The Billionaire's Challenge

by Elizabeth Lennox

  “Yes!” Gianna clapped her hands gleefully. “He is good! Reid gives you immense pleasure so he is a good man!” She sighed. “His brother is…not! I doubt that man knows the difference between a man and a woman!”

  . “Do you mean Brant?” she asked, both horrified and fascinated. “Are you…?” she started off.

  The waiter arrived with their meals and Selena paused, not wanting anyone to overhear their conversation. Reid and Brant were powerful men in the Denver business world and she didn’t want any disparaging comments to float around about either of them.

  When the waiter departed, Selena turned back to her new friend. “Are you and Brant…?”

  “Having sex?” she finished bluntly. “Never! The man is a goon! He is a termagant! He is a…” she stopped, waving her hand in the air as if trying to find another word.

  “Do you mean buffoon?” Selena suggested carefully, not wanting to tease Gianna for her use of the wrong word because she had a beautiful grasp of the English language. One hundred percent better than Selena’s knowledge of any other language. Her knowledge of Spanish was basic at best. She’d taken French classes in high school and college, but because there wasn’t any place to practice using the language, Selena had lost her knowledge over the years.

  “Yes!” she nodded. “He is a buffoon! A stick in the dirt!”

  “Mud,” Selena offered.

  “That too!” she said, pointing at Selena with her fork to emphasize her words. “An absolute stick in the dirt and mud!”

  Selena laughed. “I never would have thought you would be attracted to a man like Brant Jones.”

  Gianna shivered. “Never would I be attracted to a man like that! He is cold and soulless!” She stopped, peering shrewdly at Selena. “And you changed the subject again.”’

  Selena covered her mouth, trying to smother her amusement. “I didn’t really change the subject. You sort of went off on a tangent.”

  She leaned forward. “What is this tangent? I know not of this word.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” she replied. “You were talking about how annoying Brant Jones is.”

  “No! We were discussing you and your love for Reid Jones.” She stabbed the pasta and spun the fork, twisting the pasta onto the spoon.

  And…they were back. “I’m not in love with him.”

  “And yet, you are making love with him every night. I know this is true but your love is recent, yes?”

  “Uh…”

  “Yes! You’ve only been with him intimately for a week, maybe two.” She smiled when Selena’s mouth fell open. “I see the glow in your smile and you walk with a delighted bounce to your step now. Before…when I first met you, there was a sadness to you. A…” she snapped her fingers again. “A timidity. Is that the word? Yes! You were timid.” She shook her head. “No. Timid means that you were scared. You not scared. You were…reluctant,” she finished. “Yes. That is the word for you. Reluctant. Now you embrace life more!”

  Selena stared at Gianna, stunned at the woman’s ability to really see a person. “You’re scary,” Selena whispered reverently.

  Gianna laughed, delighted. “That is not the first time I’ve heard that! Now speak. Tell me why you feel your man is hurt.”

  “Not hurt. I think he’s angry about something. I’m not sure what’s going on.”

  “Not with you,” Gianna announced.

  Selena wasn’t sure. The look Reid had given her before they’d left had seemed personal. But perhaps she’d just caught his eye at the wrong moment and his anger had nothing to do with her. Selena knew that she had a tendency to internalize issues. It was both a strength and a weakness, and was a constant struggle for her.

  For the rest of the meal, they talked about business and work stresses. Thankfully, their conversation steered clear of romantic topics.

  When they returned to the office, Gianna went back up to the executive floor where her office was located and Selena moved down the quiet hallway to her own. But she couldn’t seem to get Reid’s angry scowl out of her mind.

  Later that evening, she waited for him to come by her office and take her home. But darkness fell and he didn’t come to her office. Since he’d driven her to work that day, she called a cab to get home, wondering what was going on. As soon as the cab pulled up to Reid’s gorgeous house, her anxiety doubled. The lights weren’t on. He wasn’t home?

  She paid the driver and walked around to the back, wondering what was going on.

  “Meow!”

  Selena felt Cat rub against her legs.

  “I don’t know where he is, honey,” she bent down to scratch Cat behind his ears. “He didn’t tell me anything.”

  “Meow!” he insisted, leaning into her legs and hand. “I know, little guy. It’s confusing to me too.”

  Selena knew that the cat had food and an accessible pet door that allowed him to get into Reid’s house. So Cat would be fine without Reid for the night. But Selena didn’t like leaving the poor fellow alone. Cats weren’t the solitary creatures everyone thought they were. Cats actually needed just as much attention as dogs.

  “Okay. Why don’t you come into my place?” she suggested.

  Cat agreed and raced towards the door to her house, then looked back over his shoulder. “I’m coming!” Selena giggled.

  Selena flipped off her shoes, sighing with relief as she dumped her bag and purse on the chair right inside the door. “Are you hungry?” she asked the cat, heading towards the kitchen.

  She pulled out a can of tuna and gave some to Cat, then dumped the rest onto a plate for herself, adding lettuce, spinach, and some cottage cheese. Selena carried her plate over to the front window overlooking the pool. Reid’s house was still dark. Where was he? Why hadn’t he called?

  Not that they’d discussed their relationship, she thought. What were they to each other? At first, she’d tried to keep their relationship friendly. He was her boss, after all. But he didn’t want that. And in truth, she didn’t either. Never had she felt such an intense connection with a man.

  So, what were they to each other? As she stared out at the darkened house, she suspected that their relationship meant a whole lot more to her than it did to him.

  And that hurt!

  Selena tried to tell herself that this wasn’t a repeat of the past. It wasn’t high school or college and Reid wasn’t one of those insecure, horrible teenagers that needed to humiliate someone to make them feel strong. Reid was strong, powerful, and confident. He was…

  Not here and she didn’t know what to think.

  She looked at her purse where her cell phone hid, thinking to send him a text message asking if he was okay. Or if she’d done something to annoy him. Besides that look right before lunch, she hadn’t seen him since they’d driven in to the office earlier this morning, so how could she have done something wrong? Unless…had she messed up on the marketing campaign somehow? Had she…?

  Selena stopped herself before she went down that rabbit hole. She’d done that too often in the past. Straightening her spine, she remembered her therapist’s advice to not internalize everyone’s problems as her fault.

  If Reid was angry with her, then he needed to talk to her and tell her what she’d done wrong. Until then, she wasn’t taking the blame for his bad mood.

  With that in mind, she got ready for bed. Cat jumped up onto her bed, purring as he curled his body around into a ball and fell asleep on her lap.

  For a long time, she petted the feline, enjoying his company even if Cat wasn’t nearly as wonderful of a companion as Reid.

  Unfortunately, she didn’t see Reid for the next three days. He wasn’t in the office and no one knew where he’d gone. Or if they did know, they weren’t saying anything. In fact, Selena looked at the others in the office kitchen, thinking that there was a very odd silence among the staff members.

  Chapter 12

  “Eeeeeh!” Selena shrieked, jumping backwards. When she realized that the…thing…in front of her car
door was just a dead mouse, she sighed, putting a hand to her chest. “Cat!” she grumbled, then turned and headed back into the guest house. And for the first time in three days, she didn’t glance over her shoulder to see if there were lights on in Reid’s house.

  “I’m going to find a new place,” she muttered as she pulled a piece of paper out of the garbage can and walked back outside. Carefully, she lifted the dead mouse that Cat had left her as a present. She dumped it into a plastic bag and then tied it up with a double knot.

  “Meow!”

  Selena shook her head as the adorable predator sidled up to her, rubbing his body against her legs.

  “No!” Selena admonished the cat. “I’m not petting you. Petting you makes you happy and when you’re happy, you kill things. I don’t want you killing anything!”

  “Meow!” Cat insisted.

  Selena wasn’t strong enough to ignore the plea. “Fine!” she grumbled, bending down to scratch behind his ears. “You know you’re annoying, right?”

  Cat’s only response was to purr louder. “By the way, how do you get out of the guest house every night? You curled up by my side when we go to sleep, but…”

  “I built a cat door to the guest house as well,” Reid’s deep voice said.

  Selena froze. A sexy pair of bare feet came into her line of vision. Slowly, she let her eyes move higher. Jeans. Loose, soft jeans that hung around his lean hips, low enough for her to…oh my!

  Ignoring the obvious erection, she stood up and brushed the cat hair off of her hands. “You’re back,” she observed. “When did you get back?” Bare chest! Damn, he was playing dirty!

  He moved closer and Selena immediately took a step away from him, lifting her hand up to stop him. “Don’t,” she whispered and turned away.

  He stopped, his hands falling to his sides. “I’m sorry, Selena. I wanted to tell you where I was, but…”

  “It’s fine,” she told him, pulling back and forcing her lips to curl upwards into a smile. She wasn’t feeling smiley today, but she didn’t want Reid to know how badly he’d hurt her. “I’m off to work,” she told him.

  “Ruth filed a lawsuit against me for wrongful termination,” he announced.

  Selena felt a chill whip through her. Turning back, she looked up into his eyes. “She…?”

  “She claimed that I’d fired her because she was a woman. Unfortunately, she has a powerful family and…well…my lawyers won, but it’s been a long, difficult week. And I couldn’t contact you Selena,” he said softly.

  “You couldn’t text me and tell me that…” she started to say something sappy like, “Tell me that you were okay,” but stopped herself just in time. Shaking her head slightly, she lifted her hand. “It doesn’t matter. You don’t report to me.” She took a deep breath. “I have to…” she stopped again. Unable to stop herself, she looked up into his eyes. “Are you okay? Did you really win?”

  “Yes. Of course,” he replied, his eyes hard and unyielding. Selena watched him, wondering what it would feel like to live in his head, to know that the world would bow to your dictates.

  “That’s good. Ruth wasn’t a nice person.”

  “No. My lawyers had been bringing staff members in to give testimony over the past few days. They couldn’t say anything to anyone either. Not until the judge ruled. Which happened yesterday. Her claim was dismissed completely.”

  He’d been involved in a horrible, unfair lawsuit! He hadn’t rejected her! He hadn’t…

  He hadn’t bothered to even text her to tell her that he was alive.

  Pushing her relief aside, she nodded calmly, keeping her eyes above his chest. “That’s good. I’m glad. Ruth wasn’t a good person.”

  “Selena…”

  “I have to get to work.”

  “I couldn’t contact you! I wanted to. But my lawyers warned me against saying anything.”

  She stopped him. “I understand, Reid. And you don’t owe me anything. We had no understanding. You don’t report to me. It’s the other way around. You’re my boss.” She glanced behind him at the beautiful guest house and shrugged. “And my landlord. But…”

  “No!” he growled, moving closer and taking her upper arms in his hands. “We might not have defined our relationship but you’re a hell of a lot more to me than just an employee. And yes, I know that I shouldn’t touch you because you are an employee, but…” he moved closer, “I can’t seem to stay away from you, Selena. Even after the nightmare of the past week, I can’t stay away. I thought about you every minute while listening to that evil woman’s accusations. But every time I wanted to contact you, my lawyer stopped me, telling me that no one could know about this lawsuit yet. If any word got out to the media, there would be hell. The media wouldn’t want the truth! You know damn well that they’d prefer Ruth’s version of the story because it’s more exciting!”

  Yes, that was true. But it didn’t address the issue hanging between them. “Reid, you don’t owe me any explanation.”

  “I don’t…!” he released her, throwing his hands in the air. He stepped back as he ran his hands through his hair, mussing up what was already a bit messy since he’d just woken up. When he turned back to her, her stomach tightened with that determined look to his features. “I’m not letting you go, Selena. There’s something between us. You don’t trust me, and I get that. I didn’t call and I should have, even though my lawyers warned me not to. I should have called just to tell you I was okay.”

  “You don’t…”

  He lifted his hand and she pressed her lips together. “Selena, if you tell me one more time that I don’t owe you anything, I’m going to…” he stopped, and readjusted his topic. “I owe you an explanation. And I owed you a phone call. We’re…” Once again, he stopped.

  Selena waited, wondering what he might say.

  “We’re lovers, Selena. And I know that means something to you so don’t even try to deny it.”

  She opened her mouth, wanting to say he was wrong. She wanted to be a sophisticated woman who could have sex with a man and walk away with a smile the next day. But that wasn’t who she was. She wanted the commitment. She wanted the long-term relationship. She wanted…Reid. She wanted the love and marriage and lots of kids. Cat needed a dog to snuggle with at night and needed someone else to leave…dead presents for!

  “I’m fine,” she lied. And with those words, she died a little inside.

  Reid watched her carefully, looking for signs that she was lying. His gut told him that she wanted all of the same things that he did. But…

  There!

  “Selena!” he groaned, pulling her into his arms. She was stiff for only a moment, then he felt her melt against him and he buried his nose in her flower-scented hair. “I need more than just a nice time between the sheets.”

  He felt her shudder and then her hands crept around his waist. Feeling her fingers against his bare skin was heaven and hell. He loved her touch, the way she smoothed out all of the roughness of the past several days. But her touch was also a bit of hell because he knew that he had to get into the office. He’d had only two hours of sleep last night after leaving his lawyer’s office. Andrea was a legal shark and he admired her ability to win. But they’d been up until the wee hours of the night strategizing, coming up with a way to keep Ruth from coming at them from another direction. Around three o’clock in the morning, Andrea and her team had come up with ten different legal filings aimed to stop Ruth from speaking out and creating a publicity nightmare. Ruth might have lost her wrongful termination case against Rembrandt Cosmetics, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t sully the company’s name in the media with her accusations.

  So Andrea had filed several counter-suits against Ruth. The papers would be filed first thing in the morning which would require Ruth to remain silent while the other lawsuits worked their way through the court system. One of Andrea’s legal team had a gag order ready for a judge to sign this morning.

  It had all moved so fast. Andrea was b
rilliant and effective, but exhausting!

  “I don’t know what we have together, but let’s figure it out, okay?” he asked, pulling back to look into her eyes.

  He could see the indecision in her eyes and wanted to pull her back into his arms, carry her up the stairs and make love to her. But he had to get back to his lawyer’s office for more meetings and he only had about ten minutes until he needed to leave. “Can we talk about it tonight? I don’t know what time I’ll be done, but I’d like to see you.”

  Selena debated back and forth, obviously arguing with herself mentally. But in the end, she was just too fair of a person to ignore his request.

  “Fine. Tonight,” she stepped out of his arms. He chuckled when she reached down and scratched Cat, then slipped into her car. Damn, she had mighty fine legs, he thought as she pulled them into her roadster. And her black heels looked…amazing! He couldn’t wait to have her in his arms tonight. Maybe he’d ask her to take tomorrow off so they could make love and get everything settled between them. He didn’t want her living in the guest house any longer. He wanted her in his house. In his bed. Every damn night!

  “Tonight,” he repeated. “I might need to work late again, but I’ll find you, okay?”

  “Okay,” she replied tonelessly and pulled the door closed. A moment later, he watched her drive away, wishing that he could ignore his responsibilities and just make love to Selena. He wanted to make her feel good, to show her in the most basic way that he wanted her in his life.

  Damn, he was messing this up! Never before had he wanted a woman to be in his life. Never had he felt such an overpowering need to…well, to just be with a woman. He wanted her so badly, and not just sexually. He wanted all of her. He wanted her heart and soul. He wanted…

  He wanted her love. Hell, he realized that he was in love with Selena! What a hellish time to realize that he’d finally found that elusive thing that everyone raved about, the thing that he’d thought he’d never find.

  Somehow, he’d have to show her how he felt and hope that she might feel the same.