THE BILLIONAIRE'S SEXY LIBRARIAN

LOGAN I slammed my hands down on the conference table, and the mutters died down immediately. Glaring at my staff members was something I did every day, yet it never stopped them from flinching every damn time. Weaklings! They had no backbone, and it infuriated me even more than their incompetence did. I wanted effective, competent workers, not blundering fools! “What the hell do you mean the marketing strategy wasn't effective?” I asked the man before me and he shrank back, his hands trembling slightly. “We…uhm…we didn't take the competitors into consideration, and it cost us. They…apparently…they made use of the strategy first,” he stammered, and my anger rose at each word that left his mouth. Incompetent fool. “So you mean to tell me that articles have been circulating about how we copied them?” I didn't need to yell, the venom in my voice was enough to make them all freeze. The man nodded shakily. “Who came up with this idea?” “I…I did sir,” he was almost close to tears, and I fought the urge to have him thrown out. He might be older than I was, but he was still on my payroll. Which meant I had the upper hand. I don't give a flying f**k about people's age. “You're fired,” I said, and true to his disposition, he burst into tears immediately. “Please. Sir. I'll do better. I don't…ple–” he started to sob, and my anger level became lethal. “Jackson,” I called out, and my personal assistant stepped in immediately. Throwing him out like the incompetent fool that he was would suit him better. I wouldn't want to commit murder. “Get this blubbering i***t out of my sight,” I said as I turned to the next person. By the time the meeting ended, I had fired eight of my fifteen high level staff. I stormed into my office, loosening my tie as I sank into my chair. Jackson stepped in, his expression calm and unruffled as usual. “I scheduled an interview for the open positions for next week. Will you be meeting the applicants or should I deal with it?” He asked. I grabbed the telephone on my desk and speed dialed a number. She picked up the first ring. “Coffee,” one word was all it took, and I sat down, waiting for my coffee, paying no attention to Jackson. The door opened again and Geraldine walked in, her steps brisk and efficient. She dropped the coffee on my table and walked out without a word. After taking a sip to calm my anger, I glanced at Jackson. “Deal with them. I just don't want any more blubbering fools,” I said flippantly, and he nodded. “What's my schedule for the rest of the day?” He grimaced slightly. It was for a second, but I swear I felt unease spread through me at the expression on his face. That only meant one thing. “You're supposed to have lunch with Riley, sir,” he said, his tone somewhat apologetic, and I cursed. Damnit. I should have known. I was in no mood to deal with Riley and her incessant nagging, especially with the fact that I was currently in a foul mood. “Is there any way to get out of this?” Jackson shook his head. “No, sir. You canceled three times now. She is already angry enough as it is.” I sighed. “Okay. Pick her up and meet me back here. We'll go to the restaurant together,” I said, and he nodded, turning to leave. “You already made a reservation, yeah?” I called and he turned back to face me. “Of course, sir,” I gave him a satisfied nod, and watched as he left. Riley gave me the silent treatment all the way to the restaurant. “Riley, darling. How was school today?” I tried making conversation with her when we got to the restaurant, and she gave me a scorching look as she replied. “Do you even know what grade I am?” The question was so sudden that I lost my composure. I blinked, trying to remember if she ever mentioned her grade or something related to it. When I came up blank, Jackson leaned in and whispered into my ears. “Third grade. She's in third grade now. Top of her class.” Riley sighed, disappointment evident in her eyes. “See? You don't even know. You have to rely on your personal assistant for everything, even things relating to me, your own daughter. How does that sound to you?” It was obvious that she was angry at me, but this was not the first time we would be having a conversation like this. " Sweetheart. See. I…” I started to say, but she held up her hand, halting my words. “I don't want to listen to another excuse from you, daddy. Please let me eat in peace,” she said, and something ached in my chest. I sighed, my appetite dissipating into thin air. “I bet it was Jackson who reminded you of this lunch, too.” I could not find the words to reply to her, so I didn't bother defending myself. She saw through my lies all the time. I watched helplessly as my daughter ate and chattered away with Jackson, my heart aching at the distance between us. We used to be close when she was a baby, and now, she blames me for the chasm between us. But who was I kidding? She was barely conscious back then, and all she did was eat and sleep. How the f**k does that count? I sighed again. Finishing her meal with a flourish, I was prepared to say something, anything, when my phone beeped. It was a work email. I checked it out, and became so engrossed in what I was doing that I didn't notice my daughter staring at me, waiting for the answer to a question I didn't hear her ask. “Sorry. Were you talking to me?” I asked and immediately regretted asking the question. “You could not even wait for me to get out of your sight before you started working, daddy? Is this all I am worth to you? Just an extensive part of you that doesn't require your utmost attention?” Jesus effing Christ. My girl was smart. I wondered at her eloquence and gaped at her words. How the hell was she able to construct such big sentences? She stood up, dropped her napkin on the table, and turned to glare at me. “I bet Jackson will see that I get home safely, yeah?” She didn't wait for a reply before grabbing my assistant’s arm and leading him away. Jackson glanced at me helplessly. “Go on. Meet me back at the office,” I waved him away and watched him leave with my daughter. My smart, beautiful, angry daughter. Her temper reminded me of my childhood, and a chasm of regret opened in me. I detested my parents for not understanding me, yet here I was, doing the same to my daughter. My beautiful girl who was so unlike me in many ways. I wondered what the employees I fired earlier today would think of me if they saw me right now, helpless before a seven-year-old. Since I had to get back to the office on my own, I didn't leave immediately. I decided to finish dealing with the email I was checking out earlier. It took longer than expected, and as I stepped into the blinding sunlight, someone bumped into me. I looked away from my phone with a frown, and came face to face with a…very short, curvy and bespectacled woman. “I…I apologize. I wasn't really paying attention,” she stammered and nudged her glasses, drawing my attention to her eyes. She had the brownest eyes I'd ever seen. Her lashes were long, and they curled downwards shyly as I continued to stare. This…clumsy…four-eyed, curvy lady was beautiful. She was so pretty, like something out of a wet dream, and my body hardened as I drank her in. The thought hit me like a storm, and I reeled as I took in her figure. Desire shot through me and I fought the urge to grab her and kiss the hell out of those lips. She stooped to gather the books that she must have dropped when she collided with me, and I snapped back into reality. What the hell was wrong with me? I had no time for women, and the fact that this strange woman raised such emotions in me was enough for me to harden my features. “Watch where you're going next time, four eyes. And you might want to get those glasses checked,” I said rudely. My voice was flat, and I didn't bother looking back at her as I stepped past her. As I called for a cab back to the office, anger simmered beneath my bones at myself, for feeling such desire towards a woman. Women have no place in my life, not after what I have gone through. But it didn't stop me from thinking of how curvy she was, and how much I wanted to kiss her.