The Billionaire Affair

by Parker, Ali

  “Of course.” She grabbed the phone and made the call. I could tell when she reached MJ by the pure terror that flashed in her eyes. “Mr. Williams has arrived and is ready to… Yes. I’ll tell him.”

  “I’m to wait here?” I guessed, raising a brow as I leaned with a hip against the door.

  She nodded. “Yes, sir. You can have a seat right there.”

  I tilted my head, shaking it at the same time. “No, thank you. You can tell my father when he gets here I’m out front. By the doors just outside the sanctum.”

  The girl’s mouth opened and closed. Whatever words she was trying to formulate failed her. Finally, she just nodded. “I’ll tell him, sir, but it really would be best if you waited here.”

  “I don’t agree,” I said, heading to her outer door. It gave me the heebie-jeebies to see another girl sitting behind Stephanie’s desk. It hadn’t been hers for all that long, but in a way, it felt like it always had been.

  I turned my back on the woman and left her gaping after me. Poor thing. I didn’t want to get her in trouble, but if I was going out of this company, I was doing it my way. Where all the employees could see and hear exactly what was going on.

  I wasn’t leaving under a cloud of rumor and suspicion, and I sure as shit wasn’t making this easy on the old man. Not to be a dick, but because it was about time he learned he couldn’t treat people the way he did.

  Myself included.

  Not under any illusion it would get him to change his ways, I just wanted him to have to face the consequences of what he was about to do head-on. And to do that, I needed those he ruled over with his iron first to be a part of this discussion he wanted to have with me.

  The opaque sliding doors leading to the inner sanctum slid open soundlessly, and my father strode out between them, his eyes like laser points on mine. They drifted for only a second for him to survey our captivated audience, and they were captivated.

  No one looked at us outrightly, but from the way they were seated at their keyboards that had stopped clattering, I knew we had the attention of everybody in the room. My father’s eyes snapped back to mine, and a steely grin spread across his thin lips.

  “Jeremiah, may I speak with you privately for a minute please.” He phrased it as a request, but it was an order. No doubt about it.

  I ignored it. “No, I’m fine where we are. We can talk right here.”

  He scoffed, hiding it by pretending to cough into a tightly clenched fist. “I asked you to wait in your office.”

  “You did,” I said. “I didn’t feel like being in there. Out here is so much better, don’t you think?”

  “No, I don’t think,” he replied quietly, his voice clipped and edged in absolute fury. “Your office Jeremiah, now.”

  “Just get on with it, father. Whatever you want to say to me, you can say right here.” I opened my arms wide, turning at the waist from side to side. Every cubicle or shared workstation of this floor was full today.

  People were starting to drop the act that they weren’t listening, sitting up straight as they exchanged glances and wondered what the hell was going on. They didn’t make eye contact with me as I swept my arms out toward them, but that didn’t matter.

  They were going to hear what he had to say, that was all there was to it. Neil stood behind my father, but not flanking him as he usually did. There was nothing in his stance to indicate his support of what my father was doing.

  Today, he was nothing more than an onlooker himself, just like all the other employees who were straining their necks to get a good look at the big boss and his heir about to slug it out. My father’s weathered skin tightened as he clenched his jaw. The column of his throat moved up and down. His eyes were nearly blackened with rage, and white spots appeared between the purplish red of his cheeks.

  “You want to have this out here?” he asked, his voice raising a level in volume. I nodded, motioning for him to continue. Eyes flitting first to one side and then to the other, his gaze returned to mine. “Fine. You’re fired, Jeremiah. Please clean out your office before close of business today and ensure the same for your little floozie.”

  There was so much more he wanted to say, or yell, by the looks of things. Probably to rehash again what a disappointment I was and how Stephanie wasn’t good enough for me. In front of so many of his employees though, he wouldn’t risk losing control so fully as he did when he was berating me for those things.

  Loss of control was a weakness in his eyes. Ironic for someone who lost it on a regular basis when dealing with his family, even if he could hold his pose in front of the most renowned businessmen in the country and heads of state.

  If he started yelling those things at me, they would lose respect for him. That was how my father thought. I felt sorry for him, actually. He lived his life following a set of arbitrary rules he made up for himself, crafted by year after year of believing he knew what was best even though he didn’t know the first thing about human behavior.

  I wondered if he even knew what it really felt like anymore just to live. To feel and do instead of always turning it into some kind of strategy game. In my opinion, people would respect him more for it, but he never had been interested in my opinion.

  It was no way to live, following all his imaginary rules. And I for one, wanted to live.

  Like I intended to do as soon as we were done here.

  The very thought ripped a laugh from my chest. My father’s eyes widened at the sound, then narrowed again. Relief that I wouldn’t have to stay here today to deal with his mood crashed into me, so did gratitude to Neil for the head’s up so I could prepare myself. Elation that my life was finally mine again washed over me.

  I doubled over with laughter driven by all the different emotions flooding me. I caught sight of Neil from the corner of my eye as I wiped away a tear from having laughed so hard. His expression was grave, worried.

  It was time to move on. Collecting myself before they all started believing I was mad, I straightened up. I looked my father in the eye and pushed aside any remaining pity I felt for the man. “I’ll clear out my office Dad, no problem. I’m glad to be free of you, actually. You did me a huge favor today.”

  He sputtered, again trying to conceal it as a cough. “I’ll also see to it Stephanie’s office is cleared out. I wouldn’t call her a floozie again though if I were you. She’s nothing of the kind. She’s my girlfriend. We’re together, and I love her.”

  There were a couple of gasps from those around us. Even Neil looked mildly shocked. I smiled at them all before continuing. When I met my father’s gaze again, there was something new in it. It overshadowed the rage and the disappointment, the carefully controlled mask.

  It wasn’t regret, but it looked like something similar. I reminded myself that he was still my father and the only family I had left. “If you want to be a part of my life at all, you’re going to have to apologize to her for all the hurt you’ve caused and the despicable things you’ve said to her. Then you’re going to have to accept her.”

  I didn’t wait for my father’s reply before I turned to Neil to kickstart the next phase of my plan for the day. “You were right earlier, I owe you a lot more than one. You were an incredible friend to Jack, and you’ve been the same for me. I know you’re not going to have any idea what it’s about, but I’m offering you a job with me. Same paygrade and benefits. What do you say? You up for something new?”

  Neil looked surprised, but then he glanced at my father—who shot him a glare so intense any lesser man would’ve perished just because of the poisonous thoughts those eyes were shooting at him. When he looked back at me, he nodded and walked around my father to shake my hand. “You’ve got yourself a new employee. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  I grinned at him and winked. “That’s why I need you, to tell me what we’re doing.”

  “Dear Lord,” Neil muttered, his eyes shining with laughter. “What have I gotten myself into?”

  “No idea,” I
said joking, then faced the shocked faces of the other employees in the room. “My offer is extended to each and every one of you. Anyone who wants to work for me is automatically part of my team.”

  To my surprise, more than half of the people looking back at me stood up on the spot and started collecting their things. It looked like my theory about his people not respecting my father was vindicated.

  “You all interested please send me an email this afternoon. Same address as here but on Gmail’s domain. I’ll add you to my files and send you your job descriptions within the next week.”

  Without another look back at my father, who I was sure looked like he was about to blow the top of his head off, I walked out. My work here was done.

  Chapter 65

  STEPHANIE

  Jeremiah finally came back to the car almost an hour after he left. I’d skipped through all the channels on his radio, painted my fingernails with a bright pink polish I found in the bottom of my purse and was catching up on social media about what everyone I knew and their goldfish had eaten for breakfast.

  “There you are,” I exclaimed, feeling the nerves clamor again when I saw the expression on his face. He looked like he’d eaten Tweety bird, caught Jerry, and then stole several boxes of cream. “What happened?”

  He grinned wider than I’d ever seen before, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me as close to him as he could manage with the gear lever in the way. The thing pushed into my leg uncomfortably, but I did my best to ignore it. I was too curious about what the hell was going on.

  “I got fired,” he said, his chest swelling with pride as his grin kept growing. “So did you.”

  “You got me fired?” I couldn’t believe it. I knew I should’ve gone to speak with Jance myself. I couldn’t afford to lose my job. A lump formed in my throat as I imagined having to tell Tiana I was unemployed.

  Tim would probably hire me back at the bookstore, which was a really comforting safety net. I would go back if I had to, but then what on earth would’ve been the point to all this?

  Jeremiah snapped his fingers right in front of my eyes. “Steph? Are you okay?”

  “No.” I pushed away from him, trying my utmost best to ignore the hard pectorals under my hands. I couldn’t be distracted by his muscles right now, as worthy as they were of being distracted over. “I can’t believe I got fired. I’ve never been fired before.”

  The thought played on a loop in my head. Fired. Fired. Fired.

  Fuck. What was I going to do now?

  It took me a few minutes to realize that for someone who got fired too, Jeremiah was looking impossibly cheerful. He took my hands in his and kissed both. “I also want to offer you a new job?”

  “A new job?” I repeated skeptically. “What new job? You were in there for less than an hour, where did you find a new job?”

  “I didn’t find one,” he said as though his words explained everything. When I lifted an eyebrow, he smirked. “I’m going to create one, for both of us.”

  “Creating a job for both of us?”

  His cheeks were flushed. I thought it was happiness or even exhilaration earlier, but maybe it was a fever. It would be a better explanation than having created a job.

  Jeremiah saw my skepticism and sighed, leaning his forehead against mine as he explained what had happened upstairs. When he was done, I couldn’t keep my jaw from going slack. “Wow. You really made him fire you in front of everybody?”

  “Yup,” he said proudly. “And all the rest really happened too.”

  “Wow.” I slumped against his chest, taking comfort in his warmth as I pictured the scene he’d described playing out in front of me. “That’s quite a morning.”

  “A fucking great one,” he said, undoing my ponytail to tangle his hands into my hair. “I promised you everything would be fine. You won’t have to deal with my father again unless he apologizes unconditionally and accepts you as part of my life.”

  “I look forward to it. Perhaps he’ll come visit me when he can walk across the ice after hell freezes over.”

  Jeremiah laughed, but I hadn’t exactly been joking. His father would accept me when hell froze over and snowballs stood a chance there, not a second before. Not wanting to think about Jance if it wasn’t absolutely necessary, I spoke into the fold of Jeremiah’s neck where my head was still buried. “What job?”

  Leaning back slightly so he could look at me, he cradled my chin in his fingers. His expression was fierce, his eyes warm like melting chocolate. “I want you to be my partner.”

  “Uh, Jer. I’m already your girlfriend. If you start thinking about it as a job and paying me for it, I’m pretty sure we’re venturing into prostitution territory. I’m not that desperate. I can go back to the bookstore.”

  He rolled his eyes and chuckled softly. “I should’ve known you’d come up with something like that. I’m offering you a job as my business partner, not as my partner in sex or life. I’m already used to getting that for free.”

  I swatted his arm, leveling him with a playful glare. “It’s good I’m so generous, even you wouldn’t have been able to afford me.”

  “No doubt,” he answered immediately. “I’m being serious about the job as a business partner though.”

  “In what business?” As I looked into his eyes, I realized it didn’t matter. I would go wherever he went. “Nevermind. I’m in.”

  He folded his arms around me and crushed me in a giant hug. “You won’t regret it. I promise.”

  “I know,” I said honestly. I wouldn’t be able to regret anything where he was involved. “What did you have in mind?”

  “I’m starting my own company,” he said, then frowned before he shook his head. “Not starting, building. I was involved with a few start-ups back when I was still me and not a corporate slave to my father’s whims. They’ve all been on the back burner, but not anymore.”

  He released me but kept his hands on me as he explained. “I’m going to consolidate a few of those and add a couple of ideas I’ve had over the years. Essentially, it will be a new company.”

  “Sounds expensive.” I wondered how far we could get on our savings. Mine would probably cover little more than rent for a small office for a month and maybe some basic furniture.

  Jeremiah nodded, but he didn’t look concerned. “It will be, but I have the money to fund it. I’m tired of lining my father’s pockets and messing around with things I don’t care about. With you by my side, I know we can build an empire of our own.”

  “Personally, I don’t need an empire,” I said, reaching up to run my hands through his silky locks. “But if you want to build one, I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

  “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear,” Jeremiah murmured before pulling me in for another deep kiss.

  My entire body tingled with the feel of his lips on mine. Despite how many times we kissed, my reaction to him remained the same. My fingers grasped his hair, twining themselves into the softness.

  His kiss was more persistent than the one this morning. More determined and forceful. I matched him stroke for stroke, letting his confidence and his determination seep into me.

  We were going to do this. We were going to build a company together. How crazy was that? I knew nothing about what it took to start a company, aside from theoretical knowledge about what was required.

  With Jeremiah, pushed against his chest and locked in his arms, it wasn’t as scary as it should’ve been. The prospect not as daunting. It felt like anything was possible when we were together.

  Jeremiah released a low groan into my mouth, hauling me closer to him. His gear lever was pushed halfway into my leg, but I didn’t care.

  He noticed when he ran his hands down my thighs, lifting me to help me get across the center console and onto his lap. “I’m buying a car with a back seat tomorrow.”

  “That would be useful,” I whispered. In the confines of his tiny sports car, my head hit the roof as we kissed, and I knocked aga
inst the side panel.

  It wasn’t the most comfortable place I’d ever made out in, but it was functional, and it had tinted windows. Rolling my hips instinctively as we kissed, Jeremiah hardened beneath me.

  We were both breathing faster, and the little car was starting to steam up. His hands moved from my ass to my thighs, lifting my skirt along with them as we kept kissing.

  When the backs of his fingers brushed against my panties, I was already soaked. Hot bursts of pleasure shot from my clit as he stroked over it again and again. It was too soft to get me anywhere but pretty effective in driving me crazy for him.

  “You said you had plans for today?” I panted, breaking our kiss in the hopes of hearing him say his plans included going back to his penthouse and staying there for a couple of hours.

  His heavy, glazed eyes focused on mine. “Really? Now?”

  “Let me rephrase. Do the plans include you and me in your penthouse?”

  “They didn’t, but now I’m thinking they should’ve,” he said, blinking a few times as he dragged his hands through his hair. “Fuck, Steph. I want you.”

  I ground my hips against him again and watched as his eyes closed and his lips parted on a groan. A super sexy sight I planned on seeing as often as I could. I would never need any other image in my spank bank. “I want you too, baby.”

  “We’re going to have to wait until tonight.” He kept his eyes closed, his features contorted into an expression that looked a lot like pain. I knew exactly how he was feeling.

  But I climbed off him and back into my own seat, my panties wet and the smell of our lust in the car with us. “We’ll never get any work done if we give in to those urges all the time.”

  “Believe me, I know.” He turned the air conditioner in the car up high and shifting his hips to get comfortable. “Considering we have a company to build, I guess it’s time we got started.”

  “Let’s.” I lowered the sun visor to access the small mirror inside. My lips looked like they’d been stung by bees, my hair was a mess, and my cheeks flushed. “I look like I’ve just been very thoroughly fucked. I don’t know what you wanted to do today, but please tell me we don’t start by having to meet with other people?”