The Billionaire's Assistant (Contemporary BWWM Interracial Romance) (The Billionaire's Proposition Book 1)

by Rose Francis

  Jenna was absolutely right—the way she’d seen him looking at her, he’ll want more than a kiss soon, and she wasn’t quite ready to give it to him.

  She had to find a way to enforce boundaries; she must refuse him somehow.

  But could she?

  At the thought of icing him out, something else raged inside her; a battle between opposing forces waged.

  She acknowledged that she felt a stirring for him she’d never felt before.

  She had experienced a bout of puppy love in her teens, but in no way did it compare to the turmoil swirling in her now—the way her heart pounded, the way her breath quickened at the sight, sound, or smell of him. The way she longed to see him, have him take her against him and…

  She shook her head.

  She couldn’t afford to be indulging in these thoughts—she had to keep him at arms’ length for her own sake.

  A man like him was used to getting everything he wanted, and once he got her, no doubt he’d get bored and toss her aside at some point.

  She couldn’t let that happen—she had to protect her heart and her sanity. She couldn’t let some gorgeous billionaire ruin her.

  Come Monday morning, she needed to be back to all professional, all the time.

  CHAPTER 12

  KEVIN

  K evin had dinner delivered to his office since Naomi wasn’t joining him.

  He hadn’t seen her all day, and he had been looking forward to their Monday night dinner, but she had mumbled something about preferring to finish a book she had started instead.

  “But tomorrow, then?” he had asked, and she said, “Actually, I meant to catch up on something else I’ve been putting off.”

  He suddenly realized what was going on.

  Despite what she’d said right after, she did regret their kiss.

  He cursed himself.

  Had he pushed too far too fast? Should he apologize? Or should he simply keep inviting her till she gave in? Maybe even demand her presence, remind her who was boss?

  He shook his head.

  No way he’d want to push her further away.

  But he’d have to figure out something—the distance she seemed to be set on putting between them was maddening.

  He’d never had to deal with this—in fact, he was the one who had to put the brakes on at times; getting past first base was never a concern for him.

  But it wasn’t just that he wanted to sleep with Naomi.

  He wanted to forge a different kind of connection with her, sure—but he wanted her to feel more connected to him so she’d want to stay with him.

  He wanted to eventually move her from that guest bedroom to his own bedroom.

  He sighed.

  Whatever that meant.

  She just seemed like she belonged in his life, and he was afraid to look deeper than that.

  He decided he was probably just in his coupling season—that, as usual, after a period of playing the field and bouncing from one casual fling to the next, he had come back around to feeling the need to have the same girl around for a little longer than a few days or so, and Naomi happened to be the one his cock was gravitating toward for a longer term this time around.

  He probably wanted her even more than usual because she kept playing so hard to get.

  That had to be it.

  The next day, when his father called and told him he was popping by that evening, he felt only relief.

  The thought of another dinner alone, especially after having gotten so used to Naomi’s warm, delightful presence, had left him filled with anxious, confusing feelings.

  What was wrong with him? He’d had countless dinners alone before; in fact, he usually preferred it!

  And now, even though his father gave him a headache just seeing his name pop up on his cell, here he was, actually happy to have the void Naomi had left somewhat filled by his dad’s overbearing presence.

  * * *

  “I HOPE you don’t mind I brought Susan along?” his father said with a grin while Kevin tried not to stare in horror at his ex-girlfriend as they entered his home.

  Immediately, dread filled his stomach.

  “Not at all,” he said in his practiced neutral voice. “You guys got here right on time—Manny was just about to serve.” He turned to Susan.

  “Susan, good to see you.” He leaned in to offer a quick hug, and despite the distance he tried to keep in the embrace, she squeezed him closer to her and even kissed him on the cheek.

  “My darling, it’s great to see you. It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it? Sorry for the surprise—Conan insisted you wouldn’t mind.”

  Kevin bit his tongue.

  How would his father know how he’d feel since he hadn’t brought it up?

  Of course, he knew the answer to that.

  His father didn’t actually care—he had a mission, and he’d do anything to see it through.

  They proceeded to the dining room, and Kevin’s mind was in turmoil.

  He knew his father had liked Susan for him—in fact, he’d originally set them up—and Kevin only stayed with her as long as he did because of that, but it just wasn’t meant to be.

  His father had laughed at him cruelly when he’d said that.

  “Meant to be? Have you been hanging out with Michael too much lately? Do you think your mother and I were meant to be? Such nonsense—you only need to be suited to each other, be on the same level when it comes to certain things. Susan is a lovely, smart woman with excellent connections and a fine upbringing. You won’t find a better match.”

  Kevin had disagreed but didn’t bother saying anything else—he obviously couldn’t change his father’s mind.

  “I’m not done playing the field, Father,” he had said instead.

  He knew it was the only thing his father would forgive him and drop the matter for.

  “I certainly understand that, son. You’re still fairly young and gifted with a face that melts undies off, I’m sure. But don’t wait too long. Susan is willing to let you take all the time you need.”

  Kevin thought the matter had been dropped, especially since so many months had passed, but clearly, he was wrong.

  * * *

  NAOMI

  Naomi distinctly heard several voices—including a female one—and curiosity seized her.

  Who was there?

  Of course, she couldn’t just leave her room and introduce herself—she knew better than that; domestics were to be seen not heard. Ha! Barely even seen.

  But curiosity was absolutely killing her.

  She could just go for water…

  No, she had a little refrigerator with water in it; she needed a better excuse.

  She let out a breath.

  If she had just been in the servants’ quarters, she never would have even known and been put in this position.

  She tried to open her door just a little and peek—the visitors hadn’t traveled out of eyesight just yet.

  She noticed pairs of eyes shift in her direction and immediately pushed the door closed as quietly as she could, her heart pounding.

  She hoped she hadn’t been seen, although the fact that she was able to see them had to mean they’d caught a glimpse of her?

  She really didn’t want to anger Kevin.

  If he confronted her about it, she would tell him she’d gotten a craving for seedless grapes and had earbuds in when she opened her door.

  As her breathing eventually slowed, she thought about what she’d seen—a woman with long, impossibly straight blond hair, and an older man—a man who looked like he could have been Kevin’s father—they had the same jawline and similar frames, though the older man had streaks of grey in his otherwise thick, dark, wavy hair.

  Maybe the blonde was a relative as well?

  She sure hoped so.

  She tried to get back into her book as she snuggled into the bed, but she couldn’t concentrate so she put the book down.

  She went to the desktop computer Jeffrey had brought in
for her the day after she had a conversation with Kevin and mentioned never owning a computer, using library ones for all her internet needs instead.

  She tried to distract herself by surfing the net.

  A few minutes later, she jumped when she heard a soft knock on the door.

  Her heart thumped hard against her chest, but she smiled, thinking it was probably Kevin checking up on her.

  But when she pulled the door open, she saw the tall, slender blonde standing there with a fake smile on her face.

  Her green eyes reminded her of Jenna’s; in fact, had Jenna been born to a different set of parents, she probably would have cleaned up just as nicely.

  “Oh, hello,” the woman said as if she was the one who’d been suddenly interrupted.

  “Hello,” Naomi replied neutrally, not pulling the door completely open.

  “I thought I saw this door open earlier.” Her eyes raked over Naomi from head to toe. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

  Naomi wasn’t sure how to respond.

  She didn’t like the woman’s tone—the sense of entitlement in it, like Naomi owed her as much information as she wanted to extract.

  Then again, Naomi still didn’t know if the woman was someone close to Kevin or not and didn’t want to risk being offensive. She was still just ‘the help’ after all.

  “I’m Naomi, and I work for Mr. Davenport,” she said carefully.

  “What are you doing in this room? There are servants’ quarters for workers. Why are you here? And don’t make me have to ask it again—it’s a simple question. Is Kevin fucking you?”

  Naomi had been about to answer her first question, but at the follow-up, she slammed the door in the woman’s face and locked it, rage coursing through her.

  Fuck her, whoever she was. Let her get her answers from Kevin.

  Naomi would just have to deal with him later.

  * * *

  NAOMI TRIED to distract herself by the internet again, but curiosity got the better of her once more.

  She heard the raised feminine voice, but she couldn’t hear what it was saying, so she cracked open her door, feeling sure everyone was in the dining room and no one would spot her this time.

  “…but to have her sleeping in the main house?” the woman’s shrill voice said. “Why is she here if she’s just your personal assistant? Control yourself, Kevin—at least enforce the proper boundaries. Have her in your bed or let her stay with the servants where she belongs; the in-between is spineless…”

  The two continued going back and forth while Naomi’s heart sank further and further as she heard his responses.

  She understood why Mr. Davenport was downplaying their relationship, stripping it down to the barest of terms, but it still hurt like hell.

  Good thing it was happening now rather than later when she might have gotten even more entangled.

  And to think she’d been on the verge of giving him her virginity!

  Thanks to the mystery blonde—although it was quite clear by now she was a former flame—Naomi had been quite solidly reminded of her place.

  The woman was pretty much the opposite of her in every possible way and obviously more familiar with his world. That tall, slim, blond, green-eyed woman was expert at squash and horse-riding, no doubt.

  How could Naomi have thought for a second Kevin might have taken her seriously?

  He was hoping to make her one of many concubines, no doubt.

  Either way, it was clear she didn’t belong there, and she felt depressingly silly for letting herself tumble into a ridiculous fantasy.

  CHAPTER 13

  KEVIN

  K evin knew he should have known better when Susan said she was going to the bathroom and she’d been gone for over five minutes.

  All during their relationship, she had avoided giving the impression that she ever did anything more than tinkle, so he should have immediately known she was up to some mischief.

  When she returned to the dining room, her face was red and pinched tight in outrage and he figured that, somehow, she had crossed paths with Naomi.

  He wasn’t sure how, but it obviously hadn’t gone well.

  As she bit out words about Naomi’s insubordination, then escalated when he tried to brush it off and change the subject, he was reminded how he’d dodged a bullet yet again.

  “This is one of the many reasons why you and I couldn’t go much further,” he said matter-of-factly to her at some point, and her mouth dropped open a little, then moved like fish’s, like she was struggling to get a response out.

  He could see by her eyes that he’d hurt a little, and he knew his father was staring daggers at him, but he couldn’t bring himself to do anything to appease either her or him, angry that she’d had the nerve to come into his home and pry into his business, imposing her opinions on how he ran his household.

  Her presence had, no doubt, upset Naomi, and she was all he could think about now, and he couldn’t wait for them both to leave.

  He didn’t have to wait for long.

  Not finding a reply for him, Susan turned to his father, quickly composing herself.

  “I didn’t expect to get embarrassed here, and I appreciate you bringing me, but Kevin obviously hasn’t grown up yet and is not ready for anything serious. He’s not even gentleman enough to apologize to me when he should…”

  “What is it I’m supposed to be apologizing for again? You’ve come into my home unannounced, and my chef and I have graciously accommodated you, then you disturb my worker, who I’m guessing was minding her own business. You’ve generally caused a disturbance in my otherwise peaceful household, and you might like drama, Susan, but drama has no place here. Father, please don’t bring her back to my home.”

  “You certainly won’t have to worry about that,” she said, and like the dear he was, Jeffrey was already waiting with her coat by the time she grabbed her purse.

  His father shot him a withering glance before standing to accompany Susan out of his home.

  Kevin wasn’t sure if his father would bother trying to talk to him later tonight or the next day, or even in the next few months or so—they barely spoke to each other months at a time as it was—and right now, Kevin welcomed what he expected would be a long period of silence between them once again.

  He was surprised by the lack of anxiety he felt over his father’s response, the absence of a need to find a way to soothe and appease him.

  The only person he wanted to soothe and appease was Naomi—and he waited for the door to close as Jeffrey escorted the unexpected guests out before heading to her room.

  He had to make sure she was okay.

  * * *

  HE KNOCKED LIGHTLY on the door.

  She opened it a little, then all the way once she saw him but stood in place as if barring him from entering.

  Not that he was expecting her to invite him in.

  “I’m sorry about that, Naomi,” he began. “Susan was way out of line coming to your room like that and making demands…”

  “But she was right, though, wasn’t she? The proper boundaries are not in place here—it’s all very confusing and it’s unfair to me as your subordinate.”

  For some reason, the word wounded him. He didn’t think of her that way at all, no matter how technically correct it was.

  “Look, I just came here to work for you,” she continued, “not to be some easy notch on your belt, and I don’t understand why you’d even prey on me when you have so many women like Susan who’d be glad to be on your arm and available all the time.”

  “Because I don’t want any of them, Naomi—I want you.”

  She let out a dry chuckle.

  “Oh boy—player extraordinaire dropping the most basic lines on his most basic intended catch…”

  “Please stop talking about yourself like that, Naomi.”

  “But it’s true, isn’t it? I bet Susan has, like, four degrees. I bet she knows all about which fork to use and when—if she even ea
ts.”

  Kevin had to hold in a laugh.

  Susan was thin, but my god, she wasn’t that thin.

  “I bet she…”

  Kevin couldn’t help it—he grabbed Naomi to him before she could say another word and held her tightly in his arms. Her self-deprecating tone was killing him.

  “I don’t want Susan, Naomi,” he said, emphasizing each word. “Is that not clear? I’m no longer with her, and I want nothing to do with her ever again. You, however— you do something to me, Naomi, and I can’t pin it down, but all I want is you; I want you in every way. I don’t know what you’ve done to me, but I’m addicted to looking into those warm brown eyes of yours, I long for the moment your mouth breaks into a smile. I love to hear you talk about your past, your future. I want…”

  He stopped, feeling something in his chest start to open alarmingly.

  Something was getting out of his control.

  He took a few deep breaths.

  “I’m not trying to just use you, Naomi, because that would mean hurting you, and I may be unclear on a lot things, but I’m absolutely clear on this—hurting you is the last thing I want to do.”

  Her big brown eyes raised to his, glistening with tears, and he lost it—he brought his lips down on hers and started devouring her.

  Whatever dam he’d been trying to keep in place burst, and before he knew it, he was lifting her up and transporting her to the bed.

  He started in on her neck, his dick hardening more with every gasp and moan that left her as he kissed and tasted her with his tongue, despite the decidedly unsexy pajamas she was wearing.

  He couldn’t wait to tear them off of her.

  Only when he moved to kiss her lips again did he realize tears were streaming down her face.

  “Naomi, what is it?” he said, staring at her, his heart pounding, his cock demanding he continue.

  But he ignored them both, focusing intently on the soft, warm beauty beneath him.

  He started pulling away a bit in case he was frightening her.

  “I understand if you’re not ready, Naomi. I’m not trying to…take you if you’re not. I respect you and any decision you make. I…” I can’t imagine my life without you now, and if I have to wait, I will.