Billionaire's Forbidden Baby: BWWM Interracial Alpha Male Baby Romance Novel (3 page)

Damien commanded the room easily, and Kiara was thankful for it. In the shadow of the impressive man, her nervousness seemed to stand out less. Damien shook Gwyneth’s hand as well and then the six Divinad execs sunk into their respective seats, curious eyes on Kiara and Gwyneth. Kiara’s head pounded, she was exhausted, and her body was willing to jump at Damien in a second’s notice. But she couldn’t do that. Oh no. She was going to have to be professional. Damien smirked at her, and Kiara’s body responded with a shudder. It was going to be bloody unbearable.

“So, ladies. Tell us how you’re going to make Divinad an even bigger phenomenon than it already is.”

Kiara took a breath, and despite it all, was going to do her best to rattle off all the great plans they’d come up with for the company. Even if all she could really think about was a whole other
big phenomenon
.

After a few fumbling sentences, Kiara found her groove, and in a small while, she managed to forget all about Damien Thatch and his strong hands and insatiable appetite. Instead, she immersed herself in the world she knew so well and could talk about endlessly – marketing and advertising. She’d been a big fan of Divinad and especially their gold jewelry for as long as she could remember, and landing the account would be a real dream come true.

It was only through tireless work and some clever schmoozing by the company Kiara worked for, Mirrorview Group, that they’d got a chance to pitch to Divinad in the first place. This was the account she’d always hoped to land – luxurious and exclusive, but simple in design and attractive without being gaudy. Just the kind of thing to provide a challenge that Kiara would be glad to tackle.

By the end of the presentation, Kiara was met by smiling, nodding faces, and a feeling of satisfaction erupted in her that couldn’t be wavered even by the presence of that damnable, delectable man at the head of the table.

“And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how Mirrorview Group can make your Cadence line of jewelry as classic as anything from Tiffany’s!” Kiara finished, receiving a warm round of applause as the last slide with projected earnings was replaced by a dark screen.

She’d been extremely thorough in her work, and neither Gwyneth nor anyone else could deny that she’d done an excellent job at preparing the presentation. It was a great relief that she’d managed to get through it without any major gaffes.

“Well, that was insightful, ladies. I didn’t know Divinad had to compete with the lesser sellers these days. But your input is valued, I assure you,” the striking brunette said, flashing her brilliant white teeth in a predatory grin that left Kiara cold and irritated.

Eliza’s smile was clearly faked, and the woman was obviously unimpressed by what Kiara had to offer. Still, Kiara nodded quietly and took her seat without letting her expression falter. No bitchy exec was going to rain on her parade that day, even if said parade was a little bit disheveled and worse for wear.

“We will be in touch soon. Thank you again for flying out from Los Angeles to meet us,” a stern looking man said, tossing a glance at Damien before standing up from the table and reaching a hand to Kiara and then Gwyneth.

Kiara shook it, and relief flooded her as one by one, the well-dressed execs of Divinad Enterprises made their exits, murmuring words of encouragement on their way out. Gwyneth grabbed her purse and went out with the executives, engaged in lively debate over some of the sales projections that they’d come up with, leaving Kiara alone with Damien for a moment.

The man walked to her, his movements casual and languid, reminding Kiara of a wild predator who circled his prey, already knowing that he had won. His scent filled her nostrils, and his closeness made her breath catch. She was rendered speechless in front of him. He brushed so close to her that Kiara’s heart threatened to stop as he slipped something in her palm, his lips almost grazing across her chin as he whispered into her ear.

“I think you forgot these, sugar.”

With that, he strolled out of the meeting room, his hands in his pockets like nothing had happened. Kiara looked down at her hand, dazed. In it, she held her crumpled up black thong. Kiara groaned, clamping her fist around the flimsy garment, a scarlet red blush burning hot on her cheeks.

That man was going to be the end of her if she had to stay close to him. No doubt about that.
CHAPTER
THREE

Damien

Damien had to suppress a yawn. Spending long nights out on town didn’t pair well with early-morning board meetings, but it was nothing that a good hard coffee and a workout after the meeting couldn’t fix. He stirred sugar into his coffee – just half a spoon – and a smirk spread across his lips. That mocha-skinned goddess of a woman had kept creeping into his thoughts over and over again.

There was something about her that made his thoughts wander, even after weeks had passed since his one night with her. Her buttery smooth skin under his fingertips, her hot lips on his as he kissed her until they were both drunk with lust, that perfectly curvy body of hers that made him stand at attention at the slightest memory… He grinned to himself, half-heartedly following what one of his board members was saying.

He’d read through the materials of the meeting the night before, completely prepared for everything he needed to achieve the following day before ever setting foot out the door. Work hard and play hard – those two were mutually inclusive, not exclusive in Damien Thatch’s world. Still, he hadn’t been playing quite as hard as usual by his standards. Sure, he was still over all the gossip rags, and every step he took seemed to be scandalous, but it was like his heart wasn’t really in it. Peculiar, really.

“And that brings us to the question of which firm we will be choosing to lead the Cadence line’s marketing and advertising push. Eliza, you had some thoughts?” James Abbott, a senior member of the board, said, rousing Damien from his revelry.

He took a sip of his coffee as Eliza gathered some papers in front of her and composed her thoughts. She was a beautiful woman, there was no denying that. Sometimes, he missed her, but those times were rare and far between. They’d been engaged for a year half a lifetime ago, but that was all water under the bridge now.

It was a cruel twist of fate that they’d ended up working so close together after everything that had happened. Damien’s jaw clenched for a fraction of a moment before he willed himself to calm down. Bygones.

He leant back in his chair at the head of the table, guardedly curious as to what Eliza had to say. She was the only child of Montgomery Divinad, the creative genius who had built up Divinad Enterprises and a man greatly missed by the fashion community. While she hadn’t inherited his father’s artistic sensitivities, she had most certainly picked up his ruthless business tactics.

It made her invaluable, if a bit difficult to work with. It didn’t help that she hadn’t given up on the thought of becoming the hottest couple in business and the social scene one more time – something that he wasn’t anywhere near as thrilled about as she may have wanted him to be.

“Well, as you know, we interviewed five different agencies across the country for the position. Most of their pitches were what we expected – advertise for the high-class consumer, stress the unique design, have limited showings and buy prime magazine ad space. There were a few interesting ideas as well. Taylor L Jones Agency suggested that we nix the showings altogether and do a viral, secretive campaign where we drum up a lot of attention for the brand before revealing the jewelry.

Mirrorview Group suggested striving for the less affluent market. By making the pieces truly desirable for our lower income consumers, they could become highly sought after keepsake pieces, which would potentially open us up for a bigger market share without dropping current consumer loyalty. We went through the assessments and proposed costs of each pitch and landed on Sunstreak Advertising, who we have worked with previously with great success, and Mirrorview.”

Eliza paused, glancing around amongst the gathered talking heads to see if anyone had any questions so far.

“So we haven’t locked down our preferred candidate yet?” James Abbott asked, sipping on whiskey.

Damien had to hand it to the old dog – he had always scoffed at expectations and done what he pleased. Even if that meant 9 a.m. whiskey. Not a bad role model to strive for, though – Damien Thatch wasn’t exactly the man to bow to the whims of the press or social stigmas either.

“No. It really depends on which approach we want to go with. Classic and beautiful or go out on a limb and possibly fail horribly.” Eliza didn’t leave much in the way of having to guess which approach she preferred.

Damien pursed his lips thoughtfully. Mirrorview Group. That was the company where Kiara had worked. Just the thought of her made him harden and his heart beat just a bit faster. Instead of sleeping around and having a ball as he usually did whenever he went out, lately Damien had been rather subdued in his debauchery. Suddenly, other women hadn’t been able to excite him, and his thoughts kept going back to Kiara’s lush ass and soft touch. Hmm, he wouldn’t mind seeing her again, even if it was just for work.

“What if we give them both a shot,” Damien said, receiving surprised glances from the board.

He rarely spoke up on marketing decisions. Damien Thatch was well known for his business savvy, but it prevailed itself more in branding and emerging market research, and he’d made a point of not butting in with some of the lesser decisions. But, Kiara was a good enough reason the change his ways.

“What do you mean by that?” Eliza asked, keeping her voice level with great difficulty. Damien had to stifle the smirk that wanted to hang on his lips. He liked flustering her every now and then. Frankly, she deserved it.

“I mean we contract both of them to provide us with thought-out booking plans, assets, timelines, etc. And then we decide which way is better. I think we can all agree that the Cadence line is important enough that no expense should be spared in finding the best approach, hmm?”

A line of nods. Good. Eliza had blanched, the surprise sucking the color out of her cheeks. Even better.

“I have some business in Los Angeles anyway. I wouldn’t mind overseeing the Mirrorview Group personally while I set up the L.A. office. Eliza can continue her work with Sunstreak. Anyone opposed?” Silence. Perfect.

***

The private jet set down in LAX the next day. It was a gorgeous, sunny day, and Damien wouldn’t have accepted anything less. He bypassed the regular hustle and bustle via private corridors reserved for the VIPs, and before too long, he was snug behind the steering wheel of his silver Mercedes Benz SLR, blazing down the highway.

Damien lived for moments like that – moments when he was in perfect control and nothing could tear it from him. He took a sharp right off the highway, and soon enough, he was trekking through the narrow roads around Topanga, enjoying the deafening roar of the engine as it took him further from the noise of the city.

When the last speck of immediate civilization shrunk from sight, he breathed easier. He loved clearing his mind – being alone with his thoughts and behind the wheel of something massively powerful. There was something terribly poetic about the combination of danger and pleasure that a good car could give a man. Sort of like a good woman, but not as thrilling.

It hadn’t taken much for his thoughts to wander to Kiara lately. He wasn’t the kind of man to pine, but if he were, he wouldn’t have minded pining after her. There was something mesmerizing about the wild, unabashed woman from California, and he was dying to find out more.

It wasn’t like Damien to show so much interest in anyone outside of his social circle. He was a playboy through and through, and the only women he dated tended to be on his arm because he needed to prove a point or achieve something. Kiara Lockett, though?

Well, there was no other reason for him to want her other than that there was something just so damn right about her. Something that made his mouth water and his thoughts conjure up dark scenes and delectable debauchery. Oh, he would enjoy seeing her again. And let there be no doubt, he was going to make her his again.

Youngest of three brothers, he had spent his youth struggling to claim his place in life. He hadn’t necessarily been the favorite, or the strongest when growing up, so he became the smartest and the most cunning. When he made his first million at 18 by building up an IT company, he knew he was made to be an entrepreneur.

His confidence grew until his portfolio included more companies than he could count, and his income rivaled those of the richest men in the world, if not surpassed them. A bit of a cultural oddity, he had managed to give off the impression of being the seediest playboy, while also being the most upstanding businessman the country had to offer. He enjoyed the juxtaposition.

Divinad was his current toy to play with. Damien liked spending half a year with any company he picked up, and Divinad was just the latest acquisition. Jewelry was a hard left from pharma and IT, but it had its charms. And it didn’t hurt that the company raked in billions on its own every year. Now, it provided him with the opportunity of setting his sights on a new conquest – Kiara.

He doubted he would spend six months on her, but he liked the occasional challenge. As far as Damien was concerned, that was all that she was. Even if she had been monopolizing his thoughts ever since their spectacular night together.

The fact that he was in Los Angeles primarily to set up a new office seemed to be the last thing that came to mind. He’d been dodging calls from his assistant all day, and no doubt she was losing her mind by now. Poor Jasmine always got stuck with dealing with the things Damien couldn’t take interest in.

Who cared what kind of flowers there were at the reception banquet or whether the conference room table was teak or birch? Certainly not him. Still, the more he thought about his current situation, the more he liked it. He had time to spend in L.A., and that gave him plenty of opportunities to get Kiara Lockett out of his system, one way or another.