Not his baby: A BWWM Billionaire Romance

by Rebecca Dupree

  But Gina also knew that feeling sorry for herself would get her nowhere. So she hopped out of bed and checked her wardrobe for something adequate to wear. Nothing too fancy, but you want to look good. She urged herself to reach for that sunny sunflower dress that she loved to wear. Pairing it up with the same pair of ballerina flats this time, and adding just a tad bit of makeup to accentuate her eyes, she was finally satisfied with how she looked.

  Okay. Here I go. She was standing in front of the door, with a key aiming for the lock. It was weird, knowing that she was now two people, but she tried to shake off this feeling. She needed to focus on her work right now, plus today she had a meeting with Tyler Reid’s administrative assistant about a few things. Taking a deep breath, she finally hit the key hole, unlocking the door and bursting outside.

  The drive to work was uneventful, and as soon as she arrived at the building, she was greeted yet again by the same androgynous face of the woman on the reception desk. Not really in the mood for anything, she was about to pass her by, without even so much as a simple greeting.

  “Miss Sellers!” the receptionist called after her when Gina simply passed her by.

  “Yes?” Gina turned around. She returned to the reception desk and leaned authoritatively over it. She had no idea where this confidence originated from, but she liked it. Perhaps it had something to do with Ricky’s advice from the previous day. She wasn’t sure, but she didn’t care. It felt good to be confident in her own shoes, and she decided to try this more often.

  “Ummm…” The secretary was confused by this sudden change of behavior. “It’s Miss Forester.” Gina lifted her eyebrow. “She said she wished to see you immediately when you arrived. So, if you would please go down that corridor, you’ll see her there…”

  “Thank you,” Gina said confidently, and continued in the same, self-assured manner as before, her heart racing. She was supposed to see Miss Forester at a later point. Was something wrong? Why this sudden urgency? She went down the corridor as confidently as she could.

  “Miss Forester?” She addressed a kind-looking woman, with a melodious voice, whose desk was in a quiet part of the building, outside a sitting area and a large oak door, with a superbly intricate design. It was obvious that this door led to another world, a world not many were allowed to visit.

  “Oh, you must be Miss Sellers.” She smiled affectionately, and Gina felt relieved at the lack of more cold, androgynous faces lurking behind desks.

  “Gina, please. I was told you wanted to see me before I start work today?” She pushed a loose curl nervously behind her ear as she stood there, waiting to see whether she would be granted final entrance into this new and exciting world that was occupied by the likes of Tyler Reid.

  “Gina,” Miss Forester nodded once, acknowledging the gesture of informality, “yes, exactly. I apologize if that created any inconvenience for you. I know we were scheduled for later today, and I do appreciate you coming in earlier.”

  “Oh, no, no trouble at all.” Gina was liking this lady more with each passing second. Truth be told, she liked her from the very moment she saw her during her first interview, but now she saw this lady was genuinely nice, and it was a breath of fresh air to find someone truly helpful.

  “I won’t keep you too long, Gina.” Miss Forester opened the drawer to her desk, taking out a sheet of paper with something printed on it. “I just wanted to let you know that today you’ll be cleaning Mr. Reid’s office, and as some will tell you, he has a specific way of doing things, and he requires the same of his employees.” She smiled at Gina.

  “If you point me to the right direction, I’m sure I’ll do a good job.” Gina was confident. Just make everything spic and span, and it’ll be fine, she told herself.

  “I’m sure, too.” Miss Forester definitely seemed to be on her side.

  “What is he like, as a boss?” Gina suddenly heard herself ask. Even though she immediately knew this wasn’t really the kind of question she should be asking at this point, she was hoping Miss Forester wouldn’t hold it against her. As it turned out, she didn’t, which led Gina to believe this was probably the kind of question every new, female employee asked upon being hired to work for the infamous Tyler Reid.

  “Oh, he’s…” She seemed at a loss for words. “It’s difficult to describe him in a few words, really.” She looked at the intercom on her desk, right next to a framed photograph of a man and a little girl Gina assumed were her husband and daughter.

  “Do you like working for him?” Gina asked. She didn’t want to know the guy’s whole history, just whether he was nice or not, so that she knew what to expect and what to prepare for.

  “Oh, absolutely!” Miss Forester gushed. “He’s real nice. Understanding. Sympathetic. When my baby was sick, he gave me an advance on my paycheck, twice, and a bonus, just like that, so that I could settle all the bills and not get into debt.” Her eyes shone as she revealed this.

  “Really?” Gina was astonished. She had to admit, it wasn’t the image she had in her mind: a people lover who helped with advances on paychecks for whatever reason. She was pleasantly surprised, and even optimistic about the whole thing. “Thank you, Miss Forester. That was exactly what I wanted to hear.” She smiled.

  “Oh please, call me Jeanie.” It was settled. With this small exchange, the two had become allies. Gina knew it. And the more of those she had, the better she would do in a place like this.

  “Good morning, Jeanie.” Suddenly, there was a powerful manly voice behind them, and both women turned around at the same time, facing none other than Tyler Reid.

  “Good morning, Mr. Reid,” Jeanie chirped with a huge smile on her face.

  “And who do we have here?” He offered his hand to Gina.

  “This is Miss Gina Sellers, the new housekeeper the agency sent us.” Jeanie looked at him, then back at Gina, who clumsily took his offered hand and shook it, though not as confidently as she wanted to. A revelation hit her. It was Tyler Reid who bumped into her that first day at work without apologizing. Her nostrils flared for just a second, but it seemed like such a long time ago because of all the things that had happened in the meantime that she simply couldn’t hold any grudges.

  “It’s always nice to see someone here before their actual working hours have begun.” He smiled at the two women. “I guess you’ll want to give her some instructions?” He turned to Jeanie, who just nodded. “Great. I’ll unlock the office and leave you to it, then. I’ll just pop by the accounting department really quick, and I should be back shortly.” He turned to Gina. “It was a pleasure, Miss Sellers.”

  “Likewise, Mr. Reid,” she replied formally, but with a soft smile.

  The two women entered Tyler’s office, and Jeanie was quick to jump to instructions immediately.

  “So, what you need to pay attention to is basically putting everything back to its rightful place once you’re done. And I do mean everything.” She eyed Gina, just to make sure she was listening. “He can be somewhat…well, picky about how things are cleaned and taken care of, and seeing this office used to belong to his father, he’s all nitty-gritty about many trinkets and items you’ll find inside.”

  Gina nodded, looking around. It was a really classy-looking office. She was sure they had hired some fancy interior designer to make it this good. It oozed comfort, but at the same time, professionalism, combining the two in a perfect mixture. Gina could just imagine Tyler easily conducting business here, and always making a killer deal. The room itself urged you to trust the owner and let him guide you.

  “So, all I need to do is do a good job and put everything back where it belongs?” She smiled at Jeanie. “Sounds simple enough.”

  “And it is.” Jeanie replied. “That’s why we don’t know why we keep changing housekeepers so often…” Her voice trailed off, as if she was trying to explain something to herself but couldn’t. “In any case, I’m sure you’ll stay with us for a long time.” She smiled caringly.

  At that
moment, Tyler entered the office.

  “You ladies finding everything you need?” He placed his briefcase on the mahogany table and faced them, hands on his hips in a Superman pose.

  “Yes, Mr. Reid,” Jeanie replied. “I was just explaining to Miss Sellers everything regarding cleaning your office.”

  “Thank you, Jeanie.” He turned to Gina. “As anyone here will tell you, Miss Sellers, I don’t ask for much. Just a job well done.” He smiled, and the two women joined him.

  “Say, Jeanie, would you mind giving Miss Sellers and me a moment? And if anyone needs me, just tell them to wait,” he added, surprising both women with his request.

  Gina froze, immediately thinking that something bad was about to happen, while Jeanie just nodded, smiled nervously, and closed the door behind her.

  “Miss Sellers,” his voice grew softer, and less professional, “I’m afraid that an apology on my part is due.”

  Gina felt like she was struck by lightning. Why would Tyler Reid need to apologize to me? Yes, he was rude and bumped into me without saying anything, but guys like that don’t apologize… do they?

  “I’m sure that when I bumped into you the other day, that didn’t really leave a good impression of your colleagues here.” He started off. “I was in a rush, and I guess I was lost in my papers, so I didn’t notice you at all, for which I’m sorry.” He actually said it. Gina thought this would be one of those apologies that didn’t sound like one at all, but, in fact, he actually said the words loud and clear, for her to hear them. This came as a very pleasant surprise and any leftover grudge she might have been feeling up to this point was completely gone.

  “I assure you, it’s perfectly fine, Mr. Reid…” she started, but was interrupted by the opening of the door and Benjamin storming inside.

  “Mr. Reid! Big news regarding the—” Benjamin broke off, realizing his boss wasn’t alone. “Oh, I apologize, I didn’t know…”

  “Didn’t Jeanie tell you I asked not to be disturbed?” Tyler glared daggers at Benjamin.

  Jeanie, who’d followed closely on Benjamin’s heels, said, “Mr. Reid, I am so sorry.” She looked at Benjamin with annoyance. “He just barged in, even though I kept telling him that you asked not to be disturbed.”

  Tyler knew it wasn’t her fault. “It’s all right, Jeanie. Go back to work. Everything’s fine.” Tyler managed to utter this little monologue, even though he was obviously annoyed. Despite all his expectations, he actually looked forward to talking to Gina some more. After all, that was why he asked not to be disturbed. There was something about her that he found fascinating, and it wasn’t only her behind. He was determined to find out more about her, but obviously now wasn’t the right time.

  “Miss Sellers,” he turned to Gina calmly, “I’m afraid that we’ll have to cut this meeting short, to my great disappointment.” She smiled shyly. Her doe-like behavior was enough to let him know that her skittish nature had something to do with him as well. Or at least, he hoped so. “But rest assured, we’ll talk again. Now, if you’ll excuse me, some urgent business seems to have popped up unexpectedly. Don’t you just hate it when that happens?”

  “I’ll, um, just change and will be back to clean your office.” She slipped out of the room.

  Benjamin watched as Tyler’s eyes followed the woman. Who was this Miss Sellers person? Obviously not a client—that huge bag she carried made her look like a nicely dressed bag lady. Not a personal friend of Tyler’s, either, or else he wouldn’t have addressed her so formally. Besides, she was black. It didn’t sit well with him, seeing his boss look at that kind of woman with such admiration. Still, he knew better than to show his true feelings about the whole thing, so he kept his mouth shut, even though his mind was aching to release more than a few racial slurs. Instead, he braced himself when Tyler turned a cold gaze on him.

  “I’ll tell you this only once, Benjamin. If I ask not to be interrupted, that goes for anything. And I do mean anything. Even if there’s an earthquake, I’m not available. Got it?” His tone of voice was low, but firm. Benjamin grudgingly nodded, but inside he was teeming. He didn’t deserve to be treated this way, especially because of the importance of the news he was about to tell Tyler.

  “Now, what’s all the fuss about?” Tyler became professional again, and Benjamin knew that he was back on safe ground once again.

  Chapter 5

  When Gina exited Tyler’s office, she felt her heart thumping harder than ever. Her palms were clammy and she knew her cheeks were burning. How can this man have such an effect on me? she wondered as she approached Jeanie’s desk.

  “Let me walk you back to Ricky’s.” Jeanie smiled and stood up. “I could go for a little chocolate treat about now.”

  “Great.” Gina smiled.

  As the two women walked through the busy corridor, Jeanie said, “I tried to prevent that know-it-all Benjamin from getting in, but you wouldn’t believe how insistent he was, even after I told him that Mr. Reid specifically asked not to be disturbed. Seriously.” She shook her head in obvious annoyance.

  “You don’t like him much, do you?” Gina said with a laugh.

  “That obvious, huh? Well, here we are,” she said. Gina followed her into a small kitchen.

  Jeanie inserted coins into the vending machine and bent to retrieve the candy bar she’d chosen. “A little mid-afternoon pick-me-up,” she said, looking a bit guilty. “But I swear, that Benjamin really gives me the creeps.”

  “Why?” Gina leaned onto a counter.

  “Don’t really know why, honestly. Just a feeling I’ve got. And my gut feelings are always spot on, Gina. Always.” Jeanie made a face. “He treats his co-workers really poorly, like he gives them the boring tasks that he’s supposed to do. Plus, I’ve heard him say some stuff that’s really rude, you know, like behind other people’s backs. And that’s really low in my book. I mean, if you’ve got something against someone, be a man about it and tell him to his face. Don’t be a wuss.” Jeanie unwrapped the chocolate bar and took a big bite.

  Gina had to admit she really liked this lady. She was not only likeable, but tough and honest as well, exactly the kind of people Gina liked to surround herself with.

  “I guess he’s one of the people Ricky warned me about,” Gina mused.

  “Probably. You’ll see for yourself soon enough. We all eventually do.”

  As Gina walked back to the janitorial office to prepare for work, she couldn’t help but rewind the situation at Tyler’s office over and over in her mind again. He was extremely good looking; she hadn’t counted on that. Upon seeing him, she felt like she’d been struck by lightning right then and there. His casual office style—a white shirt, no tie, a tailored suit that made him look like a Calvin Klein model—it all made her hormones rebel against every reasonable grain in her body.

  So what if he’s a good-looking white guy? There are so many others just like him. She tried to explain the whole situation to herself reasonably, and to prevent another hormonal attack when she saw him again, which she was sure would happen sooner than she’d like it to.

  And furthermore, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was somehow attracted to her. He certainly seemed angry about Benjamin bursting in on them.

  Then, all of a sudden, a crazy idea was born in her mind. What if I make use of this whole situation? She felt like there was a little devilish Gina sitting on her right shoulder, urging her to consider the unthinkable. What if you make him your baby daddy? The angelic Gina, however, perched on her left shoulder, was appalled. How could you even consider that?

  As the devilish and angelic representations of her conscience raged a war within her mind, she finally reached Ricky’s janitorial office and let herself in. He wasn’t there, but his stuff was, so she rightly assumed he had already started work.

  Well, maybe I could. Why not? Gina thought, not being able to resist devilish Gina’s ideas. He seems into me, and provided I keep his attention long enough, he could solve all my finan
cial troubles. The very thought sent shivers down her spine. Debt-free! Your own place! Getting a new car! It all sounded too good to be true.

  Gina closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind. It was all just too much. She had to think about it. But she also had to admit: having Tyler Reid as her potential boyfriend, baby daddy, sponsor, or whatever people nowadays wanted to call it, did sound tempting. Maybe even too tempting.

  She squeezed her eyes shut. Now was the time to make it or break it, because her current choice could end up affecting her future in unthinkable ways.

  What’ll it be, Gina? Choose, choose, choose… the devil in her mind kept saying over and over again.

  Chapter 6

  Gina woke up for the millionth time that night. Her eyes were wide, owl-like, as she stared at the darkened ceiling, almost believing that if she stared into it long enough, it would magically provide her with the solutions she was desperate for. She pressed her hand on the back of her neck, feeling tension. It was moist. She felt like her entire being was working overtime, body and mind, but this wasn’t enough for her to get over this.

  She tried to take a few deep breaths, in hopes that this would soothe her beating heart and allow her to go back to sleep, which she desperately needed. She needed to be up and running at 6 a.m., and at work only an hour later. Having slept only two or three hours wouldn’t provide her with enough rest, especially under the circumstances.

  It had been a few days since she noticed some major changes occurring within her body. As someone who always ate whatever she wanted and exercised from time to time just to keep up with her naturally given good figure, she found it baffling that she started feeling tired after some minor physical activity.

  The same went for smells. To her horror, she found the scent of her favorite perfume, a remnant from the time when her mother was still alive, almost unbearable. When she put it on, she felt a dizzying blow to the head that left her entire body quivering and reaching for the nearest chair.