Bad Billionaire Daddy: An Older Man Younger Woman Romance (Billionaire Lovers Book 3)

by Claire Angel

He smiled briefly at me and hurried to attend to the pie in the kitchen. I could smell the pleasant aroma as he pulled the creaky oven. I had to admit that it smelled nicer than I had imagined it would. His daughters were indeed lucky to have him.

  He served me pie with a tall glass of juice as he settled in a seat directly opposite me. I became conscious of the fact that I was home alone with him. He was sitting right in front of me, and I was unable to avoid his gaze for another couple of hours. He was so close and the way he stared at me I felt naked. I shifted a little on my seat and pulled my dress down uncomfortably.

  "The girls will be back soon, so we better get to it," he said, smiling at me.

  “Oh, yes, about the store,” I whispered anxiously under my breath.

  I started with the progression at the store for the last couple of months while he listened attentively without interrupting me. "I just want to handle things better without hurting the store," I said. “I spent the entire money I inherited from my mother to put the store back to life. I can’t fail.”

  “Your parents?” Elliot cleared his throat. “What happened to them?”

  I closed my eyes and heaved a sigh. I was really hoping he didn’t ask this, probably because I knew I was going to tell him everything. It felt really relieving to talk to someone after a very long time about my father and mother’s death. I have felt alone for the past five years, and not even Aunt Penny’s seldom visits could make things feel different.

  “You don’t have to tell me if it hurts to talk about it,” Elliot said when he noticed my reluctance.

  “No, no. It is okay,” I cleared my throat. “It has just been a long time since I sat with anyone to talk about myself or about my late mother and father.”

  Elliot smiled and leaned back in his chair as if he was giving me all the time in the world to ease into the conversation.

  “I lost my father to a robbery incident at the age of five.” I started. “I barely remember what happened or how he looked like, but I remember his presence, love, and the deep sadness that enveloped my mother after his death. She mourned him for so long, everyone was bothered she might die from heartache.”

  “But, I guess she didn’t?” Elliot whispered.

  “No, she didn’t.” I smiled absentmindedly. “Soon, she got back to her feet and moved us back in with Nana, my grandmother, from our rented apartment. A few years later, she opened the store to cater to our needs.”

  “You look like her, don’t you?”

  “Well, my aunt, Aunt Penny says that all the time.” I paused to laugh, and Elliot frowned at me.

  “Sorry,” I giggled. “She was so beautiful and she had so many proposals, but she refused to remarry.”

  I lowered my voice as my narration gradually got to the point that I would have to talk about her illness. “I lost her to lupus some months after I dropped out of school to take care of her,” I whispered. “I have been trying to piece some of the things she left behind together since then. Maybe someday, I will go back to school.”

  Elliot wiped his forehead and cleared his throat before he began to talk to me. He seemed really saddened by the things I had just told him; I could see it in his eyes.

  “I am deeply sorry for everything you have been through Audrey,” he reached out over the table and placed his hands over mine. “I just want you to know it is okay to be confused in a situation like this. You are too young. And to be honest, nobody has things all figured out,” he said, staring straight at me.

  “I am going to give you some tips I know could help, and I will recommend some online schools that offer developmental courses akin to your business." He stood up, picked a pen and a pad from a nearby desk, and gave them to me. "And I have your email address"

  “Yes,” I nodded my head, taking the writing pad from him.

  "I will send you some books.” He whispered. “I hope you love to read books?"

  I nodded in affirmation, and he smiled gratifyingly. "I can give you the hard copies, but I do not have them here. I'd contact someone to send them."

  The rest of the afternoon, Elliot explained better ways to satisfy my customers and also ensured that my employees would do exactly what I want. He taught me to create a story around my brand and promised to make me a business logo. He also advised me to introduce coupons and deals creatively; this could attract customers.

  He said that with time, I might need to re-adjust the traditional store layout and introduce something more convenient for the customers, but that was not an urgent need. He broke down the details into bits such that they didn't overwhelm me or look cumbersome.

  “So, I am going to give you a little assignment, call it what you may,” he said as he looked at me and flashed his perfect dentition.

  For a moment, as he explained the rudiments of growing a business to me, I thought I had succeeded in burying my affections for him until his smile came on again.

  He finished scribbling on the page of the notepad and tore the sheet off neatly. Handing it over to me, he explained that I had to draw a financial plan for the next three years. “We can talk about it next time we meet,” he added.

  Next time we meet? Oh, my God!

  "The financial plan should be for five years, instead,” he said, oblivious of the thoughts in my head. “I am giving you three years because you are not familiar with it yet. I will send an outline, you can use."

  “On one condition…” I said, unable to hold back the words that had just fallen out of my mouth. I do not know where I got the confidence to say that – attractions do make people do and stay stupid things.

  "What condition, Audrey?" Elliot answered, smiling widely at me.

  "Okay, it—it is not a condition," I said, stuttering. "I was just wondering if you could bring the girls to my place sometime. I make the best chicken soup."

  "I use my mother's recipe,” I added, grinning. “And I promise you, it is nothing like they make in Florida or Miami. Consider it a way to thank you for listening and for all the tips for growing the store.”

  I know Elliot was surprised by my audacity, but he did not show it. Instead, he accepted the offer graciously with another broad smile on his face. "Invitation accepted,” he said and he stood up and slowly moved towards.

  My heart raced and my body froze on my seat.

  Is he going to kiss me? I knew it, why would someone give free advice to someone? I knew from the day one, he is a womanizer.

  The next moment he was so close and he leaned forward.

  “I-I…” Before I could say something, he picked up his jacket which was lying next to me and said, “Now, I have got to pick up Lily and Elle from the camp every evening. See you soon, Audrey.”

  I heaved a sighed and tried very hard not to laugh at my stupid fantasies.

  You are so stupid Audrey.

  I nodded at him and stepped out of the house with him. He walked me to his car and watched me to drive back.

  I wondered what had changed between the last three-four times I had been here at the cottage and today.

  Chapter 5

  Elliot

  We had just been just a week we were here, and the air was already raspy. It was too cold in the mornings and little warm in the afternoons before the temperature began to plunge by evening again.

  The girls had insisted they wanted to relax at the riverside, so I had no other choice than to join them. I was still a little uncomfortable, leaving them at the riverside unattended. After having glasses of juice and the last of the cookies Audrey brought the last time, we just sat there enjoying the fresh air and listening to the leaves rustle. “We should go inside soon,” I said as ran my fingers through Elysha’s hair.

  "Not yet, daddy. Let us stay a little longer, please," Lily whined as she hurdled closer to me. "

  “We will go inside the minute it gets colder than this,” I said to her, ignoring her complaints.

  “You should take us hiking before we leave Aspen,” Lily said, pretending not to hear my last st
atement.

  “Hiking?” I answered, raising my brows. “At this time of the year?”

  “I see people packing hiking boots when you drive us to the vacation camp every morning. My friends talk about it in camp, too,” she continued.

  "Baby, the trails are difficult to maneuver at this time of the year. We are not even familiar with the terrains, and we do not have experienced friends that may want to hike with us." I responded, trying to convince her that hiking could be a bad decision for us at this time, especially in a new environment.

  "I have friends," she said, unrelenting.

  “You made new friends?” I asked, trying to stifle my laughter.

  "Yes, some of my new friends are in my class, and they told me they would be going hiking this weekend."

  “Okay, baby. Are your teenage friends professional hikers? How long have they been hiking? And are you sure their parents will let them take a hiking trip with a strange man and his little angels?” I asked, sneaking in a tickle on her side as she giggled.

  “Audrey could know some professional hikers if you ask her,” she said, still not giving up.

  Starting to feel the dryness of the weather on my lips, I licked them as my thoughts trailed to Audrey again. I was thinking about her more often now, and with each passing day, it was getting more and more difficult to shake off thoughts of her. It had taken a lot of restraint not to hold her as she poured out her heart to me the last time.

  Her eyes had deepened as she talked about the loss of her mother. She had experienced a profound loss at the age of twenty-two. When I was at that age, I had lived in a bubble of thoughts that only contained details about foreign exchange and money. This was before Shelley came around and pushed those thoughts aside.

  Beautiful Shelley, I missed my late wife often now. Audrey consistently made sure of that, without her even knowing. She was resilient, just like her. I had tried my best to get her to slow down while she was pregnant with Elysha, but she would not listen. There was a history of hypertension in her family, especially with women within her age bracket. So, the doctor had advised that she cut down on some activities and took enough rest. But Shelley had remained adamant and questioned all my arguments.

  “I am not going to sit at home and not work just because my husband is a billionaire. This is my second pregnancy for Christ's sake!” she would say, exasperated and rubbing her forehead. Each time, I had had to leave her for fear of aggravating her any further. The doctor had advised against it.

  Her water broke in thirty-seventh week into the pregnancy. I had spent four days staring at her trying to breathe with machines strapped to her body, begging her to stay with me before I eventually lost her. The pain cut through me like someone had run a new blade through me.

  Seeing Elysha’s cute little hands, and her smile was the only thing that kept me sane. For a very long time after her death, I blamed myself for not doing enough. “I should have forced her to stay at home. Maybe even reported to her parents, the doctor, and even requested to put her in bed rest." I had stay up at nights, asking myself questions about what I could have done better.

  Elysha's grandparents had offered to take her and raise her, but I had rejected their offer. She was a huge part of Shelley and me. Shelley had already decided her name as well. Elliot + Shelley = Elysha. If they took her from me, I would not know what to do with myself. I had hired a home nurse and given my all to my two daughters.

  We had come a long way. I had not thought of my loss in a long time, but now I was here in the little Aspen, thinking about it and craving companionship again. Maybe even the warmth of another woman’s body to make me feel alive again.

  “Sometimes I dream about Mom,” Lily said, cutting through my thoughts and bringing me back to the present. It was almost as if she read my mind, or she could feel what I was thinking about.

  “You see your mom in your dreams?” I asked again, just to be sure I had heard her correctly.

  “Yes,” she answered, also nodding in affirmative. “She sings to me and plays with my hair sometimes.”

  “Baby, you remember everything? You were just nine when she left us,” I said absentmindedly, trying to make sense of what she had just said. "Perhaps, it's just a figment of her imagination," I thought to myself.

  Elysha, who had remained silent since we sat out here, squeezed my finger, and said, “Tell me about mom.”

  I ran my hands through Lily’s face and kissed her head. “You have your mom’s eyelashes,” I said to her. “Her eyelashes were long too, and she fluttered them each time she was excited or angry,” I continued.

  "And you, my darling, have her beautiful smile, Elysha. That smile could melt the hardest hearts," I said, remembering a time when I was left spellbound by the same smile.

  “Audrey has a beautiful smile too,” Elysha blurted in her sweet voice, pulling me out of my reverie. I pretended not to hear her as I remembered Audrey's meal invitation the coming weekend and told them about it.

  “She is making chicken soup, and we are all invited. If you behave yourself this week, then we will go,” I said, wagging my finger at Lily. The girls were more than excited.

  “She is making chicken stew?” Lily asked again, jumping up, her arms at akimbo, and the widest smile I had seen in a while plastered on her face.

  “You sound super excited,” I said, folding my arms across my chest.

  “Who wouldn’t be? We will be taking a meal that was not prepared by you or the restaurant,” she responded.

  “My cooking is that bad, Lily? I am broken-hearted,” I said, placing my hand on my chest, pretending to be in pain.

  “No, no, no,” she said, breaking into a loud laugh. “I love the food you make dad. But it might be nice to taste someone else’s dishes once in a while,” she said, folding her arms this time.

  “But we have been eating out,” I retorted, unwilling to lose this battle to Lily.

  “By someone else, I mean a woman, who is not a cook or a restaurant chef,” she said, throwing her hands in the air to emphasize her point. “I’m sure Elle agrees with me. Don’t you, Elle?” she asked, while her sister nodded. “You see!”

  Her words made me realize how much they must have missed having a mother or a mother figure. The lack of companionship had been hard for me; I couldn’t imagine how much it had been for them.

  Elysha, who was also standing beside her sister, now looked pointedly at me, and said in a low tone, "Daddy, do you like Audrey?" My skin flushed at the mention of her name, and I became lost for words.

  I was caught unaware by the question, so I simply rubbed my stubble and said: "Yes, she is a nice girl just like you two. And she is a good friend."

  “Friends?” Lily repeated, fluttering her eyelashes dramatically. “Since when have you been friends with Audrey?” she asked, resting her hands on her hip.

  “Since we moved to Aspen,” I answered, looking from Lily to Elysha as they questioned me.

  "Okay, she is a charming girl, just like you two. Maybe a little naïve. And we are friends as long as we are in Aspen,” I added.

  “Okay, that’s it! Time to go inside!” I scooped Elysha up and spun her around my head before they both got the chance to ask me another question.

  Chapter 6

  Audrey

  I was doing my routine visit to the store when I noticed the wad of sticky notes, I gave Sarah was still untouched. It was still on my desk; the same place I had left it for her to pick up when I was leaving last Thursday.

  “Hello Martha, please tell Sarah to come to my office,” I said into my desk phone.

  I had decided to hire Martha back and make some little upgrades at the office after I had “the talk” with Elliot. In retrospect, I think I had downplayed aunt Penny’s help and my presence at the store while we were still trying to rebuild.

  I had not taken Martha into consideration when my aunt left or when I cut back my presence at the store. She must have been overwhelmed. I called her back to th
e store and gave her a little raise, as much as I could afford. I also hired two more assistants to make the workload easier on everyone, as Elliot had advised. Sarah packed the home deliveries while Mia cleaned and separated the groceries.

  Everyone had their duties spelled out now, and I knew who exactly to call if I noticed any default. I also had time on my hands to take my online classes and do other things that interested me. This decision had made my life incredibly easy.

  Elliot had introduced me to the world of learning online, and I was ready to absorb as much as I could with all the time I had. When I was not taking video or audio classes on Business Administration. I was also learning a new baking recipe online and making cookies. I even considered packing my cookies in a jar and slapping a name on it when I got the hang of the new recipes. This was a completely new terrain, and I was having fun navigating it.

  When I was not busy learning new things or visiting the store, I was home in my bed, thinking about having Elliot wrapping his arms around me. I felt my emotions could be bottled up by staying away from him, but I was being proven wrong.

  Despite being away for a while, the image of Elliot had stayed stuck in my head. The picture of him in his vest, outlining his perfect sweaty dad bod replaying over and over again. I still remember the way my heart raced, and my palm became moist when he looked at me with his piercing green eyes. It almost felt like a jar of butterflies had toppled over in my stomach, and they were now fluttering their wings in my belly.

  This man was good-looking, handsome as sin, and the thought of him was slowly making me lose grasp of my emotions. The last few weeks away from him had been torturous. I had thought it would help, but the more I tried to draw away from him, the more it proved difficult.

  I wanted Elliot to touch me and trace his hands over my bellybutton to my thighs. I bit my lips as erotic thoughts of Elliot bubbled in my head.

  "Can I come in, Audrey?" I heard someone at the door. Sarah had knocked the first time, and I had not even heard.

  "Please come in Sarah,” I said, sitting up straight as soon as I remembered I had sent for her. “You did not pick up the sticky notes I left for you on Thursday?” I had picked up the sticky note idea as part of a customer service tip I had read online.