The Heir & I: Taming The Billionaire (7 page)

I thought a moment, then nodded
my agreement.

“Fair enough,” I confirmed with a nod.

The rest of our evening passed
far too quickly for my liking. Oliver apparently felt the same way, as he culminated our date by insisting that he share the limo ride that would take me home.

“Well,
it is your limo,” I shrugged. “Have at it.”

We said little during the ride home; and when we arrived at my modest brownstone home Oliver insisted on walking me to the door.

“In this neighborhood,” I deadpanned, taking his arm as we began the long trek up the length of my sidewalk.

At the door he turned to me, saying nothing as we stared deep into one another’s eyes.

I couldn’t help but admire the ethereal vision of Oliver by moonlight; his bronzed skin and cinnamon hair both glowin
g in an almost angelic manner. I also couldn’t help but notice the way his cocoa hued eyes now illuminated with a certain emotion; something that seemed to reflect a definite air of pure romantic interest, or perhaps even passion.

No, it couldn’t be
, I must be mistaken.

Yet the sudden presence of his lips across mine silenced my thoughts.

I took in my breath as Oliver swept me up in his strong arms and pulled me closer than close; his full, moist lips massaging mine as h
e cradled me against his toned chest.

Leaning into his kiss, I savored the feel of our entwining tongues as I sank into his arms; our mouths molding and rubbing together as his tongue continued to massage my mouth.

Finally I broke the kiss; pulling away with a sharp gasp as I whispered, “Oliver, what are we doing?”

He said nothing at first, only stared at me for a timeless moment before turning away.

“Maybe what we should have been doing all along,” he said over his shoulder.

These words, and his kiss,
echoed in my mind an hour later, as I lay ensconced in the soft satin sheets that adorned my basic, wood upholstered bed; shutting my eyes tight as I tried in futility to will myself to sleep.

While my imagination relived and repeated the magic of our first kiss, my conscious mind still wrestled with his insane proposition; an idea that I still couldn’t wrap my head around, let alone accept.

Harry Clark trusts me.
How will he feel if he finds out I’ve lied to him, deceived him? And how will I feel when I’m walking the unemployment line?

I also wondered if I was really doing Oliver a favor by carrying out his deceptive little charade; or if I was simply aiding and unabedding the continuation of a lifestyle that could cost him his future?

As I came to a deciscion, my body finally relaxed in the depths of my bed.
On Monday morning I’ll simply tell him that the answer is no.

Of course,
that answer was mighty easy to formulate when I wasn’t standing in front of him, staring into those big brown eyes. And when he wasn’t busy kissing away every ounce of good sense I had…

Chapter Four

~

Oliver

What was happening to me?

I generally spent my weekends in the company of a hot young blonde, enjoying outdoor pursuits that included boating, parasailing, and horseback riding; plus indoor pursuits that included watching flicks on my big screen TV and…
well, watching some more flicks on my big screen TV. And doing other things with my bevy of beautiful young companions that did not involve the use of any electronic devices; well, not on a general basis, anyway…

Following my date with Lily, though, I managed to spend the next two days all alone and ensconced in my townhouse; my emotions veering wildly as I considered the events of Friday night.

I couldn’t stop thinking about how beautiful Lily looked on our date, and the passion of her kiss; I just couldn’t believe I had worked with this woman every day an
d failed to notice her radiance, no, her out and out sexiness! Where, I wondered, had this amazing woman been hiding all this time? And why hadn’t I made more of an effort to bring out her sexier, more feminine side?

Of course, I myself already knew the answer to this question; even I realized all too well the dangers of
mixing business with pleasure. I had made the mistake of getting involved with several of my previous assistants, many of which I had handpicked because of skills and assets that had little to do with typing or even expert coffee making and had been forced to deal with the consequences. For a while I was careful never to pressure or in any way harass any woman in my employ. Indeed, given the number of kisses, embraces and pinches in delicate places I received on a daily basis, I was the one that often felt objectified and, mind you, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, I had engaged in office affairs with a number of my previous assistants. And inevitably, the situation would blow up in my face; resulting in arguments, distractions, and lost work productivity. This is why my father had insisted on hiring my next PA himself; basing this hire on the education and intellectual qualifications of each candidate that applied, as opposed to, say, her measurements and makeup application techniques.

In Lily Ashton, Dad had found an intelligent, capable woman that wasn’t likely to distra
ct me with her obvious charms. Why, then, did I now feel ‘charmed’ to the point of distraction? Why couldn’t I stop thinking about the Lily in bloom; the glamorous, funny, sexy, and totally captivating woman that I was just really getting to know? I couldn’t remember the last time I’d spent such an enjoyable evening with a lady… and what a lady she was, amazing me with her charm, beauty and humor. I’d wanted to kiss her all evening; and when I finally did, the pleasure and excitement that I felt nearly overwhelmed me.

Far more than a meaningless tryst, my evening with Lily seemed to symbolize a friendship and professional partnership that had suddenly caught fire; stirring within me certain emotions th
at I didn’t even know existed. Tenderness. Caring. Even a sense of boyish infatuation that actually made me blush every time I thought of her.

Even as I basked in the memory of our date, replaying its events over and over again in my mind, I also felt wrought with an unfamiliar tension; an emotion also tied to the woman that seemed to be ruling my mind.

I knew that the prospect of playing my girlfriend made her uncomfortable; and, as I mentioned earlier, I never wanted to make any of my employees
feel harassed or uncomfortable, especially not the woman that aided and supported me so much, and on a daily basis.

Yet as much as I hated to put her in this tough position, I myself was beginning to really like the idea of our little charade. I relished the idea of enjoying more time with this special, most enchanting woman; exposing her to the theater, the night life, all of the glitz and glamour that our beautiful tropical city had to offer; also showering her with all of the glamorous clothes and glittering bau
bles that a woman could ask for, trinkets that would do even more to bring out the hidden beauty that I now knew lie deep within her.

And I just had to admit it; I also looked forward to stealing even more clandestine kisses from my new crush; tasting those cherry red lips, feeling that luscious body tense in my arms as d
esire tempted and overcame her. I vaguely wondered just what would happen if I tried to take things further; if I made a move to unleash the sensual beast that I sensed lie deep within her.

Indeed, during the nights that elapsed between our Friday night date and Monday’s work day, I found myself plagued with sensual dreams of this
siren I was just coming to know. Again and again I remembered her kiss and the passion it promised and I ventured to dream of what would happen if I tempted her further, exposing her to a whole new world of pleasure that she just might find irresistible.

Alternately, she might just slap me silly and call me out f
or the pervert I am. Somebody needs to give me a good slap right now, to straighten me out, to remind me of the fact that I’m entering into this arrangement with Lily just to please my father, and to keep my job and my inheritance. Of course I would continue to see my real girlfriends on the side; and, of course, Lily also would be free to see anyone she liked on the nights that we weren’t together.

And I won’t be jealous at all
, I insisted with a sniff.

Finally Monday morning arrived
. Awakening earlier than usual, I dressed up a bit in the royal blue suit I knew Lily liked; taking special care to comb my hair to perfection and splash on just a hint of the cologne that drove most of my dates insane.

Of course, Lily wasn’t anything like those girls; and as I finally drove up to the impressive front entrance of our towering office building, I felt much like a nervous school
boy ready to meet his teacher. I even felt my heart pound a bit as I exited my car, and I cleared the door of our office suite with no small degree of trepidation; meeting her with a questioning look as I approached her desk.

“I’ll do it,” she told me, dispensing with all pleasantries as she folded her arms before her. “But on my terms. While we’re at the office, Oliver, we will remain strictly professional, focusing only on our work and on our clients. And while I’d be more than pleased to accompany you to any function, especially the ballet, and to allow you to purchase the occasional gift for me—preferably at Dalton’s Department Store, on the corner of Fifth and Main downtown, right next to Bozo’s Novelty Shop, where I also like to browse on occasion—I cannot and will not provide you with any, ur, personal services.” She paused here, thrusting her hand out in my direction. “Deal?”

I took her hand in mine and rose it to my lips for a long, smooth kiss. For just a moment we stood in silence, staring at one another as memories of our special evening flooded my mind.

“Deal,” I whispered, staring deep into her
eyes. “And I’d very much like to discuss our arrangement further over dinner. Are you free Wednesday evening?”
Lily thought for a moment, then nodded.

“I’ll have to take a second look at my social schedule, but—oh, who am I kidding?” she scoffed
, rolling her eyes heavenward. “Give me a free meal and another chance to play dress up, and I’ll be there. Just please keep in mind, of course, that I’m only doing this to help save your hide around here, and mine, for that matter.”

I nodded.

“Understood,” I reassured her, adding with arched eyebrows, “I only hope that, while you’re busy saving our hides, you’ll manage to have just a little bit of fun as well.”

***

Lily

So what was the big deal?
I’d been to Dalton’s Department Store dozens of times; but usually only on Clearance Days, or during specially designated holiday sales. This time when I passed its impressive double doors, I was personally escorted back to a room filled with beautiful outfits custom selected for me; dresses and pantsuits emblazoned with my favorite colors of scarlet red, pearl pink and pure ebony; and although these clothing items varied greatly in terms of color and style, their price tags were nearly identical.