Up All Night Long: From Lust to Love (Romance Anthology)

by Ali Parker

  "Now is really not the time." I gave him a sideways glance and kept walking.

  "Oh shit. You alright? You look like your mother died," he snorted, and popped me in the chest as we turned the corner. "Wait. Your momma didn't kick it, right?"

  "My parents died when I was a kid, Parks." I opened the door to my office and walked in, ignoring him.

  "Oh shit." He dropped down into the chair across from my desk as I let out a long sigh and glanced up at him.

  "What do you want? I'm not in the mood for company. If you have a question about something you're working on, or need a second opinion, I'm your guy. Otherwise, get out." I gave him a tight smile.

  "Alright. I see where we are. You're in that solemn, shitty mode you get into." He got up. "I was just stopping by to see if you were taking one of the new residents. I wanted to have one, but I guess I haven’t been here long enough."

  "Take mine. I'm not interested." I picked up the folder and handed it to him. "I'll tell Peter. The girl is supposed to be at the top of her class. Enjoy."

  "Um, no. I've heard all about that girl. She's too much brain and looks for me. I need to hit up the stragglers." He chuckled and walked to the door as I continued to hold the file out toward him.

  "This is a program where you're supposed to mentor a young mind to be the next great asset for the hospital. Sleeping with them isn't part of the deal. Good way to get your ass fired." I dropped the file. "And how do you know what she looks like? Peter gave me a file that only had the girl’s stats, grades, and CV."

  "Then he did you a favor. Your girl is fucking hot." Parks wagged his eyebrows as I gave him an expressionless stare.

  "Doubtful, but whatever." I sat down in my seat and turned to my computer. "Close the door behind you."

  "Fine, but look up the girl and then go get laid." Parks laughed as he started through the door.

  "I'm not sleeping with my resident. You're not either. Keep that in mind, or you and I are going to have words."

  "Oh, I didn't mean sleep with her. Just get her face in your mind's eye, so when you sleep with one of those faceless chicks you pick up from the bar, you can close your eyes and have a real experience." He ducked as I chucked a squeezable stress ball at him.

  "Get out." I waited to smile until he was gone. The idiot was too much, but he was the only one around the hospital who could drag me from my funk most days.

  I didn't want to do it, but I was far too curious to let Parks' comments go. This resident was a gem on paper. I had to see what she looked like, though it was irrelevant.

  "Completely irrelevant." I typed her name into a search engine and sat back while it quickly pulled up every Elizabeth Jenkins known to man. I added some qualifiers to find the Elizabeth Jenkins in New York who had just graduated with her M.D. from NYU.

  A beautiful brunette with a wide smile and warm brown eyes filled up the screen. Her skin was flawless and her smile sexy, though it was obvious that she didn't mean for it to be. An innocence sat on her that was refreshing, yet stimulating.

  "Wow." I sat back and brushed my fingers across my chest as my cock hardened and pressed tightly to my scrubs. "Beautiful."

  Maybe taking on a resident wouldn't be such a bad idea after all. Then again, I'd been quite clear with Parks on the hospital’s fraternization policy. They wouldn't stand for it for a minute. Hell, I wouldn't either, as one of the most tenured staff there.

  Elizabeth was breathtaking, though. She was someone that I honestly would have turned around to watch walk away if I'd met her on the street. She wasn’t the type of woman I would pick up in a bar, simply because I could see the warmth behind her gaze. She was a woman who deserved love, not a night of passion and cold sheets the next morning.

  "I hope you're married, pretty girl." I flipped the switch on the monitor and stood up. If she wasn't, then it wasn't just me who was in for a load of trouble, but every male who was stuck next to her for hours on end.

  Surely she was taken.

  She had to be.

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  BILLIONAIRE ALPHA 1

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  Prologue

  110. She needed a 70 to make the Dean's list for her senior-level marketing class, but she'd pulled out a 110.

  A smile touched Bethany's lips, her eyes darting around the room to see if she could make out the various grades on her classmates’ papers. She had to have gotten the highest grade, from what she could see. She sat back in her chair and listened as the classroom filled with groans and soft whispers of gratitude for passing grades. She hadn't worried much about passing, but simply passing was never enough. She had to be at the top—the best grade in the class.

  The elderly professor moved to the front of the room, dropping a small handful of remaining tests on his desk and turning to face the class. A quick adjustment to his glasses, and he scanned the room, his eyebrow raising at the noise.

  "This was your final test for my class. I know some of you are graduating on Saturday and I congratulate you. If you failed this test and subsequently this class, and it's holding you back from graduating, that's your problem. You were given every opportunity to do well in here. If you failed, then you worked hard to do so."

  He shrugged as a lanky guy in the back row spoke up, Bethany turning to look over her shoulder as his drug-induced voice resounded. "Is there a make-up quiz for this test?"

  "No, Mr. Johnson. This is final, and you will be seeing me next semester, no doubt."

  Bethany turned and raised her hand, her long chestnut locks tickling her shoulders as she moved. "What was the top grade in the class?"

  "Yours." The professor smirked and moved from his reclined position. "Class is dismissed. Don't bother stopping by to talk with me. I have somewhere to be, so this is goodbye for this semester. Enjoy the rest of your summer and don't have too much fun."

  Bethany leaned over and grabbed her backpack, a smile pressing her cheeks toward her eyes as she got up and walked from the room, her head held high and smugness sitting on her like a well-worn cloak. She was the smartest, the fastest—the best.

  A quick stop by the advisory office before heading to have lunch with her mother stole her thunder; her adviser’s news was depressing, a quick reminder of her financial reality.

  "Congratulations, Bethany. Looks like you'll be graduating in the top three percent of your accounting class." The middle-aged man looked up, his portly belly almost touching the chair between his opened legs.

  Bethany focused on the kindness in his gaze, even though his appearance struck her with worry. She needed to get to the gym. The summer sessions were always so daunting and stole every waking moment she could find in order to simply keep up. It was over now, though.

  She sighed with relief and nodded toward the adviser.

  "That's great news. I've already been accepted into the MBA program, so I'll start in a month. I'm excited."

  The man mumbled something, turning to his computer and hitting a few keys. Bethany sat back, her eyes moving across the various pictures that hung on the walls. The photos were filled with smiling kids and a woman as portly as the man before her, their happiness apparent or well-rehearsed.

  A family had never been part of Bethany's thoughts. Racing up the corporate ladder and making a name for herself was top priority. Making enough money to never have to worry where her next meal was coming from or if anyone would see her mother paying with food stamps … that was all she cared about. She would change her situation, no matter what it took.

  College was a luxury that her grades from high school alone had afforded her, but the master's program was still up in the air. The hope was that grants would cover most of the cost, and she could pick up a small job or internship at an accounting firm.

  Time was the only restriction. She needed something flexible, because her course load wouldn't allow for much more than studying and schoolwork. She reached up, tucking her hair behind her ears as she looked back at the adviser.
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br />   "So, am I good to go?"

  "Hold on just a minute, kiddo. Looks like there’s an issue with your fees for next semester. I'm just trying to make sure you're all paid up." He glanced over at her before picking up his phone. He spoke for a few minutes to someone who she assumed was in the registrar's office. The conversation, from the parts she could hear, was only causing the worry in her stomach to grow. He thanked the lady on the phone and sighed, hanging up and looking over at Bethany.

  "Good news and bad news. What do you want first?"

  "The good news."

  "The good news is that the first third of your upcoming semester was picked up by a grant."

  "And the bad is that the last two-thirds weren't?"

  "That's right." He shrugged, sympathy covering his round face. "Is there a possibility of getting a small part-time job or internship in the city?"

  "No. They’re all gone at this point." She sat back and sighed, the reality of her ever-present situation bleeding its way across her emotions. She was going to break down soon, and she'd rather it not be in front of him.

  She stood up and reached over, her hand extended. "I appreciate your help. I have a month to figure it out, I guess."

  "You have about six weeks before they require that second payment. Good luck. You’re smart, you'll figure this out."

  She shook his hand and walked from the small building, the sun pressing down on her in the smoldering Texas heat. There was nothing to figure out. The MBA program at UT Dallas was way out of her league in terms of financial funding, and her mother was forever broke. Thanks to a drug-dealing father and a life left in shambles, there wasn't much hope.

  She got in her car as the first tear fell. She'd have to ask her mom to do something that seemed far-fetched, but was her only hope.

  "Mom, will you marry Kent?" She looked up in the small rearview mirror, realizing how selfish she was being as she worked through how to ask something so demanding of her mother. She couldn't do it.

  But what other choice did she have?

  Chapter 1

  "Mom, will you marry Kent?" Bethany let the question hang in the air as her mom reached for a fluffy white roll sitting in the basket between them.

  "What?" Her mom pulled her hand back like she'd been burned.

  The older woman was a perfect replica of Bethany. Long, silky chestnut hair, full lips and green eyes. Innocence stained both of them, and yet they'd been through more hell than anyone could possibly imagine.

  "I know it's a lot to ask, but when you told me that he proposed a few weeks ago, you seemed really happy. I don’t know why you just didn’t say yes right then.”

  “It’s complicated, Bethany.”

  “I know, Mom. But I also know that you’re just holding back because you’re letting everything that happened with Dad scare you away from the one thing that could make you truly happy. You and Kent have been dating for six months and he's crazy about you."

  "Why do you care if Kent and I get married right now?"

  "I had an appointment with my adviser today, and there isn't enough funding for me to get through the next year of my master’s program." She held up her hand as her mother started to protest. "I know you don't understand the need for a masters, but I'm telling you that I need it. I want financial freedom, and ever since Daddy left all those years ago, we've had anything but that. I want a chance to be free from this, Mom."

  Her mom visibly flinched, reaching and taking the bread and then picking at it, her gaze filled with concern. They had been through far too much together over Bethany's twenty-two years not to be straightforward with one another. Her mom loved Kent, and Bethany knew they would get married eventually, so the request wasn't too farfetched, just perhaps a little selfish in its timing.

  "And you think me marrying Kent will take care of your finances?"

  "I'm praying that you'll mention my situation. I'm not asking for a handout, but a loan. I'll pay it back once I'm working for an accounting firm downtown, Mom. There is no way I'm not going to get a great job next year. I just need some help now."

  "I wish I could help you, but I don't have anything put away." Her mom's eyes diverted toward the table as the waiter walked up, a smile on his mouth.

  "Hi, ladies. You ready to order?"

  Bethany's mom sat up, pulling her menu up as she motioned for Bethany to place her order. Bethany picked up the menu and looked at the prices, not caring a bit what items were attached to them. They were broke and shouldn't even be at the small cafe. Money was the bane of her existence, and coveting it anytime soon seemed like a lofty goal.

  "I'll take a cup of tomato soup and a water, please?"

  "Not very hungry today?" He smiled and took her menu, winking at her as she smiled back.

  "Nope. Big breakfast."

  Her mother ordered as Bethany reached for a roll. Her stomach softly protested, the deep burn of hunger an old friend. She hadn't had a big breakfast, or any breakfast at all. Every penny she had went to books and supplies for school. She ate once a day and sometimes not even that, unless her roommate brought home leftovers. She'd have given anything to order a cheeseburger with fries and a coke, but life wasn't that giving.

  The waiter moved away and Bethany shoved the rest of the roll in her mouth, the soft white bread melting in her mouth. Worry covered her mother's features as she pushed the basket toward her.

  "Are you not eating again?"

  Bethany finished chewing the roll, her thoughts far from the conversation at the table as she enjoyed the flavors rolling across her tongue. She ate out every once in a while, but it was usually on a date, and that always ended with some random horny guy demanding sex. Disgusting.

  "I have to spend what little money I get from my grants on a place to live and books, Mom. Food is a luxury."

  "Baby, you shouldn't starve yourself."

  "What options do I have?" Bethany laughed, the sound falling flat.

  "Take a semester off and come back home with me." Her mom crossed her arms over her chest, her eyebrow raising as Bethany reached for another roll and picked up the small cup of butter, dipping the bread in it without concern for her actions.

  "I can't take off from school, Mom, and I don't have a car that runs very well. One more year of this and I'll be able to finally take care of myself."

  "I don't like that you're not eating."

  "I don't like it either, but you're as broke as I am."

  "I'll ask Kent to give me some money for you."

  "No." Bethany leaned forward, her mouth pursed into a tight line. She didn't want handouts from someone who wasn't connected to her family intimately. She needed Kent to move into the position of being her father, and then it would make sense to get financial help from him.

  "Yes."

  "No, Mom. Just stop messing around and get married. You're going to get married anyway. He loves you and you love him."

  "What would being married to him change?"

  "I would be his daughter, mom. I would finally have a dad and maybe, just maybe, he would see my struggle and offer to help me." Tears burned her eyes and she picked up her napkin, wiping at them quickly. Being emotional or weak hadn't gotten her anywhere in life, and it certainly wouldn't do her any favors now.

  "Oh, honey. I'm so sorry I don't have more to give you. If only I'd been a stronger woman when your dad put us through all that shit."

  "I don't want to talk about this." Bethany dropped the napkin in her lap, her emotions pressing hard against the confines of her chest. "I have one more year of school and need help. You're going to marry Kent anyway. I'm just asking that you move it up and do it in the next month, Mom. Please."

  Her mom bit at her lip, looking up and thanking the server as he put their lunch down in front of them. Bethany constrained herself as the steam rose up from the small cup before her. She could have ordered more, but she knew her mom was broke and struggling as well. The older woman in front of her hid her own suffering and strife as well as Bet
hany did. No one knew how much they'd been through and how they continued to persevere.

  "Let's pray over our food." Her mom bowed her head and prayed, Bethany closing her eyes and listening to her mom ask God for the millionth time to help them. He’d seemed to turn a blind eye or deaf ear to them for all the years Bethany could remember, but six months ago he had delivered Kent into her mom's life.

  Kent owned several companies and had been a widower for ten years. He was older than her mom and had two sons, one a complete loser and the other the center of his enterprise in the heart of downtown Dallas. Bethany had yet to meet either of them, but she liked Kent and knew he would treat her mother like a princess.

  If only the woman could get past being hurt and used by Bethany's father, giving love another chance and opening up a world of possibilities for them both.

  "Kent would be thrilled to hear I'm ready to move forward, I guess." Her mom's words lit a spark of hope in Bethany’s chest as she looked up.

  "He loves you, Mom. He's told you that a million times."

  "I know, and I love him too. I'm just a little worried about fitting into his world. I come from the wrong side of the tracks, Bethany. His friends and work associates are going to see beneath my layers of makeup and call me out as the phony I am."

  "You're not a phony. You're the most real person I know, Mom." Bethany reached around her soup to touch her mom's arm, concern pulling her brow together. "You just need to be yourself and not anyone else. You can't change for someone, or you'll end up hating who you've become."

  "How did you get so wise?" Her mom winked at her, patted her hand and picked up her spoon, taking a tentative sip of her own soup.

  "So, you'll think about it? I'm on a short leash, and I'll start looking for jobs this afternoon, but I need help quickly."