Playboy Heir

by Brandy Munroe

  I sat there alone, aching, wanting him to hold me, to tell me it had all been a terrible mistake.

  I sat there, sobbing uncontrollably. There was a light tap on the door. "Haley… don't cry… open the door." His voice was soft, forgiving.

  He had a lot of nerve trying to sympathize with me now. Now he wanted to show me sympathy? Of course he did, this was all his doing, wasn't it?

  Something snapped in my brain. I wanted to believe him. I wanted him. I wanted to feel something other than pain. I had never been the aggressor but he opened me up to a need that at this moment only he could fill.

  He was no longer my boss. Why shouldn't I get some satisfaction from my actions for a change?

  I opened the door. I did not give him any time to react. I pulled him into the house, slammed the door and began tearing the buttons off his shirt. I paused then stared into those steely dark eyes.

  "Tell me you didn't betray me." I needed him to say it.

  "I didn't betray you," he told me, using his hands to gently wipe the tears staining my cheeks.

  I took his shirt off. "Tell me you won't hurt me." Again I paused, giving him an out.

  "I would never purposely hurt you, Haley," he promised.

  I unbuttoned his pants and tugged at his zipper. The lust in his eyes told me he was too far to gone to resist. He undressed me with the same need, the same urge I felt to connect with him physically, a want, a desire.

  We barely made it to the couch before Aleksander's large virile manhood was pressing against my belly. There was no foreplay, no teasing, no nibbling. I was wet and aching for him to fuck me.

  I knew I was leading him fearlessly down a dangerous path. My hips bucked and matched him thrust for thrust, savagely taking what I desperately wanted. His dark steely eyes glared predatory, claiming me, filling me. I screamed as I shattered beneath him. He wasn't far behind.

  It was too quick; I wanted more. Not from just anyone, from him. Only he could penetrate my body to its very soul. I wanted him hard instantaneously like the last time. I clung to him, my nails digging into his flesh. My walls contracted from the multiple orgasms I was experiencing. It did not take long for him to recover. I could feel his engorged cock growing hard inside me.

  I was hungrier for him the second time. I greedily took all I wanted. I knew from his masculine growls that he was as wanting, as needy as I. I held nothing back and demanded the same of him. An explosion of blinding white light let me know I was done. I felt the hot liquid expel from him, filling me with a sensation I never wanted to end.

  I was not done with him. I never wanted to be done with him. I wanted him to hold me, so together we could understand what happened.

  He leaned into me and whispered in my ear. "I forgive you."

  He reached for me. I recoiled like I had been bitten by a snake and pulled away.

  "You forgive me! You forgive me? What do you need to forgive me for, Aleksander?" Suddenly feeling embarrassed by my nakedness, I wrapped the throw that was on the couch around my body.

  "I needed you to understand that I trusted you.” With a depraved laugh emanating from my soul, a sound I had never heard before, I picked up his clothes and threw them at him. “I never thought to ask if you trusted me, believed in me."

  I stared at those dark eyes, no longer smothering. What was there was a coldness, stone, his jaw clenched.

  "Haley, let me explain," he began, unable to make eye contact.

  "Explain what? Explain you still think I did this, after what just happened? If you didn't trust me, what was this? Aleksander, what was this?" My eyes burned as I held back a flood of tears. I would not cry in front of him. I would not let him know he tore my world apart yet again. I would not give him that satisfaction.

  The book flashed in my mind. "A pity fuck," I screamed with disgust. "Did I just get the famous Manly pity fuck because I threw myself at you like the gold digging whore Brad's family accuses me of?"

  As much as his silence annoyed me, it was also screaming at me.

  "Silly me," I mockingly laughed. "I believed you when you said you wouldn't hurt me."

  I wanted to hurt him like he had hurt me. I hit him where I knew it would hurt the most. "You really are the monster in that book. You will never be anything more than a playboy, Manly. I'm going to take a shower. You can leave now." I walked to the bathroom and made sure he heard the distinct click of the lock. I was not going to let him in. I would never let anyone in, ever again.

  With the hot water from the shower sliding down my delicate frame, I scrubbed away any trace of him. I sat in the shower and cried it all out; all the pain, all the anguish, all the sadness. When my eyes had finally dried out, I changed and headed to the hospital to focus on the one shining light in my life, Peyton.

  Annette told me Aleksander stopped by and hoped it was okay she let him see Peyton.

  Smiling like nothing had been wrong, I said it was fine. I was going to miss this woman's friendship when battle lines were drawn and sides were chosen. Sides would have to be chosen, which led me to believe my decision to leave after I completed my degree was the smart choice.

  Making the decision was easy. Where that decision was going to take me, I was unsure.

  Chapter 31

  Aleksander

  I gave her every reason to shut me out. I dealt with my pain the best way I knew how. Sitting on the steps of the cottage staring at the ocean, I drank it away. Why couldn't I let it go? She sounded so sincere, so hurt. I would forgive her, if she only told me why. Why she did this. If she needed the money, I would have given it to her. This was more than about money, I knew that.

  The more I drank the clearer things got. How could I had gotten it so wrong? Why was it with women, the only thing I knew was how to handle things badly? There was no way to make this right tonight. Tonight I would deal with it like a man.

  Tomorrow, I would deal with my personal assistant.

  Chapter 32

  Haley

  I knew I was going to have to find someone to stay with Peyton while he was still recovering. He looked better than the day before but was not going to be able to get back to school for a couple more weeks.

  Annette volunteered to sit with him during the day so I could go back to work. I did not want to put the woman in a predicament where she might have to go against Aleksander.

  I used the excuse it might be too much for her to keep up Aleksander's new house and stay with Peyton. Annette informed me that she had already discussed it with Aleksander and since he had not yet moved into his new home, it would not interfere.

  It was a great solution for me but I still felt like I was crossing a line. I did not need Aleksander accusing me of using this woman's friendship for my own gains.

  "I need something to keep me busy," Annette announced, "or I might have to return to New York if I am of no use here. We all know Aleksander doesn’t need a housekeeper," she continued. "Please give me a reason to stay." How was I supposed to turn the woman down?

  There was one more thing I needed to do before I could return to work with Leona. I needed to turn in my resignation to Aleksander.

  I would wear the Chanel from the first day I saw him. It seemed fitting I would end my connection to him, make my statement, in this outfit. The one that started all this. When my task was over, I would bury this to the back of my closet, never to be seen again. Never to remind me of something that was almost within reach.

  I did not want to face him. I would bring my resignation to The Boutique and leave it upstairs for him before he got there. Peyton was still spending most of his days sleeping and I had taken to going home and getting a couple of hour sleep at night.

  Last night I had written up my resignation, placed it in the undeniable brown envelope and brought it with me. I would deliver it before I returned to the hospital. It was going to be okay. Leona was right, I would be fine.

  I had a viable plan that would take a while longer to execute. I would have to deal with B
rad and get permission to take Peyton away.

  After my last encounter with him, I was confident that Brad couldn't care less where Peyton and I lived as long as he did not have to show any support financially or emotionally.

  I took my time getting to The Boutique. I walked the boardwalk, picking up a coffee like I had at the beginning of all this. That one day I enjoyed taking that walk.

  Would it be appropriate for me to sneak in through the outside entrance and leave without talking to Leona? It was a decision that did not get made by me. Katie saw me and dragged me in through the front.

  I could hear shouting coming from upstairs. Without having to ask what was going on, Katie spilled that Richard, Aleksander and Leona were upstairs in a heated meeting behind closed doors.

  I had that sinking feeling that Leona was being given an ultimatum and that it involved keeping me on at The Boutique. No more sneaking around. I was going to face this head on. I would hand in my resignation and release Leona from any offers she made in haste. I would not take Leona down with me.

  I did not knock. I swung the door open, unceremoniously stomped to the desk and placed the envelope in Aleksander's hand.

  He was wearing the caramel suit with the mocha shirt, the one that made those brown eyes smoldering and see straight through to my soul. The one he wore the first day I laid eyes on him.

  The one in my fantasies.

  "What's this?" Aleksander inquired.

  "My resignation. What else?"

  He took it out of the envelope and held it up. I smirked and added, "Yes, it's pink and it's scented."

  Not understanding the reference, Richard's eyebrows raised. All Leona said was, "Inside joke."

  "Well, I am happy to see you still have a sense of humor after everything that has gone on this week." Then Richard asked, "How is your son?"

  "He’s going to be fine, thank you for asking." I knew Richard's inquiry was sincere. He did not seem to hold any animosity towards me. I felt good about that. Maybe that meant he had doubts about Aleksander's good word.

  "I want you to know, I did not do anything that would put this company at risk, and just so you are very clear, I would not do anything that would put anyone, or this company, in a bad light. I will leave quietly," I avowed as I glared at Aleksander, "so no tell-all book. My resignation is in no way an admission of guilt. I did nothing wrong."

  I turned to leave but halted when Aleksander finally spoke. "Haley, breathe and take a seat, please," he pleaded.

  Seeing my hesitation, Leona repeated, "Haley, please sit down,” as she pulled out a chair.

  I went over to my mentor, my friend, hugged her and let her know everything was okay. I understood the promise she made was unfeasible and I had no intention of keeping her to it.

  "No, Haley, sit down," she forcefully instructed. Confused, I did as Leona asked. "Watch this," she said and turned the computer that was sitting in front of Aleksander to face me. Leona must have realized I was not registering what was happening.

  "Watch it again," she ordered. "Really watch it and pay attention." Leona leaned over me and began explaining what we were watching.

  "This is the beautiful Miss Caroline Quinn with her cell phone outside this very door. And it looks like she is using her cell phone to videotape yours and Aleksander's conversation. See, there you can see her taking pictures of whatever Aleksander put on the board the day I came up here looking for a stray intern I thought got lost. When I asked when was the first time Aleksander showed you the design, you let me know it was that day. Something screamed at me to check the security footage, and look what I found."

  Richard intervened. "I made a few phone calls and confirmed Caroline Quinn was the anonymous designer. The CEO of Oblivious confirmed it for us after we let him in on a little unknown fact."

  At this point Aleksander came over and opened the computer to the page that showed he had the patent on both the shank design and the polymer to construct that design.

  "They said it made sense to why Caroline kept running into delays in providing them with the necessary piece to the puzzle. She would have had no inkling that I had all this in place before I even envisioned the design."

  I remembered asking Aleksander if he had the exclusive on this but I never bothered to ask how.

  "Apparently Caroline had not been able to produce a marketable product in a long time. She came to see me," Richard disclosed, "saying she missed the small town atmosphere and was looking to get out of the city. The usual, 'I'm getting older, more mature, looking to settle down,' when the truth was, she was fired. She happened upon this opportunity and took advantage of it. She told Oblivious she took some time to come home and was inspired by the beautiful motions of the waves of the sea, and some other sentimental garbage. We came to an agreement. They will bury their design. It won’t get used by either of us and we will take Aleksander's technology and apply it to already-existing Boardroom and Beyonds."

  "That was your showcase piece, your hard work," I looked toward Aleksander. "Your redemption," I declared.

  With all the information on the table and all the secrets revealed, there was nothing left to say.

  "Can I have a moment with Haley alone?" Aleksander requested.

  "Only if Haley wants," Leona challenged.

  I nodded. "I'll be fine, it's okay."

  Richard and Leona left the room.

  Aleksander took my resignation and put it in the trash.

  I walked over and took it out.

  "This doesn't change anything," I told him. "You thought I did this and I was sure you were using me. After everything that has happened, we can't go back."

  "I don't want to go back," he took the paper from my hand and put it back in the trash. "I want to move forward. I want us to move forward.” He prowled towards me, those mischievous chocolate brown eyes bearing down.

  "Haley, I didn't want to believe you would do anything that would hurt so many people. Anything that could jeopardize your future, your son's future. I believed we were the only two people in that room and I knew it wasn't me, leaving you as the logical choice. The same way you believed I was the logical choice."

  "You knew I had doubts. I asked you, and I believed you. You didn't believe in me." I could not mask the hurt my heart felt.

  "I wanted to, I tried to. I was scared and I behaved like an idiot, like the playboy in that book. But I didn't lie. I would never hurt you." His sincerity was obvious.

  "Instead of trusting me, you gave me a pity fuck.” I winced.

  He reached for me, I pulled back. I was not ready to have him touch me. I knew if he touched me, I would melt, I would be willing to forget, to forgive. The cut was too fresh, my nerves too raw.

  “That’s not what happened, Haley. I wish I wasn’t such a coward and told you how I felt. None of this business went public. No one is vaguely aware that anything went south at that convention. You have been attending to your sick son; no one is going to question your absence. Nothing has to change."

  "You're wrong, everything's changed. And don't pretend you have no idea what I am alluding to. I can't go back there. You didn't mean to hurt me, but you did. It's too fresh.”

  I hadn’t realized I had backed myself up against the closed door of the boardroom. With nowhere to go, I pushed him away.

  “Here is what I am proposing. We start over, back to basics, you perform your duties as my PR Specialist and I'm your boss." Aleksander laid the terms out clearly.

  "And sex is off the table,” I interjected.

  “Oh, Haley, with a woman like you, sex will never be on a table.” Then he filled the gap between us. "How much longer will Peyton be in the hospital?" he inquired.

  "He is being released tomorrow," I answered, breathing shallowly because his presence was keeping me breathless.

  "Then your new contract will start next Monday, if that works for you." He leaned forward, caging me in with his masculine arms.

  "I think I can make that work," I voice
d, barely a whisper.

  "Than that means until Monday I am not your boss and you're not my employee."

  He ran his hands through my hair, he leaned in and kissed my neck. Next his lips met my forehead, my cheeks, then he gently brushed his lips to mine.

  "Is this okay?" he whispered in his sultry seductive voice.

  "Promise me you won't hurt me. Not that you won't purposely hurt me, promise me you won't hurt me," I demanded, looking for something in his eyes that I could cling to.

  "I promise, Haley, I will never, ever hurt you again.” Believing his promise, I took his mouth with a hunger I never knew existed.

  Breaking the kiss, I panted, “I don’t know if I can do this and still think of you as my boss.”

  "I will talk to Richard tomorrow. We will get you into the marketing division sooner rather than later."

  "You don't have to. I don't want to go to marketing, not anymore. Here is where I am happy. I want to take over the men's boutique. I have the background and the knowledge and The Boutique is a separate entity from the main office. I work for Mrs. Van de Graaf, not you. You can show up once in a while to see how the sales are on any new designs or give input on something you think should be promoted, but that's the extent of it. There you have it, Mr. Manos. You are no longer my boss."

  "Why isn't The Boutique under the Van de Graaf umbrella?" Aleksander curiously asked.

  "I don't know, I just know Leona told me the building belongs to Mrs. Van de Graaf, something about a settlement, during the Van de Graff’s separation.” I informed him.

  “Settlement!" Aleksander shouted. "Richard's parents were never separated.”

  "According to Leona, yeah, they were, then they weren't. Then The Boutique manifested. I guess even the best of marriages have problems. This would have been about fourteen years ago because The Boutique is twelve," I added.

  "Richard would have been fifteen then. I remember that summer something was just off when Richard returned to school. He was always telling me stories about the adventures he took with his father but that summer the stories stopped. He just said he outgrew hanging out with his old man. Not having that kind of relationship with my own father, I didn't question him. Whatever happened, he must have forgiven his father — they get along great today."