Unprepared Daddy: A Second Chance Romance

by Bella Winters

  As far as first days at work go, Belle assumed that it had been going well. She had been given the task of conducting some simple market surveys, and she had spent the morning doing that; completing her task well before the eleven fifteen meeting with Devon Rymer.

  So, now she walked self consciously towards his office, as directed by Susan and found his secretary sitting at the end of the corridor behind a desk.

  “You must be Belle,” the middle aged woman said, looking up at her from over her crescent shaped spectacles.

  “Yes, I’m here to meet with Mr Rymer,” Belle said and stuck out a hand to the woman.

  “I’m his secretary, Lily. Nice to meet you Belle. Mr Rymer will be with you shortly,” Lily said and shook Belle’s hand weakly.

  “Sure,” Belle said and took in a few deep breaths. Try as she did, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that she had conducted herself wrongly in some way. That Mr Rymer wanted to talk to her to tell her off. Maybe it had something to do with the way she was staring at him!

  “Don’t be nervous. He told me that he thinks you’re an enterprising young woman,” Lily interrupted her thoughts. Belle looked at her and forced a smile on her face.

  “Really?” she asked, surprised to hear that. Lily shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

  The phone beside her on the desk rang and she pressed a button.

  “You can send Ms Freedman in, if she’s arrived,” the deep voice said and Belle instantly recognized the voice to be Devon Rymer’s.

  “You can go in now,” Lily said kindly and Belle nodded.

  She took small slow steps as she walked down the corridor towards the only door that was located at the end of it. Devon Rymer’s office was isolated from the rest of the floor in one corner. She couldn’t even imagine how wonderful the view had to be from that room.

  She knocked softly on his door, and heard his voice asking her to come in.

  Belle turned the knob and pushed open the door. Devon Rymer was sitting behind his desk, signing a sheet of paper. He looked up at her, and she was struck again by how intensely attracted she was to him. Belle gulped.

  “Take a seat, Ms Freedman,” he said, straightening himself in his chair.

  Belle closed the door behind her, and walked nervously towards the desk. His office was made of only glass walls, so bright sunlight flooded the room. She noticed the sleek, minimalistic decor of the office, the eggshell white leather chairs, the large oak desk, the potted plants. He had a pretty simple room, with no paintings or additional decor. It seemed like Devon Rymer was a no-fuss kind of man.

  Without a word, Belle took the chair across from his desk, and realized how intimidated she was in her surroundings now. Despite what Lily had told her outside, she wasn’t feeling too confident. She couldn’t think of one good reason why he had called her into his office.

  “How has your first day been going so far?” he asked, breaking the silence. His clear blue eyes were trained on her, and he was looking at her with an intensely fiery gaze. Belle could barely find the strength to keep looking at him without blushing. He seemed to be the kind of man who knew everything about everything.

  “It’s been going well. I’m learning a lot. I’ve been conducting some market research for clients who sell teenage magazines,” Belle replied, shifting in her seat. Her hands were clasped together on her lap and she was pressing her fingers together.

  “Good. What would you say has been your one major finding?” he asked, sitting back in his chair. Belle gulped before answering. She noticed how broad his shoulders were, he didn’t have his suit jacket on and she could see the muscles rippling under his thin white shirt.

  “I would say that teenagers will only subscribe to magazines if they get free samples of products with each copy. Otherwise, they just have the internet for everything,” Belle replied, and tried to match his eyes with a confident gaze.

  A soft smile was grazing Devon’s face. He looked handsome, with rugged features, in the bright light of the room. Belle wondered if she had ever seen eyes as blue as that before.

  “You’re picking up fast,” he said finally, and she nearly breathed a sigh of relief. She had prepared herself for an onslaught of complaints. She smiled at that, and he smiled too. Despite how intimidated she was in her surroundings, she couldn’t help but admire how comfortable he had managed to make her feel.

  “You’re not from New York, are you?” he asked and she was slightly taken aback by that question. Belle cleared her throat and lifted her chin in the air.

  “I’m from Little Canada, Minnesota,” she replied and Devon Rymer’s eyes narrowed.

  “Where did you go to school?” he asked.

  “Minnesota State, Mankato,” Belle said and now he nodded his head.

  “Are you living by yourself in New York? Ms Freedman,” he continued.

  Belle shook her head and tried to force a smile on her face.

  “No, I live with my boyfriend, and please Sir, call me Belle,” she replied and felt her cheeks burn up. Across from her, Devon Rymer’s features darkened and he clenched his jaw tightly. Again, she wondered what exactly he was thinking and if she had done something to displease him.

  Chapter 5

  Devon

  He couldn’t control the rush of jealousy he felt the moment he heard the words escape Belle’s beautifully luscious chocolate brown lips. She had a boyfriend! What was he thinking? How could he just presume that she was single? Then the thought struck him, that she was an employee at his agency. He was her boss. There was a code of conduct he had to maintain. Devon cleared his throat and picked up a pen from the desk.

  “Okay, Belle. I hope you’re setting into New York nicely,” he said and she seemed to buy what he was saying. Devon was worried that she would be able to see right through him. That somehow she would know what was on his mind. Till that instance, when she told him she had a boyfriend, Devon hadn’t officially acknowledged to himself that he was interested in her as more than just an employee.

  “It’s a lovely city. I can’t say that it’s easy, but I’m having a lot of fun here,” she said cheerfully and tucked in a few loose strands of her brown hair behind her small ears.

  Every movement she made filled Devon with tension. He realized that he was growing more conscious of her body, of her presence, by the second.

  “New York is tough, but you seem like someone who’ll make it,” he replied and Belle nodded and smiled. She seemed like the kind of person who looked at everything in life with positivity. She could brighten up a room by just walking into it. Her boyfriend was very lucky, Devon thought to himself and stood up with a jerk.

  “Well, thank you for coming in to see me, Belle,” he said and stuck out his hand to her. She looked surprised for a few seconds, like she didn’t expect the meeting to end so suddenly. Then she half stood up and reached for his hand and gave it a tight firm shake. Again, Devon was pleasantly surprised by the strength in her arms.

  When she drew her hand away, she straightened herself up and was looking at him curiously.

  “I was worried there for a bit, I wasn’t sure if you wanted to see me because I’d done something wrong,” she said and he laughed too, forcing himself to do so.

  “No, of course you haven’t. I just wanted to check in on you because you looked quite nervous in the elevator earlier,” he replied and Belle licked her lips. She remained standing where she was, with her hands clasped together and she looked around the office.

  “This is a wonderful office, you have a lovely view,” she said and he wondered if she was stalling. If like him, she too wanted to keep talking. He tried to push that thought out of his mind. She had a boyfriend, Devon had to remind himself of that again.

  “Thank you, Belle. I like to keep it simple,” he said and she fixed her large brown eyes on him again. Devon could see her perfectly shaped pert breasts rising and falling under her white shirt, and he felt a movement in his pants.

  “Hope you have a good first
day, thank you again for coming in,” he said quickly and sat back down. He didn’t want her to remain in his office and make it any worse. Devon was certain now that it was more than just curiosity in an interesting person. He was attracted to her sexually, and he wanted to avoid feeling that way as much as possible.

  Belle nodded, thanked him and then walked out of the office. At the door, before she left, she threw him a quick grateful look and then she was gone.

  Devon sat back in his chair and ran his hand through his hair, and let out a huge sigh. Inviting her to a private meeting was a bad idea, he told himself. He should have just left it at that in the morning. There was no reason for him to interact personally with an intern.

  He was annoyed with himself because he couldn’t believe that he hadn’t thought this through. Belle was a young, vibrant, beautiful and intelligent young woman. What were the chances that she didn’t already have a boyfriend? Besides, she didn’t seem to be the kind of person who would be interested in the things most women in New York were interested in. She wouldn’t be interested in Devon’s money or his power. And he felt like he was too old for her.

  Frustrated, and at the edge of his seat, Devon picked up his personal cell phone and dialed a number. One he had been dialing less often in the past couple of months. On the third ring, she answered the phone.

  “Alisha,” he said, closing his eyes.

  “Devon, ah, Devon…I haven’t heard from you in a long time,” Alisha’s voice sounded groggy. He got the feeling that she had just woken up from her sleep. Devon had known Alisha for the past six years and he knew she was a late riser. A social butterfly, and with all her daddy’s money to spend, Alisha would have been up till the wee hours of the morning entertaining guests.

  “I was wondering what you’re doing this evening,” he mumbled into the phone, ignoring her previous statement. Alisha laughed a cackling laugh, she was glad to hear him say that.

  “I have a cocktail party to attend, but you know I would cancel that in a heartbeat for you,” she said.

  “Great, I’ll pick you up at eight,” Devon said and hung up the phone.

  His heart was racing, he was still too anxious to sit still. He knew he needed the distraction and Alisha would be the right kind. In the six years that he’d known Alisha, she had never pushed him to get into a serious relationship with her. If she had any stronger feelings for him, she never showed it. And he definitely needed some good old no-strings-attached sex, if he was going to get over picturing Belle Freedman naked.

  Chapter 6

  Belle

  Belle came back to her studio apartment, and found Jesse sitting on the couch, still in his boxer shorts. At least he had put on a shirt at some point, and he had a big bowl of popcorn on his lap which he was eating while watching ice hockey on TV.

  “How was your day?” Belle asked, as she dropped her bag on the floor by the door and walked over to him. She didn’t want to comment on his laziness or the fact that he hadn’t done any cleaning up of the dishes or the apartment.

  “The usual. I dropped my CV off at a few places,” he said, and looked up at her. Belle could see it in his eyes that he was lying. He hadn’t left the house.

  She came over to him and sat down beside him on the couch.

  “My first day was good. Devon Rymer, one of the partners called me into his office and said that I was doing a good job,” she said and reached for Jesse’s hand. He allowed her to hold his hand, but didn’t drag his gaze away from the TV.

  “Oh yeah?” he said, popping some popcorn into his mouth. Belle couldn’t help but roll her eyes at his disinterest. It was like he just didn’t care.

  “Aren’t you interested at all in how my day was?” she asked him, getting a little angry now. Jesse finally turned to her, with his lips pressed together.

  “Of course I am. I’m just watching the game babe. And I already know you’re good at your job,” he said, forcing a smile on his face. Belle pulled her hand away and scrunched up her face. She was excited about how the day went. She couldn’t exactly tell Jesse how thrilling it was to talk to Devon Rymer, but she at least could tell him about the rest of the work she did. But now he was only pretending to be interested.

  “What do you want to eat?” she asked him, deciding to change the subject so that she didn’t lose her temper even more.

  Jesse looked at her apologetically.

  “I ate already. Chinese takeout. Sorry, I was really hungry,” he said and Belle rolled her eyes again.

  “You couldn’t even wait for me to come home!” she said and stood up with a jerk. Jesse stood up too and started following her to the kitchen area.

  “I’m sorry, babe. I really am. I wasn’t sure how long you’d be. I figured since it’s your first day, you might be delayed,” he was saying, and Belle just shook her head. The frustration was rising in her chest. This was not the kind of relationship she had imagined for them. It was supposed to be an adventure, a romantic adventure in New York.

  She started rummaging in their mini fridge for leftovers, when she felt Jesse’s hands on her waist from behind. She straightened herself up and whipped around. He was smiling at her apologetically and pulled her closer to him.

  Belle bit down on her lip, aware of the feelings of arousal she had in Devon Rymer’s office that morning. Perhaps sex with Jesse would help quench those needs, she thought. She decided to forgive him and brought her face closer to him now. Jesse leaned in and kissed her. The kiss was gentle and slow and Belle moaned softly.

  He pulled away after a few seconds and she was blushing, looking up at him from under her heavy eyelids.

  “Should we just go to bed?” she asked him and Jesse suddenly let go of her waist.

  “I’m not sleepy yet, babe,” he said and the smile on Belle’s face drooped.

  “No, I meant…” she began to say, but Jesse had already started walking away from her towards the couch. She couldn’t understand why they hadn’t had sex yet. Weren’t boys his age supposed to want sex more than girls? Wouldn’t he be excited that they were living together and now he had his opportunity to have sex with her as much as he wanted?

  It seemed like she wanted it more than he did.

  “I know what you meant, Belle,” Jesse said, sitting back down on the couch again. Belle grabbed the open door of the fridge tightly, she could feel her teeth grinding against each other. She was beginning to feel humiliated now. This constant rejection from her own boyfriend was taking its toll on her.

  “What is the problem, Jesse?” she asked him, afraid of what the answer might be.

  “I just think we should wait,” he said bluntly, without looking at her. He had settled the bowl of popcorn on his lap again.

  “Wait for what? We’re in a relationship and we’re living together!” she said, her voice rising in anger now. Jesse looked at her, only for a second and turned his gaze to the TV screen again.

  “Don’t you want to save yourself for the right moment? Like when we decide to take our relationship to the next stage? Isn’t that the right thing to do?” Jesse said and Belle whipped around from him.

  She had never thought like that. Her own virginity was because she hadn’t found the right guy yet, not because she was saving herself for the right moment, or marriage. Up until now, she had no idea that was the reason why Jesse was holding out. He was a friendly, intelligent, good looking guy who dated several girls in college before herself…Belle hadn’t doubted that he was a sexually active guy.

  She bit down on her lip as she tried to keep herself from looking at Jesse. She couldn’t believe what she had gotten herself into.

  “I love you babe, I just think we should wait,” she heard him say and she pressed her eyes close to try and shut out his voice.

  Chapter 7

  Devon

  Alisha was sprawled on his bed, when Devon woke up the next morning at seven. He looked over and found her sleeping, with her face turned away from him. The events of the previous night
came flooding back into his brain and Devon ran his hands through his hair and shook it out.

  The night was going smoothly. He had taken her to a cocktail bar, they had several drinks together and as per plan, he brought her to his apartment. When she started taking her clothes off however, Devon stopped her in her tracks. Alisha looked confused. Wasn’t that what he wanted? Wasn’t that why he had called her? Devon pushed her away. He insisted that he didn’t want to have sex. When Alisha asked him why, he couldn’t give her an answer.

  They got into bed nevertheless, because it was too late for her to go home and they had slept together several times for it to become comfortable. Alisha tried to seduce him again, she had even managed to peel off his pants, but Devon didn’t allow her to get any further than that. He was tired, was his excuse; and Alisha didn’t look like she believed him.