Page 10 of The Billionaire's Contract Baby

Chapter 5

CRYSTAL

"Baby,I'mgoingtowork again. Wish me luck!" I kissed Alfred on the cheek, taking as much mental strength from his presence as possible.

He giggled, holding my cheeks with his chubby hands. "Love… Mommy."

"Love you too." I rose from my crouch and faced Jen. She was watching us with a smile on her face. She called me earlier, saying she was coming over. "Thank you for coming by today. I appreciate this."

"Girl, please. We're friends and besides, I have all the time in the world. Alfred and I are going to have fun without you. That would be sad." She pouted, acting as if she would cry.

"Promise we'll have time for our fun. Right now, I've got to get going." I picked up my bag, checking that I had all I needed. Satisfied, Jen escorted me to the door. I gave her a hug and walked out the door.

"Make sure you get our man's attention today!" she called after me. I laughed, shouting that I will. It was a running joke between us.

The taxi I ordered was already waiting at the curb. I slid into the back seat and the car revved to life and drove away. I took a moment to organize my thoughts. Working with Lorenzo over the past week has been some of the best times I've had, but there was always a tension hanging between us. Neither of us talked about what happened between us - the kiss. I was trying to get it out of my mind, but I couldn't. It still appeared in my dreams, even more vivid and raunchy.

I had initiated the kiss, and it made me flush with embarrassment. I blamed it on the wine, although I was in full control of my thoughts. I was afraid to face the fact that I was finding myself falling for him - already. I sighed, looking out the window at the blurry view as the car sped past. I had better get a grip of myself; nothing good would come out of my relationship with Lorenzo. Rather, it was a recipe for disaster.

After what felt like a long journey, I stepped out of the car prepared to face another day with the man of my dreams, and I meant that in the literal sense. I walked into the lobby, earning appreciative glances from others. I was polite to everyone I passed. I was still new and wanted to keep a good reputation. It would be beneficial to have a good rapport with my colleagues, especially since I was the CEO's assistant.

I got in the elevator, pressing the appropriate button for my destination. The doors were about to slide shut when a hand pushed them open. The doors stopped and Lorenzo stepped in looking dashing as ever. The door slid shut behind him and the elevator started.

He stood right in front of me, observing me as if I was him. His eyes never gave away his thoughts. I wondered how he did that. Still, his eyes had a peculiar charm that held you in place. My face warmed as I looked at his lips, remembering the way they felt and all the things they could do to me. I must be blushing because he raised an eyebrow.

Composing myself, I greeted him with, "Good Morning, Lorenzo. Nice meeting you here." His indifferent face eased into a more welcoming smile. He left my line of view and stayed beside me.

"It's a good morning today, yes. You look beautiful." His comment made me stand up straighter. I had let my hair fall around my shoulder and wore a black suit skirt, topped off with a white blazer. Looking at myself earlier in the mirror today, I knew I looked sexy and professional - my body had that effect with clothes, especially suits.

"You don't look too bad yourself," I countered. He chuckled and looked at me thoroughly. I felt naked - but in a sexy way. I've been feeling like that for a while now. Like he could undress me with his eyes, and I'd gladly do as he asked. I've had crushes when I was young, but with him it felt different and more intense. Silence fell between us - it was a comfortable silence, but I wanted to fill the void and ask him other questions like how was he doing? What was going on in his mind?Too intimate. Professional distance, remember? You said that yourself.I looked at him from the corner of my eye, trying to decipher what he was thinking. Was his heart and mind warring as fiercely as mine were?

Ever since that kiss, he had been professional and detached. I guess that was a good thing, but I wanted to see the other side of him - domineering and demanding - touching my body like it was something exquisite and priceless.

"Crystal?"

"Yes?" I quickly shelved all my thoughts and looked around. The elevator had stopped, and the doors were now open. Lorenzo was already outside. He stretched his hand out making acome heregesture at me. I took his hand and left the elevator.

As soon as I exited the elevator, he let go of my hand. I let my hand hang by my side, feeling dejected. Why did I crave for someone I could never have?This is so unfair.We made our way past other offices while drawing closer to his. His back was broad and study. It made me feel like I was under his protection.

What would that feel like? I grew up without my parents. I didn't even know what they looked like. Were they living or dead? I moved a lot and had no sense of belonging or stability. I had to do everything myself just to survive. It would be nice to have someone like him in my life now. To feel safe and protected, and maybe…just maybe… loved.

I thought about Alfred and felt a twinge of guilt at keeping him away from his father and hiding the fact from Lorenzo. If the truth ever came out, he might end up hating me. I should tell him the truth. It would be hard raising him as a single mom. He would get bullied later and would resent me for it. If he stayed with his father, he'd get the best out of life.

I crashed into his back and mumbled a quick apology as I stepped away. Lorenzo stopped and looked back at me. He said nothing - just reached for my hand and made me walk with him faster. He opened the office door and followed me in.

I went to my desk by his table and tried to shut out my personal thoughts. To be honest, I liked his office. It was the best place in the company with an amazing view of the skyline and the sweeping landscape of the city. I was rarely ever disturbed and had access to all the privileges the CEO enjoyed in the company.

I took my seat and brought out my laptop. Lorenzo was opening the windows - he loved doing that. It seemed like a personal routine he did, so I left him to it. "Would you tell me why you look so sad?" he asked from the other end of the room.

"Do I?" I feigned ignorance. I didn't want to share the chaotic thoughts that were my emotions with him.

"You've been acting evasive and distant these past few days. Is this about the kiss? Because you should know I have no issues with that. It was in the past and we should move on from that." He waved his hand dismissively as he made his way to his seat.

That caused a twinge in my heart as if our first kiss was something to be waved away. I bit the insides of my lips to crush my anger. He was right: the kid was in the past, and he seemed to have no issue with it. I was the one who had set the conditions, so why was I the one hurting here?

"It's not that. I just have a lot in mind recently that I'm dealing with." I averted my gaze so he wouldn't see my feelings swimming freely in my eyes.

"Are you willing to share? Maybe I could help, who knows." There he goes again with his gentlemanly mien. I found it both attractive and annoying. Lorenzo had an attitude on most days, but he never took out his anger on me and was always caring. It hurt to lie to him.

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