Boss Unyielding: A Secret Baby Office Romance (The Boss Series Book 1)

by Nicole R. Locker

  She left the confines of the cubby behind the filing cabinet in a rush, forgetting the items she had come in for without a second thought about them. She got all the way to the door and had her hand on the knob when the men came out of the room they’d occupied and saw her.

  She paused long enough to look back at them, and it was her fatal mistake. She saw them both lock eyes on her.

  Oh, God, she had to get out of there. She turned the knob, but Dallas was on her fast, pushing the door closed the moment she had gotten it a few inches opened.

  “What have we here?” he said, caging her between his arms as he backed her against the door.

  Farren’s fists clenched again at her sides, and the feeling of being backed into a corner had her ready to fight.

  “Get off me, Dallas,” she warned. Her voice was low, calm, and threatening.

  A condescending laugh escaped him, and he moved in closer. She could feel his hot breath on her face and she had to hold back the wave of disgust.

  “Looks like you’ve just heard something you shouldn’t have,” he said, like a parent scolding a disobedient child. He tsked her, shaking his head. “What are we going to do about that?”

  “You can start by backing off and letting me out.”

  The adrenaline was still pulsing through her veins, causing her whole body to tremble, ready to kick her survival instincts into action.

  “See, I can’t do that, Farren.” He grabbed her jaw, squeezing it painfully as Beau came up behind him.

  Would he help her or Dallas, she wondered, but the coward stood back and watched the scene play out from a safe distance without interfering. At least he didn’t add to it, she thought, because she would be lucky to make it out of here unscathed with only Dallas to deal with at this point.

  “Fuck you, Dallas. You’re a sorry piece of shit, and you’ll never get away with this.” She spat the words out at him, pushing her face closer to his as she said it.

  Dallas hadn’t counted on her challenging him, and he backed away slightly in response. He hadn’t counted on her doing anything but cowering before him, and he certainly hadn’t counted on the fact that he wasn’t the first man to ever knock her around. That was one thing she could finally thank her father for, for making her a tough, fearless, little girl as a child, now all grown up.

  Okay, maybe fearless wasn’t the right word, because things could scare the hell out of her, and the present circumstance definitely fell into that category. But that wouldn’t stop her from doing what she had to do.

  “Oh, sweetheart, I already have.” He smiled an evil, self-satisfied smile as he pressed his knee against the center of her between her legs. “But I never realized just how feisty you could be, and how much it fucking turns me on.”

  He brought his face to the side of hers that his hand wasn’t blocking, still gripping her jaw in a tight clench.

  That was it, all she could take. She reached a hand down to grab his balls and crushed them in her fist. He buckled instantly, so she brought her knee up to kick him out of her way and wasted no time slipping out the door, running the hell out of the storage room in a scramble to escape.

  She didn’t get far before he was on her again, grabbing her around the waist from behind. He yanked her back with a violent pull, trying to drag her back inside the storage room.

  She cried out, partly in surprise, horror, but most of all, pain. He overpowered her, dragging her back in while she kicked and screamed. She wasn’t going to make this easy on him, but she knew she was losing this battle the moment the stabbing pain shot through her stomach. His hand covered her mouth to stifle her screams and subdue her, slamming the door closed again.

  “Dallas, let me go,” she now pleaded, holding her stomach. She couldn’t fight him off and fight the crippling pain that was now radiating through her. She doubled over and fell to the ground. Double shit.

  She heard the doorknob jiggle, and wondered if it was the sound of him locking her in so no one could find her. She was in a world of hurt, in more ways than one, and things were getting worse by the second.

  Then she heard a frantic knocking, and the door cracked open as much as it could from someone pushing from the other side while Dallas tried to push it closed.

  “Farren? What’s wrong? What’s going on?” came Rita’s frenzied voice, and Farren had never been more happy to hear that sweet, southern accent in her life. It was a ray of hope as darkness began to shroud her vision.

  “Rita, I need an ambulance!” Farren cried. “I can’t lose this baby.”

  And the world went dark.

  TWENTY ONE

  Farren came to as she was being wheeled on a gurney by paramedics into the emergency room. They were directed into a short-term hospital room in the ER as nurses and other hospital staff whirred around her.

  “What’s happening?” she cried, and a nurse next to her gave her a soothing pat. “You’re at Harris County Medical. It appears you passed out after having stomach pains, and you were brought here by ambulance. Just lay back and relax, hon, and we’re going to check you out, okay?” said the nurse.

  Farren looked up at her and nodded. “Can someone please call my Gramma?”

  She gave the number to the nurse who took it and went to go make the call. Before she left the room, she said, “There’s a girl named Rita waiting out in the waiting room for you. She came in with you on the ambulance. Is she okay to come in when you’re ready?”

  Farren nodded. “Yes. Thank you.”

  She was going to owe Rita a big one for this, she thought, as the nurse disappeared. The other staff continued poking and prodding her, checking vitals, and giving her a thorough once-over.

  Before long, Gramma was there at Farren’s side, caressing her soft hand down Farren’s cheek. It flashed Farren back to Dallas clasping her jaw earlier, sure she was going to have a bruise or two, and that’s when she remembered, she had to get a hold of Rayner. She had to tell him about Dallas before it was too late.

  “Gramma, I need Rita. Will you go get her? She was here in the lobby.”

  Gramma nodded and left in search of her red-headed friend. They both returned a few minutes later, and Rita’s face was contorted with worry.

  “Sweet Lord Jesus, Farren, tell me you’re okay!” Rita cried, coming to Farren’s side and taking her by the hand.

  “I’m okay for now. I’m still waiting to hear the results from all the tests and exams they did,” Farren explained as dread and worry consumed her. No one was telling her anything yet, and she was trying her best to stay positive until she knew something for sure.

  Rita nodded in acknowledgment, but continued to hold her hand as they sat together in silence.

  “Rita, I need to find Rayner. I have to tell him…” Farren began.

  “Say no more. I’ve already called him and left a message on his phone. I told him to call me back the minute he got it.”

  It wasn’t the quick solution Farren was hoping for, but she guessed it would have to do.

  The doctor came in at that moment and asked to speak with Farren regarding her results, so Rita excused herself leaving Farren and Gramma to hear the news. Farren steeled herself, fearing the worst.

  “Miss Fields,” the doctor said, looking up from his chart. “It seems you’ve had quite a scare.”

  She nodded, but said nothing, hoping he would go ahead and get to the point. Was she losing her baby?

  “I’ve looked at all the blood work, reviewed the sonogram, and based on those and the physical exam, everything seems to look normal. Your baby is healthy. I just recommend taking it easy for a few days and following up with your OB-GYN next week.”

  Farren finally let out a breath she had been holding in a sigh of relief, and she turned to Gramma who seemed to share in her excitement of the good news. Farren had become so attached to the little cluster growing within her. Losing it now, as much as it was wreaking havoc on her life, would have been devastating.

  A smile broke free
from her lips, and she thanked the doctor. He let her know that once the nurse returned to get her discharged, she was free to go. As the doctor opened the door of her room to leave, she could hear the familiar, angry voice coming from down the hall and moving toward them.

  Her nerves suddenly consumed her, and she gripped Gramma’s hand tighter as she watched the door, waiting for Rayner to march his way through. She had so much to tell him and some of those things could not wait.

  Rita emerged through the door first with an apologetic expression, and Rayner followed closely behind. The look on his face was anything but apologetic. It was fuming with rage, which did nothing to help calm her growing nerves.

  Farren looked between Rita and Gramma. “Would you mind if I spoke with Mr. Rayner alone for a moment?”

  They both acquiesced, and Gramma took Rita’s hand as she approached her crossing the small room before they both disappeared out the door.

  Farren stood from where she’d been sitting with her legs dangling off the side of the narrow hospital bed in the center of the tiny room. She eyed Rayner and thought how big he looked in front of her, standing here in this tiny space. He was still mouthwatering, as always, but thankfully the look of rage was subsiding now that he knew she was okay.

  “Farren, what happened?” he asked in his deep, subdued voice.

  Where did she begin? With Dallas? With I’m pregnant, and oh, by the way, you’re the father?

  “Something happened,” she began.

  “Yes, I see that. What happened?” he asked again, more impatiently this time.

  She decided to get the most pressing matter out of the way first.

  “I was in the storage room earlier, grabbing some tools to work on Mike’s prototype.”

  He nodded, with her so far.

  “While I was in there, I overheard a conversation between Dallas and Beau.” She took a step in closer to him and grabbed him by the arms. “Rogan, Dallas is trying to set you up, and somehow plans to use me to do it.”

  She paused, looking deep into his eyes, waiting to see his reaction.

  “I know,” he said. Then he looked away, removed his glasses with one hand and ran the other hand over his face.

  “You do?” She wasn’t sure if this really surprised her, but she was relieved that he would surely already be a step or two ahead of him.

  “I’ve known for a while now. Damn-it!” he yelled, startling her. “I thought I was protecting you from him, and the minute I turn my back, I’m rushing to find you at the god-damned hospital.”

  He put his hands on her arms now, bringing her in close to him. His touch was warm and soothing. His eyes were intense, locking onto hers.

  “That doesn’t explain how you ended up here.” With clenched teeth, he growled, “What did he do to you?”

  She shook her head. “I mean, yes, he man-handled me a little bit, but that’s not why I’m here.”

  She could see the question in the air between them before he asked it aloud. “Then why are you here?”

  It was now or never, she thought. She had to tell him. If she didn’t tell him now, he would never forgive her when he did find out. And he would find out. By now, everyone in their office would have known the big secret she had been keeping for so long.

  “Rogan… I’m pregnant.”

  She watched as his realization set in, and she heard a light gasp as his mouth fell open in surprise.

  “Is it…” he began, but before he could finish his question, his phone rang from his pocket.

  He cursed, reaching to grab and silence it, but as he brought it up, the name Elaina Evans flashed across the screen.

  Had it been anyone else, anyone else, he would have sent it to voice mail, but with the news he’d just learned, he had to take the call. He gave Farren an apologetic look and held up a finger indicating for her to wait one moment as he answered the phone.

  “Elaina? I can’t talk right now. I’ll call you back in a few… No, I’ll stop by on my way out. Don’t leave… Okay, see you soon.”

  Then he ended the call and put it back in his pocket.

  Farren’s heart had sunk the moment she heard the woman’s name, and she knew in that exact moment there was no way she could tell him this baby was his. She could never ask him to be something he was not, and she couldn’t bear to watch him leave her life, not now.

  Working for him was the only way he would ever be in her life, and the sooner she accepted this, the sooner she could move on and stop wasting her time on any childish notions that he could ever feel anything for her. That wasn’t the kind of man he was, and besides, who was she compared to so many beautiful women he had on his arm, in his life, in his bed.

  It crushed her, and it defeated her. So she drew in a deep breath and answered the question he hadn’t gotten around to asking before the beautiful woman of the day called and stole his attention from her.

  “Don’t worry, it’s not yours,” she said with a shaky voice. She cleared her throat, hoping that would steady it and help her sound more believable.

  His brow furrowed, and he took a step back. “It’s not?”

  She shook her head and looked down to the floor. She couldn’t look him in the eyes. “No,” she repeated.

  “Whose is it?” he asked, and she almost thought she heard a defensive tone in his words.

  “It’s…” Oh God, she thought. She had to think quickly. What could she possibly tell him?

  Before she could respond, he supplied her answer for her. “Was it the guy who was waiting for you that night at your car?”

  She thought back to the night Paul had been standing out in the parking lot when she and Rayner were walking out together. She had been so mad at him for showing up that night and ruining any could-have-beens for her. Now, she was grateful that Paul had finally made himself useful and provided her with an out.

  Relief washed over her. “Um, yeah,” she said with a nervous chuckle. “Paul.”

  Rogan nodded, slow and expressionless. “So you’re with him?” he asked.

  She wasn’t going to go that far. She scoffed. “What? No. We broke up a while back.”

  The last thing she needed was to have to keep up a charade of pretending to be with Paul when she really couldn’t stand being around him anymore. Mostly, though, she just didn’t want to lie any more than she had to. She hated lying, and she figured the less lies she told him, the less complicated this had to get.

  “But he’s going to be there for you and your baby, right?” Rayner pushed, and Farren’s heart sank once again.

  “No,” she admitted. “Paul isn’t exactly father material. But I’m okay. I have everything I need to raise my baby alone,” she assured him.

  She thought she saw a flash of anger in his eyes, but he said nothing.

  There was a knock at the door, and a few seconds later, a nurse poked her head in. “You’re all set, hon. I just need you to sign the discharge forms, and you’re free to go.”

  Farren thanked her, and Rogan excused himself to leave. She guessed he was free to go, too.

  When Rogan left, he made a beeline for his office. He now had a lot of shit to take care of, least of which was Dallas-fucking-Evans.

  TWENTY TWO

  Rogan pulled his truck into the parking lot of Denny’s and killed the engine. No, he wasn’t here for a late-night breakfast plate. He was here to sit and wait for the young Mr. Paul Monroe.

  He’d done some digging, and yes, digging was putting it mildly, to find out who Paul was and where he could be found. Running his plates from the parking lot surveillance the night Paul had parked outside his office was the easiest place to start, and had eventually led him to where he was sitting now, where Paul should have been getting off his evening shift as a Denny’s waiter any minute.

  Sure, Rogan was capable of all kinds of hacking, and he would call himself a Gray Hat on a good day, depending on who was asking.

  Whatever. All that mattered at the moment was that there was a
twenty-four year old fuck-up inside this restaurant who was about to have his ass handed to him and a lesson on growing up and being a man.

  That was what Farren deserved, a man who stepped up to the plate and owned his responsibilities, whether he liked it or not. And for Farren, he had damn well better learn to like it.

  When he saw the tall, lanky guy he recognized as Paul walking toward the old, beat up pick-up, Rogan stepped out and made his way over to meet the little hormone-riddled fuck-up.

  “Hi, Paul,” he called across the distance before Paul could get into the vehicle without seeing him in the dark parking lot.

  Paul’s head jerked around to see who was approaching, and when he caught a glimpse of Rogan, he took a relieved breath. “You scared the shit out of me, man. Do I know you?”

  Rogan stopped a few feet from Paul and leaned one arm on the bed of Paul’s truck.

  “You’ve seen me before, though we’ve never been formally introduced. I’m Rogan Rayner.” Your worst fucking nightmare, he thought to himself as he saw the recognition reach Paul’s eyes.

  “Oh, yeah. You’re Farren’s boss, right?” Paul said, smiling.

  “That’s right, Paul. I am her boss, and as such, I have a stake in her well-being, which is why you and I are going to have a conversation right now.” Rogan’s words were serious, and Paul began to squirm with discomfort.

  “Uh, okay. What’s this about?” Paul asked, running a nervous hand across the back of his head.

  Rogan crossed his arms across his chest, causing the defined muscles to bulge out through his long sleeves. It was a cold, mid-winter evening, but he didn’t wear a jacket and didn’t need one.

  Needless to say, Paul found him rightfully intimidating.

  “Farren told me today about your unwillingness to step up to your responsibilities where she’s concerned, and it occurs to me that maybe you need a little lesson in manhood,” he told Paul, realizing as the words left his mouth that he sounded like an overprotective father, but at the moment, he didn’t care.