BREATHE: A Billionaire Romance, Part Four

by Jenn Marlow

  “I know that. It’s just a shame,” he said, sadness still evident in his voice. “It was a one-time thing, and it ruined everything. The guilt did her in immediately,” he said, his sadness disappearing a bit. “She told my dad almost as soon as it happened.”

  “What happened?” I asked, my eyes widening at the fact that she confessed.

  “He forgave her.”

  “Then…?” I asked, confused. He grabbed his coffee mug and brought it to his lips. I watched as he took a breath of the aroma and pressed the rim of the glass to his lips.

  “He just couldn’t forget. No matter how hard he tried.” He sighed, pulling the cup away from his mouth and setting it down on the table.

  “Is that really forgiving then?”

  “It is, but I can understand not being able to get it out of your head,” he said quietly. “You forgive them, and you aren’t angry at them, but the image…it changes the way you look at them. Anyway, he ended up talking to Mrs. Freeman next door; she had just gone through a brutal divorce so they just sort of got close.”

  “I thought you and ‘Joey’ were older when your parents married?”

  “We were. They were friends for a while and dated for a while. She married someone else, divorced him, dated my dad again for a while, and then they married when we were in college.”

  “He was already my doctor when they decided to tie the knot,” he smirked. “I didn’t lie.”

  That wasn’t what concerned me though. I didn’t think he had lied to me. I was confused as hell, but it never even crossed my mind that he had potentially lied about when he met “Joey” Freeman.

  I was just confused.

  And a part of me just really didn’t want to believe Dr. Freeman had been such a horrible, evil child. No matter how much he gave me the creeps, no matter how much of a douchebag I felt that he was, I didn’t think he was evil.

  “And he was mean to you when you were kids?” I asked.

  “Man!” Derek laughed, and although he tried to pull it off, I could tell it was a nervous laugh. “Fredrick doesn’t know how to hush!”

  I looked at him, sternly. But instead of respond, he spooned another bite of soup in his mouth, likely to stall. At least he was eating though. I knew I shouldn’t bring this stuff up at all, let alone while he was eating when he rarely ever did.

  He swallowed roughly and looked at me with sad eyes. “We were kids. That stuff is over.” His words were final. And I knew better than to push, but I also knew that there must have been a lot of emotion left over in whatever had transpired between the two of them.

  Because he sure as hell didn’t want to talk about it.

  “So how are your parents right now?” I asked, knowing that he had called and told his mother the truth about everything that day in the hospital.

  “Shaken up…but supportive.” And I knew that they were; they had been talking to me on the side. I just wanted a way to change the subject in a way that sounded legitimate and completely natural.

  “And they’re getting along right now?”

  “They always do,” he smirked, in a way that was almost completely childlike, just before taking another bite.

  “You’re so Goddamn adorable,” I giggled.

  He really was.

  Chapter 8

  It was a Monday, and I dreaded it because it was the first Monday that I was supposed to be back at work ever since my outburst with the intern. I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to deal with the whispers and rumors. I didn’t want to deal with any of it.

  But according to Derek, I wasn’t going to be dealing with it alone.

  I wasn’t sure why exactly he was going to work with me. I had it handled. I didn’t want to handle it, but I could handle it just fine on my own. I didn’t need him to hold my hand. I needed him to rest. That’s the only thing I needed him to do.

  “You don’t have to come hold my hand; I can deal with them and my job by myself,” I whispered as we entered our floor of the building. I ignored the multitude of stares from the office folk as we crossed the threshold of the elevator. I didn’t give a damn what they thought of me.

  “I’m not doing it for you,” he grumbled. “I’m doing it for me. I have to get everything in order.”

  “Get what in order?” My eyes narrowed, and I held his forearm, forcing him to look at me. I didn’t care who saw. I didn’t care what they thought.

  “You’ll see.” He smirked, shook free of my grasp and walked towards his office on the far side of the floor.

  I’ll see? What the hell did that mean?

  I had no idea at the time, but it didn’t take me long to figure it out.

  Throughout the day, he had called a good ten people to his office. And with each person, I nervously waited outside, in my small and overly-cramped cubicle, knowing what likely was occurring. I couldn’t hear anything, though, not from where I was sitting; and not through the office-full of people and the thick wooden door of his office. But I would have probably given anything to be a fly on the wall, to hear what was being said, and to finally find out what in the hell was going on.

  It had nothing to do with me wanting to see people get fired. On the contrary, I hated knowing that so many people had lost their jobs over the last couple of months. That’s why I wanted so desperately to witness what was going on. I wanted to know why so many were being fired. I wanted to know if there really was a “why”.

  Could that many people really be screwing up that badly?

  Could that have even been a possibility?

  One after one, over the course of an hour, the ten people exited with one of two emotions expressed upon their face—anger or sadness.

  But I couldn’t blame them; hell, I was getting angry myself.

  I mean, he was calling people into his office just to fire them, all the while he left me wondering why. I mean, why did that need to happen so suddenly? Why did he have to get that sort of thing “in order”? Why was it that important to ruin people’s lives before he died?

  Died…

  Before he dies…

  Death.

  Derek’s death.

  Keep it together, I told to myself, just before taking an exasperated breath. Don’t freak out. Don’t break down.

  I had to live in the present. I couldn’t think about his impending fate.

  “I have an announcement!” Derek called, following the last fired employee out of his office. And as soon as he spoke, the entire floor went silent and everyone’s head shot up and gazed into his direction. I heard whispered voices, hushed but focused on Derek, I was sure.

  “A lot of you are aware that there has been a mass purge of the office!”

  The gentleman he had followed out had his head down and continued walking towards the exit, not even bothering to stop at his cubicle to gather his things like everyone else had done.

  “Some of you are not aware as to why and some of you are not aware that it first started with the firing of Frank, my lead sales coordinator”

  He took a step up on one of the side chairs in the office; one of the very few non-swiveling chairs. He spoke even louder when he did, as if he was being broadcast through a soapbox.

  “See, Frank, my oh-so-loyal—” He coughed a terrifyingly horrendous cough, one that made me stand from my seat, ready to run to his defense. He put his hand up, ensuring me, and the crowd that he was fine. He looked weak all of a sudden, sickly and pale. He really should have been in bed; he really should have been resting.

  “— my oh-so-loyal sales coordinator was starting a side company. And if any of you are questioning if someone can be fired for that, then I will answer that right now: No, you cannot. I didn’t require my employees to sign non-compete agreements. I never required a contract to disable side projects. I wanted to encourage creative freedom, giving you control over your own ideas, and imagination.”

  I looked around the room, and no one was whispering anymore. Everyone was quiet and listening intently. Some wor
e expressions of guilt, while others confusion.

  “I didn’t think a non-compete agreement was necessary, and it wasn’t, and I still don’t think it is necessary.” He laughed. “I mean, you get paid twice what other’s do in the same position at other companies.”

  He took a deep breath, taking a break from speaking for a moment while everyone let his last statement sink in. He really did pay extremely well.

  “I wanted to ensure that my employees were happy when I started this company because I knew what it was like to be in a job that I hated and felt was going nowhere. I wanted you all to feel like you were being properly compensated for a job you actually enjoyed.”

  He sighed a large, deep sigh. “I gave you all an inch, and a few people took a mile. They were leaving my company, taking their creative ideas, and other employees’ ideas with them. They were using company resources and time to make profit and gain investors…and not just any investors—my investors.”

  He shook his head in disappointment, and I couldn’t help but bite my lip as I watched. I was completely attracted to how powerful he was, standing in front of the entire floor, setting ground rules, explaining some of his terrible recent behavior. “That is where I will draw a line and that is what I will not tolerate.”

  He stepped down off the chair, signaling that he was wrapping up his speech. “Intolerance to stealing is in the contract; and stealing from the office is grounds for immediate termination. And they were all terminated for stealing.”

  “If anyone else feels that they want to join them, then be my guest,” he said harshly, just before gesturing towards the exit towards the elevator. “Join them.” He lowered his hand to his side, before he began speaking again, his tone easing off into something gentler. “But, if you want to stay and work for a company that is going somewhere even bigger, then by all means, get back to work and stop with your useless gossip.”

  He turned on his heel and began towards his office. Just as he pivoted on his heel, I expected the rest of the office to begin their uproar once again, but they didn’t. My eyes widened in surprise. They had actually listened to what he said. They weren’t gossiping.

  But just as Derek reached his office door, he turned again towards all of us.

  “Oh, and one more thing!” he yelled out across the room. “Yes, I am sick. Yes, I have been diagnosed with cancer. And yes, I am involved with my public relations representative. There is nothing about workplace romance in our contracts either; and I know several of you are seeing one another. She is not ‘screwing me’ for a leg up in this company, nor for any of my earnings.” He cleared his throat. “So if we can get that straight, then we will all get along just fine! Now get back to work!”

  Immediately, I found myself leaping up from my desk chair and following him into his office.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, hurriedly, closing the door behind me. I couldn’t believe I had ever doubted him, but I didn’t understand why he didn’t tell me what was going on. I wouldn’t have blamed him for firing the entire company if he had a reason as good as the one he had.

  He smirked, and I hated to admit it, but it was sexy. And it made me feel something that I knew I shouldn’t feel.

  “I had to wait until the time was right,” he replied. But it still didn’t make any sense. “I told you to trust me. I wouldn’t betray your trust.”

  I smiled, just before nibbling on my lip with desire.

  I couldn’t explain it really. There was something still about how much power he had exerted in front of everyone, even when he was supposed to be weak and frail. And that power intimidated me a bit, but it also turned me on.

  “You know, there’s something really sexy about watching you take control like that,” I said, bending over the desk to grab the tablet that I had unknowingly left there.

  “Oh, really?” he asked, with seduction in his voice.

  “Easy, tiger,” I moaned, feeling a halo of warmth waft over me. I knew that we couldn’t do anything. “We can’t; we’re at work.”

  But he didn’t seem to care.

  He continued to stand behind me as I hunched over his desk to gather up my tablet and a few advertisement portfolios. I could tell that he was still looking at me sexually. I knew he wanted me, and it was probably all my fault because I had brought it up.

  I should have known better.

  Derek had a one-track mind at times, which was crazy for a man as intelligent and inventive as he was.

  But the thing was, feeling him against me, his crotch so close, it was almost too much for me.

  I wanted it, too.

  I wanted him, too.

  But we couldn’t. He had just been in the hospital, but we were also in the office. Yet, I had to admit, I liked the attention. And I also liked the thought that my dream—before anything had ever happened with Derek—might have come true.

  I felt him flex his fingers behind me, cracking them just before he began to gently massage my neck. “Ungggg….” I groaned, as he worked hard to press into my flesh. His hands were warm on me, and they felt absolutely magical, as they loosened knots and rolled down to my shoulders, easing the tension in what felt like my entire body.

  A purr escaped from the depths of my throat, and I shivered, as pleasure rippled through my body.

  He leaned down and kissed the back of my neck, still massaging my shoulders, and I could do nothing but tense up in response.

  It felt delightful; that wasn’t the problem.

  Well, it sort of was…

  Because my walls were caving in because of just how good it all felt, and I was about to lose control all over again, like I often did when it came to Derek.

  I was about to turn around and let him fuck me for everything he was absolutely worth.

  I was about to let him have his way with me, anyway that he wanted…

  But just as my walls crumbled, almost completely knocking my defenses down, a knock at the door sounded. Both he and I jerked upright in a bout of surprise and fear.

  I heard him sigh in frustration from behind me, but I wasn’t as much frustrated as I would have been completely mortified if they had opened the door. What killed me the most was that he was trying all of this now—when everyone knew that we were together. Now people would talk—because now there was only an appropriate matter of time that we could be—as lovers—behind closed doors without people assuming something was going on.

  “Hurry!” I gasped in a hushed whisper, hoping that whoever it was didn’t hear us scrambling around. I hurried to regain my composure.

  “Sit down and look busy!” I knew that I was acting insane, but I didn’t want my reputation to get worse; and I didn’t want that speech of his to go completely to waste.

  He moved his hands off my body; an action that warranted me to immediately miss his touch. I could tell, though, that he missed touching me just as much—if not more—than I missed him touching me. His hands lingered around my body for a bit, and he hesitated, slowly moving away, as if he was praying that I would somehow change my mind.

  “Hurry up!” I whispered in a harsh hiss. “Back to your desk!”

  I pulled myself away from him, and then the knocking came once more—a bit louder than the first time.

  I watched, panicked, as he sat and smoothed out his shirt and tie. He collected himself, just before pulling a stack of papers towards him and began jotting notes.

  Was he really working? Did he really get to work that easily? Or was he only pretending? And if he was pretending, how in the world did he have that much to say?

  Shrugging it off, I smoothed out my skirt and regained my normal stance just before calling out to the unknown person.

  “Come in!” I called, and I wondered how long it actually had been since the knock first sounded, and all I could do was pray that it hadn’t taken too long—otherwise, suspicions definitely would have been raised.

  The door clicked and swung open with a slight, un-oiled creak, and a short rou
nd woman with a mature face appeared. Her glasses were on at the end of her nose, and she looked up at us, almost looking afraid.

  “We need Derek to come to the investor meeting right now,” she said. “He’s been sick, so I left a message for Frank to attend in his place, but since he’s no longer employed here, I thought it best to tell Derek personally.” She spoke quickly, shyly even. It was almost as if she was scared to death to talk to me.

  Derek glanced up from his paperwork, and I noticed her gaze shift so that she wasn’t looking at him directly. Was she that intimidated? I almost chuckled. I remembered when Derek intimidated me. Not anymore; far from it. We had been through too much; I had seen too much.

  “I mean, if you can’t make it, we completely understand,” she whispered, still not looking at him directly. “You can ask anyone who goes in your place to give you the notes.”

  “Melinda,” he said and sighed, looking up from his notes and directly at her. “Calm down, dear.”

  She breathed for a moment and looked up at him.

  “Why are you nervous all of a sudden?” He shifted backwards in his chair, leaning his head back but still managing to look at her.

  “Frank asked me to join in on his freelance team. I hope I’m not fired.”

  “Did you leave the company and steal company resources and secrets?” he asked, his brow raising in concern.

  “N-no!” she stammered defensively. And as soon as the words left her mouth, I could tell that she felt they had been released too harshly. I could tell that she was embarrassed and concerned by her actions.

  Derek laughed. “I know, Melinda. I did an investigation.” He shifted in his seat again so that he was leaning forward, his elbows on his wooden desk; the one that I had just been bent over…

  “You were cleared,” he reiterated sternly, not just looking in her direction, but at her—into her even. “So don’t worry. You and Jake are just fine.”

  She smiled shyly and gasped a bit, as her eyes glazed over and her cheeks flushed. I could tell she was about to cry.

  “T-thank you, Mr. Sholts.” Then, she curtsied before backing out of the cracked door and shutting it behind herself.