Alpha Billionaire Series

CHRISTOPHER

Alicia sat at her desk all perky and was looking somewhat pleased with herself. Didn't she realize that she had a job that she needed to actually show up for?

“I need to see you in my office” I was furious. How dare she show up as if she hadn't abandoned her job for almost a week. “Is there a problem?” she asked as soon as she stepped into my office.

I threw my bag onto my desk with a little too much force. She flinched. Good, let her be nervous. I wrestled out of my coat and crossed my office to hang it in the small closet I had.

She watched me with big eyes as I did my thing. Her mouth opened and closed a few times like a goldfish. She could wait until I was ready to speak.

Isat and began unpacking my case, pulling my laptop out, and setting the bag on the floor under the picture window at my back. I took a sip of my coffee. It was still too hot. I stretched my neck from side to side like I was going in for a fight.

“Where have you been? You know it's expected for employees to call in if they aren't going to show up for work”

Her brows creased together and she shook her head, recoiling as if she smelled something bad.

“'m sorry, Christopher, I don't understand?”

“Mr. Hayes” I bit out. If she was going to revert to not understanding how business worked, she could address me appropriately. “Where were you last week?”

“I was here."

“Not on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. That's practically half of a week. You're skirting the rules of job abandonment.”Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

She let out a bitter laugh. “What the... Thursday was Thanksgiving. The entire company had both Thursday and Friday off. I arranged for Wednesday off too, don’t you remember? Didn't you say you weren't going to be traveling? Don't tell me you came in here and spent two days fuming. Didn't it occur to you that it was odd that no one was here?”

“Thanksgiving is this week,” I barked out. Not that I had plans either way.

“'m sorry, but no. I thought you were supposed to have dinner with your mother.”

I could see pity in her eyes. I had completely missed the holiday. Well, fuck that, I had work to do. I closed my own, so I didn need to look at her. Fuck, that's what mother meant when she said she was canceling dinner for a last-minute trip to Miami 0 see my aunt.

I waved Alicia off. “I have work to do. We're done.”

She turned to leave, took a step, and then turned back to me as if she was going to say something, and then left.

I breathed deeply. How had I forgotten that last week was the fucking holiday? I opened my calendar. Shit that meant today was... Fk.

“What's today’s date?” I barked into the intercom.

“The twenty-eighth. You have a meeting this afternoon—"

I growled low in my throat. “I know, I know!”

I rifled through the papers on my desk. “Do I have the Franklin files?”

Alicia did that annoying little tap on my office door before stepping in. She walked toward me with a file folder held out. “Mr. Hayes? Here are all the notes you had me prepare. I emailed them to you on Wednesday, but it might be faster to read over the printouts. The presentation is already complete and in the job folder on the server. I emailed a copy to the admin over at Franklin so their tech guy could have it loaded and ready for you. There is a backup on this USB. I confirmed that you would want a roast beef sandwich for your lunch. Everything is all set. I'm sorry the long weekend—"

I held up my hand. I didn't need her pity. “Don’t”

I00k the folder and the drive from her. She practically ran out of my office. This wasn't going to work. I couldn't work with a woman who lied about her family life. She still hadn't confessed to me about her duplicity in our affair.

I didn't really need an excuse to fire her. But I didn’t have the time to think about it right now. I grabbed the files and began reviewing the notes. I had maybe an hour before I had to leave to be at the Franklin offices in time.

My cell phone vibrated, making my entire desk hum like some kind of speaker. I picked it up, thumb poised to hit the end ca button, sending whoever it was to voicemail.

Fuck. It was Mother. I took a deep breath and answered the call.

“You will be there this afternoon, won't you?” No greeting, just jumping straight into her expectations.

“No, Mother, I won't. I have a presentation at Franklin this afternoon. And don’t tell me to cancel it. You know I can’t do that. “Fine, be that way, Christopher. Then expect me in the morning” She hung up.

“Okay Mother, how was your weekend? How is Aunt Martha?” I continued the fake conversation for a moment. No wonder I completely forgot last week was a holiday with family like that. Just as well

When I left to head over to my meeting, I didn't look at Alicia. I was aware that she watched me leave.

I expected her ass to be in that chair the following morning when I arrived, but it wasn't. I should start making notes of whej she was late, and when she didn't show. I needed her at her post when she said she would be there.

My office door was open, if she was in there, then maybe I had misjudged. But I doubted it. I pushed the door open without walking in. As soon as I saw who was in my office I went into acting mode.

“Mother, how good to see you." I had rather enjoyed her almost year abroad. For once I had been able to run my business without her shadow second-guessing my every move. She had a new assistant with her. This one was more attractive than who she typically hired.

Mother liked to hire smart, but not particularly attractive women. She did it purposefully so that no one else would outshine her. A mousy little assistant that could blend into the background and not catch anyone's attention was exactly what my mother wanted. This woman caught my attention.

“Christopher”

I leaned over and kissed her cheek. She kissed both of mine. She must have picked that up in Europe. I leaned against the back of the chair opposite where Mother and her assistant sat.

“Your assistant isn't here to give me tea. Did you have to hire another new one? Do sit down. I don’t want to get a crick in my neck. I would like to introduce Savannah. Her father has worked with your aunt for years. I met her this weekend. Martha ha a lovely dinner party. You really should have come.”

“I wasn't invited.” I barely glanced at Mother. She did shit like that, dangling events and privilege like they were some kind of cat toy I was supposed to bat at and try to chase after. I swear, torturing me was that woman's favorite pastime. I smiled at savannah. She was lovely, tall, lean, tan.

“My assistant doesn’t seem to have gotten in yet this morning. Can I get you some tea? Coffee?”

savannah shook her head.

“What exactly does your father do?" I half expected her to say pool man or gutter cleaner. My mother wouldn't care as long as she looked rich. And Savannah looked rich. Only later when it would suit her, would my mother have a problem with the girl's lineage. Mother was a snob that way.

“My father's firm handles Martha's estate.” Savannah smiled with a mouth full of perfectly straight, brilliantly white teeth.

I nodded. Good pedigree. Why was she here? Mother didn't hire assistants who hadn't graduated from Brown or Harvard. Thi woman was the daughter of a rich family acquaintance.

“What brings you to Atlanta?”

She didn't answer immediately but looked at my mother. “She did."

Mother patted Savannah on the knee. “I have decided it's time for you to think about making me a grandmother. Savannah here is a lovely young woman. Thought you should meet”

I barked out a surprised laugh. “You're setting us up?”

“Yes, why? You haven't seemed to take finding a wife seriously. When I left for Italy and the continent, I distinctly remember telling you it was time for you to find a wife. When I got back, I expected to see results. You aren't even dating anyone.” “Mother” I didn't have words.

“You clearly need me to take care of these things for you. You couldn't run this business without me, you clearly can’t find a wife!

“Ym doing just fine. I can find my own dates. And I've been running this company perfectly well without your interference. You cannot just bring in some pretty girl and tell me to marry her."

“Run this company? You don’t even have a secretary to bring in our tea,” Mother complained.

“Hey, wait a minute. No one said anything about marriage. I thought this was a stopover in Atlanta on our way to New York,” Savannah snapped. She turned to look in horror at my mother. “You never said anything about setting me up with your son. I'm not here to marry anyone. My father is not going to believe this!”

She pushed to her feet and stormed out of the office.

I watched her leave. Laughter erupted from my chest. “I can get my own dates, Mother. I do just fine on my own.”

“Look, Christopher, you have to get over your crush on your last secretary. That was so cliché, dating your secretary. She was married.”

“I did not have a crush on Valerie. I do not sleep with married women. Professional admiration is not having a crush.”

No, having a crush meant that she drove me insane and pissed me off. And I couldn't stop thinking about her even if she ha lied to me.