Resisting the Billionaire

by C. C. Snow

  “Cora! Are you okay?”

  Marcus’s voice jolted me to reality and I frantically pushed against Jake’s shoulders. He abruptly released me and took a step back. If it weren’t for the wall at my back, I would have crumpled to the ground. I panted for air and I took grim satisfaction in the sound of his ragged breathing. I had to swallow a couple of times before I could trust my voice. “I’m fine! Go back inside. I’ll be up in a minute.”

  “Okay.”

  I was never more grateful for the super’s laziness. If the lights had been on, Marcus would have gotten an eyeful.

  The apartment door closed. The back of my head banged against the wall with a twack. Tears seeped from the corners of my eyes. I had royally screwed up my life with my impulsiveness. The lump in my throat felt like it was choking off my air supply. “I’m sorry, Jake. You don’t need to worry about firing me. I’ll give you my letter of resignation first thing tomorrow.”

  “The hell you will,” he said hoarsely before he opened the door and stalked out.

  Chapter 8

  I walked into work the next day and looked around nostalgically. Today would be my last day of work and everything took on a rosy tint. Even Alana’s disdainful face did not manage to annoy me. She looked like I jabbed her with a cattle prod when I smiled sadly and greeted her as if we were old friends.

  In spite of Jake’s cryptic remark, my resignation letter was in my purse.

  After he left, I had wiped my cheeks and climbed wearily up the stairs. My brother was too excited to notice how withdrawn I was. He had prattled on and on about how “cool” and “awesome” Jake was. When he talked about seeing Jake again, I didn’t have the heart to tell him the probability of that happening would be the same as finding the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

  I still couldn’t believe I had gotten myself fired because I couldn’t control my libido around my boss.

  The crazy thing was I didn’t realize I had a libido until I met Jake.

  I enjoyed reading romance novels, but I always knew in the back of my mind that it was fantasy. Surely, women wouldn’t want to rip their clothes off at the mere sight of a good-looking man, no matter how dashing they were. After last night, I finally understood what the heroines must have felt if their heroes were anything like Jake.

  Not only had he been incredible with Marcus, he had dropped everything to help me. I never thought I had a Cinderella complex, but I had to admit there was something intensely gratifying about a man putting my needs first.

  “When I hire an assistant, an assistant is all I am looking for. I don’t want to mix business with pleasure. I take it you wouldn’t have a problem with that, Cora?”

  His words echoed in my head and I cringed, remembering my then contempt for his arrogance. I was so confident I would be immune to him. Now I was just one of many ex-assistants who couldn’t resist the magnetism of Jake Weston. It was humiliating.

  The memory of the kiss at the bottom of the stairs kept me tossing and turning all night. The way his hard body pressed against mine. The way our mouths fit together hotly and hungrily. The way arousal flashed through me like lightning.

  I kept telling myself I should have put a stop to it, but the tide of passion had dragged me down in its undertow so fast, I couldn’t think straight. The truth was if Marcus had not interrupted us when he did, I would have let Jake fuck me against the wall.

  When I looked at my reflection this morning, I saw a hungover raccoon, with blood-shot eyes and dark circles under my eyes.

  I felt sick to my stomach. I had lost my job because I couldn’t control myself. And my selfish actions affected my brother as well. Not only did I need to hustle to find another job before we were out on the streets, but Marcus would never see the inside of Robotrex.

  The only bright spot– more like a speck– was that Ms. Woodsen was willing to reduce Marcus’s suspension from three days to one. Flayed with guilt, I couldn’t meet his eyes when he told the principal his side of the story. I knew he would refuse to say anything if he realized the reward of visiting Robotrex was off the table. The hour of reckoning would come when I returned home early today.

  I bypassed my desk. There would be no point in booting up my computer when I would be leaving in five minutes.

  I guess I never made it to the one-month mark after all.

  Less than four weeks ago, I walked into this office and did everything to avoid working for Jake Weston. Today, I’d do everything to keep the job. One day, I’d probably find the irony darkly amusing, but right now it was painful.

  With letter in hand, I knocked on Jake’s door, which was ajar.

  He looked up, his face unreadable.

  Closing the door behind me, I walked up to his desk and placed the letter in front of him. “Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Weston.”

  My formal address seemed to push a hot button because fury contorted his face. He stood up and planted his fists on the table, body leaning aggressively toward me. “Don’t you dare call me that after last night,” he growled.

  I had hoped to leave without him bringing up the humiliating incident. My cheeks turned pink and I squeezed my eyes shut. “I’m sorry about everything, Jake. I know how you feel about your assistants… um…” I clasped my palms together, “so um…I’ll just clear out my desk and get going.”

  He rounded the desk and manacled his hands around my upper arms, fingers biting into my flesh. His grip was tight, borderline painful. “No! I’m not accepting your resignation.” His voice was gritty and harsh.

  My eyes popped open in surprise. “What?”

  He looked deadly serious. “I’m not accepting your resignation.”

  My forehead creased in confusion. My mind was trying to work through the logic, but it kept coming up short. I tried to talk through my reasoning. “What happened yesterday was completely unprofessional. You told me you fired your other assistants because they stepped over the line. I think kissing you counts. You were going to fire me anyway. I’m just saving you the trouble.”

  “First of all, I kissed you. And second of all, I didn’t want any of my other assistants. I want you.” His blue eyes blazed with heat.

  All the breath got sucked out of my lungs and my legs buckled. My arms flailed. My fingers found the armrest behind me and I dropped into the chair with a dull thud. “Wha…what?” All the blood drained from my face.

  He angled the other chair and locked his gaze on my face. His eyes looked more green than blue this morning. He took my limp hands between his palms and tried to rub some heat into them. “Cora, I’m very attracted to you.” He paused a beat. “And I think you feel the same about me.”

  I would have rolled my eyes at his cocky assumption, but I could not refute the truth of his statement. I kept silent.

  His eyes searched mine. “I’d like to start seeing you outside of work.”

  I shook my head violently. “No! You’re not attracted to me.”

  He laughed like I made a joke and I scowled at his reaction. He released my hands and cupped my face, his thumbs caressing my cheeks. My eyes wanted to flutter closed at the tender touch. “Cora, you must be blind. I think you’re sexy and beautiful and smart and as soon as you walk into the same room, I get hard.”

  I squeaked at his frank language.

  Grinning, he admitted, “In fact, I’m hard right now.”

  Of their own accord, my eyes darted to the front of his pants and I squeaked louder at the bulge between his legs. To my astonishment, heat and moisture filled my sheath in response.

  I licked my dry lips and dragged my eyes to meet his. “No.” I shook my head again, dislodging his hands. “You’re just reacting to the high of coming to my rescue. Troy said you had a thing for damsels in distress.”

  He cursed under his breath and ran his fingers through his black hair. “My brother has a big mouth. And that’s categorically untrue. You didn’t need rescuing. You were doing an amazing job dealing with everything on your own. I
only gave you a ride. And what kind of kinky bastard do you take me for that I only get off when I save a woman?”

  When he put it like that, I had to admit it sounded illogical. Still, none of what he said made sense.

  “Jake, I’m not even your type. You’ve always dated tall, model-thin women. Look at me.” I swept my hand to indicate my curves. “I’m short and decidedly not svelte.”

  “You have been reading too many tabloids. Most of what they write about me is just salacious speculation.” He ran appreciative eyes over me and goose bumps prickled my skin. “And you’re exactly my type.”

  A sudden flash of memory made my gut twist and I blurted, “You’re dating Carolina Oliveira!” I glared and pointed an accusing finger at him. “You’re cheating on her!”

  He grasped my finger and waggled his head ruefully. “You really don’t have a high opinion of me. I broke up with Carolina the day she visited the office.”

  “What? Why?”

  “I would think the why is obvious. I couldn’t pursue you when I was still involved with another woman.”

  “Jake, none of this is makes any sense.”

  “It doesn’t need to make sense. Attraction normally doesn’t.”

  I noticed he didn’t mention his emotions being involved and quashed the surge of disappointment. “You warned me to stay away from you! And from Troy! You think I’m some sort of… bimbo gold digger!”

  He chuckled. “I don’t think you’re a gold digger.” He tapped my chin with his pointer finger. “And you’re most definitely not a bimbo.” His expression became intent and serious. “You’ve given me a bunch of excuses, but you haven’t given me the only reason that would make me back off. You haven’t said you’re not attracted to me.” He pushed his face close, his eyes searching. “Can you say you don’t want me?”

  My cheeks flooded with color and I wrenched my gaze away, afraid he’d clearly see the desire in my eyes, but my evasiveness gave me away.

  He declared with satisfaction, “I thought so.” He pinched my chin to bring my attention back to him. “Have dinner with me tonight.” It wasn’t a question.

  One part of me desperately wanted to give in to the passion seething between us. Every cell in my body yearned to be close to him. Just the touch of his fingers on my face sent heat rushing through my veins. I could only imagine how I would react if he touched more sensitive parts of my body. I felt a gush of dampness between my thighs at the thought. I had never felt so physically attuned to a man, but my sensible side knew this would end in disaster.

  Jake Weston was a notorious playboy. His relationships– or more accurately, his affairs– were always passionate, but brief. If supermodels and wide-eyed starlets couldn’t capture his attention for longer than three months, an inexperienced nobody like me would last weeks at most. I knew myself well enough to know I wouldn’t be able to keep my heart detached. And at the end of our affair, he’d walk away unscathed and I would be left with a broken heart, no job and a reputation for sleeping with the boss.

  I stood up and backed away from him, my emotions in turmoil. “No, I can’t.”

  He slowly got to his feet and I felt like a deer in the sights of a seasoned hunter. His eyes narrowed to slits. “Why the hell not?”

  Instead of telling him about my innermost fears, I scrambled for reasons he might accept. I took a deep breath and spoke measuredly. “Jake, you know an affair between us is a bad idea. If you won’t accept my resignation, we’ll be working together. There is bound to be office gossip. It won’t affect you because you’re the big boss, but I’ll be branded as a slut who slept her way to the top.”

  His face tightened with anger.

  I lifted my chin in rebellion. He might not like what I was saying, but it was the truth.

  “Furthermore, aren’t you afraid I’ll sue you for sexual harassment?” It was a low blow to bring up his experience with Sophia Chandler, but I had to use the weapons I had.

  “Would you?” His voice was lethally soft.

  My eyes cut away from his sharp gaze and I took a ragged breath. “Whether I would or would not is not the point. What I’m trying to say is that an affair between us is too risky. Too complicated.” I looked at him pleadingly. “The best thing for you to do is to accept my resignation and give me a good reference.” My voice lowered. “You’ll forget me in no time.”

  Jake moved so fast, all I saw was a blur, but I knew the instant he touched me. That electric zap I thought I had imagined yesterday was very real as his big hand wrapped around my waist and yanked me against his body. His other hand clasped my nape, his thumb at my jawline. His mouth crushed mine, lips ravenous and almost angry.

  To my shame, I couldn’t resist for a fraction of a second. Making a needy noise in the back of my throat, I speared my fingers into this thick hair, reveling in its softness and kissed him greedily. His taste burst onto my tongue, smooth and luxurious, like the richest dark Belgian chocolate. I wanted more. I craved more.

  The tiny part of my brain that was still rational warned that overindulgence in chocolate was not good for me, but the thought was distant and receding quickly. My fingers dug into his scalp, holding him closer. Needing to draw in more of his essence, I widened my mouth and explored the rough texture of his tongue. Jake tilted my jaw slightly and deepened the kiss, his lips turning hard and possessive.

  His right hand slid to middle of my back and slowly trailed down my spine, lighting a fire in its wake. I gasped into his mouth as his fingers reached the top of my backside. Heat funneled directly to my center.

  My body molded to his length, my breasts flattening against his hard chest and my belly cradling his erection. The fact that I could arouse this gorgeous man gave me a heady rush.

  Abruptly, he broke the kiss, but he kept his face close. Banked heat simmered in the back of his eyes. “Don’t fucking tell me that I’ll forget you. My body won’t let me.” He pressed his hips against my stomach to emphasize his point, letting me feel his engorged cock. “I can’t get the taste of your sweet lips out of my mind.” He dipped his head and sucked on my lower lip, turning my legs into limp noodles. He raised his right hand to cradle my face. “Don’t tell me I’d forget your beautiful eyes. And don’t fucking call this an affair. You have no clue what I want.”

  With a cry, I twisted out of his arms and turned my face away, the back of my hand touching my mouth. His sexy words tore at my resistance. His taste still lingered and I wanted to wail at the unfairness of the situation. I wanted him, but giving in to my desires would be my downfall.

  No, I had to resist him.

  I waved a hand between us. “Jake, this can’t happen. We can’t happen.”

  He folded his arms. “You still haven’t told me a compelling reason why not.”

  A growl of frustration vibrated in my throat. “I’ve given you a million reasons why not!”

  “None that matter!” he countered, a scowl on his face.

  I decided to change tactics. “What do you want from me, Jake? Are you looking for a convenient fuck-toy in the office?”

  His eyes turned into narrow slits at my crudeness, but I didn’t get the explosive fury I wanted to elicit.

  “Cora, why is it so hard to believe that I want you because you’re you?” His blue-green gaze was so piercing, I felt like he would root out all of my deepest secrets.

  Because the long string of broken hearts trailing behind you tells me you can’t feel any deeper emotion than lust. And I could fall for you.

  I lowered my lashes, feeling too exposed.

  I settled on a half-truth. “I don’t doubt you want me now, Jake, but a brief fling is not something I want to risk my career on.” And my heart.

  Face hardening, he abruptly turned away from me. He strode to the window and gazed out at the view.

  Silhouetted against the vastness of the city, Jake looked invincible, but as I stared at his stiff carriage, I was struck again by how alone he seemed.

  After each of
my parents died, there were moments of unbearable loneliness in my life, like there was nobody else in the world who could understand me. I sensed that Jake was feeling something similar in the moment. Even as I was telling myself it was in my imagination, I ached for him.

  After a long stretch of silence, I asked tentatively, “Jake, would you please accept my resignation?”

  His shoulders visibly tensed at my question and he whipped around to face me. “No!”

  Even as I castigated myself, a wave of relief surged through me. “And we won’t talk about last night or this morning again?”

  Blue-green eyes turned hard, radiating an iron will. “This is not the end of the discussion.” It was a promise.

  “Jake!” I protested.

  His right hand rose to stem my words and I pursed my lips in aggravation. “We will continue this argument at another time, but just be warned, I’m not giving up.”

  “Jake! This is ridiculous. You could have any woman you wanted. They fall at your feet when you walk by. I don’t know why–”

  The sudden grin he shot me scrambled my thoughts. “I’m glad you think so highly of my charms, Cora.”

  Cheeks warm, I shrugged. “I don’t need to boost your giant ego by telling you how attractive you are. I just think anything between us would be a disaster.”

  “That’s bullshit.” He said this with a small smile. My inadvertent compliment seemed to restore his good humor.

  I closed my eyes and prayed for patience.

  “Here!” He lifted my hand and placed a piece of paper in my palm.

  “What’s this?” I stared at the phone number scrawled in his bold handwriting.

  “That’s David Bouchard’s personal number. He’s expecting your call today.”

  “Why do you have the private number of the principal of Marcus’s old school? And why would he be expecting to hear from me?” Confusion seemed to be my default state when dealing with Jake.

  “A friend of mine is on their board. When I discussed Marcus’s abilities with him yesterday, he was appalled Marcus wasn’t still at the academy. Jon made some calls. Marcus can matriculate into school as soon as he wants. David is waiting to hear from you to can set up an appointment to discuss Marcus’s classes. And don’t worry about tuition. The board is offering your brother a full scholarship until he graduates.”