Plus Size Romance

The Billionaire Boss-2

“ Be careful, if you do that too long it can make you sick.” She jumped back the voice scaring her.

She spun around and saw him there. He was dressed impeccably, as if the suit was molded to him. He was tall, and his face was defined by a strong jawline and the sharp planes of his face. His hair was jet blacked and slightly longer on top, but brushed back off of his forehead. Despite all of this it was his eyes that held her the longest. They were a deep blue, and piercing. It felt as though he was looking into her soul.

“ I’m so sorry, its just such a beautiful view.” She smiled at him and gave her a one over. He moved to sit behind his desk and she scrambled to sit back in her chair. She watched how he moved with grace and she felt nervous now about being here under false pretenses. She took a deep breath and swallowed.

“ I see you have a degree in Office Management? Is that right Miss Greene?” He looked at her, there was something slightly amusing in his tone and she cleared her throat.

“ Ye... yes I do. To be honest, I was thinking the ad may have been a misprint or something?” She shrugged slightly. “When I saw the company name I thought it would be a good idea to come in, and see if perhaps it… ah well to see if it was… a misprint.” She looked away and blushed. She was rambling like an i***t.

“ So, you decided to come to this job interview for a position you aren't qualified for because you assumed someone was inept at posting the ad? I’m not sure if insulting the business is such a good start, Miss Greene.”

“ Oh no, that’s not it at all, I simply wanted to come in and… will see.” His voice was rising now and she felt the heat rushing to her face. This guy was obviously an ass, and rude to boot. She felt his eyes on her again looking her over.

“ Tell me, Miss Greene what are you good at?” He leaned back in his chair slightly, obviously enjoying the game they were playing.

She gulped. “As you mentioned, I have a degree in Office Management. I am also good at being organized, being on time and I am a stickler for having a very determined personality.”

“ Very determined? Well then, that’s something we have in common.” He smiled as he leaned forward. “Unfortunately, the ad was correct, I am looking for a caregiver for my mother. That being said, I appreciate the time you took to come in, and I have enjoyed our discussion.” He stood, buttoning his jacket.

“ Well, thank you Mr.….?” She shook the hand he held out to her.

“ Blakemore.” He held her hand just a second longer than normal and she moved to make her way to the door. “Miss Greene…” he called out to her.

“ Yes.”

“ If anything opens up I’ll call you myself.” He gave her a flash of a smiled before he sat down dismissing her.

She shut the door behind her with a slight slam. She could still feel the heat in her cheeks and she was frustrated. What a jerk, it was the only thing she could come up with off the top of her head. More importantly, what the hell was wrong with her, she usually could handle herself with some self-control and he had gotten under the skin. He would call her directly? As if somehow she should feel special. As much as she wanted to scream her frustration about the charismatic billionaire, Blakemore, she really just wanted to cry. It took a lot to bring her spirits down, and she was nearing her breaking point. She climbed into her car and sighed. At least she tried. Now, she would make the trip into Virginia for lunch with her mother, who would drill her for information about her life, or lack thereof.

Byron sighed. Finding someone who would suit his mother was proving to be a difficult challenge. Three days later and still he looked down at the stack of resumes on his desk and started sorting them one by one. Near the end he found Rachel Greene and he smiled. She was fire and ice that one. She was beautiful too, but he had a sneaking suspicion she didn’t know it. She walked into his office and with a simplistic beauty looked out over the city and even then he wanted her. There was a part of him that was attracted to her innocence, the simple joy that crossed her face in those moments. Then, as the conversation began, he knew the precise moment when he frustrated her and made her angry. The crystal clear blue eyes shot daggers at him across the desk. She amused him, and excited him. He put her into the “no” pile and went on. Soon he narrowed it down to three people, all capable and seemingly nice. His mother could choose who she liked best. He buzzed Linda.

She came in with a smile and he noticed she was walking a little slower than she had that morning. He really should find her an assistant of some kind. He may very well be an ass to most, but he had a soft spot for Linda and knew her paycheck was important to her.

“ Linda, I know you’re busy. I wanted to ask you something, your opinion really.” He walked over and sat on the corner of his desk. Linda smiled at him and sat down in the chair across from him.

“ Yes Mr. Blakemore what is it, I’m happy to help however I can.” She gave him a big smile and reminded him so much of his own mother he patted her arm.

“ I am thinking of promoting you, to something more detailed. The problem is you will have to spend less time working with me and more time doing paperwork and such.”

“ Oh Mr. Blakemore, I know you let me stay because you’re so sweet. I couldn’t possibly get a promotion.” She waved a hand at him.

“ On the contrary Linda, you would be doing me a great service being in charge of some important clients. Helping me with meetings and the like. Plus, it comes with an assistant.” He glanced down and removed an imaginary something from his pant leg.

“ I've never had an assistant before." She gave him a wide smile. “Whatever you think is best Mr. Blakemore.” She made her way back out to her desk.

After she was gone, he glanced down at the files on his desk. He knew exactly the right candidate for the new open position. He smiled to himself. He did tell her he would call her directly. She more than likely found another position by now, but the banter would be fun in and of itself. He dialed and she answered on the third ring,

“ Hello!” She was noticeably out of breath making him wonder what she had been doing… or better yet, who she was doing it with.

“ Miss Greene, how are you?”

“ I’m fine, who is this please?” She was obviously moving something around.

“ This is Mr. Blakemore… we met last week.” There was a pause before she responded.

“ Yes, Mr. Blakemore, how could I forget?” She said it sweetly, but he could detect a hint of sarcasm there. He smiled, he really did enjoy this.

“ I was calling you about a position we have open, but if you’re busy…”

“ No! No, I’m not busy at all Mr. Blakemore, please, please go on.” He felt it then, the tightness of his slacks. There was something about the way she pleaded with him that made him want her.

“ I have an opening, it’s a secretarial position… decent starting pay, benefits, etc. I know you mentioned you were looking.”

“ Yes, I am looking. I’d like to come in and discuss it, if that’s ok?” She did her very best to sound nonchalant about the situation.

“ Great, let’s shoot for tomorrow 9 am?”

“ That sounds fine with me, I don’t think I have anything going on tomorrow at all.” She did her very best to sound as though she may need to check.

She didn’t want to appear desperate. She hung up the phone and sat down in the chair, maybe this was it but then who knew? He seemed to be genuine. She looked around the room at the boxes she was currently packing. As much as she tried to deny it, there was no way she would miss that meeting. She had very little time before she was out on the street. She sorted through her things to find a dress she only wore on special occasions. It was tight and black. Perhaps if she tried really hard it would show, and he would be inclined to ask her to stay. She held it up in front of her and frowned. He had such an effect on her it would be hard to ignore him, but she would do her best. She fired up her computer again rearranging her numbers with her new projected income… yes, it would certainly be a blessing in disguise. She snapped it shut and went back to packing, there was a good chance she would say the wrong thing, he got under her skin and she was quick to snap at him. Something she rarely ever did. He had this uncanny way of bringing out the worst in her. She worked late, managing to eat a heated can of ravioli for dinner along the way.

The next morning came bright and sunny. She smiled as she remembered that today could change her life. She jumped out of bed and ran into the shower. It took her longer than usual to dress and apply some slight makeup before heading downtown. There was a hustle and bustle in the air as she rode along, mindful of the people in the crosswalks and those begging for loose change. This was home and she loved it. She pulled into the parking garage and crossed her fingers that he would validate her parking ticket. She didn’t even have enough money to get out of here if he didn’t. She took a deep breath as the elevator took her to the top floor. When the doors opened, she made her way to the front desk and waited. Soon a short smiling lady who resembled her grandmother came to get her.

“ You must be Rachel, come on dear, let me show you around.” She was slightly hunched over and moving at a slow pace and Rachel loved her instantly. “Mr. Blakemore wants to meet with you for lunch, but until then I’m going to show you around a bit. He says he is “promoting” me.” She gave the bunny ears as she explained. “The truth is I am old and need to retire but I would be lost all alone at home, and he knows it. So he is hiring my replacement, with the title of being my assistant.” She gave a chuckle and they moved towards her office.

Although she had been through these rooms before, and back to his private office, she wasn’t prepared for the size of the actual space she would be working in. Directly in front of his double doors was a lounge area, for meetings and to one side a fully stocked guest kitchen, the other entire wall was made for his assistant. She hadn’t expected it to be quite so beautiful, really. She refused to get her hopes up, but she knew it would be difficult. Linda, she learned, was showing her where her desk was, as well as her private office behind it. At her confused look Linda explained.