Pennies

She put her head down on my chest but stayed on top of me.

"I love you, baby," I said to her. "Please don't leave me."

She lifted her head and looked at me.

"I love you, too. And I'm not going anywhere."

<><><><><>

ROCHELLE

Our lives for the next few months were like something out of a fairy tale. What we thought was love absolutely was and became so much more. We made love every night, usually 2-3 times, and weekends were when we tried a lot of new things.

I got to know Henry's friends, especially Connie and Steven. Connie and I grew to be friends, though not like she was with Liz. She definitely cared about Henry and wanted him to be happy, but I think it was difficult for her to see him with anyone other than Liz.

I would often bring him lunch at work, meeting him wherever he was on campus. Since he was a supervisor he tended to go on calls by himself, though sometimes he had a member or two of his crew with him. He always let me know when he did and I brought lunch for all of them. I wanted to fuck him in his office, but after the camera thing he felt it was too risky to do anything untoward on campus.

We had been together about 4 months when the trouble happened. It seemed innocent enough: the faculty and staff Christmas party. I was a little nervous, knowing that the world I had run away from had connections to that world, but I loved Henry and was going to be there for him.

Henry put on one of his suits (he doesn't wear them often so they're in excellent shape) and if I thought he was sexy before that was multiplied by a factor of 10. As soon as I saw him in it I wanted him out of it and plunging into me, but that would have to wait until after the party.

I did my best to fly under the radar and not draw attention to myself. An older man that turned out to be the university president made a point of locating Henry and saying hello. Henry introduced us.

"Dr. Fredericks, may I introduce my girlfriend, Rochelle. Honey, this is Dr. William Fredericks, the university's president and the man who got me my supervisor's job."

We exchanged pleasantries and Mr. Fredericks expressed how good a job Henry has done and that he had no regrets about insisting Henry be promoted. We chatted for a minute before he moved on to speak with someone else.

The rest of the evening was uneventful and we had a very good time. I even got that nice fucking I had wanted after seeing my man all dressed up. But the next day it all went to hell.

<><><><><>

HENRY

I was just finishing breakfast on Sunday morning when there was a knock at the door, which was odd but not unheard of. I thought maybe some kids selling for a school fundraiser or something. Rochelle had just gone into the living room to find a football game on TV.

I opened the door to 2 of the biggest men I've ever seen in my life.

"Henry Weston?"

"Yes. Can I help you?"

I'm pretty strong and come in about 6'0 and 215 pounds, but I was no match as the guys quickly grabbed hold of me and pinned me against the wall.

"What the hell is this about?" I yelled.

That got Rochelle's attention and she came in to see what was going on.

"No baby, go somewhere safe."

At that moment a third guy came in. He was smaller than the first two but still plenty big. I probably would have had a chance against him one-on-one. I thought I saw a glimmer of recognition on Rochelle's face. I was soon proven right.

"That's very sweet, Mr. Weston. But don't worry; we have no intention of harming Ms. Morgan."

"See, you don't even have the right person. That's not even her name Now let me go."

He just kind of smirked at me and I realized Rochelle was quiet. When she finally did speak the words that came out of her mouth took me completely by surprise.

"How'd you find me, Carlos?"

"Dr. Fredericks recognized you last night and contacted your father. Your father thought maybe you had been coerced since you were there with just a maintenance man, but the good doctor did let him know that didn't seem to be the case. But Mr. Morgan has still asked that I bring you to see him."

"I don't want to go and have nothing to say to my father."

"Ms. Morgan, I don't want this to get ugly, but your father has instructed me to bring you to him and has given me permission..." He looked at me ominously while making his meaning clear. "...to ensure your cooperation by any means necessary."

Rochelle glanced over at me with fear in her eyes. She and I both knew something would happen to me if she didn't agree.

"All right, Carlos. Give me a moment to change. And you probably don't care, but I will never forgive you for this."

The big guys kept their grip on me while Rochelle went into the other room and changed out of her pajamas and into some jeans and a knit top. She walked over to me.

"Henry, I'm sorry I wasn't completely honest with you. I do love you very much. I meant every word of that, and when I come back I'll explain all of this to you. And I will be back."

I looked at her with pain in my eyes and a sinking feeling in my heart.

"That's what Liz said."

Suddenly Carlos took her arm and pulled her out of the apartment and down the stairs without her saying another word, but the look on her face showed that what I said had hurt her.

One of the goons then spoke.

"Sorry about this, pal. It's not personal, but we can't have you following us right now."

The next thing I knew Steven was shaking me awake while Connie was kneeling over me staring into my eyes, looking for some sign of clarity.

"Henry, are you okay? What happened? Where's Rochelle?"

"Connie, slow down. One question at a time; get me up, please."

They helped me to my feet and set me down in one of the kitchen chairs. Connie brought me some water and I took a few sips.

"Yeah, I'm okay; a little sore and disoriented but okay."

"What happened and where's Rochelle?"

"She was taken by some guys."

She freaked out. "Rochelle was kidnapped?!"

"Calm down, Connie. No, not exactly. She knew them, well one of them at least, and went with them, though she didn't want to. The weird thing was they were calling her Ms. Morgan and she was responding to it."

Connie's face twisted up at that.

"Dammit, I knew she looked familiar but I couldn't figure it out; Rochelle Morgan, of course."

"What the hell are you talking about, Con?"

She pulled out her phone and did a search on the internet.

"She's Rochelle Morgan: Robert's Morgan's daughter."

I looked at her with utter confusion.

"Is that supposed to mean something to me? Who the hell is Robert Morgan? What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about this, Henry."

She showed me the pictures she had pulled up on her phone. They were pictures of various charity and social events for the upper crust of society, and at the heart of every picture was Rochelle. She was younger, probably anywhere from 13 to 17 depending on the picture, but it was most definitely her."

"Robert Morgan is a multi-billionaire, Henry. He manages a hedge fund and owns a huge corporation. Kind of like Warren Buffett but less public and well-known."

Warren Buffett I had heard of, but that was about the only thing I had heard that made any sense.

"That's not possible. She was homeless and living on the street. How the hell is her father a billionaire?"

"A few years ago, right after she turned 18 if I recall correctly, she disappeared. The first rumors were kidnapping but there were no ransom demands and that was eventually discounted. Then people were saying she ran away. Rewards were offered but nothing ever happened and she never turned up, until now apparently."

"This doesn't make any sense, guys. Why was she living on the street then?"

"I don't know, Henry. I wish I did."

<><><><><>

ROCHELLE

I knew Dr. Fredericks was friends with my father but I had hoped he wouldn't recognize me. It had been a few years since he had seen me but I guess I hadn't changed much, and it's not like Rochelle is a particularly common name (I was named Rochelle when my parents decided to combine the 'Ro' from my dad's name, Robert, with the 'chelle' from my mother's name, Michelle.).

But I decided this was a good thing. I couldn't spend my entire life hiding from my family. I had learned that I could live without their money and resources, and I had found a man that loved me and would take care of me, assuming he could forgive my lack of complete honesty. I believed he would but I had to get back to him as soon as I could.

I was no longer the submissive little teenager I had been growing up, or even the angry 18-year old that had walked out on her family. I was a grown woman with something and someone to fight for. I didn't need these people. I allowed Carlos to bring me to see daddy because they'd have hurt Henry if I didn't, but also because it was a showdown that needed to happen. And daddy would see things my way and go along with me and what I wanted, or I would walk out again and I'd let the world know exactly what went on behind those mansion walls.

<><><><><>

HENRY

What in the hell was going on? That thought kept going over and over in my mind as I sat on the couch. I glanced at my watch for the millionth time. It was 1:00am and I was due at work in 7 hours but I couldn't sleep, nor even bring myself to go lie in bed. It would be too empty without Rochelle there.

It was all so confusing. She certainly seemed to love me and I hadn't doubted it. Her leaving was certainly with reluctance and she said it again even then. But I still couldn't grasp why a billionaire's daughter was living on the street. I was in purgatory all over again.

I finally drifted off to sleep at some point and woke up with about 10 minutes to go until I was due at work. I called my boss to let him know I was running late and got there as soon as I could. Once the morning planning was done I went to Dr. Frederick's office and was admitted after a few minutes wait.

"Henry, my boy. No more scandals to report to me, I hope."

"No sir. My girlfriend, you met her the other night, was taken by some goons of her father yesterday, and your name was mentioned as the reason. I don't understand what's going on and I need to insist that you explain it to me."

"Have a seat, Henry." We sat. "I'm afraid I don't know much. Robert Morgan is a large contributor to the university and has been a friend for some time. All I knew for sure was that Rochelle had been missing, or maybe gone is the better word, for more than 3 years and he had been searching for her. I had no idea even why she left her family. I was just trying to be a good friend by letting him know I had seen her and that she seemed to be there by choice. He asked who she was with and I gave him your name. That's really all I know. I wish I could be more help."

I filled my day with work. I was prepared to give this a few days to work itself out. There was clearly some family thing going on and I could give it time, but I wasn't going to wait long before starting to make some noise. I couldn't expect to get to Robert Morgan physically but I thought some negative publicity might open some doors.

I had dinner that night at the diner so I could talk to Joan. I explained everything I knew and she couldn't clarify much for me, but she did tell me something that helped.

"Now Henry, I'm just an old lady that works the counter in this here diner so I can't even begin to explain what's going on or why rich people do the things they do. But I can tell you one thing without hesitation and I want you to hear me. Are you listening?"

"Yes ma'am."

"That girl loves you. I see it in her eyes every time she looks at you and in her body language whenever she's near you. Whatever she did or didn't tell you about her life and her family, she was telling you the truth when she told you that. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am, I got it. And it helps a lot to hear you say it."

I walked the 2 blocks back to the apartment, knowing that if Rochelle didn't come back I would have to move. I was beginning to think the place was bad luck, but in any case the memories, between her and Liz, would just be too much.

I smelled it as I was coming up the stairs, and at first thought it was one of the other apartments. But it was from my apartment, and I damn near tore the hinges off the front door as I ran inside.

"It's about time you got..."

That was as far as Rochelle got before I had enveloped her in my arms and squeezed her with everything I had. Damn it, I was crying my eyes out again, though this time with happiness.

"Hey, baby, baby, I told you I'd be back and I meant it."

I turned off the burners on the stove and carried her into the bedroom. I peeled her clothes off of her wordlessly made love to her for the next two hours. I lost count of the orgasms we had but when we were done I was exhausted and completely drained.

"Damn baby, if this is what I'm gonna get when I get back I'll have Carlos haul me away more often."

I knew she was trying to make a joke but it brought back some painful feelings for me. I was just getting to normal after Liz's death when I thought I had lost another woman I loved, and I was overcome with some emotion.

"Honey, I'm sorry. I was just kidding. I just wanted you to know how much I enjoyed what you did to me. I didn't mean to upset you. Let's get dressed so I can explain this all to you."

<><><><><>

ROCHELLE

My conversation with my father had gone exactly as I intended. He told me he loved me and was sorry he had not fully understood how important what I wanted was to me. I made it clear I was going back to Henry and nothing he could do would stop me, and if he tried he would never get to see his grandchildren (the babies I intended and expected to make with Henry). I also got some things out of him that I had been thinking about, and then I made them take me back to the apartment. He had offered me one of his cars, but I said I had a man that would take care of me and I didn't need or want his things.

It was early afternoon when they dropped me off and Henry wasn't home. I presumed he was at work; he had to do something to keep himself busy. I started dinner expecting him to get home at the usual time but he didn't show up, and it occurred to me that he never ate at home before we met, and since he didn't expect me to be here he probably went to dinner right after work. I set the food on low to keep it warm and waited.

It was nearly 7:30 when all of a sudden the door burst open and the next thing I knew I was enveloped in Henry's loving arms, and not long after that I was naked on the bed and Henry was stroking his long cock into my pussy. It felt so good and I never wanted it to end. I came several times, like I always did with him, and finally he was spent. I made a silly joke, trying to treat this whole thing lightly, but he got upset so I knew we needed to talk about this. We dressed then went out to the couch.

"Henry, I'm sorry about what happened yesterday morning. I know there were a lot of surprises for you. I assume you know who I really am now."

"Yes. Rochelle Morgan, wayward daughter of billionaire Robert Morgan."

"And, despite what you might think after all of this, a woman that loves you very much and wants to marry you."

"Someone that I trust recently told me that she thinks you really do love me, so I'm willing to accept that part of it. But I need the whole truth here, honey, okay?"

"Absolutely, baby. No secrets, I promise."

I took a deep breath and told him everything.

"Henry, I was born into a life of privilege. I could have everything I wanted, and I took advantage of it growing up. I actually had a couple different nannies that were my primary caregivers over the years. I went to private schools, took etiquette classes, was taught to cook by famous chefs, and even took sex education. Everything I did was looking toward the goal of my becoming a wife and mother, and a good one at that. It was my last nanny, Miss Vivian, who put in my head that it was my life and I could live it how I wanted.

I sat down next to Henry and he allowed me to take his hand in mine.

"When I turned 18 my father informed me that I was betrothed to marry a guy named Nicholas Emerson. An arranged marriage, if you can believe it in this day and age. He was 26 years old and the son of one of my dad's oldest friends and business partners. Naturally the companies would merge and we would make even more gobs of money. I had met Nicholas just twice and found him to be an arrogant asshole."

"I told daddy I wasn't going to do it. I didn't want to marry for business; I wanted to marry for love. I didn't want to live my mother's life. Mom and dad were an arranged marriage as well, as were grandma and grandpa. Each one was intended to grow the business and the family fortune and it succeeded. But I didn't want that. Mom and dad barely speak. It's not that they hate each other; they are just very different and have nothing in common. They appear in public and make like the loving couple when they need to, but otherwise they rarely interact. Daddy runs his businesses and mom runs her charities. Daddy has a 22-year old female assistant and mom has a 25-year old male assistant, and it's not because either of them is so great at typing, if you know what I mean.

"They said this was how it was done and I was going to do it, so I ran away. At first I checked into the Hilton, naively thinking I could run away but still live on daddy's money. It wasn't long before he cut me off. He canceled my credit cards and closed the bank account I had been using, thinking it would force me to come home. Instead I decided to live on the street so that he couldn't find me. I met some really nice people and they told me about the different shelters and services available to the homeless. It wasn't much but it helped. They also showed me good places to hang out to sometimes get handouts, or even sometimes have someone buy a meal for you."

Henry looked at me when I said that and our eyes met. When I looked into them I knew even then that he loved me and things would be okay, but I had promised to tell him the whole story.

"I got pretty good at it and found I enjoyed a lot of the freedom I had, but it had occurred to me that finding true love while living homeless was unlikely. You proved me wrong, of course."

"What was your plan, baby? I mean, the odds of us meeting and falling in love were astronomical. You were hiding so you probably figured they'd find you if you ever got a job, so were you just going to be homeless forever?"

"I wasn't sure at first, but as time went on I decided that I needed to stay away long enough to let my parents know that I was serious about this, and that I would never agree to marry for money. When I met you I knew I had found love and that I would be perfectly happy being with you and didn't need them. I knew I needed to tell you the truth at some point but I was scared, you know. And before I got around to it, Carlos and those other guys showed up."

"So they took you to see your dad?"

"Yes. But I wasn't the same timid, spoiled girl I was when I left. The first thing that happened was me screaming at him for sending his goon squad to drag me there under threat of violence, like I was his damn property. I told him I only belonged to one man from now on."

"Do I know him?" Henry asked, and I was about to react when I saw his smile and realized he was joking.

"Still a comedian, huh baby? You know the only man I'll ever belong to again is you; just like you belong to me."

He pulled me on to his lap and we kissed. He slid his hand inside my pajama top and was fondling my very sensitive breast before I realized I had more to say. I reluctantly pushed his hand away.