Billionaire Bad Boy, Broken Underneath

Chapter 17

Carissa's POV

I stare at the shattered glass on the marble floor for a minute before going to grab a brush and dustpan to clean it up. My boss is so annoying and I almost hate him at this point. He clearly overreacted over a broken glass cup. I get that I turned down his preposterous offer and it might have hurt him because he hadn't spoken a word to me since that day until this morning. But he was flat out rude. I was holding it all in, trying not to flare up so it doesn't cost me my job. I still need this job.

I clean up the area and head upstairs. I'm really upset with Ezra. He literally called me dumb in so many words. I can't even think about it because it gets me so angry. Calling me dumb over what was clearly a mistake? Ezra is just something else and I just wish I could give him a piece of my mind right now but that would definitely cost me my job. I swallow my pride and call the one person who can talk me out of this mood.

“She finally remembers she has a bestfriend” Rachael's voice comes through the phone.

“Rachael” I let out a small laugh

“How are you doing, girl?” she asks in a chirpy voice

“I’m alright” I answer

“You don't sound okay, Carissa. Did something happen?”

“Not really. I'm just exhausted. My boss isn't the easiest person to work with so…” I sit on the bed.

“Tell me what he did. I know something happened” she demands

“Calm you horses down, girl. It's nothing serious anyways” I say

“You would see me at Ezra's mansion in a few minutes if you don't start talking now” she states and I roll my eyes hard even though she can't see me. I go on to tell her everything that happened, from his crazy offer to the incident this morning.

“I told you not to fall for him but turns out he's the one falling hard” she laughs.

“It’s not funny, Rachael” I try to keep a straight face.

“The hell it isn't. You just gotta be really careful, Carissa. Now he's shown interest in you, it's easy to fall for his charms” she says

“He didn't show interest in me. He only showed interest in my body. He clearly said he wants me in his bed. That's disgusting” I shake my head, recounting that evening.

“Men like Ezra do not do relationships. They only sleep with a woman and move onto the next available one. It's nothing new” she explains and the entire thing just sounds absurd. I mean don't they feel some type of way having to sleep with different women? It's really crazy.

“Whatever the case may be, I'm not about to get dragged into something so messy. I just want to focus on my job. I really don't need any distractions right now” I twirl a strand of my hair with my finger and let it loose.

“Do you by any chance like your boss?” Rachael suddenly asks after a few seconds and I almost choke on my saliva.

“Rachael!” I yell

“What? It's just a harmless question. I mean, he might be a womanizer but we can't deny the fact that that man is insanely beautiful. I saw him once at a conference my company hosted and the aura he exudes is crazy. I wouldn't even lie, it did crazy things to my mind back then. It's only natural for you to feel something for him. I'm not judging” she says in a funny voice and I squint my eyes at her but suddenly remembers she can't see me.

“Well…” I trail off

“Well what, Carissa?” Rachael teases

“Listen. He's fine and all, I get that. But sometimes his attitude stinks and I really can't deal with his lifestyle” I huff.

“I wasn't asking you to. I just wanted to know if you felt anything for your gorgeous boss, that's all” she says

“Even if I did, it means nothing. It's nothing deep. I mean there's no point in pursuing something that has no future. I'd rather escape the hurt it would come with” I stress

“Alright. I heard you” Racheal says in a small annoying voice. The call is silent for a few seconds before she begins laughing and I join her. We end the call after a few chit chats and I choose to rest my head for a bit.

It's late in the afternoon when I finally wake up and go down to prepare dinner. I had a really long, uninterrupted and highly needed sleep and I'm grateful for that. I feel so refreshed. I'm rounding off the last side dish when the front door opens. I look at my phone to see it's almost 7pm. That had to be Ezra who just walked in. He doesn't come to the kitchen for a while so I figure he’s gone up to his room. If he's thinking of skipping dinner, he had better think twice. I wouldn't waste my time preparing his meal only to have him not eat it.

I finish up and set the food on the dinning table in the adjoining room and head back to the kitchen to clean up. I’m done in a few minutes and decided to head up to Ezra's room to inform him about dinner. His room is off limits but I've been there a couple of times so I take my chance. I'm on my way out of the kitchen when Ezra strolls in. I stop in my tracks.

“Good evening Ezra. You dinner is served” I point towards the dinning room. I make my way back to the kitchen not sparing him another glance when I feel a hand grab my arm. I turn back and stare at his hand on mine and then look up at him.

“Do you need anything else?” I ask

“I got something for you” he says as he lifts up a small gift bag with his other hand.

“You got me a gift? Why did you get me a gift? I don't remember celebrating anything” I ignore the gift and stare at him.

“Look Carissa, I admit that I overreacted this morning and I thought to get you a little something to apologize for my behaviour” he says in the calmest voice ever. I think about what my friend said about him earlier. She was right. The aura this man exudes is just something else. I mean, he's clearly apologizing but it's doing something silly to my stomach. He pushes the bag into my hand and I hold onto it.

“It's alright, Ezra. I already forgot about it” I lie and he lets out a small smile as if to say that he sees through my lie.

“The energy you gave off a few moments ago when I walked in says otherwise” his voice is so deep, it's distracting.

I clear my throat and tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “You've apologized now so I guess you're forgiven” I look around, avoiding his eyes. He places a finger below my chin, redirecting my face to meet his and I'm suddenly feeling hot.

He stares at me for a few seconds before he speaks. “Thank you, Carissa” he says with a heart crushing smile before moving towards the dinning room, leaving me standing right there. It takes a few seconds for me to regain composure and move away from the spot he left me at. What just happened?