Page 22 of My Boss is a Billionaire

“But you allow yourself to come across as cold, calculating. If you share a bit of your personal life, people could relate better. They would trust you.”

“People like you, you mean?”

“Sure. Okay. I have a curious gene. That’s why I love my job. And when I can’t fill in all the gaps, I make assumptions.”

“Assumptions about my personal life. Is that what you’re saying?” He turns around, and gives me a knowing look. “What is it thatyouwant, Harper?”

“I don’t know what—?”

“Sure you do. Shall I spell it out?”

I say nothing, waiting to see if he knows me as well as he thinks he does.

He strolls toward me, hands deep in his pockets. “You wonder why you never see me in the tabloids with a woman. At least not a consistent one. So while I prefer to keep my private life private, I’m rich, so I can’t keep my face out of the rags altogether. You figure I get bored easy, so I jump from bed to bed. And you don’t want to be a number.” He pauses when he’s two steps away, towering over me. “Am I right?”

“I have wondered.” After what he’s just told me, there must be plenty of women vying for his attention. He’s not just an extremely handsome man. He’s a great guy.

“Let me put your curiosity to rest, then.” He sits opposite me again and takes my fingers, his thumb softly grazing the back of my hand. “You don’t see me with a different woman every weekend, or frankly even one woman, because I haven’t found a woman that excites me enough.” He pauses. “Until recently.”

I swallow. Hard.

“Honestly, I’ve been busy. Work has been my mistress. The people I like to think I’ve helped, my family. I haven’t needed or wanted more than that.” He pauses again, and my heart races. The heat he’s generating by his touch is warming my blood. “Until recently.”

“I’m not sure what to say.”

He looks up at me, opens his mouth, snaps it shut, and blinks a few times before he continues. “Say you’ll write something nice about me.”

I sit there blinking because that was the last thing I expected him to say after that confession.

Chapter12

Liam

Iwant to laugh at her expression. That’s not what I planned to say, so I understand the confusion.

I planned to tell her how much I cared about her, but the words stick in my throat. “Promise me you’ll write an article that paints me in a positive light.”

She bites her lip, and my dick gets hard because that lip is mine to bite. Mine to suck. Mine to kiss her until her mouth is swollen, slick, and red.

God, I’ve missed her. How can somebody get under your skin or so deep into your heart after only a few days together?

One of my best friends recently got married. He swore up and down that he fell head over heels in a matter of days. I called bullshit. Until their wedding. When I saw the way he looked at her, the way she gazed at him like neither could imagine not breathing the same air. Like without each other, they’d fade away to nothing.

If Elliott could see me now, he’d laugh, because the thought of living day to day without Harper in my world crushes me.

“I don’t understand,” she says.

“I’ve told you why I do what I do, and the rules I work within. You have to appreciate now that the distribution center I want to build in Springdale is a good thing. It’s good for the community. It’s good for the local and global economy. On-line retail is here to stay, so the potential for growth is high.”

“Sure.”

“Nothing will go forward without the council’s vote. And the articles you’ve put out there paint me in a poor light. If they don’t trust me, they won’t trust the opportunity. And if this project doesn’t go ahead, believe me, those people you’re so worried about, they will be out of work in the not-too-distant future. Some of them may find other jobs in Springdale. Will they be as good? Who knows? Some will have to leave town to find work, taking their families away from their homes and impacting the community’s growth.

“Others will follow. Maybe my project doesn’t get the go-ahead. Another opportunity might come knocking. But if those other potential businessmen do their homework, and through their research discover that the town rejected a previous offer, they may not be so willing to invest their time into trying to convince the town to approve theirs.”

I stare at her. Plead with her. I have to tell this woman I love her.

“Harper, I realize you care about Springdale and the people who live and work here. And I respect you want to do the right thing. But you also need to consider that this project could be an amazing opportunity for everyone. I’m not asking you to back me without question. All I’m asking is that you pause and consider the potential positives this could bring to the town.”

---