Anything For Chocolate - A Billionaire’s Deception Page 3

  This isn’t the first time Daphne’s been inside of a private plane, but this is over-the-top nice.

  “Whatever you do for a living, you must be good at it,” she states, eyeing the beautiful art covering the walls. She arrived five minutes earlier; brought onboard by a good-looking middle aged gentleman--a servant she assumed-- who brought her into the piano room. She was offered a drink and seated in a large wing-backed chair.

  The smell of leather mixed with the hint of cigar smoke fills the air, and she crosses her legs gracefully, holding the crystal snifter in her hand. Swirling gently, the warmed cognac releases its intoxicating aroma, and she enjoys its relaxing effects as Evan enters the room.

  He looks cool and relaxed as his long body moves gracefully towards her. He’s changed into a more climate appropriate attire, reminding Daphne of her lack of clothing. However, the way his rippling body looks right now underneath the loose fitting cream-colored linen suit, she’s hoping it will be a clothing optional weekend.

  “They said I was an overachiever in college,” he answers smoothly, raising one brow as he looks down smiling. He takes the seat next to hers and picks up the recently placed glass of cognac.

  “What college did you attend?”

  “MIT.”

  “Oh, no shit – you’re a brainiac then?” she says, surprised. In her world, stunningly handsome men and chiseled bodies usually don’t equal MIT.

  “Yes,” he chuckles, “I guess you could say that.”

  “MIT, I’m impressed. And with those looks and that body– I bet you were, very-popular.”

  “You have no idea.”

  “That’s what I thought– a trail of broken hearts.”

  “No, quite the opposite, I promise.”

  “I don’t believe it-- you with a broken heart.” She smiles, pausing as she studies his face– he’s remembering a painful time in his past. “Tell me about her.”

  Evan finishes the cognac, feeling it warm his throat as it surges towards his stomach. It sends a heated rush throughout his body, relaxing him and releasing the tension of his twenty hour day. “Another time, she’s not important,” he assures. “What’s important is I have you here with me, now. There will be time for storytelling later.” The words trail out slowly, ending with a promise delivered through a devious smile. His eyes cover her body, and he feels his cock hardening with the anticipation of telling her.

  How many times has he gone over it inside of his head? The thought of her pale body splayed out before him: face down, ass in the air, struggling against her bonds as he forcefully penetrates her ass… Oh, yes. She’ll hear… our story.

  CHAPTER THREE

  I remember it all like it was yesterday. Summer of ’89-- the same year three young girls had gone missing in our small town. Nobody knows what happened-- they just up and vanished, sending the whole town into a panic. After the third girl disappeared, we weren’t allowed to do anything as kids. We were made to come in before dark and we couldn’t walk anywhere alone. And that’s how we met.

  My grandma had seen her walking by our house several times, looking frightened and alone. “What kind of man would let his daughter walk alone during these times? You should make friends with her, Sweetie.” The next thing I knew Grandma was inviting her in for milk and cookies, and we were friends up until that final day when I got the bully beat down.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  “Don’t worry, Baby. I’m sure she’s still your friend,” Grandma said, as she wiped the dog poop ice-cream from my face. I could see the look of pain in her eyes. It broke her heart to see me like this— so emotionally fragile, and helpless to defend myself against the town bullies. She was trying to convince me that my closest friend – well, actually my only friend-- Daphne, wasn’t really laughing at me during the painful incident. “Perhaps, she didn’t know it was you. That’s what it was—I’m sure of it. She didn’t know it was you, Honey. I’ll get you cleaned up, and you can go over and see her.”

  “Okay,” I agreed. Grandma was right-- she was always right. Of course Daphne wasn’t laughing at me.

  Happily assured that I still had my friend, I relaxed and allowed Grandma to finish cleaning me up. It’s amazing how good a clean change of clothes, a bite to eat, and a hug from your Grandma can make you feel.

  The events of the day proved to be too much for me, and I fell asleep before seven, after deciding I would see my friend in the morning when we walked to school together.

  The next morning I stood in front of her house waiting for her to come out. I was a little hesitant to approach at first out of fear of her dad. The man was unshaven and scruffy looking, and just seemed to have a nasty demeanor about him. Several times when I had waited for her to come out I could hear him yelling obscenities and crashing furniture around. But she always came out with a smile on her face and never said anything about it, so neither did I.

  It was the thought of her smile that encouraged me to walk up to the door to find out what was keeping her. I opened the creaking screen door and prepared to knock, when it suddenly jerked open and I stood face to face with the scary-looking man dressed in his robe. “What the hell do you want?”

  “Is, is D-Daphne home?” I stuttered, backing away slowly. My head tilted in an effort to peek around the large man. I could see her standing in the shadows of the room; one arm on her belly and the other at her mouth, nervously chewing on a lock of blonde curls.

  “Is-is, D-Daphne home?” he mocked. “Stay away from my daughter you w-w-weird little fucker!” The rest of his words were just a succession of garbled noises in which I only made out a few as I turned and ran. But the message was loud and clear.

  Daphne missed the rest of the week at school, and over the weekend I watched in sadness as her father hastily loaded a U-Haul truck and moved them away. There was no explanation as to why they moved-- they just vanished.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  6 years later

  I spent the next six years devoting myself to making sure I would get into MIT, and when I received my acceptance letter my Grandma was even happier than I. That’s why she was crushed when I told her I had decided to attend school elsewhere.

  “Berkeley, California. I’ve never even heard of that place before.”

  “No, Grandma, it’s not a place. Berkeley is the name of the college,” I explained to the woman, who just couldn’t understand why, after all of these years, I would decide to change my mind.

  I didn’t have the heart to tell her the truth.

  I had received a phone call a few weeks earlier from an older cousin, who informed me he had seen my old friend…Daphne. It ends up that my cousin and her are on the prep squad together at their college, and not only did she remember me, she asked for my number. One thing lead to another and after finding out that Berkeley has one of the best Chemical Engineering courses in the country, I decided to move out west.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  BERKELEY

  My heart felt like it was going to beat out of chest when I first spotted her in the parking lot of the college. She said she would be there to greet me when I enrolled, and sure enough, there she was. I really didn’t know what she would think of me after all of these years. I was just a short pudgy kid back then. Now I’m a giant pudgy kid— Six-foot four inches and three hundred and eighty-five pounds.

  I could see the look of terror in her face as I approached. ‘Who the fuck is this huge freak coming at me?’ it said. I recognized the beautiful young girl from years ago, but she surely didn’t recognize me. Not until I was right upon her. “Devon?” she questioned with a nervous smile.

  “Daphne,” I spoke slowly, pausing for a moment to take in the sight of the magnificent young woman she’d become. “Wow, it’s great to see you.”

  “Oh my God! You too!” she yelled enthusiastically as she hugged my large waist, placing the side of her blonde lock covered head against my chest, making my heart soar.

  Letting go and backing away she looked me over, shaking her h
ead, surprised to see me. “I didn’t think you would come, wow.”

  I let out a deep breath, agreeing, “Yeah, me neither.” But I did. I needed to see that little girl that I was so close to as a child. The only person who ever showed any kind of interest in me, and the girl I still loved.

  “Well you did! So let’s get you signed up and then I’ll show you around the campus!” Her energy was contagious, pumping me up, and helping to ease my self-consciousness. It was really hard for me growing up, and she was a person who made it easier for me; just like she is now.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  “I didn’t think we’d ever get out of there,” I said, wiping the sweat from my red brow. The temperature was well over eighty degrees, and that’s not good for anybody, let alone a man of my size.

  “You don’t look so good. Let’s go get something to drink,” she offers, and we make our way to a small food court on campus. After picking up a couple sodas we find a nice shady spot on the grass, underneath a large oak tree.

  “Let me wipe your face.” Before I can protest, Daphne was patting my face lightly with a napkin. “I should have warned you about the heat.”

  “It’s not too bad,” I lied, before pulling deeply from my soft drink.

  “You don’t have to lie to me; it’s hot as hell today.” She fanned herself before continuing. “Look how broad your shoulders are!” The touch of her petite hands sent shivers up my spine. “You should play football.”

  “Ha! Me? I don’t think so. Trust me, there’s no muscle under all of this. I think I’m like 85% body fat.” I had a habit of making jokes about my weight; it was my way of dealing with it…or maybe not dealing with it.

  “Impossible.”

  “Is that so?” I questioned, knowing she’s right, but leading her on.

  “Absolutely. Remember, boy, I’m majoring in fitness!”

  “I know, I know.”

  There’s a short moment of silence as we watch the other students milling about the area.

  “I missed you…I thought about you often,” she says softly.

  “Really? You guys moved so quickly and I didn’t hear from you before you left, so I thought—I don’t know.” An image of her father yelling at me ran through my head; making me ill.

  “I’m sorry. My dad got a job offer here, and we had to move…Quick.”

  “Yeah, what was up with that? You guys left almost everything you owned.” I remembered the rummage sale they had with the remaining possessions the family had left behind. My grandmother had purchased all of the girl’s stuffed animals for me.

  “One of those things I guess—if you want the job, get your ass here-now.”

  “Well it’s great to see you.”

  “You too!” she yelled, throwing her arms around my neck and kissing my on the lips—my first kiss. She backed away slowly, smile removed, and staring deeply into my eyes, she kissed me again and suddenly my cock was hard.

  “Hey! You wanna drive down the coast? I have a blanket in my car, and there’s a great little private beach. We could grab a bottle of wine and watch the sunset. Catch up on old times.” Her bright blue eyes sparkled, and I knew I had found the woman I wanted to spend every waking hour of my life with, making her happy. My stomach was all butterflies, but I felt completely empowered by the little energetic beauty. I had known since the day that I first met her that she would be a very important person in my life, and that’s why I never stopped thinking about her. And I was right.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  The walk to her car was nothing like I had ever experienced before. I was soaring so high that I hadn’t notice the multitude of people who stared at the giant fat guy and the petite hottie as we made our way. My head was high and my chest pushed out, as he walked arm in arm into the parking lot.

  I knew something was wrong as soon a Daphne spotted the man standing next to her car. He was rugged and dirty-- a real sinister-looking guy… the man was her dad.

  Her body stiffened. “Oh shit,” she said, stopping in her tracks.

  The man was leaning against the trunk of a car, impatiently smoking a cigarette that he quickly discarded when he noticed us approaching. The face I remembered as a child, the scary face that gave me nightmares for years after he had confronted me, was walking towards me at a quick pace, looking more frightening than ever before.

  “Why the fuck aren’t you returning my calls! And who the hell is that? Get your fucking arm off my daughter!” the man lunged at me, pushing me away from Daphne, who tried desperately to calm him down.

  “This is Devon, Daddy! My friend from Indiana—Remember? I told you I was going to help him enroll!” She finished by jumping between me and the frightening man, whom I tower over, but lack the courage to face. At that moment I felt just like the chubby little kid getting ready to have dog shit rubbed in face again, and I backed away quickly as he screamed.

  “I don’t care who the fuck he is! He better get his hands off of you!”

  “It’s okay, Daddy!” She struggled with the man as he advanced towards me. “Remember Devon, my friend?”

  A devious smile covered his face when he remembered. “You mean the little fat fucker!” he laughed, before turning into the raging freak again. “I told you back then, fatty! And I TOLD YOU TOO!” Stay away from him!” He screamed close to Daphne’s face, making her cower, “You get the hell outta here, before I kick your ass! And you get in your car and get your ass home!”

  “Okay, Daddy,” Daphne had responded, the confident young woman replaced by a timid pet. I watched her staring from the corner of her eyes as he hustled her away.

  I stood in awe, scared and hating myself for not standing up to the man. I had the vision of Daphne as a scared girl standing in the back of the room, as her father yelled at me through the old screen door. My stomach was sick as I walked to my car.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Tears were streaming down my face as I drove my car down the coast, drinking from a bottle of wine. I was bound and determined to find myself a little beach of my own, and drink myself to sleep, dreaming of what could have been—what should have been.

  I was crying so hard, that I hadn’t even noticed the old Ford truck until was inches from my bumper. “What the fuck!” I screamed as it rammed into me, sending the wine bottle flying from my hand and my car turning sideways into a spin. In a blink of an eye the truck struck my car again, sending me crashing into the guard rail and over the side of a 400 ft. cliff; where my car burst into flames and blew up-- ending my life as Devon McDaniels and beginning my new one, as Evan Daniels.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Six Months later

  “Are you ready, Buddy?” The Doctor asked, preparing to remove the bandages from my face. I had spent six months in the hospital after the accident, recovering from the burns on my body and the reconstructive surgery to repair my face that was completely crushed and unrecognizable to anyone who knew me—including Grandma.

  “I guess,” I mumbled through the mask of bandages.

  “Here we go,” he stated with the scissors snipping lightly around my face.

  The mirror I held in my hand was shaking from the anticipation.

  A hush fell over the room as the Doctor removed the last layer.

  “Oh my word,” Grandma let out, in surprise.

  I thought the same thing as I looked at myself.

  “Is that really me?” I asked, running my fingers over the skin. “I’m…thin” I remarked in awe.

  “And every handsome,” Grandma gushed, at my new appearance.

  I won’t lie, She was right. Looking into the mirror was like staring at a stranger. My face was thin but muscular, with a perfect nose and a square jaw. I looked like a model—except for my hair that stood up, all smelly and looking like a clown’s.

  “I think I need a shower.” The room erupted into laughter as everyone stood admiring the doctor’s miracle work.

  I could hardly believe the transformation in myself. I had lost a total of two hundred pounds w
hile in the hospital and with the surgery to my face I was a completely new person.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “So what university was lucky enough to have a beauty like you on campus?”

  “You’re too kind.” She smiles, placing another strand of blonde hair behind an ear. And her earing sparkles in the light. “I went Berkeley.”

  “Ah, the Bohemian school, right?

  “I guess you could say that.”

  “That must have been nice. Sunshine and beaches.

  “Yeah, and lots of partying. I’m lucky I graduated!” She laughs, and her white breasts jiggle lightly, making him want her even more.

  “Did you grow up there?”

  “Mostly. I spent a few years back east; but mostly all in California.”

  “Family?”

  “I was raised by my mom until I was eleven, than I went to live with my dad.”

  “So raised by your dad then. How was that?”

  “It was okay, I guess.” Her uneasiness shows and she drinks slowly, deep in thought.

  “Do they both live in California?”

  “I never saw my mother again after she sent me to my dad’s. And my dad, he…he isn’t around anymore either.”

  He would pay anything to know what she is thinking. “Forgive me for asking, but why not?

  She’s brought back to the present, answering slowly. “He went missing.” She pauses, and the look on her face is moot. “Over a year ago—left for work one day and never came home. I reported him missing…Never heard anything, not one word.”

  “Jesus, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”