by Leslie North
Johnson widened his eyes in surprise as Angie slapped the file down on his desk. “Down to business, then?” she said with a wry smile.
One hour later, she rose and shook the man’s hand.
“Ms. Lopez, it’s been a pleasure meeting with you. We look forward to all the changes Duncan Enterprises is ready to make, and we’re more than pleased to be a part of it,” he said nervously.
“Excellent. Please call me if there is anything else I need to do.” Spinning on her heels, she stalked past an amused Stephen.
“Don’t start,” she warned as soon as she was out of earshot.
“What? I thought you were great in there,” he chuckled.
“You had your doubts though,” she said as she stopped to slap a hand on his chest. “You thought I wouldn’t be able to handle one chauvinistic bank representative.”
“I never said that.”
“Why are you still here?” They stood in the middle of the parking lot, and she squared her shoulders to face him. “You’ve done what you came to do, Stephen. Don’t you have a company to run?”
“Do you want me to go?” he asked softly.
Did she want him to go? She had no idea what she wanted from him. “I’ve got too much going on, I don’t have time for this,” she said softly as she pushed past him.
“That certainly sounds familiar,” he grumbled. She froze and looked over her shoulder at him. He was shaking his head sadly. “Maybe it is the company. It hardens everyone who touches it.”
“The things that you said to me,” she said through clenched teeth.
“But you walked away,” he said. “And this is me now. Walking away.”
She watched helplessly as he did just that. Leaving her in the parking lot with her keys in hand, he walked across the street with his phone up to his ear.
It was lonely at the top.
The champagne popped, and everyone cheered. Stephen stood in the corner of the boardroom as everyone laughed and hugged. They were finally out of the woods. In one month, they’d completely changed their image, and they were flooded with work. They had done it.
She had done it.
No one would dare underestimate Angela Lopez now. She’d proved to the world that she was capable of running Duncan Enterprises. And she didn’t need him anymore. After this afternoon, he would say his goodbyes and head back home.
He had his own company to run, and a house to finish.
She didn’t need him.
“You don’t look like you’re celebrating,” Gabe said as he passed a glass of champagne to him. “You did it, Stephen.”
“It wasn’t me,” he said ruefully. “It was us. We did this. The Maxfield men and one ruthless women.”
“Ah.” Gabe lowered his arm and stared at him thoughtfully. “So that’s what this is about. Angie.”
“It’s not about Angie,” Stephen protested. “I’ll probably go home after this. Kind of bitter-sweet.”
“Go home? Why?”
“Maxfield Construction,” Stephen reminded him softly. “I have a company to run.”
Gabe shrugged. “We could always buy it from you. You’ve made a name for yourself in a small period of time. We could buy it, and you could run the Duncan/Maxfield construction business together.”
“No,” Stephen said automatically. “I need them to stay separate. I guess I need to make sure I’m known for more than Duncan Enterprises.”
“Suit yourself,” Gabe said as he took a swig of his champagne. Stephen noticed Angie was making her way to him. “You know, I doubted Angie a lot these past few years. That was my mistake. But there was only one time that she outright lied to me.”
“When was that?” Stephen asked.
“When she told me that she didn’t love you.”
Stephen whipped his head around, and Gabe gave him a knowing smile. He slipped away as Angie reached him.
“Hey. I wanted to have a word with you,” she said nervously.
“It’s okay,” Stephen said hoarsely. “I’m actually leaving right after the meeting. So you don’t have to worry about any awkwardness.”
“Leaving?” She jerked her head up. “I hadn’t heard that.”
“Well, I’d only made that decision now.” He took a deep breath that rattled his chest. Had she really told Gabe that she didn’t love him? It’s not like that should have surprised him. But it still hurt.
“Stephen, wait,” she whispered. “I can’t…I don’t know…” She set down the glass of champagne. She looked up at him and bit her bottom lip. Finally in a low voice, she said, “Don’t go.”
“I have a whole different company to run,” he said gruffly.
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it. Shit.” She reached out and grabbed his hands. “You were right. I’ve always put this company first, and now that I have it, it feels amazing. It feels like I’ve conquered the whole world, but there is still so much missing. I don’t want to be like your father. I don’t want this to be all there is. When I love something, I need to embrace it. I can’t keep running away from it.”
Stephen’s heart hammered in his chest. “What are you talking about?”
“I would understand if you hated me. I really would. I kind of hate myself too. But if you think that, this might work. If there’s even the slightest chance that we could make this work, I’m here and willing to try.”
He stepped closer to her, and by now, everyone had stopped talking. But it didn’t matter. In that moment, she was the only one in the room. “What are you asking me to do?” he said softly.
“I’m asking you to love me. The way that I love you,” she said shakily. And with that, she rose up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his.
No one moved. No one said a word. Stephen froze. It didn’t even seem possible that after all this time, he’d be able to have it all.
But he had watched his father push love away. And he’d done it himself. Stephen wouldn’t do it anymore. Before she could get away, he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up in the air to deepen the kiss.
“About damn time,” Gabe hollered as everyone laughed and cheered.
Stephen broke apart and stared at her. “I think you’ve finally made our relationship public,” he murmured in her ear.
“I did,” she said wickedly. “But this time, it’s you who’s sleeping with the boss.” He laughed and bent down to capture her lips again.
Epilogue
The elevator doors closed, and Stephen wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her up against him. She squealed and pushed away. “Mr. Maxfield,” she said mockingly. “We are in public.”
“Ah, but I’ll take any chance that I can get,” he said as he pulled her closer. She laughed softly and stroked the fine material of his suit.
“I liked you better in tight jeans. And a hardhat,” she said. She was already growing wet just thinking about it.
“I liked you better in a tight, short pencil skirt,” he said as he brushed his lips along the crook of her shoulder. She moaned as he slipped the strap of her long flowing gown off her shoulder.
Reaching for him, she pulled his head towards her, and he rewarded her with a long deep kiss. The doors opened behind them.
“For God’s sake, can’t that wait?” someone called on the other side. The room burst into laughter, and Angie pulled away. She intertwined her fingers around his as they stepped out.
“Now presenting Mr. Stephen Maxfield and Mrs. Angela Maxfield, husband and wife,” the announcer said over the public address system. The room erupted with laughter and applause, and Angie laughed with glee.
As they moved through the reception to greet everyone, Angie couldn’t help but feel a little thrill go through her. When Duncan announced that she was the new CEO of Duncan Enterprises, she’d felt proud. It was something that she’d worked for her entire life, but love was never part of her agenda. Stephen had swept her off her feet, and despite all the odds against them, they had made it work.
Their life wouldn’t be easy. He would still keep his position as a Board member at Duncan Enterprises, but his passion would always be with Maxfield Construction. He would spend his time moving back and forth between the two companies. His son was still in San Francisco, and Angie accepted that they would spend quite a bit of time apart. But she also knew that Duncan Enterprises would keep her busy, and there wasn’t a single bone in her body that doubted her decision to marry him. He’d made it clear that he was dedicated to their marriage, and she couldn’t imagine her life without him.
“Congratulations!”
Angie turned to see Suzanne and Ben greeting them with warm smiles. Stephen reached down to pick Ben up and whirl him around while Suzanne hugged her. “He’s happier than I’ve ever seen him,” she whispered in Angie’s ear.
It warmed her heart that Suzanne said that. As she watched Stephen and Ben interact, she clasped a hand over her chest. “I’ve never been happier. I have a big family, as you can tell from the wedding, but I didn’t even realize there was something missing until Stephen.”
“You two will make it work. I know it.” Suzanne squeezed her hand before turning towards the buffet.
Angie’s mother was seated at the bridal table. Angie bent down to give her a kiss on the cheek.
“I told you that dress was perfect,” her mother said with a twinkle in her eye. “Oh Angie, I never thought I’d see a day like today. Your career was always so important to you, and I’m so sorry that I doubted that you could have it all.”
“I doubted it too,” Angie admitted. She reached over and snagged a shrimp from her mother’s plate. Her stomach had growled all through the photo sessions after the ceremony. “But I don’t doubt it anymore.”
“What did we doubt?” Stephen asked as he swooped in to give her mother a kiss.
Angie stared at him for a moment. Everything was absolutely perfect. Down at the far end of the table, Duncan, Gabe, and Nathan were actually having a civil conversation. Ben was dancing with one of her friend’s daughters on the dancefloor. Her own family was laughing and dancing. There was so much joy in one room, and she’d never thought it was possible.
But they had all come together for her and Stephen. They were all here because they believed in love.
“Are you okay?” he asked in concern as he reached out to play with a tendril of her hair. “You’re awfully quiet.”
She reached up and clasped his hand. “I’m kind of amazed at how we got here and all the people that we’ve brought together.”
“You were always the right choice,” a voice said gruffly. Angie looked up in surprise to see that Duncan was standing near them. He reached out his hand, and Stephen clasped it. “She’s my family now. See that you treat her right.”
Her husband didn’t say anything, but she could see the pride in his face. He and Duncan had buried the hatchet, and although it might be awhile before they ever had anything close to a father/son relationship, she knew that they had come a long way.
“You’ll look after him?” Duncan asked softly as he released his son’s hand and turned to her.
Angie knew what he was asking. Everyone thought that Stephen would follow in his father’s footsteps, but now Angie had that same power. Duncan Enterprises could consume her like it had consumed Duncan, but she knew if it came down to it, her husband would always be more important than the job. She wouldn’t push her family aside for anything.
“He’s everything to me,” she said simply.
Duncan nodded his head, and Stephen pulled her gently from the table. “You’re everything to me as well. I hope you know that.”
“I know,” she murmured as she lifted her chin for a kiss. He leaned down to taste her, and a thrill raced down her spine. She wondered if she would ever get used to the way that he affected her.
“Are you ready to start your new life, Mrs. Maxfield?” he whispered in her ear.
“Are you?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye.
“I’m letting go of the past,” he promised her, as he pulled her close and started dancing with her.
“Not everything from the past was bad,” she reminded him. “It’s the foundation on which we build our life.”
“I thought I was the construction guy,” he said teasingly.
“I’ve picked up a few things.” She nestled her head against his chest and let him lead her across the dance floor. It seemed almost impossible that they had achieved everything they wanted. Success in business. And in love. And now they had the rest of their lives to enjoy it.
And there was no one else she’d rather spend it with than Stephen Maxfield.
The End
of
The Billionaire’s Tenacious Boss
Book One of the Maxfield Brothers Series.
Book Two, The Billionaire’s Rebellious Lover, will be released on 22nd September 2016.
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