Resisting the Billionaire (9 page)

Marcus swung his gaze back to me. “He can stay, can’t he?”

Put on the spot, there was nothing to say except, “Of
course.” My back straightened with a snap and I walked into the kitchen in a
haze of confusion.

Why the hell did Jake
say yes to dinner? He could easily have said he had dinner plans.

As I cooked brown rice and chicken stir-fry, I found myself
being unusually mindful about working with the ingredients. I told myself I
wanted to cook a good meal for Marcus, but I knew I wanted to impress Jake. It
was a laughable endeavor since this man probably had his own personal chef and
dined frequently at Michelin star restaurants. His sophisticated palate was accustomed
to steak tartar and
foie
gras
and not to a simple dish made with whatever convenient ingredients I had on
hand.

I looked over to the living room every now and then, but
Jake and Marcus were intently involved in discussing the pros and cons of
certain robotic features.

I shook my head, acknowledging that Jake was right about
males and their toys. Not for one second did Jake look bored or impatient with
Marcus. I never thought he would be so good with a teenager.

“Marcus, it’s almost time to eat. Could you please show Jake
where to wash up?”

I heard him get up to fulfill my request and I turned off
the stove. The smell of soy sauce and sesame seed oil permeated the air. I scooped
up a few pieces with the spatula for a final taste and nodded with satisfaction
at my effort. The chicken was tender and the broccoli was still fresh and
crispy. I took out my mom’s china and plated the food.

Without being told, Marcus had already set out silverware
and napkins and poured out drinks for everyone.
Juice for him
and water for me.
Jake got a refill on his water. I patted his shoulder
in thanks.

Jake and Marcus sat shoulder to shoulder on the other side
of the counter. My boss should have looked out of place in our small rundown
kitchen, but he looked surprisingly content.

Jake took a deep inhalation and smiled at me. I felt my
knees weaken as that dimple winked at me.

Damn, he was gorgeous.

“It smells and looks scrumptious.”

Glad my blush could be attributed to the heat in the
kitchen, I murmured my thanks and set a plate of fluffy rice smothered with
broccoli and chicken in front of him.

I dragged one of the stools to the opposite side of the
counter. “Um…we normally eat here or on the sofa. I hope this is okay.”

“This is nice…it’s cozy. I only get a home-cooked meal on
the weekends when I see my mom, so thank you for letting me share dinner with
you.” He took a bite of the stir-fry and closed his eyes.

I held my breath, wondering if he would find my cooking
wanting.

Blue-green orbs looked at me in wonder. “Oh God! This is so
good.” To my gratification, he ate another heaping forkful and made a noise of
appreciation.

“See, told you,” said Marcus as he started shoveling food in
his mouth.

“Marcus, slow down and chew your food,” I admonished, but
there was a smile in my voice. It was not very feminist of me, but it gratified
something in me that they enjoyed my cooking.

After Jake swallowed his bite, he said, “I don’t blame him.
This is the best stir-fry I’ve eaten outside of Hong Kong. Where did you learn
to cook like this?”

I reddened with pleasure at the compliment. “Thanks. I just
like to experiment with ingredients.”

When I left for college, I only knew how to make scrambled
eggs and toast. After I returned home, my mom was too wiped out from the chemo
treatments to do much. That was when I took an interest in cooking. The hobby
kept my mind distracted from my problems and it was a personal challenge for me
to make something good enough to tempt her waning appetite.

Now that Marcus and I were on our own, I had to be creative
with our limited food budget and the only way to make sure we ate healthy was
to hunt down the best recipes.

“Cora makes the best lasagna too! It’s better than any I’ve
eaten at restaurants. You should come over next time.”

“Marcus!” I almost choked on a piece of broccoli and took a
big gulp of my water. Once I recovered, I said sternly, “Jake is really busy
and he was nice enough to hang out with us today. We can’t impose on his time.”

Looking suitably chastened but sulky, Marcus muttered,
“Sorry.”

“Actually, you tell me when Cora’s making her delicious lasagna
and I’ll be here.”

This time I did choke and I had to muffle my coughing with
my napkin. Jake reached over the counter and thumped gently on my back. He held
out my water and I took a few sips to wet my throat. His hand stroked up and
down my spine, sending tendrils of heat through my body. “Sorry. Thanks. I’m
okay now.”

Even when he sat back down, I kept my eyes fixed on my
plate, too embarrassed to look directly at him. After Jake left, I needed to
have a serious talk with my brother about his manners around guests. He had
basically cornered Jake into accepting the invitation.

“So Jake, if I promise not to get into any more fights,
would you still let me test robots at
Robotrex
?”

I felt Jake’s gaze on me. “That’s up to your sister.”

“Please, Cora? May I? Please?” Marcus’s voice was borderline
whining.

My eyes darted to Jake to gauge whether his offer was
serious and he inclined his head.

I looked at my little brother’s narrow face with his puppy
eyes and sighed. Nobody had the willpower to resist that expression, but I had
learned some sneaky tricks from my boss today. “Well…I will allow it on one
condition.”

He was nodding his head before I finished speaking. “What?
Clean my room? Take out the garbage? Do the laundry? I’ll do it all!”

I almost ruined my strategy by bursting into laughter. And
the knowing gleam in Jake’s eyes didn’t help. “No. I’ll allow you to go if you
agree to tell Ms.
Woodsen
what happened today.”

He sat still for a few seconds. The lure of the robots was
too irresistible and he finally nodded in agreement. “Alright.”

I brought up my napkin to wipe off my victorious smile.
“That’s good. We’ll call her tomorrow.” I felt the muscles in my shoulders
loosen. He might still remain suspended, but at least I knew he wouldn’t get
into another fight.

The rest of dinner was filled with Marcus’s excited chatter
about his plans for visiting
Robotrex
. My brother was
not normally the most communicative person and it was a new experience to see
him talking a mile a minute.

After dinner, Jake insisted he and Marcus would do the
dishes and I goggled at him.
Did CEOs
know how to wash dishes?

I unwittingly spoke my thoughts out loud because Jake reared
back in mock offense. “My mom would consider it a personal affront if her sons
did not know how to do dishes! Troy and I even know how to sew buttons.”

A giggle escaped me and he seemed inordinately pleased at
the sound. He rolled up his sleeves further. “Go sit down and relax. Marcus and
I will have these done in no time.”

Although he was never one to volunteer for housework, Marcus
nodded enthusiastically.

“Fine, I’ll go read.” I sat on the sofa and picked up the
suspense novel I borrowed from the library, but I couldn’t concentrate. My eyes
kept returning to the two figures at the sink. Their voices were too low for me
to hear, but I could tell Marcus enjoyed spending time with Jake.

I frowned and my gut clenched with apprehension. I didn’t
want Marcus to get too attached to Jake. He was being polite today, but chances
were, Marcus would never see him again except in passing.

You better not get too
attached yourself, Cora.

My mind wandered aimlessly. This day had been full of
revelations about my boss and my head was spinning. I had a hard time
reconciling the merciless business juggernaut with the man in my kitchen
washing dishes with a twelve-year-old. Over the last several weeks, Jake had
earned my respect manifold on the professional level, but I was completely
thrown by his willingness to get involved in my messy life.

My earlier conversation with Troy crept to the forefront of
my mind.
Did Jake see me someone who
needed saving? Like Sophia?

The thought was utterly repellent to me.

Jake’s voice pulled me out of my trance. “I’m afraid I have
to head out. It was really nice to meet you Marcus. I’ll get your email from
Cora and have the head engineer at
Robotrex
contact
you in a few days to set up a tour.”

“Cool! Thanks for everything, Jake.”

Thank God for Mom’s
etiquette lessons.

I stood and handed Jake his jacket. My fingers brushed
against his warm skin and I jerked my hand back. “I’ll walk you out.” A foolish
part of me was sad to have the evening come to an end. The day had been horrible,
but dinner had been…nice.

I opened the door and frowned at the dark stairwell. “Watch
your step. The lights are broken.” I was already dreading the phone call to the
super tomorrow.

I thought I heard Jake made a snarling sound under his
breath, but I couldn’t see his face clearly. We cautiously walked down the
stairs.

At the bottom, I reached for the latch on the door and then
pulled my hand back. I glanced up at him and said fervently, “Thanks for
everything today, Jake. For giving me a ride, for helping me with Marcus, for…”
I gestured aimlessly, “well…for everything.”

“There’s no need to thank me. It was my pleasure.” The dim
street lighting cast his upper face in deep shadows and I couldn’t make out his
expression. He lifted his hand and touched his fingers to my left cheek and I
felt branded by his heat. He stroked my cheekbone lightly and trailed his
fingers to my sensitive ear.

I couldn’t contain my shiver and a small smile lifted his
mouth.

He lowered his head until we were sharing our breaths. My
blood roared in my ears as his eyes dropped to my mouth.

What the hell are you
doing, Cora? Pull away!

But I couldn’t move. My limbs felt heavy and lethargic and I
had to lean against the wall. His cheeks and chin were darkened by stubble.
Instead of looking disreputable, he looked sexily scruffy. My eyes locked on
his hard mouth. Only it didn’t look hard right now. It looked soft and
inviting.

I didn’t know who closed the gap, but the moment our lips
touched, I felt an electric shock run through me. White-hot desire flared,
destroying very drop of common sense. Rationale wiped out. Sanity obliterated.

His lips were soft and unyielding at the same time. My eyes
fluttered closed and I opened my mouth to taste him. Our tongues tangled and I
moaned softly as my taste buds shuddered in delight. No man could be this delicious.
I sucked on him as he invaded my mouth and I realized this one man– Jake
Weston– could and did taste like ambrosia.
 

His fingers clasped the back of my neck to angle my head for
deeper contact and I wrapped my arms around his broad back. His muscles bunched
under my palms as he pressed his body against me. My shoulder blades jammed
painfully against the wall, but I pulled him even closer, reveling in the
contrast of our bodies.
My softness against his unforgiving
hardness.
His masculinity against my femininity.

Involuntarily, my thighs opened and he pushed his pelvis
into the space, letting me feel his thick arousal. Unbearably turned on, I
rubbed my soft belly against his hard-on and keened when he bent his knees and thrust
against me, hitting me right where I needed him most.
My cry
was smothered by his mouth
. My sex pulsed in need, feeling empty and
achy. And only Jake could assuage that ache.

My lungs were starved for air, but breathing didn’t seem as
important as licking the space behind his even teeth.
Or as
important as his tongue seeking the deep recesses of my mouth.
Our raspy
breathing and muffled moans heated the air around us.

“Cora! Are you okay?”

Marcus’s voice jolted me to reality and I frantically pushed
against Jake’s shoulders. He abruptly released me and took a step back. If it
weren’t for the wall at my back, I would have crumpled to the ground. I panted
for air and I took grim satisfaction in the sound of his ragged breathing. I
had to swallow a couple of times before I could trust my voice. “I’m fine! Go
back inside. I’ll be up in a minute.”

“Okay.”

I was never more grateful for the super’s laziness. If the
lights had been on, Marcus would have gotten an eyeful.

The apartment door closed. The back of my head banged against
the wall with a
twack
. Tears seeped from the corners
of my eyes. I had royally screwed up my life with my impulsiveness. The lump in
my throat felt like it was choking off my air supply. “I’m sorry, Jake. You
don’t need to worry about firing me. I’ll give you my letter of resignation
first thing tomorrow.”

“The hell you will,” he said hoarsely before he opened the
door and stalked out.

I walked into work the next day and looked around nostalgically.
Today would be my last day of work and everything took on a rosy tint. Even
Alana’s disdainful face did not manage to annoy me. She looked like I jabbed
her with a cattle prod when I smiled sadly and greeted her as if we were old
friends.

In spite of Jake’s cryptic remark, my resignation letter was
in my purse.

After he left, I had wiped my cheeks and climbed wearily up
the stairs. My brother was too excited to notice how withdrawn I was. He had
prattled on and on about how “cool” and “awesome” Jake was. When he talked
about seeing Jake again, I didn’t have the heart to tell him the probability of
that happening would be the same as finding the pot of gold at the end of a
rainbow.

I still couldn’t believe I had gotten myself fired because I
couldn’t control my libido around my boss.

The crazy thing was I didn’t realize I had a libido until I
met Jake.

I enjoyed reading romance novels, but I always knew in the
back of my mind that it was fantasy. Surely, women wouldn’t want to rip their
clothes off at the mere sight of a good-looking man, no matter how dashing they
were. After last night, I finally understood what the heroines must have felt
if their heroes were anything like Jake.

Not only had he been incredible with Marcus, he had dropped
everything to help me. I never thought I had a Cinderella complex, but I had to
admit there was something intensely gratifying about a man putting my needs
first.

“When I hire an
assistant, an assistant is all I am looking for. I don’t want to mix business
with pleasure. I take it you wouldn’t have a problem with that, Cora?”

His words echoed in my head and I cringed, remembering my then
contempt for his arrogance. I was so confident I would be immune to him. Now I
was just one of many ex-assistants who couldn’t resist the magnetism of Jake
Weston. It was humiliating.

The memory of the kiss at the bottom of the stairs kept me
tossing and turning all night. The way his hard body pressed against mine. The
way our mouths fit together hotly and hungrily. The way arousal flashed through
me like lightning.

I kept telling myself I should have put a stop to it, but
the tide of passion had dragged me down in its undertow so fast, I couldn’t think
straight. The truth was if Marcus had not interrupted us when he did, I would
have let Jake fuck me against the wall.

When I looked at my reflection this morning, I saw a
hungover
raccoon, with blood-shot eyes and dark circles
under my eyes.

I felt sick to my stomach. I had lost my job because I
couldn’t control myself. And my selfish actions affected my brother as well. Not
only did I need to hustle to find another job before we were out on the
streets, but Marcus would never see the inside of
Robotrex
.

The only bright spot– more like a speck– was
that Ms.
Woodsen
was willing to reduce Marcus’s
suspension from three days to one. Flayed with guilt, I couldn’t meet his eyes
when he told the principal his side of the story. I knew he would refuse to say
anything if he realized the reward of visiting
Robotrex
was off the table. The hour of reckoning would come when I returned home early
today.

I bypassed my desk. There would be no point in booting up my
computer when I would be leaving in five minutes.

I guess I never made
it to the one-month mark after all.

Less than four weeks ago, I walked into this office and did
everything to avoid working for Jake Weston. Today, I’d do everything to keep
the job.
 
One day, I’d probably find the irony darkly
amusing, but right now it was painful.

With letter in hand, I knocked on Jake’s door, which was
ajar.

He looked up, his face unreadable.

Closing the door behind me, I walked up to his desk and
placed the letter in front of him. “Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Weston.”

My formal address seemed to push a hot button because fury
contorted his face. He stood up and planted his fists on the table, body
leaning aggressively toward me. “Don’t you dare call me that after last night,”
he growled.

I had hoped to leave without him bringing up the humiliating
incident. My cheeks turned pink and I squeezed my eyes shut. “I’m sorry about everything,
Jake. I know how you feel about your assistants… um…” I clasped my palms
together, “so um…I’ll just clear out my desk and get going.”

He rounded the desk and manacled his hands around my upper
arms, fingers biting into my flesh. His grip was tight, borderline painful. “No!
I’m not accepting your resignation.” His voice was gritty and harsh.

My eyes popped open in surprise. “What?”

He looked deadly serious. “I’m not accepting your
resignation.”

My forehead creased in confusion. My mind was trying to work
through the logic, but it kept coming up short. I tried to talk through my
reasoning. “What happened yesterday was completely unprofessional. You told me
you fired your other assistants because they stepped over the line. I think
kissing you counts. You were going to fire me anyway. I’m just saving you the
trouble.”

“First of all, I kissed you. And second of all, I didn’t
want any of my other assistants. I want you.” His blue eyes blazed with heat.

All the breath got sucked out of my lungs and my legs
buckled. My arms flailed. My fingers found the armrest behind me and I dropped
into the chair with a dull thud. “
Wha
…what?” All the
blood drained from my face.

He angled the other chair and locked his gaze on my face.
His eyes looked
more green
than blue this morning. He
took my limp hands between his palms and tried to rub some heat into them.
“Cora, I’m very attracted to you.” He paused a beat. “And I think you feel the
same about me.”

I would have rolled my eyes at his cocky assumption, but I
could not refute the truth of his statement. I kept silent.

His eyes searched mine. “I’d like to start seeing you
outside of work.”

I shook my head violently. “No! You’re not attracted to me.”

He laughed like I made a joke and I scowled at his reaction.
He released my hands and cupped my face, his thumbs caressing my cheeks. My
eyes wanted to flutter closed at the tender touch. “Cora, you must be blind. I
think you’re sexy and beautiful and smart and as soon as you walk into the same
room, I get hard.”

I squeaked at his frank language.

Grinning, he admitted, “In fact, I’m hard right now.”

Of their own accord, my eyes darted to the front of his
pants and I squeaked louder at the bulge between his legs. To my astonishment, heat
and moisture filled my sheath in response.

I licked my dry lips and dragged my eyes to meet his. “No.”
I shook my head again, dislodging his hands. “You’re just reacting to the high
of coming to my rescue. Troy said you had a thing for damsels in distress.”

He cursed under his breath and ran his fingers through his black
hair. “My brother has a big mouth. And that’s categorically untrue. You didn’t
need rescuing. You were doing an amazing job dealing with everything on your
own. I only gave you a ride. And what kind of kinky bastard do you take me for
that I only get off when I save a woman?”

When he put it like that, I had to admit it sounded
illogical. Still, none of what he said made sense.

“Jake, I’m not even your type. You’ve always dated tall, model-thin
women. Look at me.” I swept my hand to indicate my curves. “I’m short and
decidedly not svelte.”

“You have been reading too many tabloids. Most of what they
write about me is just salacious speculation.” He ran appreciative eyes over me
and goose bumps prickled my skin. “And you’re exactly my type.”

A sudden flash of memory made my gut twist and I blurted, “You’re
dating Carolina Oliveira!” I glared and pointed an accusing finger at him.
“You’re cheating on her!”

He grasped my finger and waggled his head ruefully. “You
really don’t have a high opinion of me. I broke up with Carolina the day she visited
the office.”

“What? Why?”

“I would think the why is obvious. I couldn’t pursue you
when I was still involved with another woman.”

“Jake, none of this is makes any sense.”

“It doesn’t need to make sense. Attraction normally
doesn’t.”

I noticed he didn’t mention his emotions being involved and
quashed the surge of disappointment. “You warned me to stay away from you! And
from Troy! You think I’m some sort of… bimbo gold digger!”

He chuckled. “I don’t think you’re a gold digger.” He tapped
my chin with his pointer finger. “And you’re most definitely not a bimbo.” His
expression became intent and serious. “You’ve given me a bunch of excuses, but
you haven’t given me the only reason that would make me back off. You haven’t
said you’re not attracted to me.” He pushed his face close, his eyes searching.
“Can you say you don’t want me?”

My cheeks flooded with color and I wrenched my gaze away,
afraid he’d clearly see the desire in my eyes, but my evasiveness gave me away.

He declared with satisfaction, “I thought so.” He pinched my
chin to bring my attention back to him. “Have dinner with me tonight.” It
wasn’t a question.

One part of me desperately wanted to give in to the passion
seething between us. Every cell in my body yearned to be close to him. Just the
touch of his fingers on my face sent heat rushing through my veins. I could
only imagine how I would react if he touched more sensitive parts of my body. I
felt a gush of dampness between my thighs at the thought. I had never felt so
physically attuned to a man, but my sensible side knew this would end in
disaster.

Jake Weston was a notorious playboy. His
relationships– or more accurately, his affairs– were always
passionate, but brief. If supermodels and wide-eyed starlets couldn’t capture
his attention for longer than three months, an inexperienced nobody like me
would last weeks at most. I knew myself well enough to know I wouldn’t be able
to keep my heart detached. And at the end of our affair, he’d walk away unscathed
and I would be left with a broken heart, no job and a reputation for sleeping
with the boss.

I stood up and backed away from him, my emotions in turmoil.
“No, I can’t.”

He slowly got to his feet and I felt like a deer in the
sights of a seasoned hunter. His eyes narrowed to slits. “Why the hell not?”

Instead of telling him about my innermost fears, I scrambled
for reasons he might accept. I took a deep breath and spoke measuredly. “Jake, you
know an affair between us is a bad idea. If you won’t accept my resignation,
we’ll be working together. There is bound to be office gossip. It won’t affect
you because you’re the big boss, but I’ll be branded as a slut who slept her
way to the top.”

His face tightened with anger.

I lifted my chin in rebellion. He might not like what I was
saying, but it was the truth.

“Furthermore, aren’t you afraid I’ll sue you for sexual
harassment?” It was a low blow to bring up his experience with Sophia Chandler,
but I had to use the weapons I had.

“Would you?” His voice was lethally soft.

My eyes cut away from his sharp gaze and I took a ragged
breath. “Whether I would or would not is not the point. What I’m trying to say
is that an affair between us is too risky. Too complicated.” I looked at him
pleadingly. “The best thing for you to do is to accept my resignation and give
me a good reference.” My voice lowered. “You’ll forget me in no time.”

Jake moved so fast, all I saw was a blur, but I knew the
instant he touched me. That electric zap I thought I had imagined yesterday was
very real as his big hand wrapped around my waist and yanked me against his
body. His other hand clasped my nape, his thumb at my jawline. His mouth
crushed mine, lips ravenous and almost angry.

To my shame, I couldn’t resist for a fraction of a second.
Making a needy noise in the back of my throat, I speared my fingers into this
thick hair, reveling in its softness and kissed him greedily. His taste burst
onto my tongue, smooth and luxurious, like the richest dark Belgian chocolate. I
wanted more. I craved more.

The tiny part of my brain that was still rational warned
that overindulgence in chocolate was not good for me, but the thought was
distant and receding quickly. My fingers dug into his scalp, holding him closer.
Needing to draw in more of his essence, I widened my mouth and explored the
rough texture of his tongue. Jake tilted my jaw slightly and deepened the kiss,
his lips turning hard and possessive.

His right hand slid to middle of my back and slowly trailed
down my spine, lighting a fire in its wake. I gasped into his mouth as his
fingers reached the top of my backside. Heat funneled directly to my center.

My body molded to his length, my breasts flattening against
his hard chest and my belly cradling his erection. The fact that I could arouse
this gorgeous man gave me a heady rush.

Abruptly, he broke the kiss, but he kept his face close.
Banked heat simmered in the back of his eyes. “Don’t fucking tell me that I’ll
forget you. My body won’t let me.” He pressed his hips against my stomach to
emphasize his point, letting me feel his engorged cock. “I can’t get the taste
of your sweet lips out of my mind.” He dipped his head and sucked on my lower
lip, turning my legs into limp noodles. He raised his right hand to cradle my
face. “Don’t tell me I’d forget your beautiful eyes. And don’t fucking call
this an affair. You have no clue what I want.”

With a cry, I twisted out of his arms and turned my face
away, the back of my hand touching my mouth. His sexy words tore at my
resistance. His taste still lingered and I wanted to wail at the unfairness of
the situation. I wanted him, but giving in to my desires would be my downfall.