HATE LOVE: A Billionaire Boss Romance

by Katie Ford

  The brunette looked up at the ceiling while absently stroking my arm.

  “It bothers me that this could happen to anyone. Pictogram sold my image to Mark Janow because Pictogram users have no rights. Do you think that’s fair? Including it in the fine print of the Terms of Service without really telling your users?”

  I growled with conviction, meeting her eyes. “Yes. I think it’s fair. Just about as fair as anything else in life. Certainly, many circumstances in my life could be seen as unfair, but there’s no point in dwelling on that. You take the opportunities that come to you, just like what’s happened lately.”

  Because I used to live my life thinking about all the hundreds of things that weren’t fair too. But the minute I stopped feeling sorry for myself, my life exploded in a number of different ways. I could see opportunities that were closed off before. I could use my energy wisely, going in directions that previously seemed impossible. So while yes, there was fair and unfair, everything worked out in the end. It was all about re-setting yourself mentally to make the most of your God-given talents.

  And it seemed this girl understood, her chin nodding with understanding, but then she pursed her lips again.

  “Yes, but…I mean, don’t you care about your users? People who love your app?”

  That was an easy answer.

  “I do. They’ve made me a billionaire, but they all agree to the user policies before they upload a single photo. Legal put it all together.”

  Mia shook her head slowly, still thinking.

  “I see what you mean, but technically, I didn’t agree to anything. My friend Jill uploaded my photo on her profile. I don’t even have an account.”

  Understanding coursed through my conscience, but still, the ruthless ways I’d developed as a CEO took over.

  “Do you want money?” I said roughly. “I can make it worth your while.” Maybe that would smooth things over. Because after finding Anonimo’s location, I cross referenced the address with the student directory and found Mia’s name. From there, I dug into her records and found her home address in Southern California. It wasn’t crazy hacker skills at all. It was just normal sleuthing that anyone could have done.

  And I found out that Mia was from Carpinteria, a modest neighborhood in Southern California. Her mom Lindy worked as a hairdresser. With some extra digging, I found out the house had a second mortgage, and although the beautiful girl was on scholarship, extra money was likely much needed.

  But Mia turned offended eyes to me then. “No. I don’t want money. I would never want to accept money that I haven’t truly earned,” she said tightly.

  Respect coursed through me because so many people would have taken the bait. Who was this girl who actually wanted to work, instead of siphoning off my billions?

  “That’s noble,” I said. “But look at it this way. Technically, you did earn it. It is your face and your bra,” I chuckled to lighten the mood.

  Her brows drew down even as she turned over on her side. Spooning her curviness, I noticed how well our bodies fit together. She felt perfect in my arms.

  But then her voice came, small and determined.

  “True,” she acknowledged. “But I’m talking about real work. My mom is the epitome of a hard worker. She raised me all by herself to have the same work ethic and as a result, I’m a freak about school and take my classes very seriously.”

  That was definitely true, seeing her hacking skills.

  “From what I can assess from your handiwork, Anonimo, you don’t need a computer science degree. With your talent, you could land a job easily at any tech company right now,” I remarked ruefully, pulling that curvy form close.

  Mia nodded. “I agree, but mom doesn’t see it like that. It just isn’t about money and getting a job. It’s the accomplishment of getting a college degree. She never got to get one herself, so for her, it’s about being the first in my family.”

  She turned back around to face me, her expression earnest.

  “She raised me to value integrity in my work and myself. Money and fame are not virtues. They’re just things and nothing more. I grew up poor, but I never felt like I needed anything because my mom gave me everything I could want.”

  Her big brown eyes sparkled as she spoke. In a way, I understood where this woman was coming from. In the orphanage, we were all poor, but we had each other. And now, as a billionaire with all the money I could ever ask for, I was still searching. For what, I had no idea. It was ironic because after blowing my money on houses, cars, planes, and yachts, I’d begun to realize that the thing that I yearned for might not be something I couldn’t buy.

  Mia traced a line down my abs with her finger softly. “All she wants for me is to be able to make a decent living and stand on my own two feet. Riches and fame don’t impress her. Hence, her reaction to the Mark Janow ad.”

  I nodded. “I see. That makes sense.” I exhaled slowly feeling suddenly guilty. “I’m sorry that caused problems for you and your mom. Was she really mad?”

  Mia laughed. “It’s okay. She’ll get over it. She did say despite being disappointed in me, I looked pretty. She was mostly upset about me flicking off the camera.” She gave me a squeeze. “She’ll get over it soon. We can’t stay mad at each other for too long. She’s my best friend.”

  If I had known my parents, I wondered what kind of relationship we would have had. Would we have been close? Doubtful. They didn’t even want to be my parents in the first place, after all. I was an orphan for a reason.

  Curious, I asked, “What about your dad?”

  Mia’s body tensed at the question. “I don’t know. Never met him. Not even once.”

  I kissed her on the tip of her nose. “Does it bother you?”

  Mia nuzzled her head on my chest. “No. Not really.” She paused. “Well, maybe sometimes? Mostly on Father’s Day. You know, the one holiday where I am reminded that I don’t have a dad, but in general, no. I’ve been happy with just my mom.”

  Something I knew about all too well. Mother’s Day. Father’s Day. Grandparent’s Day. Even Distant Relative’s Day would be a drag, seeing that I had no one.

  Twirling a strand of her hair around my finger, I said, “What if I offered you a job?”

  Mia giggled, “Then, this is a highly inappropriate interview seeing that we’re currently like this,” she said, gesturing to our entwined bodies. But it looked exactly right to me, her softness complementing my hardness, every angle fitting perfectly like puzzle pieces.

  “Very inappropriate, but so amazing.” I cupped her chin in my hand kissing her luscious lips. “Seriously, I’d like to offer you a job. We obviously need help strengthening our security measures.”

  Mia winced, “I couldn’t. I’m in school right now.”

  I broke in, “You can work as much or as little as you want. It’s up to you. I can arrange it so you get school credit.”

  She gave me a charming smile. “You can?”

  Shrugging, I asked, “What’s the name of the new computer science lab on campus?”

  Mia laughed and said in a saucy voice, “The Theodore Wainwright Lab.”

  I lightly touched her nose. “Exactly! I can arrange for you to get credit for working for me. How does that sound?”

  Mia blew a raspberry, frowning a little. “I don’t know. My schedule is so busy right now. It would be a pain for me to ride BART all the way to Mountain View.”

  Cupping my hands around her round ass, I gave her an encouraging squeeze.

  “Why would you have to ride BART, sweetheart?”

  She rolled her eyes playfully. “I don’t have a car. Duh, most students don’t. We’re impoverished peasants, remember?”

  I squeezed her ass and jiggled it with my hands. Fuck. This was an ass sculpted by the gods. But public transportation wasn’t going to keep me from the curvy girl, not when it was something easily solved.

  “I can arrange transportation for you. No problem,” I said.

  Mia sighed, he
r eyes dancing with amusement.

  “I hear you, Theo, because nothing gets in the way of the billionaire. But can I think about it?” she asked softly. “This is a lot to swallow at once, to say the least. I mean you kidnapped me, we’re supposed to hate each other, and now, we’re like this?” she asked ruefully as I squeezed that luscious rump again, hard.

  But suddenly, those beautiful chocolate eyes opened in alarm looking at the windows covered in blackout curtains. “Speaking of class, holy cow. It’s so dark in here. What time is it?”

  Picking up my Cartier watch on the nightstand, I replied, “Almost 8:30. Why?”

  The girl bolted upright. “I’m going to miss class. I have to go,” she said.

  That made me laugh. Reaching for the curvy girl, I tried to pull her back into bed. “Class? Really? Can’t you skip it just for today? For me?” Wow, was that wheedling voice mine? Was I actually begging a woman to stay in bed? Usually, it was the opposite. I always left them high and dry and not the other way around.

  But somehow, everything with Mia’s turned on its head with the enemies to friends dynamic. The way I was on my back foot with the luscious student driving the car. The way that I, the billionaire, was letting a penniless girl wrap me around her finger.

  And the reason why I was entranced became clear because the brunette pulled back, eyes determined.

  “No,” she said firmly. “I just told you how I’m the first in my family to go to college. I can’t let my mom down. I can’t let my lab partner down. I can’t let myself down, most of all, and give up on my education for nothing.”

  And I had to respect that. Because education is an investment in yourself, and who was I to stop her from improving her skills? So I watched as she scrambled out of the bedroom. Her ass jiggled deliciously as she hurried out, tempting me even more.

  But within minutes, the woman was back, dressed in her tank top and drawstring pajama pants, incredibly fresh faced and beautiful. Brown curls fell down around her shoulders, and understandably, all I wanted to do was take a fistful of that hair and bend her over again.

  Mia smiled wryly in my direction.

  “Looks like when you kidnapped me, you forgot to let me get my shoes.”

  I laughed looking at her bright red painted toes. “Noted. Next time, I kidnap you, I will let you bring footwear.”

  She flipped her hair back off her neck. “There’s going to be a next time?” her voice came, casual but imbued with urgency. I could read her nervousness, and it was sweet.

  Climbing out of bed, I swept her into my arms once more, planting a kiss on her lips.

  “Maybe.”

  She giggled, seeing right through me.

  “Okay, but can you do me a favor?”

  Breathing deep, I inhaled that lovely flowery smell. Honestly, anything at that moment was possible. I would have helped her with her homework, cancelled all her classes, even talked to her mom. Anything to get Mia to stay. But it was too soon for all that, so I shot her a wry smile.

  “Sure, what’s up honey?”

  She smiled right back, making my heart seize.

  “Can you order me an Uber?”

  “Can you do me a favor?” I retorted.

  “Anything. Well, within reason,” she laughed.

  “Will you please consider working for Pictogram?” I pleaded. “We need someone like you, Mia. Someone talented with brains to spare. Someone quick on her feet who can see through the tangled web of programming.”

  And she smiled then before blushing. My heart contracted again involuntarily, breath growing short.

  “I’ll think about it, Theo,” she said shyly. “But I need to get to class now. Even dressed like this,” she said ruefully. “Now order me that car, big guy. Surely you can do that,” she teased.

  And oh shit, but this woman had me wrapped around her little finger. Because like a servant, I pulled out my cell and began fiddling with a ride-sharing app, dialing up a limo for service. Who had I become? Usually, there are people at my every beck and call, catering to my whims. But with Mia, everything was different. I was begging her to come work for Pictogram. Begging her to stay in bed, chatting about nothing. Begging her to share more of that luscious body while moaning sweetly beneath me. And because the CEO always gets what he wants, Mia was going to be mine …and that was that.

  Chapter 5

  Mia

  Although Theo’s job offer was inviting, I had misgivings about working for the very company that had mistreated me and the rest of its users. Would it be like working for the enemy?

  But when Theo sent over the offer details, I felt completely blown away. The salary for consulting was more money than I’d ever imagined making in my life. It was more than I thought was possible for someone who didn’t even have a computer science degree yet.

  Essentially, I was a high school grad getting paid the big bucks. And the kicker? The position also came with a car, a brand new Tesla.

  When Theo said he would take care of my transportation, my assumption was maybe I’d get a BART card or hook up with a carpool. It never crossed my mind I’d get my own vehicle as part of the position.

  But even with the money and the new car, I took my time giving Theo an answer. Things were okay since I was on scholarship, but extra money to help my mom with the mortgage would be nice.

  Full of indecision, I’d written Theo back saying I still needed more time to decide.

  His response?

  Dozens of red and pink roses, Pictogram’s brand colors, delivered to my dorm suite.

  I came home to Jill sitting on the couch surrounded by the roses. “Look at these! Absolutely gorgeous!” she gushed.

  There were flowers taking up every square inch of our dorm suite, blossoms on every available surface. “Who sent these?”

  Jilly shrugged, holding out a card to me. “I wanted to open it, but I didn’t because I’m a respectful dorm mate. Now quick!” she squealed. “I want to see!”

  Setting my backpack down, I took the card from her and noticed that it was already open. She giggled, “Okay, okay, so I opened it. It was too much to resist, and you know how bad I am with self-control!” She grinned. “Besides, a certain Theo sent the flowers. Ohhh! Read the card, Mia, you’ll see.”

  I sat down next to her, rolling my eyes. I loved Jill, but seriously, opening my mail? Where were our boundaries?

  “Okay, give me a chance,” I laughed. With shaking hands, I pulled the card out and read it. Immediately, I felt my cheeks warm.

  Pictogram needs you. I need you. –Theo

  Jill squealed jumping up and down, peering over my shoulder. The couch cushions bounced making me bounce up and down with her. “He said he needs you! Needs you!”

  I stood up. All that bouncing was making me nauseous.

  My overly excited friend kept squealing. “This is Theo Wainwright, right? The one we’ve been sparring with? Oh my god, he’s so hot, and he said he needs you, Mia. It’s so romantic.”

  “It’s not romantic,” I protested. “He needs me to fix his security problems at Pictogram. He needs my brain, not me.”

  Jill threw a couch pillow at me. “Who cares! Oh my god, how does he know you, anyways Mia?” She eyed me curiously. “I mean, sure there’s that whole Pictogram thing with your picture and all, but how did it get to this point, where he’s sending you flowers?”

  Rolling my eyes, I threw the pillow back at her. “Did your mom send us any Danish treats?” I tried to change the subject.

  She pointed to the cabinet above the microwave. “Yup. I just opened a package of aebleskiver. But seriously, Mia, spill it. How did this happen?”

  And knowing that I wasn’t going to be able to get away from my best friend, I took a bite of the mouth-watering puff.

  “Well,” I began slowly, “remember how I showed up to class one day with no shoes and basically dressed in my pajamas?”

  Jill frowned.

  “Well yeah, but everyone does that around here,” she
says. “This university is filled with nerds, and even in PJs, you were better dressed than most people.

  I laughed. Cal isn’t exactly known for its formality and Jill was right. Most people wore sweats, so my pajamas weren’t particularly odd. Even the no-shoes thing wasn’t that weird, as there’s a group on campus that calls themselves the “Barefoot Trotters,” advocating a return to nature and barefoot walking. It’s pretty crazy, the soles of their feet are like leather, tough and horny.

  But that was beside the point.

  “Well, I showed up late and in my jammies because the night before, I got together with Theo Wainwright.”

  Jill’s mouth dropped open.

  “Are you serious? How?” she breathed.

  I paused for a moment. Should I tell her about the abduction? Because that’s what had happened, for sure, but biting my lip, I decided against it. Given that Theo and I had ended up in bed, going into the kidnapping vein was too much information that no longer seemed relevant. So instead, I fudged.

  “Well, I was standing next to the bike racks over by the gym, and Theo walked by,” was my white lie. “He recognized me from my photo, and we struck up a conversation.”

  Jill nodded solemnly.