HATE LOVE: A Billionaire Boss Romance

by Katie Ford

  I laughed. “Of course not. Happy to,” I said with a quick scrawl of the pen.

  Eunice smiled, pulling out the latest issue of Fashionista. Flipping through the pages, she stopped on the Marc Janow ad.

  “Would you mind signing mine too, Mia? I know you have mixed feelings, but still, you’re such an icon.”

  I looked down at my photo, and a smile tugging at the corners of my lips. Okay. It wasn’t awful. The more I saw the image, the more it grew on me.

  And after Sophie, Eunice, and Mr. Dooey strode off, I signed up for an account on Pictogram. As an employee of the company, it was important to have a user account. After all, what better way to get to know the product inside out? I had to start from somewhere, and an account was square one.

  Scrolling through the site and hitting up various profiles, I realized what Theo said was right. I was definitely in the minority. Users were dying to be the next Kim Kardashian and selling their personal “brands.” It was literally the main reason most people even used the app.

  I followed the profile of a Picto-famous girl from last year, recognizing her from an interview on a hilarious political commentary show on The Comedy Channel. Interestingly, this woman had spun her Picto-fame into being a huge proponent of environmental protection. Her photo uploads often offered educational tidbits about the environment and ways to get involved.

  Hmm. That was food for thought. Suddenly I felt dumb.

  Because my assumption had been that most Picto-famous It Girls were scantily clad women who featured designer clothes and vacations in their photos. They wanted you to be envious of their lifestyles, putting forth an aspirational brand. But I’d been pleasantly surprised. Activists were just as often Picto-famous celebrities, pitching meaningful messages and not just products.

  I searched for Theo’s profile and found that it was private. Well after what Anonimo had done to him, it was understandable. I’d make my profile private too given what had happened, but with a press of a button, a friend request buzzed his way.

  Sure enough, a little after noon, Theo messaged me on the site.

  TheoW: Thought I’d never see the day you’d be on here. What do you think?

  MiAnonimo: Honestly, it’s an awesome product. Nowhere near as awful as I thought. The technological engineering is phenomenal.

  TheoW: Thanks, glad to hear. Wish I could take you to lunch today, but have an important meeting.

  MiAnonimo: I understand :) It’s not a problem.

  TheoW: You were awesome up on the stage this morning btw. I wanted to kiss you in front of everyone.

  MiAnonimo: Glad you didn’t! It’s my first day. ;)

 

  TheoW: Can I see you later?

  My stomach fluttered with butterflies. Theo wanted to see me again? Twice in one day? Eagerly, I wrote back.

  MiAnonimo: Yes def. Sounds good. :)

  The rest of the day, several other female programmers approached my desk. My Picto-fame hadn’t worn off yet, but it was actually quite nice. I was meeting more people in one day than I normally ever would walking around campus. Instead of the girl that no one noticed, I actually felt like people could see the real Mia for a change. An intelligent, hard-working brunette who actually wanted to make the world a better place.

  By the afternoon, I’d met so many Pictogram employees that it was mind-boggling, men and women both. Everyone had been super nice, going out of there way to say hello. What a surprise. There clearly were not a lot of brogrammers at Pictogram, or if there were, they were avoiding me like the plague knowing my reputation.

  Theo had done a good job. Company culture starts from the top, and he’d made it clear that female programmers were just as valued as men.

  I appreciated that, and my respect for the CEO grew. It would have been so easy to turn this into another Silicon Valley frat house, but instead, Theo had made sure that his company as fair and open-minded.

  Wow. Listen to me. I’d gone from outraged hacker to fawning fan in a couple weeks flat. No wonder this guy always got what he wanted.

  But there were still surprises that first day. Late afternoon, I was working on a patch for the security infrastructure when my cell rang. Frowning, I stared at the unidentified number before remember that Theo and I were supposed to meet up. With a breathless smile, I answered.

  “Hello?”

  A sharp voice sliced through the air. “Mia, the Marc Janow people are here.”

  Looking around confused, I asked, “I’m sorry. Who is this? What? What Marc Janow people?”

  The voice dripped pure poison. “This is Penny, Theo’s assistant. You have a photo shoot today with Marc Janow, in case you forgot.”

  Her nasty tone cut, but I didn’t let it get to me.

  “I wasn’t aware of a photo shoot,” I said. “No one told me about this.”

  Penny’s voice grew even more sour.

  “Oh no, did I forget to tell you?” she simpered. “I must have totally forgotten to send you the info. I’m sorry. Hope you aren’t in the middle of something important.” Her voice then hardened into obsidian. “They’re here waiting for you in conference room, 18B. I’d get there pronto.”

  “Right now?” I asked in alarm, casting an eye at the unfinished work.

  She sighed again dramatically. “Yes. Right now. Chop chop.” Then, the line went dead with a click.

  Holy shit, this Penny person was awful. Clearly, the woman was territorial, viewing Theo as hers alone, but I wasn’t going to let it get to me. My whole spiel was female empowerment, and there was no point in fighting with one of your sisters so early on.

  So with quick steps, I made my way to the conference room. Thank God, it was in the same building, otherwise I would have had to wander endlessly around the Picto-campus like a mouse in a maze.

  But why were the Mark Janow people here? What exactly was I stepping into? What photo shoot?

  Checking my face with a phone camera, I winced because my forehead seemed too big, my eyes staring off in different directions like some dazed catfish. Ugh. Plus, I wasn’t wearing any makeup.

  Penny couldn’t be serious, could she? This had to be a mistake of some sort. Maybe even a prank, seeing how the woman hated me on sight.

  But I scurried into the conference room, stomach in knots. Ugh. Hopefully Ashton Kutcher wasn’t waiting around the corner to jump out and terrorize me.

  When I walked in, a woman with half her head shaved and the other up in fun spikes greeted me.

  “Mia! I’m Gina,” she greeted warmly. “Welcome to makeup and hair.” She glided my way, gently placing her hand on the small of my back to show me to a corner of the conference room that had been transformed to a small dressing room. “Let’s get you in the chair.”

  “The chair?” I said uneasily, looking around. There was a red leather barbershop chair planted in the space, complete with a steel footrest. That was for me?

  She nodded.

  “Up you go, Toots.” Gina squinted her eyes at me. “You’ve never done a photo shoot before?”

  Shaking my head quickly, I confessed, “God no. I’m more of the shy type.”

  The make-up artist smiled. “There’s nothing to it.” Pushing me down in the chair, she scrutinized my facial features carefully. “That’s surprising actually. With this kind of bone structure, I can’t believe you haven’t worked before.”

  Blushing, I looked at myself in the mirror in front of me. Wow, the compliments were coming fast and furious today, I could barely keep up.

  “Thank you,” I murmured.

  And Gina got to work then like a real professional. The woman had really cool dangly earrings that lightly swept the tops of her shoulders. As she put makeup on my face and fixed my hair, the woman was all business, wielding dozens of little brushes to magical effect. I had no idea what was going on, succumbing to the treatment because this was not my old life at all.

  I closed my eyes and thought about how much had changed in a short amount of time
. My hefty salary would help my mom out, letting her cut back on from seven shifts a week at the hair salon. And I was actually working while getting college credit at the same time. Jerks like Roger would kill for an opportunity like this.

  But then my mind wandered to Theo. My stomach dipped with anticipation, thinking about seeing him later. Where was he? What was he doing right now?

  Just then, Gina gently tapped me on my shoulder. “All done, honey. Ready for your big moment?”

  Opening my eyes, a woman with long blonde dreadlocks smiled at me holding up a golden shimmering gown and black leather patent pumps.

  “You ready for this?” she asked with a smile. “It’s going to look smashing on you.”

  I gasped. The gown was work of beauty, like something you’d wear on a Hollywood red carpet. Not something Mia Smith wore in her day to day life.

  “Um, really?” was all I could manage in choked words. “Really?”

  Both women smiled at me.

  “Sure thing, hon,” spoke Gina again. “It’s going to be amazing, you’ll see.”

  And the ladies were right because when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, a stranger looked back at me. Loose ringlets cascaded over my shoulders in a chestnut wave. I had dark plum lips and dramatic black eye makeup making my eyes look even bigger. Gina had contoured my cheekbones accentuating them like that of a supermodel.

  And there was still the dress. In my hands, the gown glittered and sparkled.

  “Where should I change?” I asked shyly.

  The wardrobe lady named Tania smiled.

  “Right here. We’ll help you.”

  The look on my face must have been one of horror because I detested changing in front of people. In any locker room situation, I always quickly got dressed and undressed in a bathroom stall while my heart pounded like a drum from stress.

  Tania assured me, “We’ll be quick. Don’t worry sweetheart. Now let’s get started.”

  And I gave in to the process, letting the ladies help me undress. Unzipping my hoodie, Tania said gently, “A few more of these shoots, and you’ll get used to it.”

  I shook my head, puzzled. “A few more?”

  Tania and Gina exchanged looks. “You’re the new Marc Janow girl,” Gina said unbuttoning my jeans. “Don’t you know?”

  What? No, I didn’t but the ladies hadn’t even paused in their movements. It was incredibly strange to have these women I’d just met dressing me, but I was too stunned by what Gina said to make any voluntary movements.

  “Come again?” I mumbled.

  A man with a clipboard and earpiece walked into the conference room. “Mia, I’m Andre. I’ll be running this shoot.”

  “Eek!” I cried, hands trying to shield my assets. “Can we get some privacy please?”

  But Tania and Gina didn’t even blink an eye, moving swiftly and silently.

  “Almost done,” encouraged Tania, pulling the zipper up tight. “She’ll be ready in a jiff, Andre.”

  The man was just as unperturbed by my nakedness, holding a clipboard my way. “I have the contract here for you to sign. I forwarded it to Theo’s assistant. Did you get it?”

  What? That good-for-nothing Penny again.

  “No, I didn’t receive anything,” I sputtered.

  Right now, the redhead was a thorn in my side. That woman purposely didn’t send me any information so that I’d look like a fool in front of these professionals. Well, screw that! I was going to rock this photo shoot just to spite her and prove a point.

  Andre nodded. “Okay. No biggie, but here it is for you to look over. Let me know if you have any questions. Do you think you could sign it today?”

  I took the clipboard from his hand while the women pulled off my sneakers. Reading the contract, I nearly fainted. Marc Janow was offering me a one-year contract to be their spokesperson for one million dollars.

  One. Million. Dollars.

  I was literally hyperventilating a little, my head light.

  “You okay?” Andre asked, his face a mask of concern. “Someone get some water please.”

  But I recovered in time, forcing myself to look up.

  “Um yeah, I’m ready to sign,” I said.

  “Perfect,” said Andre happily. “Here’s a pen. And here’s some water too, you look like you need it.”

  With numb fingers, my signature was soon on the line, signed, sealed and delivered. Holy cow. Shock was threatening to carry me to a new dimension because suddenly, this was taking on fairy tale proportions. I was still Mia, but also something more now. I was a beautiful woman wearing a designer gown, about to embark on a million-dollar modeling contract.

  Who said that only supermodels win? Clearly, the regular girl was doing just fine.

  And with an encouraging smile, Tania spoke. “You’re all dressed and ready to go. Totally camera-ready.”

  Gina grinned as well.

  “Come on, I’ll take you to where we’re set up.” She led me out of the conference room. Brushing a strand of hair out of my face, the makeup artist spoke. “Relax, honey. You’re going to be great, Mia, you look fab.”

  I took a deep breath. “Thank you.” In my head, Penny’s bitter face came to me. I wasn’t going to let myself choke for her benefit.

  The set-up took my breath away. Lights and a photographer were set up in front of Theo’s abstract painting in the lobby hallway. A grizzled old guy with a camera draped around his neck saw me coming and thrust out a paw.

  “Mia, great to meet you. I’m Scotty. We’ll be working together on this shoot.”

  Gina cut in gently, “Mia’s a little nervous seeing that it’s her first time. So be gentle, Scotty.” She laughed.

  The old guy chuckled as well.

  “No problem. This’ll be a nice change from the spoiled girls out there who order me around,” he said drolly. “Just be you, that’s usually what works best.”

  My stomach turned when he said that because these people didn’t know me. I was a nerd, someone shut away most of the time, my head buried in books if not programming in the wee hours of the morning. The real me was someone who hated being on camera.

  But something had changed in the last couple weeks. Maybe it was the exposure, or more likely, it was meeting Theo Wainwright himself because the CEO constantly told me I was beautiful, praising my curves and adoring my brains and body. If Theo liked it, then maybe there was something there. Maybe I was more than just another girl nerd, locked in the dungeon of her computer lab.

  So taking a deep breath, I put a confident smile on my face. Hey, might as well work it, right?

  Scotty held the camera up. “That’s perfect,” he said. “Take a couple deep breaths, Mia.”

  I closed my eyes and breathed in and out slowly, envisioning Theo here with me. That did it. His male presence warmed me from the inside out, making me feel empowered and womanly. When I opened my eyes, the camera flashed, startling me. I felt stupid for jumping.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “Didn’t expect that.”

  Scotty just nodded, speaking in a soothing voice. “Don’t be sorry. I want you to channel the energy you had in the photo that made you famous. Just relax and let go.”

  It was impossible to do that, given that the first time, I’d been goofing off on a rooftop with my best friend. That was nothing compared to the professional production laid out here, where I was posing for money.

  But right, money. A million dollars was on the line, and my family needed the cash. So I forced myself to smile once again, probably a little too brightly.

  Scotty came up to me and spread out the folds of the dress so that the slit all the way up to my mid thigh was more pronounced. I had to admit that the dress with its high slit and generous neckline showcasing my bust made me feel sexy. Cool and sexy. You’re cool and sexy, I said to myself over and over.

  With another deep breath, I turned around to look at Theo’s painting. Looking at the lines of code mixed with the bright splotches of colors hel
ped me focus. This was something I could do, especially with the CEO’s help. I thought about how just that morning he’d had sex with me right on his desk, my panties moistening from the memory.

  Cool and sexy. Cool and sexy. You’re a badass, I chanted in my head.

  When I turned back to Scotty, my thoughts were filled with the CEO and the memory of how he’d owned my body. Sensing the change, the camera began to click nonstop.

  “That’s it, Mia! I love it!” Scotty purred. “That’s it, that’s it!”

  I put my hand on my hip and threw my head back like a sassy vixen. And lo and behold, the CEO actually appeared. It wasn’t just a dream anymore, the man of my fantasies had materialized to watch my photo shoot.

  Or to stare unabashedly at my form was more like it. Theo’s blue eyes were fixed on every inch of skin, taking in the high slit, the heaving bosom, and my legs made to look a mile-long in black stilettos.

  “Fuck, baby girl,” came his low voice. “Shit, you’re beautiful.”

  I blushed hotter in answer, leaning back on the canvas to look right at my lover. His eyes were on fire with desire that only made me trace my finger down my cleavage, tantalizing and coy.

  Scotty clicked away, “You’re doing awesome, Mia. This is incredible heat. Keep going, keep going.”

  And I giggled a little then because I wasn’t the only one turned on. I could see Theo’s dick growing in his pants, a hard bulge making itself known. It made me want to put on a real show for him, none of this camera stuff.