Bride By Design 2: Manchala On The Mind (Taken By The Billionaire) Read online

  Bride By Design 2: Manchala On The Mind (Taken By The Billionaire)

  By

  Alicia Roberts

  Bride by Design 2: Manchala On The Mind (Taken By The Billionaire)

  Copyright 2012 by Alicia Roberts

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental.

  Adult Reading Material

  Disclaimer: The material in this book is for mature audiences only and contains graphic sexual content. It is intended only for those aged 18 and above.

  ***

  Bride by Design 2: Manchala On The Mind (Taken By The Billionaire)

  ***

  Things with Colin are never quite as straightforward as they seem.

  As they prepare to visit Manchala, Lisa wonders who he really is, and fights off their growing attraction.

  Chapter One

  I woke up early, excited and nervous.

  Today I'd see Colin again; I didn't know what he had planned for today, but he was definitely up to something. The last time we'd talked, I'd realized that he never did anything without an ulterior motive. Everything benefited him in some way or another.

  I was beginning to understand why he was never linked with one woman for too long a time. They probably realized his cold, scheming ways and left him for someone real. I remembered his eyes, cool and appraising, his thin smile that made me hunger for his touch.

  It would be a long week. I groaned internally - there was no way Colin was seducing me. Nothing would happen between us in the Caribbean. With any luck, it would be purely business, Alex's debt would be paid off, and I'd walk away with a nifty new job.

  Too bad he was gorgeous. Too bad I was dying to kiss those light pink lips, too bad his touch electrified my skin.

  The week would be an exercise in self-restraint and I wasn't going to let my desire show through in any way.

  I reached over to the bedside table, opened the drawer and pulled out my favorite toy. Since he wasn't going to be giving me another orgasm, I'd do it myself. If I was spent and happy with my toy, I might have a better shot at holding myself back from jumping into his arms and…

  I pulled the covers high and wriggled out of my pajama bottoms and panties. The thought of jumping into Colin's arms and wrapping my legs around him was already making me wet and I switched on the long vibrator and held it against my lips, the gentle vibrations increasing my arousal.

  I imagined Colin and me lying on a secluded beach in Manchala, the sun shining down on us, the sand warm beneath our bodies. Waves crashed gently a few meters away, and palm trees rocked in the wind. Wearing only a pair of bathing trunks, Colin was tanned and muscular, his chest wide and hard.

  I imagined him leaning over me, and untying the top of my bikini, pulling it down to expose my naked breasts. I arched my body at the thought, easing the toy between my swollen lips, pressing down and filling myself.

  I imagined how hard my nipples would be, displayed to him like small tropical fruit. And he'd lean down and suck on them, eating them like little berries, grabbing my breasts and pressing down. He'd move his hands lower and slide off the bikini bottom, tossing it nearby and pressing those beautiful lips down on my clit. He'd suck and lick, making me swollen and desperate, as he pushed my thighs apart.

  I touched my clit, twirling my fingers in circles, as I imagined Colin taking off his trunks to display his large erection, the head angry and purple. He'd lie over me, his chest pressing down against my soft breasts, his erection rubbing against my drenched lips as teased me, making me want him.

  I wrapped my legs around him, feeling the soft sand on my back as the waves crashed near us. He positioned the head at my entrance, and I moaned in anticipation, begging him to enter me. He obliged, sliding in gently, parting my lips, drawing back, and then slamming into me.

  I cried out in surprise and pain and pleasure, and he drew out and thrust in again. I felt his cock inside me, throbbing against my walls, as I clenched my muscles against him. We started to move rhythmically, I ground my hips against him and called out his name as his fingers teased my nipples. I arched my back as he kept banging into me and then finally I came, my orgasm crashing down like the waves on the beach.

  My fingers were still on my clit, the vibrator pulsing and throbbing, as I came out of my fantasy and recovered from my climax. I smiled - the fantasy Colin was pretty good. He'd have to hold me till next week.

  The real life Colin was a cold manipulator, I told myself, as I headed to the shower. And I was meeting him within a few minutes.

  Chapter Two

  I slid into the limo. Colin had been waiting for me downstairs, I wasn't about to let him up and look at my pigsty of a place.

  My orgasm had left me happy and relaxed, and I smiled at him warmly, ignoring the fact that his jade eyes sent strange ripples down my spine.

  "You're in a good mood," he said cynically, looking at me as though he knew why I was so happy.

  I laughed and refused to be ruffled, confident there was no way he'd know what was on my mind.

  I leaned forwards and said, "Why can't a girl be happy? Thanks for paying off Alex's debts."

  There was genuine gratitude in my voice and Colin was caught unawares.

  "Huh," he said gruffly, "You're welcome and it's not a favor. I just paid you to support me next week."

  "Of course." I smiled. He could play the business card all he liked, but I could tell there was a soft spot under that gruff exterior.

  I was able to tell my relationship with Alex touched his heart, and I wondered if it was because he'd been an only child. I had Google'd him last night, but there was a surprising lack of information about his past. The reporters loved to talk about his girls and money, but something was holding them back from delving into his pre-tycoon life. Not that it was any of my business either.

  "So where are we going?" I asked innocently.

  He looked at me - his eyes were narrow and appraising and his voice was hollow. "People will expect my wife to look a certain way. So we're going to fix that today."

  The words stung. "Oh - so you're saying I'm not good-looking enough to be your wife?"

  He smiled - the beautiful smile that turned my insides to mush and made it hard to be mad at him. "I wouldn't know about that. I'm attracted to you, so I can't objectively tell how pretty you are. But I do know you don't look like the kind of women I'm normally with…"

  "Because they're so glamorous and tall and skinny?"

  My voice was dripping with sarcasm, but Colin didn't take the bait.

  "Maybe they are," he said, "But I think we should change some things about the way you look."

  I bristled. "I'm not a building for you to fix up!"

  He smiled and said coldly, "No, I wouldn't need to have such a long conversation with a building."

  I stared at him, trying to ignore my attraction and understand if I felt horror at his callousness or embarrassment at his need to "improve" me. "What exactly are we doing?"

  "First I'm taking you to a hairdresser. A couple of girls mentioned they went to him and I looked him up."

  "My hair is fine."

  "Maybe it is, maybe it's not. Jared's the expert, and he'll tell us."

  "Fine."

  I sat in silence, angry at the jabs about my appearance and the implications that I needed to do something more. I couldn't afford to spend thousands on my skin and hair each month! And even if I could, I wasn't too horrible looking. Ma
ybe too plain for Colin, but - I remembered his comment about not being able to tell how I pretty I was. I wondered if he meant it? It was certainly soothing, but he probably threw that in to keep me from having a real fit. Not that I have fits - his exes might be drama queens, but I've learnt to keep my emotions in check. Mostly.

  We finally arrived at the salon. A "closed" sign was hanging on the door, and we walked right through.

  "Welcome, welcome."

  A tall man, obviously Jared shook hands with Colin and air-kissed my cheeks. "So you must be Lisa, and we're operating on you today?"

  He winked, his charm disarming and unaffected. There was a petite blonde girl standing in the background, probably his assistant.

  Connor was all business. "What do you think she needs done, and how fast can you do it?"

  Jared began to lift my hair and run his hands through it. "Well, Lisa, your hair is absolutely gorgeous, completely virgin I can tell. Have you ever dyed it?"

  I shook my head no, suddenly wondering if Colin planned to turn me into a blonde bimbo. "No, I like my hair dark, and I don’t plan on dying it."

  "Hmm. Well, the coloring does suit your skin tone, but a few highlights and lowlights would really make your skin glow, and it would look ab-so-lutely gorgeous!"

  "I'm not about to dye my hair."

  Colin interjected snidely, "Lisa, the expert has spoken."

  I narrowed my eyes and held myself back from stomping my foot. "I'm not about to dye it."

  "Why not?" Jared was serious and his concern seemed genuine.

  I blushed, wishing I didn't have to expose my financial situation in front of Jared, wishing I could pretend to be one of his typical rich clients. But Jared was my only hope - if I could convince him, he wouldn't let Colin completely change the way I looked.

  "I can't afford to keep up the dye job," I admitted softly, "And I can't afford the special shampoos you need to make your hair stay nice after dying it."

  Jared nodded. "Hmm, ok. If you can't maintain it then there's no point doing it, it'll just ruin your hair."

  I saw the look of annoyance on Colin's face and he said brusquely, "It's just for a week. She needs to stay in good shape for a week, and then she can do whatever."

  "I'm not ruining my hair for you, Colin."

  Jared nodded sympathetically. "We can't do this, it'll just ruin her beautiful hair if she doesn't maintain the dye job."

  Colin's eyes were flashing and I could tell he felt impotent in his total lack of feminine hair knowledge. "Well, what can we do to her hair then?"

  Jared turned to me. "I can give you a gorgeous haircut. Your hair's a bit flat now, that's why it looks so dull and thin. I'll give you layers, that'll add volume. And I'll use a brightening treatment to make your hair look more lustrous and beautiful. What do you think, gorgeous?"

  I smiled at him in the mirror. He was so sweet, and his passion about hair was adorable.

  I nodded happily. "Ok."

  Colin exhaled, but I could tell he wasn't entirely happy. "How long will this take?"

  "An hour or two. Why don't I make you coffee, you can read some magazines while you wait?"

  "Yes to the coffee, no the rags."

  Colin went and sat on the couch, pulling out his phone and calling someone.

  I let Jared drag me over to the hair washing station, where he washed my hair with something and gave me a relaxing scalp massage. "Don't let a man get to you," he said. "Just enjoy the time and your great new hair."

  I nodded, wondering just how much Jared knew about my relationship with Colin. Probably not much, I decided, but he never once asked me what was going on. Instead, he straightened my hair and cut it, all while talking about the latest movies and movie gossip.

  Alice, the blonde assistant, helped him to straighten and cut my hair, and at the end of it, they did something with rollers and hairdryers and I started at myself amazed. I had soft, shiny hair that framed my face, and it had volume without being too puffy. It was amazing - what had they done to my old hair?

  Jared and Alice both laughed at my expression, and Jared told me to use rollers on the top part of my hair when it was drying, and to blow dry it if I could. I nodded dutifully and they led me out to show Colin.

  He was in the middle of a phone call and hung up abruptly and stood up.

  "You look gorgeous," he said, staring at me with obvious wonder.

  "And you look surprised," I teased, wondering if I had really looked that bad before.

  Colin smiled and we both thanked Jared and Alice and walked out. I felt surprising pleased and happy at how things had turned out. Since my parents died, I've never had a chance to pamper myself, and my time with Jared had been lovely.

  As we sat in the limo, Colin was smiling at me, looking pleased. I knew he wanted to say something but was holding himself back.

  I tried not to touch my hair or flip it around like I wanted to. I smiled at him, enjoying his obvious admiration. "Where are we going now?"

  "Maxine's. She does skincare and stuff, and I've arranged for her to give you a makeup tutorial."

  I nodded silently. A part of me wanted to protest that I didn’t wear much makeup and I knew how to apply it anyway, but my hairdressing experience had been so nice that I didn't have the heart to protest.

  We pulled up in front of a nondescript building with no signs.

  Colin jerked his head towards the door, "You go ahead, I'll stay in here and work on my laptop. It's all been paid for, so do whatever you want."

  He was fiddling with his laptop and didn't seem to care what I did. I stepped out and knocked on the door gingerly. Was this really Maxine's?

  Nobody was answering, so I tuned the knob and walked in. The place was decked out like a professional salon. A blue-haired lady was chatting with short Asian man at the counter. They both turned to look at me disdainfully.

  "We're closed," said the man.

  I glanced from one to the other. "I thought this was Maxine's? I was told to come here… I'm Lisa?"

  Immediately their expressions changed.

  "Lisa! Why didn't you say so before?"

  They came forward and embraced me.

  "I'm Shane, and this is Maxine."

  Maxine peered at me and asked, "You're not wearing any makeup now, are you?"

  "Um… I'm wearing tinted sunscreen and mascara?"

  She handed me makeup remover and directed me to the basin, where there were expensive skin-care products. I wiped off the mascara and washed my face clean, using one of the towels provided and tossing it into the bin marked "used towels" after I was done.

  After a brief discussion with Maxine, my skin was cleansed with a tiny vibrating wand and I was given some kind of nourishing facial. Afterwards, she handed me a bag full of tiny, expensive products, and told me how to use them.

  Next, Shane gave me a quick lesson on how to make my eyes and cheekbones "pop", how to make my skin glow and other tricks. I nodded dutifully, not sure how much I'd remember, but he gave me a list of things to buy - "I've matched them to your skin coloring," he said and I smiled and nodded and finally left.

  Colin looked up when I came into the limo.

  "You've been gone for ages," he said drily.

  I smiled and handed him the shopping list. "Are we done yet?"

  "Not quite."

  The limo sped along and finally stopped in front of an expensive boutique with the "closed" sign hanging on the door.

  I sighed. "Why do you insist on closing everyone down for us? I'm sure we could just shop normally."

  Colin looked at me coldly. "I didn't expect you to understand. But I like to keep everything within my control - every little thing should be in the right place, with nothing to mess us up. If you miss a single beat, life will screw you over."

  My heart thumped and I remembered my parents' deaths. "You can't control everything in life."

  "No. But I damn well intend to control everything I can. I'm not going to get screwed over again
because I forgot a tiny detail or was too polite to insist on something."

  "Again? When was the last time you got screwed over?" I could barely contain my surprise and curiosity. Colin Anderson was man of complete self-possession and ruthless ability. I couldn't imagine anyone messing with him.

  But he ignored me entirely, and we stepped out and entered the boutique.

  "Monsieur Colin, Mademoiselle."