Page 106 of Forbidden Boss (Manhattan Billionaires)

“You’re looking a bit green, Rome,” Wilbur said, shaking his napkin out to place it on his lap. “What’s going on?”

“I wasn’t entirely honest with you,” I said, deciding to rip the Band-Aid off.

Wilbur’s thick eyebrows twitched together. “Go on.”

“Nikki and I did meet at work, and we are together now. I intend to take your good advice and marry her as soon as possible.”

Wilbur hummed. “So what’s the problem?”

“She was hired as an assistant for the production team, and I met her when there was an accident on set. I ended up hiring her to be my plus-one for the various events on my calendar. That’s what she was doing as a consultant for the company. I hired her to be my date, and I never expected it to turn into something real, but here we are. I lied to you, Wilbur. Never directly, but I made you believe she and I were an item for much longer than we actually were, all because I was desperate to win your business. I’m sorry. I understand if you want to rethink our business arrangement, but I felt it better to come clean now, because I respect you as a man and as a business owner, and?—”

I stopped when Wilbur gave me a strange look. His face had gone slightly red, and his eyes were bulging. Then, like an explosion, laughter burst out of him loud enough for the other restaurant’s patrons to turn and stare. He threw his head back and guffawed until tears rolled down his cheeks.

“Uh… I…” I stared at him, at a loss.

“That’s a new one,” he said, dabbing his napkin at his eyes. “You’re telling the truth, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, Roseanne is going to love this. She knew something was funny between the two of you, but she thought it was the baby?—”

“You knew about the baby?”

Wilbur waved a hand. “She guessed it when Nikki was sick when you came down to visit. How’s Nikki doing?”

I couldn’t help the smile that curled my lips. “Good. Great. We’re having a girl.”

Wilbur’s gaze softened. “Congratulations, Rome.”

“So you’re not mad?”

“Oh, I’m furious,” he admitted. “You made a fool out of me.”

I gulped. “Right. And?—”

“But I think falling in love is a good enough comeuppance for anyone, and especially you, under the circumstances.”

I clamped my mouth shut for a second, then dipped my chin. “So you still want to work together?”

“I hired you because you’re the best at what you do. Now, I’m guessing Nikki refused the job with Roseanne because she was afraid of this secret coming out?”

“She didn’t want to lie to you, and she didn’t want to compromise my business.”

“Roseanne will be happy. Should I let her know to call Nikki?”

My heart thumped, and I nodded. “Sure. I haven’t spoken to Nikki about it, but if she’s interested…”

“Good. Now, I’ve got ideas about a few of these proposals we’ve sent through. While we’re here, we might as well get some work done.”

My mind was still spinning, but I forced myself to focus on Wilbur’s comments, noting them down so I could bring them back to the team. By the time my lunch was done, I felt like I’d narrowly escaped being hit by a train. Wilbur shook my hand once more, then got into his waiting vehicle and was driven off while I watched him go.

My phone buzzed. Nikki. She wrote,How’d the lunch go?

I smiled.Good. On my way back.

There was work to do. I had to make sure Ophelia was let go and Wilbur’s comments were sent to the right people. I had quarterly reports to review and a meeting with my executive team.

But all that could wait. There was only one place I wanted to be.

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