CEO'd By Him Complete Series Box Set

by Nella Tyler

  “A-ha, see?” Tyler set the bar back in its place. “You don’t know.”

  “Shut up.” I rolled my eyes. “Maybe… maybe the only way to make this work is if I introduce Briella to our father.”

  “Uh, terrible idea.”

  “Is it?” I frowned. “If they get along, then I don’t have to worry about any of this. If they don’t get along, then, well, no real progress lost. I can only benefit.”

  “Or, he could say something horribly offensive, and she could leave your ass,” Tyler offered. “Or, he could hurt her feelings. She could very seriously lose.”

  “He wouldn’t do that,” I assured him.

  Plan in the making, I went to work feeling a bit better about my situation. Still, I avoided my father’s office during the day. Even as I defended him to my brother, I didn’t trust him not to say something that would dishearten me from even being associated with this company. I couldn’t handle hearing another horrible comment from him today.

  After work, I decided to put my plan into action. I had to do something to get everything aligned in my own life. I called Briella when I got home and was relieved that she picked up right away.

  “Hey,” she said. “How are you?”

  “I’m doing well,” I said. I smiled at hearing her voice. “How are you?”

  “I’m all right. It’s been a long day, but things are… things are good.” She sounded a bit bothered by something, but I didn’t want to pry.

  “I have kind of a crazy idea to run by you,” I said. “If you’re up to hear it.”

  “Sure. Shoot.”

  I leaned forward against the counter and took a deep breath. “Do you want to come to Florida for the weekend? Expenses paid?”

  “Oh.” Briella paused for a moment. “That’s, um, that’s a lot.”

  “I know. I know, it’s a big deal, but I wanted to see if you could meet my father.”

  Dead silence.

  “You don’t have to. I’m sorry.”

  “No, I’m just thinking.”

  “I thought that since I met your father, you’d want…” I shook my head. I couldn’t lie about my intentions. “I just wanted you to meet him, that’s all.”

  “I just don’t know if it’s a good idea,” she said. “I mean, I’m not… I’m not really in your league, as far as class goes. I don’t think he’d like me. I’m not a DuBois.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek and furrowed my brow. I didn’t like that train of thought. I preferred the idea that Briella was out of my league, and that my family could never quite earn her trust, not the other way around. “You’re better than any of the DuBois. If you don’t want to meet him, that’s fine. I certainly won’t force you to, and I understand why you don’t want to. But nothing that he says can change what I think.”

  “You’re not trying for your dad’s approval?”

  “Not really.” That wasn’t entirely true, but I liked to think that it was. “If you meet and he doesn’t like you, tough shit for him. But I’d rather try than just assume he hates you. And there’s no reason for him to hate you. You’re successful, you’re smart, you’re beautiful, and you make great coffee for someone who hates coffee.”

  This got a laugh out of her. “I understand. How about I go, and we’ll see if I change my mind about meeting your father?”

  “That’s fine,” I assured her. “Send me your schedule this weekend, and I’ll take care of the flights. I’ve got a guest bedroom in my house, so you won’t need to book a hotel.”

  “Sounds good. I’m kind of excited.”

  I smiled into the receiver. “Me too.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Briella

  Once I allowed myself to get excited about going to Dexter’s house in Florida, regardless of the fact that I was to meet his dad, it was hard for me to endure the rest of the week. He sent me my plane tickets, and I got my dad to drive me to the airport.

  “You’re going to be careful now, understand?” Dad set a hand on my shoulder before I walked off to security.

  “Of course. I’ve flown before.”

  “No, I mean with Dexter. With his family.” Dad frowned.

  I sighed. “Yes, Dad. I’ll be fine. Worst case scenario, I book a flight home, no problem. I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think. I’ll prove it.”

  “You always see the best in people,” Dad reasoned. “I just worry that you’ll be disappointed with what you find when you get there.”

  “Thanks for the pep talk,” I said, a little bitterly.

  “Oh, come on now.” Dad kissed the top of my head. “Have a good flight. Call me sometime and let me know how everything’s going.”

  During most of the flight, I tried not to worry too much about what he’d said. He was right in that I strove to saw the best in people, but I’d always considered that an attribute, not a downfall. I never stopped to consider that maybe I wasn’t optimistic, but rather naïve. The implication that I was flying into a racist shitshow did frighten me a little, but I knew that I was safe, and I had enough money to fly home if I needed to make an emergency exit.

  As the plane started to land, I started to get worked up into a panic. If what my father said was true, I was about to have the most miserable 24 hours of my life. I thought of all the times that Jason had gotten angry with me and I’d hidden in my room, fearful of my life. I thought of how much I wished I could evaporate into nothingness in those moments. I’d been afraid for my future then.

  I was so much more afraid now. Then, the worst that could happen was that everything would end. At the time, that was reasonable. Now, I had the potential to have something really, really good happen to me. The idea that it could all be snatched away by one dinner gone wrong… it was enough to frighten me.

  I couldn’t let it get away. Not just because things might go wrong. It wouldn’t be right to not even try to make things work. I’d kick myself forever if I did that. Besides, this was assuming that I ended up meeting Dexter’s father at all. I hadn’t given Dexter a definitive answer yet; there was plenty of room for me to back out of this, still.

  I hopped off the plane and made my way to baggage claim. Once I’d gotten my suitcase, I started out to the lobby, assuming that Dexter wouldn’t be there; he’d probably send a cab to pick me up. It was a weekday, after all.

  Instead, when I left the building, I saw Dexter standing there. He had a bouquet in one hand, and the other stretched towards me. When I saw the smile on his face, I nearly forgot every thought I’d had on the plane, and I ran towards him.

  “Hey,” I managed, one arm wrapped around his neck. He pulled me close and kissed the side of my head.

  “Hey,” he returned. I pulled away from him to kiss him. It felt like it had been so, so long since we’d seen one another, and yet all of a sudden it was like we’d never been apart.

  “It’s been almost a month. Why does it feel like it’s been no time at all?” I kissed his cheek and made a face at the slight stubble.

  He laughed, and my heart leaped to hear the throaty sound. “I missed you,” he said, as a sort of agreement. “Did you have a good flight?” We started back to the car.

  “Yeah. I was a little nervous. I’m still a little nervous.” I shook my head and ran a hand through my hair.

  “You’ve got nothing to be nervous about. You told me you’d decide when you got here; you’ve got time,” he assured me. “How about dinner tonight? Just you and me, nothing else. No one else.”

  I smiled at his offer. “That sounds perfect.” I needed time to talk to him and catch up with him before I was thrown into the terrifying realm of meeting his father for the first time. Getting familiar with the territory would help me feel a little less nervous.

  When we reached his house, I was reminded again of how lucky I was to be dating him. I didn’t say it out loud, because I was sure that he would tell me I was wrong, but looking at the sprawling lawn and walking in to see the flawless furnishings and designer décor, it wa
s hard not to feel like it would be stupid for more reasons than one to walk away from this. He took my suitcase from me and led me upstairs.

  “I have a guest bedroom set up so you’ve got your own space. I didn’t want to crowd you.” Dexter opened the door to the guest bedroom.

  I could have swooned. The bed, for one, looked magnificent. It was probably the same as his bed, made up with lovely pillow arrangements and a thick, dense comforter. A huge window with the curtains slightly parted let in enough light to illuminate the bouquet Dexter brought that I set in a waiting vase on the dresser. An automatic kettle sat on that dresser, too, with a small box filled with different sorts of tea just to the side of it.

  “It’s beautiful,” I said. “It’s absolutely beautiful.”

  “I’m glad you like it,” Dexter said. He squeezed my hand. “I have to go back to the office for a little bit and fix a few things up. I’ll pick you up from here at about 7, okay?”

  “Okay.” I grinned and watched him leave.

  I knew that things looked bleak, but I couldn’t help but be excited all the same.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Dexter

  Those few hours at work were the longest hours of my life. Knowing that Briella was home and waiting for me was almost unbearable. I didn’t tell anyone about her, nor did I explain my sudden departure before I finished up what I was supposed to do.

  I got back and saw that someone had been rummaging in the kitchen. I couldn’t help but love having her there. Before I’d met her, I’d been more than prepared to spend my life alone, and now I couldn’t imagine a life without her in it.

  “Briella?” I called, unable to find her downstairs.

  “Upstairs!”

  I walked up the stairs with a grin on my face. I wondered if she’d found the dress that I’d bought for her. After a few conversations with Nina on the phone, I’d figured out her size, what she liked, and even coordinated with her best friend to guarantee that it would be a delightful surprise instead of an offensive gesture.

  I leaned on the door slightly and tapped my knuckles to it. “Room service,” I joked.

  “Finally,” she returned with a laugh. “I need a little bit of help.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Can I come in?”

  “Yes, please.”

  I cracked the door open and slid in almost like I was trying to go undetected. Briella stood beside the bed with the dress almost all the way up. The zipper was undone, leaving me a clear view of the smooth, rich skin, obstructed only by the strap of her bra.

  I thought I might start drooling. Thankfully, Briella said, “Could you lend me a hand?”

  “Just one?” I shook my head and pulled the zipper up, pressing my hand to the arch of her back and then holding her for a few moments.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “I almost want to skip dinner,” I admitted.

  “Why would you do that?”

  I shook my head and kissed her neck, hands still tight to her waist. “To tear up this dress I bought,” I murmured.

  I could feel her shiver in my grip. “You know, that doesn’t sound… bad.” I could tell I’d caught her off guard, but the way she pushed her butt back against me told me it was far from a bad thing.

  Before we could get too terribly far, I released her. “We’ll have all the time in the world later,” I assured her.

  She grinned. “Good.”

  Before, when I took her to dinner, I tried not to showboat my wealth. I didn’t want to startle her with five-star restaurants, like some kind of ass who needed to prove that he had money because he had nothing else to offer. Now, though, I wanted to make this date special. I’d made reservations at one of the best restaurants in the city. It was a seaside restaurant, much like the one we’d eaten at before, but this one was much more upscale.

  “It’s beautiful,” she whispered, holding tight to my arm.

  “Not as beautiful as you,” was my knee-jerk reply.

  “That’s the corniest thing anyone’s ever said to me,” she replied, but she was grinning all the same.

  “Really? I seem to recall indirectly calling you a princess at some point,” I recounted, despite my efforts to repress that little incident.

  She seemed to think that it was sweet, though, and she looked at the candle in the center of the table with fascination. “I’m glad we could get away for a bit,” she said. “And I’m glad I could get away for the weekend.”

  “Was work starting to get the better of you?” I asked. “Bridezillas?”

  She laughed at the suggestion. “No, not any Bridezillas. I don’t get a lot of those, actually. I’ve only had one, and then the family tipped me enormously for my trouble.”

  “As they well should,” I agreed. I paused and reconsidered. “So, it wasn’t work. Something else?”

  She wrinkled her nose and sighed. “It’s… well, my mother’s birthday is soon.”

  “If I had known—”

  “It’s not until next week,” she assured me. “I won’t be missing it. But my dad has been really, really down about it. I mean, when I talk to him, he’s fine. But I can tell it’s bothering him, and I don’t know how to talk to him about it.”

  “It’s not easy.”

  “I don’t know how to talk to anyone about it. Except you.” Briella smiled up at me, and she tilted her head to the side. “I never could talk to anyone about that. I’m glad you were willing to listen.”

  “Of course,” I assured her. Honestly, I felt like I had talked to her about my mother’s death, even though I’d carefully kept that information at bay.

  “It’s just hard. You don’t want to bring someone down, but you have to talk about it.”

  “And the people you go to for talking about it move on, and you’re still stuck on the same questions,” I agreed. “Like why it happened and what you could have done.”

  Briella nodded slowly. “Yeah. Yeah, exactly.” She bit her lip and took a deep breath. “You really seem to understand this. When we talked about it before, you said you understood. But you wouldn’t say why.”

  I nodded. It was true that I had done that. I thought about what she was telling me and how much faith and trust she’d put in me just to agree to come out to Florida. It wasn’t fair for me to accumulate information about her personal life while I simply remained like a tomb. My father never shared; maybe that was how he’d become so cold.

  “My mother passed, too,” I said.

  She raised her eyebrows. “Oh. Oh, I’m so sorry.”

  “It was a while ago,” I assured her. “A really, really long while ago. She got sick.”

  She tilted her head slightly, like she didn’t know how to mention that it didn’t make sense for my mother to die of an illness when there wasn’t a treatment in the world we couldn’t afford.

  “I know,” I said simply. “We tried every doctor in the book. We even flew her to Europe to see some specialists there. But her system was just run down. There wasn’t anything anyone could do. Sometimes I wonder if there was anything I could do.”

  “But you must have been just a kid.”

  “I was. But you were a kid when your mother passed. There’s nothing logically that we could have done, but our brains… my brain just forces me to wonder what might have happened if we hadn’t played in the rain, or if I’d made her wear a jacket in the cold.” I shook my head again.

  “But we couldn’t have done anything,” she said. She was quiet for a moment, and then she looked up at me again. “What was she like?”

  “My mother?” I was a bit surprised at the question. “She was… she was kind. Down-to-earth. She cared about people, even if she wasn’t around a lot of the time. She was always making conversation with everyone, no matter where they were from.”

  “That must be how you got so down-to-earth,” Briella mused.

  I smiled. “I certainly appreciate the sentiment. She was always teaching us to respect everyone. She brought out the good i
n my father, too. He was softer then.” I could remember when he used to play with us on the front lawn and talk to us about our days.

  I thought of the skeleton in the office now, collecting on memories and forcing back investments on people who only wanted to choke up a dream. They were different people. Something else occurred to me, and I smiled at Briella.

  “She would have liked you,” I said. “She liked to organize, too, and she loved weddings. She would have seen how amazing you are.”

  “That’s a high compliment,” Briella said.

  “It’s earned, and then some.” I smiled, and I felt my heart knot up. I’d never talked about my mother with anyone except my brother before, and even then, we only talked in passing, in brief, impersonal moments. We didn’t discuss how she’d been, only what she’d left behind. Only the consequence of her leaving to my father. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d let myself remember her smile and her kind lessons.

  Briella let me remember that. I looked at her across the table, face softly lit by candlelight, fingers arched against the pale tablecloth.

  I was falling in love with her. I didn’t know if I could stop it.

  The entire drive back to my house, all I could think about was this newfound emotion. It battered at the inside of my ribcage and begged to come off my tongue, but I knew better. We hadn’t known each other long enough for that, and while I was an emotionally suppressed investment firm worker living in corporate America, she probably had a much healthier system of going through relationships.

  I couldn’t tell her, no. I walked her back up to the guest room, but at the fork in the hallway, I pulled her in for a kiss. It was like I’d never kissed anyone before in my life, new and tender and vulnerable.

  I couldn’t tell her, but I could show her.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Briella

  When Dexter kissed me outside his bedroom, I could tell something had changed. He’d never been so intense right off the bat before. Now he took my bottom lip between his teeth instead of breaking away to catch a breath, and his tongue snatched away any of the breath that I might have had in my chest. He opened the door to his room, and we made quick work of our clothes; despite his earlier statement, I didn’t want to destroy this beautiful dress.