by Angelo, Judy
BEDDING HER BILLIONAIRE BOSS
JUDY ANGELO
The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series
Volume 9
Copyright © 2013 Judy Angelo
Lyons Publishing Limited
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or otherwise (mechanical, photocopying, recording or stored in a retrieval system) without the prior written consent of the Publisher. Such action is an infringement of the copyright law.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series
by Judy Angelo
Volume 1 - Tamed by the Billionaire
Volume 2 - Maid in the USA
Volume 3 - Billionaire's Island Bride
Volume 4 - Dangerous Deception
Volume 5 - To Tame a Tycoon
Volume 6 - Sweet Seduction
Volume 7 - Daddy by December
Volume 8 - To Catch a Man (in 30 Days or Less)
BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES, Mega-Collection - Vols. 1 - 8
BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES, Collection I - Vols. 1 - 4
BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES, Collection II - Vols. 5 - 8
(Two free stories in the Mega-collection;
one free story in each, Collection I and II;
purchase collections and save)
Volume 9 – Bedding Her Billionaire Boss – NEW!!
(NB – Not included in the Mega-Collection)
The NAUGHTY AND NICE Series
Volume 1 - Naughty by Nature (now available)
Volume 2 – Sweet Charlotte (coming soon)
Volume 3 – Miss Independent (coming soon)
SLEEPING WITH YOUR BOSS – CAN ANY GOOD EVER COME OF THAT?
Dana Daniels considers herself to be the consummate professional and she would never, under any circumstances, mix work with pleasure. She’s got the reputation of being the ‘office bulldog’ and has killed the hopes of many an interested male co-worker. But when her kindly boss is replaced by a rigid block of stone, that’s when she knows that she’s in trouble. Because the man who now runs the show, a man she would love to hate, is the only one who has ever made her want to forget the rules and partake of forbidden fruit. But how can she give in to her desires? The man is her boss, after all.
From the first day he lays eyes on her, Rockford St. Stephens is blown away by his executive assistant. Much good that will do him, though. The woman hates him from day one…and she says so. But although he knows how she feels, he can’t resist the pull of attraction. Boss or not, he wants Dana Daniels. And if ever there were a situation that could lead to trouble, this is it. Can he afford to go down that road?
Conflict meets passion – a heady combination…
BEDDING HER BILLIONAIRE BOSS
CHAPTER ONE
“With a name like Rockford St. Stephens, I can just imagine what he’s like. Probably a pompous ass.” Dana twisted a lock of hair around her left index finger as she stared out the window of her ex-boss’s office.
Normally, she would have been impressed with the view of the city of New York from her position on the thirty-fifth floor of the building which housed Premier Holdings, but today she was seething. As she held the cordless phone to her ear she was glaring at the pedestrians way down below as they hurried along the streets of Manhattan.
“I mean, what kind of beast would bully a sixty-year-old man into selling out his business just like that? Mr. French was nowhere near retirement. That St. Stephen’s guy forced his hand, Becky. I just know it.”
“Now come on, Dana,” her friend soothed. “Don’t jump to conclusions. Remember, you’re going to have to work with this man so it makes no sense to build up all this resentment against him.”
“I don’t have to work with him. I can quit.” Dana’s frown turned to a scowl. The very first time her new boss did anything to piss her off she would walk. Let him just try it.
“Yeah, and how easy do you think it’s going to be to pick up another good paying job like this one?” Becky clucked in her usual ‘mother hen’ way. No matter that at twenty-five she was a year younger than Dana, she was always giving advice. The sad thing was, she was usually right. “In this economic climate you’d better hold on to what you’ve got. I could understand that attitude if you had another job lined up but you don’t. Do you?” Becky’s tone was firm. It was almost a reprimand.
Dana sighed. “You know I don’t. That’s just the impulsive me talking. As usual.”
“Just think before you act, Dana. That’s all I ask. And don’t make assumptions.” Becky chuckled. “And for heaven’s sake, give your new boss a chance. For all you know he may be a sweetheart. Next time you call, it could be to tell me that he’s a dreamboat and you’re in love.”
“I doubt it,” Dana said drily. “Whatever this Rockford St. Stephens guy is like, I know I’ll hate him.”
“I appreciate the warm welcome.”
Startled, Dana jumped and dropped the cordless phone. She whirled around to face the office door. There, big and bold and very imposing, stood a man who took her breath away.
She gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. Holy crapola! What had he heard? Everything? Just the end? But it didn’t matter. The last comment she’d made had been the worst and she knew that her job with Premier Holdings was now history. Hell. Talk about bad timing.
Slowly, she slid her hand from her mouth and dropped her arms to her sides. Lifting her head, she stared him full in the face. Okay, so she’d misspoken. Put her foot in it, as Becky would say later when she told her she’d been fired. But she would not show fear. That was what her army officer dad had taught her and she would not let him down.
“Dana Daniels, I presume?”
The man walked into the executive office, his bold presence filling the spacious room, and stepped past her to drop his briefcase onto the huge mahogany desk that stood bare, all traces of Richard French now gone.
“Yes.” That was all she said as her eyes ran up the length of him, from his shiny black shoes and up the obviously expensive business suit that covered a solid body and to his face, so cold and stern.
Dana swallowed. She almost dropped her gaze, his look was so intimidating. But no, she would be just as bold. It took everything in her but she faced his glare head on.
The unexpected visitor folded his arms across his chest as he looked down at her from what must have been at least six feet plus an additional two or three inches. As tall as she was, five feet seven inches in heels, he towered over her. “My executive assistant,” he said, his voice surprisingly soft.
But Dana was not fooled. Soft and gentle, he was not. She could see it in his rigid stance and in the cynical twist of his lips. This man could be cruel…and she’d gone and pissed him off.
“Since you’ve already decided we’ll start off as enemies, we might as well forgo the pleasantries and get down to business.” He released his arms and walked around the desk where he pulled out the chair. “Go get your notebook or whatever it is you scribble in. You’re going to organize a staff meeting for me tomorrow at ten o’clock. I have a quick phone call to make. Be back here in five minutes.”
He sat down and reached for the phone then glanced over at her when she still stood there as if turned to stone. “Still here?”
he asked, and this time there was no sardonic smile, only a scowl.
Dana blinked. He hadn’t fired her. He expected her to come back and take notes. She’d been so shocked she hadn’t even known how to react. But now, with his amber-colored eyes flashing in annoyance, she suddenly found herself with a great incentive to move. She had to get out of this line of fire.
Without another word she spun on her heels and marched through the door then reached behind her to close it with a firm click. Luckily no-one was in the outer office so there was no need to keep up appearances. Expelling her breath, she sagged against the solid oak door. What a way to start the morning.
Dana pushed away from the door and, knees trembling, walked toward her desk which was right outside the big boss’s office. Now, instead of the kindly man with gray streaks in his hair, the one she had grown so used to seeing every day, she had found herself executive assistant to a cold, hard man who seemed as unyielding as the rock he’d been named after. Not a good situation…at all.
Throwing a quick glance at the door she made a dive for her cell phone and dialed Becky’s number. She must have been waiting for the call because she picked up on the first ring. Dana didn’t even bother with a greeting.
“You won’t believe what just happened,” she half gasped, half whispered into the phone.
“Your new boss walked in on you talking about him?” Becky asked drily.
Another gasp from Dana. “How did you know?”
“I heard him loud and clear, thanking you for the welcome. Then you dropped the phone.” There wasn’t an ounce of sympathy in Becky’s voice. Some friend she was being right now.
But Dana had more news so she wouldn’t tackle Becky on that just yet. “Yeah,” she said, “but that’s not the biggest surprise. The big shocker is, he didn’t fire me.”
“Even after hearing what you said?”
“Even after hearing that,” Dana confirmed. “In fact, he told me he wants me back in his office in five minutes. Speaking of which, I’ve got to run.”
“Wait,” Becky yelled as she was about to hang up. “What does he look like? Dreamboat material?”
Dana paused then knitted her brow. “I don’t know,” she said, dragging the words as she thought about the question. “He’s very handsome, that’s for sure. Tall, with dark-blond hair and a pair of really intense gold eyes that bore into you like infrared beams. But dreamboat? I don’t think so. Too cold and rigid. To qualify for ‘dreamboat’ status he should at least be approachable, don’t you think?”
“Good point,” Becky began and then the phone on Dana’s desk began to ring.
“Miss Daniels,” Rockford St. Stephens said when she picked up, “it’s one minute past your deadline. Could you get in here, please?”
“Yes, Mr. St. Stephens.” Her voice so cool it was frosty, Dana responded with a calm she didn’t feel. She’d gotten off to a bad start with the new owner and she had a sinking feeling it was going to get worse. Before she’d even met the man she’d decided to hate him and then, before she’d had the chance to do that, she’d gone and given him a wonderful reason to hate her.
And now she’d be reporting to him five days out of every week. Great. Even though she hadn’t been fired, now was probably a good time to start looking around for another job…just in case.
As soon as she’d hung up the phone she whispered, “See what I mean, Becky? A real beast. Anyway, got to go.”
She grabbed her notepad and a pen then hopped out of the chair. At the door to St. Stephens’s office she paused, straightened her pencil-slim skirt, and composed herself. Then she rapped sharply at the door and pushed it open.
She’d expected to find her boss sitting behind his desk, face in a frown, tapping his fingers on the hard wooden surface as he waited for her to show up. What she hadn’t expected was to find him over by the credenza, his back to her, a chart spread out before him. From the door she could see that it was an organization chart and she knew what that meant. Staff cuts.
She shouldn’t have been surprised. This was now the usual order – with take-overs or mergers the new management often chose to bring in workers from their old team or go for fresh blood. New perspective and all that. But, sensible though it might be, it hurt just the same. The thought that people might lose their jobs – herself possibly included – was depressing, to say the least.
St. Stephens looked up. “Finally,” he said and there was no smile to accompany the word. “Have a seat. We have a lot to do today and I want to get started right away.”
“Thank you, Mr. St. Stephens,” Dana said demurely and went to sit in the chair in front of the big desk.
“Call me Rock. No need for formalities.” He walked back to his desk and sat down then leaned back and tented his fingers. “I need to call a staff meeting this afternoon and I need your help. Based on your reaction to having a new boss I can just guess the thoughts of the other members of staff.” He shrugged. “And how can I blame them? All of this is unorthodox – the sudden departure of your boss, not much notice of the changes, a new man in the head office. So,” he said, leaning forward, “let’s put the rumors to rest.”
By the time he was done speaking, Dana had an agenda of eight items including a review of the company’s financial standing and a briefing on Rock’s plans for the future of the organization. There was also a question and answer segment where the employees could sound off on their concerns.
“I need you, Dana.” Rock’s voice was solemn. “You know the team here, each person’s temperament and how they’ll respond to these changes. I’ll need your guidance as we go through this transition.”
Dana raised her eyebrows. He needed her? The way he’d come off as big and bold and brash, she didn’t think big Mr. CEO would need anybody.
She laid her pen down on the notepad in her lap and gave him a direct stare. “How can I help you,” she asked, “when I don’t even know why you’re here?”
For a second he looked taken aback by her question but then he nodded. “You’re right. If you’re going to be of use to me I’ll have to take you into my confidence.” For the first time since they’d met he smiled, a real smile, one that smoothed the furrows in his brows, a smile that reached his eyes. “You are my executive assistant, after all, the closest person to me in this firm.”
For some strange reason those words brought a blush to her cheeks. She dropped her eyes, feeling the warmth rise in her face. He’d said ‘the closest person to him’ but he’d meant that in a professional sense. She knew that quite well, so why was her body acting so stupid?
“I’ll let you in on a little secret.”
She lifted her gaze, glad for the change of subject, but she was also way past curious. “Yes?”
“Mr. French and I, we’ve known each other for almost twenty years. He’s the father of a high school buddy of mine.” He tightened his lips and his eyes took on a faraway look. “He wanted as few people as possible to know this and I guess you’ll have to be one of the few.” His eyes refocused and he let out a sigh. “He’s in trouble. He just recently found out he’s got prostate cancer.”
Dana gasped. Her heart pitched forward and fell to the pit of her stomach. No. Not kind and gentle Mr. French who had been her mentor these past four years. As if to protect her heart, her fingers curled round her notepad and she pressed it to her chest.
“He doesn’t know how much time he has,” Rock continued, his voice solemn. “The doctors are optimistic but he doesn’t want to take any chances. Whatever time he has left, whether it’s going to be measured in months or years, he wants to take full advantage of it. He loves the company but now he wants to spend as much time as he can with his wife and children.” He shook his head then smiled. “And he told me he’s got seven grandkids to play ball with. Even without the company he’ll have his hands full.”
Dana nodded, and with her new understanding of the reasons for her boss’s hasty departure her resentment toward Rock St. Stephens dissipate
d. The man had stepped in to help a friend, not to force him out. “But why didn’t he tell us before he sold the company?” she asked. “We would have understood.”
Rock shook his head. “He didn’t want anyone to know. He hated the thought of being pitied.”
“But we wouldn’t have-”
“Maybe not, but a man’s got his pride.” Rock almost sounded impatient. “He wanted this to be presented as strictly a business transaction, so let’s leave it at that.” He looked at her pointedly. “And I trust that this information will remain between the two of us.”
Dana frowned. What did he think she was? A tattletale? She didn’t air her annoyance, though. Instead, she asked, “So what do we tell the staff today? They’re going to come to this meeting expecting answers.”
“I know.” Rock leaned forward and rested his folded arms on top of the desk. “Here’s what we’ll say…”
**
Not bad. Rock was feeling more than satisfied as he closed his office door behind him and walked across the room toward the plate glass windows overlooking New York’s Fifth Avenue. He’d met with the staff of thirty-eight employees – a much smaller group than he’d ever worked with before – and had given each of them a chance to say their piece. Some said a lot, some said very little, and there were a few who looked like they had no idea what to say.
No matter. He’d answered all the questions thrown at him and had given the team the reassurance they needed. Without giving away too much, he’d told them that Mr. French had opted to enjoy an early retirement with his wife and had asked him, an old family friend, to take over the reins and do right by his staff. They didn’t have to know that his time with them was limited. He had other, much larger companies to run. But for now, he’d focus his energies here and leave his other businesses to his competent cadre of managers.
