The Virgin Secretary: A Billionaire Romance

by Cross, Veronica

  Tess gave Isabel her signature, scathing ‘I’m not going to dignify that insult with a response’ look, and she just laughed.

  “I’m just saying, Alex is only thirty-something, but the salt-and-pepper hair is going to make the fact that you still get carded sting just a little more, right?”

  “That was low,” Tess said, poking Isabel in the side so that she squealed and jumped away.

  It was true, Tess looked much younger than she actually was; especially next to her tall, curvy best friend. But she was never actually offended, and didn’t particularly mind.

  When the bell on the front door signaled that they had a visitor, Tess poked her head around the corner to see. They weren’t really expecting anyone, but she was certainly surprised to find Alex Booker standing at the entryway.

  Isabel appeared at Tess’s elbow, curious. “Is that…?”

  “Yeah, that’s Alex,” Tess answered brusquely, brushing sawdust off of her hands on her jeans.

  “This should be fun,” Isabel murmured, beaming as she made her way towards their guest. Tess followed quickly, not sure what exactly she was planning but knowing that it was likely to embarrass somebody.

  “Hi, you must be Alex. I don’t think we’ve met yet, but I’m Isabel.”

  “Charmed,” he said with a dazzling smile. He looked very relaxed in his khakis and button down. It occurred to Tess that she’d only ever seen him in professional clothing; she wondered if he even owned normal clothes. It also made her hyper-conscious of her own ripped blue jeans and a gray t-shirt, but she pushed that thought away knowing it would just make her more nervous.

  Just as she was about to ask Alex what he was doing at the gallery, her phone rang. She was unsurprised to see Josh’s number pop up on her phone. As Tess excused herself to answer the phone, she couldn’t help but wonder if Josh somehow knew that she was with Alex again.

  “Hello?”

  “Tess. Hi. How are you?” They’d been on the phone for hours on and off yesterday as Tess filled him in on everything that had happened, and made a plan to handle it. He’d tried to insist on catching the next flight back to New York, but Tess vehemently refused. She wants to make him change his plans to because of some stalker. She was determined to live as normally as possible - even if that meant staying in her apartment alone that night.

  “I’m alright, staying busy.”

  “I wish I were there,” he muttered, clearly not happy about being so far away. “Isabel called and told me that she wasn’t going to be around tonight, is that true?”

  Crap. “Yeah, she’s had this trip planned for ages, but I forgot about it until this morning.”

  “Tess, I don’t think you should stay in your apartment alone tonight.” “I know, I get that, but I can’t just up and move because of this guy, Josh. I can’t.”

  He was frustrated with her stubbornness, she was sure, but she couldn’t let him come home just because of this. “I asked Alex to check up on you today.”

  “You did what? Why?” Tess whisper-shouted so that Alex couldn’t hear, but she couldn’t believe he’d interfered.

  “He likes you, you know.” Tess could hear the amusement in his voice, and she felt herself turning red with embarrassment. “And I trust him to take care of you.”

  “Josh, I’ve known him for a few days. I’m not sure--”

  “Tess,” he cut her off. “It’s fine. He’s thrilled to have another excuse to talk to you, and it’ll give me peace of mind to know you aren’t alone tonight.”

  “What about tonight?”

  “He’s going to have you stay with him.”

  “Josh, you can’t --”

  “I can, and I did. He promised he’d be a perfect gentleman. Please, please don’t go to your apartment alone. It’s too dangerous.”

  She was speechless; she was furious that Josh had gone behind her back to plan her night, but also a little excited that she’d get more time with

  Alex. And, naturally, she was relieved that she wouldn’t be alone.

  “Fine.” She heard Josh release a relieved breath.

  “Good. Don’t be mad, I’m just trying to help.”

  She resisted the urge to complain about his interference again and tried to answer calmly. “I know that.” Isabel and Alex’s laughter carried through the door, reminding Tess that she ought to go back to them before Isabel said anything crazy. “He’s already here, so I should probably go.”

  “Okay. Let me know if you need anything, Tess. I love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  She hung up the phone and arranged her expression to something she hoped would come across to Alex as unbothered by her stalker, and vaguely pleased to see him.

  “Who was that, Tess?” Isabel asked as Tess made her way over to them.

  “Josh, who else?” She tried and failed to disguise her exasperation.

  “I actually talked to him this morning, too,” Alex said casually. “He said something about you going out of town. Right, Isabel?”

  “Yep,” she popped the ‘p’ and smiled brightly. “Acquisitions upstate.”

  “He also mentioned that you might need a place to stay, Tess.”

  She nodded. “Josh doesn’t think I should be staying in my apartment alone just yet. The police are still investigating, and all, but I don’t think it’s really their priority.”

  Alex looked sympathetic. “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have to be dealing with this, I’m sure it’s not fun.”

  She smiled wryly in return. “No, I don’t think ‘fun’ is a word I’d use.”

  He cleared his throat. “Um, if you’d like, you are more than welcome to stay with me for a few days. I would hate for you to be alone, and I’ve got more than enough space.”

  There it was; the invitation he’d promised Josh. She didn’t bother acting surprised. “Josh already told me he asked you to do this, and I appreciate it, but--”

  Alex’s eyes widened. “Tess, he did ask me, but I mean it. You shouldn’t be alone, never mind staying in a location that someone definitely knows you live at. Stay with me,” he implored.

  She was so surprised by his sincerity, she didn’t really know what to say. Luckily, Isabel answered for her. “Alex, you are so right. Tess knows that too, don’t you Tess?” Isabel shot her a pointed look, and she obediently nodded.

  “Of course. I just…” She paused, searching for the right words and coming up with nothing. She finished lamely, saying a simple, “Thank you.”

  “No problem,” Alex said, seeming relieved. “I can pick you up from here whenever you’re planning on being done.”

  Since Isabel was planning on having dinner with Tess before leaving, she told him to get her at around seven. That would give her time to get her act together so that she wasn’t a nervous wreck staying the night with him.

  He left shortly after, citing a work obligation. Isabel spent a solid hour teasing Tess about the fact that her brother had basically arranged the perfect opportunity for a hookup, but Tess mostly didn’t mind.

  She hadn’t known him for long, but she already felt comfortable with him. She wasn’t even really worried about tonight; though she wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

  Instead of worrying about it endlessly, Tess threw herself back into her work, trusting that Josh knew what he was doing.

  Chapter Three: The Studio

  As promised, Alex picked her up at seven. The car ride had been pleasantly uneventful, and they’d arrived safely. Tess found that Alex had set out towels and spare clothes for her, and she was grateful for the chance to be alone for just a moment. She let the warm water soothe her tension and the butterflies that had taken up permanent residence in her stomach.

  Showered, changed, and a little less stressed out, Tess padded down the hallway to find Alex sitting shirtless on the couch. Mentally noting his impressive abs, Tess made a deliberate effort to look him in the eyes when he noticed her return.

  Clearing her throat, she mustered th
e most genuine smile she could. “Thank you again for letting me stay here tonight.” Tess busied herself with wrapping her wet hair into a bun as she tried not to think about how attractive she found him, and that they were alone now.

  “It’s no trouble. Come, sit,” he motioned to the couch next to him. She did, folding her legs under her and leaning against the back of the couch.

  “How are you feeling? Really?”

  She laughed. “Like my psycho ex-stalker found my apartment.”

  “So, just dandy. Got it,” Alex joked. His eyes crinkled a bit at the edges when he smiled; under other circumstances, Tess wondered if she would have stayed the night at a strange man’s house and felt as safe as she did with him.

  Alex’s gaze turned up in intensity as he shifted towards her. He reached for her hand and offered it a comforting squeeze. Tess wasn’t exactly sure why, but that small gesture made her realize just how tired she was.

  Somehow, Alex seemed to notice this. “I’ve changed the sheets for you if you want to go to bed now, or if you want a distraction, I can turn on some mindless TV?”

  “Mindless sounds kind of nice,” Tess admitted. “I’m not sure I could actually fall asleep yet.”

  He obliged, settling on a channel that Tess vaguely recognized. Neither felt the need to say much more as they made themselves comfortable and fell into an easy silence. Tess rubbed her temples absently as she ignored the television, trying not to think about anything too serious.

  “Are you okay?”

  She was startled out of her absent-minded reverie to find Alex watching her carefully. She tried to wave it off, dropping her hands to her lap.

  “It’s nothing. Just a tension headache, it’ll pass.”

  “Here, let me try to work out some of the tension in your shoulders. You’ve had a long couple of days.”

  “That’s… not necessary.” Tess tried to politely decline. “You’ve already done more than enough.”

  He tried to look stern, but the dimples in his smile gave him away.

  “Nonsense. Turn around.”

  After a moment of hesitation, she let him guide her so that he had better access to her shoulders and neck. He was gentle at first, coaxing her tense muscles from their sore state into a more relaxed state. His hands were large and warm, lingering on the still-damp skin of her back.

  “That feels incredible,” She murmured when his thumbs made small circles at the base of her neck. “You must do this often.”

  “Not really. I don’t generally have much occasion for massages, but I’m glad if it’s helping.”

  She let out a moan as he dug a little deeper into the tissue of her back.

  His hands didn’t falter, but she thought she heard him suck in a breath.

  Embarrassed, suddenly, she curled her shoulders forward and tried to pretend she didn’t notice.

  He seemed to take the escaped noise as a compliment, though and repeated the motion again a little lower this time. She stifled her reaction, but she couldn’t help it when her eyes fluttered shut. She hummed as he returned his attention to her neck and temples, enjoying the feeling of his hands on her body.

  She wasn’t sure how long the massage lasted, but she felt him slowing and took that as a cue to relieve him of his obligation to continue.

  “That was great, thank you,” she said, feeling that gratitude alone was inadequate given all that he had done for her.

  “My pleasure.” Instead of releasing her, Alex pulled her by the shoulders to rest against his chest. “Comfy?”

  “Um, sure. Yeah. Are you?” She was sure he could feel her heart beating just a little too fast against his chest. Or was that his heartbeat?

  “Yeah.” There was an undertone of humor to his voice. She craned her neck to look at him and found him watching her intently. Recognizing the look in his eyes from the moment they had almost kissed - could that really have been just a yesterday? - Tess half-smiled. She hoped that this time, they wouldn’t be interrupted.

  He leaned in most of the way, then paused; his caution was endearing, but also mildly frustrating. Tess closed the gap and brought her lips to his. Alex met her with a gentle enthusiasm, bringing a hand to tangle in her hair as he caught her lower lip between his.

  Eyes fluttered shut, Tess smiled into their kiss. He was gentle, but there was an underlying passion there that left her breathless. It wasn’t long before she grew frustrated with the awkward position; she had to crane her neck to even kiss him, while his hands were free to wander over her arms and around her waist.

  Breaking the kiss, she sat up.

  “Tess,” Alex murmured, pulling her back against his chest, “Come back here. I’m not even close to being done kissing you yet.”

  She laughed as he kissed her neck, trailing the scruff on his chin over the skin of her shoulder. She hummed, feeling pleasantly warm in his arms. As his fingertips brushed the skin just under the hem of her shirt, she shivered; and suddenly, passively letting him explore just wasn’t cutting it.

  Tess adjusted so that she could kiss him properly, flipping over so that they were nose to nose. Her smile mirrored his as she leaned in again.

  “Okay?”

  “So much better than okay.” Alex re-captured her lips with renewed fervor. He seemed determined to kiss her until she just couldn’t breathe; she already knew it wouldn’t be hard. She was so overwhelmed by him.

  They stayed like that for the better part of an hour, entwined and a little enamored. As they started to slow down, though, Alex groaned against her lips. “You must be exhausted. I should let you get some sleep or something.”

  “Or,” She suggested, maintaining a mock-serious tone, “You could just keep kissing me. Sleep is for the weak.”

  “I mean,” he acknowledged. “I don’t want to stop. But you really should get some rest tonight. If you’re feeling half of what I’m feeling, this won’t be the last time I make out with you on this couch.”

  “I bet you’re right.” She was a little disappointed, but he wasn’t wrong. Tess leaned in and kissed him one more time before climbing off of him. He pulled her back in once more, seeming unable to resist.

  She laughed into their kiss, gripping his shirt briefly before pushing him away gently.

  “Good night, Alex.”

  She looked back over her shoulder, drinking in the intensity and hunger in his gaze. She really was exhausted, though, so she simply smiled as he called after her retreating back, “Sweet dreams, Tess.”

  ---

  The morning came all too quickly. Tess woke to the enticing smell of coffee and the sound of sizzling eggs. Despite the pure bliss that was kissing Alex Booker the night before, the solitude of his bedroom had brought the worst of her fears back to the forefront. She’d tossed and turned for hours, wrestling with the idea of visiting Alex again. She’d barely slept at all.

  She decided against waking him, though. She was a guest, and she didn’t want to disturb him. Not that she really thought he would mind... Even so, she didn’t want to push her luck - dragging him into her chaos was one thing, but she thought making him deal with the emotional fallout was just a bit too much, too soon.

  As she dressed, Tess considered her options. It would be easy enough to just pretend that nothing was wrong and go about her life like normal. She could buy some extra locks, file her police reports, and look over her shoulder the rest of her life, waiting for something worse than a bunch of roses with a creepy note. Or, she could hide out in Alex’s Ivory Tower of an apartment until Josh got back, and then flee the country again.

  Deciding that it wasn’t worth deciding right that second, she pulled a hoodie over her head and stretched, letting herself shake off the nightmares and be a little excited to see Alex again.

  In the kitchen, Alex was standing at the stovetop.

  “This is a pretty fancy setup,” she remarked casually. “Are you trying to impress me or something?”

  “I can name everything in French if that’s wha
t you’re into.”

  Chuckling, she hopped onto the stool at the island across from him. “Oui, monsieur.”

  “Of course you speak French,” he groaned. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

  “Sometimes I have can’t reach the top shelves,” she whispered conspiratorially, picking a strawberry off of the plate he handed her. She pretended not to notice the way he watched her eat it, not minding the attention. She would never admit to it, but she curved her lips around it a little slower than she might normally have, licking her fingers when she was done. She looked up to find that his jaw had gone slack as he watched, and she shot him a knowing smile.

  She knew she had caught a flash of desire in his eyes before he turned back to his work with the eggs. “Ah, well, I’ll have you know that I am really good at picking things up and putting them down,” he said in a deep-voiced Schwarzenegger impression that made her laugh.

  “I’ll bet.”

  Alex turned off the stove, seeming satisfied with the spread of food, and settled in across from Tess with his own plate. “How did you sleep, by the way?”

  She hesitated, not wanting to admit that she’d been up almost all night.

  Meeting his gaze, though, she guessed that he probably already knew. Instead of confirming his suspicions, she tried to divert his attention again.

  “So what are you up to, today? Do you typically work a nine to five, or something completely different?” Doctors worked weird hours, but doing research was probably a little more normal.

  “Sometimes, but not today. In fact, my schedule’s completely clear today.”

  “Is that so?”

  He leaned in a bit. “For now. I’m hoping you’ll let me change that, though.” Her heart fluttered. His hand reached for hers as he continued, “Can I distract you for the day? I talked to Josh, and it sounds like he got most everything settled yesterday with your apartment, but neither of us is too keen on letting you run around alone all day.”

  “I’d hate to impose any more than I already have. Alex, really, you’ve done so much already, and of course, I am grateful, but you don’t have to do all of this.”