Happily Ever After: 6 Marriage Romances In 1 (BWWM Romance)
Page 23
She didn’t know how to broach the subject. Ever since she overheard Shay, she was even more confused than ever. She had never realized how not having a father figure in her life had hurt Shay. She thought by shutting off her emotions she was protecting her, but she saw how wrong she was. She wanted to tell Dimitri that she had lied about not loving him. She was just terrified.
On the one hand she didn’t know if she was brave enough to take that chance. On the other hand, she was in love with Dimitri. There was no use denying it. She was sure of it and had known for a very long time.
The party was in full swing. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. Soon it was time for the traditional father daughter dance. Dimitri approached Shay and held out his hand. Shay accepted it and he led her to the dance floor. They laughed while they danced and Shay whispered something in Dimitri’s ear. Something that made him both happy but sad at the same time. Apparently it was too much for him because after the dance he slipped away during the applause. Jordan followed him. He made his way to the greenhouse.
“Dimitri,” Jordan said hesitantly. He wiped his eyes before turning to her.
“I just needed some air,” he said.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
He looked at her penetratingly.
“Yes,” he said. “Everything is fine.”
“The party seems to be successful,” Jordan said, uncertain how she should proceed.
“I’m glad,” he said stiffly.
“Dimitri can we talk?” Jordan asked suddenly
“We need to get back. They’re about to cut the cake,” he said.
“It won’t take long. Please?” she pleaded.
“Okay,” he agreed.
“Dimitri…I…I lied. I do love you. More than anything in the entire world. I’m just scared but if you can forgive me for lying to you I want to try and make this work. Maybe tomorrow we can go to dinner and talk,” she suggested.
“You love me?” he asked skeptically.
“Yes Dimitri. I do and I have for the longest time,” she admitted sincerely.
“Dinner? I don’t know,” he said.
“I understand,” Jordan said sadly, looking down, her shoulders sagging.
“I can’t date you, you’re my wife,” he joked.
“It’s not a date. It’s just dinner…for the rest of our lives,” she said looking up at him.
“That sounds perfect,” he said, kissing her on her forehead.
He took her hand and lead her back to the ball. They made it just in time to see Shay blow out the candles on her cake. She looked over at Jordan and Dimitri who were holding hands and smiled. Her wish had come true.
The end.
Her Marriage of Convenience
Finally! The BWWM romance everyone's been talking about...
A complete billionaire romance story, brought to you by Kellie White of BWWM Club.
Kizzy’s a determined career girl who believes in working hard and family values.
She applies to be the assistant to the CEO of her company, to get a raise and pay her father’s medical bills.
When she manages to snag the position, she’s delighted, but that soon turns sour when she clashes with headstrong billionaire CEO Mike.
And things get even more complex when he tries to strike a deal with her…
He wants out of a marriage of convenience his parents are trying to force him into, so he needs Kizzy to pose as his new love.
In return, he’ll pay every last cent of the medical bills for Kizzy’s dad.
She agrees and a wedding date is set.
But what happens when they start falling for each other for real?
Find out in this exciting yet emotional romance by Kellie White of BWWM Club.
Suitable for over 18s only due to red hot sex scenes.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 1
“Great job as always, Kizzy!” said Donald. He smiled at her and Kizzy smiled back, although it was obvious that Donald did not detect the snarky nature of her grin. She knew that she had done a great job. Kizzy was nothing if not confident about her abilities, it was why she had been able to ask for a promotion only a year after she had joined the company.
“So,” said Donald, leaning on her table. “You’ve been working for me for about two years. I know that this isn’t your ultimate destination. You have big plans for your future, don’t you?”
“I do,” said Kizzy. She thought about her immediate plans. They were bold to be sure, but she was not going to let Donald in on that just yet. She wanted an air of mystery about her plans. After all, her mother had always told her that telling people about future plans before they were set into motion would be bad luck.
“Care to share?” asked Donald with a smirk.
“Not quite,” said Kizzy, turning down to face her work. She had a feeling Donald was going to feel miffed by this but she really did not care. She had a lot more important things to do at the moment.
Donald walked back to his office, and Kizzy worked for a time on her own. As she worked on her boss’s schedule, Marjorie, another secretary that worked in the company, came up to her desk. “Hey, Kiz!” said Marjorie.
“Hey Marge,” said Kizzy, not looking up from her work. She had a lot to do and she was frankly a little annoyed that Marge had walked up to her like this.
“Did you hear the news?” asked Marjorie. “Penny got fired!”
“What?” said Kizzy, genuinely surprised. She looked up from her work and saw that Marge’s face was dead serious. “That’s crazy! She literally just got promoted to Mr. Gamble’s assistant a week ago!”
“And she got fired in spite of this fact,” said Marjorie. “I honestly don’t understand that man. I mean, I understand that he is the head of the company now that his father no longer works here, but that doesn’t give him an excuse to treat people like shit!”
“I agree with you completely,” said Kizzy. “Does anyone know why she got fired?”
“She says that it was because he didn’t like the way she worked,” said Marge with a shrug. “I mean, I don’t think that I would be able to handle it if I worked with that man. He is just so challenging. He demands such utter excellence that it can get really stressful indeed. Our bosses are so much better.”
“Yeah,” said Kizzy, “I guess you could say that because they don’t put as much pressure on us. But at the same time, don’t you think that working for Michael Gamble the Second could be a great opportunity? It could allow his employee to grow past what she used to be.”
“How do you figure that?” asked Marge.
“Just think about it,” said Kizzy. “If you focus and do his work, if you give it your all and make sure that he is completely satisfied with everything that you are doing, then you might just end up becoming a better employee as a result.”
“I would agree with you if it worked like that,” said Marge, “but some challenges just can’t be met. The man is completely crazy, it’s like he expects his employees to know what he wants before he even asks for it. I know that you are good Kizzy, but even you are not good enough for Michael Gamble Jr.”
“I think I would be,” said Kizzy. “I have been getting quite bored here anyway. Donald is an okay boss, I suppose, but he doesn’t challenge me anymore. I know exactly what to do to make him happy, I know just what he is going to want every day. Maybe a boss like Michael… maybe he could challenge me, force me to grow. I think it’s really important to do that, it’s important to understand when you can meet a challenge and improve yourself.”
“I understand where you are coming from,” said Marjorie, “but seriously
Kiz, do you really think that you can handle someone like Michael Gamble? I agree that you are the best there is, you put the rest of us to shame in fact, but Penny wasn’t all that shabby either. She knows her way around the work that we do here, and she didn’t last a week. Even if you are ten times the secretary that she is, and you very well might be, that just means that you’d last a couple of months, maybe three.”
“I beg to differ,” said Kizzy. “I think that I can do an absolutely fantastic job if I work for him. He’s not all that demanding when you think about it, all he really wants is someone who can understand how he works and help him get the job done in a way that fulfills his requirements. I think that there is a formula that can be followed.”
“Do you really think that you can handle it?” asked Marjorie.
“I know that I can handle it,” said Kizzy, standing up. “In fact, I am going to submit my application today. This might be just the thing I needed in order to get to where I want to go. The pay raise is going to help with… a lot of things. Maybe this is my chance.”
“You mean your dad?” asked Marge. “Oh, I am so sorry! That was so insensitive of me.”
“Don’t worry about it, Marge,” said Kizzy. “My dad has been sick for a while now, I have grown comfortable with it. I mean, it doesn’t get easier at all but I have started to realize that now that it has gone on for so long, people are going to want to ask me about it from time to time, and I am just going to have to deal with that.”
“You know that you are not alone, right?” asked Marge. “You have me to talk to, and anyone else here. We are all your friends and we are all here for you.”
Kizzy smiled and said, “Thanks Marge, that really does mean a lot to me. Maybe after some time it will start to get easier. That’s why I want this job too, you know? My parents insurance is just not covering the medical expenses, they are going to start getting some real help from me if they want to stay afloat.”
“I understand,” said Marge. “Good luck, babe. I know that you can do it if you put your mind to it.”
Kizzy smiled and said, “Thanks a lot, babe. I really appreciate it, especially when it comes from you.”
She walked out from behind her desk and went to fill in her application. She felt no qualms about what she was about to do. As Marge had just said, Kizzy was the best in the business. She was a secretary unlike any other. Even though this was not what she wanted to do for the rest of her life, her father had taught her that in order to get ahead you need to do whatever it is that you are currently doing with all of your effort.
Maybe it was because she was a black woman, a minority that is usually considered underachieving and incapable of anything truly great, but Kizzy really wanted to prove herself to everyone around her. This was her way of doing so.
She filled in the application the way it was supposed to be filled and submitted it. The temp secretary that had been hired looked harried and all over the place, and when she saw Kizzy submitting an application a look of grateful relief flashed across her face.
“You can come in tomorrow for an interview!” she said. “Be here by nine, and I would advise you to be on time. Mr. Gamble does not like it at all when people are late.”
Kizzy laughed and said, “You really want to get out of this job, don’t you?”
“You said it sister,” said the temp secretary. “I’ve had difficult bosses before, but this one is impossible!”
We’ll see just how impossible he is, Kizzy thought to herself as she returned to her desk.
*****
Kizzy awoke the next morning with excitement coursing through her veins. She knew that today was an important day in her life. She had been faced with many challenges before and she had never feared them. Today might be her greatest challenge yet, but it was just the tips of the iceberg. If she did well today, she would start earning enough money to pay for her father’s treatment. That was all that mattered right now, it was the only thought that was going through her head.
She got dressed, taking care to wear her best clothes for the interview, and left at half past eight. She got to the office five minutes before her interview time and went straight to Michael Gamble’s office. The temp secretary was already there, and already looking harried and stressed.
“Oh, thank goodness!” said the temp secretary. “I was starting to fear that you might not show up!”
“It’s still a couple of minutes to nine,” said Kizzy, “I’m not late.”
“You’re not late, that’s true,” said the temp secretary, her frizzy hair flying all over the place as she shuffled papers. “But as far as Michael Gamble is concerned, if you are not five minutes early, you are late in his book. Don’t worry, though, he is not going to hold it against you. You got here before nine, you’re the first applicant to ever do that, so I think you should be fine.”
“I hope so. When did you get here?” asked Kizzy.
“Oh I got here at a quarter to eight,” said the temp secretary absentmindedly.
“That early?” asked Kizzy.
“Yes,” said the secretary. “That’s what Mr. Gamble expects. Please, just make sure that you are on time. When he says that he wants you to be here at a certain time, always keep in mind that if you aren’t at least five minutes early he is going to get very angry indeed. If you want to make sure that he does not give you any trouble, get to where you need to be fifteen minutes before the time that he told you. Better safe than sorry, right?”
“Right,” said Kizzy. So far she was not hearing anything that surprised her. She knew that Michael Gamble was an extremely demanding boss, and she knew that if she wanted to work for him she was going to have to do as he asked. She would be up to this task. If she had to leave at a quarter past seven every day of the week, it was a small price to pay because she would be getting a huge salary bump as well as the experience that would allow her to do pretty much any job and find it easy.
“So when do you usually get off?” asked Kizzy.
“Around eight,” said the temp secretary. “If I’m lucky, he lets me get off at seven, but it usually goes until eight because it takes time to wrap things up and stuff. You won’t be here later than a quarter past eight, however.”
“So you get here fifteen minutes before eight in the morning, and leave fifteen minutes after eight at night?” asked Kizzy. “That’s more than twelve hours.”
“Oh,” said the temp secretary, “Oh no! I’m not scaring you away, am I? Please, don’t skip this interview just because of me. I’m tired and I’m not used to this kind of work, I am exaggerating the amount of work he makes me do! It’s all going to be fine.”
The temp secretary looked like she was bordering on hysteria, so Kizzy immediately spoke in a soft voice to calm her down. “It’s okay, don’t worry about it. I am going to get this job no matter what. I really need the pay raise, and I need the experience because it will allow me to get ahead in life.”
“Oh thank god,” said the temp secretary. “I thought that you might get scared off and that I would be stuck in this job until the next person comes in for an interview! He is such a demanding boss, I really hope that you are able to deal with him because the next time my temp agency offers to send me to him you can be damn sure that I will refuse.”
Kizzy laughed and said, “I doubt you are going to have to do that. I tend to be very good at my job, I am sure that I am going to be able to handle Mr. Gamble.”
“Speaking of which!” said the temp, as if suddenly realizing that she had a job to do, “I’d better tell Mr. Gamble that you are here, lest he think that you are late and refuse to hire you.”
The temp pushed a button and said, “Mr. Gamble, Kizzy Crawford is here for the interview. She has been her for twenty whole minutes waiting for you, sir, but I thought that you might be busy with something so I told her to wait.”
The temp waited, biting her lip as she did so, and looked at Kizzy. Kizzy smiled at her. She had been here for no more than three o
r four minutes but the temp was playing her up so that Mr. Gamble would have a higher chance of hiring her.
“Send her in,” came a voice from the intercom. It was curt and short, as if the person speaking on the other end did not have time for anything at all and needed to make sure that every single word he spoke would be given the weight that it deserved.
The temp looked at Kizzy and said, “You’re up. Good luck. You’re really going to need it.”
Kizzy laughed and said, “I probably am going to need it, but I assure you that I have come prepared for anything that man might throw at me.”
She took a deep breath and calmed herself. She needed to be in the zone so that she would be able to answer any questions that Michael Gamble might have for her. After all, this was the sort of interview where you couldn’t just scrape your way through. No, you had to impress the interviewer in this situation, because the interviewer was Michael Gamble, a man famous for running his father’s company with an iron fist and demanding the very best from all of his employees, particularly those who worked for him directly. Kizzy knew that she was going to have to put a great deal of effort into this if she wanted it to go well.
She entered the office and looked around. “Good morning,” she said to Michael Gamble, who was sitting behind his desk. He did not respond to her, sifting through his papers instead as Kizzy stood in front of him feeling more than a little awkward.
She decided to sit down on the chair that had been placed in front of his desk. There was no reason for her to feel awkward, after all. She was here for an interview, it was not her fault that he was not paying attention to her at this point in time.
Michael Gamble looked up from his papers and said, “So, you’re Kizzy Crawford.”
“Yes sir, that’s my name,’ said Kizzy.
“You realize that you are the only person that has applied for this job after I fired the last person that had been working for me?”