Yours Truly (Billionaires and Brides #2) (10 page)

The bathroom was out from the hall from the private room where they had been dining. The hall was dimly lit so as to achieve a particular mood, but the larger bar area was well lit with TVs scattered along the walls. She turned the corner of the hall and began heading toward the ladies room when something on the TV caught her eye. It was the ticker symbol for the Shoesy company and it was displayed prominently in headline fashion. She moved closer to the TV and attempted to read the subtitles.

T
he story trailed
on in a series of graphs and charts, each more dire than the last. The announcer shook his head sadly before flipping to footage of the release of the new smartphone.

She turned from the TV to return to their room, completely forgetting about her bladder’s relentless demands. She had no idea that the situation was that bad. How AJ was even smiling today was remarkable. If she were in his shoes, she’d be hiding in her bedroom crying.

She walked steadily as she entered the hall leading back to the private room and almost ran into the first body she encountered. It was AJ.

His face was solemn. His earlier smiles were gone as if they had belonged to a different day.

“You okay?” she asked gently.

“Stressed.” He replied. His tone was hollow and flat. She suspected that the phone call hadn’t gone over well.

“I can go home,” she offered. “The last thing you need is to be seen with me. I probably
should
go.”

“No. You’re the only thing I’ve looked forward to all week,” he replied, putting a hand on her shoulder as if to keep her from bolting. “Please, don’t leave.”

“Okay.” She smiled and did her best to look relaxed and calm for his sake. “I guess I can stay for dessert. People do that in meetings, right?”

He smiled, but it didn’t really touch his eyes. She could only imagine the stress he was under. His company, the one he had worked so hard and long to build, the thing that he got up for in the morning, was falling apart. She wished she could do more for him than just stay for dessert. He held her hand as they walked back to their room.

K
at

D
essert came and went quickly
. It was some sort of crème brûlée that should have made her mouth water, but her appetite was still missing. She tried to keep the conversation light, but it was obvious that AJ’s mind wasn’t completely on the meal. He tried, though, and it was a pleasant end to the meal. She could appreciate AJ’s ability to set work aside for the moment, even if they didn’t resume a completely carefree banter.

AJ signed the bill without batting an eyelash. Kat tried not to peek at the end, but she still saw at least three numbers for their small meal. A meal of this cost would have her budgeting her groceries for the rest of the month to make sure she could pay rent, and yet AJ signed the check like it was nothing.

She pulled out her phone and sighed.

“What’s wrong?” AJ asked, setting the pen down on the top of the bill.

“Apparently we just hit a peak ride-share time,” she groaned. The cost of a cab would be a little big cheaper, but not by much.

“Peak ride-share time?” AJ looked confused. “What’s that?”

“Ride-share. You know. It’s this company that arranges for people to drive you places using their own cars. It’s kind of like a cab service, but the drivers are just ordinary people,” Kat explained. “Most of the time, it’s cheaper and has less wait time than a taxi. Except during high usage times, when everyone wants a ride. Then the prices go up. Basic supply and demand kind of a thing.”

“And demand is high right now?” AJ asked.

“Yup.” Kat put her phone in her bag and started picking up the various pieces of paper from their “business meeting.”

“What does that mean for you?” AJ handed her a stack of paper that she slid easily into her bag.

“That I either will pay through the nose, or I’ll wait until the price goes down. Or get a cab.” She didn’t really like any of those options, but since she didn’t have her car, that was all she could do.

“Let me drive you home,” he said. It wasn’t a request.

“Are you sure?” she asked, watching his face carefully. “I don’t want to make things harder on you then they already are.”

“Let me drive you home,” he repeated. “I have a limo. We can recreate our first night together.”

Kat grinned. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you planned this.”

“What?” AJ managed to look innocent. “This is how I always travel to business meetings.”

Kat wasn’t sure if he meant that, but she wouldn’t be surprised either way.

AJ led her to his limo, already pulled up outside with a driver waiting patiently by the door. The driver opened the door and stood by it as they approached, though AJ took his position while he helped Kat climb in.

Kat hadn’t been in very many limos, but she knew this was one of the nicer ones. The interior was soft leather and spacious. She could see multiple power outlets and fold out desks. This could just as easily work as a mobile meeting space.

After getting in, AJ had wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close so that the two of them were snuggled up on the seat. The cab was dark with the oncoming night and slowly the engine purred to life. AJ hit a small button that made the privacy screen go up, separating them from the driver. Memories of their first night together, stealing the limo and riding around talking, floated through her mind.

Kat’s head was nuzzled against his chest when she felt him pulling up on her chin. She tilted her head just as AJ’s lips met hers. She felt him suck in and bite her bottom lip before releasing it and diving in with his tongue. He tasted sweet and energizing. His tongue wrestled with hers, it wrapped around her and then released her with teasing coercion. She matched his intensity with both of their tongues occasionally slipping out to caress their lips.

She held his face with both of her hands and then slid them behind his neck. She pulled him down to the seat and felt him shift his weight so that he was fully on top of her. His hands had fallen from her face to her chest, where he unbuttoned her shirt and pulled down on her bra, exposing her bare breast.

He squeezed her breast and then interrupted their kiss to suck on her nipple. Heat coiled in the pit of her stomach, shooting liquid lightning up her spine. He bit gently and then released and took up her breast again with his hand. He kissed up her chest and she turned so he could continue kissing up her neck. She squirmed at the feel of his lips tenderly pecking at her skin. Eventually, he kissed her lips once more. His hand was holding her waist. She hoped that he would unbutton her pants and pull them off entirely, but the car slowly came to a stop.

AJ felt the slowing of the car’s momentum and let up from his kiss. She didn’t want to give him time to speak.

“Come up to my place,” she whispered. She didn’t want this night to end. She could already see him sprawled out on her bed, his broad shoulders and toned abs taking up the majority of the space as his blue eyes peered out at her. It was exactly what she wanted.

“I want to.” He held onto her tightly as he opened his eyes and looked down at her. Regret and desire raged in his pale blue eyes and she prayed the desire would win out.

Suddenly an intercom came over the car as the driver spoke, “Sir, there’s a suspicious man taking photos of the car.”

“But I can’t.” The words left his lips reluctantly. “The press is always watching.”

“I understand.” Disappoint echoed through her voice. The image of him in her bed faded slowly.

The car was silent for a moment. Neither of them wanted to move. If they moved, then that would mean the night was over. There was no way she could arrive at her house in his limo and not get out. There was no way for him to come upstairs, not if they wanted to keep up the pretense that this was all business.

Kat moved first. “I guess maybe I’ll see you at work,” she said, sounding unsure of herself and trying to pair it with a smile.

He nodded and then slowly sat up, releasing her from under him. She pushed herself up, fixed her shirt, and used her fingers to forcefully straighten her hair before grabbing her briefcase. She stepped out from the car. AJ emerged on his side soon after.

“Thank you for driving me home,” she said loudly with the driver’s comment in mind. Someone was watching them. It was a little unsettling to think that someone was taking her picture right now and writing down her words. She hoped that they believed that they were just working. The last thing she wanted was to make AJ’s life harder.

She reached out for a simple handshake, trying to emit the most professional appearance possible while simultaneously fighting the urge to push him back in the car and take a turn on top. AJ shook her hand warmly, holding it for only as long as was acceptable. Her heart ached when he let her go. She smiled and turned and walked straight up to her apartment, wishing the entire way that he was behind her.

A
J

T
he papers
from the lawyers were stacked high on AJ’s desk. He sifted through them for the fifth time that morning, but his eyes just skimmed over the legalese. He understood what it meant, and none of it was good. The sex scandal lawsuits involving his partner were hitting them hard, and although he was normally an optimistic person, he felt less than hopeful on this particular day. The entire business was at risk.

What am I going to do?
AJ thought, as he leaned back in his computer chair and stared at the ceiling for answers. It was just too much pressure and too much unknown. The future of the company was at stake and most of the weight was on AJ’s shoulders.

The door to his office was closed, but outside he could hear the hustle and bustle of his employees as they started their morning work. Their future was on the line just as much as his. He worried for them, he worried for himself, but mostly he worried for Kat. Since she worked for the company, the legal ordeal affected her as well.

Beautiful Kat,
he thought, the image of his lover flashing into his mind.

For the first time that morning, AJ smiled. Just the thought of Kat caused his face to lighten. He thought of her lips and the way she tasted when they kissed. He remembered the incredible sex they had enjoyed on the day of the wedding reception and the way she turned him on more than any woman ever had. The image of Kat, if only for a fleeting moment, caused all of AJ’s worries to dissolve. She was his only relief.

When he opened his eyes, the stack of papers was still on his desk. They hadn’t magically disappeared, like he had hoped they would. Nope. They were there, along with everything else that troubled his mind.

He groaned and picked up the top sheet of paper. As much as he would rather do anything else, he needed to continue damage control. A knock on the door drew his attention before he could start.

“Come on in,” AJ said, grateful for just about any distraction.

The door opened, and in the doorway stood George, his personal assistant, looking anxious as usual. George shot him an apologetic look that didn’t bode well for AJ’s day.

“What is it?” AJ asked, his patience already running thin.

George stepped into the office and closed the door behind him.

“Well, I’ve got good news, and I’ve got bad news. I think this is where I ask you which one you want to hear first,” George responded.

A sigh escaped AJ’s lips as he motioned for George to sit down in the chair across from his desk.

“I was really hoping you were only going to have good news,” AJ said. “But I’m always a fan of saving the best for last. So give me the bad news first.”

George held up an envelope and then set it on the desk in front of AJ. “We received another letter from the lawyers. Sounds like they’re going to take this whole thing to court. They denied our offer for an out-of-court settlement. They obviously think they can get more money this way. Or maybe they think they can just scare you into a bigger settlement offer.”

AJ chuckled as he set the letter on top of the pile of papers. It was either laugh or cry. George was right. It was bad news. But it wasn’t worse than anything else that was in that stack of documents. Besides, there was always a chance they could win if the issue got taken to court.

“Do me a favor, George,” AJ said, as he brought his elbows to his desk and leaned forward. “From now on, anything that comes to our office that’s related to this issue, send it straight to my lawyer. I pay him a lot of money to read this stuff and make decisions. He’ll know what to do with all this far better than I will.”

George nodded affirmatively. “Will do, boss.”

George stood up from the chair and started to walk toward the door. He grabbed the handle right when AJ stopped him. “Hold up, George. You didn’t tell me the good news.”

George spun around. “Oh, yeah. The board actually approved everything you asked for on the latest project. Things are moving along very smoothly in that department. Mr. Chavez actually sounded excited about the project.”

“Can’t ask for more than that,” AJ said, leaning back in his chair once again. “That is good news. Thanks, George.”

“You’re welcome, sir,” George responded. “Is there anything else you need me to do today?”

“Well, I lost something and there’s this dumpster...” AJ teased.

“No,” George said, glaring at AJ. “You still need to reimburse me for my shirt. Not to mention the two bottles of shampoo I had to use to get rid of the stink.”

AJ raised his eyebrow. “Two? Last week it was one bottle.”

George shrugged. “Inflation costs are brutal. Dumpster diving isn’t cheap.”

AJ chuckled. If not for his staff, he would have lost the will to run this business a long time ago. “Buy three as a token of my appreciation.”

“Thank you, sir. Your generosity boggles the mind,” George replied, picking up the letter from the lawyer and taking it with him. He flashed AJ a grin before he turned and left the office, closing the door behind him.

AJ stared at the closed door for a moment, procrastinating again on getting to work. The letter from the lawyers was bad, but expected. Unfortunately, it meant that this nightmare of litigation was nowhere near from over for him.

He sighed and picked up a piece of paper to get started, but his thoughts strayed again. This time, they strayed onto Kat’s project. The board’s approval only brought limited relief to AJ, but he knew Kat would be thrilled. Her happiness meant as much to him as his own.

Kat again. He couldn’t get her out of his mind. She would be so pleased to hear her project was on track and that her hard work was paying off. He let himself imagine her shriek of joy when he told her the good news and then realized he was smiling. If just thinking about her brought a smile to his face, who knew what her actual presence could do to him?

He looked down at the sheet of paper in his hands and felt the smile fade. The clock said he had been working on that first page for the past twenty minutes. If this kept up, he doubted he’d get any actual work done for the rest of the day. His mind was too occupied. He needed something to distract him. He needed something that would ease his mind, if only for a little while. He needed… Kat.

He pulled out his cell phone. He went straight to his text messages, where he’d been having an ongoing conversation with Kat for the past week. He scanned through it, smiling at some of the cute things Kat had said to him. He could barely believe the wedding was almost a month ago.

One month since the wedding. He paused, evaluating. The first two weeks didn’t count as them being together since they hadn’t really been together, but he still felt they should count for something, since all he seemed to do those two weeks was think about her. Two weeks of thinking and two weeks of dating. The last two weeks had been two of the happiest of his life.

AJ couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was something about Kat that had him head over heels. Something about her was different than other women. She was beautiful, of course; not the traditional kind of beauty that he had become accustomed to, though. She wasn’t strikingly skinny and her hair wasn’t perfect and straight. She didn’t have porcelain skin or a giant chest, but for some reason, none of that mattered to him.

She had other traits that caused AJ to ache with a desperate need to have her, to claim her. The way she put her hand on her hip while cocking her head to the side when she was thinking made his heart do backflips inside of his chest. And for the first time in his life, he felt butterflies in his stomach when he thought of a woman. Was it love or was it just a crush? AJ couldn’t be sure. All he knew was that there was something very special about Kat and he made it a point that he’d do everything in his power to never lose her.

A grin crossed his face as he thought of a way to see her. He pushed the intercom button in his office. “I need to see Kat Riley right now.” He made sure to put a slight menace into his voice so that his secretary would make the call downstairs right away. “Tell her it’s regarding her proposal and that it is urgent. I want her in my office in five minutes.”

“Of course, sir,” his secretary replied. “Right away, sir.”

It was perfect. To everyone else, this would look like a business thing. It was the perfect excuse to see her.

The leather chair creaked as he leaned back and waited for her to arrive. He could already see the flush on her cheeks and the nervous breathlessness from running upstairs. He smiled, thinking about it. He loved teasing her and thought it would be a playful joke to make her think she was actually in trouble.

Kat didn’t leave him waiting for long. Less than a minute and a half passed before the door to his office opened up and she was standing in the doorway. She must have run the entire way.

“Everything okay?” she asked, nervous and out of breath. Her face was just as flushed as he had imagined it would be. He hoped to have it flushing again, but for an entirely different breathless reason.

“Close the door,” he responded, keeping his voice tight and serious. He wasn’t about to give away the game yet.

She did as he asked and stepped into the room. She was wearing a black skirt, which clung tightly to her hips as she walked gracefully toward AJ’s desk. The matching dark jacket was feminine and soft, accenting her curves. He couldn’t help but give her a once over. The way she wore that outfit caused his mouth to water and his concerns about the company instantly faded away.

“I have news,” he said after a moment. She bit her lip and it took everything he had not to just jump over the desk and take her right there.

“What’s wrong?” Kat asked. “Is there something wrong with the proposal? I knew the second paragraph was worded a little strangely, but it really…”

“Everything is perfectly okay now,” he interrupted, unable to keep it up. He had planned on seeing how long he could make her squirm, but the lip-bite put his brain on standby. All he could think about was touching her. He stood and walked around to the front of his desk. “I just sent you that message to get you in here.”

Kat’s lips parted in shock and she put her hand on her hip, just the way he liked. “Well, that was very sneaky of you, mister. I thought I was actually in trouble for something. You could have just told me to come to your office.”

AJ stepped forward and gently placed his hands on Kat’s hips. He looked into her beautiful green eyes, feeling the warmth of her presence. Everything in his world vanished except for her.

“I just needed to see you quickly,” he said, as he lifted his hand and brushed a strand of curly brown hair from Kat’s forehead. “I’m having a pretty rough morning so far. I’m hoping you can help make it better.”

He almost told her that she was the only thing that eased his stress, but hesitated, worrying she might think that sounded strange. They had only really been dating for two weeks and he didn’t want her to think he was moving too fast. The last thing he wanted to do was spook her or give her any reason to run from him.

“I’m sorry it hasn’t been a good day,” Kat said, as she brought her hand to AJ’s cheek. He loved the way her lips moved as she smiled and curved her body into his. She read his thoughts better than he thought them. Her voice went seductive and low. “How can I make it better?”

AJ’s eyes moved down to her lips, which begged to be kissed. He didn’t even need to say anything. She saw what he needed, which was just another reason why he was falling in love with the girl. She knew him in ways that nobody else did and on top of that, she was the only girl who seemed to want him for more than just his money. In the two weeks they’d truly been together, she hadn’t even asked for so much as dime. It was incredibly refreshing not to be seen as a ATM.

Without another word, Kat stood up on her toes and brought her lips to his. All the anxiety uncurled from inside of him and drifted off into oblivion. Kat’s kiss was AJ’s cure-all. The first kiss was just a peck, but then AJ leaned in for another one. In seconds, the two were making out next to the desk. AJ breathed in, and the smell of Kat’s intoxicating perfume entered his nostrils. It reminded him of the wedding reception. He associated the smell with everything good: drinking, dancing and the hottest sex he had ever experienced in his life. He took in another breath through his nose without breaking the kiss, savoring all that the scent reminded him of.

Kat’s hands drifted up to his shoulders and around to the back of his neck. He loved the way she touched him. Her fingers found the edge of his hair and sent shivers down his spine. She was so gentle and sweet, yet at the same time so very sexual.

After a moment, Kat slowly pulled away. AJ’s breathing had increased in pace. His chest rose and fell underneath his expensive dress shirt, as he gazed into Kat’s eyes.

“Did that help?” Kat asked.

“You have no idea,” AJ responded.

His hands didn’t move, though. They stayed firmly planted on Kat’s hips. He didn’t want to let her go, not yet. They were both so busy that he hadn’t seen as much of her as he wanted, so he planned on enjoying every single second he could, even if it had to be spent in his office.

Kat’s eyes stayed locked with his. She pressed closer to him. He could feel heat radiating from her body. The smell of the perfume, the look in her eyes, the privacy of the office, it all made the blood rush out of AJ’s head and into another part of his body. He found his hands moving around to Kat’s lower back. He wanted her again, just like he had had after the wedding reception. He needed her so badly in that moment. Not just physically, but in every way. She was the only thing that could ease his worries.

“You still look like you have a lot on your mind,” Kat said, pouting out her lower lip. “I wish I could make you feel better.”

“You’re the only thing that makes me feel better,” AJ corrected her. “I was just thinking about how badly I want another kiss.”

Kat smiled wide and AJ felt his heart leap. That smile of hers could cure cancer as far as he was concerned.