“That’s correct.”
“I want to help with that.”
She narrowed her eyes. “So, why aren’t you talking to Tessa instead of me?”
I sighed. “Because Tessa won’t let me help her.”
Alexis looked away, and some of the stiffness in her posture disappeared. She turned back to me. “That sounds like her.”
“I offered to give her the money, and she said no. Then, I offered to loan her the money, and she still said no.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“I take it, she didn’t tell you?”
Alexis shook her head. “No.”
Now, I was the one who was not surprised.
“Look, I don’t want to get in between you as partners or friends, but I care about Tessa, and I want to help.”
Alexis didn’t respond right away. I let her think it over.
But finally, she said, “What are you thinking?”
“Let me give you the money.”
Alexis winced.
“I don’t want to sound like an asshole, but when I say that I can afford it, trust me, I can afford it. It seems like such a waste to have money and not be able to help my friends.”
Alexis chuckled. “Tessa’s a friend now?”
I smiled. “Yes…and then some,” I admitted. “And hopefully, this means you and I will be friends too.”
“I appreciate it, but it’s not just the amount. I understand that you have cash to spare, but it’s also going behind my friend’s back and not telling her. And while I wish she had told me about your proposal, I can’t just take money from you. It doesn’t feel right. Even if we are friends.”
“A loan then? I won’t charge any interest.”
Alexis chewed on her lip. “I don’t know. How am I going to pay you back and pay the mortgage? And where am I going to tell Tessa I got the money? She won’t go through with it if she knows it’s from you.”
At least she was seriously considering the options I had given her.
“I think I have an idea on how we can manage this.”
Alexis leaned forward. “What’s your idea?”
Tessa
The following Monday, I was only at work for about an hour when Alexis called me on my cell.
“Hello?”
“Can you meet me at the realtor’s office in about an hour?”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“I’ll explain when we get there. Now, can you get away?”
I looked over at Seth’s open door. “I don’t know. I guess I can ask. What about you?”
“My boss already gave me the okay.”
“Hold on. I’ll ask.” I pressed my phone to my chest and went to Seth’s office. “Seth?”
He looked up. “Yes?”
“I’m not sure what is going on, but Alexis asked if I could meet her in about an hour. I know you have a meeting at ten, so if you need me there, I’ll let her know.”
The truth was, I wanted Seth to tell me I couldn’t go. I didn’t need any more disappointment.
“It’s fine.” He smiled. “I’ll make Jayden take notes.”
“Are you sure? I can stay if you—”
“Tessa.”
“What?”
“It’s fine. Just go.”
“Okay.” I lifted the phone. “Alexis?”
“Yeah?”
“I’ll be there.”
“Wonderful. See you then.”
An hour later, I pulled into the parking lot of our realtor’s office. Alexis’s car was already there, but she wasn’t in it, so she must have gone into the building.
When I walked in, the receptionist at the front seemed to already be expecting me because she stood and said, “Right this way.”
I nodded a thank-you when I reached the realtor’s door.
Alexis and Jana looked up when they saw me.
“Come in,” Jana said and got up to close the door behind me.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “Did the other buyer pull out?”
“No,” Jana said. “But Alexis called me this morning and said you two want to put in an official offer.”
I sat next to Alexis and looked at her like she was crazy. “But we talked about this. We don’t have the funds.”
She smiled. “I came into some money.”
I gasped. “Oh my God, he sold the house,” I said, referring to her ex.
“Uh…no, not quite.”
“Then, how?”
“Someone came to me and offered to give us the cash we needed up front, and in return, they would be a silent investor.”
“Who is it?”
Alexis shrank into herself. “I can’t say.”
“What?” I shook my head. “Then, I’m not doing it.”
Jana stood again. “Let me give you two a minute to discuss.”
Once we were alone, Alexis turned from meek to angry. “So, because you say no, that’s it? We don’t even get to talk about it? I thought this business relationship was fifty-fifty.”
Ouch. She had me there.
“You’re right. And I’m sorry. I just don’t trust this when I don’t know who is giving us the money.”
“But I know. I know who is giving us the money. And I wouldn’t do this unless I trusted them.”
“Then, why can’t I know who they are?”
“Because this is between me and them, and they asked me to keep this information private.”
“What do they get out of it?” I asked, figuring whoever this individual was, they were trying to scam us.
“One percent of our gross.”
“One percent?” I scoffed. “I don’t believe it.”
“Well, start. That was the term we agreed upon.”
“That’s barely anything.”
“They’re not doing it for the money. They’re doing it to help us.”
I eyed Alexis. “It’s not your ex, is it?” I really hoped she hadn’t asked that guy out of desperation.
Alexis laughed. “I can’t get him to sell our house. Why would he give me money?”
“I don’t know. Maybe so you wouldn’t force him to sell the house.”
She would get more money from the sale of the house than from making up the difference in our down payment.
“Oh. Yeah, that makes sense, but no. I would never ask him for anything.”
“Good.” I tried to think of whoever else in Alexis’s life would loan her the money, but I couldn’t come up with anyone who had the funds. Unless it was someone who did but didn’t want others to know. I chewed on my lip. That was a very real possibility.
Once my brother and I had moved out, my parents had had more money for themselves. They paid off their home a couple of years ago and were able to save quite a bit of money, but they hadn’t gone around flaunting it or even telling others. My mom had a brother who was always broke, and if he knew about the savings, he would hit up my mom constantly. Alexis’s silent investor might have a similar situation.
“Are you sure we can trust this person?”
“Yes. They even had their lawyer draw up papers.”
I frowned. “Their lawyer?”
Alexis laughed, but it seemed forced. “Oh, you know, a lawyer they paid.”
I didn’t know if she was hiding something or if she was worried I’d say no, but I really wanted to believe her.
“Okay, let’s do this.”
Alexis clapped her hands. “Yes.”
Two hours later, I hugged Alexis, got in my car, and called Seth.
“Seth Crawford.”
“Hey, it’s me.”
“Who’s me?”
I laughed. “Your assistant.”
“Oh yeah, I almost forgot about you; you’ve been gone so long.”
“You told me I could go.”
He chuckled. “You’re right; I did. I’m just teasing, I promise. Are you calling to tell me you’re not coming back?”
“Nope. I’m calling to ask you to go to dinner wi
th me tonight to celebrate.”
“What are we celebrating?”
“Alexis found an investor. We put in an offer for the store, and it was accepted.”
“Congratulations. This is great news.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. A part of me had worried he’d be upset that I had accepted this arrangement and not the one he’d offered me.
“It is. So, what do you say to dinner?”
“I say yes. But…” Seth trailed off.
“But what?”
“It’s lunchtime. Why don’t we celebrate with lunch and dinner?”
“Okay. Where are we going?”
“You pick where we go for dinner, and I pick where we go for lunch.”
“Deal. We’re going somewhere fancy for dinner.”
“I would hope so. We’re celebrating.”
“Great. I’ll let you know where once I decide.” I laughed. “But until then, where are we going for lunch?” I asked.
“My place. I want you naked and on my bed within the half hour.”
Chapter Thirty
Tessa
“I wish I could go out of town with you again.” I stuck out my lower lip, pretending that I was pouting.
Seth swung his office chair around, picked me up by my hips, and set me down on his desk in front of him. “Me too.”
I looked over my shoulder just to make sure his office door was closed.
I was now on my ninth week here, and we tried not to mess around at work. But I hadn’t seen him last night, and today, he was getting on a plane in a few hours. It was our last chance to see each other before he left for the weekend.
I cupped his face. “Where are you going again?” I already knew the answer, but I wanted to tease him for not taking me. “To meet Ryan Jackman in person?”
He drew me down for a kiss. “You know I’m going to Chicago to meet up with an old client. If I meet Ryan Jackman, I will make sure you are there with me.”
“You’re the best boss ever.”
He smirked. “In that case, I think I deserve a treat before I go.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“Lie back.”
I did as he’d said, resting on my elbows.
Seth pushed my skirt up and pulled my panties down and off. “I’m taking these with me.”
My jaw dropped. “You are not. I can’t walk around the rest of the day with no underwear.”
“Fine. But then you have to let me have a taste.” He tugged me to the edge of the desk and put his mouth on my pussy. He licked each side and circled my clit with his tongue, not quite hitting it. “Damn, you taste extra good today.” He flicked my sweet spot before I could even say thank you.
“I thought you wanted a treat for you? This feels like a treat for me.”
“It’s a treat for both of us.”
Since we’d been sleeping together for weeks now, he knew all the ways to bring me to orgasm, and since we were in his office, I didn’t blame him for wanting to get to the final act.
He pushed two fingers into me and hooked them toward himself. The double stimulation was a good way to make me come, and within a few minutes, I was shoving my fist against my mouth to prevent my cries from escaping the room as I came.
Seth stood, grabbed a condom from his desk drawer, yanked it on, and thrust inside me. “I will never get used to how good you feel.”
I moaned. “You don’t have to flatter me with compliments. You’re already inside me.”
He laughed. “Maybe I’m just making sure I get to do this when I come back.” He pulled back and pushed back in.
I was sensitive from my orgasm, and I couldn’t help but squirm. “Go faster.”
“Faster?”
“And harder.”
He dropped his body down over mine. “Are you sure?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye.
He already knew I liked it when he rammed into me over and over again if we had sex after I already came.
“You’re right; I changed my mind. Go nice and slow,” I teased.
“If you say so,” he said, calling my bluff.
He gently withdrew and slowly pressed back into me. He took his sweet time, and I wanted him to pick up the pace, but I didn’t want to be the one to give in.
“If you don’t hurry, you’re going to be late.”
He smiled and kissed me. “I have time.”
His dick dragged against my sides, and I wanted to scream.
Finally, I couldn’t stand it anymore. “Please, Seth, I need it.”
“Need what, Tessa?”
“Your cock. The way I like it.”
“And how do you like it?”
“Deep, deep inside me.”
“All you had to do was ask.” Seth cupped the back of my neck and pounded into me.
“Yes.” I clutched his ass. “Yes, please.”
He gave me everything I wanted, and my eyes started to roll back in my head as I felt another orgasm building.
“Tessa, I want you to come with me.”
I nodded.
“Can you come now?”
I shook my head all of two times before I exploded.
“Liar,” he said and slammed into me one last time.
We were both breathing heavy, and it took us a minute before Seth was able to stand up off of me.
“Fuck, I am going to miss you while I’m gone.”
I laughed and straightened my skirt. “Where’s my underwear?”
Seth picked them up and handed them to me before taking off the rubber. He pulled his pants back up and collapsed in his chair.
“Are you sure you’re not just going to miss all the sex we have?” I asked as I pulled on my panties and stood.
“I don’t know. Are you going to miss me or my dick?” he asked with a smile.
“Both.”
“Honest answer—I like that. I’ll miss both of you too.”
“Both?”
“Yes. You and your pussy.”
“Ah. Got it.”
“Do you blame me? We’ve had six weeks of uninterrupted naked time. Or has it been only five?”
“Somewhere around there,” I said, not wanting to do the math at the moment. “Are you sure you don’t need me to take you to the airport?”
“No, the car service is already coming.”
“When?”
He looked at his watch. “Shit. In about five minutes.”
“Five minutes?”
“Yeah, I need to stop by the cemetery to see John on my way to the airport.”
Disappointment hit me. I knew that Seth’s partner had died and that he went to see him every month on a Friday, but he never opened up about what had happened to his friend. And he never asked me to go with him. This would be his third visit since I’d started working there and his second since we’d started sleeping together.
I kept telling myself and my friends that this fling we had together would end soon after I quit, but it hadn’t stopped me from developing feelings for him. I liked him. A whole lot. And while I’d tried to resist him, I also hadn’t stopped the whole affair. It was one of those relationships I wanted to look back on with a smile.
None of my resistance could have prevented me from feeling unhappy, but it probably just proved that we weren’t meant to last forever because if we were, he would open up to me about John.
“You’d better get going then. You don’t want to miss your flight.”
Seth stood, cupped my cheeks, and kissed me. “I sure am going to miss you.”
“You too.”
“Don’t have too much fun without me.”
“I won’t. Alexis and I will just be planning for our move-in date in a few weeks,” I said. It was just in time for Seth’s assistant to come back to work.
Despite my discontent with Seth leaving, I couldn’t help but feel happy with the bakery and café. Construction was almost done, and we were closing in a couple weeks. I couldn’t wait to get in there and decorate the
place.
He scanned my face. “Take care, okay?”
I tilted my head. He seemed so sad. “I will. You too. Fly safe.”
“I will.” He dropped a peck on my forehead, grabbed his suitcase by the couch, and was out the door.
I ambled back to my desk in no hurry. It was Friday afternoon, I’d just had a wonderful orgasm, and the boss had left for the weekend. I didn’t want to do any more work.
I laid my head down on my arms for a second, ready to take a nap when I heard voices and snapped up. If I fell asleep, I wouldn’t have anyone to wake me up like Seth had all those weeks ago. But the good thing was, I probably wouldn’t have any nightmares. I hadn’t had one for over a month, although lately, I’d been so tired that I couldn’t remember having any dreams at all.
Forcing myself to get something done before I went home for the day, I woke up my computer and looked at the time in the corner. Along with the time was the date, and I remembered what Seth had said about being together, so I thought I’d count the weeks.
Really, I was procrastinating about accomplishing any more work, but I figured it would be fun to check.
We’d slept together on the second night of our trip, which was…over six weeks ago.
Wow. Six weeks.
I frowned. Wait a minute…
Seth had said, “We’ve had six weeks of uninterrupted naked time.”
Six weeks of uninterrupted naked time.
I gasped. Shit.
Chapter Thirty-One
Tessa
Monday morning, I dreaded coming into work.
I hadn’t seen Seth since he’d left town. He had gotten back last night, and I had invited him over, knowing we had to have a talk, but he’d told me he was too tired.
So, today, I had to make the decision of either dropping the bomb on him while I was at the office or I had to keep it to myself all day. There was no way he wasn’t going to want to be alone with me after we hadn’t seen each other for a few days.
Although he hadn’t wanted to see me last night, so maybe he wouldn’t have time.
I tried to feel hopeful that today would go well, but I couldn’t.
Not Another Billionaire (Not Another Romance) Page 14
