BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE BOXED SET: Labyrinths of Passion (7 Impassioned and Fetching Romantic Stories) (New Adult Billionaire Romance, Billionaire Romance, New Adult Short Stories)

by Zenobia Cannon

  Chapter 3 – The Fear

  Cindy groaned as she woke up. She could feel sun filtering in through her window, hitting her face as she grimaced. The thought occurred to her that her bed felt weird. She shifted, felt something warm against her arm. She opened one eye.

  John.

  The man was fast asleep, his chest visible as he breathed slowly. His hair that was normally so put together was messy. Cindy gazed at him for a while before she slowly slid from his bed. She made her way around the room gathering up her clothes before she slipped them on. It took her a minute to find her phone. She glanced at the time.

  8:00 am. She was going to be late! Cindy scrolled through her phone as she looked up the number to a taxi. At the same time, she was heading for the door. It would be better if she let him sleep. She knew that wasn't the only reason she was doing it, but it just felt better to say she was being considerate of him. '

  The tapping of her heels seemed to echo loudly with every step, even as she tried to walk quietly. When she reached the first floor, Cindy breathed a sigh of relief. No matter what happened the night before, she wasn't sure if she could handle anything more that what they'd had. The fluttering in her belly told her she wanted something, but she wouldn't even admit that much to herself.

  Cindy stood, staring out of the window for her taxi. She was considering going outside to wait, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. The woman yelped and spun around. John was standing there, a pair of sweatpants hung from his hips. His eyes were still sleepy, but the look on his face was inquisitive.

  “Where are you going?” He asked as his hand ran through his hair.

  “I have work,” she said as she adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder. “I can't miss a day.”

  “Can't you call in sick?” He asked.

  Cindy could tell he was partly joking, partly serious. She shook her head. “I have to go home, get changed.”

  “Okay. I'll grab my keys then,” he said as he started walking back towards the stairs.

  “Oh, that's alright. I'm waiting on my taxi.”

  John turned towards her. The look in his eyes was enough to make her turn away. It was as if he could read her thoughts. She heard his feet shuffle across the floor as he walked back to her.

  “Did I do something wrong last night? I didn't mean to push you beyond your boundaries, if I did.”

  Cindy shook her head. “No, it was nice. I had a good time.”

  “What's wrong then?”

  Cindy shrugged as she glanced at him. “I'm just not ready for anything more.”

  John nodded, but the look in his eyes said there was so much more he wanted to say. The silence between them was broken by the honking of the taxi. Cindy gave him a tense smile.

  “Really, thanks for a fun evening,” she said.

  John simply nodded again. She turned away, walked out of the door. When she was slipping into the taxi, she heard his voice. He was talking to the driver, slipping money in through his window.

  “Oh, you don't have to do that,” Cindy started.

  “I want to. If I can't drive you home, at least let me pay for the ride. I did bring you all the way out here.”

  When she started to protest, he pushed the money into the drivers hands. She watched as he walked away. While she'd thought it would be easy, she felt her heart sink. It was for the best, she decided. She couldn't handle another heartbreak, not so soon after the last one.

  When Cindy got home, she hopped in the shower. The entire time, she tried to push the thoughts of John out of her head. She called her boss, apologizing as she ran around the room trying to slip into her clothes. Her fingers twisted her hair into a quick, messy bun before she was out of the door again. By the time she pulled up to work, it was well after ten.

  “There you are!” Lillian called as Cindy sat her bag down at her desk. “How did it go?”

  “What?” She asked as she logged into her computer.

  “The date, how did the date go? Come on, it must have gone really well. I mean, you're coming in super late. Did you spend the night?”

  “I have to focus on my work right now,” Cindy said distracted.

  “What about-”

  “Not now!” Cindy could tell by the look on Lillian's face that she was hurt. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap like that. It's just that I have a few deadlines coming up and I'm tired. We'll grab lunch and talk, okay?”

  Lillian nodded, but Cindy could still tell that she was upset. She watched as her friend walked away, before she blew out a heavy sigh. Cindy ran her hands over her face before she took a deep breath. She had to get a handle on her emotions. The last thing she wanted was to lose a good friend.

  Her fingers slipped from her face as she heard her phone vibrate on her desk. She picked it up. The number she didn't recognize, but she had a good idea who it was. Her finger pressed the power button before she dropped the phone back into her purse. Cindy pushed away all distractions and focused on her work.

  The day slipped by so slowly, but Cindy was still anxious about lunch. She didn't want to talk about anything, but she also felt that she owed Lillian. Besides, maybe it would help. When noon rolled around, she logged off of her computer before she gathered her things. Lillian waited by the elevators for her. At least she seemed to be back to her cheery self.

  They settled on a little cafe a block from their job. When they'd placed their orders, Lillian leaned forward. Cindy could see the question written all over her face. She swallowed thickly.

  “Did it not go well?” Lillian asked.

  Cindy shook her head. “That's not it at all. We actually had a great time.”

  “Tell me, everything.”

  Cindy went over the story of her date from the night before. She couldn't help but to feel everything that she'd felt then. Lillian pressed her for more and more details, but she could only say so much. She didn't tell her about the way she'd felt safe with her hand in his or the way his eyes seemed to look right through her.

  “It sounds like you guys had a great time,” Lillian said.

  “We did. It was nice.”

  “Then what's the problem?”

  Cindy shrugged. “You know I was dating that guy a few years ago. He was so nice, so sweet. By the end, he was a nightmare. I wasted a lot of time in that relationship. I just don't think I'm ready for another one.”

  Lillian sipped on her drink before she nodded. “I can understand that, I guess. Is it really fair to take it out on John, though? He seems like such a good guy.”

  Cindy shook her head. “I just don't want to go through all of that again. I thought we'd just hang out, have some fun. I didn't expect for him to look at me like that...”

  Lillian reached across the table, patting Cindy's hand. Cindy gave a tight smile that didn't fully materialize. Instead, she sipped her drink before asking for the check. She hadn't touched her food. Lillian checked her phone.

  “John called me again,” Lillian said slowly.

  “Again?”

  The woman nodded. “Yeah, he called a few times earlier. Just to see if you were okay.”

  Cindy sighed. “Look, I just don't want to talk to him right now. I'll figure things out for myself.”

  “Okay. Well, no matter what, I'm here for you.”

  Lillian gave her a hug that really did bring a smile to her face. They walked back to the office together. Cindy realized that she did feel a little better about the whole thing. Getting it off of her chest was exactly what she needed. She left her phone off for the rest of the day, focusing on her work. When it was time to go home, she collected her things.

  “Hey, want to go get a drink? A few of us were going to meet at Harry's,” Lillian said.

  Cindy shook her head. “Maybe another night. I just really want to get some work done, then probably turn in early. Jackie was already shooting me daggers when I came in late.”

  Lillian laughed. “Yeah, she was staring at you pretty hard. I'll see you tomorrow.”r />
  Cindy hung around a little longer until she was ready to head out. Her heels tapped across the floor as she left the elevator, the only thought on her mind where she would go to grab dinner. She thought about the work she had ahead of her for the night. It was better than thinking about...

  John.

  He stood at the entrance to her building. His hands were shoved into the pocket of his gray slacks. The look on his face was composed, but Cindy could see something beneath that. She walked to him slowly, their eyes on each other the entire time.

  “What are you doing here?” She asked breaking the silence.

  “You didn't answer your phone all day. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  “I'm fine. I just have a ton of work to do back home,” she said as she started to walk away.

  John grabbed her hand as she walked by. “I was hoping we could go somewhere. I would love to talk to you for a little while.”

  Cindy slipped her hand out of his. As she did, the look on his face made guilt swim around her head. When it had all started, she hadn't expected to see that look on his face, but it was clear to see that he was hurt. Still, he kept it to himself as he nodded.

  “Are you sure I can't convince you?” He asked.

  “I'm sorry.”

  Cindy walked away quickly, pushing out into the warm evening air. She could still feel his eyes on her. As much as she tried not to, she glanced back at him over her shoulder. He stood there, staring after her.

  That's the last I'll see of him, she thought as she slipped behind the wheel of her car. A man like that was too refined to beg. She felt that old fluttering in her stomach again, but shook her head. It didn't make sense to keep trying, she argued with herself.

  The next morning, there was a little note on her desk. She opened it. The words were simple, signed with his name. Try again? Cindy pushed the note into her bag, but she didn't reply. It kept going like that for days, a week, two weeks. Every morning she would come into work, every morning there would be a note or little gift. As much as she tried to deny it, every little token brought a smile to her face in the mornings. She had come to expect something silly or sweet perched on her desk.

  One morning she walked in, expecting to see the little white envelope or box. There was nothing. She checked her desk, looked underneath it. She even walked around the office, hoping that maybe it had been delivered to the wrong desk. Nothing.

  Cindy plopped down in her chair, a frown on her face. She curled a piece of hair around her finger as she leaned forward. Her eyes were on the computer screen, but she couldn't stop thinking about John. She wondered if he had finally given up. After all, she hadn't exactly responded to the messages and gifts not even to say thank you.

  That was pretty rude. I could have at least said thank you. Cindy slipped her phone out of purse, stared at the glowing screen before she pushed it back in. If he really had given up on her, she wondered how good of an idea it would be to text him. She shook her head, put her purse on the ground before she logged into her computer.

  Cindy threw herself into her work. She had finished most of her projects ahead of time, but she always found new assignments. Her boss, Jackie, was impressed. By the time lunch came around, she was tired.

  “Lillian, want to go to the cafe?” She asked.

  When there was no reply, she turned to see if Lillian was paying her any attention. Lillian was standing off to the side, but in front of her was John. In his hands he held bouquet of begonias. A small smile rested on his lips. Cindy felt the familiar fluttering in her belly, contained the urge to throw her arms around his neck. With him standing there, she realized just how much she had missed him.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Well, I thought I would bring your present in today. If you're not busy, maybe you'd like to grab lunch with me. Your choice on where we eat.”

  John walked over, held out the small, pale pink vase that contained the flowers. The scent wafted up to Cindy's nose, the familiar smell enough to make her relax. She glanced at him as she took the flowers, before she put them on her desk. When she turned back to him, she noticed that Lillian wasn't the only person watching them.

  Cindy smiled. “Yes, I'll go to lunch with you.”

  The walk to the cafe was done in silence. She could feel the nervousness in the pit of her stomach growing, the tension between them just as bad. He pulled out her chair when they arrived and she thanked him quietly. When the food was ordered, Cindy turned to him. He started to talk, but she held up a hand.

  “This is just lunch, that's it. Nothing has changed,” she said.

  John nodded. “I didn't expect it to. I missed your company.”

  Cindy raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

  “Yes. Why is that so hard to believe?”

  Cindy shrugged. “I just thought you have so many people around you all of the time that I'd hardly be missed.”

  John's lips turned down into a frown. “I would rather have you around.”

  She could feel herself starting to blush. As her fingers reached out to grab her glass of water, he reached a hand across the table. His fingers stroked over her soft skin. Cindy shivered. In the short time they'd been apart, she hadn't remembered how nice it was to be touched. As she reveled in the feeling, John pulled his hand away.

  “I won't push things if you don't want me to, but I think you're being too hard on yourself. Not to mention too hard on me. I mean, you haven't even given me a chance and you're already giving up. I thought you were more brave than that,” John said.

  Cindy grinned. “Are you trying to bait me? Is this high school?”

  “Is it working?”

  Cindy laughed before shaking her head. “It's not failing terribly.”

  John reached his hand back across to her, this time he kept his hand on hers. “Tell me, what makes you want to pull away from me so bad?”

  Cindy shrugged, but John wasn't letting her off that easy. His eyes still held hers, the expression on his face said that he had all of the patience in the world. She sighed.

  “It's nothing that you've done. I was in a relationship two years ago where the guy was really nice, sweet and understanding. As soon as we'd been together for a while, all of that changed. He treated me like dirt, worse than dirt and I had to break it off. Before I broke up with him though, I kept saying he was a nice guy, kept making excuses for him. I was even offered a job in New York, but didn't take it so I could stay with him. I don't want to make the same mistakes again,” Cindy finished.

  John nodded. “Why didn't you tell me that before?”

  “I was too self-conscious. And a little scared, I think, to start over.”

  “How do you know how something will turn out, if you don't try?” He asked.

  Cindy smiled. “You can't, I suppose.”

  “So, give it another chance. I'll show you I'm not some pretend nice guy. I'm an actual nice guy.”

  “Okay, I'll give it another chance.”

  “Good. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning.”

  “Wait, what for?” Cindy asked.

  “Don't you know how I operate by now?”

  John paid for their lunches before he walked her back to the office. At the entrance, he wrapped his arms around her. Cindy leaned up into the hug, felt his lips brush against her cheek. When he pulled away, their eyes lingered on each other.

  “I'll see you tomorrow,” he said with a grin.

  She smiled back. “I can't wait.”

  Chapter 4 – The Trip

  The next morning Cindy waited for John to pick her up. The text she'd received the night before simply said, pack light. She couldn't contain the excitement she felt. She had woken up earlier than usual, took her time getting dressed and doing her makeup. It had taken her forever to decide on what to wear, but she'd settled on a dark pink dress that tied around her neck and a few pieces of casual jewelry. For once, she'd let her hair down, the golden locks curling over her shoulders softly.
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  As she waited, she couldn't help but speculate where he was going to take her. It was one of the things she liked about him, the way he never ceased to be able to surprise her. Around eight, there was a knock on her door. She blew out a breath, trying to relieve the nervousness that she felt.

  When she opened the door, John stood there without his usual suit. Instead, he wore a button down shirt, rolled up at the sleeves and dark blue jeans. Cindy grinned.

  “Wow, I don't think I've ever seen you so causal,” she said.

  “What do you think about it?”

  “You look good.”

  “So do you,” he replied.

  She could tell by the way he was staring at her that he meant it. A blush crept up to her cheeks. John grinned. He took her bag from her before he took her arm to lead her out to the car.

  “Where do you think we're going?” He asked as they drove.

  “Somewhere far,” she said with a laugh. “Otherwise, why have me pack a bag?”

  “That's it? I thought you'd have ten different theories by now.”

  “Oh I do, but I think I'd rather be surprised.”

  John held out a hand to her. She slipped her fingers inside of his, her heart thudding hard against her chest. When he was concentrating on the road, she glanced at him. All she could think about was how she wanted to kiss his lips at that moment.

  They arrived at a bustling airport. John steered her through the crowd. They moved quickly, not having to wait in lines or buy tickets. Her curiosity was peaked again. As they pushed through a door, they stepped out into the sun again. There was a small jet up ahead.

  “This is yours?” Cindy asked.

  “That's right. Come on.”

  The little jet was amazing. Rich, cream seats greeted them with dark, maroon carpeting. John stored both of their bags before he took a seat next to her. Cindy couldn't take the excitement that coursed through her body. She tapped her foot nervously when they took off, glanced out of the window constantly as they flew.