The Boss’s Secret Baby

by Charlize Starr

  It made me smile when she told me that she’d wear it proudly back home.

  I was supposed to be at the company’s New Year’s party but I’d chosen to spend it alone with Alyssa. I needed to taste her skin and feel her in my arms as the reality of the situation hit us. This was ending tomorrow, and neither of us wanted that. I was in love with her, despite the taboo nature of the situation. It could ruin my livelihood, my friendship with her father and even my reputation. Men my age dated younger women all of the time, and it was admired unless it was your partner’s daughter, a woman that you’d known for twelve years. It was dirty when you’d watched her grow up, seen her through the loss of her mother. I knew that there were no legal ramifications involved in this, but there were multiple moral ones. “Are you and your father alright?” I asked her as I held her in my arms.

  “I’m not sure. He's so protective, and I can see how mad he is when I leave the house. I tell him that I’m with friends, but when he knows I am in a car he just freaks out. I prefer the nights when he isn’t home, but I guess that won’t matter anymore come tomorrow.” Alyssa sighed and nuzzled her nose against my chest. “I don’t want to leave.”

  “I’ll visit you within a couple of weeks for a long weekend,” I promised her as she stared into my eyes. “I promise, baby.”

  “Good. I’m going to miss this so much,” Alyssa breathed as her lips brushed against my skin, sending the blood to my groin as I groaned. I watched as she slid down my body to take me into her mouth, sucking me hard and deep before I took her head in my hands and started to fuck her mouth as I watched. It was so hot, and I knew how I felt about her as I shot deeply into her throat and she rested her head against my stomach.

  We slept a matter of a few hours that night, both of us hungry for each other. I felt closer to her every time I was inside of her, but I didn’t voice that. I took her home in the morning, after one last time in my bed, kissing her goodbye in my bedroom before I had to let her go.

  I went into the office, feeling empty and sad. Linda didn’t even affect me this way when she was my wife or after she left. “What’s with you?” Brad asked me as I lost my focus for the hundredth time that day. “You’ve been off for a couple of weeks.”

  “Just the holidays or something,” I responded as I ran my hand through my hair. “I can’t wait to go see Kim for a while.”

  Brad didn’t take any vacation, though I hoped that would change with the woman in his life. We were both millionaires, and at least one of us deserved to spoil the woman that he loved.

  “Alyssa will be there. Will you see her?” He asked as I froze for a moment.

  “Maybe I should take her to dinner. She made it sound like she was always working.”

  “That would be nice,” Brad agreed as I gave him a long look.

  “Are you taking her to the airport?” I asked as he glanced at the clock on the wall.

  “I’m taking her to a late dinner before her flight.” That was a good thing, though the selfish side of me wanted it to be me.

  We finished the work, and I went to my office to sit and stare out of the window. I sent Alyssa a text, keeping it light as we started a conversation while she packed. Alyssa joked about having trouble fitting the clothes that she bought in her suitcase and I said something vaguely funny back before I looked at the picture of her that I’d taken when she was sleeping. She was beautiful, and I shook my head.

  The day passed slowly, and I left before Brad, going to my apartment for the night. I didn’t want to be too close to her, afraid I won’t be able to resist the urge to go to see her.

  I woke up the following day knowing that she was gone, feeling ripped apart inside. I rolled over to smell her pillow and closed my eyes. Two more weeks and I’d be there.

  Chapter Eight

  I returned to California a different person. Dad and I talked over dinner, and he apologized for being so cold since Mom died. He just didn’t know how to handle it apart from working as much as possible. He assured me that he wanted me to live my life and even admitted to dating a woman in the city. I told him that I was happy for him and gave him a tight hug before I boarded the plane.

  I missed Nathan more than I ever imagined I would. I knew that he was coming to see me and we talked every few days as well as sent a lot of texts. The conversations were casual, but I think we both felt what was bubbling underneath the surface.

  When he was at my door a few weeks later, I hugged him and pulled him into my apartment. His lips were crashing against mine as he pressed me against the wall and released the apparent desire in both of us. I took him to my bed, inviting him into my life as my heart broke into a million pieces at the idea of him leaving.

  We had a great week together before we returned to our long distance relationship. I’d nearly told Nathan that I loved him before he left but held it back. I wasn’t ready to face that yet.

  Life had a different plan for me. I started feeling sick a couple of months later, thinking at first that it was just the flu. After some time passed, I thought back to a few of the times when I’d been careless with Nathan in the heat of our passion. I took a test once I couldn’t stand the mystery anymore and cried brokenly on my bathroom floor when I realized that I was pregnant.

  I admittedly pulled away from Nathan after that, actually from everyone back in New York. I had to sort through what was happening and decide what to do, though abortion and adoption weren’t options for me. I loved this baby, this little piece of Nathan and me. I just wasn’t sure how to tell him.

  One Saturday morning Nathan came knocking at my door and I burst into tears all over again. He took me into his arms, and even though I wanted to send him away, some powerful hormones came with this pregnancy, so I dragged him into bed instead. I fucked him as many times as I could stand it before I was exhausted and he watched me as I snuggled next to him. “What’s wrong with you, Alyssa? Why have you been avoiding me?”

  “I…I found out I was pregnant about a month ago. I’ve been lost about it and tried to figure out what to do,” I told him after several moments of silence, burying my face in my pillow.

  “Pregnant? With my baby?” Nathan questioned as I groaned out loud and closed my eyes.

  “I haven’t been with anyone else,” I shot back as I felt him move close to me, lighting the fire inside of me all over again.

  “I know that. I’m sorry.” Nathan apologized, and I raised my head to look at him.

  “Have you?” My voice was high, and I stared at him as he gave me an incredulous look.

  “Fuck, no. I miss you, Alyssa. Come back to New York. We can make it official and raise this baby.”

  “Are you insane? Dad will be pissed, Nathan. You might lose your job and your life there.”

  “So what?” He asked as I rolled away from him. “Alyssa, come back. I can work anywhere, here or there.”

  “You’re not throwing away your career there for me,” I scoffed as I pulled on a robe and walked into the kitchen.

  “I love you, Alyssa. I want all of this with you. I just didn’t know how to say it before.” I looked out of my window and wondered when everything went so wrong, why this happened to us. It was good sex, hot and wild, nothing that needed to turn into shared parenthood.

  “I’m tired. I can’t deal with this,” I told him as I went back to bed and pulled the blankets over my head.

  I shut down, and he went home angry and resentful at my attitude. I didn’t know what I was doing as I worked through my days and cried myself to sleep. I missed him so much, but it seemed hopeless in my mind.

  I noticed that the phone calls stopped and the texts just didn’t come through as I kept being silent. I was scared that I’d lost Nathan, but maybe that was best. I had a good job, and I could raise this baby myself.

  I was checking the mail and found an envelope that was marked with Nathan’s return address. I carried it to my place and sat down to open it, finding a plane ticket for the following weekend. I grabbed
my phone.

  Me: What the hell is this?

  Nathan: I want you to come here so we can figure this the fuck out. I am going to talk to your dad and tell him everything, Alyssa. I love you, and I hate that I’m missing everything about this pregnancy.

  Me: Are you insane? I wasn’t going to tell him that it’s yours.

  Nathan: I want the world to know that this baby is mine. I’m sick of hiding this. Get your ass back here on that flight and face your life. I've had enough of this.

  I smiled and started to cry.

  Me: Okay. Know something? I love you too.

  I was scared to death the entire flight as my stomach twisted and turned inside. Nathan picked me up at the airport and drove me to his house, announcing that we were having dinner with my father the following night. I still tried to argue the idea, but he shut me up with a kiss, something that I needed.

  It felt good to have him bare inside of me. It was not necessary now, and I rode him that night hard and deep as I gave into the orgasm that I desperately needed. We stayed in bed until we needed to get ready for dinner, and I slipped on some leggings and a long t-shirt as I pulled my hair back.

  Dad looked shocked when I showed up with Nathan. He stared at us as we sat down at the table and his face turned beet red as Nathan told him what was going on. “She’s my daughter. How dare you think that this is okay.” Dad growled as I jumped in my seat and felt Nathan take my hand.

  “I wouldn’t have chosen this for her, but it happened. I love her, and we’re going to have a family. I’ll do right by her, Brad.” Nathan told him as Dad threw down his napkin, stomped out of our dining room and slammed a door in the house.

  “That went well,” I muttered as Nathan stroked my hair.

  “Give him time,” Nathan murmured before he led me out of the house, getting Thai food on the way back to his house.

  Dad wasn’t there when we found out the baby was a boy, at a doctor’s office in New York. I’d agreed to move back in the week that I was visiting. Nathan insisted that I take it easy and we stayed in the house after I’d sorted everything out in California. I knew that I wanted to work eventually, but I let him have his way for now.

  He had proposed a week before the baby was due, in front of the fireplace. I was heavy and full of our son and cried buckets as I sobbed that I would marry him. We’d worked through a lot in the few months that I’d been back and I suspected that Dad was coming around. Nathan worked it out enough to stay at the firm, and he even agreed that Dad was warming up to the idea of us.

  Epilogue

  Braden Leo Moore was born on an early November morning, beautiful and loud. Nathan bent over me as I held him against my bare skin and cried for what we created with our love. I struggled from time to time with us, but now everything was perfect. It wasn’t what one might classify as a normal relationship, but we both knew that it was a genuine one.

  His sister was out in the waiting room, and she came in with flowers before she carefully picked up the little bundle of blue. There was a tap at the door, and I glanced up to see Dad coming in, holding a huge vase of white roses and purple lilacs. They were mom’s favorite flowers and I smiled as he came in and set them down beside me.

  “So this is my grandson?” He asked as he looked at the baby.

  “Yes, his name is Braden.” I knew that he’d talked to Nathan about things, but we weren’t on good terms until this moment as I got my son and offered him to my father. He teared up as he held him and I lost it as Nathan came to stand beside me.

  I knew that everything would be okay. I knew that my baby would have a family, all the while with my mother looking over all of us.

  Nathan leaned over to kiss me, bursting with pride and love as our eyes locked. This wasn’t what I ever would’ve guessed for my life, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  *****

  THE END

  Contemporary Romance: Daddy's Business Friend

  Description

  He’s forbidden territory.

  He’s much older than me. Not to mention my dad’s best friend and ... my boss.

  I know I shouldn’t want him, but how much longer can I resist?

  All I can think about is his experienced hands, his dark, intense eyes.

  He’s known me since I was a little girl. But I’ve grown up, I’m a woman now.

  Just once wouldn’t hurt, would it?

  Wrong... Here I am, pregnant with his baby.

  Have I lost him forever? Or is he man enough to handle the responsibility?

  Chapter One

  Laken Singleton blew the ash brown hair out of her face as she added whipped milk to a coffee. Tinsel decorated the counter she stood at in honor of the upcoming holidays. She’d been working at Coffee Hut for three years now. She’d just been fired from her second job a few hours ago. The diner she’d been working at was closing down due to decreasing revenue.

  She needed both jobs or she wouldn’t be able to afford to live and scrape a little bit into savings every month so she could go back to school one day.

  Her co-worker and friend, Jen, sauntered up beside her to grind beans. “Mr. Cranky-pants is throwing another tantrum. You know you’re the only one who can calm him down.”

  Sure, it was childish, but Mr. Cranky-pants was the name Jen had given their manager, Kevin. Laken rolled her eyes and sighed. She was too tired to deal with Kevin today. “I’ll see what’s going on. Be right back.”

  She followed the narrow hall back to Kevin’s office, wiping her hands on her apron. “Hey, Kev, what’s wrong?”

  “The cash register came up short again yesterday. If it happens again, I’m going to have to let one of you go.”

  Whoa, this wasn’t just a bad day. This was a big freaking deal. Neither she or Jen could afford to lose their jobs. Jen had a little boy at home, two years old, and no one to support them. It would be Christmas soon and Laken couldn’t imagine how awful it would be if Jen couldn’t buy her little boy any gifts.

  On the other hand, since Laken’s dad had died, she had no one to support her, either. Somehow, even though he’d been partners in a business and they hadn’t exactly been poor, her father hadn’t left a will. If he had, no one could find it.

  Her stepmother’s first action after the funeral had been to kick Laken out of the house and vow not to give her another dime, either for college or to live on. Laken didn’t mind so much being financially independent if you could call the frugal way she lived that, but her father had saved all her life for her to become a doctor. It’s all she’d ever wanted.

  She brushed her hair away from her espresso black eyes, where it had fallen from her bun. “Kevin, calm down. There’s got to be a logical explanation.”

  Kevin stood and scrubbed at his short beard with a hand. “If there is, I can’t figure it out. I don’t think either of you girls would steal from the till, but I’ve got to answer to the owners.”

  Laken sat down in a chair beside his desk. “Have you considered the register might be going wonky? It’s pretty old. It’s not out of the question that it’s not recording when we have to comp a coffee or invalidate a sale.”

  “I’ll see about getting a new one, but I honestly doubt the owners are going to spring for it.” He sat down behind his desk and picked up the phone. “You should get back to work.”

  Laken’s chest hitched when she tried to breathe. This was scary, for her and for Jen. Maybe she should start looking for a new job? She’d hate to leave this place, though. She knew her job, she was good at it and she liked Jen. She even liked Kevin, much as she hated to admit it. But something had to change. She just couldn’t afford to get fired. If she were going to leave, it needed to be on her own terms.

  ***

  Trevor sat across the table from Eleanor Singleton, his best friend’s widow of the last three years. This was one hell of a way to spend his forty-fourth birthday. He drummed his fingers on the table, eager to get this meeting over with.

  The
y didn’t have a board of directors or investors. There was only him and Eleanor.

  Before, when it was him and Frank, things had been easy. This company was their baby. Trevor had no kids of his own. When his wife was alive, he never gave up half hoping she’d take pregnant, but she never did. He supposed one of them had been infertile. She hadn’t been interested in pursuing any treatments. He’d accepted that, as he had many things going on in his life. It hadn’t been a happy marriage.

  He never intended to settle for less than the best life had to offer ever again.

  “Eleanor, you can’t really want to sell the company Frank worked so hard to build.”

  “I have no interest in this company, especially if it’s not bringing me any profit.” She scowled at him and lit a cigarette. There was an ordinance against smoking in public places, including office buildings. Eleanor could care less if they got cited, so she lit up during all of their meetings. It never seemed to worry her that Frank had died of lung cancer after a long-fought battle to survive.

  Trevor stood and shut the office door, so at least his employees wouldn’t be subjected to her secondhand smoke. “Goddamn it, how much do you want for your share?”

  She picked up a pen, grabbed a post-it and shoved it at Trevor. He picked it up. It was outlandish—the company, which she only owned half of, was nowhere near this much. “If we sold today, you’d never get this much.”

  “All the same, if you want my half, that’s what it’s worth.”