The Last Affair--A Hot Billionaire Workplace Romance

by A. C. Arthur

  * * *

  Desta had no idea how much time had passed since Maurice eased out of her and lowered both their bodies to the bed. She barely recalled what day of the week it was.

  “Bathroom,” he groaned the one word but only fell to his stomach on the bed beside her.

  She rolled over onto her back, her legs still partially spread, every part of her body on display and not a pinch of modesty. A sound buzzed through the room. It took her a second to realize it was a phone—Maurice’s. He got off the bed where he’d presumably been gathering his strength to get up and go to the bathroom. Grabbing his boxer briefs and jeans in one hand, he used the other to dig his phone out of his pocket.

  Her eyes drifted closed after that, her mind still floating in the aftermath of what was arguably the best sex she’d had in her entire life. The sound of Maurice cursing ripped her from that pleasurable thought. With his phone and clothes in hand, he disappeared into the bathroom. For endless moments she simply lay there staring at the door, convincing herself that there was no reason for her to think anything other than he’d gotten a message he didn’t like.

  That didn’t mean the message was from a woman. But he’d never rushed out of a room with his phone before. Not like Gordon had.

  She sat up on the bed. Maurice wasn’t Gordon. Desta knew that without a doubt, and she refused to let any more thoughts of her past invade the happiness she’d finally found.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  DESTA’S HEART DID a quick flutter and start the moment Maurice walked into her office on Wednesday morning. Today’s suit was a rich cranberry hue, paired with a caramel turtleneck. The smile he gave her after stepping inside and closing the door made her want to leap out of the chair and wrap her arms around him.

  The fact that she was at work, wearing another long pencil skirt—this one a yellow and gray African print—with four-inch heel boots, held her still. “Good morning,” she said as he passed behind her desk to where she sat.

  He turned her chair, dropped a hand on her desk, and threaded the other through her hair, pulling her closer to him. “Mornin’,” he whispered just before his lips touched hers.

  It never failed, that twist that happened in the pit of her stomach the exact moment his tongue tangled with hers. She reached a hand up to slip behind his neck, holding him to her in the same urgent way that he was holding her. Could this be sustained? This feeling, his scent, his touch, this moment? Could it stay like this forever?

  She didn’t know, and the not knowing was driving her crazy.

  “Missed you last night,” she whispered the moment he eased his mouth away from hers. It was what she’d been thinking all last night after he’d left and she was alone in her bed.

  For six years, since the day she’d walked out of that house she’d shared with Gordon, she’d lived alone and slept alone. Dates that turned into sex never turned into overnights at her house or theirs. Until Maurice, who’d slept beside her for the majority of the nights since the ski trip.

  “Missed you this morning.” His smile was intoxicating.

  With a grin of her own, she tapped a finger to his chin. “Why, because I’ve become you’re personal alarm clock?”

  “Hey, you can’t blame a guy for enjoying when a woman like you straddles him at four o’clock in the morning.”

  She had been doing that, after vowing she could make up for the workshop on morning sex they’d missed during the Dear Lover weekend. And she’d been enjoying it just as much as he had. So why had he left after getting that message last night?

  “Obviously you didn’t enjoy it too much. You opted not to stay last night.” Did that sound too controlling? Clingy? Needy?

  Maurice backed away from her then, moving around her desk and taking a seat in one of the guest chairs. She tried not to take that as a bad sign. “Had some things to take care of at home last night, that’s all. No big deal. But I want to cook for you tonight. Are you available?”

  “You? Cook?” She laughed. “This I’ve gotta see. Sure, I’m available.”

  “Oh, don’t act like you don’t know I’ve got skills in the kitchen. You remember those pizza bagels I brought in for that birthday luncheon for Betty down the hall.”

  “I remember they were overcooked and actually tasted a little store-bought.”

  He clapped a hand over his heart. “You wound my tender pride. I definitely pulled those out of the box and added extra cheese and oregano for a home-cooked touch.”

  “You’re definitely a goofball.” And she was unequivocally falling for him. “Your mother was amazed that I’d ever see past your silliness to be attracted to you.”

  His face contorted. “What? You talked to my mother about me?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “Briefly on Sunday when you and the guys were closed up in Ron’s study, the women talked to me about you.” That had been the first family girl talk she’d had in a long time. Since she was a teenager to be exact—that was the last time she, her mother and her grandmother had spent an evening talking, drinking lemonade and eating popcorn.

  Maurice waved a hand distractedly. “I don’t want to know what else was said during that little discussion.”

  He wasn’t looking at her. He was much more consumed with whatever he was reading on his phone. Just like last night.

  “Listen, I gotta run. Just wanted to stop in and see you before I got started with my day.”

  Shaking herself free of the questions looming in her mind, she smiled when he stood. “Well, thank you very much for the visit.”

  He leaned over the desk now, and she came up out of her chair to meet him halfway. “No thanks necessary,” he whispered before one quick kiss. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  She nodded and went in for another kiss, this time tracing her tongue over his lips. “Yeah, I’ll talk to you later.”

  With a grin he backed away and headed for the door. Desta watched him leave, resisting the urge to follow him. With an irritated shake of her head, she wondered when she’d decided reclaiming her life meant falling right back into her worst nightmare?

  She didn’t like feeling this way. Wanting to be with Maurice all the time, needing to hear his voice, to feel his touch. It was insane. And it was the beginning of a very slippery slope. Like the one she’d slid down when she’d thrown all of herself into her relationship with Gordon, only to be shocked later when he’d wanted to keep her in a cage, doing his bidding and punishing her whenever she rebelled. Just when she’d convinced herself this was different, that Maurice was different, doubt eased back into her mind. But she didn’t have time for this. Whatever was going to happen with Maurice would happen whether she spent the next few minutes worrying over it or not. There were better things she could do with her time. Work, for instance.

  It was after four when Desta was able to tear herself away from her desk long enough to grab herself a bottled water and a bag of trail mix from the lunchroom. An impromptu call with the Donovan brothers had morphed into talks with their sister, who was a TV producer and had expressed interest in a reality show featuring Chaz and Riley. Normally, Desta’s job didn’t take her into the world of TV, but she was in it now. Back upstairs, she chewed a handful of trail mix and finished her email to RGF’s legal department with all the questions she needed answered before going further with the discussions.

  Nessa, her assistant, came through on the line. “Yes, ma’am?”

  “I know it’s late and you don’t have anything on your schedule for the rest of the afternoon,” Nessa began. Desta was less concerned with the woman’s cryptic words and more concerned with why she was whispering through the phone. “But there’s a woman here. She says her name is Kelli Boston and that she needs to see you about a personal matter.”

  Kelli Boston? Did she know someone by that name? Oh wait, yes, she did. “Yes, send her in.”

  Grabbi
ng a tissue from the box on the other side of her desk, Desta wiped her hands of the trail mix and closed the bag just in time to watch Kelli walk into her office with the same cheerful smile she’d given her when they’d met.

  “Hi!” Kelli said, waving as she came closer.

  “Hi,” Desta responded with less enthusiasm as questions pressed in. “How’d you know where I worked?”

  “Oh, well, once Maurice said the two of you were coworkers, it was a no-brainer.”

  She was right about that, so Desta relaxed a bit. “Well, are you from New York? We didn’t really get a chance to get to know each other during that weekend.” The times they had been together, Kelli had done most of the talking, and truth be told Desta hadn’t gone to the Finger Lakes to make another female friend.

  “Oh no. I’m originally from Louisiana, but my parents moved to Miami when I was sixteen. Then I went to college in Delaware and ended up in Virginia.”

  None of which explained why she was sitting across from Desta right now. She didn’t know how to say that without being rude.

  “But the ski resort was so nice, I decided to stay on another week after the event ended. And then when I saw this while I was on the road, I knew I just had to make a detour and come make sure you were all right.” Kelli had been pulling her phone out of her purse while she talked. Now, she was leaning over to hand the phone to Desta.

  For endless moments Desta just stared at the woman wondering what in the world was going on. She didn’t know Kelli well enough for her to be sitting in her office, hadn’t even known her last name until Nessa said it a few minutes ago.

  “I find it hard to believe you’d see something on your phone that warranted a detour from Virginia to come here and show me.” Yet, Desta reached for the phone and pressed the Play button at the center of the screen.

  It started with music, some slow, dramatic orchestra piece, and then the words Breaking News scrolled across the screen in bright red letters. She was about to ask what type of foolishness this was when the first picture of Maurice appeared on-screen. He was helping a woman get out of a car, taking her by the hand, then bringing that hand up to his lips to kiss. The music faded, and a woman’s voice she didn’t recognize began talking about the night she’d met Maurice Gold. For the next two minutes and twenty-seven seconds, Desta’s heart slowed to an almost nonexistent beat.

  Throughout the video there’d been many pictures of Maurice with other women, but the clincher was the pictures of her with Maurice, which had been taken during the ski trip. Her chest constricted, and she struggled to remain calm as the woman speaking on the video continued to narrate. “I’m taking this time to share with the world the type of man Maurice Gold really is. He’s the father of my child, yet he refuses to acknowledge it. That’s the man these women are dating. That’s the man selling clothes to you and smiling at you, mesmerizing you through a camera.”

  Desta dropped the phone, and it clamored across her desk. “What the hell is this? And why would you come all the way here to show it to me?”

  “I thought you should see it before the rest of the world does.” Kelli picked up the phone and looked down at the screen. “Well, I guess that might be a little late because it’s had half a million views already. Traffic was really tight on the highway today.”

  In the next seconds Desta recalled how Kelli always seemed to pop up where she was during the Dear Lover retreat. When Kelli had admitted she knew who Maurice was, Desta had been alarmed. But when she’d tried to tell Maurice they should be careful about being seen together, he’d dismissed her concern. Now she wondered if that’d been a mistake. “Who are you?” she asked before standing.

  Kelli smiled sweetly. “I’m your friend, Desta. Looking out for your best interests. You wouldn’t want to get tangled up in another very public love triangle, would you?”

  Desta’s heart pounded, her hands fisting at her sides. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said through gritted teeth. But she knew exactly what Kelli was referring to. The question was, how did Kelli know about the press conference in Denver when Gordon was officially cut from the team after his affair with the coach’s wife?

  “Come on, now. I know you’re too smart to play dumb with me. I really am just here as your friend. But I see you’re not really welcome to that idea.” Kelli reached for her phone and shrugged. “That’s a pity. Anyway, all you need to know now is that this could’ve been avoided. Maurice could’ve saved you, his family and this company the embarrassment, but he chose not to.” She was walking to the door now, still smiling brightly. “Oh, and when you see him, because I know you’re gonna run right to his office and tell him about this, tell him I said hello!” With a wave of her hand Kelli walked out of the office, and Desta struggled to breathe.

  After a few moments of thinking she might actually hyperventilate, she picked up the phone and dialed Maurice’s extension.

  “Yeah, I can’t talk right now. I’ll get back to you.”

  “What? No. I need to talk to you. It’s serious.”

  “Okay. Okay. We’re meeting at my place at six. We can talk then.”

  “Maurice, I mean it. We need to talk now.”

  “I can’t right now. I’ll see you at my place.”

  The sound of him hanging up on her sent Desta into a tailspin. Her hands shook as she tried to put the phone back into its cradle. She swayed as the room seemed to tilt around her, and she finally dropped down into her chair to keep from collapsing. So many thoughts were going through her mind right now, so many questions. All she could do was drop her head in her hands and close her eyes.

  What was she doing? Was she really reliving everything that had happened when she was back in Denver?

  She wasn’t naïve—she’d known what she was getting into by continuing to date Maurice. His entire job was based on being the public face for this company. He knew reporters and photographers by name. There were always pictures of Maurice with women in the tabloids, so seeing some of them in that video wasn’t what had shocked her. It was the pictures of her and Maurice taken while they were at the ski resort that caused alarm. Despite not trying to keep their relationship a secret, having it revealed that they’d been on a dating app meet ’n’ greet wasn’t something she wanted the public to know.

  What had made her entire body tremble was hearing that unknown woman talk about Maurice fathering a child. She’d never imagined him as a father, and the thought of him being a father to someone else’s child sent a quick jab of annoyance and pain through her chest.

  Sitting back in her chair now, she let loose a nervous chuckle. She couldn’t make this stuff up: her life might read like a movie script, but it was real. And now she needed to get home and change for this dinner with Maurice, where she’d have to tell him that their secret was not only out, it was exploding for the entire world to see on social media.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “YOU MISSED THE DEADLINE? I thought you said your guy was going to have the IP address of the blackmailer this morning and you’d have this wrapped up by the end of the day.” RJ slammed the door to Maurice’s office a few minutes after five that afternoon.

  Major was already there standing across from Maurice’s desk, and Chaz was in the far corner talking on his cell phone. RJ was technically late to the party.

  “He had some kind of tech failure this morning, so I called Major and Chaz. They’ve been working all day to track the IP address and get us the name of the owner.” He was trying to keep the cool he was known for, trying to let this play out the way it needed to so he could get to the desired result. It was hard. He wanted to punch somebody, but he didn’t know who, and then he wanted to scold himself for making the same mistake over and over again and not listening to anyone who’d tried to warn him about the way he dealt with the press. His jaw hurt from clenching it so tight each time he thought about how insane this situ
ation was. The woman mentioned in the blackmailing emails and who he suspected was narrating that video—which he now knew had been viewed over a million times—was a liar. He’d definitely dated her. There were pictures of them in the video that could prove it, but he’d never slept with her—a fact she wasn’t thrilled about in the end. He wasn’t the father of her child.

  “We found the IP address, and Chaz has his people working on getting us the name and location now,” Major said.

  “So all we can do is wait? This thing is spreading like a virus. You’re gonna have to make a statement. Tell them about the blackmail attempt and that the paternity thing is all a lie. Dad’s already called the lawyers, so they’re standing by ready to go after whoever’s behind this.” When it came to family scandals, RJ was just like their father. He went into action immediately, doing any and everything he could to protect his family first, the company second.

  “I can’t believe this is happening,” Maurice said, dragging his hands down his face. And of all times for it to happen, why now? Why when he’d finally realized the player lifestyle he’d adopted because he didn’t think he deserved real love and happiness was a total mistake? When he’d just found Des.

  Leaning back in his chair, he closed his eyes and tried to ignore the pressure in his chest at the thought of how she’d react when she got wind of this. How long before she saw the video and came storming down to his office to curse him out?

  “Okay, let’s just all calm down. We’re actively working on the situation. As soon as we get a name and an address, we’ll be able to get the ball rolling toward prosecution. And this will all blow over just like the other failed attacks against us,” Major interjected.

  Opening his eyes and sitting up straighter in his chair, Maurice nodded. He believed every word Major had said, but those weren’t his only worries. “I gotta tell Des.”

  “You mean you haven’t told her about this yet?” The stunned tone in RJ’s voice caught his attention, and he looked over to where his older brother stood. “I thought that was some kind of code for you people in love, that you had to tell each other everything.”