Undercover Billionaire Boss: A BWWM Contemporary Romance (17 page)

“I’ll play along,” he said with a cold look that shook Kelly. “But I expect a good reward in the end, I’m warning you.”

Kelly tried to repress a shudder.

After dinner, Kelly made her excuses and left, expecting that he would offer to walk her to her car. He waved her off from where he sat, pouting that his night had not gone as planned.

She was glad for it but also a little miffed that he could not bear to leave his glass of whisky behind. He had switched to harder drinks after emptying the wine bottle.

* * *

T
he following day
, Kelly got to work earlier than usual and set about installing a camera in her office. She found just the person to do it. It would have to be done early in the morning, as Roger rarely showed up before nine o’clock. It was too risky to try it while he was around.

Kelly was on edge all day expecting him to show up any time with that leer of his. He did not frighten her as much as he had before now that she had a plan and she knew that it would work. All she had to do was be patient and wait for him to harass her in her office. It was as predictable as the sun rising in the east; she only had to wait for him to make an appearance.

But, he did not show up at all that day.
How strange
. She thought to herself. But still, she was grateful for the reprieve.

The camera was installed the next morning, after which Kelly felt much safer. Now it was just a matter of waiting for Roger to be the creep he was.

He did not disappoint. He showed up on Friday, looking worse for wear. She looked up at him and wore a polite smile.

“Pretty Kelly, what a pleasure it is to see you. I see you’re back to your normal clothes. Pity. We’ll do something about those suits. I prefer you in tighter skirts.”

“Hi Roger. I have a lot of work this morning, if you’ll excuse me,” Kelly said as sweetly as she could muster.

His eyes widened at her attempt to brush him off. Then they grew smaller until they resembled two slits like a snake’s eyes. He walked closer to her and leaned over her desk.

“Listen to me sweetheart, the only reason you’re in that chair is because of me and don’t you forget it. You want to follow your friend on the unemployment line?”

Kelly shook her head and tried to look subservient.

“In that case I suggest you drop your little games. I’m tired of them. Now be a good girl and come here,” he ordered.

Kelly did not move, trying to figure out her next step.

In one movement, he was behind her chair and he pulled her roughly to her feet. She gave a shriek, genuinely frightened of him now. He pulled her against him and kissed her mouth roughly. Kelly tried to push him away but that seemed to fuel his lust. He grabbed hold of her hair and pulled her back.

“Roger stop,” Kelly begged. “Please!”

“That’s right, you little bitch. Fight me. Yeah, like that. I like it rough, do you?” he laughed cruelly. “I guess it doesn’t matter if you do, though, does it?”

He let go of her hair but kept one hand on her waist. Then with the free hand he tweaked her nipple through her chiffon blouse.

“You like that don’t you?” he sneered.

Then he let go of her and brought his other hand to her other nipple. Without warning, he pinched them hard and she gave a yelp of pain.

Tears flooded her eyes. Her hands flew up to cover her breasts.

“There’s more of that if you don’t behave,” he threatened. “Remember who is the boss around here.”

He slammed the door behind him as he left.

By now Kelly had forgotten all about the camera and after he was gone, she broke down and cried tears of humiliation and anger.

How dare he? How did he think he could get away with this?
No man had ever treated her with such contempt. Her nipples stung from the way he had twisted and pinched them.

Her tears subsided and Kelly rose up unsteadily.

Roger was insane and even more dangerous than she had thought.

R
aina raced
through the bedrooms upstairs, checking to see if the movers had forgotten anything. In her bedroom, the enormity of what she was about to do hit her and she had to hold the door knob for support.

Calm down Raina
, she thought. She was moving the children from the only home they had known in Palm Beach.

She had bought the B&B and sold the house in a few whirlwind weeks.

As if all that was not enough, the kids were starting school at Crampton Academy.

Raina recalled the meeting with the accountant from the firm that had offered the private scholarship. “So you won’t tell me how they were picked for this scholarship?” Raina had insisted for the tenth time, her arms crossed over her chest.

“I’m afraid I cannot divulge that information. It’s a condition of the scholarship,” he had replied.

She had left that meeting frustrated, but resigned that she might never get the closure from the Del Mar that she hoped for.

Her glance fell on the spot where her bed used to be and like rushing water memories of Christopher flooded her mind. She closed her eyes and remembered his gentle touch on her skin and his kisses that had seemed to awaken every nerve in her body.

She felt as though a part of her very essence was missing.

Why hadn’t he even given her a chance to explain? The excitement she had had earlier faded. She just wanted Christopher back. She felt so weak and foolish, but she missed having someone to share her life with.

He should be here with her now, boosting her confidence and telling her that she had made the right decisions. Every night that week she had lain wide awake, wondering if she was doing the right thing.

“Aunt Raina, what’s taking you so long? Everyone is waiting for you in the car!”

Raina had to smile at the irritation in Crystal’s voice. She who had to be called ten times every morning before school. She gave a last glance at her room before shutting the door.

Goodbye, Christopher
, Raina whispered in her mind.

In leaving this house, she was leaving her memories of their short-lived relationship behind. Short and sweet, was how it had been for them.

“Alright guys, let’s get this show on the road,” Raina said with a grin as she herded the kids into the car.

“What show, Aunty? We’re in the car not a show,” Jeremiah piped up from the back seat.

Raina and the girls burst out laughing.

“What’s funny?” Jeremiah demanded.

“You are, and we love you so much, now belt up.”

On the way to the B&B, Raina listened absentmindedly to the kids’ conversation. Every once in a while, her mind strayed and she thought of the things she needed to do in the next couple of days. It was a good thing that the kids had several more weeks to go before schools closed for the summer.

It would give her time to settle in at the B&B and establish a routine.

The few weeks also gave them time to acclimatize themselves at the new school and then they would get a break during the summer months.

Raina pulled into the B&B parking lot as the movers were busy carrying furniture up to the third floor. The apartment had a private stairwell, behind the reception area, which would give Raina the confidence to leave the kids alone upstairs when she had to work, knowing they could find her any time they needed to.

Martha’s smiling face shone from the B&B entrance and she came towards Raina’s car.

“Hi Raina, how do you feel? Welcome to the new owner of Cliff West Inn!” Martha said, widening her arms to hug Raina.

“Oh, I’m feeling a little bit of everything right now! Excitement mixed with fear mostly,” Raina admitted.

“Both are good, they’ll keep you on your toes. Hi kids, welcome to your new home!” Martha said as the three children tumbled out of the car. She embraced them with as much enthusiasm as she had Raina.

“I like it,” was Jeremiah’s remark as he eyed the brick building up and down.

“That’s good, you’ll be very happy here, I promise.” Martha said.

“I’ll let you settle in today and then tomorrow morning, you can meet everyone formally and I’ll take you through the day.”

“Thank you so much. I know you didn’t have to do that,” Raina said to Martha.

“Oh, you’re welcome. I remember my first days as being a complete nightmare. It would have been much easier if the previous owner had taken the time to show me the ropes, but as it was, I had to grope my way through everything. I would never do that to anyone.”

Raina and the kids went upstairs; the kids were excited at the thought of seeing Raina at work every day when she would be just down stairs from them. The apartment was just as she remembered it and now with her own furniture in the rooms, it took on a homely feeling. That evening, Martha kindly sent up a hot meal for the three of them, which they ate at the dining area.

It was a little crowded with the large dining table taking up most of the space, but Raina shrugged it off, figuring that she would do something about it later in the year when they had settled in.

“Are you kids nervous about tomorrow?” Raina asked. Crystal shrugged and Jeremiah and Chantal smiled.

“I’m all right. I figure it being a private school, it’s bound to be a little different from our other schools. We’ll get used to it,” Chantal offered.

“I’m excited about the soccer team at Crampton House. Do you know, Aunty, that they won the cup for the district last year?” Jeremiah said, his eyes lit up.

“I didn’t know that, how impressive,” Raina lied smoothly. It was one of the reasons that she had liked the school. It was a small school in terms of the student population and that too was another attraction.

“They have a great drama club too,” she told Crystal.

“That’s good,” Crystal said in a flat voice.

“What is it honey?” Raina said, leaning forward towards Crystal.

“I liked my old school.”

“I know you did, but you agreed to give Crampton House a chance, you know, go tomorrow with an open mind.” Raina felt bad that they had not had the time to take the kids to the school for a tour before they began their time there. There just had been no time, and now she wondered whether it was throwing them in the deep end. She also worried about how they would do in a school that didn’t have many other black children—that would be a change for her kids. She bit her lip, resolving to keep that worry to herself. No sense in borrowing trouble.

“I’ll drop you to school tomorrow and after that, you do the school bus,” she said trying to cheer Crystal up.

“No, Aunty, I’d rather the school bus. It’ll be fun and besides we’re not babies,” Crystal said.

They took a vote and all three kids opted for the school bus. Raina agreed though she was not happy. She would have preferred to see each one of them settled in their classes.

After Raina had settled the kids for the night, she lay in her room and stared up at the unfamiliar ceiling, counting the cracks, and wondering if she’d made a huge mistake.

Raina strained her ears to check if she could hear any noises from downstairs but thankfully all was quiet. Her mind was too restless to relax enough for her to sleep. She thought of the day ahead when she would finally get first-hand experience in how the B&B worked. She knew all about running a massive resort hotel, but something this size—with such little staff—would be a challenge.

Hours later, she finally felt herself drifting off to sleep and she welcomed it, knowing that the next day would be a long one. Her last thought was of Christopher. What was he doing at that moment? Did he miss her? Did he ever think of her and the kids at all? Or had he moved on and was now in another woman’s arms?

The following morning at six thirty, Raina went down to the foyer in the elevator. She felt well rested and eager to start the day. At the reception desk, Raina met a young woman, with streaks of red and blue in her hair, typing into the computer.

“Hi,” the girl said cheerfully, looking up with a smile on her face. “You must be our new owner. I’m Rita—short for Margarita, can you believe my parents?” She told Raina “I’m the receptionist here and I do all sorts of odd jobs as well. Isn’t it a ghastly hour to be awake?”

Raina laughed in agreement. “Hi Rita. Glad to meet you. Do you know where can I find Martha?”

“She’s probably in the dining room, setting the tables for breakfast.”

“Thanks,” Raina said and went through the door to the dining room.

Sure enough, Martha was replacing the soiled table clothes with clean ones.

“Morning,” Raina said, stifling a yawn.

“Good morning! Did you enjoy your first night upstairs?” Martha said, without stopping what she was doing. Raina immediately saw why the B&B was a popular spot. The place settings she was laying out were exquisite, and every detail of the table—from the flowers, to the fold of the napkins, to the small pitchers of orange juice—was carefully thought out.

“I did, thanks, and so did the kids, judging from the way they are still snoring this morning,” Raina said with a grin.

“What time do they get up for school?”

“I set the alarm for seven. School starts at 8,” Raina said, taking a fresh table cloth and following Martha’s movements. “I’ll pop in a little later to check if they are getting ready.”

“Ah, the conveniences of working from home! You’ll love it, I’m telling you!” Martha said. “By the way, remind me to introduce you to Susan from next door. She’s a babysitter and wonderful with kids. You never know when you might need her.”

“Thanks,” Raina murmured, seriously doubting whether she would need the services of a babysitter. She was never dating again.
Never.
Not after the way things ended with Christopher. Clearly she was jinxed.

Martha’s tone changed to a business-like one. “Now, the early bird guests should be arriving for their morning coffee in about twenty minutes, so as soon as we are done here, we’ll bring in the coffee and tea and place them right there where they can serve themselves.”

“All right,” Raina said with a confidence she didn’t feel.

Still, having Martha with her lessened her anxiety. It would have been terrible to be on her own on the first day. By the time the first guest came down, an elderly couple, dressed smartly for their day ahead, everything was already set.

“Good morning Mr. and Mrs. DeLay, did you have a good night?” Martha said smoothly, the perfect hostess.

“Yes we did, apart from an insect by the window that seemed to buzz all night,” the man said in a grumbling tone.

“Oh stop Harold, it was only a tiny noise and it did not go on all night. It was lovely Martha, thanks for asking and forgive my husband. He’s not a morning person.”

“Not a problem. And I can send someone up to check about that buzzing bother!” Her voice was cheerful and friendly as she smoothed things over with the patrons. “The usual table?” Martha said.

Watching with admiration, Raina swiftly moved away and left the dining room in Martha’s capable hands. Upstairs, she was pleasantly surprised to find the children already at the table having the breakfast she had set out before leaving.

“Ready for your big day?” Raina said cheerfully, masking the tightness in her chest.

“Yes, Aunty!” they chorused. She scrutinized their faces and was happy to find no signs of sadness. Crystal seemed to have perked up overnight. She nodded at her aunt, and gave her a small smile.

“How did it go for you Aunty? Are there many people waiting to be given breakfast?” Chantal asked in her normal low solemn voice.

“It’s going great; I imagine that when I return, the dining room will be full.”

“You can go back now, we are fine. We’ll just finish up breakfast and then come downstairs,” Chantal added.

“And I’ll do the dishes,” Crystal volunteered.

“We all want to show you how grown up we are so you can let us work downstairs during the weekend, isn’t that so, Crystal?” Jeremiah said, looking earnest.

“Shut up Jeremiah! You weren’t supposed to tell Aunty! We wanted her to notice herself,” Crystal replied, clearly irritated.

“I already noticed it myself.” Raina smiled at their enthusiasm, her heart growing larger by the moment. “I tell you what, if you can keep this up for the whole week, I’ll give you cleaning duties in the dining room,” Raina said, muffling her laughter with her hand.

Crystal made a face. “Not for me. I thought maybe I could tell the other workers what to do??”

Raina shook her head and let out a laugh, her brown eyes shining with amusement. “Not so fast, beautiful. You’ve got to start at the bottom, and work your way up.”

“Fiiiinnnnee,” Crystal said with a huff.

“You have twenty more minutes before the bus comes. I’ll meet you at reception at half past seven, alright?” Raina said, before returning downstairs once more.

* * *

T
he dining room
was a third full and the guests were putting steaming slices of bacon and eggs onto their plates as they made their way through the buffet line. It was an organized way of doing things and Raina realized that it also saved on the added cost of hiring a waiter. Martha hovered by the buffet table, talking to guests as they served breakfast.