The Boss Too: Billionaire Romance Read online

  “You were at the next table. You should know.”

  “Believe it or not, I had to actually work,” Alex said. “I did my best to tune out what was happening until after the business was resolved.”

  “Oh, well, you can imagine.” Jamie rolled her eyes, enjoying that she could be comfortable and honest with him, and he wouldn’t judge. “Plenty of wedding talk and my father didn’t want to do anything but get back to work, even though it was his party.” She shrugged. “It was a very long evening.”

  “I’m sorry your family’s so rude,” Alex said. “I have to admit, I’m glad Stephen wasn’t there. If he had been and was acting just as rude to you as he was the last time I saw him, then I’d have done something very unprofessional in front of a lot of valuable business associates.”

  Jamie smiled. “You’d have turned into the Hulk?”

  “Absolutely. Multiple times.”

  She giggled.

  “So, why does your family treat you like shit?” Alex poured some more golden liquid into his glass. He offered her some and she shook her head.

  Jamie shrugged. “They aren’t that bad. They just get stressed and I’m an easy target to take it out on. I need to lose some weight and they’re just trying to help.” They had a lousy way of doing it, but they meant well.

  “I don’t think so.” Alex frowned. “If you mean the fact that you don’t starve yourself because society says you should, then—”

  “That’s basically it,” Jamie said, cutting him off and wishing she didn’t have to have this conversation. “I used to be skinny like Christine growing up. Mom was just as doting on me then as she is on Christine now. Then middle school hit and I didn’t handle puberty well. Neither did any of the other kids in my class, but instead of turning mean and vicious like the other girls in my class, I started indulging in comfort food. Ever since then I’ve been the one blemish on Mom’s and Christine’s perfect life and perfect family.”

  “And they have never let you forget it,” Alex muttered.

  She bit her lip. He did see it from their eyes and most likely agreed with them.

  “That’s so cruel!” Alex slapped the granite countertop. “How can they do that? Not even—” He clenched his jaw suddenly and Jamie knew that whatever he was about to say, he wasn’t ready to say. “Not even my middle school years were that bad,” he said lamely.

  “Well, I’m sure your family isn’t as bad as mine.” Jamie forced a smile, more than willing to change the subject away from her.

  “Your sister and mother aren’t in the right.”

  She blinked in surprise. “Thank you for being willing to fight my battle Mr. Reid, but someone as perfect as you are has never had to deal with this kind of treatment. You don’t understand.” She couldn’t blame him, he was perfect and, most likely, so was everyone in his family. “What are they like? Your family?” she asked. “Aside from a couple of photos in your house, there’s practically no sign that you even have one.”

  Alex shrugged and glanced at his watch, his face becoming unreadable. “I’m afraid that’s a story for another time.” He stood and brought their glasses to the sink. “It’s getting late. But thanks for the company, Jamie.”

  “Sure.” She stood abruptly, thrown by his sudden ‘get out’ attitude. He was the one who asked her to stay and suddenly it was late? She was about to leave, but she turned back at the last second. Frustration gave her false courage. “I know we never talked about that night,” she said quickly. “And I’m sure you want to forget about it. I just need—I want—to know if you actually meant what you said.” She swallowed hard, shocked she’d said the words out loud.

  “About how I wanted you and how incredibly sexy you are?” He raised an eyebrow, his voice low and sexy, it sent warm sensations through her body.

  “That’s, uh, not exactly—”

  “Not to mention how fucking amazing you are in bed?” His calm facade melted away to show the lust he was really feeling.

  Jamie went weak in the knees and had to reach out to grab the countertop to keep herself from stumbling.

  Alex’s gorgeous blue eyes never left hers. “Believe me, I meant every word.” His breathing increased and he straightened to compose himself. “Jamie… I apologize for that night. The only relationship I can have with you is professional, and anything on the side would have to be with no strings. I’m not interested in anything else. I hope you know that.”

  Disappointment hit Jamie like a wrecking ball. She turned away so Alex wouldn’t see the tears forming in her eyes. He might not care at all about her weight, but he wanted to use her as an office slut just like Stephen. Despite how her body was reacting to the smoldering man standing by her, she definitely had a problem with that. She swallowed hard and nodded. “I figured as much,” she said. “It makes things easier for when I tell you that I only want a strictly professional relationship from now on. After all, isn’t that why you hired me? To not be distracted?”

  “Jamie—”

  “Goodnight, Mr. Reid.” Jamie smiled politely at him. “Have an excellent evening.” She left before he could reply and turned away to go to her apartment. It wasn’t until she got inside and locked the door that she started to cry.

  Chapter 3

  “How’s the new computer?” Alex asked her the next day, his tone having a certain hedge to it, like he didn’t want her to snap at him.

  “It’s nice,” Jamie replied as she sat in his office going through the week’s schedule. She flipped the planner so it would sync up with his. They needed to keep things safe and distant, and she would prove to him that it was the best situation for both of them.

  Alex sat behind his desk going over a folder in front of him. "We have a lot of things to go over before the meeting with the investors." He frowned and set a sheet of paper aside. "I need you to make sure everything’s in order so we can get the best deal. This is what’s going to get the investors sold on the project." He gestured to the files on his desk, which was supposed to be their chaperone. It was full of different sketches for a new computer software program that made improvements on current models of voice dictation programs.

  There was a polite knock on the door that led to the lobby.

  "Come in," Alex called out.

  Gina came in, looking at the two of them cautiously. Jamie did her best to look calm, indifferent, and professional. Gina kept teasing Jamie that there was something going on between her and Alex. Over drinks the other night, she’d tried to convince Jamie that Alex wanted to sleep with her. Jamie had denied it all. It didn’t stop Gina from acting like she was going to catch them in the act. That was never going to happen.

  Gina glanced at the two of them. "Mr. Reid, your three o'clock is here."

  "Thank you, Ms. Campbell." He looked at Jamie, his own expression cool and indifferent. "Send those emails, Ms. Connors, and if any of these papers get damaged, heads will roll." He handed Jamie the stack of files. “Keep these in your office till the meeting with the investors.”

  "Yes, Mr. Reid," Jamie said. "Would you like me to stay and take notes for the meeting now?"

  "That won't be necessary." He waved his hand. "I expect you to convert everything I record into a word processor."

  Jamie nodded and then smiled at Gina, who looked skeptical from the exchange between her and Alex. She breathed a sigh as she left Alex's office.

  She sat back at her desk and took a couple of seconds to check her personal phone for any messages from Christine. With the wedding coming closer and closer, Christine was getting more and more high-strung and demanding. There were five text messages from her right now, and Jamie had only been in Alex's office for twenty minutes. At least, she thought it was twenty minutes. She was replying to the last one when a shadow fell across her desk.

  "Excuse me, miss, is Alex Reid in?"

  She slid her phone into her purse, embarrassed to feel like she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t by checking her phone. She felt her mouth
drop when she saw a man who looked exactly like an older version of Alex smiling at her. She recognized Alex’s brother from the photo in Alex’s living room, even though he was a lot older now. What she couldn't understand was why he was here right now.

  "Y-yes," she stammered. "He's in his office right now. Are you his three o’clock?"

  No wonder Alex didn’t need her in the office for his meeting. She stood and came around the desk. “I’m Jamie Connors, Mr. Reid’s personal assistant.”

  He shook her hand "I'm his brother, Mark."

  Jamie nodded. "I know," she said. "I-I mean, the two of you look a lot alike. That's it. Um..." She glanced at the office door and then picked up the phone, ready to dial Alex's line. She put the phone down. "I’m surprised Gina didn’t walk you in from the lobby. I can let you in through here," she said. "It shouldn't be a problem."

  Mark raised an eyebrow.

  “Follow me.” Jamie knocked lightly on Alex’s door before opening it. She blinked in surprise when Mark pushed past her and stepped into Alex’s office before her.

  “Alex!”

  Jamie followed behind him, noticing an extremely attractive woman sitting on a seat in front of Alex’s desk. Personal three o’clock? Or was Mark his three o’clock?

  Alex took one look at his brother and stopped talking. He glared at Mark and his hands balled into fists, crumpling a sheaf of papers in his hands. "What’re you doing here?" He scowled at Jamie. “Why’d you let him in?”

  "Can we talk in private?" Mark asked.

  "No," Alex stood, "because you're leaving. I really don't care why you're here. Just go."

  "Alex!" Mark set his feet shoulder-width apart and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not leaving. I’m your brother. I have the right to talk to you."

  "You don't," Alex said, his voice low and dangerous. "Get the hell out of here. Or I’ll call security."

  The woman still sitting across from Alex’s desk began furiously scribbling in her notebook. “Ms. Snatters?”

  “Hmmm?” the woman said without looking up.

  “Can you please leave this off the record?” He glared at Mark and Jamie again. “Ms. Connors, have Mark leave or not only will I have security escort him out, you’ll be going with him.”

  Mark sighed and turned to Jamie. “I won’t have you lose your job over me.” He moved back into Jamie’s office.

  Jamie followed, unsure of what to say and shocked at how angry Alex’s face had looked.

  "Give this to him, if you can." Mark set a small, white, sealed envelope on her desk.

  Jamie nodded, unable to respond. Mark left without another word, leaving Jamie staring at the envelope for a full minute before Alex opened their door and summoned Jamie in. She grabbed the envelope with a shaking hand, feeling the thick folded up papers inside it burn into her hand. She would have given anything to know the contents of the envelope but she knew she would cross a line she could never cross back if she opened it up. She wouldn’t ever do it. However, it didn’t stop her from being curious.

  Alex slammed the door behind Jamie and breathed a sigh of relief. Or a breath to stall enough to keep his temper in check. Ms. Snatters was no longer in his office. "If he ever comes in here again, call security," he said. "I don't want my brother or anyone else from my family in here again, understand?"

  Jamie bit her lip and then nodded. "He asked me to give you this." Jamie handed him the envelope.

  Alex tossed the envelope on his desk.

  "What happened between you and your family?" She covered her mouth, shocked she’d even said the words out loud.

  "That's none of your concern." He stared out his large windows at the city life below. "It's ancient history."

  "Mark seems… nice." She couldn’t understand Alex’s outburst. She was embarrassed for him. She had a nut-house family and she still loved them. “Maybe you should try talking to him. It might help.”

  "No one can help," he snapped. "Not for moving past and certainly not for reconciliation, because that’s impossible. Make sure none of my family ever come here.” He spun around. “If you ever mention anything about my family again, you can find yourself a new place to live and a new job. Am I clear, Ms. Connors?" He glared at her, his eyes blazing with anger.

  Jamie wanted to scowl back at him, but finally nodded. "Yes, Mr. Reid," she said automatically before she turned around and went back to her desk. She hid behind her computer screen, pretending to look busy but really trying to keep anyone from seeing how frustrated and rattled she was from the confrontation.

  Chapter 4

  Alex wasn't in the office the next day. When Jamie checked the office’s messages, he left an abrupt one to say he wouldn’t be in and to take care of things while he was gone. No explanation. No details on how long. No contact information. Nothing.

  She managed the day, but there was no news from him the next day or the next.

  Jamie spent most of her time at work cancelling appointments and fielding calls to cover for him. He was losing money, clients and deals. Not that it probably mattered with his billion-dollar company but still, it didn’t look good. And judging from the worried looks from Gina, this wasn't normal.

  He wasn’t at his house either. She didn’t notice his car, or him, at the house. When she knocked on his door no one answered either. She had a key to his house but didn’t dare use it. She bumped into Murray one morning as she left for work and he mentioned that Alex had asked him to keep making her meals but to wait until he contacted him when he would need more.

  Friday at lunch, Jamie talked to Gina. She tried to sound nonchalant, "Has Mr. Reid contacted you?”

  Gina shook her head. "He's not answering his phone either. I haven't heard anything from him at all. What's going on? Did he say anything to you?”

  “Just to say he would be out.” She stared down at her sandwich, refusing to mention anything about Alex’s brother coming in or the unprofessional comments she’d made to him. She was an idiot to try and make suggestions about him and his family. It was none of her business.

  “It’s incredibly weird.” Gina crumpled her napkin. “Work’s everything to him! He hasn't missed a day in all the years I've been here. Hell, he's come in when he's been throwing up."

  “I don’t know when he’ll be back. He hasn’t said anything except to hold calls and cancel meetings.” Jamie shrugged and played with her salad.

  "I think something’s going on with his family." Gina leaned closer to her. "I mean, Mark was in the office the other day and then Alex disappears?” She shook her head. “It doesn’t make sense.”

  Jamie’s phone dinged with a reminder. She checked it and swallowed. “Whatever it is, I hope he’s at the office when we get back,” she said. “He scheduled a meeting with a new firm of big-time investors like two months ago and it’s this afternoon. He’ll lose over a million dollars if he doesn’t make it.”

  Gina paled as her eyes grew big. “Shit! There’s no way Alex won’t show up for that,” she said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself along with Jamie. “He lives to make money. Nothing would keep him from losing a deal like that.”

  They picked at their food a little longer in silence. “I think I’ll head back to the office.” Jamie dumped her half uneaten salad into the trash.

  “Maybe you should call him,” Gina said. “Just to make sure.”

  She had several times. Only from the office phone, not her personal cell. She pulled it out. “I’ll try.”

  Gina dropped her fork and it clattered onto her plate. “I’ll try his pager too.”

  It didn’t matter. Alex did not reply to either of them. “I’m going to head back to the office and prepare.” Jamie slipped her coat on.

  Gina nodded. “I’ll keep trying his cell phone. I’ll check and see if anyone at the office has heard from him, without raising any alarm. I promise. I won’t make the employees worry.”

  Jamie nodded. “Okay.” She took her hair out of the bun on the top of
her head and let out a shaky breath. This was too important of a meeting to cancel. “I’d better get ready to save Alex’s ass.”

  An hour and fifteen minutes later Jamie took a deep breath to calm down. Gina had seated the investors in the conference room and there was still no sign of Alex. I’m going to have to take over. Shit! She had been through the pitch a thousand times with all of the statistics and facts memorized. Of course, she had gone over it to help Alex perfect it at the time, not herself, but that hardly mattered now. She couldn’t blow this meeting. She checked her appearance one more time in the mirror, making sure there wasn’t a wrinkle on her blouse or a hair out of place before heading into the conference room.

  Ten men in thousand-dollar suits sat around the table, looking unhappy and impatient. They were all men like Alex, they weren’t used to waiting. As she strode around the long conference table, she forced herself to appear calm and indifferent. They definitely weren’t in an investing mood and it was her job to change that. She smiled pleasantly at them, mustering all of the authority and polish she could. “Gentlemen. Welcome.”

  Three hours later, Jamie paced around her apartment trying to calm her shaking nerves with a glass of whisky and ice. It wasn’t helping. She hated public speaking but with much on the line, she didn’t have a choice today. Now all she wanted to do was hide in her room and get drunk. Really drunk.

  She kicked her shoes off and then pulled her skirt down, drilling it at the wall. “You asshole!” she shouted to the empty room. Another sip of the burning liquid and she undid the top button of her blouse. She’d managed through the meeting and hopefully convinced the investors to stay with Alex. If they didn’t, it wasn’t her fault. She wasn’t the one who had run and hidden away. She’d faced them head on, and kicked ass, right?

  A knock on the door answered her question. She spun around and stomped toward it, forcing a smile on her lips. Murray had bumped into her when she came home from work, all frazzled from the meeting and impossible day. He was probably checking up on her. “I’m okay, Murray,” she called, reaching for the handle and forgetting she was only in her blouse. She glanced down in a panic and only opened the door a crack to pop just her head out. “I’m fi…”