The Billionaire Affair

by Parker, Ali

  In fact, this news might be exactly what I’d been waiting for without even realizing it. “It’s not your fault. Keep your head down, bud. Try not to let him burn everything to the ground before I even get there, okay?”

  He laughed humorlessly, agreed and hung up. I didn’t envy him his job right now. Dad was sure to make the day a living hell for him, as he did most days. I often wondered why Neil stuck around.

  With the experience and network he’d built up over the years, there were any number of buildings he could walk into and ask for a job. He would be shown to his new office before his words were even cold.

  Clenching the curtain between my fingers, I balled the material up and leaned against my window. The city was right outside, ready for the taking. The dinosaurs like my dad had the upper hand, but they were also not the alpha and the omega like they used to be.

  Thoughts ran through my mind at a mile a minute. They flashed so fast they were difficult to keep track of. I thought back to my life before Jack died, before I joined Williams Inc. as a permanent employee.

  I built a lot of stuff up for myself, made a lot of good decisions and sound investments. Most people thought I did nothing but party back then. It was partially true. There sure had been a lot of partying, but I managed to keep myself busy just fine between the nights I would never remember.

  A part of me thought I would never get back there, but now I wasn’t so sure. Glancing at the clock on my nightstand, I realized it was time to get this show on the road. I had a lot of thinking to do and not a lot of time to do it, but first things first.

  I turned my shower up to the highest setting and stood under the stream of water pulsating onto the muscles in my back. My skin would be red by the time I was done, but it was worth it for the semi- massage I was getting.

  Showers were a great place for me to get my thoughts ordered, always had been. I wasn’t sure what it was about them, but I’d had most of my best ideas in the shower. Today was no different.

  When I shut the water off and rubbed a towel over my hair before knotting it around my waist, I had a solid plan for the day in mind. For the first time in over three years, I was excited about it.

  The tiny shift I had while speaking to Neil liberated me, and I knew exactly what to do with my newfound freedom. Walking into my closet, I bypassed the suits, the ties, the cufflinks and shiny oxfords.

  I opted for a pair of dark jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt instead. Much better.

  Fastening a watch around my wrist, the only hint today that I wasn’t just another twenty-something trying to make it in the city that never slept, I turned and walked out.

  Breakfast consisted of an apple and piece of toast I grabbed as soon as it popped out of the toaster. Breakfast of champions.

  I felt more like myself than I had in ages. Stephanie made me feel this way, but even then, there was always a cloud hanging over me. Knowing I had to go back to Williams Inc. and deal with my father’s shit.

  No more.

  Revitalized and feeling energetic, I headed out to pick up Stephanie from her apartment. The show was officially on the road. Truth be told, I couldn’t wait to see how it played out.

  Chapter 63

  STEPHANIE

  “Good morning, beautiful.” Jeremiah smiled when I got into his car. He pulled up at the curb outside my apartment at exactly seven a.m. “Sleep well?”

  “I did,” I said, immediately noticing a difference in him. “You seem to have slept really well.”

  He smirked and leaned over to greet me with a deep kiss. “I would’ve slept better if you were there with me.”

  Smacking him lightly on the shoulder, I couldn’t help but return his playful, yet passionate kiss. His tongue parted my lips and delved into my mouth, stroking until I melted into him and wound my hands into his hair.

  He tasted like apples and mint and smelled of his expensive, masculine shower gel. It barely registered in my mind that he wasn’t wearing any cologne today. It was just him, clean and fresh.

  One of his warm hands rested at the nape of my neck while the other was pressed to the small of my back, enveloping me in him and holding me there. Releasing my lips, he kissed my jaw and nuzzled my neck. “It definitely would’ve been a much better night if you were there, but I’m just happy to see you now.”

  I pulled back from him just enough to make out the expression in his eyes. They were unlike how I’d seen them before. The guard that usually sat stoically in front of them was missing in action this morning.

  It was more like the Jeremiah I got to see when we spent time alone together, never on the way to or at work. His facial muscles were relaxed, his smiles coming easily. “I can see you’re happy now, what gives?”

  He reached across me to buckle my seatbelt. I’d gotten so lost in watching him I forgot we had to get going if we were going to have any hope of getting to work on time. Monday morning traffic could be brutal.

  Jitters skittered through me at the thought of going to work. Facing Jance after everything that happened last week was not going to be fun.

  Sure, I’d taken Tiana’s words to heart and decided that I was a badass who could handle anything the grumpy old bastard threw my way, but that didn’t mean I had to look forward to facing it.

  Jeremiah pushed the button to start the engine when I was buckled in, but he kept his hand on my knee. “I’m just excited to be with my girl. Today’s going to be a great day.”

  Excitement rolled off him in waves, but it seemed unlikely that it was all because of me. Especially since he was dressed so casually. Something was going on with him. Whatever it was certainly seemed good. Curiosity clawed its way from my chest to my tongue.

  “What’s going on with you today?”

  He glanced at me, eyes light and dancing. “I told you. It’s going to be a great day.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “For a Monday, I’m sure it will be once we get done with dealing with your dad.”

  “Don’t worry about that,” he said dismissively. Unlike what usually happened when his dad came up, I noticed his muscles didn’t tense. He was as relaxed and easy breezy as he had been since he picked me up.

  I didn’t want to be a killjoy, but I also didn’t understand. I felt my eyebrows knit as I looked his over, one of his arms resting on the window of his car with his hand casually on the steering wheel while the other sat on the gear lever with his fist open.

  This was not the Jeremiah I’d come to know and lo—, like. Well, it was. It just usually wasn’t like this with him before work. “I know you said you’d handle it, but I’m going to have to speak to your father sometime.”

  “Eventually? Yeah, I’m sure you will.” His hand traveled back to my knee and stayed there this time. “Relax, angel. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Nothing for me to worry about? I’m about to face my boss’s boss after yelling at him. That hardly seems like nothing to me.”

  “It’s nothing,” he repeated, smiling reassuringly before turning his eyes back to the road. “I have it all planned out.”

  “Is your outfit part of your plan for work today?” I asked, curiosity still burning about why he was dressed the way he was. Being the company owner’s son, I supposed he could take some liberties with the dress code occasionally. But I never saw him do it.

  Jeremiah shook his head. “Nah. We won’t be at work long.”

  “What are you talking about?” I mentally paged through our schedules for today. There was something wrong with my calendar app on my phone this morning. It showed nothing scheduled for either of us for the day, the whole week was clear.

  I assumed I’d somehow lost synchronization during the night with the calendar I diligently kept updated at Williams Inc. I had looked over our respective weeks before falling asleep last night, and it was as hectic a week as any. “We haven’t been there for a couple of days. It’s going to take us all day just to catch up. We can’t go playing hooky, not t
oday.”

  He shrugged, the corners of his mouth tilting into a mysterious smile. “I have other plans than work in mind for today. You’ll see. It’s going to be great.”

  “Jeremiah!” I exclaimed, exasperated. “We have a ton or two of stuff to get done today, not the least of which is dealing with the fallout from last week with your dad.”

  “Stop worrying.” He squeezed my leg and smiled, making a turn into the underground parking structure at Williams Tower. “I promise. I’ve got all this covered.”

  Confused, I looked over at him when he parked and reached for my seatbelt when he reached for his. Placing a hand over the buckle, he said, “Stay here for now, please?”

  Taken aback, I frowned. “What? Why?”

  A quick look at the clock on his fancy navigation screen told me there wasn’t much time left before I would officially be late. “I don’t have much experience yelling at my boss’s boss, but I don’t think the correct approach is to be late for work on the very next time you go to the office.”

  Jeremiah laughed and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I’m going up alone to handle something. I’ll explain everything when I get back.”

  “What are you going to do?” I stopped talking when he winked and loped over to the elevator after closing the door on my question. “Jeremiah!”

  I knew he couldn’t hear me, but I was so frustrated that his name just popped out. With a huff, I collapsed back against the soft leather seat and watched as the elevator arrived. Jeremiah chatted with the other employees taking it with him as if he’d known them for years. I didn’t know what it was, but I was missing something this morning.

  He was smiling widely while talking to a confused looking guy in IT when the doors slid shut. Welcome to my world, buddy.

  Evidently, I wasn’t the only one who didn’t quite know what to do with our boss’s cheery demeanor this morning. Yesterday when he dropped me off at my apartment, he was happy and relaxed after our weekend together, but this was on a different level.

  He left the car running for me with the radio on. The morning show host invited listeners to call and weigh in on a debate about a new diet trend, but I tuned him out. Five minutes later, Jeremiah still wasn’t back and nerves were creeping in. What was he doing up there? And why did I have to stay in the car while he did it?

  While we’d been together over the weekend, we kept the work stuff to a minimum. Neither of us wanted to ruin our bubble of bliss with the outside stuff threatening to burst it at any moment.

  What we did talk about briefly was Jeremiah’s father. He told me not to worry and that he wouldn’t let his father near me, but I was worried anyway. The feeling was magnified because I had no idea what was going on upstairs or why.

  Several times, I considered leaving the car and going in to see what was going on, but I didn’t do it. Jeremiah must’ve had a reason to ask me to wait and as nervous and curious as I was, I trusted him.

  Another ten minutes later, I was practically vibrating from being so tense. I couldn’t sit still anymore. My leg was hopping and my fingers drumming on the center console. The radio show host had moved on playing “rise up and shine” music and was joking with his co-hosts about the latest in a long line of scandals involving a local congressman.

  Turning down their banter, I decided to call Tiana. She would still be at the apartment. I was counting on her to be my voice of reason.

  “Did you forget something?” she asked instead of greeting me. “I’m only on in a few hours, so if it’s important, I can bring it over to you. Fair warning, it will cost you in wine and chocolate. I’m desperate to finish this book I’m reading.”

  “I didn’t forget anything,” I said. “Unless you have a make-things-make-sense machine lying around somewhere.”

  “Hmmm,” Tiana said. “I have a magic eight ball lying around somewhere. And my vibrator has helped me clear up a few things over the years.”

  “Oh, my god.” I laughed, grateful to feel some of the tension sliding from my shoulders when I did. “I don’t think a magic eight ball is going to have the answers for this. And I definitely don’t need your vibrator.”

  “Didn’t think so.” I could hear the smile in her voice. “Since you spent the weekend with that insatiable man of yours.”

  “He’s not...” I trailed off, not about to lie. I’d told her enough for her to know I hadn’t exactly gone without over the weekend. “I wouldn’t need yours anyway. That’s not what this is about though.”

  “Oh?”

  I sighed, fiddling with the ends of my ponytail. I’d pulled back my hair this morning, tying it in the only version of a high, sleek look I could manage. I wore a simple black skirt and jacket combo I bought with my first paycheck and paired it with a white blouse. I was hoping looking the part would somehow work in my favor if I pleaded for my job when Jance confronted me.

  I doubted it would work, but a girl had to try.

  “Something’s going on with Jeremiah,” I said, keeping an eye on the elevator in case he returned. “He’s being really weird.”

  “Weird how?” she asked, her tone serious now. “Do you think he’s freaking out after asking you to be his girlfriend?”

  I shook my head, even knowing she couldn’t see me. “I don’t think so. He’s not being weird like that. He’s...”

  How did I say ridiculously happy without making it sound like there was something wrong with people being overly happy when they just started dating someone new? “He’s wearing jeans, and when we got to work, he told me to stay in the car. He also said we wouldn’t be here for very long.”

  “Maybe he wants to take you on another date day?”

  “After we’ve both been out of the office for a week? Doubtful.”

  “True.” We were both quiet for a minute. “Maybe he wants to confront his father for being a jerk without you seeing it?”

  “I thought about that, but I’m going to have to see Jance sooner or later.”

  “Later is always good with men like that.” I agreed wholeheartedly. “Other than that, I have no clue what might be happening.”

  “Me either.” Nearly twenty minutes had passed now since we arrived. I looked over at the elevator car again, but the panel of lights above it showed it was stationary in the lobby.

  Tiana tried to distract me by telling me about the book she was reading and how two of her co-workers had been caught “fraternizing,” in her words, in the pantry at the restaurant where she worked.

  Laughing, I commiserated with her about how disgusting it was that they hooked up around the food. She consoled me, and herself, by saying they swore up and down the only thing they touched was the floor. It was enough to keep me from stressing about what might be happening upstairs, but not enough to keep my mind off it completely.

  We chatted for a few more minutes before hanging up. I watched the elevators, but none of them seemed to be headed all the way down here.

  Again, I thought about just going upstairs, Jeremiah’s request that I wait be damned. I was now officially late and getting antsy. I decided against it only because he asked me to stay and I had agreed. I had to trust him.

  He wasn’t only my boss now, but my boyfriend too. It was weird to think about him like that, but not in a bad way. I liked how it made me feel. I liked the way he made me feel. All I had to do was trust that whatever he was up to, I was going to like that too.

  Chapter 64

  JEREMIAH

  The plush carpeting on the fortieth floor dipped beneath my feet as I stepped off the elevator, turning to wave at the people still standing inside. “You all have a good day.”

  Doors closing on their confused expressions, I kept the friendly smile on my face and practically whistled on my way to my office. There was a deathly quiet on the floor, with the employees all cowering behind computers or cubicle dividers.

  I could feel their eyes following me, but no one said a word. Not even the winningly flirtatious floor receptionist greeted
me as I walked past her desk. She managed a tight smile, but then her eyes darted in the direction of my office and she schooled her features, dropping her gaze to her computer screen.

  The tension in the office was thick, the air heavy with trepidation and outright fear. They were looking at me like I was walking the plank, certain to plummet to my death within the next several minutes.

  I didn’t let it get to me. I had a plan that I believed in, and I was going to stick to it. Catching the eyes of a few of the employees as I passed, I smiled and greeted them. More than one of them frowned when they noticed what I was wearing.

  Soon, they would all understand. I grinned wider, swiping my tag to gain access to the inner sanctum where my office was. The light flashed green with my name and employee number appearing on the electronic screen. Not for long.

  In another hour, there was little doubt in my mind that my access card would be disconnected from all systems and wouldn’t be flashing green with an employee number ever again. The thought fueled me, carrying me into my office where Neil sat waiting.

  Surprise crossed his features when he saw the smile on my face and my casual attire. “Thanks again for the heads up this morning, bro. I owe you one.”

  “You owe me so many,” Neil corrected, standing up to follow me to Stephanie’s office when I breezed by him. “Can we talk?”

  “We’re about to,” I said, bursting through the interior door to find a girl who couldn’t have been a day older than I was sitting at Stephanie’s desk. I hoped to all hell she wasn’t my father’s new plaything. That would be vile. And completely up his alley. For all the noise he made about me and my secretary, he was far from innocent himself.

  The girl looked startled by my sudden appearance, her hand flying to her chest and her cheeks flushing. “Mr. Williams, I uh. I.”

  I gave her a break, knowing it would be the only one she would get while working here. “I know what you have to do. If you would be so kind as to do it, please. Call my father, let him know I’m here and ready to see him.”