Tech Titans: The Complete Billionaire Romance Series

by Swann, Marcella

  I tried to act normal after that, but our almost-kiss shook me to the core. I didn’t scare easily, but I wasn’t sure what would happen between us if we went down that road again. I was worried it would ruin our friendship altogether, making me lose him completely. That was a scary thought, but I was starting to get the feeling that it was inevitable.

  Chapter Six: Friends and Lovers

  I was sitting in my office, staring at my computer screen without really seeing it. My mind was stuck on Judy, despite my best efforts. Ever since we nearly kissed two days ago, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I had an almost insatiable craving for the woman.

  It didn’t help that I knew exactly what I was denying myself. We had been lovers for nearly two months, and there were plenty of memories to torture myself with. The ability to close my eyes and conjure her naked form was both a blessing and a curse.

  What confused me was the desire to revisit the past. I had never experienced it before. I had tomcatted around plenty in the past. Once I moved on, I never looked back. Could it be just because I still saw Judy on a regular basis? Whatever the reason, she was under my skin.

  So, why was I denying myself this? Re-establishing our physical connection would surely scratch the itch.

  I knew the answer, of course. Things were more complicated now. When we had been together before, I had barely known her. She had started working as my brother’s assistant and I was attracted to her. It was simple, and uncomplicated; which is how I liked it. Then, I got to know her. Her vivacious personality and caring nature drew me in. That was when I ended it, under the pretense of concern for SXz.

  If I were honest with myself, I ended it because I was getting too attached. All relationships end eventually, and I’d never seen myself getting into a long-term one. They had never made logical sense to me. Feelings change over time and I had never had an interest in getting emotionally invested.

  After things ended with Judy, we not only stayed in contact, we became good friends. The attraction to her had always been there, but lately it seemed to be on my mind constantly. I needed to be with her again, for my sanity.

  Dating was not a good idea, it wasn’t what I wanted. Could we handle casual sex, though? Friends with benefits could be the perfect answer to my problem. I clearly needed to get it all out of my system without worrying about emotional attachment on either end. Yes, it was the logical solution.

  Bringing it up could be a problem, though. How does one ask a friend for a roll in the hay?

  The phone on my desk beeped and the voice of my assistant came over the speaker. “Mr. Stallworth, Keith Lowry is here for your ten o’clock.”

  I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my eyes. I had completely forgotten about that. Man, I was really off my game.

  “Send him in, Geri,” I said, locking my computer screen.

  The door of my office opened a moment later and Geri led Keith in, holding a cup of coffee in her hands. He took a seat in one of the chairs in front of my desk without waiting for me to offer it, then held his hand out to Geri for the coffee mug. She handed it over with a polite smile.

  “Thanks doll,” he said, taking a sip.

  “Is there anything else I can get for you, sir?” Geri asked. Despite her young age of 23, she was always the embodiment of professionalism.

  “This’ll do just fine,” Keith said, without looking up from his coffee.

  “Mr. Stallworth?”

  “I’m fine, Geri. Thanks,” I said, and she turned to go. Keith finally looked away from the cup in his hands to watch her walk out the door, his gaze lingering on her ass the whole way. I frowned.

  “What can I do for you Keith?” I asked as soon as Geri shut the door behind her.

  “Well, for starters, you can tell me where to get one of her,” he said with an easy laugh. “I wish my assistant looked like that.” He shrugged, “At least she’s good in bed. The girl doesn’t have much else going for her”

  I tried not to look too revolted at his words. Judy worked for SXz when we slept together, I reminded myself. I didn’t have too much room to judge.

  “Geri has a boyfriend,” I said, not knowing how else to respond.

  I had met Keith in college but hadn’t seen the man in years. I primarily remembered him as a womanizer that left a trail of broken hearts behind him, having no regard for the feelings of others. I may have slept around quite a bit over the years, but I always laid my cards on the table. I didn’t lead women on and then fled as soon as I got a new notch in my belt. Keith didn’t appear to have changed much at all.

  “So, how have you been? This is great, man,” he gestured to the office around us, “SXz, wow. I remember you leaving college to pursue this idea. I’m not gonna lie, I thought you were crazy. And then Hayden followed! What a thing to do.”

  I nodded, saying nothing.

  “I really thought that you were ruining both your lives, man. And look at you now. Owners of one of the biggest tech companies in the world.”

  “Yep.”

  “And I’m the schmuck that actually finished with a degree!” he laughed. I was beginning to wonder where this was going.

  “I hear you started a nonprofit,” I said, trying to move the conversation along.

  “Yeah. I mean,” he once again gestured around the office, “this is great. Really, good for you. But I wanted to give something back. You know, help people.”

  “No offense taken,” I said drily.

  “Oh, no. I didn’t mean it like that,” Keith said, keeping a winning smile on his face the whole time he spoke. I felt like I was talking to used car salesman. “We just walked different paths.”

  “Yet, here we both are. What can I do for you?” I asked, suspecting that he was going to ask for money.

  “I want you to arrange a meeting with the owners of So Good,” he said, smiling so big that I felt like I could see all his teeth.

  To say I was surprised would be an understatement. I didn’t see this coming at all. I got hit up all the time by charities and various nonprofit organizations. It came with the territory when your bank account was a certain size. I hadn’t realized my connection to So Good was the reason Keith wanted to meet.

  “What do you want with them?” I asked warily. I was feeling defensive of So Good, not wanting Keith anywhere near them. Call it a gut feeling, but I didn’t trust the guy.

  “They match people with nonprofits. I run one. It’s a match made in heaven.”

  I hesitated, but I couldn’t deny his logic. So Good was meant to make a difference, to use technology in a way that really mattered. I knew that they were looking to establish more of those connections. After all, they were getting new members every day. The idea was that their clients would have a wide selection of causes to choose from.

  “What does your foundation do?” I asked.

  “Promotes the arts in the community. We produce plays and music events, sponsor art shows for aspiring artists, that kind of thing.”

  “How did you get into that?” I asked. He didn’t seem like the artsy type.

  “I come from old money and I had to do something with myself after college. This fit my lifestyle nicely. Besides, women love that crap.”

  “How noble of you.”

  “Hey, now. I ‘enrich the community through the arts’,” he said, using his fingers to make air quotes as he spoke. “I’m a humanitarian.”

  “Indeed,” I replied, leaning back in my chair, considering his request. Judy loved art and it was a smart move for the company. I didn’t have a logical reason to refuse him.

  “I’m just asking you send an email to one of the owners,” he said, his smile faltering slightly for the first time since he started talking. “What’s the problem?”

  I couldn’t really answer his question. I had an uneasy feeling that couldn’t be explained. Deciding that it was just because his personality was grating, I straightened in my chair and put on a professional smile

  “No problem at all.
I’ll email her now.”

  “Mr. Stallworth?” Geri called my name out tentatively as she opened my office door. Keith had left hours ago and I had been alone at my desk ever since.

  “Come on in, Geri,” I replied. She took a seat in the chair across from me and tapped her foot nervously. I waited a moment for her speak. When she didn’t I stood and walked around the desk, leaning against the front of it. “What’s up?”

  “I wanted to ask you...uh, you know what? Nevermind,” she said, not making eye contact. She made an attempt to stand and leave. I placed my hand on her shoulder and applied gentle pressure until she lowered herself back into the seat.

  “What’s up?” I asked again. Geri had been my assistant for two years and I had never seen her act like this.

  “I need some time off.”

  “You have some vacation time saved up, I believe. Two weeks, if I remember correctly.”

  “I might need a little more than that.” Her voice trembled. “You see, my boyfriend got hurt at work. It’s his back, and they’re not sure if he’ll ever-” she broke off, letting out a sob.

  I looked around frantically. Damn it, why didn’t I keep tissues in here?

  Geri buried her face in her hands. Desperate, I took my suit jacket off and knelt in front of her. Pulling her hands away from her face, I wiped her eyes with the sleeve of my jacket.

  “Oh, no. You don’t have to-”

  “Yes, I do,” I told her firmly. Putting the jacket in her lap. “You use that if you need it.”

  “Thank you,” she said, smiling weakly through her tears.

  “Now, what’s going on?”

  “It’s Lee. He took a bad fall work.”

  “He works for a roofing company, right?”

  “Yes. It was a one-story house, but he was hurt real bad,” a few more tears leaked out, but she continued. “They aren’t sure if he’ll walk again.”

  “You need some time to take care of him?”

  “Yeah. But the problem is, and I know it’s asking a lot, more than a lot, but I can’t afford to take unpaid time off. So, I was really hoping…”

  “You need more vacation?”

  “I know the company policy is two weeks a year, but maybe I could have next year’s now. And not get any next year?”

  I looked into her tear streaked face thoughtfully.

  “No, I’m afraid that won’t work.” Her chin quivered, so I hastened to add, “You’ll start with a paid month off, and we’ll see how Lee is after that. If you need more time, you’ll get it. It won’t count against any vacation time.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Of course. We’ll discuss your pay when you return to work. It occurs to me that you haven’t had a raise since you started.”

  Geri threw her arms around me, giving in to more tears. I patted her back and made a mental note to personally look into Lee’s treatment. I would make sure he had the best doctors. I couldn’t stand to see Geri in tears like this.

  Keith’s words from earlier today crossed my mind. Maybe I should make an effort to help more people, people like Geri.

  Chapter Seven: Hung Up

  “What the hell is that?” I asked loudly as Elliott sat a plastic cup on the desk in front of me, a bright green liquid inside.

  “It’s a green smoothie,” he exclaimed, seemingly thrilled with himself.

  I looked up at him and saw that he had one in his hand as well and was sipping the drink while watching me. Lifting the cup to my face, I took a sniff of the concoction. My nose wrinkled at the smell.

  “What’s in this?”

  “Pineapple, passion fruit, apple, orange juice, and spinach.”

  “Uh—what was that last one?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

  “Spinach,” he replied, a look of wide-eyed innocence on his face.

  “Spinach!? Oh my god, Elliott. Why is this thing on my desk?”

  “It’s good for you!”

  “But at what cost?”

  “Just drink it,” he said, jutting his chin out stubbornly.

  “Please tell me you didn’t make this for me,” I said, eyeing the cup once again.

  “No, it’s part of the new healthy smoothie menu at the coffee shop.”

  “You went to the coffee shop and brought me back this instead of my frozen triple chocolate mocha?”

  “Do you know how much refined sugar they put in that? It’s so bad for you. Besides, you don’t need coffee, I have chia seeds to sprinkle on top of the smoothie.”

  “Chia seeds?”

  “Yeah. They boost energy.”

  “Are you talking about the stuff I use to grow Bob Ross’ hair?”

  “What?”

  I reached behind myself and grabbed the terra cotta pot I had there that was shaped like Bob Ross’ head. There was a magnificent mane of green “hair” sprouting out of the top. I plopped it down on my desk next to the smoothie I would never drink and grinned up at Elliott.

  “A Chia Pet? Has that always been there?” he asked.

  “Since my birthday two months ago. Gigi got it for me. I can’t believe you never noticed it!”

  “Look at all the crazy stuff you have around here. I can’t keep track of it all. Between that Mount Rushmore thing,” he pointed up at my Three Stooges wall hanging. Then gestured to my desk, “and these little troll figurines on everyone’s desks. What’s the deal with those anyway?”

  “Treasure Trolls are good luck,” I said, picking up the one on the corner of my desk. I had brought them in a month ago and placed them on every desk in the office. Mine had furry red hair that stuck straight up in the air. “These things are vintage. I’ve had them since I was a little kid. You know, they were huge in the 90’s. When I was in first grade, everyone used to line them up along the front of their desks. It was prestigious.”

  “Okay, then. Well, thanks for the luck, I guess.” Elliott glanced at the clock on the wall behind me. “Your meeting with the head of the Arts and Culture Foundation is in ten minutes.”

  “Gotcha,” I said, carefully returning Bob to his shelf and holding the smoothie out to Elliott. “Find out if he wants anything from the coffee shop and you can grab it for him when you go back for my mocha.”

  “It wouldn’t kill you to try something new, ya know,” he grumbled, taking the cup from my outstretched hand.

  “You don’t know that. It’s not worth the risk.”

  “I’m not getting extra chocolate,” he said as he walked away. I just shook my head with a smile, knowing he was bluffing.

  “And see if Gigi wants anything!” I called after him. He turned back around and bowed down low while continuing to walk backwards.

  “Your wish is my command,” he said, sarcasm dripping from every word. I just laughed.

  * * *

  Half an hour later, I was sitting in the boardroom with Keith Lowry, the founder of the Arts and Culture Foundation and former schoolmate of J.D., who had set up this meeting. We had already discussed the specifics of So Good’s relationship with nonprofit organizations. Our mission and values statements were laid out for him to see and the commitment we had to social causes seemed to impress him. He had easily agreed to work with us.

  Keith was signing some paperwork when there was a knock on the boardroom door. I called out, “Come in,” and Elliott pushed the door open. My eyes zeroed in on the large frozen coffee in his hand. It was piled high with whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate syrup. I was suddenly very thirsty.

  “Now that’s more like it,” I said happily, gladly taking the drink from his hand. Keith shot me an amused grin before turning to Elliott and grabbing his own coffee. I could see steam coming out of the little slit in the top of the lid.

  “Thanks, man,” He said to Elliott with an easy smile.

  “No problem,” Elliott replied. He turned to me, “Happy now?”

  “Oh, yeah,” I said as I took my first sip and chocolatey goodness filled my mouth. “That’s the stuff.”

&nbs
p; “Well, I’m not dealing with your mid-afternoon sugar crash,” he said, earning a chuckle from Keith.

  “You stay out of this,” I said, shooting Keith a mock glare. His eyes widened in surprise for a moment before he chuckled once again.

  “I wouldn’t dream of getting in the middle of it,” he said, holding his hands up in front of himself. That relaxed smile never seemed to leave his face.

  “I’m leaving anyway,” Elliott said, “Gigi said you guys are taking the rest of the day off and to go home.”

  This was news to me, but I didn’t object. It was just after noon and this meeting with Keith was the last thing on my schedule for the day.

  “Okay. Thanks, El,” I replied. He left Keith and I alone again.

  “Are you guys siblings?” Keith asked curiously.

  “No. Why?”

  “You just bicker like brother and sister,” he said shrugging.

  “I can’t deny that,” I said, taking another big sip of my coffee. “So, how did you get involved in this foundation? Are you an artist?”

  “I wish. I’ve always liked the idea of being that creative, but I lack the talent.” He flexed his fingers, “I don’t have an artist’s hands, you know?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I find an artist’s gift tends to be in their hands. It requires a certain amount of grace,” he leaned forward until he was much closer to me. “Like you. You have an artist’s hands. They’re agile, almost elegant.”

  He gestured to my hands and I had the feeling that he wanted to touch them but was waiting for a sign from me. I was shocked at how quickly he had turned on the charm. What surprised me even more was my lack of response to it.

  “You think so?” I asked. There was a slightly flirtatious tone in my voice, but I didn’t really feel it.

  I studied Keith’s face. He was handsome enough. Short brown hair and hazel eyes were made even more appealing by the dimples from his ever-present smile. Perfectly straight, white teeth shone behind full lips. I also couldn’t help but notice that he was wearing an expensive suit over a seemingly toned body. Overall, he was a good-looking man.