Page 9 of Suddenly Pregnant

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“Fuck,” Jack said, voicing the same word he’d repeated to himself. How did he sleep with his assistant before her first day on the job?

He propped himself to his elbows, then fumbled around, shoving his traitor cock into his jeans and zipping it. If only he’d kept it zipped up moments earlier. “I’m sorry,” he said, turning around to give her time to recompose herself. He wondered if he should stretch out his hand and help her stand, but he didn’t want to make it strange.

By the time he circled to face her, she was already dressed, smoothing her hand over her shirt. Her hair was still disheveled, the waves messy around her face, and her lips swollen and red like she’d been kissed a lot. His heart did a flip in his chest, but he willed any excitement away. He couldn’t make the same mistake again. “I don’t know where to start, Billie. Regardless of what you may have heard about me, I have never slept with an employee before. I have some ethics, even if my recent behavior says otherwise.”

“I…”

He paced around, thoughts jumping in his head. There was no way they could work together now. It’d only make things worse, wouldn’t it? Cold sweat slicked his forehead. If word got out that he slept with her, he was toast. The shareholders had been forgiving enough about his scandal involving Cressida, but this was too much, too soon. Shit.

He was a piece of shit like his father. Just because he didn’t cheat on a woman, didn’t mean he didn’t commit betrayal. He took advantage of her—and in many ways that was more damaging than cheating. At least his mother was aware of his father’s wrongdoings.

Looking at the quizzical expression on her face, he just knew she was still processing what happened. He had to find a solution, and fast. “Listen, Billie, I wish I could take back what I just did. But I can’t. And I don’t want to make you work for me and for things to be awkward for you. So I’ll pay you, give you the amount you’d receive in a year and find a place for you to live. You can travel, enjoy life, you don’t need to work.”

She rolled her eyes, annoyance exuding from her. “I don’t need to work? What am I, a 1950s housewife?” she said, walking up to him.

He ran his hand down his face. Shit, he’d only made it worse. “I don’t mean it like that. It’s just—

She lifted her chin, defiance crossing her eyes. “I came here to work, to learn, and you’re not getting rid of me because we had a couple of beers and got carried away.”

He cleared his throat. “I’m thinking about what’s best for you,” he said, then immediately regretted it. He wasn’t her dad or her husband, and she was right, they didn’t live in the 1950s. He had no business making decisions for her.

“That’s a lie. You’re thinking about what’s best for you. At least be honest about it.”

He sighed. How could he argue?

“Look, if you want me to sign some NDA paper saying I won’t tell anyone that this happened, if that’s your worry, fine, I’ll do it,” she said evenly. “I don’t care. But I don’t want my opportunity to be squashed just because of a mistake that won’t happen again.”

He cleared his throat, his pulse skittering. “Billie.”

“If I can be a big girl about it, you can be too.”

“Okay.” He wouldn’t ask her to sign anything—that was beneath him. He saw the sincerity in her eyes, and damn it, even though he couldn’t, shouldn’t trust her, a silly part of him did. She could have asked for money, could have blackmailed him, and who knows what. But she didn’t. And perhaps she wouldn’t.

If she really wanted to stay and work, learn more about his trade, he couldn’t just shut her out.

After all, he wasn’t some sort of unrestrained savage animal. He’d control himself around her and move forward. There’d be no sexual tension between them, because they’d already had sex. He popped his knuckles. Okay, so now you’re lying to yourself, mate.

Still, he’d worry about that later. This wasn’t about him.

He had to do the right thing. For fucking once. “Okay. We’ll work together and forget this ever happened.”

She tilted her head to the side, narrowing her eyes, as if she didn’t hear him correctly. “Forget that what happened?”

“How was your first day?” Hannah, the receptionist asked, going round the half-moon counter to talk.

Billie sucked in a breath. “It was pretty good.”

Well, if anything, it’d kept her busy.

The previous night had been a dud. To think she’d been worried about getting a good night’s sleep. She stifled a snort. Sleeping became nearly impossible after she lost her virginity to her hot boss, who acted like a jerk after the fact and suggested she go on her merry way and leave.

The memory still stung, and a hot wave of anger passed through her chest.

She’d been used to rejection all her life, especially from her dad. So Jack would have to try harder to get rid of her. He didn’t want to sleep with her again? Fine. But she wasn’t going to just fold and bend, and go with whatever he wanted her to do to make his life easier.

And miss out on the opportunity to buff her resume? To learn things, to make connections, to grow? Maybe the key to her talent was in this very impressive building. Maybe she’d learn what she wanted to do in life from a different person. She’d never know if she didn’t stick to it, would she?

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