by Tia Siren
Instinctively, I reached out and shook her soft, dainty hand. “I haven’t seen you since your high school graduation, I think. It’s a pleasure seeing you again.”
She kept her eyes on mine and broadened her smile as her hand gently squeezed mine. “Oh no, Mr. Shepard. The pleasure is all mine.”
Chapter Three
I woke up to the blaring sound of my alarm going off. My eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the vibrant morning sun shining through my bedroom window. In a sleepy haze, I fumbled around in search for the culprit who disrupted my slumber but instead, I found the soft contours of a slender, pale body. I took a deep breath and sat up on my bed as the model I had picked up the night before grunted and shifted further under my crisp white sheets. My hand slammed the noisy device just as the girl opened her eyes.
Her round, blue eyes peeked at me from under the blanket, and I could see a smile forming on them. She ran a hand through the dark roots of the mess of bleached blonde hair sitting atop of her head and scooted over towards me.
I moved closer to the edge of the bed and farther away from her. “I have to get to work,” I spoke in a voice still drenched in fatigue as I rubbed the residue of sleep from my eyes.
The persistent young woman shifted once more until she was practically on top of me. She wrapped a thin arm around my waist and brought her warm, chapped lips to the small of my back.
“What are you doing?” I asked, slightly uncomfortable with the unnecessary affection she was bestowing upon me.
“Giving you a good morning,” she purred and reached around to grab my crotch.
I sighed and moved her hand away from my body as I stood up. Morning sex on weekdays wasn’t something I was in the mood for—or used to, for that matter. The women I brought back to my apartment usually left before I woke up. They understood, as well as I did, that what I needed from them required that they stayed for two or maybe three hours, anything more than that was just an unnecessary invasion of personal space.
This one, however, didn’t seem to get the hint. “Not in the mood,” I deadpanned.
“Okay . . . Would you like to take my number so we can have some more fun later?” she asked with hope laced in her voice.
“No,” I replied. In the back of my mind, I could almost hear my mother telling me off for being such an asshole, but I just rolled my eyes and kept walking towards the bathroom. There was, after all, no point of even thinking about what she would have said.
Behind me, the woman scoffed and sat up. I could hear her feet patter against the floor as she gathered her clothes. Mom’s voice nagged at me again, so I turned to look at the woman.
“Look,” I started with a sigh, “it’s nothing personal. I just don’t do relationships. I’m too busy for that.”
Her blue eyes looked into mine and, for a moment, my mind drifted to Amelia. I hadn’t seen or heard from her since that night. As a result, I had been walking on eggshells around her father for the past four days and dreaming about her for four nights.
Alex was a man who loved his family more than anything and, for that reason, I had no doubt that he would rip my head off if he ever found out about my involvement in the deflowerment of his beloved daughter. Since losing someone so dear to me because I couldn’t keep my dick in my pants around a beautiful young woman was something I couldn’t allow to happen, I forced myself to push Amelia out of my mind and instead, focused on the young model cursing at me.
She yelled and called me every name in the book as she wrestled her clothes back on. I wanted to remind her that, as per my usual, I had warned her beforehand that I wasn’t looking for anything other than a one night stand. However, I knew from experience, that saying such a thing would only get me slapped in the face, which was, in my opinion, very unfair. It wasn’t my fault that, despite my warnings, they chose to believe that they could change my wealthy bachelor’s mentality and make me want to settle down.
Once my front door slammed shut announcing that my visitor had left, I glanced over at the clock. I cursed under my breath when I saw how late I was for my day and rushed to get ready. With Fashion Week around the corner, I didn’t have a minute to spare.
After a shower, a shave and a quick breakfast, I was out the door and rushing to the office. Luckily, the traffic was light which allowed me to arrive at the office within half an hour and only ten minutes late.
Once we reached the skyscraper where our agency was located, I thanked my driver and followed a few other people inside the mirrored building. I made my way inside the elevator and pressed my back against the cold stainless steel panel as about half a dozen people walked in. As much as I loved having our office at the top floor, the elevator ride—and its many stops—always made me tap my foot on the floor in anticipation. There was very little in the world I hated as much as waiting inside elevators.
Once the doors finally opened at my agency’s reception, I sighed a breath of relief and started making my way to my office.
“Kellan,” Alex’s voice echoed from a few feet behind me.
His voice made Amelia’s face appear at the back of my mind as I turned to look at him. I forced the aloof smile I had given him over the last few days and replied, “Aren’t you supposed to be on your way to Milan?”
He waved a hand at me. “I’m on my way, but I’m glad I found you first. I have something important to talk to you before I go.” My brows pulled together in a frown as I prayed that this important thing was a business crisis instead of something regarding his daughter. To my great displeasure, he added, “It’s about Amelia.”
Shit!
Although I tried to keep my face calm and collected, my heart fell to my ass. I prepared myself for the angry glare on his face and for a very public argument that would leave our employees gossiping for months, but neither came. Instead, Alex smiled at me.
Double shit!
“As you know, Amelia is young and inexperienced,” cold waves traveled down my spine as I tried to think of how to explain myself. Before I could find the right words, Alex added, “but she’s very bright and I have no doubts she’d be a great addition to our staff.”
I blinked a few times as relief flooded my mind and muscles. “So, you want to talk to me about hiring her?”
“Actually, I already did.” Alex looked away from my eyes as if he was the one who had done something shameful. I almost laughed. “I know you’re the one in charge of hiring, and I don’t want to step on your toes. However, since we haven’t found anyone even remotely qualified to fill that agent opening in months, I gave her the position. I hope you don’t mind.”
I gave him a genuine smile and nodded. “As long you think Amelia’s up to the task, that’s fine with me.”
Alex sighed. “I do, and thank you, Kellan. It means a lot to me.” I nodded, and he checked his wristwatch. “Geez, I’m late. Okay, I told Amelia to wait in your office so you two can talk about whatever it is you talk to agents about. She’ll be working from my office while hers is being redone.” Before I could respond, Alex added, “I really have to go now if I want to catch my flight.”
He waved me goodbye and disappeared into an elevator. With a sigh, I headed over to my own office and found the dark-haired woman that had tossed me a curve waiting. She looked up at me with those brilliant green eyes and flashed me a pearly, welcoming grin. Her long hair was tied back in a sleek ponytail that displayed her heart shaped face and high cheekbones, and I was dazed by her beauty.
“Good morning, Kellan,” Amelia said as she uncrossed her long legs and stood. She sashayed her way towards me, her navy dress swaying around her gorgeous legs and, for a moment, I wondered if she was going commando like the last time we met.
I shook the thought away and walked around her towards my desk. “Amelia,” I responded in a curt tone.
She closed my door with a thud and turned to look at me. Judging by the staggered look on her face I could tell that she expected something warmer and more welcoming. However, for more
reasons than one, that was something she was not going to get from me.
I rested my coffee cup and briefcase atop my mahogany desk and took a seat. With a raised brow Amelia walked to one of the chocolate colored chairs facing me and took a seat. Her legs crossed in a slow, calculated move. “I imagined your office differently.”
My eyes traveled away from her, focusing nowhere in particular. Most people thought my office was too classic for a man in my position and, to some extent, it really was. The dark wood and earth tones didn’t exactly scream fashion forward, but they were a soothing reminder of the modesty of my childhood home. In a business as chaotic and fast paced as this one, the sense of security this room provided was what kept me same most of the time.
“Most people do,” I said as I returned my focus to her. “Your father told me you will be working with us from now on.”
A smirk curled up on her lush lips. “I am. Excited?”
“Yes,” I replied, and her smirk turned into a smile. Before she got any ideas, I added, “Yours is a position I’ve been trying to fill for some time, so I’m relieved and excited to have a full staff again. Also, your father told me you’re accomplished and up to the task.”
“Is that the only reason why you’re excited?”
Despite the electric current set loose in my spine by her words and the suggestive way she kept staring at me, I kept my gaze firm as I cocked an eyebrow. “Yes, Amelia, it is. This is my job, my company, and my life. I take this very seriously, and I hope you do as well.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest and gave me a challenging look. Ignoring it, I continued, “What happened between us was a mistake—a foolish mistake—and your father must never know about it.”
“And what if I have already told him?”
I rolled my eyes at her childish games. “Then you wouldn’t be in this office, and I would be missing a few teeth.”
“My dad would never hit you,” she muttered petulantly. “And it wasn’t a mistake.”
“Yes, it was. One that won’t ever happen again, I assure you,” I replied adamantly.
With pursed lips, Amelia got up and walked towards me. She pushed the contracts and headshots piled at the edge of my desk away and took a seat at the wooden tabletop. Her green eyes stayed focused on mine as she crossed her legs.
“So you’re telling me that you haven’t thought about fucking me at all?” Amelia tilted her body in my direction, placing her cleavage right in my line of sight. Instinctively, I licked my lips as her voice dropped to a sexy whisper. “Mr. Shepard, I know you want it to happen again just as bad as I do.”
I closed my eyes and took a sharp breath to calm myself. It was hard to tell if my heart was pounding so hard because I was incredibly turned on, unbelievably pissed or an uncomfortable mixture of both. Before I could gather my feelings, a thumping sound of her red pumps falling to the floor echoed around my office. I opened my eyes just in time to see her foot traveling up my tight towards my crotch.
Fuck! I pushed my chair back and stood up. “No,” I lied in a believable tone. “I don’t think about fucking you.” I walked towards the massive window behind my desk and ran a hand through my hair. “You seduced me, Amelia, and I feel for it, but I won’t fall for it again.”
“A man is only enticed by a woman who truly beguiles him,” she whispered, her eyes never leaving mine. “You wanted me just as badly as I wanted you.”
“I’m not saying I didn’t. You’re beautiful and sexy, but I didn’t know—”
“Knowing that I was his daughter wouldn’t change how attracted you were to me,” Amelia interrupted. She turned around and walked over to leather couch at the far end of the room to gather her things. I watched her in silence as she made her way to my office door and glanced over her shoulder at me. “I hope you change your mind, Kellan. I promise it would be worth it.”
Amelia’s words hung in the air as she walked out of my office. Once I was alone, I collapsed back in my chair and took several breaths.
In all my years I had never met a woman who got under my skin and caused my body to react the way it did around Amelia. She made me feel like a moth drawn to a flame, ready to throw everything to shit and burn with her. Every inch of me wanted nothing more than to chase after her and surrender to her charms. I wanted to make her mine again, consequences be damned. But I was twice her age, and she was my best friend’s daughter, there was no scenario where following my urges would end well.
After a few moments of breathing and reminding myself who I was, I regained composure and devoted my energy to my work. For the sake of my company and everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, I vowed that Amelia would not get what she wanted from me, no matter how badly I wanted to give in to her.
Chapter Four
New York Fashion Week passed as quickly as it came. I was proud that our agency had had the largest booking rate out of all our competitors. Still, a lot of the girls were left disappointed—which is part of the job, I guess.
With Alex in Milan, I had to handle the stress of it all almost entirely alone. It was weeks of long days sitting through meetings and even longer nights negotiating contracts, and then there was the actual week of the events, which was even busier with me jumping from show to show to make sure the girls were there and doing what they were supposed to do.
The little rest I was able to get was thanks to Amelia, who surprised me more than anyone had in a long time. She was smart, efficient and had undoubtedly inherited her father’s work ethic, which earned her the respect and admiration of our entire team as well as mine. We worked amazingly well together and, with each passing day, I found myself wanting to talk and get to know her better. Whenever that desire hit me, however, I would do my best to push it away.
I was bluntly aware that I couldn’t be trusted around Amelia. Everything about her enticed me. The bold way she flirted with me made my insides quiver, the way her skirt danced around her legs as she walked made my mouth water and the sweet scent of her perfume drove me to edge of sanity. She was like a siren calling me to my demise, which was why I was so wary when I walked out of my office late on a Friday night and saw that the only other lit room was hers.
Unbidden, thoughts of all the sexy fun we could have together in the empty office filled my mind. I imaged myself doing unspeakable things to her in various locations of the office, and the pleasure those thoughts brought me were enough to knock me back to reality. She was Alex’s daughter and, therefore, completely off limits.
Desperate to put as much distance between me and Amelia as possible, I pressed the elevator call button with unnecessary force and focused my thoughts on what kind of takeout I’d order once I arrived home. I was debating between pizza and Thai food when I heard a mixture of gagging sounds and clicking heels coming from the barely lit corridor to my left. I turned to look at what was happening just in time to see Amelia run from her office to the bathroom. With a furrowed brow, I walked over to investigate.
Once I reached the door, I knocked, but no answer came. I tried to open it but it was locked, so I just stood there, in silence, listening to the awful sounds of a person puking. Worry deepened the lines between my eyes as I impatiently tapped my foot on the floor. Moments later, I heard the toilet being flushed, water running from the faucet and steps approaching the door.
I straightened my back just as the door swung open. “Are you okay?” I asked immediately.
“Jesus, Kellan,” Amelia muttered and brought a hand to her chest. “You scared me half to death.”
She closed her eyes and took deep breaths to calm herself down. The worry I felt grew as I ran my eyes over her. She was always so well kept, yet, at that moment, she looked like a freaking mess. Dark circles surrounded her beautiful eyes, her hair was messy, and her skin had a light green hue. My chest ached at seeing her like that.
“I didn’t mean to scare you. I was leaving, and I saw you,” I attempted to explain. Then, I ran a hand through my hair and took a breath,
“Are you alright?”
“Of course,” she replied with a fake-ass smile as she walked past me and headed towards her office.
Unconvinced by her words, I followed behind her. My confusion grew when instead of gathering her things to go home, she simply sat behind the desk and went back to work.
“You should go home, Amelia. You don’t look well,” I commanded.
Amelia looked up from her papers and rolled her eyes at me. “I am fine, Kellan,” she told me in a voice completely devoid of her usual flirtatious tone.
Completely exasperated, I blurted out, “If you were fine, you wouldn’t look as awful as you do.” Realizing how harsh my words were, I quickly added, “and you didn’t sound fine in the bathroom.”
Amelia sighed a heavy breath and dropped her pen. Knowing her fiery personality, I watched her and waited for the blunt come back I knew would come. However, she just closed her eyes and hung her head. It was evident that something was eating at her, I could see it written on her face.
“Amelia, what is wrong?” I pressed.
She looked up at me with the pain of hell in her eyes and whispered something I couldn’t quite catch. I stepped a little closer, furrowing my brows with confusion. I asked her to repeat and, unfortunately, she did.
“Kellan, I’m pregnant with your baby.”
Chapter Five
Amelia
Puns aside, there was an impregnated silence inside Kellan’s car. I had no idea where we were going but the way the muscles of his jaw popped told me that I wasn’t supposed to ask, so I kept quiet and stared out of the window.
After about half an hour of that awful silence, the car stopped in front of a tall building with a doorman. Kellan stepped out and started walking, figuring that this was our destination I followed him. We walked through a pair of glass doors and entered a lobby of modern opulence. The floor was made of gray marble, and there was a large chandelier hanging in the center. I knew he was a billionaire, but, for some reason, I was surprised that he lived in a place with such a prestigious first impression.
