Page 31 of Billionaire Boss's One Night Stand

“Wendy?”

“The CEO, his grandma. Wendy Richards.”

I nodded, the name clicking. “Right.”

We paused to order our meals, and my stomach roiled. I hoped I could manage a few bites, at least. If this persisted, maybe I’d need to find a doctor and see if it was something more than stress bothering me. Maybe a bug or a slight infection.

“What was I saying? Oh, yeah. Wendy. She told him that he could have her position as CEO if he signed Gammon as a client.”

“Ooh.” I nodded slowly. “He sure has a lot of motivation, then.”

“Yeah. He’s been rumored to become CEO any day now. With Wendy getting older, the announcement could come.”

“Why the big deal about Gammon, though?” I couldn’t recall all the details I’d learned since starting there a month ago, but there were many accounts and clients to pay attention to.

“Well, DuPont—Have you heard of them?”

“Yes, I have. The other guys on the team keep guessing what they’re going to propose in their pitch to Gammon.”

“Aaron DuPont is an old… enemy? I don’t know what to call him. He and Matt went to Havard together, and I think that was the start of their rivalry. Maybe with grades? Scores? Awards?” She waved her hand as though to clear the air. “I don’t know. Anyway. Aaron is high up at his family’s company, a direct competitor to the Richardses. I think that Wendy tried to get the Gammon mega corp to go with her, but some good old boys’ club thing had them going with DuPont.”

I smirked. The good old boys. I hated that stupid mindset. It was a blessing that Rupert, Brad, and Eli made sure I fit in on the team. Tom was another matter, but it was far better just to not think about him at all.

“I assume Wendy just sees the acquisition of Gammon as a good challenge for Matt to focus on. A good challenge for him to prove himself to her to get her job.”

“Matt as CEO…” I set my chin in my hand. “I could see it.”

And with that vision, I could see how much harder it would be to ever get him for myself. Me, a nobody from small-town Pennsylvania, landing the sexy and successful billionaire CEO?He was already untouchable as my boss, but as the whole company’s boss, it’d be impossible to make that leap.

We continued to talk about work, gossiping mostly, but then we chatted about this and that too. It felt good to relax with her, but by the end of the night, I was beat. It wasn’t terribly late, but I was so damn tired. My feet ached. My back felt unusually sore. I hadn’t managed much of my dinner, and as I walked home, my leftovers in a container in my hand, I doubted I’d want to eat that tomorrow, either.

I yawned as I reached my building, trudging up the stairs. Once again, I debated how much longer it would take to adjust to this hectic, faster-paced life in the city.

12

MATT

Iexpected my grandmother to want to have words with me after that first meeting with the Gammon reps, but to my surprise, she was too busy for several days afterward. We were close, in a business sense, but I really didn’t know too much about what she did in her personal time. She was a private woman and didn’t freely share much. Perhaps after so many losses in her life, losses that came far too soon, she wanted to guard herself? My grandfather passed away young. Both of my parents had died unexpectedly and too soon in a plane crash, leaving me, young and alone, with her to raise on her own.

I wouldn’t ever say that I was raised without love. Without a doubt, she’d loved me, but I quickly understood that she wasn’t fond of overtly expressing love. And that included not telling me what her newest hobbies were or if she was planning big trips after her upcoming retirement.

Maybe.I wouldn’t be shocked if she clung to her CEO position for another ten years. She was healthy enough to do so for another twenty, really.

She showed up on a Wednesday morning, serious and bright-eyed as usual. Me? I probably looked exhausted from yetanother restless night of dreams about Loren keeping me up and frustrated.

We’d sharedonenight.One. How could that have been enough to imprint her on my mind and my libido like this, unshakably?

“Morning,” my grandmother greeted. She entered my office and let the door close behind her. In a black pantsuit, she looked immaculately put together. Despite the dark hue or the lack of any colors on her, she looked vibrant and bold.

“Going to a funeral?” I asked of her obsidian attire.

“No. Just felt like a good day to wear this.”

I winced. “Is someone getting fired?”

She shrugged, being coy. “The day is young. Who knows?”

I smiled, appreciating her dry humor that she seldom showed. She must really be in a good mood today.

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