Daddy: A Billionaire Baby Romance Read online

  “That’s because all you know is about my professional life. Believe it or not, even I have a personal life that’s decidedly more… private.”

  “I’m not sure I believe that considering how many gossip sites I found you on when I was researching GSME.”

  “Mostly just rumors and lies. Sometimes they get something right, but usually they’re just making things up to get clicks. Believe me when I say that I manage to have plenty of fun off the radar.”

  She turned fully to me and it made me feel taller than ever. “Fine. I believe you. But I’m not quite sure why you’d want me to know.”

  “You aren’t?” I murmured, taking a step towards her. I could feel electricity crackling between us, popping, arcing and lancing. I pulled me to her, and judging by the flush on her face, she seemed equally effected.

  “It doesn’t seem relevant to my job.”

  “Ms. Viello,” I said, wishing that we were on a first name basis. “Has anyone ever told you that there’s more to life than your career.”

  “Yeah, but none of those people work for you.” Her eyes narrowed at me, but I could tell that it was nervously playful. She was testing the waters, seeing what was safe and what wasn’t. But I didn’t want her to be safe.

  “That’s true. I wouldn’t hire someone with an attitude like that.”

  “And yet you’re encouraging me to listen to their advice?”

  I chuckled lightly. “Of course. Because then it would be convenient for me.”

  “Really?” she challenged, and it was so easy to forget that there was a whole world outside of our conversation. That other workers were lingering around, saying goodbyes or ordering their rides from whatever phone apps they used. “How would that be convenient for you considering you’ve fired every other assistant but me?”

  “Because,” I answered, voice low and quiet. My large hand rested gently on her waist, our bodies just a breath away. I hesitated for a moment, reading her reaction.

  She didn’t pull away, and I didn’t see fear or discomfort on her face. Only surprise and a foreign sort of headiness that looked so good across her features.

  It was a risk, but I could feel that this was my chance and that if I didn’t move, the moment would shatter, and everything would go back to that uncertain anticipation. “If you had a life outside of your career then I might have a chance to do this,”

  I bent down, pressing my lips to hers. At first the pressure was barely there, more a question from me to her. It was probably wrong to do so, she was my employee and half my age, but my blood was rushing through my body so hard that I could hardly hear anything over its roar past my ears.

  But then her arms lifted to wrap around my neck, holding onto me like an anchor, and I pressed myself to her fully.

  My mouth pressed into her, tongue sliding along the seam of her lips, begging entrance. One of my hands went to the base of her neck, fingers gently winding in the thin hairs there, the other wrapping around her to bind her to me.

  God, she was so soft. Everywhere. Her lips were like two pillows that gently parted, allowing my tongue to plunder her just how I had wanted for the past week. Her front tried to mold to my form, warm and feminine and inviting, while my hand at her waist was cushioned by her perfect little stomach.

  Desire, arousal, all of it swirled in me as we melted into each other, occasional little gasps or pants from her going straight through me. I could feel excitement mounting, my mind quickly coming up with dozens of ideas of how else we’d get to experience her wonderful, completely unfair and perfect body for the rest of the night.

  I knew I needed to get to my phone to call my driver so that I could whisk her away and show her just how rewarding having a life outside of her career could be, but that meant breaking away from her, and that was absolutely unacceptable at the moment.

  But then something changed. One moment we were moving against each other, my body ramping up to devour her like the most delicious meal that I had ever had, and then suddenly she stiffened and tore away.

  I let her go, of course, my hands dropping as soon as I felt her tense. Opening my eyes, I saw her staring at me with her lipstick mussed and her lips slightly swollen from out kiss.

  “Oh no,” she said in this breathless little whisper before side stepping around me and practically running out the door.

  I stood there a moment, completely stunned. Had I just misread the entire situation? I had thought-

  It seemed like-

  But she had-

  I shook my head, drawing in a deep breath. There were a lot of reasons she could have run out that door, ranging from her being embarrassed at a public make out session with her boss all the way to some sort of proprietary fear. Either way, it wasn’t something that a little space and then a discussion on Monday morning would clear up. If I needed to apologize, then I would apologize.

  But as I went to take my own leave, my mind wouldn’t let me forget her body against mine. It had been pure sin in all of the best ways, burned into my mind in a memory that I wouldn’t soon forget.

  Hopefully the run out was just a misunderstanding and could be ironed out like every other obstacle. And if not… well, I was having a hard time making myself regret my actions.

  What was that one phrase? It was better to ask forgiveness than seek permission? Not normally one I ever agreed with, but I couldn’t deny that I wouldn’t mind the challenge of getting Ms. Viello to forgive me.

  Wouldn’t mind it at all.

  Beverly

  My heart thundered in my chest as I walked up to work, threatening to bust out of my ribs and just launch itself straight into the sun.

  It was Monday, and I’d had two whole days of rest away from everything, but even those forty-eight hours weren’t enough for me to get over what I’d done.

  I’d kissed my boss.

  And not even just kissed, like an awkward and stupid encounter under some mistletoe. But full on made out with the man whose name was on my paychecks.

  Gross.

  But also, not gross. It was gross because he was my boss. I’d never been one of the kinds of people who flirted her way up the corporate ladder, and I certainly didn’t want to be one now. But how else could one interpret me mackin’ on the William Fitzgerald at a company party?

  Sure, he was hot and all, and I had so been feeling him, but there was a professional line and I hadn’t just overstepped it, I’d freaking pole vaulted over it and gave a salute to its country as I soared over.

  I couldn’t say what came over me. Normally I held my professionalism and poise so perfectly. I prided myself on it. But as the night had worn on and I’d got to see him interact with people, it’d been so impossible not to be charmed.

  The man was obviously intelligent, and he had a way of interacting with people that was just impressive. He always moved like he knew exactly what he was doing and spoke like he knew exactly what he was saying. And when I did occasionally add my two cents, he looked so pleased or entertained that I found myself speaking up more and more, eager for his approval.

  By the time the end of the night hit, it was like I was under some sort of spell. And when he had leaned down towards me, I had hoped more than anything that he would kiss me.

  And he did.

  My hand went to my mouth, tracing my lips as his tongue had done. In my teenage years, I had read plenty of YA novels that went on about perfect kisses and how magical they could be. Turned out they were actually kind of right. Maybe it was pathetic to have had my first kiss when I was in my twenties, but it had definitely been worth the wait.

  Too bad it was with my boss!

  I allowed myself one last groan before I marched in the front doors, pulling my professional persona back on. It was too bad that I had let it drop at all on Friday night, otherwise I wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place.

  I just hoped that maybe it wouldn’t be a big deal. Maybe Mr. Fitzgerald would forget all about it.

  Yeah right. I ha
d been with him the whole night and knew there was no way that he was drunk enough to forget anything. Unless kissing his employees was kind of a normal thing and wouldn’t stick out to him.

  No, that didn’t seem plausible either. Someone as strict and hard working as Mr. Fitzgerald did not waste a lot of time swapping spit with his underlings. But if that was the case, it begged the question of why he had kissed me.

  “Good morning, Ms. Viello.”

  “Hey,” I said shortly, feeling like I couldn’t handle much else than that. Thankfully I made it to the elevator without any other company and then to my desk.

  If wishes were fishes, I would just have a normal list of tasks for the day waiting for me and I could just pretend that I hadn’t been a complete and total moron. But of course, wishes would never be fishes, because there was only a single email with a perfunctory message.

  Ms. Viello,

  See me in my office ASAP

  Shit.

  I had ruined it all, hadn’t I? I had a good thing going and I had made it farther than anybody else had, then I had gone and ruined it because I was a stupid, tired idiot who had been so anxious about pleasing my boss that I hadn’t said no when I knew I needed to.

  I allowed myself a moment to gather my composure. If I was going to be fired, I wasn’t going to go simpering or sobbing. No, I was going to hold my head high and let him know that he didn’t affect me.

  Other than the whole kissing thing, but that was different. It had just been a moment of weakness and, like usual, letting down my walls was just going to get me in trouble.

  I should have listened to my foster mother. The second one who had told me that even the strongest barriers would eventually crack. I had always thought that she was just overly sentimental and frustrated with my closed off nature, but I was beginning to think that she was right.

  “Sir?” I asked as levelly as I could as I entered his office.

  “Ah, Ms. Viello. Have a seat.”

  My body went cold at those words. Nobody ever asked anybody to have a seat in front of their desk for good news. No, it was always bad news.

  I was so getting fired.

  He stood as I sat down, towering over me and reminding myself just how much bigger he was than me. And that was right about when I realized that there was actually another option. One that I had never thought of.

  He could end up being a total creep about it.

  I tried very hard not to have that revelation cross my face, but I couldn’t tell how successful I was. Mr. Fitzgerald just didn’t seem like that kind of guy. He was handsome, rich and successful; he could get anyone he wanted most likely and never have to be a creep at all.

  But still, that was just me assuming, right?

  Sometimes the worst people came in the prettiest packages. Maybe I was even more of an idiot than I thought. Maybe this was the moment where the curtain dropped, and he crossed a whole bunch of lines.

  My stomach twisted at my idiocy. I knew better than this. Kissing my boss was definitely a power imbalance that only asked for trouble.

  “So, I’m sure you know why you’re here.”

  Oh God, oh God. Suddenly I found myself very much wanting to only be fired and nothing else.

  “Obviously it would be more convenient if these things can be avoided entirely,” he continued, his low voice so enticing despite the awful words that I knew were going to come out of it. “But life is rarely so convenient. So, I believe an apology is in order.”

  I opened my mouth automatically, ready to say whatever I needed to fix things, but then he kept right on talking.

  “I believe that I misinterpreted the situation between us, and for that I am sorry. If you would like to be transferred to a different department, or manager, I will put that in immediately. If you’re no longer comfortable working here, I have several connections that would love to have you instead.”

  I stared at him, eyes wide. “W-wait, what?”

  He smiled ever so wanly at that. “I may be a demanding boss. And some may even call me a hard ass, but I’m not a predator. I’m not interested in pursuing someone that isn’t attracted to me, and I should have been much more cautious in our… interaction.”

  “That’s nice and all but-” before I could really think about it, the words were tumbling out of my mouth. “The problem is I am attracted to you.”

  His eyebrows went up at that and the serious expression on his face softened ever so slightly. But then he was looking at me like that again. The same way he had looked at me right before giving me a drop-dead amazing first kiss. Oh geez, there should have been a hazard warning around that kind of look.

  “Well, if you’re attracted to me, and I am more than attracted to you, then what’s the problem?”

  Wait, what!?

  He was attracted to me?

  My brain tried to wrap around the idea. He was a towering, absolutely ripped piece of very rich man-flesh and I was… well, me. Sure, I knew I was cute, and I knew that there was a good chunk of the population that liked plus size women like me. But those people weren’t like Mr. Fitzgerald. They weren’t mega-billionaires with a corporate empire who hung out with models, stars and other movers and shakers.

  “The problem?” I murmured, trying to make sense of it all. Even if I put aside the absolutely ridiculous notion that he could ever be attracted to me, there was a whole different issue that locked up my brain.

  I swallowed, my mouth opening and closing several times. I wanted to tell him it was because I was a virgin and the thought of sex was more than terrifying to me. That it symbolized a loss of control and autonomy that I had spent years building up over myself. That it required a level of trust that I hadn’t felt for another person since I was ten years old.

  But I didn’t say any of that. “It wouldn’t be appropriate,” I eked out instead, cursing myself for not having the guts to say what was really going through my mind.

  “Appropriate?” he repeated. “I would take not interested, too complicated, or many other reasons, but appropriate doesn’t make much sense to me.”

  “You don’t see how you, my employer, making out with me after hours might not be a little, uh, indecent?”

  He grinned at that. “Ms. Viello, I believe you’ll find that appropriate and indecent are indeed two very different things.”

  My breath picked up as I looked up at him. Goodness, how was it possible for him to be so attractive?

  “But not necessarily mutually exclusive,” I took a moment to center myself, trying not to be distracted by how unfairly handsome he was. For all my posturing for thinking that I would never be affected by something so shallow, I was finding it harder and harder to keep myself impervious to his charm.

  “Fair enough,” he said, smiling down at me like I pleased him. And I found that I liked pleasing him. I wanted him to look at me like that all the time, like I was the most impressive thing he had seen in ages. “So, what I’m understanding is that the kiss wasn’t a problem with you and there’s no need to shuffle any work arrangements.”

  “No,” I answered quickly. Probably too quickly. “It was just a kiss. I’m fine.”

  He bent down ever so slightly, like he was an eclipse blocking out everything else. I turned my face up to him, not knowing what to think or what I was hoping for.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t call it just a kiss at all, but I am glad to hear that we can continue working together.”

  There was a pulse between us, that same sort of enticing pressure that I had felt Friday night. His breath washed over my face and goodness, I’d never been so tempted to confess my virginity before.

  But I wouldn’t.

  I couldn’t.

  He was my boss, no matter how hot he was, and twice my age. Sure, he may have forgiven me for slipping up, but I wasn’t going to push my luck. I needed to lock myself back within my defenses before I made another stupid mistake.

  Besides, maybe this was all some sort of weirdly elaborate and cruel joke, li
ke a couple of boys had tried to play in high school. They would jokingly ask me to a dance or feign interest, intending to humiliate me if I dared believe them.

  I never fell for it, of course, and I wouldn’t let myself now.

  “Me too,” I whispered, needing to say something, anything, that would relieve the tension between us. “It took me way too long to get a good job with benefits to give it up now.”

  He laughed gently at that and sat back, finally letting me breathe. “Very good. In that case, now that the party’s done, you can assume your normal duties. I’ll email you your tasks of the day shortly. For now, my usual coffee order will do.”

  “Of course, sir. I’ll get right on that.”

  I stood, my knees wobbling slightly but feeling oh so relieved. And confused. And flushed. Actually, I was a whole mess of things but at least I had a job and wasn’t in trouble.

  Everything was behind me, I just had to keep moving forward and not mess up.

  “I’ll see you in a bit then, Ms. Viello.” His soothing voice floated after me, almost as if it was begging me to turn around and tell him all the bizarre things on my mind.

  “See you,” I murmured back.

  Goodness, not messing up suddenly seemed like it was going to be so much harder than I thought.

  Beverly

  Hands gripped me, warm and strong and everywhere. My breath came in little tiny pants as I writhed against the sensation, loving being held, loving being reminded that I was solid and real.

  The world was a haze as I looked above me, seeing those oh-so-familiar chocolate eyes and salt and pepper hair.

  “Bev…” he whispered, making my body push up into him.

  I knew I shouldn’t be doing this, shouldn’t be encouraging this, but his large, warm form was over mine and I just wanted to feel him instead of fighting against it.

  “Touch me,” I whined, reaching for him. Both he and I were entirely too dressed, me in one of my sensible work outfits and him in his normal button up and slacks.