Bad Boy Billionaire (A Standalone Romance) (3 page)

Maria emailed Breton the final copy of her report and stared at the door to his office.  His absence for the previous two days had given her plenty of time to think about Johnny’s ultimatum. Not that she was any closer to a solution.

On the surface it seemed easy, she knew. Seduce a sexy, handsome man whom she already knew was hot for her. Maria shuddered. If only it was that simple.  People like Breton had been shitting on people like her for a long time. They always got what they wanted, no matter the cost. And now she was going to let him get what he wanted? Just like Janey had done with Daniel; blinded by wealth and charm. And look how that had worked out for her.

Maria set her jaw. There was no way she’d allow him to win that easily. There had to be another way. Looking around her to make sure there was nobody watching, she opened file explorer and navigated to the root directory of the firm. As the CEO’s assistant, nothing was off limits to her. So if there was something there – and
they
were so sure that there was – then she’d be able to access it. She was beginning to doubt that there was, though – she was an expert in finding things people didn’t want found. And so far, she’d turned up nothing.

She had been searching meticulously through each and every folder on the drive. Her task was made harder by the fact that she didn’t have a clue what she was looking for. She opened everything and skimmed over the contents.
Everything
; from invoices and purchase orders to plans for events like the office Christmas party. At the rate she was going, it would take her years to work her way through the contents of the company server. There had to be another way.

And his emails. She hadn’t lied to Johnny – she’d been through every single email Breton had sent and received in the last two years.
Personal
and business. She hadn’t seen a choice, what with Johnny’s constant threats and phone calls. She hadn’t been exactly comfortable with it all the same – she had always stopped short of invading peoples’ personal lives. Thankfully, his emails were mainly work focused: he was either a consummate professional or he really only cared about his work. The same couldn’t be said for his inbox: she had stumbled across emails from at least twenty women who worked at Breton and dozens of others from external email addresses. And man, were they full on. They ranged in tone from syrupy sweet to downright filthy. Generally, there wasn’t a reply from Breton, or if there had been he’d deleted it. A small part of her took comfort in this until her more dominant practical side took over and spelled it out for her. Why answer by email when you could let your dick do the talking? It didn’t surprise her that Rachel’s messages were among the most x-rated.

At least Rachel wasn’t the problem she’d feared, even though she’d had to wait twenty four nail-biting hours for the keystroke monitor she’d installed on Rachel’s machine to throw her a bone. Rachel had emailed a friend and told her about her discovery that Maria hadn’t attended Ignatius Secretarial College like her resume had said. Not that she was entirely comfortable with the situation: it meant that Derek had been sloppy when he came up with her false background. It also meant that she had a new enemy on her hands – Rachel had obviously gone to a lot of trouble to get her hands on Maria’s personnel file and then find someone who’d been to Ignatius at the same time as she supposedly had. Derek had paid off the damn dean to provide her a reference. That would have been enough for most people. She grudgingly admitted to herself that the whole episode had given her a new respect for Rachel. She was just relieved that she carried out her professional life under a corporation and not her own name.

Her desk and cell phones buzzed at the same time. Startled, she picked up her desk phone first.

“Maria.”

“Can you come in here?” It was Breton.

She pushed away from her desk and was about to stand up when she remembered her cell. She fished it out of her purse and unlocked the screen. Her heart sank when she read the message.

It was a picture of Janey before her arrest. Ballsy, fun-loving, adventurous Janey. Stupid Janey, Maria thought, and immediately regretted it. Her sister was anything but stupid; she’d just made one unfortunate mistake that was about to cost her her liberty. The message that accompanied the picture made Maria shiver.
You’re running out of time before she goes away forever
.

Maria brushed her clammy, sweating hands on her dress and started toward the door.

“Long time no see.”

Maria looked up and smiled, trying to ignore how pale and fragile her sister looked. And the cuffs. And the jumpsuit.  There was so much about this situation that made her mad. Janey just shuffled into her seat and smiled calmly, like she knew exactly what was going on in her sister’s mind.

“Are they treating you well?”

Janey grinned. “It’s just like the Four Seasons.”

Maria couldn’t help but smirk. “I’m gonna get you out of here soon, I promise. I don’t care what I have to do.”

Janey shook her head, revealing a bruise the size of a walnut on her neck. “Don’t do anything stupid,” she said.

“What happened to your neck?”

“I slipped in the shower.”

“Right.”

They lapsed into silence, despite the half hour time limit on the weekly visits Maria was allowed. She desperately wanted to confide in Janey about the situation with Johnny and Breton. But the stakes were just too high.

“How’s the murky world of private investigation?” Janey asked, breaking the silence.

Maria smiled. “I dunno how many times I’ve told you. It’s not all shady like it seems on TV.”

“Oh come on,” Janey said rolling her eyes. “You’ve told me so many stories about stakeouts and trailing suspects.”

“They’re the good stories. Most of the time it’s just tracking through paperwork to try and find inconsistencies, or calling around to try and worm information out of people.”

“Whatever. It sounds way more interesting than my life.”

Maria sighed. “Your life was interesting before this.”

“Sure it was. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that though.” She gestured around the fluorescent-lit room. “In here.”

“You’re handling it okay, though? I mean, I know it sucks, but…” Maria let herself trail off. Anyone who could handle this had to be crazy.

“Yeah,” Janey said quietly. “It’s just been a really
long
week.”

Maria stirred some more sugar into her coffee. “Tell me about it.”

Janey watched her. She seemed mesmerized by her sister all of a sudden. “Go on, spill it. Or do I have to guess.”

Maria looked up blankly. “What?”

“Whatever it is that’s on your mind.”

“Sorry,” Maria said running her hand through her thick hair. “I just want you out of here.”

“You and me both. But I’ve been here for over a month. You’re not usually like this. Is there something else?”

I’ve just. You know.”

She was horrified to find that she suddenly wanted to talk about Chase Breton, like she absolutely needed to get it off her chest. To her sister.  Who was in jail awaiting felony drug charges. She shook her head in dismay.

“Maria, tell me. We don’t always need to talk about my trial. Actually, I’d kinda like a break from it.”

“There’s this guy.”

Janey leaned across the table. “Oh my lord,” she gasped in an exaggerated whisper. “It’s about time.”

Maria frowned. “It hasn’t been that long, has it?”

“It has,” Janey laughed. “I was starting to think your pussy had just fallen off or something.”

“Could you please be quiet,” Maria hissed, glancing around to make sure no one else had heard. She’d forgotten that her sister had absolutely no filter.

Janey’s eyes shone wickedly. “But it’s a day for celebration. It’s a pussy renaissance.”

Maria buried her head in her hands. “Please. You know I hate that word.”

“Fine. So tell me. What’s he look like? Where’d you meet him?”

Maria glanced up at her through her fingers, which were still hiding her face. “You promise to shut up if I do?”

Janey nodded, putting on her best butter-wouldn’t-melt face.

Maria wondered how much she could say.  She doubted Janey would ever speak to Johnny about this. He was supposed to get her out without anyone realizing he’d been involved. “Okay. So I’ve been doing some temp work. It’s been quiet at the agency these past few months.”

“Really? You were so busy before I got arrested.”

Maria nodded wishing she hadn’t said anything. Janey may have had terrible taste in guys, but she was smart. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“He’s your boss?”

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

Janey rolled her eyes. “It’s a cliché. Come on, tell me more.”

Maria took a deep breath. It had been so long since she’d been involved with someone that she’d forgotten how to have a conversation like this.

“Well, he’s really tall and strong. He’s got the cutest face: handsome with really fine features.” Maria paused, remembering why she needed to have this conversation in the first place. “The thing is—”

“He’s got a ginormous cock and your catholic guilt thing is setting in?” Janey finished, cutting in.

Maria rolled her eyes. “Je-sus. Do you have to be so crass? It’s not like catholic guilt ever stopped you.”

Janey smirked. “No, not really. But I enjoy watching you squirm.”

“Well cut it out,” Maria said, lowering her voice as one of the guards walked behind her slowly. “I haven’t actually slept with him.”

“Oh? You’ve just started dating?”

Maria shook her head.

“Is he the save-it-to-marriage type?” Janey asked skeptically.

Maria remembered catching him in his office with Rachel. “No. Quite the opposite actually.”

“Then what?”

“He asked me out, I said no way, and…”

Janey’s mouth fell open. “Excuse me?”

“He asked me out, and I said—”

Janey held up her hand. “I heard what you said. I just didn’t understand what the hell you were talking about. You like this guy, right?”

Maria shrugged. “It’s more complicated than that.”

“You’re talking to the queen of complicated.”

“He’s hot and I can’t help but be attracted to him. Ridiculously so. To the point where I want to march over to his desk and tear his clothes off.”

“But? Don’t tell me it’s to do with me being in here? You can’t put your life on hold…”

“It’s not that. Janey, you don’t even understand how rich this guy is. He’s old money. He’s literally better off than entire
countries
.”

“No, I meant what’s the problem with him?”

Maria spluttered. “That is.”

“What is?”

Maria tried to swallow. Her mouth had gone dry all of a sudden. She desperately wanted a coffee. “That is. The problem.”

Janey screwed up her face. “What is? You just said he was hot and tall and rich. I didn’t hear a problem in there.”

“No, you heard me alright. It’s the money. The sense of entitlement. I just can’t go there after all you’ve been through.”

Janey watched her carefully. “You know, rich people aren’t all the same. Just like no one else is. Sure Daniel was a dick and he’s fucked up my life. But that doesn’t make all rich people assholes.”

“No, but any rich people I’ve encountered have been.”

Janey started at the sound of the bell signifying the end of visiting time. “If he’s such an asshole, why did you go all gooey-eyed when you told me about him?”

Maria stayed seated until the guard came over to tell her to go. “I’ll get you out of here soon, I promise.”

Chase looked up from his screen and tried not to stare as Maria walked into his office. She was wearing a simple black wrap dress that clung to every luscious curve of her body.

“Mr. Breton,” she said.

“Maria.”

“You wanted to see me?”

“Yeah. I need to take a trip to Florida this weekend. I’d usually take Ruth but she’s had a vacation planned for about six months. Can you come?”

Maria set her jaw. He watched her subtly. He’d been involved with more than his fair share of emotional women. One of the only benefits of that was his heightened ability to read people’s emotions. And to him, it looked like she was struggling with more than the decision to go to Florida or not.

Her eyes suddenly lit up. He wondered – not for the first time – what was going on in that sharp brain of hers.

“Sure,” she smiled. “When do we leave?”

“This evening. That a problem?”

She shook her head. “Not at all. Let me just run home and pack some things.”

He smiled wistfully. “I’d offer to have you just pick some stuff up there and bill the company, but I know you’d just call me a spoiled entitled jerk.”

Maria opened her mouth to respond but closed it again. He smiled, realizing that that probably meant he’d perfectly predicted her reaction.

“You’re observant,” she finally said, breaking the tension that had settled between them.

He grinned. “You sound surprised. I don’t know what happened to you, Maria, whether you had a socialist boyfriend in college or whatever. But we’re not all the same. Yeah there are rich assholes out there. But I’m not a bad person just because I was born into a wealthy family.”

She took a step closer. “You don’t think buying a whole new set of clothes rather than going home to pack is wasteful?”

He shook his head. “It’s the most sensible option. We’re leaving at short notice. Instead of wasting a couple hours that we don’t have, I choose to pay. What’s wrong with that?”

“What about people who can’t afford to do that?”

“Irrelevant, Maria. Time is scarce. I need you here to prepare for the meeting. Money isn’t. So I make the business decision to spend money to buy time. It’s simple.”

He was glad to see her nodding as he spoke. Finally she’d managed to look past the expensive clothing and office.  He hoped.

“Of course it’s different when I’m hiring whaling vessels just to go whale hunting. That’s just for the sport.”

Maria’s eyes widened in outrage. His cock tightened. She was nothing like the other women in his life. Her feistiness was completely new to him. And Christ had it ruined him. There was no way he could go back to those doe-eyed ingénues who hung on his every word.

“I was kidding,” he said, before she could launch into her attack.

She closed her mouth. He thought he detected the faintest hint of a smile.

She raised her eyebrow. “On one condition,” she said, breaking into the most deliciously devilish grin he thought he’d ever seen.

“What?” he asked, shifting in his seat as discreetly as he could. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this hard. And it certainly hadn’t been brought on by something as tame as words and facial expressions.

“You don’t get any say in the clothing I buy.”

He screwed his face up in mock offense. “I happen to have exemplary taste in women’s wear.”

She snorted. “I’m sure you do. But why do I get the feeling that I’d look like something out of a high society brothel if you had your way?”

Chase’s breath escaped him with a whistle. His head was suddenly filled with images of her in skimpy lingerie, contorted in all sorts of positions.
Serving
him. With that fire still in her eyes. He swallowed audibly.

“You can’t give me mental pictures like that and not follow through,” he groaned.

Maria full lips pouted and she smiled seductively. He didn’t dare to breathe he was so desperate to hear what she had to say. To his horror, though, her mouth closed at the last minute. Her expression changed.

“I’d better go finish a couple things before we leave.”