Kissing Keith: A Billionaire Younger Man Romance (Rose City Romance Book 1)

by Lucy Robin

  “Oh, no, don’t do it, please. I don’t want it to affect your relationship with Stella. Besides, you can’t play the mahjong with just Susan, and you need two more people.”

  She pauses for a moment as she considers the threat. “I can recruit new members,” she mumbles.

  I know she doesn’t mean it. Finding a new member is never easy. Besides, Stella has been our neighbor for as long as I remember.

  “Do you have Paola’s number, Nonna?” I ask. “I would like to call her.”

  Nonna hesitates. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  Chapter 31

  Elena

  I arrive at Rizzo Construction on Foothill Blvd, an impressive individual building with a combination of model and classic design. I let the receptionist know that Mr. Rizzo is expecting me, and she tells me to wait.

  After speaking to someone on the phone, she points to a room down the hallway. “Go ahead. They’re in the conference room.”

  I push the door open, only find myself in the waiting area of the actual meeting room. The door to that room is open. I walk towards it but halt in my way. It was windy on my way here, and my hair must be messy. I open my purse and look for my mirror.

  As I’m doing it, I hear a voice from inside. It’s Tiffany’s.

  “I think it’ll be a mistake if you partner with a morally depraved man,” she says.

  I gasp. Is she accusing Keith again? Why is she doing it? Keith has already lost the deal.

  I stop rummaging in my purse and strain my ears to hear the rest. “This man has fucked pretty much every woman who worked for him, including me. He drove his wife to depression.”

  Holy crap. She’s talking about Mike Brook. Why? What games is she playing?

  Regardless of her motive, I feel grateful to her statement, but my gratitude only lasts for a second because she suddenly spits venom at me.

  She goes on. “Keith is innocent. It was all Elena Conte’s fault. The woman seduced him, and he broke up with her. Right, Keith?”

  Butterflies wings flutter in my gut, and I feel faint. Keith is here. He’s going to accuse me in order to win back the deal. Holy fuck. Why am I here?

  I’m so naïve. I called Paola last night, and basically begged her please reconsider the deal. I told her I broke up with Keith, and that it wasn’t his fault. She surprised me by letting me know the address of her son’s company.

  Now I feel foolish. The man doesn’t need my help. He’s going to defend himself.

  Not wanting to hear what he has to say, I stand up and turn to the exit. But Keith speaks before I retreat.

  “Thanks, Ricky, for allowing me to be here. What I want to say is, though, I’m not going to apologize to anyone here for what I’ve done. The only person I need to apologize to is Elena. She’s done nothing wrong. I seduced her, not the other way around. I’m sorry she has to suffer because of me. I love her. I’m sorry if I disgust you by the fact, I’m not going to ask you to accept it. And I’m not going to ask you to change your mind about the deal either.”

  The room falls silent, and I don’t hear a stir for a full minute.

  And then, Tiffany speaks, “You idiot. What the hell are you trying to accomplish here?”

  “Nothing,” Keith says. “Sorry, Tiffany. Thank you for speaking out. I’m grateful for your help, but I can’t lie to myself.”

  He must be standing up to leave because I hear a chair move.

  A second later, the door of the conference room flings open, and Keith storms out. He freezes in his tracks when he sees me, and then he smiles. “Elena!”

  “Keith!” I mumble as I stand up, my voice trembling and tears rolling down my cheeks. He looks a bit disheveled. His hair is messy, his shirt is creased, and his stubble is longer than usual. But God, he’s handsome!

  He strides across the room and clasps me into his arms. “I’m sorry, baby. Please forgive me!”

  I smile as I wipe my tears. “I already did. Keith. I love you.”

  “I love you, too, baby.” He trembles as he presses his lips on mine. I grasp his back tightly, not wanting to ever let go of him.

  The sound of clearing throat breaks our kiss.

  Ricky and others stand behind us, and to my surprise, Paola is among them. She’s sniffling while fumbling in her purse. She walks toward me and hands me a pack of Kleenex. “I’m sorry, Elena. I’ve judged you unfairly.”

  “That’s okay, Paola,” I say. “I understand.”

  “Keith and Elena,” Ricky says. “Come back here, and let’s sign the contract.”

  “What’re you doing, Ricky? You’re supposed to sign it with me,” Mike, who’s standing behind Ricky, shouts. I turn my attention to him and gasp. He’s gotten a black eye and a bandage on his nose.

  “I’m sorry, Mike,” Ricky says. “You shouldn’t have twisted the facts to fool my mother. I was actually going to let you and Keith share the deal.”

  Mike’s mask of professionalism crumbles in an instant. “Un-fucking-believable!” he shouts, clenching his fists.

  “Watch your language,” Ricky warns him. “No cursing in my office.”

  As he’s speaking, a security guy makes his way toward the conference.

  “Very well.” Mike turns to leave, but not without roaring at Tiffany. “You fucking bitch. It’s your fault!”

  “Don’t blame me, you asshole!” Tiffany fights back as she follows Mike out of the conference. “You deserve what you get!”

  “Is everything okay?” the security guy asks Ricky.

  “We’re fine, Joe. Just make sure the two never come back to my building,” Ricky says. And then he turns to us, “Ready?”

  “Yes.” Keith and I smile at each other and follow him into the conference room.

  Epilogue

  Elena

  Six months later…

  “Congratulations!” I say to a couple who recently purchased their house in Roseville, and is here for the final home inspection.

  We’re standing on the street in front of their unit, which is on the lower terrain of the community and has a beautiful garden and a lush lawn.

  “Thank you so much for helping,” the wife says to me gratefully. “I almost thought we wouldn’t be able to get it.”

  They had some trouble with their loan approval because of her husband’s recent job change. But I was able to extend the closing date for them.

  “You’re very welcome,” I say. “I’m glad you haven’t changed your mind.”

  “Me, too. All the trouble was worth it,” the husband says. “It’s such a beautiful community to live and to raise kids.”

  This reminds me that they’re expecting their child. “I’m so happy for you,” I say sincerely, meaning the pregnancy. Yes, I can picture a child riding a bicycle on the sidewalk, accompanied by their mom or dad. Envy flits across my mind, but l don’t dwell on it.

  They thank me again before entering their car.

  I’m going to get in my car, when I see Keith’s Audi rolling toward the curb. Why is he here?

  He parks and gets out of his car. As soon as I go to him, he holds me and kisses me. “I miss you.”

  I laugh. “You saw me this morning.”

  “It’s been five hours, babe.”

  “Stop it.” I push him slightly away. “Why’re you here?”

  “Get in the car. I’m going to take you to a place.”

  “What about my car?”

  “I’ll bring you back.”

  I get in his car, not knowing what he has in mind. The man is full of surprises.

  “Where are you taking me, and why are you here?”

  “You’ll see in a minute.”

  “Okay,” I sigh, still trying to guess what the surprise is going to be.

  “So, Diana just informed me she sold the last house in her block,” he says, wriggling his eyebrows.

  “Wow,” I say. I’m amazed by how fast the houses are being sold, considering most of them are over a million. It’s been o
nly three months since the starting of the sale, and there are only a handful left.

  “I’ve got to hurry before too late,” he mumbles.

  That reminds me of his interest in purchasing a unit. As his car turns uphill toward the hilltop residential area, I guess where he’s taking me.

  He stops the car in front of a two-story craftsman surrounded by oak trees, with a patio on the second floor looking down the entire community.

  “Wow,” I say as I step out of the car. It’s one of the dozen houses that are over two million dollars.

  I know the plan of the house, but I haven’t shown anything in this section yet, although Diana talked about it the other day, commenting on the splendid design and the breath-taking view.

  We are greeted by roses by the front door. As soon as Keith opens the door, I’m impressed by the two-story foyer, the curved staircase, and the spacious, high-ceiling living room. The huge granite kitchen island makes me want to cook.

  “Are you thinking about purchasing it?” I ask.

  “Yes.” He nods. “And I need your opinion. What do you think?”

  “I think it’s nice. But why do you need such a large house?” It has four bedrooms and a total of twenty rooms, including the huge walk-in closets.

  He doesn’t answer my question. Instead, he takes my hand and leads me up to the second floor.

  The view in the master bedroom is indeed, breath-taking. And the bathtub is luxurious, reminding me of the tub at Aria. Instead of a city view, it has a mountain view. My cheeks flush with the remembrance.

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” he pulls me to him and whispers.

  “What’re you thinking?” I smile.

  “I’m thinking it’ll be nice taking a bath with you in this tub. Wouldn’t you like it?”

  His hot breath tickles my neck, and I shiver.

  “Yes,” I murmur.

  I feel his heart thudding against mine when his lips cover mine, and his tongue explores my mouth. I moan as he thrusts his hand under my skirt and up to my buttock.

  “You have to stop, Keith. I can’t, not here,” I rasp.

  He lets go of me. “I know. I’m sorry. It’s hard not to touch you. You know?”

  Before getting out of the bedroom, he once again asks me, “So what do you think of this house? Do you like it?”

  “I do, Keith. But it doesn’t matter. You’re going to live here, not me.”

  “You don’t want to live here?” He looks disappointed.

  My mouth falls. We’ve been together for six months, but I haven’t considered moving in with him, and he hasn’t asked… until now.

  “Are you asking me to, uh, move in with you?” I ask.

  “Would you be willing to?” he asks me back.

  “Err…” I stammer, unprepared by the question. I love the guy. I’m crazy about him. And up to now, I still think it’s a dream between us. I’m afraid one day I’ll wake up without him. Of course, I’m dying to say yes, but I’m also afraid that one day he’ll regret his impulsive decision and I’ll have to move out. So, I say, “Not really. I mean, moving is such a hassle.”

  He falls silent for a minute, and then he grabs my hand. “No, Elena. I’m not asking you to move in with me.”

  “Okay,” I say, feeling a bit foolish. “I didn’t expect it.”

  “It’s not what I mean,” he says. His face is burning red, and he drops on his knee suddenly. “Will you marry me?”

  My mouth falls open. This is totally unexpected. This is impossible. “I don’t know, Keith. Are you serious?”

  “Of course I am,” he fumbles in his the pocket of his jeans and then fishes out a velvet box. With trembling hands, he opens it and presents the content to me—a sparkling, heart-shaped diamond ring.

  “Ohmygod!” I gasp. He is serious. I can’t speak for a minute. “Are you sure, Keith? I’m twelve years older than you.”

  “It doesn’t matter, Elena. I love you.” he stares at me with eyes brighter than the diamond on the ring. “Please say yes!”

  My heart melts at his plea, and tears roll down my cheeks. “Yes!” I whisper.

  Thank you for reading Kissing Keith! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

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  Bonus chapters from Teaching Tony

  Chapter 1

  Susie

  I slow my steps before reaching Dr. Hoffman’s office because I can hear his impatient voice echoing in the hallway. I don’t want to be in the middle of an unpleasant scene.

  “Young man, please review your notes before you see me and think before you ask a question!”

  “I did. I redid the examples and got something different,” says a young man’s strong voice. “I want you to see what I did wrong.”

  After a brief silence, the professor scoffs, “Your mistake is right here.”

  He doesn’t spell out everything as it’s his style to make his students realize their own stupidity. “Oh, shit. You’re right!” the student exclaims a moment later. “Damn. I hate fractions.”

  Oops, that’s bad. I wince. Never say you hate anything math in front of Dr. Hoffman!

  Immediately, the professor says, “If you don’t know how to add fractions, then you shouldn’t be taking calculus!”

  “I know how to. I’m just… it’s just a mistake…” the student protests.

  “You shouldn’t be making these rudimentary mistakes.”

  “What?”

  “Please go to the tutorial center for prerequisite questions and come back with questions related to my lectures.”

  “Sure,” the young man mumbles.

  I pause at the door and cringe at the harsh words spoken by the professor who is so brilliant that he doesn’t know how it is to struggle with math. I have frequently been the target of his insensitive remarks.

  I wait for the student to leave. A moment later, after the sound of zipping a backpack and moving a chair, and a polite “thank you,” a tall young man with ginger hair dashes out of the door. He turns so quickly that he bumps into me and knocks the stack of exams I’m holding onto the floor.

  “I’m so sorry!” he apologizes, looking embarrassed.

  “It’s all right,” I say, bending to pick up the scattering paper and feeling guilty for hiding next to the door. “Don’t worry about it.”

  He squats down to help. We gather the exams together, and he makes sure he sorts them into a neat pile before putting them into my hands. “Here you go!”

  “Thanks!” I say, peeking up at him. Even squatting, he feels tall. My heart skips a beat at the gorgeous smile. He’s very good looking, reminding me of Jamie Fraser in Outlander, except he doesn’t have Jamie’s fierce look, and he’s probably taller. Despite his impressive height and build, he looks somewhat shy. His dense eyebrows are slightly knitted, and his blue eyes are so mesmerizing that I lose myself in them momentarily.

  “No problem,” he says, his eyes lock with mine for a moment longer, then travel down. His cheeks turn red suddenly and he gulps.

  I’m wearing a V-neck T-shirt, and with my bending position, the tall young man no doubt has gotten a good view of my cleavage. I blush and stand up abruptly, nearly losing my balance. He quickly catches me in his strong arm. “Are you all right?”

  We are standing very closely. His hot breath tickles my ear and his warm hand on the small of my back burns my flesh. An electric current ripples through my middle. Holy cow, I haven’t felt this way for a long time.

  “Yes I am,” I giggle like a silly teenager. “I’m sorry.”

  After I balance myself, I wait for him to let go of me, but he doesn’t. His hand is grasping mine. I pull it out and st
and dumbly where I am, gazing at him. He lowers his eyes onto my hand, and they fix on my ring. I’ve been divorced for three years, but I still wear my wedding band to keep the men at bay. At the moment, I wish I weren’t wearing the stupid ring, and I curl my fingers even though it’s too late.

  After the young man leaves, I take a deep breath before entering the office. I’m a graduate student working on my M.S. in math at Hanley, a small private college in Oakland. Dr. Hoffman is my graduate advisor, and he’s famous for his temper. In fact, students secretly call him Dr. Huff. But when I applied for the Master’s program, I didn’t know it. All I knew from the math department’s website was that the guy was a genius and he got his Ph.D. from MIT.

  I clear my throat and greet the professor, and he responds with a sigh, apparently still upset.

  “These athletes really elevate my blood pressure. Why do they even have to take calculus?” He is probably referring to the young man who’s just left, who looks like an athlete.

  Dr. Hoffman is in his sixties, skinny and slightly hunched. The top of his head is bald, but he has hair on the sides and it is very black. A pair of enormous black-framed spectacles perches on his huge hawk nose. Behind those thick lenses, his eyes are two obscure circles with uncertain color.

  I smile but don’t respond. I’m used to the condescending remarks he makes about his students and colleagues, but it doesn’t mean I agree with him. Besides, he doesn’t hold me in high regard either, and never bothers to hide his contempt for me. He accepts the pile of graded exams from me without thanks and gives me another pile. I’m his teaching assistant for calculus, and grading exams is one of my duties.

  I’m about to leave, but he says, “Just grade it here.”

  I would rather go work in the grad lounge, but I can’t refuse him. I sit down at the empty desk, which is supposed to accommodate another faculty member, but no one wants to take the spot.

  Before I start, he asks, “When will you have your draft ready?”