Single Mom for the Billionaire (Alpha Billionaire Romance Book)

by Davis, Alexa

  “I don’t want anything dramatic. I’m not here on some form of a revenge plan. I just think you should know what’s going on around here.”

  “We can’t have this, though, especially when it comes to you. You’ve given the practice so much, you’ve donated a lot. It isn’t right.” He shook his head angrily. “I just can’t believe it. I never would’ve hired her if I’d known. And as a manager, too. Damn it.” He slammed his fists down on the desk in front of him. “Now I need to hire someone else to take over all her duties, and that’s gonna be almost impossible.”

  My heart hammered in my chest now was the moment to try and bring Olivia up. “What about Olivia, couldn’t she do it?”

  “Hmm, I did meet Olivia. She is a good employee, and she’s smart, too. But I don’t know…she hasn’t been around as long as the other girls. It might cause friction.”

  “Hey, it’s okay. Only a suggestion.” I smiled brightly. “I just wanted to throw her name into the mix.”

  “I certainly will think about it, thank you, Zack.”

  “I want to discuss donating more, as well. I really do think you run a wonderful practice here and I’d love to help it grow.” This wasn’t a reaction to the whole mess with Ms. Simms, and I certainly didn’t want him to assume I wanted more influence. It just felt right. “I’m setting up a charity, for ex-military men, so maybe we can work together on that?”

  “That sounds wonderful,” Mike agreed. “I definitely want to have a meeting about all of that at some point. I’ll be in touch. For now, I just want to focus on what I’m going to do here.”

  “Of course, of course.” I stood up and extended my hand to shake his. This had gone well, and I felt pleased with the progress I’d made. I wasn’t sure how it would help me with Olivia, but it felt good. “It was great to meet with you, Mike. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me.”

  “Anytime, Zack. I shall speak to you soon.”

  I left the office to find Lark sitting patiently outside. I grinned and gave him the thumbs up to show it had all gone well.

  “What next?” he hissed quietly at me. “Where do we go from here?”

  “The newspaper.” I felt like I was flying like I was on top of the world. I wanted to roll with that. “I’ve got to go and give my side of the story.”

  “I know I suggested it, but just before you do that, I need to know for sure that you really want to do this. Are you ready for it?”

  “I am,” I replied confidently. “I really am. This feels right, Lark. This is definitely what I need to do.”

  I’d even been planning exactly what I wanted to say and it felt good. I was pretty sure it’d work. If not, at least I’d tried. At least I didn’t give up. I’d never be able to forgive myself if I did.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Olivia

  Wednesday

  Shit, shit, shit.

  What was the hell wrong with me? Why couldn’t I get myself together today?

  My makeup wasn’t done, my hair flew out all over my head… I felt and looked a mess. I hadn’t overslept, everything had pretty much gone to plan. It was just me falling apart, and I couldn’t work out why. Sure my head was all over the place, and I was worried about being fired, but there seemed to be something else going on in me too.

  “Are you okay, Olivia?” Drea called loudly into my bedroom. “It’s just that I don’t want you to be late for work.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m leaving. I’m just, erm…” Urgh, I didn’t know what I even needed to do anymore. Did it even matter what I looked like when I was probably going to lose my job anyway? “I’m just coming.”

  I checked my cell phone one last time to see if I’d heard anything from Ms. Simms, but still nothing. Something serious must have happened for her to be so neglectful of work. That wasn’t like her at all! I’d only known her for a short while, but she always seemed very dedicated to the practice as far as I was aware.

  Still, that wasn’t for me to worry about right now, I had many other concerns – and the first one was getting my sorry ass to work. I gave up on makeup and tied my hair back into a bun, so at least it wouldn’t be in my way. Then, with one last withering glance in the mirror, I gave up and pushed my way into the living room just as there was a knock on the door.

  “Do you want me to get it?” Drea asked me. “While you fix your face.”

  I ignored her thinly-veiled insult and stomped towards the front door. “No, it’s okay. I’m leaving now anyway, so I’ll just quickly get rid of whoever it is.”

  I didn’t want to risk Zack coming in when I wasn’t here. He must have figured out by now that I genuinely was telling the truth about the whole scandal and that I had nothing to do with the sale of the story. Despite me telling him never to speak to me again, I knew he wouldn’t stick to that. He wasn’t the sort of person who could stop himself.

  I didn’t want him anywhere near Meghan, ever again. I couldn’t risk her getting hurt.

  “Oh.” But it wasn’t Zack. I found myself very shocked to be staring at Lark. “What are you doing here?”

  I half-closed the door behind me so Meghan wouldn’t see. Luckily, she was very involved with her coloring, so I thought I’d be okay. I didn’t want her to get excited just to be let down once more. If we couldn’t see Zack anymore, then it was unlikely we’d see Lark, either. It was a shame, but that was the way it had to be.

  “I, erm, I’m sorry turning up like this.” His cheeks flamed, and he looked really stressed out. I wondered what the hell was going on inside his head. “I know I’m probably not who you want to see right now, but I just think you should read today’s paper.”

  “Urgh, I’ve had enough of newspapers to last me a lifetime.”

  “Not this one. Just trust me.”

  There was something in his tone that stopped me in my tracks. I felt intrigued, so I took the paper from him. “What is this?”

  “I just want to apologize in advance for my role in this before you start reading, I’m sure you’re going to think I’m a massive douchebag.”

  “What?” He was too cryptic. It was very strange.

  “Just read the article. And don’t make any decisions before you’ve got to the end.” His cheeks burned even brighter. I could tell he felt a little weird. “Erm, do you mind if I hang out with Meg and Drea for a bit? I’ve actually missed my little gaming buddy while I’ve been away.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say. I still wanted to keep Lark and Zack distant from my family, but there was something really pleading in his eyes. Plus, I wanted him to stick around in case I had any questions with regards to this article that he seemed to think was going to impact me greatly.

  “Lark!”

  It was too late anyway. She’d already seen him. I gave him a wave and allowed him inside while I turned my eyes to the words printed in front of me.

  “Billionaire Lottery Winner In His Own Words.”

  The headline was baffling. Why would Zack go from hating the media and hiding from it to speaking directly to them? It almost got my back up further because I hated being accused of something that he’d gone and done without a second thought about me. Unless maybe my initial instincts were wrong and it was just another fake story.

  “Zack Taylor, the mysterious winner of two point seven billion dollars, has spoken directly to us about his own experience with the money…”

  Hmm, maybe not . My heart hammered in my chest as I drank in every word like I was dehydrated in the middle of a desert, and this was the only drink available in the world. Certain paragraphs jumped out at me and really struck a chord.

  “My time in the Navy Seals defined me, it changed me as a man, so losing that was devastating.”

  I could already feel my heart opening up. I’d shut myself down so rapidly, I’d told myself never to think about Zack again unless I really had to, but clearly, I wasn’t as great at controlling my feelings as I thought I was.

  “My best friend, Patrick, got me through
my time in the military, so the accident that took away my health and killed him absolutely destroyed me in ways that I didn’t even think possible.”

  Woah…that was crazy . I thought he never wanted anyone to know about that. I almost fell to the ground in shock.

  “I used numbers relating to him on my lottery ticket, which was why I wanted to keep the win a secret. I was already hurting. I didn’t want that made worse by being judged for using my friend to gain money. Someone once told me that maybe he sent me the money…but I don’t know if that’s something I’ve ever believed.”

  I couldn’t help myself; a secret smile played on my lips as he used my words. Maybe I did affect him in ways that I didn’t see before. Maybe there was a chance that I impacted on him just as much as he did me.

  “I paid out of the nose to keep my name out of the spotlight, I just couldn’t deal with it – but now I’ve found a purpose for the money. I’m going to start my own charity to help soldiers and vets. I want to make a real difference in their lives.”

  He came across so well. If this weren't a man I knew, I’d still be impressed by the story. Zack had articulated himself in a humble, clever way that made the world see the real him. He’d done a good thing by going to the media…

  But then I saw a name that I recognized on the page, and I pressed the page closer to my face. What was she doing in a tale about Zack?

  “I have been receiving physiotherapy for a while now, to help me with my injuries. This is something that’s already been reported in the press. What hasn’t been reported however is that the manager of that establishment, Ms. Carlie Simms, used and betrayed me. I donated money to the practice, I helped fund areas that needed extra help, and as payment, she seduced and tricked my best friend.

  “She learned about my identity and the lottery win through him, and she decided to reveal that for a payoff. She has since vanished, and no one has been able to find her…”

  Best friend? That had to be Lark; this must have been what he was talking about. I couldn’t resist, I needed to find out more.

  “Lark,” I called into the room. “What’s all this about? What happened?”

  “Erm…” He glanced at Meghan and Drea, clearly not wanting to discuss this in front of them. “It’s pretty much what you’ve read, and I’m sorry for it. I honestly never would’ve gone anywhere near her if I knew what was going to come of it. I didn’t mean…”

  I shook my head and smiled at him. It didn’t matter, I knew for a fact he wouldn’t do anything to harm his friend. “Okay, it’s okay. At least the mystery is solved.”

  “Just keep reading.”

  Finally, I came across the part of the story that Lark had to be referring to. It was right at the end, and it was about me. My pulse raced with anticipation as I flicked my eyes over the words as rapidly as possible.

  “The woman who has been portrayed in the media as a gold digger, going after what she can get, is completely opposite to that. Olivia is wonderful and caring, with a big heart. She fell for me without knowing anything about my lottery win, and I fell for her, too. I’ve loved her for a long time now – she very quickly became my world.

  “The sad thing is Ms. Simms took that away from me, too. Because of her actions, which I stupidly blamed Olivia for in the heat of the moment, I lost her. I don’t think I’ll ever get the chance to tell her what she means to me, which is the hardest lesson I’ve ever had to learn.

  “So, yeah that’s me. In my own words.”

  I touched my cheek, feeling the tears streaming down my face. Zack loved me.

  I fell in love with him ages ago, and now I knew that he felt the same way, too. We certainly had communication issues that we had to work on, that was for sure, but I didn’t want to throw anything else away at something so silly. What we had was so much more important than that.

  “Are you going to work, Olivia?” Drea asked me cautiously. “You’re already running very late. If you don’t go soon…”

  Shit…work. I really didn’t want to go back to work right now, especially if Mike was there stirring shit up again because of this mess with Miss. Simms.

  “No, I’m not.” I pulled my cell phone out and dialed the office. The receptionist quickly picked up. “Hey, it’s Olivia, I just want to let you know that I have a family emergency today, so I can’t make it in. Sorry for the late notice.”

  “It’s okay. Mike has two relief therapists working today so one of them can take your patients. It won’t be a problem. See you soon, Olivia.”

  “Yeah, thanks. Bye!”

  As soon as I hung up the phone, I stared at the door across the hall. I needed to be brave. I needed to go in there and to sort things out with Zack. He needed me, I needed him, and we could make this work. Nothing else mattered – we had to give things a try.

  “Thanks, Lark,” I called out behind me. “I appreciate you bringing this to me.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  I turned to give him a really bright smile. Finally, I felt relieved and calm. This was the best thing for me. “I need to go to and speak to Zack; we need to sort this out.”

  “Oh thank goodness, I’m so relieved.” He nodded and smirked to himself. “Good luck.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Zack

  Wednesday

  My heart raced painfully in my chest as I started towards the front door. I hoped desperately that by some miracle Olivia had seen the article and was ready to forgive me. I didn’t want to get my hopes too high just to be let down…

  But they were rocketing through the roof anyway.

  “Coming.” I leaped up and swung the door open. The red-haired beauty in front of me made my heart skip a beat. Warm relief flooded me when I saw that she didn’t look like she wanted to hit me. I searched her face, desperately searching for answers, but I couldn’t get too much from her. “Oh, Olivia, you’re here. You… You’re…”

  “Lark brought me the newspaper,” she shocked me by saying. I froze for a second; my limbs stiffened painfully. “I saw everything; it was just so…”

  I tugged her inside and closed the door behind her. We stared at each other for a few seconds before the magnets pulled us back together and we rained kisses all over each other’s faces. We couldn’t keep away from each other – I wasn’t sure why we ever thought we could.

  “I’m so sorry,” I told her in between kisses. “I didn’t mean to be such an asshole.”

  “No,” she replied, barely taking her mouth off me. “I understand why you’d think it was me. I don’t blame you for going so crazy. I should’ve been more understanding.”

  “You shouldn’t have been dragged into it-”

  “I shouldn’t have let my fears get in the way-”

  It was the silliest conversation ever. The kissing was enough for us to both understand how one another felt. We’d let external circumstances affect us, and I vowed to myself that I wouldn’t ever do that again. I had to work on my communication skills.

  “Come here, sit down.” Eventually, we both crashed on the couch where we could talk a little bit more. “I’m glad that you read the article. I wasn’t sure that you would.”

  “Well, Lark sure as hell made sure of that.” Tears balled up in the corners of her eyes. “And, the words you wrote were so touching.” Her breaths fell raggedly out of her mouth. “Did you mean what you said? The bit right at the end.”

  I knew which part she meant, but I wanted to tease her for just a moment. “I meant all of it. Every word. Do you have something specific in mind?”

  “I…” I smirked at the way her cheeks blushed brightly. She was adorable; every time her face turned red I wanted to wrap her up in my arms and hold her close to my chest forever more. “I read that you love me.”

  I slid my fingers into hers and stared intensely into her eyes. “Olivia, I’ve loved you for a very long time. I’ve been falling ever since I first laid eyes on you.”

  “Actually, if I remember the first c
onversation you had with me, you were very grumpy. I didn’t think you liked me at all.”

  “Oh, well.” I shrugged, trying to play it down a bit. “That’s just because I was having a bad day with my leg and didn’t want to seem weak in front of you. I wanted to help you, but I couldn’t…”

  She laughed and grabbed onto my cheeks and kissed my face hard. “Well, just so you know, I love you, too. I feel exactly the same as you do.”

  I lifted her up and pulled her onto my lap. Now that everything felt much more out there between us, I wanted to kiss her all over; I wanted to solidify what we had physically – and judging by the way her hips were rolling into me, she felt exactly the same way.

  “You’re not riling me up now just to leave me and go to work, are you?” I groaned loudly. “I might explode if you do.”

  Olivia slipped off me, and for a moment, I actually thought she was about to run off, but then she slowly peeled her uniform down, revealing that soft, silky skin of hers that all I wanted to do was grab onto.

  “Oh thank God,” I moaned. “Oh God, Olivia, you’re too much.”

  She climbed back on me in just her underwear, causing me to stiffen painfully in my pants. I reached around her back to unhook her bra while she pulled my top up over my head. Then she pressed her hot, flushed skin up against me, and I could feel her rock hard nipples against my chest.

  She was too damn much.

  I flattened my palm on her stomach as we kissed some more and slowly slid it down into her panties. Before I even reached in to touch her, I could feel Olivia’s wetness pulsating against me. It hadn’t really been that long since we were last together, but because so much had happened, it felt like it’d been forever. I was utterly desperate to touch her.

  “Oh, Zack.” As she groaned and tossed her head back, I plunged a finger into her. “Oh, that feels so good.”