Unwanted Attraction: A Billionaire Romance

by T. R. Iyer

  It was ten minutes until the boys finished school and twenty minutes until they would be here. Toby was a charming boy, and when I say charming, I really mean going through that teenage rebelling stage. He was older by three minutes and always in a bad mood. On the other hand, Mack was much shyer and blushed whenever spoken to. He was the quietest out of them all.

  They both had their dad’s charming good looks.

  It did not worry me too much that he had teenage children or that I was only seven years older than them, but it did bother his ex, Karen. She called me the “young floozy he was fucking through his midlife crisis.” Meanwhile, my personal favourite to call her was “his teenage dream.”

  She never saw their split coming. He told me they were not sleeping together, had not done it since she fell pregnant. They had separate rooms for six years before he just got up and finally walked out when they were ten. There was no love there, and he thought there never had been. It was a mere teenage infatuation filled with lust. She, however, was in love with him still. I think he filled her with false hopes when he designed and built the apartments for them to live in.

  When she first walked in, I was surprised. She was not what I had been expecting. I was expecting a warm, friendly woman. She was very small, not at all intimidating with her size, until she spoke. And there it was—that resting bitch face look. Griffin had mentioned the skinniness was due to drugs. I knew the moment we met, she would make this tough between us. I could not think otherwise when her marble-like eyes always looked mad, and she kept a cigarette tucked behind her ear, near her mousy brown short hair.

  The first time I caught her waltzing in and making herself at home, I thought that they were getting back together and had been screwing behind my back. I instantly turned around and walked back out of the apartment.

  For three days, I had ignored his calls and texts and pretended I had not listened to his desperate voice mail messages. I held my ground until he drove for two hours over to my parent’s in Mosman and begged me to talk to him. I did, and somehow, that talk convinced me to move in with him. He explained she did that sometimes, but there was nothing even remotely sexual between them.

  They were friends for the sake of their children. It was normal, right? It would stop once we began living together, I thought.

  Wrong.

  So, I had gone back to the house and hoped for the best. As I was carrying a box of belongings up the stairs, his ex-fiancée came over and made her thoughts known—clearly letting her bitch side come out without any remorse or regret. She had told me that I was never going to be their boys’ mother, and if I ever tried to be, she’d put me six feet under. Griffin, hearing all of that, came over and told her to calm down and back off.

  This woman was marking her claim and letting me know. She was the only woman in their life. Sometimes, I think she thought Griffin was still hers, too.

  “Do you have work this weekend?” he asked, sitting up and finding his boxer shorts that were at the foot of our mattress.

  Staying in bed, I watched him with devouring eyes. “I have it off. Why’s that? Do you want to do something?”

  “Does it count if I say you?” He grinned slipping a leg into the bottoms. Looking more serious, he kept his voice low and words short. “There’s a game on.” It was not a request. He was simply telling me that he was going.

  “Hot men, lots of cash…Who wouldn’t miss that for the world?” I teased, and a laugh escaped as he raised a brow at me. Correcting myself, I said, “I’m sorry. I meant one extremely hot man.”

  “Better.” Having finished dressing up, he rubbed his chin and bent down to pick up something. Turned out it was my black thong, and he handed it to me. “If she switches weekends, do you mind watching them while I’m out?”

  I knew that was coming. Still, he always asked if I was okay to watch them. Raising my hips back up, I pulled the tiny fabric up my tanned thighs and covered the bare part he was staring at. “Of course. I love those boys. You know that I don’t mind looking after them. They’re safe with me.”

  Leaning over the bed, he placed a chaste kiss against the bare skin of my stomach. “I know they are.” Once he had helped me up, he gave my behind a playful slap. “Behave at work.”

  “Always do. Don’t forget to heat up your dinner in the oven, not microwave like last time.” I winked and stood on my tippy toes, wrapping my arms around his neck as he slid his around my lower waist and squeezed my bare ass. “Tell me you love me before I leave,” I asked with a whisper.

  “I love you,” he said, staring into my eyes and rocking me to my core. “You love me?”

  Almost pressing my lips against his, I whispered, “I love you. You know I do.”

  “I do. I’ll wait up for you. Call me when you’re finished.” He always said that, but I wouldn’t call knowing it would only wake him up.

  Trying to decide what to wear to work tonight while Griffin took the boys to his studio was routine to me. I ended up slipping into a pair of black skinny jeans that clung to my ass and a long, white tee that fitted loosely but hugged my curves enough. I left my arms exposed to show off the black ink my boyfriend liked to draw all over me. He was making me way more addicted to tats than I needed to be. When you date an architect, who was also a qualified tattooist, you just let him draw. I loved it, though. He would draw something up and show it to me. I never hesitated to let him put it on my skin.

  I tied my long black hair up into a messy knotted bun. Working in a café was fun although the hours sucked during the week. I was glad to have most weekends off on a rotating roster. My mum rarely showed up anymore. I would be lucky to see her maybe three times a month. Other than that, I was the girl in charge of opening and closing.

  Bending down, I dug through the bottom of the wardrobe until I found what I was looking for: flats.

  This room was far too small for my things, but I did not tell him that. This house was designed to fit a man and two children. It was gorgeous and very modern but also boyish. I tried to make it slightly prettier, but I was met with mock horror and a candle that was only allowed to come out of the drawer when Griffin was feeling romantic and wanted to drip hot wax over my naked body as he fucked me until I was flushed pink with handprints and marks all over.

  Our sex life was extremely fun—spontaneous with a hint of kink to it. Who was I kidding? There was a lot of kink between us.

  After doing a thick eyeliner, I glossed up my lips and made my way outside. At almost 3:00 pm, I headed to the car, trying not to notice the woman sitting on the wooden porch chair out the front of her house. She did not even try to hide that she was staring at me.

  I should give her the finger, but I chose my best friend’s advice and ignored her.

  Harvey was wiping down the wooden counter when I walked through the sliding door. He looked up and smiled. “Afternoon,” he called out loudly. I was used to it, as his earphones were blasting music, something he always had on while cleaning. “How’s the day been treating you?”

  I gave him half a shrug, rolling my eyes. “It was great until Karen appeared.”

  “You’re kidding. She came over again?” He knew without having to ask.

  “Too early for a drink?” I asked with a wink.

  “Won’t say no.” He smirked, making his way over to the coffee machine. Harvey made the best coffee ever. My favourite was his dirty hippie. “You look good tonight.”

  I just smiled. His compliments were a usual thing, but I took no notice. He was just being friendly.

  Harvey was what women would call fucking gorgeous. It seemed all the men in my life were. His short dark brown hair was tousled up and shaved on one side, and he had a brow ring and sleeve of tats on both arms. Add to that the nose piercing and his bright blue eyes that looked like pools of crystal clear water. Harvey was a one-night stand kind of guy and never banged the same girl twice. There was no sexual relationship between him and me. We became friends when we first met at work, and it sta
yed that way. That was probably why Griffin loathed him so much. Harvey did not like Griffin either. If I had a dollar for every time he told me that he was too old or that I could do better, I would be the millionaire.

  I’m not kidding. Those two would grin and bear it, but only for my sake.

  Passing over a coffee cup, I found my black apron and tied it around my waist. “To work tonight!” I grinned.

  Holding it up as if to toast with me, he grinned back. “To one hell of a night.”

  ***

  It was more than one hell of a night. It was a nightmare! There wasn’t enough coffee to keep me awake at the end of the night once I had finished mopping the floors and locking up.

  There were two fights, and one of them ended with a table being smashed and the police arriving to haul their drunken asses out of the café—just one of the downsides of working in a café that stayed open to the late-night diners. At first, it seemed like a good idea, and most of the time, it was. But then random drunks appear, and soon, I was being hit on by the usual wasted men and some women. Apparently, having tats and black hair made me look like a hard-core lesbian. No, I was straight. Even though Griffin would probably love to watch me with another woman, it was not going to happen.

  I liked cock, more specifically, his cock.

  Also, I did not share what was mine.

  Exhausted and eager to welcome our bed, I walked up the stairs to our front door at almost midnight. I was freaking tired. All the lights were out, except for the soft glow of the hallway lamp.

  The house was silent. It was small, but it suited the four of us well. Everything was almost always tidy. I loved summer here. The sun shone perfectly into our bedroom as we would often lie in bed, talking and just enjoying each other’s company.

  I checked on the boys, both passed out in their own rooms. They are twins but very different.

  Toby’s TV was still on and the movie back at the main menu. I walked over and turned it off. Mack had a book still in his hand. He must have fallen asleep reading as he did so often. They both got a kiss from me. I loved them. They may not be my own children, but I adored these two boys so much.

  Kicking off my shoes as I pushed open our bedroom door, I found Griffin passed out with the TV on and the sheets around his naked waist, covering his hidden possession.

  He always slept naked. Not that I ever complained.

  He woke up with a yawn as I stripped off my clothing and quickly slid in beneath the covers. His arms wrapped around me, and he placed a kiss on my bare shoulder. “You didn’t call.” His sleepy voice was so sexy as his groin flexed into the curve of my behind, making me curl my legs up.

  “And you didn’t wait up,” I whispered, my eyes already closing as my hands slipped over his, interlocking our fingers. I snuggled down, my back against his front as his lips glided against the nape of my neck.

  The woman across the road may cause me some grief, but at least I got to come home to this every morning after work. That was not going to change for anything or anyone.

  If you enjoyed this sample, look for

  Breaking Old Habits

  on Amazon.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I would like to start by thanking my mom for being the biggest source of inspiration behind this book. I started this book at the age of fourteen, and I probably wouldn’t even have thought of continuing it without her encouraging me and stirring my imagination.

  Secondly, I would like to thank my best friend for being my forever hypewoman. Her excitement for this book was the only annoying force that had me going.

  Finally I would like to thank my sister for introducing me to the world of fiction, fantasies, and books and being my “bestest” friend ever. If she hadn’t forced those books down my throat, I would be a mundane woman, with an average life.

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  Thank you so much for reading Unwanted Attraction! I can’t express how grateful I am for reading something that was once just a thought inside my head.

  Please feel free to send me an email. Just know that my publisher filters these emails. Good news is always welcome.

  tr_iyer@awesomeauthors.org

  I’d love to hear your thoughts on the book. Please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads because I just love reading your comments and getting to know you!

  Can’t wait to hear from you!

  T.R. Iyer

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  I am a literature and psychology major and also a practising behavioral therapist. I live with my mum, my dog and my friend. We live in a small city in Mumbai, surrounded by trees and serenity. I had started writing at the age of 15 on Wattpad, since that is where I first started reading books. As a teenager I was very fascinated by the world of romance. I guess that is what brought me here, trying to create my own romantic world of fiction.