Page 41 of Interning For A Billionaire

“Why else would she bring you soup and artisanal sourdough bread? I mean artisanal bread?”

Belle was laughing and I had to laugh too even though the thought of Josie as anything, but the head of HR was a bit nauseating. I found her efficient and highly capable, and had promoted her from being a copywriter years ago. I trusted her with some sensitive stuff at work, hiring people, headhunting developers from other companies and offering them deals they couldn’t refuse. Sometimes, I needed her to fire people and offer them packages to ensure they didn’t try to sue me.

Josie knew a few things about the company that might even get me in trouble. I needed to keep her on my side, I couldn’t afford to have her become angry or in any way resentful.

Belle could see this was bothering me, but refused to take it seriously.

“Maybe you should invite her over,” she said. “You know… feed her some Thai satay chicken, bend her over your Eames Lounge Chair and give her a good seeing to…”

“Oh, you’d like that, would you!” I said, pulling her closer and starting to tickle her.

Belle was giggling and laughing, and we ended up having sex again, on my very expensive lounge chair that she had just been making fun of.

“But seriously,” I later said to her. “We’ll have to keep this under wraps.”

“This?” She lifted her eyebrows. “What is this?”

“Us,” I said.

“There is an us?” she asked.

“Of course, there is!” I didn’t think it needed saying, but I had no intention of letting Belle slip away. I was far from done with her.

“You mean, the HR policy?”

I nodded. “If it gets out we’ve been seeing each other, it would mean trouble.”

“For me, you mean. I presume as the boss, you’ll find a way around it.”

“It won’t look good,” I said, reminded rather uncomfortably about the whole business with Darian.

“And with another intern too!” Belle said, refusing to take this seriously.

“Belle. We have to be careful.” I took her beautiful face in my hands and stared into her big, brown eyes. Then I softly, tenderly, kissed her lips.

“Okay,” she relented. “We’ll be careful,” she said, smiling at me before she kissed me back.

Chapter 17

Belle

“Why are you smiling like that?” Samira asked me.

I quickly closed my chat screen on my computer, before she could see not only who I’d been chatting to, but what we were chatting about.

My ears turned red at the thought she might have seen some of that conversation.

I thought I was being careful, but I had completely missed her coming up to my desk, so deeply was I immersed in our chat.

She nudged my shoulder. “Who were you talking to?”

I stalled for time. “I wasn’t talking to anyone,” I said, making my eyes big and looking around to see who else might be watching.

“Come on,” Samira said, leaning in closer and lowering her voice.

“Give me the dirt! Is there a new man in your life?”

I had to give her something, so I nodded.

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