Page 25 of Riding with the Secret Billionaire

The direct question hits home. I meet her gaze, knowing there's no point in deflection now.

"Yes," I admit quietly. "I created the platform. I own the company."

Her eyes widen, jaw dropping slightly as she processes my words. "Holy shit. I figured there was something you weren’t saying, but I was just going on a hunch. You're THE Jake Winters? The tech mogul Forbes called 'the invisible billionaire'?"

I shift uncomfortably under her scrutiny."The media exaggerates. But yes, I founded and own RoadRunner."

“I don’t know, I always imagined you’d be off lounging on a private island somewhere. Isn’t that what billionaires do? Leave your employees to do the grunt work?”

"I prefer to maintain a hands-on approach to quality control," I say, my explanation sounding hollow even to my own ears."And as I told you before, I find driving... clarifying."

She stares at me like she's seeing me for the first time."So that's why the premium vehicle, the perfect driving record, the meticulous route planning.You're not just some guy with a side hustle.You're the CEO of one of the fastest-growing tech companies in America."

I try to read her expression--shock, certainly, but also something else.Betrayal? Anger? Curiosity?

"Does this change things between us?" I ask directly.

She laughs, the sound sharp and surprised."You mean besides the fact that I've been sharing motel rooms with a secretbillionaire?That I kissed a man who could buy this entire town on a whim?"

I frown. "My financial status doesn't define me, Trish."

"And what about us?" she asks, her voice softer but still tinged with disbelief."Is that convenient too? Another quality control check for the company founder?"

I look at her directly, needing her to see the truth in my eyes."There is nothing convenient about what's happening between us, Trish.It's complicated everything."

"Good complicated or bad complicated?" she challenges, still visibly processing the revelation but returning to sit beside me, maintaining a careful distance.

"Both," I admit. "You're a distraction from work that requires my full attention.But you're also..." I struggle to find the right words."You're the first person in a very long time who's made me want more than what I've settled for."

Something shifts in her expression, a softening around the eyes."And what exactly have you settled for?"

The question hits a tender spot I've avoided for years."Control. Distance. Safety." I look down at my hands."After Afghanistan, after what happened when I came back, it was easier to keep people at arm's length."

"What happened when you came back?" she asks softly, her hand covering mine.

I take a deep breath. This isn't something I discuss, ever.But Trish deserves honesty if we're going to continue whatever is building between us.

"I got involved with someone.Valerie. She seemed to understand me, understand what I needed after years in combat zones." I pause, choosing my words carefully."I've always had certain... preferences when it comes to intimacy.A need for structure, for rules.Sometimes taking control, sometimes relinquishing it."

Understanding dawns in her eyes."BDSM."

I nod, watching her reaction closely."Yes. I'm what they call a switch.I can take either role, depending on the partner, the situation.With Valerie, I thought I'd found someone who respected that, who understood the importance of trust in that kind of relationship."

Trish's expression remains open, interested rather than judgmental.It gives me the courage to continue.

"During one session, when I was in a vulnerable position of being physically restrained, and emotionally open, she violated every boundary we'd established.Used my vulnerability against me in ways I won't detail." My jaw tightens at the memory."It wasn't just the physical pain, though that was significant.It was the betrayal of trust.In BDSM, that trust is everything."

"I'm so sorry, Jake," Trish says, her fingers tightening around mine."That's horrible."

"After that, I shut down that part of myself completely.Built walls. Established rigid control over every aspect of my life.It was safer that way." I meet her eyes again."Until you. Something about you makes me want things I've denied myself for years."

"What things?" she asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Connection. Surrender. The freedom that comes with trusting someone enough to be vulnerable again."

She absorbs this, her gaze never leaving mine."And that scares you."

"Terrifies me," I correct. "But not as much as the thought of walking away from whatever this is between us."

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