Boss Daddy: A Secret Baby Romance

by Black, Natasha L.

  Boss Daddy

  A Secret Baby Romance

  Natasha L. Black

  Copyright © 2021 by Natasha L. Black

  All rights reserved.

  The following story contains mature themes, strong language and sexual situations. It is intended for mature readers.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Introduction

  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

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Epilogue

  His Best Friend’s Sister (Sample)

  A Note from the Author

  Books by Natasha L. Black

  Connect with Natasha L. Black

  Introduction

  An ordinary life, that’s all I wanted.

  But the chemistry between us is anything but ordinary.

  I’m back in my hometown after two decades in the military.

  She’s the new girl working at the bar.

  Next thing I know, I’m teaching her to mix drinks and making her laugh.

  This energy between us is insane.

  The sparks in one look could start a forest fire, I swear.

  She acts like she wants to disappear.

  I want to protect her from whatever she’d hiding from.

  Then he comes for her, Hannah’s abusive ex.

  She comes to me, soaked in the pouring rain and terrified.

  I promise I’ll keep her safe.

  I don’t want a boring normal life anymore.

  I want Hannah, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make her mine.

  1

  Jordan

  “That’s perfect. It’s much better with the cheese like that.”

  I scooped up the last bit of the tasting Tyler brought me and put it in my mouth, nodding as I ate it like I was reaffirming the comment I just made. My brother was trying out several new items for that night’s menu and was nervous about them.

  That was one thing about my brother that never ceased to amaze me. Cooking wasn’t ever something he’d seen as a potential career for himself. It wasn’t like he ever dreamed of being a great chef or even just being a line cook. He’d tumbled into it when our oldest brother, Tom, bought this bar for us as a way to make money and support our parents as they both battled cancer.

  All of us kind of fell into different roles and jobs we didn’t see as part of our path when we looked into our futures. We picked them up and did the best we could do because it was what we needed to do. The bar was our saving grace, and especially when we were first starting out, we couldn’t afford to hire anybody from the outside to help.

  That had changed since The Hollow had gone from just a little neighborhood corner bar to a local destination. We got far too busy to be able to handle it all by ourselves, and we more than made up the money to compensate for payroll. But even as we added extra staff, Tyler didn’t leave the kitchen.

  In fact, he got more dedicated to coming up with menus that set us apart from all the other bars in the area. This was especially true for our theme nights. That was what we were known the most for among our customers. The brilliant idea of my brother Mason’s wife, Ava, the theme nights transformed the bar with decorations, lighting, music, games and contests, and specialized food.

  It was those that put us on the map and started drawing in the big crowds. Now some of them were so popular we had to give out wristbands to prioritize who was allowed in when we opened. Tonight’s event probably wasn’t going to be quite to that level, but that didn’t mean we weren’t going to be busy.

  Board Game Night was something other places had done, but Ava was, of course, putting her own special spin on it. I was looking forward to seeing how the customers would react to the life-size versions of games being set up in the two back rooms and the speed-dating-style rounds at the tables in the front of the restaurant.

  Opening time was just a few hours away, which meant we were all hurrying around trying to get the bar ready. The only one of the gaggle of us brothers who wasn’t preparing for that night’s event was Tom, and that was only because he lived and worked in San Francisco. He and his wife Amanda came to town fairly regularly, but it had been a couple months since we’d last seen them.

  I finished cleaning the souvenir glassware we’d ordered and had it set up behind the bar just in time for the shipment of supplies for the bar to arrive. As I walked outside to the back parking lot to start hauling in boxes and crates, a car pulled in. Ava and Mason got out, and I watched as they walked around to the back of the car. They paused for a kiss and grinned at each other before opening the trunk.

  They had gone out in search of more games to have out on the patio and to break down and use in decorations for the night. I watched as Ava leaned over to get a bag out of the back of the trunk and Mason pinched her butt. She let out a little squeal and whipped around toward him.

  Mason gathered her up in his arms, and they giggled, hugging and kissing again. Watching them flirt and then walk into the bar holding hands only reminded me of how badly I wanted that. Not Ava. She was like a sister to me and had been since they were just teenagers.

  I wanted a relationship of my own. A family. There was a time when I thought I was almost there. Being in the military for nearly twenty years was hard and pushed me mentally and physically. But I always reminded myself I had a good woman back home who was waiting for me. And when I got out, we would get married and have a family of our own.

  At least, that was what I had counted on. Then I found out my ex started cheating on me within just a few months of me leaving for one of my tours. She was carrying on with someone I had thought was my friend behind my back, all the while continuing to lead me on and letting me believe everything was great between us.

  I didn’t uncover the truth until I was back in town visiting during a leave and went to surprise her at her house. She didn’t realize I was getting back so early. Obviously, or she wouldn’t have been on a blanket in the backyard with the guy I thought was my friend.

  That image in my head, I looked back over at Mason and Ava as they came out into the parking lot again and went for another load of the games. My brother waved at me but didn’t let go of Ava’s hand for a second. I waved back, not letting him see the emotion in my face.

  I wanted what they had so much, but I wasn’t sure I would ever find it. In my late thirties, I wasn’t old, but I also wasn’t the springy early twenty-somethings out in the dating market. Considering I had no intention of leaving my hometown of Astoria, the pool of options seemed pretty narrow and
was getting narrower.

  I carried a box inside and was unloading it at the bar when Ava came up.

  “Hey, Jordan,” she said.

  I looked up from putting the bottles in place and smiled at her. “Hey, Ava.”

  “So, that new cocktail waitress I hired is starting tonight. She should be here pretty soon,” she said.

  “You have her starting on a theme night?” I asked, surprised. “Throwing her into the fire, aren’t you?”

  She laughed. “Well, I figure she better get used to it right off the bat. It’s better to show her what it’s like here when we’re busy than to lull her into complacency with just a regular night and then have her freak out on us when we have another theme night. At least tonight isn’t going to be as crazy as some of the others.”

  “True,” I said. “You’re being easy on her. Magnanimous, even.”

  Ava laughed. “Something like that. Her name is Hannah. When she gets here, will you show her around and let her know her duties and responsibilities? She says she has experience, so it shouldn’t be too hard for her to pick things up, but I want to make sure that she is ready and can keep up tonight.”

  “Sure thing. I can do that,” I said.

  My sister-in-law walked away, and I went back to putting away the shipment and getting everything set up for the night. We had some experience with running the theme nights now and had learned that it was important to be set up and ready well in advance. Having things like the glasses positioned for easy grabbing and several of the most popular themed cocktails already mixed and set at the end of the bar for the waitresses to grab as they were ordered could save massive amounts of time and hassle.

  A little while later, the door to the back of the bar opened. I looked up, expecting to see one of my brothers. Instead, my breath caught in my throat at the sight of a gorgeous woman walking in. For a second, I could barely think much less say anything. She looked at me, and I had to break my gaze so I didn’t completely freak her out by staring.

  “I’m sorry. We’re not open yet,” I said.

  I was trying to think of a diplomatic way to tell her she wasn’t allowed to come through the back door when she shook her head and smiled.

  “I’m not a customer,” she said. She held her hand out toward me. “I’m Hannah.”

  I couldn’t believe this was the new cocktail waitress Ava hired. She was stunningly beautiful with a bright smile and a confident, unwavering gaze. She already looked completely comfortable in the bar. But she also seemed like one of those people who was probably comfortable anywhere she went.

  Doing my best to keep my cool, I took the hand she offered out to me and shook it.

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Jordan.”

  “One of the owners?” she asked.

  I smiled. “Yeah. But tonight, I’m just a bartender. And I’m actually going to be showing you around and getting you familiar with the place and the job.”

  “Sounds good. I’m looking forward to getting started.”

  There wasn’t anything overtly flirty or suggestive about that comment, and yet I felt it down to the depths of my belly. This might be a bit more of a challenge than I was expecting.

  Still forcing myself not to stare at her, I opened my arms out to the sides to encompass the bar.

  “This is the bar,” I said.

  Hannah nodded, playing up a deeply thoughtful expression like she was concentrating hard on remembering what I was telling her.

  “Okay. We’re just going to hit the ground running, I see. Should I be taking notes?”

  She grinned at me, and I couldn’t help but laugh. Walking out from behind the bar, I led her to the front of the space to start showing her around.

  “This is actually the second location of The Hollow,” I said.

  “I heard that,” she said. “The original one burned down, right?”

  “Yeah. That was not fun. But it led us to this building, which is an awesome space and in a great location in town. I think I’ll always have a soft spot for the original place just because that’s where we got started and the one that our father got to see. But I do really like this one. It has a lot of potential, and we’ve been building it out and renovating since we got it.”

  “It’s impressive,” Hannah said, nodding as she looked around. Her big eyes met mine. “I’m sorry to hear about your father.”

  A little pang of grief hit my heart, but I didn’t let it drag me down. It had been long enough, but it still hurt—I figured it always would—but I was able to live with it.

  “Thanks. Thankfully, our mother is doing much better. I think having all the grandbabies around has made a big difference for her,” I said.

  We continued on through the bar, and I introduced her to everybody as we came upon them. I found myself laughing and smiling the entire time. Hannah wasn’t just beautiful. She was friendly and confident and had a glow about her that I found myself drawn to.

  Of course, I couldn’t let myself dwell on that. It wasn’t like I could act on it. Hannah was brand-new and a member of the staff. I couldn’t cross that line. But there was nothing wrong with looking.

  2

  Hannah

  I swung by one of the tables I had been taking care of all night and scooped up the portfolio with the check in it.

  “Keep the change,” one of the men said.

  “Thank you. Have a great night,” I said.

  “I hope to see you again sometime,” he said.

  I gave him one of my brightest, yet still generic, smiles. “I’ll be working here just about every day.”

  “Sounds good to me. This place is lucky to have you.”

  I continued on through the bar without responding. He wasn’t being inappropriate, but I wasn’t going to hang around long enough for the tide to shift if it was going to.

  Bringing the portfolio up to the cash register at the back corner of the bar, I opened it up and took out the money tucked inside. I handed it and the receipt over to Ava, who had jumped in behind the bar to help Jordan out. She read the receipt and counted out the money. Giving me an impressed look, she handed back several bills.

  “Nice tip,” she said. “You seem to be getting a lot of those tonight.”

  “People are trying to make my first night a good one,” I said.

  She smiled. “Somehow I think it’s a little more than that.”

  I glanced over at Jordan as he walked up behind Ava to get another of the souvenir glasses on display. His eyes met mine, and we held each other’s gaze for a brief second before he turned away. I had been catching him staring at me all night, ever since he showed me around the bar earlier and helped me get started.

  Looking at him, it was hard to believe he was actually one of my bosses. He was old enough. I guessed he was somewhere in his mid to late thirties. But there was just something about him that seemed way more fun than a regular boss should be. Not to mention he was stupidly hot.

  That was the part that really stood out to me. Ava was the one who hired me. She explained to me that the bar was owned by the Anderson brothers, and she was married to Mason Anderson. When she asked me to come in tonight as my first night, she told me to find Jordan, because he was the one who would be showing me the ropes and getting me started.

  I came in just when I was supposed to and was taken aback by the man behind the bar. He was standing right there where Ava told me I would find Jordan, but he wasn’t at all what I was expecting. Of course, I didn’t really know what I was expecting. I was new in Astoria and hadn’t met any of the Anderson family, except for Ava.

  But from the very beginning, Jordan put me at ease. I felt comfortable with him as soon as we introduced ourselves, and he made sure I felt totally ready to jump into my new position. It was perhaps a little bit intimidating to find out I was starting on one of their theme nights and to hear that these nights often got crazy busy.

  Jordan made sure I felt ready and told me that I was going to do just fine. That helped m
e relax and even get excited for what was to come. So far, he had been right. It was a great first night. All the customers were friendly and welcoming, the tips were flowing, and I was really liking all my new coworkers.

  Especially Jordan.

  Throughout the night I would glance over his way and find him staring at me. It didn’t bother me. In fact, I found myself getting a little bit of a shiver from it. I was used to being stared at, and Jordan was not being at all creepy, which was more than I could say about a lot of guys. I’d had my fair share of creeps over the years, so I could sense these things.

  By the end of the night, I was tired but happy. It was even more successful than I’d hoped it would be. I was looking forward to going back for another shift but was also happy that I would have most of the next day off to relax. I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

  Though I got home well after two in the morning after my first shift, I was awake and ready to go by six-thirty. I was pretty sure working at the bar and keeping such late hours would eventually catch up with me and I would stop being quite as much of a morning person.

  That day, I packed up my art supplies and headed for the beach. There wasn’t anybody out there except for a couple of early morning joggers as I set up my easel and dispensed little bits of paint out onto my palette.