Billionaires Hook Up - A Standalone Novel (A Billionaire Office Romance Love Story) (Billionaires - Book #8)

by Claire Adams

  But as I sat with Brandon, I was strangely unafraid of the silence that filled the space between us. It didn’t feel awkward or scary; instead, I was comforted by how my hand in his was able to calm my emotions.

  The only other human on earth who had the ability to calm me so quickly was Connor. When he was near and his sweet eyes looked at me, I knew that everything was going to be better than my imagination was allowing it to be. Connor’s optimism was refreshing and his view on life made it difficult for me to wallow in self-pity.

  That was the innocence of a child, though; they hadn’t been corrupted by doubt and hurt yet. Even though Connor had lost his father, he was much too young to know what life was like in any other circumstances than the one he lived in. To him, it was normal for families to watch old videos of their dead loved one, it was normal for his mother to be found crying while reading an old letter, and it was perfectly normal to spend his Sunday mornings visiting a gravestone to tell his father about his week at school.

  I was lost in my thoughts as Brandon leaned in and kissed me on the cheek to pull me back to the current moment. He didn’t say a word, just a simple and gentle kiss was all I needed and I was there with him again.

  “I’m excited to see this show. I don’t get to come to the theater as much as I’d like because most of my friends don’t have time.”

  “Mattie doesn’t have time?” he asked.

  “Okay, she has time, she just hates the theater, opera, and anything else that requires her to pay attention for long periods of time.”

  “Well, I’ll take you to the theater anytime you’d like.”

  We were dressed up and seeing a full-length play downtown; I felt like an adult. It’s weird to think that most of my life I still felt like a child, but it was often true. I called my parents with questions about dinner, I talked with Spencer’s mother when I had child-rearing questions…in general, I often felt like I was a teenager pretending to be an adult. But in that moment, as I slipped my arm into Brandon’s and we walked swiftly into the theater, my posture straightened and I let the adulthood wash over me.

  The theater was a magical experience for me, just like going to the movies. The way artists could bring you into their world and make you feel like you were there – I admired that so much.

  I knew I could have had a wonderful career as an artist if I would have continued on with my passion. There’s no way of knowing if I would have been any good at it or if I would have made money selling my artwork, but I know I could have been happy. Art had always made me calm and content. So, if I couldn’t spend my time producing beautiful art, I wanted to spend as much of my free time around it as possible.

  Art was more than just paintings to me. I saw it in so many different forms. Artists were musicians, painters, writers, actors, and even inventors. It was odd that so much of my life had ended up surrounded by non-artistic people since I loved the art world so much. Unfortunately, I also loved being able to pay my bills, and that meant I was often surrounded by business professionals and people like me who had channeled their creativity into more lucrative and less risky jobs.

  “This is so good,” I whispered at intermission when Brandon and I got up to walk around.

  “You seem to be enjoying it very much,” he smiled and pulled me close to him. “I love how intently you watch the characters.”

  “Are you enjoying it? I’m sorry if I’m ignoring you.”

  “Oh, I love the theater, but I already saw this play when it premiered a couple of weeks ago.”

  “You already saw this? Why on earth did you bring me, then? We could have done something else.”

  He laughed at how loudly I objected to him. I wasn’t objecting to him bringing me to the theater – I loved the show and really did love having him by my side for it. But if he had already seen it, we certainly could have done something more original with our evening. He didn’t have to sit through a second showing of the play. I had probably been a little loud in my exclamations also, since I noticed several people giving me dirty looks as we continued to talk.

  “I wanted you to see it,” he said.

  His hands gently tugged on my hips as he decreased the distance between us. I melted there with him. My body physically melted into his and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to pull myself away, or that I’d be able to behave myself. My body tingled with energy as his hands gently rubbed up and down the small of my back.

  “I’m glad we came. I really did want to see it.”

  Our mouths found each other’s as we pressed the delicate skin of our lips together and stayed that way until the lights flickered, signaling the end of the intermission. The evening had been perfection – but then again, every time I was with Brandon it seemed to be near perfection.

  We snuggled close to each other as the final scenes of the play were acted out for us. The people around us seemed oblivious to the random acts of public affection we gave each other throughout the last act. Brandon rubbing my back, me turning to kiss him; our bodies continued to find a way to stay close to each other.

  The perfection of the night continued as Brandon took me to a small night club for a drink and a little more getting to know each other. It was clear he was really a good date planner. He had cultivated the evening to such perfection that it seemed like he knew me inside and out.

  “I’m really glad I didn’t dump you after the first date,” I laughed as we sat in a corner booth and sipped our drinks.

  “Wow, I’m glad, too. Were you thinking of dumping me?”

  “Let’s just say I’m not used to agreeing to a second date. I’ve got high standards, you know.”

  “Oh, yes, I can tell. I’m glad you didn’t dump me, though…really, really glad.”

  “And that sushi date, well, you are really lucky I returned your calls after that. You could have gotten us arrested with all that handsy stuff.”

  His face lit up with the memory of how he had teased me that afternoon. He even seemed proud of the torture he had put me through and the pleasure he had delivered. His boyish grin didn’t stop as he leaned over and gently bit my earlobe and I felt his hand on my thigh.

  “We could give it a try here, if you’d like?”

  “No!” I protested and playfully pushed him away. “Anyways, there’s no possibility that this dress is moving. I’m stuffed in here like a sausage.”

  “You are the most beautiful sausage I have ever seen.”

  If anyone else had been privy to our conversation, they likely would have thought Brandon was appalling for saying such a thing, but I adored his humor. It was fun to be around a man who didn’t take life too seriously, yet had accomplished a lot with his life. Usually, those two traits didn’t exactly go hand in hand with one another.

  “I’m probably only going to have this one drink. I think I’ve still got some of my pre-date fuel running through me,” I laughed.

  “I was wondering if you wanted me to give you a tour of my place. You know, a normal house without the need to swim up to it?”

  His hand moved gently up and down my arm, and I saw the desire in his eyes as he looked over my body. It wasn’t very often that a woman could be completely ogled by a man and feel empowered by it. But I felt empowered by Brandon. The look of pure lust that washed over him gave me a power I hadn’t even known I longed for.

  I let his gentle touch entice me for a moment as I tried to prolong my answer. Of course, I was going home with him. I’d been thinking about his body and mine together since the last time we had seen one another. There wasn’t much else I could imagine myself doing with my night. I certainly hadn’t planned on going back to my place alone while Connor visited his grandparents. Nope, there was only one correct answer to his question.

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  “Check, please,” he said as he raised his hand to catch the attention of our waitress.

  I watched him quickly fill out the check and give the waitress a tip of $200 for our two drinks. Th
at was the kind guy Brandon was, and that small gesture cemented my already growing belief that he was indeed a good man.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Brandon

  “What’s going on?” Del asked as we pulled up to my house and the lights from the security company shone into our vehicle.

  “Sir, would you like me to stop here? I don’t think I can pull into the driveway,” the chauffeur said.

  “Yes, that will be fine. I’m sure it’s just a false alarm,” I said as I held onto Del’s hand. “The thing hasn’t been working great for a while. Wait here for a second, and I’ll go talk to them.”

  I climbed out of the car, but she was right behind me as the guard came to meet us at the beginning of the driveway. Del was probably more worried about it all than I was; her hand shivered in mine, and I squeezed it slightly to comfort her.

  “Hi, I’m Brandon Baker, this is my house. Did the alarm go off mistakenly? It’s been doing that. I had it off for a few weeks, but someone came over yesterday and said it was fixed.”

  “Sir, it appears there’s been a break in.”

  “Really?”

  It was a shock to hear that there had actually been a break in. I really didn’t expect it and instantly became more aware of my surroundings and what was going on. There were two security vehicles that had pulled around in my driveway, and I noticed some people moving throughout my home.

  “Yes, sir. The alarm reported a breach in the front door; when we arrived, it was wide open. Police are on their way. If you’d like to come with me inside, we can look around with you and make sure everything is all right.”

  “So someone really broke in?” I asked.

  “It appears so, although I’m not sure you have anything missing. The electronics from the living room are all still intact. It’s possible the alarm scared the burglar off.”

  “Wow, I’m just surprised someone would try to break in. This neighborhood is so secure.”

  The security guard laughed at my comment and smirked a little. For the first time since moving to my house, I realized that the security I felt was likely imaginary.

  The alarm company had to have been at my house for at least fifteen minutes by the time Del and I had arrived there, yet the neighborhood security guard still hadn’t arrived to check things out. The alarm on the house had probably gone off for a few minutes before the alarm company showed up with their security officers, as well, and there were no local police officers there at all. My feeling of safety was quickly shattered by this incident.

  “Let’s go through the house,” the man said without commenting on the local security and their lack of presence on the scene.

  “I’ll wait here, if you don’t mind,” Del said as she looked toward the house. “What if they are still in there?”

  “It’s not likely, ma’am; I’ve had men sweeping the exterior and interior for the last ten minutes. You are welcome to stay out here, though.”

  “I’ll be right back.”

  All I could think about was that big-necked thug who had been at my house the day before. He certainly was trying to send me a message, and I got it loud and clear. My house wasn’t as safe as I thought it was and for whatever reason, he was intent on instilling a little fear into me. I had underestimated him, and that only happened once for me, I was going to make sure I didn’t underestimate this thug again.

  “The front door didn’t actually have any signs of damage. Is it possible someone else has a key and didn’t know about the alarm?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ve got a few people who work on the house and they have keys. I’ll have to check with them in the morning.”

  “Your computer equipment is still here, televisions, other electronics. Nothing appears out of place. Do you see any concerns?”

  He was right: the house looked to be in the same condition it was in when I left it. Maybe it had just been my housekeeper coming by to drop something off? I hadn’t told anyone I had the alarm fixed; it could have startled her and she left so fast that she didn’t get the door shut.

  Although it was very concerning to have my front door opened and the security company there, if nothing was stolen, I wasn’t going to get myself too worked up about it. There were too many other possible reasons that the alarm could have gone off.

  “I should check my safe,” I said to myself when we got to the bedroom.

  As I punched in the code, the safe opened and everything was in its place. Nothing was missing, no electronics stolen, the house hadn’t been ransacked – I had to chalk it all up to some sort of fluke for the time being.

  “Can you increase the patrols around my house please? I’d like to have a car here at least once an hour until I figure out if this was really a break in or not.”

  “Of course, sir. If you continue to have issues, I could give you the name of a private security firm that offers protection detail, as well. It’s run by my brother and very good.”

  “Oh, no. I don’t think that will be necessary. Just swing by a little more often and that will be fine for the time being.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll wrap up my report and get out of your hair.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I’m Joseph Rigs,” the man said as he reached his hand out to shake mine.

  “Thank you, Joseph. I appreciate you guys getting here so quickly.”

  As the men packed up and made their way off the property, I grabbed Del and brought her inside. Our night had gone so well that I hated having it end on a sour note, but I understood if she didn’t want to stay.

  “I’ll get my keys and take you home. I’m sure you’re exhausted by now.”

  “Nope,” she said softly as she dropped the red shawl she had wrapped around her shoulders to keep warm. “I’m not tired.”

  “You know what? You don’t look tired.”

  My body reacted with an explosion of desire as Del gently bit her lip and looked up at me. We stood in the entryway for less than a minute before I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the bedroom. The urge to taste her body was overcoming me and I needed to get that dress of and have her.

  “Is everything all right?”

  “I don’t think it was a break in. I probably forgot to lock the door or something. Everything…is…perfect…” I said as I watched her slip her hands behind her neck and unzip her dress.

  She locked eyes with me, and I felt as if she had total control over the situation. Every moment had my attention. Every lick of her lips pulled my eyes toward her. So when she finally let her dress fall to the ground, my eyes first followed the dress before returning to her magnificent curves as she stood in front of me.

  Lust was a feeling I was comfortable with. I knew what it was like to want the sweet release of an orgasm and to have a beautiful woman in front of me just begging for me to bring her some pleasure. With lust, I wasn’t concerned about anything other than how I could get my own pleasure and maybe give the woman a little bit of pleasure of her own.

  Yet as I stood there looking at Delilah, I felt something more than lust. My body longed to be close to hers. Not just in a way that could bring me pleasure, but I actually wanted to have her next to me. It was a strange emotion that I wasn’t ready to label, but my urge to have her near me didn’t scare me, either.

  For years, fear was a common emotion that I’d kept hidden, running away from any woman who elicited real emotions from me. But this time, I took a step toward Del. The unknown of whatever was ahead for me didn’t scare me in that moment because the longing I felt was stronger than the fear.

  Her hands reached out for me and pulled me next to her. I made quick work of getting out of my suit so I could feel our skin together. Every soft caress of her fingertips sent more and more blood surging to my body. My calmness and need for her converged, and I couldn’t take the pressure any longer.

  “I’m going to rock your world,” I whispered in her ear.

  “Not if I rock yours first.”

  Del gra
bbed the waistband of my boxers and thrust them to the ground as she fell to her knees. Before I knew what was going on, she had her lips wrapped around me and I was moaning out in utter pleasure.

  Her hands were planted on my hips and instead of denying my thrusts, she encouraged them. Her body urging me on as we moved together in perfect sync. Was this real? Was this girl of my dreams really taking control and giving me exactly what I dreamt of? It was too good to be real – everything about Del was so perfect.

  My brain wanted to analyze the situation, find faults that would make it okay for me to turn and run away from this perfect woman. But my body wasn’t going to let me run. The connection I felt with her was more primal than I could remember feeling even with my ex-wife. I was energized when around her, I felt better, stronger, and more willing to take on the world.

  No matter how Del had come into my life, I was happy she was there. I was even happier that she had taken control of our night and demanded the pleasure she wanted to give me.

  Women didn’t seem to take control in the bedroom much anymore, so it was refreshing when one did. I was tired of being with women who constantly waited for me to make the moves. A man could only give so much before he wanted something in return.

  That concept was the same in business as it was in love. The balance of a symbiotic relationship took work, or so I had thought for years. My perception was that a balanced relationship wasn’t possible without the sort of work that I had put into trying to save my marriage.

  But Del was teaching me something in this moment of pleasure. There was no worry of balance if you were matched up with someone who gave just as much as you gave.

  I closed my eyes and gave in to the pleasure she delivered. I gave in reluctantly as my mind tried to fight it. Control was what I was used to. Giving instead of receiving was my norm, but this girl was taking all the norms I was comfortable with and throwing them out the window.