“That must make your job a bit easier.”
She laughs. “It really does. Pattie is expecting you. Do you remember how to get to her desk?”
“I’m not great with directions,” I tell her honestly. “Can you point me where I need to go?”
“Of course. Her desk is at the end of the row just to your left.”
“Perfect. Thanks so much!”
“Sure thing!”
I walk to Pattie’s desk, and the woman jumps up and gives me a hug as I approach. “Elisa! Are you here with good news?”
I pull the folder from my bag. “I am!”
Pattie practically shakes with excitement. She’s a friendly person and I love her for it. “This is amazing. I’m so excited to get to work! I shouldn’t tell you this, but I’ve already got your editorial letter ready. I figured I’d trash it if you went somewhere else.”
I laugh. “I appreciate your enthusiasm.”
She smiles and takes her seat again. “I’ll get this contract filed and send the editorial letter to your agent next week. I want to give the manuscript one more look before I send you my notes.”
“Sounds good,” I say shyly. “I really appreciate it.”
Pattie nods, her head bobbing up and down like a toy puppy dog.
“Robert wants to see you, too. You can go straight down this row and take a right. His assistant will let you in.”
“Cool. Thank you so much, by the way. You’ve been a dream to work with.”
She grins sassily.
“No worries. You’re welcome. I’ll see you around.”
And with one last wave, I follow Pattie’s directions and end up outside Robert’s door. His assistant knocks and lets me in. But I know I’m in for trouble when I see Robert looking just as perfect as he did the last time we met. Better, in fact. Today, his hair is hanging in a black comma over those startling blue eyes, his broad form draped in a perfectly cut suit. Were his shoulders this broad last time? His chest this deep and muscular? All I know is that I can’t wait to feel those pecs again … if it happens.
I blush, and the man grins like he’s reading my mind.
“I’m glad you came,” he says, his voice deep.
“Um me too,” I stammer
Robert closes the door and locks it. Any resolve I had when I left my apartment this morning disappears. Robert kisses me hard, and we end up on the floor of his office next to a pile of our clothes. Oh god, it feels so good. Every thought I had of staying away from this man flies out of my head the moment he lays a hand on me. Pretty soon, I’m a moaning, creaming mess, writhing on the rug like a wanton whore.
“Yes,” I gasp as he plunges into me. “Yes, yes!”
“You’re so fucking tight,” he rasps into my ear. “Your pussy’s so tiny and unused.”
And both of us soar to new heights before exploding into a glittery mass. Because holy shit, I’ve been missing out. I’d heard sex was good, but this good? I’m ready to sell my soul to the devil for more one-on-one time with this man.
But this is a normal work day, and everything has to end. With an obscene sucking sound, he pulls out of me and just like the first time, I clean myself up in Robert’s bathroom. Oh god. We didn’t use protection, and his semen’s dripping down my thigh again. What should I do? I resolve to get some of the morning after pill. It’s absolutely necessary at this point.
But when I open the door, he smiles like nothing’s wrong. The CEO takes me into his arms again and kisses me breathless.
“It was good seeing you again,” he murmurs against my lips.
A smile tugs at my lips. “Really?”
He lightly brushes his lips against mine in a feather-light kiss. “Yeah, sweetheart. Real good.”
And with that, the man pats me on the butt and shows me the door. As I walk through the office space to the elevator, eyes follow me. I can’t check my dress to make sure it’s on right because that might look even more suspicious.
Regardless, I feel like everyone here knows what happened behind Robert’s closed door. We were quieter this time. Or so I thought. Maybe they heard us?
My heart races in the lift. Maybe I’m reading too much into this. Maybe no one knows what’s going on.
Or maybe everyone knows I just did the walk of shame after sleeping with their boss. Again.
7
Robert
A week later.
I had every intention of being inside Elisa again at our meeting last Friday. Maybe some part of me intended to try to rein myself in and keep my hands to myself. Then Elisa showed up in a sexy black dress with a plunging neckline and any restraint vanished in a poof of smoke.
Shit. What was I thinking? I shouldn’t be banging our hottest new acquisition, but then at the same time, it was inevitable. A five-alarm fire wouldn’t have stopped me from touching those tempting curves, much less kissing her pretty little twat.
Suddenly, a knock sounds on my office door.
“Come in,” I yell.
Pattie enters. She takes the seat across from me and hands me a few printed pages of editorial notes on Elisa’s manuscript.
“Elisa’s not here yet?”
I check my watch.
“She’s got ten more minutes,” I say. Our meeting’s scheduled for 11:30.”
Editorial meetings are routine. Essentially, we’re meeting with an author to convey the improvements we’d like to see. We try to meet with our authors when they’re local because we find it easier to explain our concerns in person. Pattie sent Elisa the notes on Tuesday, so she would be familiar with them for our meeting. Compared to our usual editorial letters, this one is pretty short, but we still want to go over everything with Elisa.
Plus, I want to see the girl who has infiltrated my mind. I’ve had to resist the urge to text her every day. To invite her over for another round on my desk or office floor. Or ask her to have coffee with me, which would be a terrible idea. I don’t do dates, remember? I only do hot sex, and then goodbye.
“So, there’s really not much here,” Pattie says, breaking me out of my Elisa daydreams and preventing my cock from stirring. I was dangerously close to another embarrassing situation. “This meeting shouldn’t last long.”
Someone knocks on the door, and I yell for them to come in. Elisa shyly steps in, wearing a blue dress that hugs her incredible curves. The neckline isn’t as deep as the dress she wore last week, but the mounds of her breasts still peak out just enough to be incredibly enticing. I try to focus on something else, so I don’t have to excuse myself to the bathroom.
“Hi Elisa,” Pattie says, pulling the young woman into a hug. They smile at each other, and Elisa takes the seat next to Pattie. “Thanks for coming in. We like to go over our editorial letters in person with our clients if possible.”
Elisa nods with understanding.
“What do you do for authors who don’t live in New York?”
“Skype or phone calls,” Pattie explains. “In person is always best, though. It makes for a better connection.”
Elisa nods and smiles.
“Of course, I totally agree. It’s an honor to be here.”
Wow, courteous as well as classy. I smile at her in return.
“Cameron Publishing is pleased to be working with you, Ms. Morgan,” I say. “But before we get started, why don’t we order some lunch? Have you eaten yet?”
Elisa shakes her head. But Pattie interrupts.
“That’s a terrific idea!” my assistant exclaims. “I have a few more meetings today I need to get to, but why don’t you two order? I’ll be out of here before it comes. Robert, you’ll be able to go into detail on the notes, right?”
I nod.
“No problem. Why don’t you start with the basics and I’ll order food? What do you like, Elisa?”
The pretty brunette blushes and smiles.
“Just about anything. You go ahead and pick. I’ll eat what you choose.”
I pull a delivery menu from my drawer and
step to the side to order. While I’m on the phone, Pattie and Elisa talk quietly over the notes.
“The book is really good,” Pattie says. “There are just some elements we think could be stronger. One of the main things was to put more emotion into the less emotional scenes.”
My mind wanders to the points of Elisa’s manuscript that made me cry the first time I read it. There were a lot of moments that had potential but didn’t quite reach the same level, so I agree with Pattie’s assessment.
I hang up with the delivery guy and return to my seat. Pattie and Elisa are already on the second page of the notes, and they’re both immersed in the work.
“We think your main character needs a friend,” Pattie says. “She has her love interests and her family until they’re… well… you know, in trouble. But she needs someone else to lean on. She’s handling way too much on her own and we think adding in another character will help.”
Elisa looks skeptical.
“I don’t know about that,” she says slowly. “I have a different view of the storyline. I like the fact that our heroine is sassy and independent. I don’t think she absolutely has to have someone to lean on.”
Pattie frowns and I step in.
“Of course, she doesn’t have to have someone, but it’s something to think about. We’re here to make suggestions, but of course, your opinion matters too.”
Elisa frowns again.
“Of course it does. This is my book. This is my story, and I just don’t see why we need a third character. Maybe if this were a Victorian drama where women have fainting spells, I could see her needing a third party for support. But the entire point of my novel is that my heroine is really independent, and also very alone in the world. I’m sorry, but I just don’t agree with your changes.”
Pattie and I share a look. This happens sometimes. Authors can be ornery because they’ve poured their hearts and souls into their work, and even the slightest suggestion can set them off.
Plus, clearly, we’ve hit a nerve when it comes to Elisa Morgan. She sounds absolutely opposed to our edits, and it’s a problem. Fortunately, it doesn’t need to be solved right this moment, so I decide to put the issue on hold.
“Listen,” I say in a calming voice. “That’s fine. We hear you, and we don’t have to decide today. Let’s just think on it for a while.”
The tension in the room lightens a bit.
“Sure,” Elisa smiles. “I can do that.”
My assistant checks her watch and sighs. “Listen, I hate to leave so soon, but I need to meet with production about a new release in about five.”
I stand as Pattie gets up to go.
“Thanks so much, Pat. I’ll see you later.”
She gives me a faux salute and hugs Elisa.
“You’ve got this, girl. We’ll talk again soon, okay?”
Elisa nods.
“Sure, no prob. I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
Well, we’re not exactly on the same page, given that our new author doesn’t want to make our suggested edits. But that’s okay, for now at least. My assistant leaves just as our lunch arrives. She steals a fry from the tray and grins as she walks back into the main office.
I tip the delivery guy, take our food, and set it on the desk between us.
“These are the best burgers in New York, I promise.”
“Looks amazing,” says Elisa, eyeing the foil covers with appreciation. “Exactly what I like.”
Elisa waits for me to pick up my hamburger before picking up her own. I like that she’s taking cues from me. We eat quietly for a few minutes, although with relish. My curvy girl isn’t afraid of a little red meat, and I appreciate her for that.
“So, how have you been?” I begin like nothing’s wrong.
“Good,” Elisa says when she’s swallowed her bite. “How about you, Mr. Cameron?”
I snort.
“Please, don’t call me that. I’m Robert,” I say with a grin. “But we’re busy. Real busy. We’re about to publish our new catalog so things are a little crazy. That’s why Pattie has so many meetings. I’ve got budget and other meetings for the rest of the day.”
“Don’t let me keep you,” she says worriedly.
I put my hand over hers. “I cleared out an hour and a half for our meeting, don’t worry.”
The gorgeous brunette smiles, and I fall even further for her, my heart flip-flopping wildly at the sight of those pouty lips. This girl does things to me no one else has ever done.
We stare into each other’s eyes for a beat longer than we should. I have meetings, and we really do need to talk about more specific edits to her manuscript. We can’t drop everything and have sex again. So with a Herculean effort, I pull myself back into business mode.
“Ms. Morgan,” I say, trying to be serious. “There were a few specific things we had in mind in the second half. This scene where Sarah sees her father for the first time, before she finds out he’s actually a horrible serial killer, the dialogue gets a bit tight. We want to loosen it up. Sarah was close to her father, even when she moved away, so their stiff back and forth doesn’t make sense.”
Elisa scrunches her face. “I didn’t realize that. You’re right, though. It should be easy to talk to her father.”
We go through the rest of the pages and I lay out specific things that should be fixed before we publish the book. She needs to adjust some of the character relationships and conversation especially. It shouldn’t take her more than a few hours to make these changes, but there’s still the problem with the heroine’s friend that we discussed before. I want that third party added, but Elisa’s still giving me push back.
But clearly, the conflict can’t be resolved today. After going through the last page, I close the manuscript. We still have twenty minutes before I have to get to my budget meeting. Elisa daintily wipes her hands on the napkin, and makes like she’s about to get up and leave.
“Wait,” I say, not ready to end our meeting just yet. “Why don’t we talk a little?”
She looks confused. “I thought we went over everything? Or did you want to talk more about adding that new character?” she asks with a frown.
“No, not about work,” I say quickly. “We could just get to know each other.”
“Oh,” she says hesitantly. “I thought…um, I’m not sure. You know, no fraternizing and all that?”
Shit, she’s caught me in a bind. How do I get out?
“I’m not ashamed of what we’ve done,” I say slowly. “My board of directors has a strict policy about dating. Employees aren’t allowed to date each other at all. We’re strictly forbidden to start any kind of relationship with authors, especially a sexual relationship. That’s why I said we had to keep what happened between us.”
The brunette nods with understanding in those caramel eyes.
“I totally get it. And I can’t risk my career either,” she says. “Being an author is what I’ve always wanted. If sleeping with you is going to affect me getting published, then I don’t think we should either.”
I take her hand in mine. “I won’t let that happen, Elisa. I promise. You will absolutely get published.”
She doesn’t look convinced, but her face slowly softens. I stand and walk to her side of the desk, taking Pattie’s seat. “So, let’s get to know each other.”
“Okay,” she says quietly. “But where do I start? This is a little awkward, don’t you think?”
I raise an eyebrow at her, that small palm warm in my big one.
“Only as weird as you want it to be sweetheart. I’m interested in anything that comes from your lovely lips.”
She giggles a little but then grows serious.
“Okay, well, I’m an only child. I grew up in the suburbs, and I still live there. I love traveling, but I want to live in the same town my parents live in when I’m married. It’s a beautiful place to raise a family. Writing is my passion. I do some freelance writing, but I work as a social media specialist to earn a li
ving. I get to work remotely and pretty much whenever I want, so it’s a great gig. How about you?”
Hmm, very interesting. So she’s family-oriented. I like that.
“I’m an only child, too. I think.” I decide not to get into that right now, quickly moving on. “This business is pretty much my life. I’ve always loved books, so getting to publish them is a dream come true. I’m a city guy and I can’t really imagine living in the burbs, but your town sounds amazing.”
She smiles with understanding.
“I like living close enough to the city that I can visit on a whim, but far enough that I can breathe.”
“Makes sense,” I nod. “The city can get claustrophobic.”
She smiles again.
“But there are things about NYC that I love too,” she hurries. “And if you live here, I’m sure you’ve adapted, what with the museums and book stores. That’s something I wish we had up around our town. But we only have one book store, period, and it’s called Idlewild.”
“Idlewild?” I ask curiously. “As in the old name for JFK Airport?”
“Yeah,” she laughs. “Because it’s a book store devoted to flying. Specifically, books on aviation. As you can tell, I don’t buy a lot from there.”
I throw my head back and laugh. It sounds quaint but also cute. A bookstore devoted to flying? Pretty obscure, but kind of cool in its own way.
“So what else?” I ask invitingly. “Tell me more about your childhood.”
Elisa blushes, but she starts talking. She was always a little lonely as an only child, and always hoped to have siblings. But her parents, Bob and Elaine, decided that one was enough, what with both of them having careers. As a result, Elisa’s hoping to have at least four children to make up for her childhood, if not five or six.
“Six?” I ask, taken aback. “That’s a huge number.”
“I know,” she says, blushing. “That’s why I have to live in the suburbs and not in the city. Because what apartment here has six bedrooms? Seven if you include a master suite for the parents.”
I don’t mention that I live in a penthouse that has eight bedrooms because it seems unnecessary right now. Honestly, I’m knocking around in there like a loose rattle because what single guy needs eight bedrooms? But hey, I got a good price and it’s been an amazing investment. It should be worth at least twenty mil when I sell it.
Pregnant by the Billionaire Page 5
