by Alexa Hart
“Yes, you’ve mentioned that once or twice,” I played, winking at her. I loved her, and it wouldn’t have mattered to me if she ended up alone in a house full of feral cats and miniature garden gnomes.
She sighed and listlessly picked up the stack of construction paper masterpiece drawings the kids had worked on today. “You know, you think it’s funny now, but when you’re stuck in some loveless marriage cursed with a bunch of hellions screaming at you all day and some boring dude who forgot you had a vagina about the same time his dick stopped working properly...” her tirade faded out and I waited, heavily amused now. Felicity didn’t smile though. She was holding one of the drawings and staring at it with a disbelieving scowl. “What in the actual fuck, Abby?”
“What?” I felt extremely alarmed without having the slightest idea why.
“THIS.” Felicity flipped the paper around so I could join her in her horror.
At first it was just a blur of stick figures and carefully drawn daisy-like flowers. Focusing in, I realized two of the stick figures – a male and female, judging from the hair – were on one side of the page and a stick figure with some sort of attempt at a black suit was on the other side, pointing what could only be a gun at the others. Then it hit me that the female had bright red streaks coming out of her stomach area and blue tear marks on her circle face.
The last detail I noticed was the adorably scrawled “Gia Morano” in purple crayon at the bottom right hand corner.
I felt my insides boiling with a hatred I was unaware I had possessed for Mr. Morano. That son of a bitch.
Continue Reading Marcello
Daddy’s Little Girl Is In For One Wild Ride!
Julian Price.
Billionaire businessman.
Hotter than pure sin.
My new boss…
Or should I say, my temporary boss.
My soon-to-be ex-boss as soon as I can get him to fire me.
You see, no one even bothered to ask me if I wanted this job. And newsflash… I don’t!
My father thinks he can control me. Thinks he can use me as a pawn to get what he wants.
But this job won’t last long. I’ll make sure of it.
I may have had a teenage crush on Mr. Price, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that he’s playing this dirty game with my father. I’m sick of being controlled.
Then suddenly everything changes, and I find myself wanting to give Julian a piece of me that I’ve never shared with anyone before. And something tells me he’s just man enough to take it.
But my father would never accept our relationship.
He ordered me to be Mr. Price’s personal assistant, not his filthy little plaything.
This can’t last.
But I can’t lose Julian.
From contemporary romance author Alexa Hart – a standalone, heart pounding, passionate, forbidden romance that will set your Kindle on fire! Daddy’s friend has been a very, very naughty boy. Complete with a Happily Ever After!
Chapter 1
Ryan
Pulling at the uncomfortably high neckline of my Valentino dress, I brace myself, readying to enter into the long-forgotten world of my parent’s uppity lifestyle. Today, I moved back into my childhood home, in Westchester, New York. I haven’t been home once through my four years of college, always having made some excuse to avoid holidays – a paper here, an exam there; my parents never questioned it much. As I descend the marble staircase into the awaiting sea of old money and high expectations, I solidify the cool and collected exterior I perfected throughout my ornate childhood. As the governor’s daughter, I can’t make a mistake. I have to be perfectly polite, educated, and beautiful as ever.
“Oh darling, I wish you would have let me get that tailored for you, it doesn’t fit right at all.” My mother whispers in my ear, taking my arm in hers as she discretely tugs the waist of my olive-green day-dress. I ignore her comment, smiling dutifully.
“Where’s Mr. Kimmel?” I ask her, referring to the publisher that she’d promised to invite as a way of stifling my protests to holding this graduation party. She glanced around the crowd momentarily, her eyes barely scanning the faces of the many guests I don’t actually know.
“I’m sure he’ll arrive soon.”
I grimace at her vague answer. It wouldn’t make a difference to either of my parents if he showed up or not – to them, writing is a menial pastime. I still cringe at the rare times I allow my mind to wander back to the day I first told them I’d be majoring in literature, not accounting.
“Oh, there she is!” My father clasps a large and stern hand around my waist, pulling me in for a hug. I return the gesture haphazardly. He’s only ever hugged me in front of company.
“Father, I hope I haven’t kept you waiting too long.” I smile at the men surrounding us. One is older, with gray hair and matching light eyes. I don’t recognize him. The other is a familiar face, who draws a blush on my cheeks, an annoying remnant of my adolescence. Julian Price, CEO of Price Industries, is an occasional dinner guest of my father’s. Between his New York roots, and his massive commitment to philanthropy, he’s basically a prince in this city. Meaning his support matters more than most when my father wants to be reelected. Riches and social do-gooding aside, the man is quite handsome. He is middle-aged, though not nearly as middle-aged as my parents. His black hair is starting to show faint shades of gray in its immaculate styling, perfectly complimenting the smattering of scruff around his strong jaw. With oak-green eyes and a straight nose, he’s the definition of classically handsome. I meet his gaze head on, nodding at him and the other man, who glances at my father once before suspiciously excusing himself from the conversation.
“Ryan, you remember Julian Price, don’t you?” My father nudges me.
“Yes, it’s lovely to see you again Mr. Price, thank you for coming.” I smile sweetly at him, earning a nod and a glint of amusement in his emerald eyes, and I am sure he knows the smile is fake.
“Of course, congratulations.” He is short almost to the point of being dismissive, but his smirk is mischievous, and suddenly I am uneasy in the conversation.
“Ryan, Mr. Price here has just graciously agreed to give you a job.” My father takes a long sip of his scotch-filled glass, ignoring my wide-eyed glance between the two of them.
“Forgive me if I’m wrong, Mr. Price,” I start, coolly, “but I thought your company was in telecommunications?”
“Yes, that's right, it is.” He confirms, bubbling anger in my chest as I send him a glare meant for my father.
“I’m not sure how I can be of help to you, as my degree is in literature.”
Julian ignores my glare, his lips spread into a wide, lopsided grin. My father answers for him, as I knew he would.
“You are going to be Mr. Price’s personal assistant while you learn the industry ropes, and then later we can talk about finding a more permanent position for you.” My father looks at Julian for confirmation as he speaks to me.
“Of course,” Julian says, nodding politely. “I look forward to having you – I’m sure your degree will come in handy; I’ve been told that my correspondence skills leave something to be desired.”
My father lets out a hearty laugh, clasping Julian’s shoulder and leading him away from the ambush I just fell victim to. Despite the sincerity in Julian’s voice I can hear the subtle edge; he’s baiting me, but why?
I scan the crowd one last time for Mr. Kimmel, the only guest I requested at this garish party, and sigh. He’s not here; somehow, I knew he wouldn’t be. I’m sure there’s an invitation earmarked for him somewhere in one of the many trash bins on our estate. Bounding back up the double staircase I leave the party in search of peaceful solitude, but before I can turn the corner, I catch Julian’s gaze from the bar. He is watching me. Taking a short sip of his drink, he smiles and winks, amusedly. I ignore the gesture with a huff, disappearing behind several locked doors.
Continue Reading Boss Naughty
About the Author
Alexa Hart is an author, wife, mommy to two adorable fur babies and big-time hopeless romantic. When she’s not writing, she loves spending time with her amazing husband (her very own real-life bad boy), growing gorgeous flowers in her garden and finding inspiration for her next book literally everywhere she looks. Love is all around us and it brings her so much joy to bring that love to life in each story she writes.
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