The Tycoon's Secret - Baby for the Billionaire - Book Four (Baby for the Billionare) (7 page)

Drew’s cousins both nodded their heads in agreement while joining in the laughter. Damien looked around the room, realizing how uptight he was acting. He forced himself to smile while relaxing his shoulders. He could let down his guard for a couple hours, being among men he trusted.

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m starving, and if I’m not mistaken it smells like Jasmine’s in the kitchen cooking up something delicious,” Damien said as his eyes darted toward the door.

“You’d be correct. Let’s drive them crazy until they cave and give us an appetizer,” Derek said with a gleam in his eye.

The men walked from the den, letting the incredible aroma filling their nostrils lead the way. When Jasmine cooked, the entire neighborhood opened their windows just to get a sniff.

“Smells delicious, Honey. I could smell it all the way in the den,” Derek said as he wrapped his arms around his petite wife.

“Are you trying to sneak some food by shamelessly flattering me?” she asked as she turned and kissed him on the chin.

“Of course not. I just couldn’t seem to resist touching you,” he quickly replied as his hands moved down her back and quickly swatted her butt.

Damien shifted on his feet, the moment feeling awkward as he watched the two of them flirt.

“I thought this was a children’s party, not a swinger’s festival,” Damien said, trying to break up the intimate scene.

“Damien,” Trinity scolded him, but there was a smile across her lips.

“Fine, you boys can have a snack, but you have to either go back to the den or out by the pool,” Nicole jumped in. “Seriously, Jasmine, behave. You’re making me want to drag my husband to the nearest bedroom.”

“I’m okay with that,” Ryan quickly said with a predatory gleam in his eyes.

“Don’t you dare touch me, Ryan Titan. If you do, the kids will never get their cake,” Nicole said as she darted around the kitchen island.

“Fine, we’ll go,” Derek said with reluctance as he pulled away from his flushed wife.

“See you soon,” Trinity called as she blew a kiss to Drew.

Before the men walked outside, Damien looked toward Sierra who was refusing to meet his gaze. Surprise filled him as shimmers of desire shot down his stomach. He found himself wanting to grab her chin and force her gaze to meet his. A need to taste her lips, experience her unique flavor was almost overwhelming. He found he liked the confusion of the foreign desire.

For a man who was known for his impeccable control, it was a unique feeling to experience the uncharacteristic emotions overpowering him.

“I could use a beer,” Damien said as Drew prodded him in the arm. He followed Trinity’s husband and the other men as they stepped outside into the cool evening air.

“You know where to get them,” Drew replied.

Damien headed straight for the outdoor fridge and grabbed a bottle of dark liquid, quickly unscrewing the top and taking a long swallow. The icy drink felt good going down, internally turning down his escalating temperature.

“So, are you going to tell us about the sexy new employee?” Ryan asked with a laugh.

“Nope,” Damien quickly replied as he took another long swallow.

“Hmm, interesting,” Drew said with a smirk.

“Nothing interesting at all,” Damien replied with a glare.

“Yeah, I know that look. It seems Sierra may be more than just a new employee,” Ryan taunted.

“Not at all. There’s just nothing to tell. I’ve actually only met her today.”

“Come on, Damien. Sparks are sizzling between the two of you. You may have just met her, but that’s not stopping your mind from stripping her naked in my kitchen,” Drew said with a knowing smile.

“Mind your own damn business, Drew,” he snapped.

“All right. I’m done,” Drew told him while holding his hands up in surrender.

“I think I’m going to take a swim and cool off,” Derek interrupted as he moved to the pool house. To Damien, the thought of swimming until exhaustion overrode his hormones sounded like the perfect solution, so he walked in the direction of the pool with Derek.

∞∞∞

“Spill the gossip, Sierra. How long have you known Damien? I’m not trying to hurt your feelings if it’s been a while, but usually he tells me everything and he hasn’t mentioned having such a gorgeous employer,” Trinity said as soon as the guys were out of earshot.

Sierra instantly turned red, hating how she was so easily embarrassed. Other than Bree, she didn’t have girlfriends to talk to, so she was on unfamiliar territory with the whole gossip thing.

“I was just hired today,” she finally answered.

“Today? And you’re already going to Australia with him. Mmm, that’s a long jet ride. A lot can happen,” Jasmine said with an exaggerated wink. Sierra flushed even more.

“It’s not like that,” Sierra quickly replied, hoping they’d drop it.

“No way. I saw him watching you. His body was tense, and his eyes were practically stripping you where you stood,” Trinity said with a giggle.

“Mmm, agreed. We didn’t even need to turn the oven on to boil the water,” Nicole added.

Sierra didn’t want to say how close to right they may actually be. He may have hired her for nothing but a call-girl. He’d be disappointed if that’s what he was after.

“Honestly, I swear it’s not like that,” Sierra said, but as the women laughed, she couldn’t help but smile with them. Her fear was quickly evaporating in light of Damien’s choice of friends. He couldn’t be too terrible of a man if he associated with such good people.

“You do think he’s hot, right?” Trinity asked, her gaze boring into Sierra, not allowing her to lie.

“I
am
human. It’s pretty hard not to notice he’s a bit better looking than the average guy. Then again, all your husbands are on an equally sizzling scale, so I think it may just be that this house has some incredibly good lighting,” Sierra said with a giggle.

“Ah, great come-back. No, it’s certainly not the light. Those men are definitely drool-worthy. Seriously, though, they have hearts of gold – each one of them,” Trinity said, her eyes softening as she talked about the men she loved.

“I’m sure they do,” Sierra replied, a bit envious at the connection these women shared with not only their husbands, but each other, as well.

“Okay, we promise not to grill you anymore tonight, but only
if
you swear to tell us if anything does occur on that lengthy flight,” Jasmine said as she pulled a tray of sizzling meat from the oven.

“Deal,” Sierra promised, feeling confident there wouldn’t be anything to tell.

“What exactly am I supposed to be doing for you?” Sierra asked as they buckled their seatbelts and prepared for take-off. She wasn’t a fan of flying and hoped he’d at least speak to her, take her mind off the fact that soon they’d be flying over the ocean for the next fifteen or so hours.

She’d been in awe of his private jet, which had luxuriously soft carpet, a comfortable seating area, two bedrooms, full-sized bathroom, and a kitchen. Her father had a company jet, but it paled in comparison to Damien’s. She felt like she’d stepped into a whole other world.

“My corporation has various arms to it – investments in multi-billion dollar properties throughout the world, exports to and from many countries, and most importantly, wine. My vineyards are my passion. I take pride in creating a super
ior product. The most elite wine connoisseurs are on waiting lists for my best products. I have various P.R. Reps, but only one who travels with me as I close deals. The rest are stationed in different countries and do what needs to be done year round.”

“That didn’t answer my question. What is
my
job?” Sierra said with some frustration.

“Your job is to do whatever I need you to do,” he said, his gaze connecting with hers. A shiver ran down her spine at the look in his eye.

“I’m exhausted. My world has been flipped upside down. This morning I woke up after a long and grueling week, only to be told I’ve been hired for a position I didn’t apply for. I’m not complaining, I’d just like to know what that position is, exactly. Do I type up papers, file documents, take notes? What are my daily tasks?”

“Yes to all of the above
, along with a lot of research. I’ll go over more of what I need you to do when we land. My week has also been exhausting and I have a lot to get done on our trip. Taking the time to find a new employee is always frustrating, but I don’t trust anyone else to hire certain positions, especially the placements where the employee will spend a lot of time with me. You’ll have access to a lot of personal data, and I take that seriously. After take-off, why don’t you go try and get some sleep. I have work to do and don’t have time to visit,” Damien said, dismissing her.

Sierra felt her temper flare. She was sick of men telling her what to do, expecting her to bend to their will. She was sick of being a punching doll, whether mentally or physically. Fine. If he didn’t want to explain her duties, then she’d just enjoy the ride and explore the island of Australia. It didn’t really matter to her one way or the other. At least she was away from her father.

Once the captain cleared them to remove their seat-belts, Sierra got up and walked down the plush hallway to the smaller of the two rooms. Inside was a double bed with the blankets turned back, inviting her to lie down.

She opened a door and found a small bathroom, which even included a shower. She made use of the facilities, then laid down, not expecting to catch any sleep.

Sierra woke up, slowly rising to a sitting position. She rubbed her eyes before glancing at the clock, shocked when she noted the time. She’d slept for ten hours straight. How had she managed that? She couldn’t remember ever sleeping that long. Maybe it was because of their high elevation, or possibly the stress of the last few weeks catching up with her, but whatever it was, she felt better than she had in a long time.

She climbed out of bed, taking a minute to stretch her stiff muscles. After once again using the small, but nice bathroom, she made her way back out to the front of the jet.

Sierra stood in the dim light of the aircraft as she entered the main cabin area. Damien was in the same seat she’d left him in, but his head was leaned back against the soft back, his eyes closed as he
gently breathed in and out.

She took a moment to glance over his softer features. He really was quite handsome, even more so without his eyes shooting sparks at her. He had a five-o-clock shadow shading his jaw, and
the top two buttons were undone on his shirt, showing just a hint of the toned flesh beneath the stark white fabric.

She found herself wanting to reach out and run her finger across the opening, see if his skin felt as silky as it looked. Her eyes traveled down his body, the stron
g, wide shoulders, defined arms stretching the fabric of his shirt. She moved lower, past the flatness of his stomach to where his shirt was still tucked into his custom fitted slacks. He’d removed his belt, and like his shirt, the top button of his pants was undone. Her eyes were drawn to the button-hole, her fingers almost itching to reach out and tug on his zipper.

With a shake of her head, she pulled her gaze back up, and collided with his now open eyes.

“Have a good look? Would you like me to stand, maybe remove some clothes?” he mocked her sleepily, causing her face to turn scarlet. She
had
been ogling him, though, and deserved his snide remark.

“I just…uh, well, I thought I saw a bug,” she said, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation of why she was looking at the juncture of his thighs.

“A bug?”

He could’ve been a gentleman and just let it go, but she was quickly learning that Damien Whitfield was the furthest thing from a gentleman.

“Yes, a bug,” she said with more conviction. It may be a stupid lie, but it was hers, and she was going to own it.

“Take a seat. I’ll have Amber bring out a menu,” he said as he stood. She was rooted to the spot when he reached his arms above his head and stretched, his hands touching the ceiling of the jet, his shirt pulling tautly against his torso.

The man should be on magazine covers, not sitting behind a desk.

“Is there another bug…Sierra?” he whispered as he stepped closer.

It took a second for his words to compute in her brain. She didn’t bother replying, just quickly scurried away and plopped down in a chair as far from his as possible.

It didn’t help her nerves when she heard him chuckling as he walked away to his private bedroom.

The rest of the flight went surprisingly fast. Damien ate dinner with her, or at least she was assuming it was dinner. Her body was already turned upside down with traveling through so many different time zones. After their meal of delicious food, and ridiculously polite small-talk, he went back to work and she watched a couple movies.

She wouldn’t have minded helping him, but she didn’t want to start the whole “job” discussion again. That could wait until they were on solid ground.