Big Bad Alpha: A Billionaire Romance

by Tia Siren

  I had never seen such a party before.

  I spied my mother standing on the balcony of the penthouse, which overlooked the entire city. She was entertaining many people I didn’t recognize, and I was reticent to see her at the moment. But, like all good mothers, it seemed she had some sort of sixth sense that noted whenever I was around. She saw me and excused herself from her guests, embracing me like a child.

  “I was waiting for you. We have some wedding photos to take,” she said.

  “Let’s get this over with,” I said.

  She ushered me over to Thomas, who was also entertaining a few well-wishers with whom he shook hands before leaving.

  “Tom, this is my daughter, Elizabeth. You can call her Liz,” my mother said.

  Thomas came close and gave me a fatherly hug.

  “I’ve never had a daughter before,” he said. “If there’s anything you need, don’t be afraid to ask.”

  I liked the warmth. It reminded me, if only a little, of my real father. Thomas felt oddly familiar, with his piercing green eyes and square jaw, but I thought nothing of it.

  “Thanks, Thomas,” I said.

  “You can call me Tom,” he replied.

  “Okay…Tom.”

  “Have you met my boys yet?” he asked.

  “Boys?” I asked.

  “Yes. Tom has two sons. They were at the wedding earlier,” my mother chimed in.

  “Ah, here they are now,” Tom said, gesturing behind me.

  I almost didn’t want to turn around for fear of what I might see. I realized why Tom felt so familiar that instant.

  “Adam and Zach, I’d like you to meet Elizabeth,” Tom said.

  I wheeled around to see their faces. They were indeed the twin boys I’d had my eyes on at the wedding. My heart sank just a little.

  “You can call me Liz,” I said, holding out my hand.

  “It’s you,” said the boy on the right. “I’m Adam.”

  He took my hand, leaning down and giving it a light kiss. Then he gave me a subtle wink, and I knew which brother he was.

  “I’m Zach. We met on the elevator,” the other said.

  I was embarrassed to be here, and it bothered me that I felt that way.

  “Let’s get some photos,” Tom said.

  Before long we were wrapped around a chair, posed like a happy family. I did my best to appear to fit in. Adam stood on one side of me and Zach on the other. Being so close to them, I started noticing the small differences between the two. Adam was just a little taller and had softer features, while Zach had a sharper jaw line. If only we had met under different circumstances.

  With the photos out of the way, I ran straight to the bathroom to change. A couple of other girls stood in line making small talk, and as much as I didn’t want to listen, it was hard to avoid.

  “Seriously, I’m surprised Adam and Zach both showed up today.”

  “Yeah, after what Adam did to Zach. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a fight later.”

  “What happened?” I asked.

  The two girls turned toward me and eyed me up and down.

  “You don’t know?” said the prettier of the two.

  “I only just met them,” I replied.

  “Zach was on track to get married about six months ago, but Adam charmed Zach’s fiancée and slept with her. They try to one-up each other almost constantly. I think Zach is so dreamy; it would be stupid to sleep with his twin brother. You already have the best of both if you’re dating one of them.”

  “Exactly. Looks and money? What do you have to lose?”

  The bathroom opened, and the two girls went in to freshen up. I waited in the hallway for them to finish. Adam and Zach, fighting over a woman. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about being involved in that mess.

  3.

  “I hear you’re something of a wizard when it comes to numbers,” Tom said. “At least your mother says so.”

  “Why do you ask?” I wondered.

  “I have a position open that I thought you might be perfect for,” he said. “While I love our current accounting firm, I want to keep someone on permanent retainer. I thought you might just fit the bill.

  “I’m not dumb; I’ve looked into your work history. I was surprised by your ability to keep your last place of work afloat almost single-handedly even though they were nearly bankrupt.”

  I blushed; he really had done his homework.

  “I am good with numbers,” I replied.

  “The pay would be quite good. You can start on Monday. It’ll pay much better than your current place of employment, which is, if I recall, as a public tax accountant. You’d be a better asset and the pay would get you out of the north side.”

  I hope that he didn’t notice me drooling at the corners of my mouth. I wiped myself with my napkin and took another sip of the delicious champagne that never seemed to end.

  “I would like to take a look at the contract before I sign anything,” I said.

  “Playing hard to get, I see,” he said with a smile.

  “How else am I supposed to negotiate my contract?” I replied.

  We both laughed. A glass shattered in the kitchen. Tom looked over, realizing it was his new wife.

  “I must return to your mother; I think she might be enjoying the champagne a bit too much. Enjoy the party,” he said before taking his leave.

  I didn’t spend much time alone on the couch, as one of the brothers plopped down immediately after Tom left. I was pretty sure it was Adam.

  “So, let me guess: He offered you a job?” Adam asked.

  I coughed, sputtering a bit of champagne into my napkin.

  “How did you know?” I asked.

  “I had a feeling he would offer you something. He likes to keep family business with the family.”

  I was starting to doubt my abilities and think he only offered me the job because we were now related.

  “Don’t be too disheartened about it. I’d say the fact that he wants you anywhere near the company books means you’re both good at numbers and trustworthy. Having someone you can trust in a business as big as this is a breath of fresh air.”

  Adam sipped at his drink, and I mine. We sat in silence for more than a minute before he chimed in again.

  “So, sis, what do you do for fun?” he asked.

  “Are you really asking me that?” I replied.

  He laughed.

  “Well, considering I have to get to know you somehow, I figured knowing what you do for fun would let me know what kind of person you are. If you said a sport, then you are an athletic type that probably would enjoy going to a local team game. If you said something hobby related, I could ask if you were interested in trying out a cooking class together.”

  “And what would you have said if I wondered why you were asking?” I wondered.

  “I’d impress you with my ability to understand people,” he said proudly.

  “Well then, if you are able to understand people, why don’t you try it on me?” I said with a smirk.

  “All right. What would you like to know about yourself?” he asked.

  I pondered for a moment.

  “Okay. What do I do for fun?” I asked.

  He smiled and leaned into the corner of the couch, looking me up and down and all over. I found it odd when he had me take off my shoe so he could examine my foot. I giggled when he tickled my heel slightly while replacing my shoe.

  “You’re an athlete,” he said.

  “Okay. And how did you figure it out?” I said with a curious smile.

  “I can read you like a book. Volleyball and tennis when you were in high school; you like to swim now, preferring laps to sprints. I can tell that you still like to go play squash on the weekends with your friends and that you have participated in a couple of marathons.”

  He was terribly right. I gawked at his ability to read and understand me so implicitly. There couldn’t have been any way he could figure that out from just sitting next to
me.

  “How do you know?” I asked.

  “It’s easy. The muscles in your calves are slightly overdeveloped but still much skinnier than most. You like to run but don’t do it all the time, and you play sports that require a bit of muscle. Your knees show common injuries related to going to the ground in volleyball, and your slim figure just screams swimmer. Also, your mother told us all.”

  I slapped him playfully on the shoulder and broke out laughing. He joined in. After a minute I regained my composure, taking a sip from my nearby drink.

  “Okay, you got me,” I said.

  “Since we’re going to be working together soon, perhaps we should take the time to get to know each other a little better. Would you like to try something new this weekend?” he asked.

  If you weren’t my step-brother, there are a few things I would like to try. I bit my tongue and thought for a second. He was just being playful and wanted to get to know me better. Maybe this was just the olive branch I needed to understand his family.

  “Okay. What did you have in mind?” I asked.

  “I’ll keep it a secret for now. Tomorrow really is the best day. I’ll send a car for you, and we can go from there,” he said.

  “I’ll be waiting,” I replied.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Liz,” he said. Then he took his leave, and I was alone again on the couch.

  I looked to the fireplace nearby, and Zach was standing there entertaining a few of his friends, or at least I assumed they were his friends. They all looked to be about the same age.

  Zach kept moving his eyes to look at me from time to time. I was about to get up and ask him what sort of interest he had, but before I could do so he walked over.

  “Don’t trust Adam,” he said before he shuffled away just as quickly as he had come.

  I sat on the couch a bit dumbfounded. Zach had come over with cryptic advice and zero explanation, and I had no idea how to interpret what he had said. I pushed it to the back of my mind, but I knew I wouldn’t forget what he had told me.

  I was nervous for tomorrow. Adam had been so secretive about what we might be doing, but to be honest, I probably would have done anything with that man.

  4.

  “Okay, what are we doing here?” I asked Adam as I stepped from the car that was sent.

  “You sounded like you like to try new things. I had a good feeling that you hadn’t done this one,” he said with a smirk.

  We had arrived at a small airstrip in the middle of nowhere. On the runway was an airplane starting up its propellers.

  “I’m not sure if I want to do this,” I said nervously.

  “The funny part about new things is that you don’t know if you like them till you try them,” he said.

  “Yeah, but why would I want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane?”

  “For fun!” he said, handing me a jumpsuit.

  I took the garment and was ushered to a nearby changing room to get fitted. It was completely unflattering, but I was more worried about getting to the ground safely than doing it with style.

  I met up with Adam, already changed, outside near the plane.

  “I think you’ll enjoy this,” he said with a giddy and excited grin.

  “As long as I survive,” I replied.

  “You’ll be fine,” Adam said with an eye roll. “Besides, if you didn’t, they would have no repeat business.”

  I chuckled nervously as I stepped aboard the small plane. The entire thing vibrated with the hum of the engine. Inside it was incredibly sparse, just a small bench on either side of the plane with one side already occupied by Adam. I took a seat opposite him.

  As it was my first time, I was told that I would have someone jumping with me. I was thankful to have someone more experienced doing their best to keep both of us alive. Before long, the plane’s engines roared to a crescendo and we shot down the runway.

  “No turning back now,” Adam said.

  “I didn’t know that was an option,” I replied.

  The plane climbed higher each second. I looked out one of the small windows at the landscape. The area was beautiful, green and entirely open. If I didn’t know I’d be jumping out of this plane, I probably would have enjoyed the scenery much more.

  I could already feel my heart trying to pound its way out of my chest. Every couple minutes the pilot would look back at us and shout how much longer until we could jump. I was too nervous to make small talk, but that didn’t stop Adam from trying.

  “You’d be amazed how many people don’t even put on the jumpsuit,” he said.

  I nodded.

  “You’re probably the first to actually go through with it,” he added.

  I didn’t like heights, and the more he talked, the angrier I became. Then he gestured to my tandem dive partner, and the two of them switched seats, putting Adam right next to me.

  “I know you’re nervous. I was too the first time. It’s okay to be scared. The first time I went, I almost passed out as the blood shot to my head,” he said with a goofy smile.

  I smiled. He was showing a caring side I hadn’t seen yet, and it only made him more attractive. I cursed my rotten luck.

  “I started thinking about jumping as a metaphor for business. It’s all a freefall until you realize your parachute was waiting for you all along. Once your feet are on the ground, you’ll have a feeling of wholeness that can’t be described. Have a little faith and you’ll be okay.”

  I nodded, and he reached over to give me a hug. He was warm, and I could feel his heart was pounding just as hard as my own.

  “Are you always nervous before a jump?” I asked.

  “Every time,” he replied. “But you have to take the leap.”

  Then the pilot chimed in.

  “Okay, everyone, get ready,” he shouted.

  My partner latched on to me and stood there in silence near the door. In front of us, already opening the door, was Adam. He looked like a schoolboy getting ready to run out the door after a day of class.

  Then the pilot gave us the thumbs up.

  I said a quick prayer even though I wasn’t incredibly religious. Adam flashed me a giant smile and flipped out the door. Then my partner and I shuffled to the door.

  Looking out over the landscape with the wind blowing past my face was intoxicating. I already felt a rush of adrenaline just standing in the doorway. But nothing could get me ready for the feeling that followed when I fell from the plane.

  I lost myself in the moment. The wind whipped past my face, and looking up I could already see the airplane getting smaller by the second as I fell. Instead of feeling nervous, or desperate to be on the ground, I felt something entirely different: freedom. I relished the sensation of being completely unattached. It felt as though my fate was completely out of my own hands, and giving up that control was liberating.

  We fell for what seemed like an eternity. Adam and I danced in the air near each other, laughing as we fell. I screamed with excitement, and the sound was lost to the skies.

  Our parachute folded open, and we began to drift lazily back to the speck of the green field that continued to open up below us. Then we collapsed on the ground with the parachute covering my partner and me.

  Adam came over and howled at the sky, still experiencing the rush.

  “Tell me you didn’t like that,” he said, giving me a big hug.

  I didn’t know what to say, and the screams I had let out earlier were making my voice feel more than a little sore. So, I did the next best thing. I kissed him on the cheek.

  He paused in his revelry and pulled me back, staring deeply into my eyes. I felt small compared to him, and my body quivered with unknown excitement. I wanted to do more to feel alive. My body yearned for it.

  He looked over at my diving partner standing nearby and shooed him away. The man finished packing up the parachute quickly and jogged off the field.

  Adam grabbed the zipper of my jumpsuit and gave it a tug, pulling it down to reveal my ti
ny sheer tank top beneath. I pulled his lips to mine, kissing him squarely on the mouth. I felt his passion flow into me. My heart continued to beat harder with every caress and each gentle touch on my back.

  My head kept telling me how wrong it was, but my body screamed to be held. He tore through the remainder of my suit, and I lay on the grass. Adam paused for a second to take in my beauty, and I smiled wickedly at him as he did so.

  Then he fell on top me, tugging hurriedly at my underwear while kissing me playfully and aggressively on the neck. I whimpered from the sensations. After tearing off my panties, he caressed me along my inner thigh.

  I closed my eyes and arched my back in the excitement. When I opened my eyes, he was stripping off his own clothing. He exuded masculinity with his fit physique. His defined abs and sharp arms flexed in the sunlight and glistened from the sweat of our afternoon’s excitement.

  Then he came back to me, and I welcomed him. He held my lower back with one hand and rubbed his throbbing manhood along my slit with his other.

  Then he pushed into me. There was a slight twinge at first, but the sensation left me as he continued to inch farther in. I gasped for breath as he pushed, and I wondered how much more he had to give. His pelvis pushed into mine, and he stayed still for a second, letting out a slight moan of pleasure.

  I rested back on the grass, and he started rotating his hips. Each circle sent shivers up my spine. Then he slowly pulled himself out only to thrust back in. He was so rough, and as he continued, I begged for him to go harder.

  Every moan I exhaled was an invitation, and he accepted each one. I was starting to lose my mind to the feeling building in the pit of my stomach. I grabbed his abs, trying to pull myself closer to him, but my arms were too weak to move.

  Then a sweet release came over me. My back arched, and I threw my head back. I wanted to scream, but my voice wouldn’t come to me. With one final thrust, he drove himself the furthest into me I’d felt, and I could feel him shooting himself into the pit of my stomach.

  I collapsed on the grass in a heap of sweat and satisfaction. He lay down beside me and wrapped his arms around me. It was then that I realized how cold I’d become from the breeze that blew over us. I didn’t want this afternoon to end.