Saved: A Billionaire Romance (The Saved Series Book 1) (3 page)

"Yes, I thought it was important that we speak privately. It's not often that I meet someone in my private life who works for me without my knowledge." As he spoke, I could tell that he was trying to be serious, but the left corner of his mouth betrayed him, turning up into a sexy smirk. His green tie was the only pop of color in the room, and it made his eyes look almost clear. He knew I was intimidated, and he enjoyed it.

"I had no idea who you were, Mr. Harter. I'm so sorry for last night. I know you won't believe it, but I never do things like that. Hawthorne's is my favorite place to go. It is pretty much the only place I go besides here." I was babbling at this point, and I felt like a complete idiot in his presence. But he took a few steps closer so that only about a foot of space separated us.

"I'm not accusing you of anything, Ms. James. Especially since I was the one who initiated what happened between us in the bathroom. I do apologize for my abrupt nature, but when I see something I want, I go after it. I loved that you didn't seem to know who I was. I loved the way you gave yourself to me without question. I wanted you because I could tell you were not a woman who goes out into the world looking to seduce men like me. And you are by far the most beautiful creature I have ever seen."

"Thank you, Mr. Harter. But I promise to be nothing but professional with you from now on. Please don’t fire me for my inappropriate behavior last night. I love my internship here, and I would give anything to continue working for you."

"Wait, what are you talking about? You think I asked you up here so I could fire you?"

"I thought that might be the case. I didn't know what to think. I was just as shocked as you were when I ran into you today. I thought you were just an ordinary man in a bookstore who acted on an impulse. I figured I would never see you again."

"I am an ordinary man, Ms. James. I go to places like Hawthorne's because I long to feel like I can just be myself and not the CEO of a huge company. It's not easy to be 26 years old and in charge of making decisions that affect the lives of hundreds of people every day. I didn't ask for this, but I have no other option but to see it through. All I want is to find a place in the world where I can be Jackson, not Mr. Harter."
 

"I understand what it's like to want to hide from the person fate forced you to be, Mr. Harter."

"Please call me Jackson. Enough with the formalities. We've already been a bit too intimate to not be on a first-name basis. Do you go by Allison?"

"My friends call me Allie."

"Well, Allie, it's wonderful to meet you. I am not firing you. I took a few minutes to look over your personnel file, and it looks like you are already an asset to my company. I'd be a fool to let you go. And I don't intend to. "

I felt myself exhale with relief as I found out my job was secure. At least I wouldn't be on a bus back to Omaha today.
 

"Thank you. I promise you won't regret this decision. And I swear I will never breathe a word about what went on between us. I will forget it ever happened." His eyes grew dark when he heard this.

"Forget? If you felt half of what I felt last night, then there is no way you will forget what happened between us. That was fire. Magic. Passion. That wasn't just something you walk away from."

"Well, you were the one who walked away without a word. I was mortified and thought you must have hated it."

"I walked away because I was afraid that if I stayed I would have to take you again. And if I did that, everyone in that bookstore would have known what we were doing. I didn't want to make you look like anything less than a lady."

"It was one of the most intense moments of my life. But that doesn't change the fact that you are my boss. Hell, you're my boss's boss. I can't parade around here trying to look professional if everyone knows what happened."

"No one ever has to know, Allie. I can put up a good front. But I need to know you in private. I will not stand in the way of your job, but I can't promise that I will stop trying to know you."

"I think I should get back to work. Thank you for letting me keep my job, Mr. Harter. I really should get back to it." I turned and walked toward the door before he could stop me.

"Allie, wait-" I didn't turn around. I just smiled at Natalie as I walked by and headed straight back to my desk. Only when I was safely in my own chair did I start to breathe normally again. My skin burned red from my reaction to being in his presence. And he said he wanted to know me. It was too much for me to take in right then. Part of me wanted to know him, too, but I also knew that men like him were never just cut and dry. They came with a past and a whole pile of needs and expectations. I had my own past that I never wanted anyone in Chicago to find out about. It would never work with a man like Jackson. I would never be enough for him.

I sent a quick e-mail to Janet full of lies about my meeting with Jackson. I told her he was curious about my role in the company and wanted to know if I liked working there. I told her it was no big deal. I chose e-mail because if I had to talk to anyone about him face-to-face, I knew that they would be able to see how my body responded to the mere thought of him.

The entire time he spoke to me in his office, I remembered what his hands felt like as they held my thighs. I could still taste the mint and coffee on his tongue, and as I watched him tell me he still wanted me, I longed to lean in and take his bottom lip between my teeth. Would I have been able to resist if he led me to his leather couch, pulled my skirt up, and took me from behind? I knew the answer was no.

The only way to keep my reputation clean and continue to be employed at Harter Communications was to stay away from Jackson. Luckily, he spent a lot of his time away on business, looking for ways to keep his family's company on top. I would just have to make myself scarce until his visit was over, and then he would forget all about me.

For the rest of the day, I stayed at my desk unless I absolutely had to get up. I threw myself into my work, checking off every task as I went. Before I knew it, the clock said 5:15, and I knew I could leave. I shut down my computer and put my away message on my phone. Then I stood up and looked around to make sure the coast was clear. I grabbed my bag and pushed the elevator button with no one else in sight.

The doors opened, and I was happy to find that no one else was inside. I pushed the button for the lobby, and just as the doors were almost closed, I heard the familiar ding that signaled someone else wanted to get on. I looked at the floor to avoid making small talk with anyone. All I saw was a pair of men's shoes as he stepped into the small space with me.

"We meet again, Allison." The voice shook me to the core. I was caught completely off guard. It took every ounce of courage I had to lift my eyes to meet his.

"Hello, Mr. Harter. I hope you had a good day." I tried desperately to stay calm and keep things professional with him. I couldn't let him see what he was doing to me.

"It was an interesting day. I did have one meeting that ended rather abruptly."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"How was your day?"

"It was very busy. I work very hard and love what I do. I would never want to do anything to jeopardize that."

"I can appreciate your commitment and drive, Allie. However, I think there are times when exceptions can be made.”

"Office relationships never end well. And you own the company. What happens when you tire of my company and can't stand the sight of me anymore? Then you still have a wonderful life, and I have no job. I can't lose this job. I can't go back." I knew as soon as the words left my mouth that I had said too much.

"Go back where?"

"Never mind. It's just a saying. I don't want to go back to not having a great job like this one that's all."

"What if I promise that whatever happens, you will always have a job? That I will never stand in the way of your career?"

"Promises are meant to be broken." Just as I said that, we reached the lobby, and I went to get out. He grabbed my arm gently.

"Please meet me at Antonia's for dinner. 8:00. Hear me out. If you still feel the same way after tonight, I promise to never mention this again." I didn't have it in me to speak then, so I just gave him a nod and stepped into the lobby.

I practically ran to the bus stop, moving as quickly as I could in heels. I took the first seat I could find next to a teenage girl who had music blaring from her iPod. She looked bored and like she didn't have a care in the world. I would have given anything to switch lives with her.

When I got to my stop, I hurried up to my apartment, doing my unlock and lock routine in record time. Only then could I let the tears fall down my face. I felt a knot in my stomach and my whole body was tense from the events of the day. Only I would be that girl who had her first ever one-night stand and the guy turned out to be the CEO of the company I worked for. I had the most ridiculously fucked up life.

Chapter 4

The events of the day had me feeling exhausted, and I still hadn't decided whether I would meet him for dinner. Part of me felt as if I had no choice, but another part of me was begging me to stay away. My job, my sanity, and my future hung in the balance.
 

But every time I decided that I should just walk away, a memory of his hot breath on my skin would cause me to pause. I would be back in that moment the night before when we were strangers and none of this mattered. There was no doubt in my mind that if I found myself alone with him again, I wouldn't be able to resist him. But I also knew that starting anything with him would inevitably end badly. I couldn't give my heart to a man. Not now, not ever. Someone else had made sure that my heart had permanently shut down.

Barely able to keep my eyes open, I lay down on the couch and dozed off. When I woke up, it was 7:15, and acting on impulse, I got up and ran to the bathroom to get ready. Jackson had come to me in my dream, and it was even better than the bookstore bathroom. He was sweet and gentle in his caresses, promising to cherish and take care of me forever. But it was only a dream.

While I was changing into a black wrap dress with tiny polka dots, and slipping a black lace thong underneath it, I was imagining him discovering how little I had on. I thought about him letting out a small growl in my ear as his hand found my bare thigh under the table. I could already feel wetness pooling between my legs just from the thought of his sexy voice.

I had to force myself back into reality as I applied some black eye liner, creating sexy, smoky eyes. I added a few curls to my long hair, making sexy waves fall down back. If I was going to tell Jackson Harter that we had to end this tonight, I was going to look damn good doing it.

I finished off my look with a pair of red stilettos and a black sweater. I threw the necessities into a little black clutch and headed out the door at 7:45. I barely made it down the stairs in my sky-high heels, and when I walked out of the lobby, I prepared to treat myself to a cab. There was a black car I didn't recognize parked in front of the building, and I was surprised when a man called my name.

"Ms. James?"

"Yes?"

"I was asked by Mr. Harter to wait here to see if you came down, and if you did, to give you a ride to Antonia's for your date." I hesitated before stepping any closer. All of the alarms from the past were going off in my head. I should never accept a ride in a car from someone I didn't know. He did say he was here on behalf of Jackson, but I still didn't trust him.
 

"Can I ask for your name and some identification please?" The driver was an older man, probably in his late 40s or early 50s. He didn't look threatening, and he seemed a bit amused by my request.
 

"Of course, Ms. James. I should only hope that my daughters will be as street smart as you and not just get in the car with some random man." He handed me an Illinois driver's license and a Harter Communications ID. His name was George Gibson, he was 49 years old, and he was indeed one of Jackson's employees, just like me.

"I'm sorry to be so demanding. I just don't trust anyone but myself. Thank you for picking me up."

"My pleasure, Ms. James." He opened the back door of the expensive black car, and I stepped inside. It was just starting to get dark, and I took in the lights of downtown Chicago. It was mid-September, and the trees were just starting to show hints of orange, yellow, and red on the tips of their leaves. People were out enjoying the still-warm air of the last few days of summer. I rolled down my window a bit to let that air help with the chill that was running down my spine.

I knew Antonia's was a few short blocks away, and I tried to summon all of the courage I had inside to resist Jackson's charms. In just a few minutes, I would have to tell him face-to-face that I could not see him anywhere outside of work again. I didn't know if I had it in me to do this, but I had to try. It wasn't fair to either one of us to start something that I couldn't finish.
 

George came to a stop in front of the restaurant long before I was ready. He came around to my side of the car, opened the door, and offered me his hand. I took it and stepped out onto the curb, smoothing my dress down so I didn't flash everyone on the street.
 

I had never been to Antonia's, but I knew it was one of the best family-owned Italian restaurants in the city. It had started as a tiny place run by a husband and wife and had grown to a huge eatery that could easily hold 150 diners on any given night.
 

I said goodbye to George and declined his offer to walk me in. I could handle that part on my own. From the outside, the place looked ordinary, but inside, it was like stepping into the Italian countryside. There were vines and white lights everywhere. Italian love songs streamed through the air, and even the wait staff fit the part. It was beautiful, and I took a moment to look around before approaching the hostess stand and sealing my fate with Jackson Harter.

"Hello, welcome to Antonia's. How many?"