Business & Pleasure_A Dad's Best Friend Romance

by Tia Siren

  “Oh my gosh, Kason.”

  Tears streamed down her face while Sarah slept in her arm, and she tossed her free arm around me and pulled me close to her. She sobbed into the crook of my neck, and my fingers fluttered through the tendrils of her hair. When she finally resurfaced, she pressed her salty lips to mine in a flurry of kisses.

  “Yes. Yes, Kason Marx, I will marry you,” she said.

  I held her in my arms while we both looked down at Sarah, and when I could, I slipped the ring from the box and placed it on her finger. Our parents were crying and Marcus was smiling, and when Hanna finally drifted off to sleep, I scooped Sarah up and walked her over to the window.

  “This is San Francisco, Sarah Marx,” I said. “This city is full of beauty and wonders, but it’s also full of people who might hurt you. I need you to know that I will never let them hurt you. Ever. You and your mother will always be safe no matter the cost to me.”

  “And so long as we’re together, you’ll always be loved.”

  I turned around at the sound of Hanna’s voice, and her arms were reached out for Sarah. I smiled and walked her back over only to place Sarah into her mother’s arms. Before I knew it, Sarah was eating again.

  “You’re incredible, Hanna,” I said.

  “And you’re mine, Kason,” she said back.

  “Always and without a doubt,” I said with a smile.

  “Always and forever,” she whispered back to me.

  ***

  END OF THE THIRD STORY

  Daddy Next Door

  I f*cked my son's babysitter and now she's having my baby... for Christmas.

  I'm a single dad who runs a company.

  I don't have much time left over for myself.

  So should I feel guilty for wanting the babysitter next door?

  She's mostly away at college.

  But when she's home, she looks after my son.

  And I look after her.

  And her curves.

  And her sweet spot that only I know how to touch.

  Her parents think I go out a lot.

  They don't know I like to stay in - in their daughter.

  But this Christmas, she's bringing home a special package.

  It's in her belly.

  And it has my name on it.

  Uh oh. I guess we can't blame this one on Santa...

  Chapter 1

  Will

  I was still getting used to living in this apartment. It was so different than the one my wife and I had shared with Avery. This one was definitely smaller, which was okay since I had to take care of it on my own, but it still didn’t seem to hold the charm that Megan had put into our place. I may have been a billionaire, but she’d never wanted a designer. She had always had her own sense of charm and appeal and made our surroundings feel like home. I looked around the empty walls and shelves, and I figured maybe it was time to enlist some help. But not at that moment. I had a business dinner to get ready for since it was only a few hours away.

  I walked past Avery’s room and peeked around the corner to watch him play with some of his toys. He had a vivid imagination, and now that he was five, I was going to start getting him some toys that really started pushing his brain a bit. I smiled and walked into my office, where I sat down to go through the notes at my desk for the business dinner. I opened my file and looked down at the papers, immediately seeing parts that needed to be changed. I slapped my palm against my jacket breast pocket, attempting to find my pen, but it wasn’t there. I never could seem to keep pens, even the really nice ones I got as gifts.

  I opened the bottom drawer, but my supply had been depleted and I had forgotten to order more. I sighed, pulling open different drawers of the desk and shutting them again with no luck. I stood up and walked over to the corner table and slid open the small single drawer. As I reached in to pull out a pen, I stopped and looked down at an old picture of my wife, Megan. She had been dead for almost two years, and there wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think about her. When I met Megan, she was stunning, with long, strawberry-blond hair, freckles, and the kind of smile that would melt any man’s heart. I fell for her immediately, and she for me, and it didn’t take long before we were dressed in white, saying our vows.

  Being without Megan was more than difficult, and with the two-year anniversary of her death coming up, I was trying desperately not to think about her. That was pretty much impossible since every time I looked at Avery, I saw Megan. She used to keep me calm, remind me not to get ahead of myself, and she always made sure I left home with a pen. It was her thing. When I lay in bed at night, I thought about her, missing her lying next to me in her cute little nightgown with flowers printed across it. I hadn’t been with any woman since her death, and I was okay with that. I never wanted to disrespect Megan’s memory, especially not by bringing strange women in and out of the house and letting Avery see that. With or without Megan, I was hellbent on teaching Avery how to be a good man, how to treat women well, and how relationships were supposed to be.

  I walked back over to the desk and sat down, staring at the files in front of me. I pushed Megan out of my mind, knowing I needed to be strong for my son and my always attention-grabbing career. Being the CEO of a big engineering software development firm was a lot to handle, and I couldn’t afford to constantly get distracted. I looked up as Avery rounded the corner, flying one of his toy planes through the air and making shooting noises as he landed it on my desk.

  “Hey, buddy,” I said, wrapping my arm around him and kissing him on the top of his head. “I was just going to come talk to you.”

  “About what, Daddy?”

  “About tonight and how Daddy will have to work,” I replied.

  “Aww, man,” he said, pouting. “I hate when you work at night.”

  “I know,” I replied. “But I have a really important business dinner.”

  “I could be your assistant,” he said, standing tall.

  “I appreciate that, and one day you will grow up to be my partner—even better than an assistant,” I said, “but for now I think it will be best if you stay at Grandma’s house. It will just be for one night, and then I’ll come back and scoop you up.”

  “Will I get to ride the fast train?”

  I chuckled. “Yep. All the way there and all the way back. It’s much quicker than trying to drive through the city and then off to Grandma’s house. What do you think?”

  “Well,” he said, looking up at the ceiling, “I mean, I really like being around Grandma. She always gives me cookies and tells me really good bedtime stories. Last time she let me stay up until nine at night to finish a movie. She said I could be a big boy for the night. And if I get to ride the train there and back, then I guess I’m okay with it. But I want snacks packed in my bag because the train food is yuck, and I want to bring my stuffed bear with me.”

  “You are quite the negotiator.” I smiled. “I have taught you well. All right, if those are your demands, then I accept.”

  “If you’re going to be doing business tonight, do you really need to be doing business now?”

  I looked at Avery and the sad look on his face. He just wanted to spend time with me. I had been busy with work recently and hadn’t had a lot of extra time. I let out a deep breath and smiled at Avery, closing the file.

  “Would you like to go get ice cream?”

  “Yes,” he said excitedly.

  “Good,” I replied. “Go get your shoes on, and we’ll go over to that soft-serve place you like in Manhattan.”

  “Awesome,” he yelled, running from the room.

  I laughed and shook my head, looking over at the drawer where Megan’s picture was. I took a deep breath and pushed down the pain, standing and clicking off the office light. Work could wait another hour. It wasn’t going anywhere. When we were leaving, we passed the neighbors’ daughter, Ella, in the hallway. I almost didn’t recognize her in her tight jeans and Harvard T-shirt with her long dark hair and perfect skin. She w
as not the awkward teenager I remembered from when I moved in.

  “Ella,” I said happily. “You’re home from Harvard. How are you?”

  “Oh, hi, Mr. Scott,” she said, smiling.

  “Please, call me Will,” I replied, taken aback by her beauty. “And you remember Avery.”

  “I do,” she said, smiling at my son. “And yes, I’m home for spring break. I had the option to stay, but I really missed New York and my family, so I drove back home a couple days ago.”

  “How is school?”

  “It’s hard.” She laughed. “But I didn’t expect Harvard to be a cake walk. All in all, I really love it, but I do have to admit that a week away is nice. Oh, and I was going to stop by your place this evening to talk to you.”

  “You were? Have you changed your mind and decided to go into engineering so you can come work for me after graduation?”

  She laughed. “No. My major is still in education. I wanted to let you know that if you need anyone to watch Avery over the next week, I can babysit any time. It’s almost impossible to work while going to Harvard, and I like to make a little money on the side so I’m not racking up bills on my dad’s credit card all the time.”

  I chuckled. “Understandable. I’m sure your father appreciates that.”

  She smiled. “I’m sure he does, too.”

  “Well, if you’re interested,” I replied, “I actually have a really important business dinner tonight. It’s with some clients I just can’t put off, and the event has been planned for quite some time now. I have a nanny who helps on a regular basis, but she’s out of town this week. I was going to take him over to my mom’s. We were going to leave in an hour or so. She lives in Hudson, in a nice little neighborhood over there. The biggest issue with that is the two-hour train ride—both ways. He was going to have to spend the night there because by the time I’m done with the meeting, he will already be asleep. There’s no point in waking him up to take a two-hour train ride back home in the middle of the night. So, having overexplained all that, if you have time, I’d love to have you sit tonight.”

  She laughed. “Okay. Yes, definitely. What time do you need me to come over?”

  “That’s awesome,” I said, relieved. “We’re going to get ice cream, and I have to get ready. How about six?”

  “That’s perfect,” she replied. “Are there any allergies or anything I should be aware of? I know kids change as they get older.”

  “Nope. Just his ‘allergy’ to broccoli,” I said.

  “Well, I guess that means no broccoli ice cream,” she said, looking at Avery.

  “Yuck,” he said, making a disgusted face.

  We parted ways, and I took Avery to get ice cream, reminding him to behave himself with the babysitter. He was always a good kid, so I really wasn’t worried. When we got back, it was around five, so I jumped in the shower and got ready for the dinner. It was a black-tie event, so I had to get my tux out, something I hadn’t worn since my wife was alive and we attended the Christmas ball with the company. I had to admit, though, I looked pretty suave in it.

  When Ella knocked on the door, I let her in. We both stood still, shocked, in the entryway, staring at each other’s attire. She was wearing tight black spandex pants, a tight cropped shirt, and a long sweater over the top. I, of course, was wearing my tux. She was obviously dressed for comfort, but she looked insanely sexy.

  “You look nice, Mr. Scott,” she said, smiling.

  “Please, call me Will,” I replied. “My number is on the fridge. Call me if there’s an emergency. I’ll call the house phone when I’m on my way back.”

  “All right.” She smiled as I headed for the door. “Have fun and land the big deal!”

  I paused when she said that. My wife used to say that to me every time I left for a meeting. I shook the thought from my mind and headed out the door. I couldn’t let that distract me, not this time. However, distraction seemed to be the name of the game. Even though the dinner went off without a hitch, I couldn’t stop thinking about Ella in that sexy-ass outfit and how it had hugged her body perfectly. I was still thinking about it when I got back to the apartment. I tried to divert my eyes every time she walked past me while cleaning up from the fun they had.

  There was just something about her that made me feel unhinged. I wanted to take her right then and there in the living room, but I had to be in control of myself, right? Maybe I could use a little distraction with the anniversary of my wife’s death coming up. Ella was a woman, and not just any woman. She was incredibly intelligent, had this rocking body, and all the visions of her being a little girl were gone. Maybe a woman was just what I needed to remind myself that I was a man—and to help me move on from my wife. Maybe Ella would fit that bill perfectly.

  Chapter 2

  Ella

  I had to admit, even though the Harvard dorms were nice and the beds were extremely comfortable, it was wonderful to wake up in my own bed back at home for once. I didn’t have to jump up and run to class, be up at five in the morning to cram for an exam, or worry about what society was having what meeting that day. I could just relax.

  I turned over in bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking about the night before. I couldn’t stop remembering the way Will had looked at me when he’d gotten home from his meeting.

  I had been cleaning everything up from my and Avery’s launch into the world of board games, trying to make the place less of a wreck before going back home. I wasn’t in any hurry other than to get out of Will’s way, but for some reason I felt like he hadn’t been in any hurry to push me out the door.

  Every time I had turned toward him or glanced in his direction, he’d been staring at me with this deep, dark, sexy look in his eyes. It was like he was looking right through my clothes and devouring me with his mind. Normally, something like that would make me uncomfortable, but not with Will. With him, I almost wanted to give him more of a show. It was like he wanted me, and instead of using words, his eyes told the entire story. The way he had bit his bottom lip and gazed at me still sent shivers down my spine. I had liked it a lot.

  It had been a long time since anyone had looked at me with that kind of desire. There were relationships to be had in college, but who had time to study, keep their grades up, manage all their Harvard extracurricular activities, and maintain a healthy relationship with someone? I was sure there were people who did it, but I wasn’t one of them. I was going to Harvard to get my degree so I could teach children, and although it wasn’t my first choice of schools, I knew it would keep my father off me for at least a while, especially since I had decided not to go down his path and become a defense attorney. I wanted to help people who deserved it, not rich assholes who got caught breaking the law.

  All of that was beside the point. At that moment I was thinking about Will and the fact that it wasn’t the first time he had run through my mind. He had only been our neighbor for a little while, but he and my father had known each other as acquaintances for much longer. I had thought about and crushed on Will for quite a while. In fact, I was the type of girl who found older men to be way more attractive than their younger counterparts. Not only did the masculinity of a strong, older man appeal to me, but the sensitivity and maturity of them did as well. Men my age were still boys trying to make their way through life, looking for a girl who was down with them having whatever freedoms they saw fit. That was not my idea of a relationship. I wanted someone who wanted me as much as I wanted them, someone who cherished me and lusted after me even when other women were around.

  As far as Will and my crush on him were concerned, I had never done anything about it. I mean, how could I have? Will had been married for a long time, and he loved his wife so much, which I understood because I remembered her being a lovely lady. Then, when she died, he closed himself off, pushing people away and just doing his own thing with Avery. He mourned her still to this day, which was evident by the pictures on the wall and the fact that no one ever saw a woman at his place—
or at least that was the gossip I overheard when my father talked about Will to my mother.

  Besides, I was almost ten years younger than him. It didn’t bother me, but I could see how it might bother him. And even if it didn’t bother him directly, the blowback from everyone else might be a huge hindrance to us ever trying to have a relationship. My parents would be the first ones to completely lose their minds, and after that, who knew which people would have an issue with it? Society wasn’t capable of accepting a ten-year age gap, even if I was old enough to make that kind of decision for myself.

  I had just turned twenty-one a couple months back, and although I really hadn’t wanted to partake in the ritualistic passage of a person passing from twenty to twenty-one, the girls at school had not taken no for an answer. So, I had gotten dressed up in the traditional bar skank outfit, let them pin ribbons and tiaras to me, and galivanted through town, getting completely wasted at the bar, turning down hungry scavenger men, and passing out facedown in my dorm room, still clothed. It definitely wasn’t one of my more elegant moments at Harvard.

  I took a deep breath and shook the embarrassment from my mind before dragging myself out of bed and pulling my robe on. I wandered out into the kitchen and smiled as I found Taryn sitting at the breakfast table, drinking a cup of coffee and reading a book. Taryn was my little sister, and we were both on spring break at the same time. She was really the only reason I made my way back home to New York for my breaks. For spring break especially, most college kids escaped to the islands to party, and most people at Harvard went abroad or sailing on their parents’ yachts. Not me, though. My father didn’t really like boats and my parents were always busy with work, so holidays had never been a big thing in our house—meaning I wasn’t home to celebrate Easter or anything. Usually, if Taryn wasn’t going to be free from the shackles of the academy she went to, I would just stay in Cambridge and get ahead in my classes for the next semester.