The Billionaire's Secret Flame

by Elana Johnson

  I could sneak out, came the immediate response.

  “Great.” Sami looked up the ceiling and pressed her eyes together. Can you come to the bridal boutique on Piper?

  Bridal boutique?

  I’ll explain when you get here.

  Mia arrived in record time for having to sneak away from her lifeguarding job at the beach resort their family owned. “Must be a slow day at the beach,” Sami said.

  “Overbooked on lifeguards,” she said. “So what are you doing here?” She reached out and touched a silky purple dress that Sami would never agree to wear.

  “You’re not going to believe this,” Sami said, feeling so out of place in this shop. Even the attendants seemed to sense that she didn’t belong there. “But Mister Tanner needs me to go to one of his galas.”

  Mia sucked in her breath between her teeth. Her eyes searched Sami’s. “Really? The guy you have a crush on?”

  “Shh,” Sami said, glancing around as if anyone there would even know who Andy was. “I don’t have a crush on him.”

  “Right,” Mia said.

  “I had a crush on him, for like two seconds, and only because there was mistletoe and he kissed someone from the office.” And maybe, just maybe, for about four seconds, she’d hoped he’d kiss her too.

  He hadn’t. In fact, he’d made sure he didn’t stand under that little sprig again. Almost like he’d avoided it on purpose. Sami hadn’t asked him. Their relationship wasn’t like that.

  “It’s for work,” Sami said, straightening her shoulders and looking at a blue dress. “Not blue.”

  “You look great in blue,” Mia said, grabbing the blue dress Sami had just been looking at.

  “I look great in red too,” Sami said. That was actually her favorite color, and she moved away from the blue dress, determined not to get that color.

  In the end, she did get a red dress, and at the first shop too. Without Mia’s help, she never would’ve been able to carry out such a feat, and she returned to Tanner Global to store the dress. After all, she didn’t need it in her closet, mocking her normally navy, black, and gray wardrobe.

  Her office sat directly beside Andy’s, with a pass-through door between them so she could get to him quickly if he needed her. He called for her when he needed to know which shoes to wear to a business dinner. Or when he needed her to proofread an email. Or to write an email for him. To put in a request for lunch. Anything, really, and Sami didn’t just go running when he called.

  She swore she didn’t.

  She’d just hung the dress in her coat cabinet when he said, “Did you get a dress?”

  Her eyes flew to where he stood in the doorway, leaning there like some male fashion model. His dark hair swooped to the side as if he’d been running his hands through it, something he did when he was thinking hard about something.

  “I did,” she said, reaching for her purse. “I’m at the resort tomorrow morning. Text me if you need me.”

  He moved quickly to stand in front of her. “You’re not going to show me the dress?”

  She glared up at him, wishing she wasn’t eight inches shorter than him. “No.”

  “Oh, come on.” He reached out and touched her hand, almost aligning his fingers with hers. Panic reared in her, splashing her insides with icy water. She froze, unsure of what to do.

  She looked into his eyes and saw the exact moment he realized what he’d done. He yanked his hand back. “Maybe we should do a fashion show,” he said, his easy grin sliding across that strong mouth.

  Sami blinked, a fast fantasy of what it would be like to kiss him flashing in that quick half-second. She really needed to stop thinking about that. Andy was her boss, and he had so many secrets, she wasn’t sure how he kept them all straight. Just because he was handsome and made her cells sing didn’t mean she could have a relationship with him.

  Could she?

  He definitely had some desire dancing in his eyes, and he wasn’t backing down or looking away. “I’d like to see the dress I bought.” He held out his hand. “And I’d like my card back.”

  She reached into her purse, her mind spinning as fast as her heart was beating. As she passed his platinum card to him, she couldn’t come up with a single excuse for why she couldn’t shimmy into that dress again and show it to him.

  “Fine,” she said, glaring at him. “I’ll call you when I’m changed.”

  “Perfect,” he said, striding back into his office in that designer suit. She sighed as she got out the dress and made sure both entrances to her office were locked. Mia had helped her get in the dress at the shop, so it took a few extra seconds for Sami to get the zipper up and all the parts and pieces in the right place.

  When she was ready, she walked over to the door between her and Andy’s offices and unlocked it. She only opened it a couple of inches and said, “Ready.”

  She fell back a few steps, so she stood several feet away when he entered her office. She swallowed and lifted her arms out to the side. “Here it is.”

  His eyes raked her body from her shoulders to the soles of her feet. Sami may not have had a date in a while, but she knew she had curves some men liked. She knew desire when she saw it in a man’s face.

  She had no idea what was going on, or why she hadn’t seen Andy look at her like this before.

  Maybe another secret, she thought.

  When his gaze returned to hers, he licked his lips and said, “Perfect,” one more time.

  Chapter Three

  Andy could not control the attraction raging through him. He simply couldn’t. He knew it shone in his face and probably screamed from his eyes.

  But dang, Sami Addler made his blood hot and everything male in him spark. The scarlet fabric seemed welded to her skin, and she had female curves in all the right places.

  His fingers twitched to touch hers again. Touch her arm. That bare shoulder. The fabric along her waist.

  His throat felt like he’d gargled with sand, and he couldn’t come up with another thing to say.

  “I know your tie is blue,” she said. “But this dress—”

  “It’s gorgeous,” he said, looking back into her eyes. Had they always mesmerized him quite so much? “You’re gorgeous.”

  He shouldn’t have said the last two words, but he couldn’t help himself. It was like that dress had unlocked the feelings he’d kept behind a brick wall for the past year.

  At the same time, he couldn’t be with her. Then he’d have to tell her about his family, the last name change, and the very real danger she’d be in if his father and brother knew where he was and how much money he had.

  And he knew that wasn’t even the real problem. The real problem would be when they tried to get the money he had. Anyone near and dear to him would pay the price, and Andy wouldn’t put anyone in that situation again.

  Especially not Sami.

  “Thank you,” she finally said, dropping her chin as she looked down at the dress. “Mia thought it was appropriate as-is. But if there’s too much…cleavage or whatever, I can get a jacket or a shawl or something.”

  “No,” he said, maybe a little too quickly. “It’s great. Absolutely perfect.” It wouldn’t be too much for this gala, and Andy suddenly wanted to attend and step right into the spotlight with her. He wouldn’t. But he wanted to.

  There were so many things he wanted—things he’d thought he could live without. After all, he had all the money in the world. A great place to live. A thriving business. Private jet to take him anywhere in the world.

  But he didn’t get to accept the recognition he earned. And after Marjorie, he’d left Chicago and vowed never to get involved romantically again. He’d been doing just fine since arriving in Forbidden Lake nine years ago and building the tallest structure in the small, lakeside town.

  He’d hired Sami in the final stages of construction, and she alone was the only person who’d been with him for the duration of Tanner Global’s existence.

  And she didn’t even kno
w his real name.

  It has to stay that way, he told himself firmly as Rusty came walking into her office. The dog broke the tension between them, and he laid down at Sami’s feet and looked up at Andy like, What’s next, buddy?

  Andy had no idea. His first instinct was to ask Sami to stay for dinner. Wear the dress while they ate and talked and laughed and fell in love.

  He shuttered off those thoughts, and said, “All right then. I think my money went to a great cause. You’ll be perfect at the gala.”

  “You’ve said perfect three times,” she said, focusing on him again.

  “Well, that’s because you’re perfect.” He grinned at her and turned away before he touched her again. Couldn’t do that. As he passed from her office to his, his phone rang from where he’d left it on his desk.

  Hurrying now, he grabbed the device and swiped on the call without looking to see who it was from. “Tanner Global,” he said as if he were a receptionist. But Karen, his normal receptionist, left promptly at five o’clock, and that had come and gone a half-hour ago.

  “Mister Tanner,” a man said, a heavy Spanish accent on his voice. “It’s Leo Pedroza.”

  Costa Rica. “Leo,” he said in a loud voice, hoping that would prompt Sami to come running. They’d been working on the cell phone tower deal in Costa Rica for six solid months. “How’s the weather down there?”

  “Hot,” he complained, the same thing he always said. He followed that with a laugh, and Andy chuckled too, moving around his desk and noting that Sami had not come running. The door between their offices remained shut, and she was likely changing out of that stunning dress.

  “I’m calling because you’re one of my final choices,” Leo said.

  “That’s great,” Andy said, leaning back in his chair as if he didn’t care a whit about this deal. “How many are you still considering?”

  “Two.”

  So a good chance, then. “I can be on a plane in the morning.” Some conference calls would have to be rearranged, a meeting moved. But he could make it happen. Rather, Sami would make it happen.

  “That’s not necessary,” Leo said. “But I would like to see you on Monday. How would that be?”

  “That would be just fine,” Andy said, thinking he might fly to Costa Rica for the weekend. It wasn’t turtle nesting season quite yet, but the beach would be beautiful, and he could take Sami….

  They’d often traveled together to check out build sites, put in proposals, and meet with landowners and clients. It had never been a problem for her. And with the summer coming to an end in Forbidden Lake, she could leave her family’s business of resort booking for a while. Maybe they’d stay the whole week….

  Andy was very aware he was letting his imagination run away with him. Too many fantasies, when Sami had looked like he’d punched her in the face when he’d touched her hand.

  “Great,” Leo said. “Let’s set up a meeting for Monday afternoon.”

  “I’ll be there,” Andy said, and the call ended. Leo would text Sami, and everything would get arranged. With Michigan actually an hour ahead of Costa Rica, they really could fly that morning, meet, and jet home in the same day.

  But Andy didn’t want to do that.

  He jumped up from his desk and crossed to the door. Knocking, he called, “Sami? You still here?”

  “Yes,” she called. “Come in.”

  He pushed into her office to find her changed back into her regular work clothes—which were still beautiful—and sitting at her desk. “That was Leo Pedroza,” he said. “We need to be in Costa Rica for a Monday afternoon meeting.”

  “His secretary just sent me the time and date,” she said, clicking on something on her computer.

  “I want you to come,” he said, moving to settle into the chair in front of her desk. She only had one, and he was the only one who sat in it. “And I want to fly out Friday after work and spend the weekend. I need a relaxing beach vacation.”

  Her eyes lifted over the top of her laptop to meet his. “Costa Rica for the weekend?”

  “Yes,” he said. It wasn’t that unusual. When they’d gone to China to secure a deal, they’d stayed for eight days. Taken in the sights. Toured around. It was that trip that Andy realized how much he liked Sami—that he had romantic feelings for her, not simply platonic.

  “It’s so hot there,” she said.

  “You own five swimming suits,” he shot back with a smile. “Pack them all. Wear them all a different day. We’ll be back in time for the gala next weekend.”

  “No.” She shook her head, clicking again. “You have a meeting with the owner of Sandusky Farms on Thursday morning. You can’t miss that. The nearest cell tower in Marquette County is across the border. If you get set up there, you pay back that tower in a year.”

  He nodded. “Right. Sandusky on Thursday. What else have we got next week?” He always spoke in plural, but Sami always referenced him. He thought about bringing her on as a partner in Tanner Global, because he trusted her, and they really did work well together. In fact, in the past two years, she’d brought five new clients to the table that had made over fifty million dollars for the company.

  He made sure she was paid well, and he certainly hadn’t had to give her his card to buy that dress. But as a partner, she could earn more than the mid six-figure salary he paid her. She should get the profits from any clients she brought to the company.

  He added it to his mental to-do list while she talked about the meetings and conference calls they could do from the hotel in Costa Rica or move to when they got back. She didn’t argue about coming, and Andy was grateful for that.

  After all, he didn’t want awkwardness between them because he’d done something irrational in an irrational moment. He hadn’t felt irrational though, and that was the real problem.

  “You’ll be okay out of the resort office?” he asked.

  “Should be,” she said. “I’ll make arrangements to be gone while I’m there tomorrow.” She smiled at him—a quick, professional smile. One she’d given him hundreds of times before.

  “All right.” He stood and knocked twice on her desk. “Want to get dinner tonight? There’s supposed to be a killer supermoon rising over the lake, and my penthouse has amazing three-sixty views.”

  “I’m aware of the views from your penthouse,” she said dryly, keeping her focus on her computer. “But if you order from Gypsy Roma’s, I’m not sure I can stay away.”

  Their eyes met, and something hot and fast stole between them. “Gypsy Roma’s,” he said, his voice a bit throaty. “On it.”

  He left her office before he gave too much more away. He left the office level entirely, going up to his penthouse with Rusty, where he knew he could think out loud to the canine, get some things off his chest and out of his system before Sami showed up later.

  After showering and changing out of his suit, he put in an order to Roma’s for the pork potstickers he knew Sami loved. She also devoured the Caesar salad there, with its huge curls of parmesan cheese. He ordered pasta and bread and fried ravioli too—all things he liked and Sami loved.

  “What am I going to do about her?” he asked Rusty as he collapsed onto the leather couch that faced the sky. Rusty jumped up onto the cushion beside him, heaving a great big sigh as he leaned into Andy’s side.

  “I like her too much,” he whispered. “And it’s impossible for us to be together.”

  He couldn’t put her in danger. He wouldn’t.

  And he knew his father and brother were still out there, still looking for him. Just because nine years had gone by didn’t mean they’d given up.

  He closed his eyes, conjuring up the images of his beloved Marjorie in that hospital bed. He carefully boxed up all of his feelings for Sami and stuffed them way, way, way down deep.

  He couldn’t survive being responsible for her getting hurt. So he’d keep pretending, and keep working, and keep his eyes and ears out like he’d been doing for almost a decade.

 
“Everything will be fine,” he said to Rusty, but he certainly didn’t feel that way.

  Chapter Four

  Sami did indeed pack all five of her swimming suits. With how much she’d eaten at Andy’s place the past couple of nights, she hoped they’d fit once they arrived in Costa Rica. She’d been a couple of times as she and Andy had worked two other deals in the country, but this trip would be to the Caribbean side and not the Pacific.

  Excitement flowed through her as she added two beach coverups to her suitcase. She couldn’t believe she was excited for this weekend getaway. She hadn’t been brave enough to bring up the new feelings between her and Andy, and he’d gone right back to his calm, cool self despite the hand holding and devouring of her in that dress.

  It was probably just the dress. She’d told herself that over and over. Andy wasn’t used to seeing her in anything but slacks. Nothing but gray, black, and navy. Nothing sexy. Just professional.

  They’d shared a nice evening in his penthouse, eating too many carbs and oohing at the supermoon. Sami did love the moon, and she kept up with the lunar eclipses and other heavenly events. They reminded her that the world was a great big place, and she was just a small piece of it. Microscopic, really.

  That if this tower deal didn’t go through, there’d be another one. And then another one. And if there wasn’t, Tanner Global had enough money to thrive on the towers they already owned and controlled.

  With flip flops, sunscreen, a beach hat, and a pair of pajamas, Sami was ready to go. She’d only packed one professional outfit, with a sensible pair of heels, for the meeting on Monday. She was going to take Andy up on his offer of wearing her swimwear the rest of the time.

  She sighed as she zipped the suitcase closed. As she traveled with Andy quite often, she’d gotten very good at packing in a short amount of time and in a very compact bag. She was great at sitting next to him on the plane and feeding him documents and proposals and reminders about their upcoming meetings.