The Russian Billionaire

“Raine,” my mother calls, a frown on her face. “Can you trust him?”

My answer is immediate and comes from somewhere deep inside me. “Yes. I can trust him.”

My mother nods, but her forehead is still creased in a frown. “But are you sure it is a good idea to go away with him so soon?”

I smile at her. “It may be a terrible idea, but it’s called living, Mom. Taking risks and going for it.”

My mother looks at me sadly. “There was a time I thought like that. It is a beautiful feeling. The whole world was my oyster. Everything was possible. Everything was a wonderful adventure. It’s sad when that feeling goes. I don’t mean to smother you, honey. You go. Go and have a wonderful time.”

I walk up to her and hug her. “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, honey. I love you too,” she whispers in my ear. “You go on to London and have the best time of your life. You deserve it. You’re a good daughter, Raine. A very good daughter and I don’t want you to ruin your life because you’re trying to save Maddy.”

“I’m not ruining my life, Mom. I want to go to London.”

She searches my eyes. “With him?”

“With him.”

She nods. “Okay, but I’ll miss you like mad though.”

“It’s only the weekend, Mom.”

“Yes, yes. I guess you’re all grown up now.”

I smile. “Don’t tell me you just noticed.”

She smiles back. “I’ve been pretending not to notice.”

“Don’t worry about me, Mom. I’ll be fine.”

“I know. Off you go to bed, then,” she says with a resigned sigh.

Raine

I can’t sleep to start with. I keep thinking of the expression on his face as he fingered me in the car. Just thinking about what he had done to me and the way he did it, makes me so horny I have to masturbate.

But unlike the long-lasting explosion of a climax in the back of his car, this one is a quick, light burst that leaves me unsatisfied and craving more. I long to feel his cock moving inside me. The weird thing is I have never lusted after a man the way I am wanting him. Eventually, I go to sleep with these thoughts and dream that he has caught me switching the painting. His eyes are cold and furious. I’m so horrified I wake up in a cold sweat. For a long time, I lie in bed, staring at the ceiling, my heart beating fast.

It’s okay, Raine, change of plan, remember, you’re not switching the painting anymore. You’re just going to ask for a soft loan.

When my heartbeat slows down, I try to go back to sleep, but can’t even though it has been a long and stressful day and I should be exhausted. I’m too excited about my trip to London. I toss and turn for ages until I give up trying to sleep, and reach for my phone instead. I begin finding out everything I can about the ancient city of London. I make notes about the places I want to visit, and it is the early hours of the morning when I finally fall asleep.

The alarm wakes me up, but I find myself instantly awake and buzzing with excitement. Quickly, I pack a small suitcase, filling it with my best clothes and my sexiest underwear, then I go to have breakfast. Mom is in her room getting ready to go to work, and Maddy is sitting at the kitchen table flicking through her cellphone. Her hair is still patchy on top of her head. She looks up when I enter our small kitchen.

“How was the date last night?” she asks, her eyes bright with curiosity.

“It was fine. How do you feel this morning?” I reply as I reach for a bowl in the cupboard.

“Fine? That’s all I get.”

“We had dinner, then he took me to a party and brought me straight back here.”

“Hey, hey, back up, back up. He took you to a party?”

I take the seat opposite her and pour cereal into my bowl without looking at her. I feel sad for her. It’s been years she has not been strong. The last party she went to is when she was fourteen or fifteen. Her teenage years where she should be out partying and having fun are passing away. All she ever does is stare into her phone for hours and hours. It is as if she has been sucked into a digital world. Even all her friends are digital avatars and they in turn know only her avatar. I pour milk over my cereal and look up at her.

“We didn’t stay long. There was a woman there who tried to kill herself. It was quite dramatic. We left soon after.”

She leans forward. “You went to a party where a woman tried to kill herself?” Wow! How?”