to the family business, constantly taking it to new heights. And now he was getting the fruit of his labor.

He was finally getting the position he deserved. However, the small voice in my head reminded me how he would become busier than ever, which meant I would barely see him.

Gideon has worked all his life. He deserves this. ~

Yes, he did. And as his wife, I had to support him. He was working hard to provide us with the best life, but I wished he realized that all we wanted was him. Him just being here with us was all I wanted.

“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me,” I told him just as Lola appeared. My walls went up, wondering what she wanted to say in front of Mr. Maslow.

“Mrs. Maslow, the food is ready, and the guests have arrived,” she said, keeping her eyes on me.

“Thank you, Lola. Offer them refreshments, we’ll be right there,” I replied, and she nodded and left.

“Kieran and Brenton must be here. Shall we go?” I smiled at him, enjoying the fact that he opened up to me. My father-in-law took some time warming up to me, but it seemed that our relationship was improving.

“Yes, let’s go. It’s time to pass on the crown to my son,” he stated before giving the portrait of his wife one final glance and walking out of his room, leaving me to follow after him.

This was it.

Today was Gideon’s thirtieth birthday, and he would finally be made the head of Maslow Enterprises. Nothing could ruin this day for us.

If only I knew how wrong I was. ~