"Sadie, are you okay?" Cedric said, seeming concerned for her health.
He'd been dropping hints, asking her out, and flirting with her since their conversation a few weeks ago. Sadie kept saying no, but he wasn't giving up. Sadie was flattered, but she was trying to stick to her guns and keep their relationship professional.
"I'm fine, I think. The smell of your lunch made me feel a little sick to my stomach." She told him and then handed him the tablet with all the updated information and resumes she'd picked up to show him.
"What is this?" Cedric asked.
"These are the resumes I've selected from what looks best to worst for the initial interviews for the positions we need to fill. I also will do a review and go interview the employees of the company we are taking over to see who's worth keeping and who we should let go when we complete the merger, and the real estate agent we hired has found a bigger building in a central location for a good price for you to go look at later today." Sadie informed him.
"Sadie, you've become absolutely invaluable to me after such a short time, I don't know what I would do without you." Cedric told her honestly. He stared at her with an expression on his face that made Sadie almost feel guilty.
Sadie smiled at him and nodded. "Let me know when you're done reviewing that and I'll start making the phone calls to setup all the interviews." She told him.
"Sounds good to me." He said starting to read and go through the files on the tablet. "I'll email you my thoughts on each applicant before I go, just text me where the real estate person plans on meeting me."
"Sure." Sadie said and then high tailed it out of his office before she dry heaved again from the smell of his lunch. Realizing that once she got some water into her and ate a couple of dry crackers something was wrong with her.
Thinking back to when her last period was, she realized she hadn't had one in a few weeks.
Crap.
No, this wasn't possible. Sadie sat in her office stunned. She knew in her gut that she was but knowing she needed to be sure, she texted Cedric and told him she was taking her lunch break and would be back in an hour. Driving to the nearest pharmacy, she bought a pregnancy test and used their bathroom.
Peeing on the stick she didn't even want to look at it. She set it on the edge of the sink and stared at her phone for three minutes, forcing herself not look at it.
When the three minutes were up, she picked up the digital test and when the word "Pregnant" was bright and clear she dropped it on the floor and panicked for a minute.
This was the last thing she needed. Cedric was going to kill her. She blamed herself. She'd been drinking, he'd been drinking and they hadn't been careful.
Oh, God, she was such an idiot. She was a responsible adult, she should have known better. She wasn't normally sexually active, so she hadn't been on birth control pills. Cedric must have assumed she had been, because he hadn't been careful either.
Picking up the test and shoving it into her purse, she drove with dread back to the office. She sat in her car and stared up at the office window for a few minutes before getting the nerve to go up there and tell him.
He had a right to know.
Walking with a knot in her throat, she went upstairs and knocked on Cedric's office door.
"Come in." He said and Sadie saw he was writing on his laptop while scrolling through the tablet he'd set on his desk next to it.
"Cedric?" She asked him, the urge to run away overwhelmed her for a moment but she took a deep breath and forced herself to walk into the room.
"Are you okay Sadie?" Cedric looked up and noticed how pale she looked and saw her hands shaking.
"There's something I need to tell you," She started to say.
Cedric jumped to his feet, "You better not be telling me you quit."
"No, I don't plan on quitting, but I have something you need to know." She told him and reached into her purse and pulled out the test. She tossed it to him and waited for the reaction.
Cedric stared down at it and then did the thing she least expected. He started to laugh.
"Are you okay?" She asked him, shocked by his reaction.
Looking up, he grinned at her. "Absolutely. I'd been trying to figure out how I was going to force you to give me another chance. I'm assuming since you told me, you didn't plan on aborting, which means you're stuck with me. Go out with me tonight?"
Sadie stared at him in shock. No, abortion had never crossed her mind, but then again, she hadn't had time to process anything either yet.
"Go out with you tonight?"
"Yes, no stress, you don't have to come home with me, let’s have a nice relaxed meal and we can talk about our future." Cedric walked over to her and put his hand to her cheek, the other hand still holding the test. "The reason I made changes to this office is because of you Sadie, if you haven't noticed I haven't gone home with any other women since that night we spent together, nor have I had any sexual relations with any other woman. You deserve better, and I'm willing to try and be the man you need if you'll meet me half way. We deserve to be happy."
"Do you love me?" Sadie asked him bluntly, knowing if he said yes her heart would become involved and she didn't want it broken by him.
"I could, if you gave me a chance." Cedric told her honestly. "I promise not to lie to you, even if you don't like what I have to say. I'm fine with the baby. I always figured I'd have kids someday, with my prolific ways, I'm surprised it hasn't happened before now, but I'm glad it's with you."
Sadie looked at him and then back at the test in his hand.
"Okay. We can have dinner tonight and talk. I'm willing to give us a chance." Sadie said, her heart pounding and when he pressed his lips to hers, she realized that no matter how much she might fight her feelings for him, she couldn't force them to go away.
She had noticed the changes in him over the last few weeks, and realized that maybe this new Cedric was worth the risk of a little pain and heartache.
He had a glint of satisfaction in his eyes when he broke the kiss and pulled back.
"I'm not going to let you go Sadie. I'll be here for you, and I promise that my philandering days are over. I need more than quantity to make me happy, life is about quality, and you are the quality I was missing in my life." He told her and cupped her cheek with one hand.
Sadie still had reservations, but she nodded at him, wanting to believe him.
When she walked back to her office to finish her day’s worth of work, she realized that maybe this would be okay. By the end of the day, she'd worked through the emotions about giving him a chance, though she'd have a long ways to go with dealing with the pregnancy.
Going home and getting ready for dinner that night, she went there to meet him with a light heart and the hope for a good future.
She believed him, and for now, that was enough.
Now Available:
Cape Coral College
Step-brother Romance
By: Kristina King
Excerpt:
Of course by then things had changed, and so had Jason. Gone was the twig thin twelve year old and in his place was an athletic, muscular sixteen year old. His hair, dark like his dad’s, was cut short, even though the predominant style was boy-band long. He said short was better for sports and he was all about the sports. His acne had cleared up early and I was suddenly noticing that his eyes were a great shade of caramel brown. They twinkled when he smiled, which was often, and his laughter was infectious.
I had changed too, I was no longer as self-conscious or as flat and twig thin as he had been. My ratty little girl hair had thickened into a wave of shimmering brown, my curves were filling out, my mother had taught me about make-up and I hid my insecurities behind an artful mask until the insecurities started to fade away completely.
The weekends Jason was home became the highlight of my week. We ate popcorn and watched movies, or we had a few friends over, or we rode our bikes. It was like having one of my friends living at my house.
Two
months into the school year and it became painfully obvious that I was developing a crush on him. At least it was obvious to me. Jason, thank god, seemed oblivious to the fact that I blushed if he sat too close to me on the couch and that I tended to stare at him too much.
For two years I kept my crush a secret from everyone, but I wasn’t the only one crushing on him. My friends swooned over him and he dated a few of them, and a few others that weren’t in our group. I burned with jealousy every time I saw some girl hanging off his arm. As far as I was concerned none of them were good enough for my brother.
But he wasn’t really my brother at all. We forgot that sometimes, which was fine by me. As long as we were brother and sister no one said ‘boo’ that we spent so much time together in such close quarters. But as long as we were brother and sister there was no way Jason would ever look at me, and there was no way anyone would accept that fact that I wanted him.
The next two years would have been hell except that a new girl moved to our school. Her name was Angela and she very quickly became my best friend, providing me with a distraction from Jason. She was a rather plain looking girl with brown hair that had no gloss and a subtle undertone that appeared almost grey. She wore glasses, a cheap, thin-framed pair that didn’t suit her face. Her family was huge! She had seven siblings. It meant she had to babysit a lot and that they all wore thrift shop clothes because that was the only way they could afford to have everyone dressed. Still she was sweet with a wickedly fast sense of humour. That girl could zing you twice before you even knew she’d picked you out for a jabbing. We still spent a lot of time watching movies with him and his friends but as it became more of a group activity it became easier for me to hide my feelings for Jason from everyone else, even Angela.
WARNING: This ebook contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language. It may be considered offensive to some readers. This ebook is for sale to adults ONLY
Please ensure this ebook is stored somewhere that cannot be accessed by underage readers.
© Copyright 2015 by Kristina King - All rights reserved.
In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.
Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.
Author's Note:
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the author's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. The author does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for third party websites or their content.
Her Client
BBW Billionaire Romance
By: Kristina King
Chapter 1
Izzy Sanders and her best friend Roberta Hall were busy analyzing the designer colors for this fall. She'd have to get her orders in for specialty paints and window dressings before the company she ordered from became overwhelmed with orders after the summer season, she tried to stay ahead of everyone else.
She ran a very successful decorating and party business for rich clients in the Hamptons, all the way up Long Island and even as far as New York City for special clients.
Her only problem was that she was a plump woman who had ordinary looking brown hair and brown eyes, she didn't exactly stand out in a crowd. She dressed plainly because she didn't want to draw any unwanted attention to herself. She tried to dress like a business woman, but that meant her clothes didn't do her figure justice.
Izzy liked food a little too much and didn't apologize for that fact. She knew that some men liked curvier women, so she didn't feel the need to try to be something she knew she couldn't be happy as. Starving herself to lose weight made her cranky, and she wasn't the kind of girl who wanted to work out nonstop.
She had no problem walking on the beach, going for hikes, or other normal activities but would not set foot on a treadmill. The treadmill and Izzy had a mutual agreement, she agreed to stay away from the treadmill and it agreed not to throw her off again. Izzy learned that she didn’t get along well with gym equipment the hard way, with a broken ankle. She had metal pins in her ankle because of that blasted treadmill and the gym owners had specifically asked her not to come back, worried about a lawsuit.
Izzy relied on Roberta, her best friend and assistant to help promote her company and get new clients.
Roberta loved to schmooze with rich people; she was more than happy to be the face of the company and to help promote the company’s services. Many people thought Izzy was the non-descript assistant, and would flirt and talk shop with Roberta while Izzy did all the work. That was usually just fine with Izzy, as she didn't really like traveling in the same circles when it came to her social life. She was a fairly private person whereas Robbie loved to lay it all out there.
Roberta had the face of an angel, with blue eyes, and long blond hair. Her flawless tan caught people's eyes and made potential clients, mostly men, more interested in what Izzy's company, Lake House Design Services, had to offer. Izzy was not above using Roberta’s looks in order to get Lake House Design Services more business.
The two of them had worked it out in college. With Izzy's brain and Roberta's looks, the two of them had a good thing going.
Roberta was always on the prowl for a rich husband, so meeting eligible bachelors helped motivate her. Many of their clients redecorated often, or did themed parties where they wanted their help to design and get everything organized. A client once ordered a ten foot tall ice carving of a swan that cost close to fifteen thousand dollars. The swan had been a challenge since it was hard to find a freezer truck large enough to transport it in so that it wouldn't melt before the party. Having the connections to provide almost anything her clients could ever want was her specialty. She would work night and day to make her clients happy, and she went above and beyond to satisfy them. Her reputation is how she earned her repeat customers, and built her clientele until she had almost too much work to handle by herself.
Tomorrow, they had a new client and they were both going to do the consult. He had just purchased a home in the Hamptons, he was an oil tycoon who had no designer sense and wanted a house he felt comfortable in but didn’t look like a complete bachelor pad.
He had specifically requested a feminine touch and was happy to pay any price Izzy would charge if she would be willing to come out on short notice. He also requested to keep his anonymity; his assistant stressed that their new client was low key and didn't want any media attention or drama. The quieter they could keep it, the more he'd pay.
Charles Loubatton moved to his new home after going through a nasty divorce. He caught his wife in bed with another man which had voided their pre-nuptial agreement. It hadn't kept him out of the media or his ex-wife's lawyers from trying to go after his billions of dollars despite her infidelity. Charles was tired and wanted a break from all the drama and high maintenance people for a while.
Izzy's prime motivation was not money. Charles was granting her complete design autonomy and that excited her. He was also offering a lot of money to keep things as quiet as possible; which would make Roberta, whose prime motivation was money, happy. A happy Roberta usually meant more business.
"Are you ready to meet this mystery man of mine, Roberta?" Izzy asked as she scooped some vanilla ice cream into her mouth. "He's not available; he just got out of a nasty divorce, so behave yourself this time."
"Yeah, I suppose. I had a thing for Dick, but his wife didn't appreciate him noticing me." Roberta said pouting. "I liked him, he was hot and he was loaaaaded. So, wait, I'm not allowed to hit on this new man either?"
"You need to stick to single men Robbie, or you could put me out of business. Wives are usually the ones
who convince their husbands to open their pocket books to redecorate so don't step on their toes..." Izzy reminded Robbie, pointing her spoon in her direction. "Single. Men. Got it? And no, he's not up for grabs either. He needs some down-time. I believe that's why he's in the Hamptons hiding out."
"Yes, boss ma`am." Roberta said, laughing and grabbed Izzy’s loaded spoon before she could put it in her mouth and stole a bite.
"Hey, that was mine!" Izzy said glaring at her trying to grab it back.
"I only wanted a bite. I have to go grab some supplies for tomorrow, what time do you want me to meet you there?" Roberta asked.
"Nine AM. Don't be late this time." Izzy told her giving her a stern look.
"Okay, Okay, I will set my alarm this time."
"You better." Izzy told her before sticking the spoon into her ice cream that she grabbed back from Robbie before Robbie left to go home.
Chapter 2
When Izzy drove up she was flabbergasted by the sheer size of the house. She knew most of the houses in the Hamptons were huge, but this one put almost all of them to shame. The elaborate driveway was over a mile long from the road to the house, and when she got there she was impressed by the well-designed lawns, over the top shrubbery, and bushes manicured into exotic animal shapes.
There was a fountain in the middle of the driveway complementing the circular laneway, and the centerpiece was a gigantic unicorn cut from a bush. It stood almost twenty feet high, and its horn was the spout for the fountain. Someone had to spend a lot of time working on the fountain. She walked over to get a closer look at the fountain and saw thousands of dollars worth of coins in it.
They used it as a wishing well, how quaint, she thought to herself smiling, and then reaching into her pocket to pull out a quarter. Making a wish, she threw it in, and got startled when she heard a man pull up in a truck behind her. It was a landscaping truck, with big bold letters on the side.
ROMANCE: BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE: The CEO's Game (CEO Bad Boy Alpha Male Stepbrother Romance) (New Adult Romance Short Stories) Page 7