The Billionaire Affair, page 13
I’m engrossed in my work and I don’t hear him come. The sound of someone clearing their throat makes me look up. My breath hitches at the sight of him in a snow-white, crisp shirt and a dark suit that fits him perfectly. My gaze moves to his mouth and the only thing I can think of is how those lips feel on mine.
My thighs tremble with need. “Good morning,” I croak out.
“Morning,” Jace says curtly, and without another word, he enters his office and slams the door shut.
My heart pounds hard against my chest and everything in me reverberates with pain. I can’t believe he treated me so coldly. As if he hates me. Oh, God. Why would he hate me?
Are you seriously asking that? a voice inside me says.
Tears fill my eyes and I wipe them off impatiently. You rejected him, the voice continues. I did reject him but I thought we could be friends. I make myself continue with my work.
When it’s eight o’clock, I don’t know whether to take his coffee for him or not. Better follow the usual routine. I make the coffee and carry it to his office together with his updated schedule on the iPad. I set the coffee on his table.
“Is it okay if we go through your schedule?” I ask, my voice shaky.
He ignores me. His fingers tap on the keyboard and his gaze remains on his screen. I have no choice but to leave. I turn around and hurry out.
“Why didn’t you just say that you’d found someone else?” Jace says in a cold voice.
His voice and his words stop me cold. I whirl around to face him. “What?”
He stares at me with emotionless eyes. Then he gestures at his screen. “It’s all here. Your romance with your boyfriend. Oh, and it’s a double date with the event planner.”
I stand behind him, so close his scent is all around me. I relax as I stare at the screen. “That’s Chris, my best friend and that’s my brother Marcus and his wife Charlotte. I told you they run an events company.”
Jace’s shoulders visibly relax, then he swirls his chair around and I move back. His eyes gleam with pain. My heart contracts. I hate being the one responsible for that pain. I want to throw my arms around him and hold him close until the pain disappears.
“All these people you are close to, I don’t know them. You never let me know them,” Jace says his voice wracked with hurt.
I speak without thinking. “I’ll invite them for dinner so that you can meet them.”
“Come.”
I slide onto his lap and Jace buries his face in my chest. I rake my fingers through his hair. Then he raises his gaze to me and his eyes are filled with anguish.
“Oh Jace,” I say.
“I’ve missed you with every fiber of my being,” he says.
I press two fingers to his lips. I can’t bear to hear any more. I bring my mouth to his and I almost come at my first taste of him. He cradles the back of my head, deepening the kiss. Heat whips through my body and as I inch up his lap, my skirt slides up until it bunches around my waist, revealing my thighs.
Jace’s erection presses against me and I move back and forth, craving more friction. Joy and lust bubble inside me. Jace’s hands skim over my thighs, to my ass. He moves me up and down on his erection. Our movements are frenzied as if this will be taken away from us at any time.
A phone rings from a distance, but the noise gets closer and I realize that it’s coming from Jace’s desk. Reluctantly, we break the kiss and stare at each other panting. Jace grins at me. I beam back. Chris’s words come to me. Why suffer twice?
I kiss him lightly on his lips and slide off his lap, adjusting my skirt as I do so.
“Your place or mine, after work?” Jace asks.
I move to the front of his desk. “Which is the closest?”
“Mine then,” he says and then answers the phone.
His eyes don’t leave me even as he talks on the phone. I blow him a kiss and close the door behind me. I lean on it and smile. I’m so happy, I could cry. I won’t stay away from Jace Anderson. No matter what happens after, I’ll always have these three months as memories of the time we had together.
Jace is playful throughout the day. He leans over my desk to kiss me and swats my ass when I walk past him. I accompany Jace on his rounds and my admiration for him grows triple-fold. When he speaks to someone, he gives them his whole attention.
I’m consumed by lust by the end of the evening. We leave my car at the clinic parking lot and take his car. I rest my hand on his erection as he drives and he groans as if he’s being tortured. I feel the same and I can’t wait for the privacy of his apartment. In the elevator, Jace pulls me to him. We kiss, our bodies hot and hungry for each other. The elevator comes to a stop and the doors slide open.
We stagger out, drunk on our own desire. Inside Jace’s apartment, we don’t waste any time, and we go straight to his bedroom. He shuts the door and starts to undress, tossing his clothes to the floor. I drop my handbag and do the same. It’s erotic, undressing while staring at each other.
Jace finishes first and lies on the bed with his hands behind his head, staring at me. I’m so wet that my panties are completely damp. I step out of them and follow Jace to the bed. He makes space for me and when I lie down, he pulls me into his arms.
Our kiss is slow this time. There’s no risk of interruption. Jace licks the seam of my lips with his tongue while I caress his shoulders.
“How are you feeling?” Jace asks as he moves to pepper kisses on my neck.
“Safe.” It’s the first thing that comes to my head.
Jace stops what he’s doing to look at me. “What do you mean, safe?”
A lump blocks my throat. I dislodge it with a cough. “The only time that I’ve ever felt truly safe was when my mom was alive. Even if she was a mess and could barely take care of herself, let alone us. But when I was near her, I felt safe.” Tears fill my eyes. I don’t know why I’m crying. “You make me feel safe.”
Jace smooths my hair away from my face. “Why do you push me away then, sweetheart? I want to protect you forever. What frightens you?”
More tears follow his question. I can’t tell him the truth. Not yet. “I’m okay now,” I finally say.
“You’re sure?” he asks.
I smile. “Absolutely.” I don’t deserve Jace. He’s perfect for someone but that person is not me. I need to get out of my thoughts or else I’ll cry until I run out of tears. Leaning forward, I press my lips against his and our passion is rekindled in an instant.
Jace kisses my whole body, even turning me around to lie on my stomach. I giggle as he plants kisses on my ass. Then he flips me around and the laughter dies when he dives between my legs. I raise my hips, pushing my mound against his mouth.
I’m a wild woman, thrashing my legs everywhere and grabbing Jace’s hair. When I come, the pleasure is impossible, and tears squeeze out of the corners of my eyes.
“I hope those are happy tears,” Jace says.
“They are,” I tell him. “Come here.”
He drapes his body over mine and kisses me. I reach between us for his dick, guiding it to my aching needy center. He fills me up and we move as one, fluidly, like a dance. I cling to him, haunted by the thought that someday, I will lose him.
Chapter 20: Olivia
Answering Jace’s emails is a full-time job in itself but it does give an insight into the demands of running a hospital. It’s a wonder that he has left over energy after work. He definitely has no problems in that area. We’ve been alternating between Jace’s place and mine.
The door to his office opens and he steps out. My lips automatically curve into a smile and he blows me a kiss, which I pretend to catch, then clam it to my cheek like a basketball player dunking a ball. Our laughter fills the room then he disappears out the door. He’s probably gone to meet one of the managers.
I still have a smile on my face when Jace returns bearing two mugs of coffee. I glance at the time. Quarter to eight. He sets both mugs on my desk and sits down on the extra chair.
“What are we doing?” Laughter bubbles up inside me. Life with Jace never gets dull.
“I’m serving you coffee.” He pushes one mug closer to me, picks the other one, and takes a sip. Despite seeing him multiple times a day and spending the night with him, I still ogle him. Those eyes.
“Yes, why?” I reach for the cup and stare at him over the rim while I take a sip. I make appreciative noises. The coffee is perfectly made.
“Because you’re special,” Jace says. “We can go through my schedule.” He smiles at me and my heart does a little dance in my chest. He is up to something.
“Okay.” I reach for my tablet and for the next few minutes, we go through his schedule. It’s a busy day because he’ll be out in the afternoon to record a health TV show.
Jace stands up when we’re done and leans across my desk to kiss me. It grows raunchy very fast, his tongue sliding over mine. I love the taste of coffee in his mouth.
“If I don’t stop now, we both know I’ll have to lock you up in my office,” Jace says, drawing back.
“Thank you for the coffee.”
He smiles and disappears into his office. I float in a bubble of happiness as I work. Jace leaves at eight to have breakfast with his brothers. He invites me, as he does every day but I decline. I know it’s their time to discuss clinic matters and my being there will make everyone uncomfortable.
I look up in surprise as I hear someone approaching down the hallway. Jace’s appointments don’t start until nine-thirty and everyone knows that he’s usually at the cafeteria at this time.
A delivery man appears bearing a massive bouquet of roses. “Delivery for Olivia James?”
“That’s me. Please put them here.” Thank God for Sarah’s huge desk because the bouquet is massive.
The delivery man places a box wrapped in gold in front of me. Marcus and Charlotte, I think with a fond smile. I got a message wishing me a happy twenty-fifth birthday but we have a no-gifts rule and I’m surprised they’ve broken it. We’ve always had a tacit agreement not to celebrate birthdays.
“Thank you.”
I pluck the card from the flowers.
Happy birthday to the most beautiful, wonderful woman in the world. The one who makes my heart sing. I love you, Olivia James.
My eyes widen and my heart thumps loudly in my chest. It’s obvious the flowers are from Jace. I read the words again.
I love you.
He loves me. I want to cry and laugh at the same time. Oh, God. My throat feels like closing up. I’m a mess. Will he believe me when I tell him that my feelings for him are genuine when he finds out the truth?
I can’t think about that now. I inhale the sweet scent of the roses then go to the kitchen in search of a vase. I find one and put some water in it and return to my desk.
Jace loves me. I say the words in my mind over and over again like a preschooler.
The roses look beautiful in the vase. Some have fully bloomed and the others are closed up, still buds. I reach out to touch a delicate red petal. It’s fragile, like the love that Jace and I have. It cannot survive a secret the magnitude of which I’m carrying.
I’m tearful but I won’t allow the sob lodged in my chest to escape. My gaze is drawn to the gold-wrapped box. I take it and proceed to undo the ribbons and the wrapper. Inside is a red, velvet jewelry box. I’ve never received jewelry as a gift from anyone. I open it to reveal a ruby and diamond necklace with matching earrings. A gasp escapes my mouth.
“Does that mean that you like them?” Jace’s voice comes from behind me.
“Oh, Jace, you shouldn’t have. This is too expensive.” I turn to him as he moves towards me.
“Happy birthday, my love,” he says and encloses me in his arms.
I bury myself in his shirt and to my shame, a sob breaks out of me. I don’t know why I’m crying except I have all these emotions in my chest and the only thing I can do is cry. I finally draw back.
“I’m sorry, I messed up your jacket.” Jace hands me a handkerchief and I wipe the tears from my cheeks.
“It’s fine,” he says and kisses my forehead.
“How did you know?”
“Your file. The date stuck with me,” Jace says. “Happy tears?”
“Yes.” We hug again.
The phone rings and I sit down to answer it while Jace disappears into his office. It’s one of our resident doctors and I put the call through to Jace. The scent of the roses teases my senses, reminding me of the beach. A longing to be in Jace’s home in Luana bay comes over me.
My phone vibrates with a message. It’s from Jace. It simply says, Open your email. Smiling, I click on the screen and my inbox appears. There’s an email from Jace. Enjoy your afternoon. I’ll pick you up for dinner. Intrigued, I open the attachment. It’s a card. My eyes fill up with tears again and the words on the screen become blurred. An afternoon at the spa. The full works. A facial, deep tissue massage, body wrap, and a surprise.
Jace texts me again.
Are you crying?
Yes. Happy tears. I don’t deserve you.
I’m the one who doesn’t deserve you, he writes again.
Jace shoos me out of the office at two. He has arranged for his driver to be at my disposal today. He’ll drop me at the spa, pick me up when I’m done, and take me home. Then Jace will pick me up to go for dinner.
The car pulls up in front of Eden Spa and after thanking the driver, I get out of the car and head to the glass entryway. The scent reminds me of my bouquet of roses that I got from Jace.
“Hi, welcome to Eden Spa,” the lady at the reception desk says, standing up to greet me.
I introduce myself and she tells me about the treatments I’ll be having. I want to let out a squeal of joy. I’m taken to a luxurious room and after removing my phone I place my handbag on a table and collapse on a chair. Someone gives me a pedicure while another works on my hands. I use my free hand to text Marcus. After all these sweet things that Jace is doing for me, the least I can do is let him meet my people.
It’s a risk but I’ll take it. When I’m out of Jace’s life, maybe he’ll know that what we had meant something because I introduced him to my family. The hard part is convincing Marcus.
Me: Hey bro. You and Charlotte are hereby invited to dinner tomorrow evening.
Marcus: What’s going on, sis? What are we celebrating? Your birthday? I thought we don’t do that.
Me: Maybe we should start but that’s a conversation for another day. I’ve invited Jace for dinner as well.
Marcus: Is that wise?
Me: He just wants to meet my family. I’ve met his. It’s natural that he wants to meet mine.
Marcus: Thought you were going to end things with him.
Me: I tried but I’m already in love with him. Things will work out. You’ll see. Do this for me. Please.
Marcus: You know I can’t say no to you. But if we mess up, the blame is on you.
Me: Thank you!!
I sit back to relax as the lady working on my feet does magical things with her hands. I put my phone down and surrender my hands for the same treatment. It’s not long before I start drifting off.
Chapter 21: Jace
“I’m taking a wild guess here but things must be good with Olivia?” Dylan says as we walk to the exit doors. I’m leaving a little earlier for an interview on a local TV station. The requests usually come up every so often and I never turn them down. Sometimes they’ll want a medical doctor on their panel and Alec or Dylan will go. It’s good publicity for our clinic.
I grin. “We cleared up the misunderstanding. It’s her birthday today, I’m taking her out to dinner.” I can’t wait to see Olivia after she’s been away from the office most of the afternoon. I hate to admit this but it is lonely up there without her.
“Wish her a happy birthday for me. Oh and by the way, Harper is feeling very left out because she’s the only one who hasn’t met Olivia.”
I laugh. “Tell her she will when the time is right. So will Mother and Father.”
We stop outside the building and Dylan looks at me. “She’s that special, huh?”
I nod solemnly. “Olivia ticks all the wrong boxes. She’s too young for me and she works at the clinic.”
“She’s added a year today,” Dylan quips. “Age really doesn’t matter as long as you love each other. As for working at the clinic, it’s only temporary. By the way, what are her plans when her stint with you is done?”
I feel foolish for not knowing. “No idea. I’ll ask.” I’ve been focused on the time she’ll be working for me and not thought beyond that. I’ll rectify that over dinner.
Dylan and I say our goodbyes and I head to my car. Before I start the car, I check my phone for messages from Olivia. Nothing but I’m not expecting any. We texted back and forth a few times when she got to the spa then agreed I’d pick her up from her apartment at six.
I muse over what I told Dylan. Am I rushing things wanting Olivia to meet my parents? There will be no going back as soon as I take that step. Instead of anxiety coming over me, I grin idiotically. I can’t wait to introduce Olivia to the most important people in my life.
The TV interview takes an hour to record. It will be aired later tonight. If we don’t linger over dinner, Olivia and I can catch it. I have just enough time to go home and take a quick shower. I dress and check my reflection critically in the mirror. I’ve gone for a semi-casual look which works well for dinner.
I hope that Olivia had a great afternoon and the spa treatment has left her feeling relaxed. She works so hard and she certainly deserves to be pampered. I park my car outside her apartment building and rather than text her as is our custom, I head to the entrance. I hit the buzzer and she lets me in.
I take the stairs and when I get to her floor, her front door is open. I stand near the window looking out while I wait for Olivia to appear.
“Hi,” she says and I whirl around. Her hair is done up in an elaborate style which shows off the necklace and earrings I gave her. She looks regal. Like visiting royalty.
