Impossible (to Resist) Boss: Billionaire Romance

by Arabella Quinn

  The MC was just asking everyone to take their seats when Jason approached them. He easily outmaneuvered the older man as he greeted Lilliana, steering her away and offering her a seat next to him at the dinner table. Greg, knowing he had been defeated, meekly wandered around to the other side of the table.

  Lilliana was looking beautiful. Her hair was twisted into a loose knot and secured with a shiny clip. She had on a simple black dress that along with the glamorous looking way she fixed her hair made her look like a million bucks. Still, nothing could compare with the way she’d looked earlier that day.

  The bikini she had worn had left him tongue-tied. It was an image he’d never be able to banish from his mind. It made him want to keep her all to himself – to drag her up to his room right this very moment and have his way with her. He couldn’t remember ever wanting somebody as badly as he wanted her. He ached for her and he was dangerously close to losing all his hard fought control.

  “Jason!” The familiar feminine voice and the light touch on his arm forced him to drag his attention away from Lilliana.

  He tried to disguise the frown that automatically formed on his lips when he saw Gloria. She was the wife to his General Counsel on the Board, Reggie Phillips, close to 20 years younger than Reggie and a gold digging beauty of the worst kind. Married women didn’t interest him, let alone one of his colleague’s wives. Even though he’d blatantly made his feelings clear, she continued to obliquely offer herself up to him at every chance. She was already begging for attention from him.

  Sighing silently with frustration that she’d sat next to him tonight, Jason introduced Lilliana to the members of their table as they were sitting. All were board members or VIPs of the company and he was surprised to learn that she had met some of them before.

  Reggie, his voice booming over the sound of the music and background chatter, questioned Jason, “We missed you at the board luncheon today. You had some better plans, eh?” The older man laughed at his meager joke.

  Jason addressed the table. “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it. Something came up last minute. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves?”

  Luckily, they seemed to accept his lame answer. Gloria began singing the praises of the restaurant that they went to and soon everyone was talking amongst themselves again. Jason used the moment of distraction to focus back on Lilliana.

  “Have you recovered from our parasailing adventure?”

  “Yes, I’m fine.” She raised her eyebrows with mock surprise. “You blew off a lunch with the board today? And I thought I was being bad.”

  “Shhh.” He winked at her. “Don’t tell. It’ll be our little secret.”

  He felt Gloria’s hand on his arm again, trying to get his attention. “Jason…” He tried to ignore it, but she only got more persistent. When he felt her hand slide to his thigh, he turned to her while firmly pushing her hand away.

  Her lips were pursed into an exaggerated pout. “Where have you been hiding yourself all week? Reggie and I are leaving tomorrow morning and it’s been a rather dull trip.”

  Her whining tone set his teeth on edge. “I’m sorry to hear that. There’s so much to do in Miami. I’ve had a really amazing time myself.”

  Her eyes narrowed slightly. Was she finally getting the hint? Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. During dinner, he couldn’t get more than two words in to Lilliana before Gloria would interrupt. It was beyond annoying and he couldn’t comprehend how Reggie managed to live with the woman.

  Towards the end of the main course, the lights in the room dimmed. It was time for the company’s video presentation and also his cue to leave the table. If he lingered a few minutes, he knew Brenda would be over in a flash to remind him.

  He stood up and excused himself from the table before heading up to the lectern. Brenda gave him some last minute instructions while the ten-minute video was still playing.

  When the video ended and the applause from the audience stopped, the spotlight turned on, illuminating him in front of the crowded ballroom. He’d spoken in front of crowds hundreds of times and even hosted this very event almost a dozen times, so this presentation was old hat.

  He’d spoken in front of much scarier crowds, trying to sell them the impossible. This was a friendly crowd of employees and he was handing out achievement and recognition awards – hardly a nail-biting endeavor. So, why was he suddenly feeling so out of sorts?

  Even as he had the audience laughing at his first joke, he knew the answer. It had to do with Lilliana. Although she didn’t know it, he was recognizing her hard work with an award. He’d never given an award to an admin who worked directly for him before. No one had ever deserved it. Many of the executives in his company had though, so it wasn’t unusual.

  Maybe it was just the sleazy innuendo that Bill Travers was slinging at him that had him uneasy. Maybe it was that and the fact that he was well aware that his feelings for her had crossed the line from professional to personal. The lines were blurring dangerously, and he was running out of willpower to fight against it.

  He handed out awards, shaking hands and congratulating this year’s recipients one at a time. Each received a token, usually a plaque, watch or engraved glass or acrylic reward, and either reward points or a check all depending on their level of achievements.

  He was handed the next award, a glass statue in the shape of a star, engraved with Lilliana’s name on it. “This next award goes to Lilliana Collins. Lilliana has worked at Kaine Industries for over six years. She has worked her way up the ladder through hard work and by being a team player, self-motivated, detail oriented, autonomous, proactive and utterly reliable. She is a stellar employee with a positive attitude…”

  He paused for a moment and looked up from his notecard. “I’m going to go a bit off-script here. Brenda…” He put his hand up to the crowd and pretended to search for her. “I’m sorry wherever you are.”

  He waited a beat while the crowd chuckled before resuming. “As some of you here may know, I’m not always the easiest man to work for.”

  He had to pause while the crowd laughed again. “I tend to put people who work for me though the wringer. Early mornings, long days- my schedule requires a lot of flexibility from my administrative assistants. And Lilliana has not only coped with all my demands and quirks, by doing her job with extreme competence and efficiency, but by going beyond.

  I can note on at least two occasions where she went above and beyond her duties and ended up saving me from serious trouble. It’s completely impossible to quantitate how much that has meant to this company. Needless to say, it is something I value tremendously.”

  “Lilliana…” Applause rang out as she stepped to the front of the room to accept her award.

  Smiling, he held out his hand for her to shake when she approached. She briefly shook his hand, accepted the glass star and then scurried out of the spotlight all without even looking at him.

  The rest of the awards presentation was anti-climactic to him. When it was finally through, he immediately sought out Lilliana. Dessert had already been served and eaten and now that the presentations were over, only about half the employees had remained to dance. He worried for a moment that Lilliana had left too, but then he saw her near the back of the room at the bar.

  It took a few minutes for him to get there, because he was stopped several times by employees wanting to talk to him. She had just gotten her drink when he arrived at her side.

  “Congratulations again. It was a little bit tricky keeping the award a surprise from you.”

  “Oh yes.” She hardly seemed excited. In fact, her face was blank. “Thank you, Mr. Kaine.”

  “What’s wrong?” He frowned. This was nothing like how he’d imagined her reaction would be. At least she could fake a little enthusiasm.

  “Nothing.” She took a long sip of her drink.

  Something was bothering her and he wanted to know what it was. They’d just had an incredible day; now suddenly she was upset and it seemed d
irected at him. “It’s not nothing. What did I do?”

  Her eyes darted about the room. She looked like she wanted to escape, but he wasn’t going to let her off that easily. Not after today.

  Something had changed for him. No doubt, he had been thinking of Lilliana non-stop for a while now, but he’d always been hands-off. He couldn’t resist any longer. He knew it. He wasn’t sure how long he’d known, but he was planning to seduce her tonight. There was no more denying it. He couldn’t.

  The thought of having her was like the siren’s call luring him to crash against the jagged rocks. He wanted to make love to her – the consequences be damned.

  And nothing was going to stop him.

  Before she could answer, Gloria found them. Her voice held even more of a nasally whine than usual, “Reggie is being a party pooper. He’s heading back to our room. You’re not going anywhere, are you Jason?”

  Lilliana was looking to bolt. He had to get rid of Gloria fast. “Gloria, why don’t you see if you can round up a few people to hit the clubs?”

  Gloria’s eyes opened wide. She had expected to be turned down yet again. She couldn’t contain her triumphant smile. “I knew you wouldn’t let me down! I’ll be right back.”

  He waited until she had scurried off before he spoke. “Let’s get out of here before she gets back.”

  This time, Lilliana looked surprised. “What about Gloria?”

  “She’ll get over it.”

  A small smile crept onto her face. “You can just leave?”

  He wasn’t sure what had just transpired, but he knew that he’d won her back. He couldn’t keep the cocky smile off his face. “I can do whatever I want.”

  She giggled as they both snuck out of the ballroom. It wasn’t until they were in the elevator and he hit the button to his floor that she thought to ask, “Where are we going?”

  “Back to my room. Unless you wanted to go out?”

  He could see the instant agitation his statement caused, but he pretended not to.

  “No. I don’t want to go out. But…” She paused. “It doesn’t seem…” Her voice trailed off.

  He kept his manner rather nonchalant. “Come to my room and have a drink with me. I have a great suite. We can drink on the balcony – the view is lovely.”

  She still hesitated. “I’m not sure.”

  The elevator stopped on his floor and the doors slid open. “Come on. I won’t bite. Promise.”

  She stepped out of the elevator and followed him to his room. His cock was so rock hard, he’d wasn’t sure he’d make it through an entire drink without touching her.

  He led her into his room where she stood uncertainly. He went to the small bar and mixed up a couple of drinks for them. When he handed her the drink, she still hadn’t moved from the spot.

  “Why did you ask me up here?” Her voice sounded shaky.

  He took a deep swig of his drink. “Why did you come up here?”

  She looked so damn nervous. He put his drink down and then took the drink from her hand and put it aside. “I think you know what I want. It’s not right, but I can’t stop myself.”

  She could run out the door; she had every right to be upset. He would lose the best admin he’d ever had. Hell, she could sue the fuck out of him. A litany of reasons, all telling him to stop, was running through his head, but he couldn’t turn back now. Everything had been leading up to this.

  “Come over here.” His voice felt tight in his throat.

  Slowly, she stepped over to him until she was right in front of him. He placed a finger under her chin, tilting her face up towards him. “Tell me to stop.”

  “Don’t stop.”

  With just those two words, the ache for her grew unbearable. When their lips finally met, he couldn’t hold back. He didn’t want to frighten her away, but his hunger was insatiable. His desire drowned everything else out. He had never felt more out of control with need.

  Chapter 19

  To say warning bells were going off inside my head would be an understatement – the insistent warning sounded more like the deafening blare of a tornado siren. My instincts were screaming for me to turn and run with every step that I took forward. They urged me run: to bolt from the elevator and sprint straight back to my room, to flee from his hotel room door and never look back, and currently, to escape his hotel room while he was busy pouring the drinks. Yet, I didn’t.

  Here I was, accepting the drink from his hand, while he chatted innocently about the great view from the balcony. It was insanity.

  The intellectual part of my brain no longer had any control. That was confirmed true when the words spilled unbidden from my mouth in a timid, anxious voice, “Why did you ask me up here?”

  He was as cool and confident as ever, perhaps even a bit cocky when he replied smoothly, “Why did you come up here?”

  He hadn’t exactly answered my question, but there was no denying the obvious. He wasn’t back-pedaling from anything. He took my question and threw it back at me as somewhat of a challenge. With those words, he was forcing me to face something that he already knew. I wasn’t misinterpreting anything that was going on. We both knew exactly why I was there.

  Having an affair with my boss, even if it was just a short lived one-night stand, was completely antithetical to everything I thought I believed. I was more principled than that. I valued my career and I respected myself. At least, I thought I did.

  I could easily still walk out the door, but some part of me always must have known that there was approximately no chance in hell that I was leaving. I felt a skitter of nerves; tonight would be the culmination of everything that I’d been dreaming about for months. I wanted him bad. I knew it and somehow, he knew it too.

  He took the glass that I’d forgotten I was holding from my fingers and placed it on the table beside him. “I think you know what I want. It’s not right, but I can’t stop myself.”

  My heart was pounding in my chest. I couldn’t tear my eyes from his. I needed to speak, to do something, yet I was paralyzed. Anxiously, I moistened my lip with my tongue.

  “Come over here.”

  My legs automatically obeyed. I wanted more than anything to forget all my misgivings and throw myself into his arms, but instead, I tentatively stepped closer to him until we were barely touching.

  He forced me to look up at him. The intensity of his gaze made the butterflies in my stomach riot. “Tell me to stop.”

  Not in a million years. “Don’t stop.”

  It was then that I could see how much he had been holding back. My words released him from his own struggle and within seconds our lips were locked together, and we kissed with a barely controlled frenzy. It was heavenly.

  I was tearing at his clothes like my life depended on getting him naked, while his hands found the curves of my ass, pressing my body against his, so that it left no doubt about how much he wanted me.

  While his tongue danced and collided with mine, somehow my hands finally managed to untuck his shirt and maneuver underneath the material, so that I could explore the smooth muscled planes of his fabulous body. At the same time, he unclipped my hair so that it cascaded down my back and then slid his hand under the hem of my dress. Anticipation mounted as his fingers made their way toward the throbbing juncture between my legs, leaving me weak in the knees and clinging to him as if I could no longer stand upright on my own.

  My body was on fire, each nerve ending alive and crackling with a long suppressed passion that was now burning white hot. The need was so fierce and growing exponentially in intensity with every second. My hips thrust into him, begging for his cock, wishing there were no barriers between us.

  I couldn’t wait any longer. My hands slid down his sculpted torso and found the front of his belt even as he was kissing me senseless. While my fingers fumbled impatiently with the buckle of his belt, unexpectedly his hands captured my own, stopping them in their tracks. He dragged his lips from mine leaving me momentarily disoriented.


  My confusion quickly turned to panic. I looked at him questioningly, suddenly with a sickening feeling that he might be having second thoughts.

  “Lilliana, I don’t want to rush this. I’ve been waiting for so long… I want to savor every minute of being with you.”

  Relief surged through me. He wasn’t having second thoughts. In fact, his heated words had proven that he wouldn’t be satisfied with a quick roll in the hay. And, as much as the hunger for him was gnawing at my belly, I had no doubt that his idea of savoring every minute would lead to spectacular results, if the small sample of the skill that I’d just experienced, was any indication.

  Now that his earthshattering kiss was no longer fogging my brain and engulfing all rational thought, I had the fleeting notion that I might be making the biggest mistake of my life. Once again, I had the nagging suspicion that this would end terribly. How could something that was so wrong, feel so incredibly right? I experienced a brief moment’s hesitation, but one look into his smoldering eyes dragged me right back under his spell - exactly where I wanted to be.

  His arms circled my back and then he was slowly unzipping my dress. When he was through, he took a step back from me. “Take off your dress.”

  I slid the strap of the black dress off my right shoulder and then did the same with the left. It slipped off my body and landed in a puddle at my feet. I trembled under his gaze, not from fear, but from pure arousal. I wanted to tear off the rest of my clothes, but I waited for his next command. I had imagined this exact scene a thousand times in my head, and had even written about it – almost to the word - in Corporate Secrets. So far, reality had been way more erotic than fantasy ever could be.

  Jason didn’t hide his appreciation. “You’re so beautiful, Lilliana.” His voice was gravelly with passion. “I’ve been imagining this for so long. You look even sexier than I ever imagined. I don’t even know how that’s possible.”