Page 4 of Billionaire in Disguise

And stared some more.

And stared just a little more, simply because… wow.

The e-mail must have unbalanced her more than she realized to miss this man. Several inches above six feet, he was massive in a very, very, very (a hundred more verys) good way. His clothing was baggy, yet it couldn’t hide broad shoulders, muscular arms or the backside that was as tight as– She cleared her throat. He had a beard, tousled hair and glasses he’d clearly stolen from someone’s grandpa, yet despite it all, he was… “Gorgeous.”

“Isn’t he?” Chloe grinned. “It’s like he’s trying to hide behind those big glasses and that outfit. Yet somehow chic geek works for him. Actually a paper bag would work for him. Or better yet, nothing at–”

“Chloe!”

Her friend’s smile only deepened. “All the ladies are eyeing him. He would definitely light up your celebration.”

Yes, he would.“What should I do?” she mumbled. “Walk up to him and ask if he wants to be my fake boyfriend for the week?”

Chloe nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

“It’s not a plan,” Adrianna refuted. “He’ll think I’m crazy.”

“Probably.”

“He’ll laugh at me.”

“That’s a definite chance.”

“He’ll say no.”

“Perhaps…” Chloe rubbed her hands together. “Or perhaps not. A free vacation is pretty attractive. He’s new, so he probably wasn’t expecting the time off. He might even consider it an adventure.”

Adrianna peered closer. The man was adjusting and readjusting his seat, as if he couldn’t quite discern how to fit on something so small. “He doesn’t seem the sort who goes on adventures.”

“Even better.” Chloe gestured to the other employees. “He doesn’t know anyone here, so he’s unlikely to gossip, and he’ll be gone in a relatively short time. He’s perfect.”

Could she really do this? In the end, it was the outfit that convinced her.

No one who dressed like that could be anything other than he seemed.

* * *

The outfit had been a mistake.

It seemed like a good idea at the time. He certainly couldn’t wear his five-thousand-dollar Armani suit, and he wanted to look as different as possible from Dominick Knight. So he found clothing two sizes too big and two decades too old, eschewed the products to style his hair and tried to blend into the background. In the end, he may not have been noticeable as the boss, but he was noticeable assomething.

He squirmed in the rolling Frisbee that paraded as a chair. It felt like he was in a cheesy horror flick, complete with useless modern furnishings and fluorescent embellishments. His eyes hurt from staring at the neon walls, and his backside ached from a chair that didn’t cover half his–

“Mr. Walters.”

He looked into the beady eyes of the man who’d been introduced as his boss, Mr. Dobbs. He was not familiar with him, as hiring decisions at this level were well below CEO responsibility. He wore a designer suit, an expensive smartwatch and a consistent scowl. “I need you to clean the break room. There’s a huge mess.”

Dominick narrowed his eyes. The temp job was a relatively low one, yet it entailed only technical responsibilities. “Is that part of my position?” he asked carefully.

“Your position is whatever I tell you,” Dobbs snapped. “If you want to last more than an hour, get that kitchen clean. There’s a rag under the sink.”

The urge to reveal his true identity was almost more than he could resist, yet somehow he grumbled an affirmative as he lifted himself up. How could this be a Knight Technology office? Once, he’d managed every office, yet with thousands of employees spread across four continents, such attention had become impossible. Still, this never should’ve been allowed to happen.

Two men emerged from the break room as he approached. “I can’t believe Dobbs was looking through my food again,” one hissed. “What is wrong with the man?”

The other’s expression was far more thunderous. “At least he didn’t spill yours everywhere, then pretend it was his food. I wrote my name in three-inch letters.”

So Dobbs rummaged through employees’ food, spilled it and then asked someone else to clean it?

---