Billionaire's Secret Crush (Tempting Billionaires Book 4)
Page 1
Billionaire’s Secret Crush
A Billionaire Romance (Tempting Billionaires Book 4)
CLAIRE ANGEL
Contents
Title Page
Billionaire’s Secret Crush
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Epilogue
Books In This Series
Copyright © 2020-21 by Claire Angel
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. While, as in all fiction, the literary perceptions and insights are based on life experiences and conclusions drawn from research, all names, characters, places and specific instances are products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. No actual reference to any real person, living or dead, is intended or inferred.
BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET CRUSH: A BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE
Billionaire’s Secret Crush
BLURB:
How would it feel like, if the most gorgeous billionaire has a secret crush on you?
For how long you could deny the attraction and pretend you are just a friend?
JAYDE MILLER
Her Broken Heart and a Man with a Magic Lamp
Aidan was the perfect man if I had to be honest.
Devilishly handsome, kind, fun, rich, all the things women hunted for in a man.
But I had no space for any man in my life.
I am successful and I can have anything I want.
But…
I ended up kissing him which ached on my lips every day.
He is just a friend, I think...
AIDAN DAVIS
His School Boy Secret Crush
I was instantly smitten with the fierce, sassy creature.
It was a daily struggle not to call her up and blurt out my feeling.
Watching her from a distance is a torture.
I envy the strands of her hair for touching her face.
She never took a break from her feisty façade.
But I know her heart was broken.
I have a good mind to break Kyle’s face for breaking her heart.
Will I be able to confess my feelings and mend her broken heart?
***
Prologue
JAYDE MILLER
“To what do you owe your incredible success, Jayde?” the editor of Young Millionaires of America asked me.
“Well, Julie, I’m afraid I have to offer up a few cliches here, such as hard work, self-sacrifice, and patience. But that’s only half of the recipe. The other half is instinct, tenacity, and nerves of steel. Oh, and not giving too much of a damn what your competitors think of you, goes a long way.”
“You’ve certainly proven your methods to be effective. I don’t suppose our readers can get an inkling of your current worth?”
“Julie, shame on you. You know a lady never tells.”
“Oh, well. Can’t blame a girl for trying. Is there a future ‘Mr. Miller’ on the horizon?”
“Tell you what, Julie. You’ll be the first to know.” I smiled, as she typed away furiously on her notepad.
“I’ll hold you to that.” She smiled.
Bloody nosy reporters.
***
AIDAN
I smiled as I read the article on Jayde in the Young Millionaires of America mag. She was a slippery one, sexy little Jayde. Like an eel, she always managed to evade the questions she didn’t want to answer and charm the interviewer into asking the ones she would. Not only was she rich, but she was smart too. Her face was on the cover. Her dark hair hung loosely around her shoulders, and her piercing green eyes engaged the camera’s lens dead on.
She was only twenty-seven and already a celebrated designer with fashion houses all across the globe. Her designs were splashed across red carpet events everywhere, and actresses and divas fought for her personal attention. There were rumors that a certain royal was thrown into the mix too, but it was all very hush-hush.
It was at such a prestigious gala that she and I met. I was instantly smitten with the fierce, sassy creature, but I’d learned to tread carefully when it came to the fairer sex. The truth was that they were as fair as a fistfight in a bar. It was every man for himself, and every woman with the last word.
***
Chapter 1
JAYDE
“Oh for fuck’s sake.” I slammed down the phone, and the whole desk rattled from the blow.
“What is it, Jayde?” Gilly looked worriedly at me. I wasn’t prone to pissy fits, but when the occasion called for it, I could froth with the best of them.
“Pierre says the fabric is stuck at the docks. Something about an outbreak of avian flu or some shit like that. It’s not as if the materials from Milan are made from fucking chicken feathers.”
“When will they release it from customs?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. All I know is that I needed it like ‘yesterday’, and now I’m screwed. We’re never going to fill that order if we don’t get our fabric soon. And I mean, real soon.”
It was the same shit as always. Even the wheels of justice turned faster than the wheels on the pallet trucks down at the docks, thanks to customs. It was pointless losing your shit too, because rules were rules, and the best you could hope for was help from someone who had an in. And that only worked if that particular ‘officer’ was in a good mood that day, or his kids needed new shoes.
“Hand me that cell over there, please Gilly.”
“Sure.” She placed it in my hand and left the room. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
It was time to call in a few favors and hope for the best. Aidan Davis was a shipping magnate. We met at a gala in France two years before and hit it off. He proved to be very useful in times like these, as he had more than just a few contacts in customs. I didn’t call on his magical skills too often—I didn’t want to take advantage or run up too long of an IOU tab with anyone—but I was in a bind, and Aidan was a nice guy.
I dialed his number and crossed my fingers.
“Hi, Jayde. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Aidan, please tell me you have your magic lamp close at hand. I need a genie, asap.”
“Sounds serious. What’s up?” His deep, chocolaty voice was calming.
“There’s a huge shipment of mine stuck at the docks. I’m up to my eyeballs in deadlines, and they’re pissing about over bird flu. Can you help?”
“Let me see what I can do. But it’s going to cost you.”
“The deeds to my Malibu mansion?” I giggled.
“Damn straight. Or we could meet for dinner sometime. I’ve got a proposition for you.”
“Okay, but one blow job only! No more.”
Aidan laughed over the phone. It was nice when someone g
ot me.
“Slow down there, girl. You gotta buy me a drink first.”
“Thanks, Aidan. You’re a gem.”
“No problem. Chat soon.”
I smiled when I ended the call. Aidan was a rare specimen. In the circles I moved in, a girl would be too lucky to end up with a guy like him. He was in his early thirties, with sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, and a smile that could melt the polar ice cap. He looked more like a surfer than a billionaire businessman, but I’d bet the farm that he could rock a wetsuit like a boss. If there was one thing I was non-negotiable on, it was a tight ass. I refused to entertain the possibility of a relationship with a man, no matter how rich, if he had a flabby ass. Not that Aidan and I were anything more than just friends. It just had to be said.
I looked at my watch. It was past 9 pm, and I suddenly became aware of my stomach growling at me.
“Oh, screw it. Gilly, grab your coat, it’s saki and sushi time.”
“Yes, ma'am,” she shouted from her desk. “You don’t have to ask me twice. Did you solve the problem already?”
“As good as,” I said.
Gilly and I were as close as a boss could be with her employee. She was my rock and a good friend from college. We were one of the few success stories when it came to friends working together. Perhaps it was because we had no issues with telling each other the brutal truth. She was the administrator, and I was the wheeler-dealer with nerves of steel. We made for a good combination.
“You’ve cheered up pretty quickly,” Gilly commented, as we strolled out of my office toward the elevator.
“It’s not what you know…” I smiled.
“Let me guess. Aidan?”
“And that right there is why I pay you the big bucks!”
“No, you pay me the big bucks cause I know all your secrets.” She grinned.
“Nice try. Now move your ass, Inspector Clouseau, I’m starving.”
My office building was in a newly renovated part of town. I had no patience with landlords, so I bought the land, rezoned it, and built a few office blocks. They were modern, fresh, and best of all, they were mine.
I had no idea when I started out in the fashion industry, that I would go from a garage space to owning my own fashion houses. It was freeing being independently wealthy, but there was a price to pay. Opportunists crawled out from under all sorts of rocks to fall deeply in love with their meal ticket. I dated my fair share of sharks. Once bitten and all that. But I had high hopes. An incurable romantic, I sat at the fountain of dating, waiting to kiss my frog.
The elevator ride took us down from the sixth floor to the underground parking garage. I insisted on that as part of the plans, as the world had gone mad, and I had no intentions of being mugged outside my office for my car and my phone. Life was too short for that bullshit. Besides, if anyone tried to steal my Mustang, I’d have to break their legs.
Ever since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, I longed for a cherry red Ford Mustang convertible. It wasn’t a Bentley, but childhood dreams were hard to quash. I started the engine and listened to my baby purring. No matter how awful my day was, I felt instantly renewed behind the wheel of my muscle car. I called out of my window to Gilly, as she got to her Jeep.
“I’ll see you at Tanaka’s.”
“Alrighty.”
I lived for sushi. I couldn’t get enough of it. If someone had told me when I was a kid I’d be scoffing down hundreds of dollar’s worth of raw fish by the bucket loads, I would have thought them a few M&M’s short of a family pack. But, that was life. Who could have predicted that I’d move from the wrong side of the tracks to La La Land? Life was a wild ride.
Unlike the princesses of old money, I didn’t mind getting my hands dirty. When there was a job to be done, I did it. Men were often under the mistaken impression that they’d bark, and I would simply crumble into a puddle of tears. Not likely. Not with an upbringing like mine. Dad had no problem whipping the bejesus out of me for no particular reason other than he felt like it at the time. Apart from having the ability to dodge a fist, I also wore my big girl panties as a rule. It served me well.
Tanaka’s was buzzing. The decor was reminiscent of Tokyo, one of my favorite places to visit. The festive red furnishings and pale paper lanterns decorated with images of dragons put me at ease. I appreciated the authenticity of the restaurant. When I ate sushi for the first time in Japan, I had quite a battle of wills with the old chopsticks. But, like riding a bike, I soon got the hang of it, and the sashimi went down without a fight.
Gilly and I were seated at our favorite table. We ordered Sake with our sashimi, then plowed through a platter of sushi. My best was the wasabi ‘sinus cleanser’, and it amused me to see first-time sushi eaters’ eyes pop onto stilts when they mistook the verdant green paste for avocado. It never failed to deliver a wicked giggle.
“Hmm, I see Kyle is here, pretending not to notice you,” Gilly said as we had our third Sake.
“Really? Well, he can stare as much as he likes. That asshole will never get his grubby paws on me again.”
“I was a little surprised when I saw you two together. It’s not like you to be bamboozled, Jayde.”
“Everyone is allowed one balls-up in the romance department. Kyle was mine. But that’s done and dusted, and if he even so much as breathes my way I’m gonna clock him.”
“That wasn't your fault, Jayde. He is very good at conning people. I’m just glad you saw him for what he was before you married him.”
“No shit. Anyway, let’s change the subject. I refuse to waste any more energy on the king of vermin, and I’m watching to see when that guy over there realizes he just put way too much wasabi on his sushi.”
“It’s official. You’re a sadist with a Mustang and a flair for fashion.” Gilly laughed.
“Yeah, yeah. How are things going with you and Dan?” I asked, hoping I didn’t have to talk about Kyle ever again.
“He’s such a sweetheart. I’m so in love, it’s pathetic.” Gilly smiled.
“You got yourself a gem. I’m so happy for you. You deserve it.”
Gilly was heartbroken for many years after her first love died in a car accident. They were inseparable, and for the longest time, I worried that she’d never recover. Then she met Dan at a party, and with love and kindness, he nursed her broken heart back to life. I hoped for wedding bells down the line. It was Gilly’s dream to have a family of her own.
“What did Aidan say about the shipment?”
“Lose that grin, Gilly. I told you he is just a friend. Besides, he’s never given me as much as a friendly smile.”
“My bad.” She grinned. “What did he say about our shipment? Can he help?”
“I bloody hope so. Without swift ass-kicking, that fabric is going nowhere in a hurry.”
“If anyone can sort it out, it’s Aidan,” Gilly said, then popped sushi into her mouth. “Ooff, the wasabi is kickass tonight. Blow torch up the sniffer.”
“Looks like you’re not the only one who thinks so.” I laughed as the guy with the verdant teeth was holding his nose. “Thanks for the warning. I’ll go easy.”
Chapter 2
AIDAN
“Hi, Greg. Aidan here.”
“Hi, bossman. Good to hear from you. How can I help?”
Greg was efficient, pleasant, and smart enough to know that keeping the boss happy was a sure-fire way of staying in the pound seats. He’d worked for me for eight years, and honestly, I couldn’t do without him.
“Greg, I need your negotiating skills. Jayde Miller’s container is being held up at customs. Will you see what you can do to expedite matters, please?”
“Jayde Miller, hey? I’d swim across the Arctic if I thought it would get me into that beauty’s good graces. Consider it done.”
“Thanks, Greg. I owe you one.”
“My pleasure. I am bummed though. My hard work will result in you getting the IOU benefits of this good deed instead of me.”
“What can I
say? It’s tough at the top.”
“Yeah, so they tell me. I’ll call you when it’s done.”
“Thanks. Talk to you soon.”
I looked at my watch and decided to call it a day. I felt restless, so I called Joey for a quick game of squash. Joey and I had been friends since middle school. No one could make me sweat on a squash court as he could. He was a string bean and the most unassuming sportsman I’d ever known, but he was an assassin and competitive as hell. I dialed his number.
“Hey, Joey! How’s that hitting arm of yours coming along?”
“Well, well. If it isn’t the billionaire babe magnet. My arm is just fine, thank you. How’s your bum knee, you old fart?”
“Why don’t we meet down at the club, and I’ll show you,” I said in the kind of tone I knew he couldn’t resist.
“Okay, loser pays for drinks afterward.” He laughed.
“Bring your wallet smart ass.”
Joe Taylor was the best friend a guy could ever have, bright too. He had a head for numbers, so none of us were surprised when he finished top in his class at university. He was a successful actuary by day and a party animal at night.
Joey was the son of an Australian diplomat for a father and a Scandinavian professor of biology for a mother. It was an odd pairing to be sure, but they were a fun family to be around. His father was a card, which is probably where Joey got his sense of humor from, and those silly hats with the corks dangling from strings on them.
Apparently, it was supposed to ward off flies in Auz, but I was sure Joey wore them as a conversation starter with the ladies. Even with his gangly legs and goofy curly hair, Joey did all right with the fairer sex. He charmed them right into bed without breaking a sweat.
My love life was on hold. It was pathetic really, but I compared every woman I had dinner with or met at a party, to a certain sassy designer. As much as I tried to pretend that I wasn’t madly in love with Jayde, my heart skipped a beat whenever I saw or spoke to her. There was no way in hell I’d ever tell her to her face though. I was privy to the train wreck that was her and Kyle’s relationship and breakup and decided not to be that rebound idiot destined to have his heart broken.