Billionaire by Design (A BWWM Romance) (13 page)

“Damn, that’s… wow,” Leigh muttered, unsure how to console her friend. “I take it you just found out?”

“Mmmhmm,” Jenna sniffled. Leigh hurried to fetch her a box of tissues and quickly returned to her side.

“How far along are you?” Leigh asked while Jenna wiped her nose and dabbed the tears from her cheeks.

“Three months, I think,” Jenna’s trembling voice answered. “God, I’m so stupid. We didn’t use protection the first night we had sex. I mean, we have every other time, but not that first night.”

“That’s really shitty,” Leigh remarked, still uncertain how to reply and treading as lightly as possible.

“I’m that girl who gets pregnant her first time,” Jenna sighed. “What are the odds of that?”

Thinking Jenna had misspoken or that she’d simply misheard her, Leigh didn’t probe and steered the conversation in a different direction.

“Does Zane know?”

“No. I just found out,” Jenna sniffled again. “I don’t know if I can tell him. He’s such a great guy, but he’s never said anything about wanting kids, and this could seriously mess up his life. Mine, too.”

“What are you going to do?” Leigh asked as she brushed Jenna’s hair from her troubled face.

“I don’t know.” After a deliberative pause, she continued, “He can’t find out. He just can’t. He’s trying to expand his business to the East Coast, and this will completely ruin his plans. He’ll hate me.”

“I’m sure he won’t hate you. You’re overreacting,” Leigh assured her.

“Well, he’ll resent me, and that’s close enough,” Jenna replied. “He wants to open a branch in New York soon. He’s worked years for this. He won’t be able to do it if he’s stuck here taking care of a girl he’s only been with for three months.”

“What about
you
?” Leigh prodded as she resumed rubbing her friend’s back. “What do
you
want to do?”

“I have no idea. I love Zane so much, but I don’t think I’m ready for a baby. Not yet. Not now. Hell, I just graduated. I have a good job. One that I really like,” Jenna’s thoughts came pouring out. “I always imagined having a baby when I was, like, thirty or something. This is way too soon.”

“It’s always way too soon,” Leigh joked, hoping levity would lighten the mood. “Nobody’s ever really ready. That’s just how life works.”

“I suppose…” Jenna nodded as she grabbed another tissue and wiped more tears from her eyes. “But I’ve worked so hard to get where I am, and Zane has, too. The timing is just really bad.”

“Well, if you’re really three months along,” Leigh began hesitantly, “it’s not too late to consider… other options.”

“You mean an abortion?” Jenna swallowed hard as she mulled over the suggestion.

“Yeah,” Leigh replied. “You’d be in and out. Zane would never have to know.”

“I don’t know if I could do it,” Jenna shook her head with a sigh. “I’d feel so guilty. And I’ve never lied to Zane.”

“You need to make the decision and soon,” Leigh pointed out. “But whatever you decide to do… I’m here for you.”

She wrapped her arm around her trembling friend and held her close, the two sitting in silence as Jenna’s sobbing chest heaved. The moment was interrupted by Jenna’s phone alerting her to a new text message from Zane wondering where she’d disappeared to.

She replied that she’d dipped out for a late lunch and would be returning shortly. It was the first lie she’d ever told him, and it certainly didn’t feel good. If she had this much trouble lying through a short text message, she didn’t know if she had it in her to conceal an entire pregnancy.

“I really need to talk to you,” Ali whispered as she sidled up next to her boss with a manila folder under her arm.

After wrapping up a lengthy phone call with a potential client, Zane had ventured from his office to the firm’s design studio under the guise of overseeing the progress of his staff’s various projects. His real intent, however, was to discreetly steal a kiss from Jenna, yet he found her missing from her workstation.

He quickly checked the break room but didn’t find her there either, and headed back into the studio where he lingered by her computer under the assumption she was using the restroom. When she still hadn’t returned after ten minutes, he texted her out of worry and she’d replied seconds later to tell him that she was grabbing a bite to eat. Relieved, he popped his cell phone back into the breast pocket of his jacket and turned his attention to the head of his accounting department.

“Do you have a second?” she asked with a look of concern.

“I do. Follow me,” he politely smiled as they made their way down the hall and into his office. He closed the door behind them and gestured for her to take a seat while he took his place behind thedesk.

“What seems to be the problem?” he asked, folding his hands across his lap.

“Remember those two accounts I told you about? The Kroger and Tanque Verde Ranch accounts? The missing money?”

“I do,” Zane nodded.

“Well…” Ali began as she opened up the manila folder she’d been carrying. “I found one more.”

She pushed her horned-rimmed glasses up with her index finger and handed three printouts to Zane. She looked at him nervously while he reviewed the information she’d presented him with.

“Interesting,” he replied stoically as his blue eyes scanned the first page.

“Right? Another mystery account. This one’s more recent, too. Hotel Congress. Says we spent twenty grand on their account three months ago, but there’s no record of where that money went,” Ali explained as she fidgeted in her chair.

“I see that,” Zane muttered as he leaned back in his seat and continued to digest the documents while rubbing his chin in thought. “Hotel Congress. I didn’t even know they were a client of ours.”

“Me neither,” Ali shrugged, “but it says Mr. Miller brought them on board.”

“Indeed it does,” Zane agreed as he flipped the page and spotted Phil’s signature on the client contract form.

“Between this and those other two accounts, that’s one hundred thousand dollars we’re missing,” Ali gulped.

“Wait, that other eighty thousand was never accounted for?” Zane asked in shocked agitation.

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you,” a flustered Ali squeaked.

“I assigned Phil to that months ago now,” Zane hissed angrily. “He assured me he’d take care of it. He didn’t stop by accounting to discuss it with you?”

“N-n-no…” Ali stuttered, her body beginning to shake with fear.

Remembering his accountant’s timid, fragile nature, Zane reeled in his emotions. He straightened his tie and flashed her a fake smile as he feigned a calm composure.

“I see,” he replied. “He was supposed to handle it. Perhaps it slipped his mind. I’ll meet with him and get back to you.”

“Thank you.”

“In the meantime, don’t mention a word of this to anybody, got it?” Zane insisted.

“Yes, sir,” Ali nodded.

“Not one word. Not even to Phil. You keep this strictly between us,” he reiterated. His eyes widened to express the importance of their confidentiality.

“Yes, sir,” she repeated as she readjusted her glasses again.

Rising from his seat, he guided her out of the room and asked his secretary to summon Phil Miller. He closed his office door and returned to his desk, turning his chair to take in the beauty of the shadows falling across the city’s mountainous backdrop. His view of the landscape’s setting sun was short lived, interrupted within seconds by the ringing of his office phone.

“Yes?” he answered tersely.

“Mr. Talbot, it appears Mr. Miller has left to meet with a client,” his secretary’s voice informed him. “I’ve left a message for him to contact you at his earliest convenience.”

“Thank you, Sheryl,” he sighed. “Just tell him to meet with me tomorrow.”

Hanging up the phone, he picked up the three printouts Ali had left for him and studied them closely. His cell phone vibrated in his breast pocket, signaling that he’d received a text message. He glanced at its screen and smiled.

“Back. You miss me?” the message from Jenna read.

“You know it,” he typed back. “Now get in here and show me some love.”

Moments later his door cracked open, and Jenna poked her head in to find him waiting patiently with his chair tilted back and his feet resting on his desk.

“I see you’re hard at work,” she joked as she entered his office and closed the door behind her. He righted his chair and placed his feet back on the floor as she crossed the room to him and took a seat on his lap.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes, babe,” he greeted as he wrapped his strong arms around her waist and kissed her soft, full lips.

“You look stressed,” she said as she ran her fingers through his dark hair.

“You do too,” he commented as his observant eyes locked onto hers. His intuition was too good. She’d tried to mask it, but he could clearly see that she was upset. “What’s wrong?”

“Just some family stuff. It’s nothing, really,” she assured him before planting a soft kiss on his forehead.

“You want to talk about it?” he asked as he gently brushed her cheek with the back of his hand.

“I’m fine, really. I’m more worried about you,” she remarked in an effort to redirect the conversation. “You never look this stressed. You’re always Mr. Cool. What’s the matter?”

“Just some accounting discrepancies. I’m handling it,” he sighed as he nuzzled her neck with his nose.

She’d proven successful in avoiding his questions for the time being. She desperately wanted to tell him about their baby, but needed more time to determine the best course of action. Telling him would surely jeopardize the expansion of the company he’d worked so hard to build while simultaneously derailing her new career. Conversely, withholding the truth meant she’d have to lie to the man she’d fallen so hard for.

The same man who’d been nothing but good to her. The same man she now worked for and lived with. Given how stressed he looked, she didn’t want to cause him any additional burden. She was in a tough spot, and judging by his distressed eyes, so was he. No, whatever decision she reached definitely wouldn’t be made in haste.

“Let me know if there’s anything I can help with,” she offered as he began caressing her inner thigh. She knew him well enough to know what this meant, but the news she’d been given less than two hours earlier had killed her otherwise insatiable sex drive.

Two days prior, after compulsively checking three times to ensure that his office door was locked, she’d allowed Zane to bend her over his office desk and take her from behind, trying her hardest to remain quiet as he thrust his sizable cock in and out of her. It wasn’t the first time they’d had sex in his office, and she hoped it wouldn’t be the last. She loved the rush of fucking in the workplace, something she never expected she’d enjoy so immensely, but the day’s events had completely wrecked her mood.

“There might be something you can help with,” he seductively groaned as he placed her hand on his crotch. She leaned in and kissed him passionately, feeling his tongue against hers, and tightened her grip on his growing bulge.

Jenna had always welcomed his sexual advances, and she didn’t want to rouse suspicion by denying them now. For the first time, she had no desire to feel him inside of her yet didn’t want to leave him hanging when he clearly needed release the most. Slowly dropping to her knees, she unbuckled his belt while looking up at him with a sly grin.

After undoing the top button of his pants and tugging down his zipper, she reached into his boxer-briefs and took his thick shaft in her hand. She began stroking him gently, and he closed his eyes while letting out a long, quiet moan that indicated his satisfaction.

“That’s it, baby,” he breathed as she licked the tip of his hard cock. “Suck it,” he instructed, but he was already in her mouth before he’d finished uttering the words.

The thrill of knowing his office door was unlocked made the moment that much more exciting for them both. Zane prided himself on his professionalism, but knew that his secretary would never dare enter his private domain unannounced. Phil Miller was the only employee brazen enough to pull such a move, but he wasn’t even in the building. Still, the possibility of somebody walking in was very real, and that somehow made the act even hotter.

Jenna took him deep in her mouth, working his shaft with her hand while Zane fought to keep his carnal grunts and groans to a minimum. They’d always been extremely vocal in their lovemaking, and keeping quiet was not something either of them were particularly good at. He brushed the hair from her face so he could watch as she sucked him, then gripped his chair’s armrests tightly as she continued to please him.

“Don’t stop, don’t stop,” he panted as her head bobbed up and down. For the first month of their relationship, Jenna had been quite a self-conscious lover, worried her inexperience would somehow impede their romance. She was especially nervous when it came to her oral abilities, but Zane had reassured her that she was quite good and his body language seemed to support that.

“You like that, baby?” she paused to whisper, jerking his solid erection while looking up at him with her big, brown eyes. “I want you to cum for me.”

“Holy shit!” he grunted as quietly as he could, his left hand moving from the armrest to clutch her right shoulder. His eyes were closed, and his face was twisted in sexual concentration. He was on the verge of explosion, and Jenna knew it.

“That’s it, give it to me,” she demanded before taking him deep in her mouth again, her hand gliding along his thick member as she sucked him hard and fast. His body tensed, and he let out a groan of low profanity as he flooded her mouth with an unexpectedly big load. It was all she could do to swallow it down, and she fought back the sudden urge to vomit. She’d never had such a visceral reaction to his cum before and realized the pregnancy was to blame for its sudden acrid taste. She glanced at the small trashcan hugging the side of his desk as she tried to mask the sickness she was feeling.

“Holy shit,” she gasped as she wiped her mouth with her sleeve and managed to fake a smile, “that was a lot.”

“I’d apologize if I were sorry, but I’m not,” Zane joked, breathing heavily as his drained body sunk back into his seat. “That was incredible.”

He stuffed his satisfied cock back into his pants, and she rested her head on his thigh while he ran his fingers through her thick hair.

“I’m sorry you’re so stressed, babe,” she sighed as he gently massaged her scalp the way he knew she liked it. “I hate seeing you like this.”

“Right now I’m not stressed at all,” he chuckled.

“Good,” she smiled up at him.

“Let me take you to dinner tonight,” he insisted. “You can tell me what’s going on with your family.”

“Can we do it some other time?” Jenna asked, her stomach still churning and mentally exhausted from the emotional day she’d been having. “My tummy’s kind of been a mess today, and I still have a ton of work to finish up.”

“Aw, sweetie, if you’re not feeling well, just go home and get some rest,” Zane replied as his hand moved from her head to her back and began rubbing it lightly.

“Can’t, too much to do,” she groaned as she rose to her feet and readjusted her shirt. “This BMW account’s no joke.”

“If it’s too much, I can move you to something else,” Zane offered as he followed her lead, zipping his pants back up and buckling his belt.

“No, no, I can handle it,” Jenna assured him. “The team’s came up with some great new concepts for their campaign. We just need to finish up the artwork so we can present it to them next week.”

“Just let Phil do the talking, and I’m sure they’ll buy whatever you show ‘em,” Zane remarked. “That guy can talk his way into anything.”

“Except my pants…” Jenna mumbled as she rolled her eyes.

“Wait, what?” Zane questioned, leaning forward in his chair and studying her face with his hypnotic blue eyes.

“Eh, never mind,” Jenna shook her head dismissively.

“Just tell me,” he persisted with a look of agitation.

“It’s just… the guy’s a total creep, okay? I told you that before. I know you like him, or he’s good for business or whatever, but the guy’s totally sketchy, and I’m convinced he’s mentally unstable,” Jenna finally confessed.

“I never said I liked him personally, but he’s definitely done a lot for this company,” Zane explained as concern spread across his face. “Did something happen?”

“It’s been happening, Zane,” Jenna blurted. “The idiot hits on me non-stop. It’s every goddamn day, and I don’t know if I can take it anymore. Earlier, he cornered me in the break room and said things I won‘t even begin to repeat. Oh, and I’m pretty sure he was drunk,” she revealed.