Page 3 of The Billionaire's Off Chance

“I’m disappointed, Mom.” I go to my room, haphazardly packing my stuff into my set of luggage, dragging it out of the house. I won’t say anything more to them.

I find a motel and check myself in. I freshen up and order a cab. As we head to my company, I try my best to look straight ahead as my vision becomes blurry. I release all the stress from this morning in drops of hot, salty water falling from my eyes. This isn’t how I imagined my day as a new full-time employee.

I arrive at the company, keeping my head down to hide my sadness. I’m standing in front of the elevator and getting in at the same time as a tall guy beside me. I look up, seeing a sprig of mistletoe, hanging from the ceiling. The walls are playing videos of snow falling. For a moment, it distracts me, and I smile.

“That’s what I like to see. You add more beauty to this sight,” a very masculine voice opines. I turn to catch a glimpse of the wonderful creature whose voice has just made my knees buckle, and a scowl immediately plasters itself across my face.The rude man.He looks even more handsome than before, having an effortless grace with a commanding air.

He looks like he can tell that I'm not in a good mood; his facial expression suggests that he enjoys my distraught look. I adjust my countenance and meet his gaze as I intend to respond with something rude; but when my eyes settle on his lower lip, I find myself whispering as I answer his earlier comment.

“Yeah, it is beautiful.” I whisper and blush against my will. The way he stares at me sets up a storm in my system. I instantly feel like a poor moth unable to refuse the sweet seduction of fire.

He takes a step towards me, narrowing the space between us. “Well, you know what this means?” My instincts tells me to run, but I instantly ignore it and choose to stand my ground instead.

“What?” I ask, keeping my eyes on his lips. The heat coming from him warms me up. He points up at the mistletoe. I gasp in recognition. “That’s for romantic…”

He places a finger on my lips, shushing me. “Doesn’t matter. I make the rules here.” His places a hand on the back of my neck, his lips capturing mine in a slow, deep, and sensual kiss. I close my eyes, melting into him.This is ridiculous,yet I don’t stop. I grip the edge of his jacket, deepening the kiss.

Sparks of lights pulse behind my eyes. His hand is on my neck, caressing me softly, and he groans into the kiss. The elevator chimes, and I open my eyes slowly. He’s gazing down at me, a smile on his lips. He rubs my lower lip with his thumb. “I like this. Don’t you?”

The doors open to the floor I’m getting off. “Maybe I do. I have to go. Thanks.”Silly. Why thank him. I exit the elevator. When I turn back, I see the doors closing. He winks at me. I forgot to ask for his name. I can’t stop thinking about him. His hands, the kiss, and his smell – Everything about him intrigues me.

The following day when I’m on my way to my office, I come across Walter, the HR manager. “Miss Burrows, I’m glad I found you. You’re to report to the executive floor immediately. You’ll be working as the assistant of Mr. Rosii, the COO. Go on and don’t be late.” He walks off.

I stare at his receding back and smile.What a great opportunity!I get to the elevator, pressing the button to take me to the executive floor.My future.

Chapter 2

LANCE

Thatwoman,thememoryof her is stuck in my mind. I twist my seat around to face the windows, overlooking the skyline of the city. The weather is already promising the coming of snow, which shows how close Christmas is. It’ll be nice to have her with me for the holidays, so I think.

Tapping my finger on my desk, I begin to wonder about her identity. She might be working in the company. I can’t help but blame myself for not asking for her name. The way she kissed me was so pure and eager, totally different from all the other women I’ve been with. She makes me want to know more about her – and probably have something more with her. I sigh, ever since Claudette’s betrayal, I haven’t had this much interest in a woman.

If I find her, what next? Will she be the next Claudette? She might know about my identity and is actively trying to seduce me. I shake my head to get these thoughts out. My paranoia is getting the best of me. I rise from my seat; at the same moment, the door to my office opens. Igor steps in, his arms spread wide with a grin on his face.

“Brother! You’re looking good today. It must be the Christmas spirit.” He sits on the couch by the TV mounted on the wall. He crosses his legs, resting his arms on the back of the couch. His hair is short and permed, matching his bespoke black suit.

He and I share a similar resemblance, but where I have more hard features, his is soft and jovial. “Brother, you can’t attribute everything to theChristmas spirit.” I answer, walking to the shelf to bring out a bottle of aged red wine.

“Scarlett gets into a kind of mood during the Christmas season. She’s rubbing off on me. Hey, pour me some.” He and his wife are so in love that they even finish each other’s sentences. I’m happy that he has Scarlett in his life. Well, for me, I don’t think I’ll ever be so fortunate.

I pour the wine into two glasses for the both of us. I walk to him, handing him his glass. We clink glasses, taking a sip of the wine. “So, what brings you to my office? Bored of yours?” I slump into the lounge chair beside the couch. His presence helps take my mind off emerging thoughts, although the woman’s face stays vivid in my mind.

“Something like that. I’ve been swarmed with work, and your office is a nice place to relax. Look at that view.” He sighs, downing the remainder of his drink. He reaches for the bottle on the table, pouring himself more. “Scarlett has been working around a Christmas plan. She wants us to go to the Islands, it’ll be nice I think. Before I forget, she would love to have you over for dinner whenever you’re free.”

“That sounds nice. If I’m free I’ll let her know. You know how busy I am.” I say absentmindedly, swirling the wine in the glass.

“What’s the matter, Lance? You have that look on your face.” A serious look had crossed his face, and he rests his attention on me.

“Nothing particularly interesting…just a woman has captured my attention, putting me in a conflicted state, mentally. I should get over it soon.”

“Oh really? With that look on your face, I can tell you aren’t going to just let her go.” He chuckles, rolling his eyes. “Go easy on her; she might be the one you know.”

I smile. Igor is supportive and doesn’t judge me; rather he helps me when possible. Although I don’t think it’s possible this time around. I look at the mini decorated Christmas tree in my office. My previous assistant had convinced me to have one. She moved to another country, leaving the assistant spot open. HR will handle it.

“Let’s see how it goes. I should get to work. The German distributor is expecting me to send back the contract.” That is my cue for him to leave.

“Killjoy. Fine, I’ll be back later.” He sets down his empty glass and leaves. I make my way to the chair by my desk.

---