Love Your Moves: A Billionaire Valentine's Romantic Comedy Page 8

  Jesus. When did I become so obsessed with this? It had to be because Christmas was coming. That was the only thing that made rational sense to me.

  Being a bachelor suited me just fine these days, but the holidays were usually a little more difficult. I supposed it was because it brought into stark contrast the difference between the life I lived and one I thought I’d be living at thirty-eight.

  Instead of celebrating and enjoying the holidays with Nic and our children, I was preparing to face off with her in court again and thanking my lucky stars that there were no kids involved. Well, see, at least I’ve found one silver lining. No kids are being hurt in the waging of this battle.

  As much as I’d wanted to start a family back then, I was very well aware of the fact that it had been a blessing in disguise that Nic and I hadn’t had any children together. I would’ve doted on them all the same, but she would’ve made all our lives a living hell then, and not just mine. As things were, I was grateful that there weren’t any children who could be weaponized against me. Lord knew no child deserved to be used by their parents for their own selfish games.

  Even so, watching the families having fun together still hurt. I didn’t think I’d ever get to a point where it wouldn’t, especially not when I had time to sit still for long enough to really think about it.

  Before the divorce, when Nic and I had just separated, it hadn’t hit home yet that it meant I’d probably never have a family of my own. At the time, I thought of myself as young enough, virile, loaded, and ready to jump back into the dating pool as soon as I had the decree of divorce in my hand.

  What I hadn’t realized was that it wouldn’t be that easy. I also hadn’t realized I would walk out cynical, jaded, and finally having learned that there was no such fucking thing as love.

  Lust, however, I firmly believed in. In those early days, I’d fallen head over heels in lust with any woman who even looked at me funny. My dick had finally been free again, and I put it to good use. Whenever any of my casual relationships had started taking a turn for the serious though, I ended it and moved on to the next one.

  As time went on, my newfound urge to sow my wild oats had died down, and I’d realized it had been nothing more than a good old-fashioned rebound. Dating became something I pushed to the back of my mind and hardly ever even thought about.

  For the umpteenth time, I found myself thinking about Victoria Mitchell when my mind wandered down this path. I regretted firing her, but that wasn’t why I couldn’t get her out of my head. Something about her had drawn me in from the very first moment I’d seen her, and no matter what I did, my thoughts ended up on her at least once a day.

  Having accepted that it was a mystery I needed to solve before I’d be able to finally put her out of my thoughts for good, I used the time stuck in traffic to try and pinpoint what it was about her that had gotten to me so badly.

  She was hot as fuck, yes, but it couldn’t just be that. Maybe it had been the fire in her voice when she’d talked about her co-workers like they were a family. She was a passionate woman, and one part of me was very interested in finding out if that passion extended to other areas of her life as well. More specifically, whether it translated between the sheets.

  You’re an asshole, I chided myself. And apparently a really horny one at that.

  Maybe that was the big thing about her after all. Maybe it really was just her curvy, delectable body and nothing more. It had been a while since I’d been with anyone, so perhaps my borderline obsession or infatuation with her wasn’t about anything deeper than how deep I could bury myself between her thighs.

  Whatever it was, I was hooked. There was no more trying to deny it. It simply was what it was.

  During one of my late night tossing and turning sessions, I’d realized that even if I decided to try and pursue her, I’d already blown whatever chance I might’ve had. I fired the woman, for God’s sake. She wasn’t just going to let me into her bed after a not-so-little thing like that.

  I’d seen the flash of pure hatred in her eyes before she’d walked out of the conference room that day. As far as she was concerned, I was public enemy number one. She fucking detested me, and I was undoubtedly dead in the water.

  Unless I can find some way to convince her to give me another shot.

  The traffic slowly started letting up, and I suddenly realized that the only way to get over this woman was to get her to give me that damn second chance.

  Maybe that’s exactly it. I couldn’t stop thinking about her because I knew I couldn’t have her. I did have a tendency to want what I couldn’t have. Take the family thing for example. I’m suddenly moping around the back of my car about it just because other people are out ice skating in the freezing cold.

  Thankfully, there wasn’t much I couldn’t have if I set my mind to it. A family, sure, I couldn’t have that. As far as I knew, there was no medical technology that would allow me to get myself pregnant, and since I wasn’t interested in falling in love or being saddled with another woman who would end up wanting money from me, a baby was out of the question for now.

  Victoria Mitchell, on the other hand, was a challenge I might just still be able to win. Sitting up straighter, I leaned forward to get Dane’s attention.

  “Change of plans. We’re not going home. Take me to a jewelry store. I don’t care which one, as long as it sells the real thing.”

  A slight frown flickered across his forehead before he could hide it. I didn’t blame him for his confusion. In all the time he’d been driving me, I’d never once asked him to stop any place even remotely like a jewelry store.

  “Yes, sir.” He nodded, diverting his attention away from me again to follow my instructions without question.

  Relaxing back into the soft leather seat, I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face as I formulated my plan. I might not be able to make up for what I’d already done to Victoria, but in many ways, it might’ve been a stroke of genius.

  I would buy her a pretty bracelet, apologize sincerely for firing her, and then ask her to go out with me. I wasn’t her boss, after all, so there’d be no conflict of interest. I was free to date her now if I wanted to, and I really wanted to.

  Date her. Fuck her. Potato, potahto. Nothing but semantics.

  Maybe firing her had been the best solution after all. My company policy didn’t expressly prohibit relationships within the workplace, but there was a mountain of red tape to get through. That was not to mention that, as CEO, I couldn’t exactly go around dating my employees. Not only would it look bad, but it would open the company up to sexual harassment claims the likes of which had never been seen before. Well, at least I’d never seen it before.

  My mood started lifting as I contemplated dating again. Victoria had captured my attention so fully that there was no doubt in my mind that things would be explosive between us. Whether those explosions would be good or bad, however, I wouldn’t know just yet but I was willing to take the chance.

  What’s life without risk? I’d sworn off dating for so long that I briefly stopped to wonder if this was a huge mistake, but then I remembered that I hadn’t responded to a woman this strongly in a long time. If ever.

  Nah, life starts on the edge. It’s been long enough since I’ve had any real excitement in my life. Deciding to throw caution to the wind and take the gamble, I put my plan into motion.

  Chapter 13

  TORI

  My interview with the candy dancing company went as well as could be expected. At least it didn’t end with me getting fired this time, so it had definitely gone infinitely better than the previous meeting I’d been to.

  I was actually even a little excited when I got home after, tossing my scarf and keys down on our faded red sofa. The pair of tight-fitting green leggings and sweater dress they’d put me in hugged my curves, but it was still comfortable and allowed me to move better than my corporate outfits did.

  Apparently, I had enough dance moves to get me the job. Th
ey’d even let me keep the clothes. There were a few t’s to be crossed and i’s to be dotted, but I was confident they would be calling me later. If not, I’d have to return the clothes.

  After Christmas, though. This was totally going to be my Christmas day outfit.

  Whistling under my breath, I went to make a cup of tea and thought about the events of the morning. For the interview portion before the audition, I’d sat down with a girl who’d said they were looking for good plus-sized dancers since they got a lot of requests for curvier girls. In many other situations, having someone say something like that could easily have been offensive.

  This girl was so positive and excited about my body, though, that it was impossible to feel anything other than her enthusiasm about my shape. She predicted I was going to make a lot of money over the next couple of weeks and had even given me a list of outfits to order in the meantime.

  She’d also given me a form for reimbursement of said outfits before she’d sent me on my way. It seemed they treated their employees like gold and were very aware of the financial implications of having to stock up on themed outfits.

  During the audition, they’d given me a choice of holiday-themed songs and then told me to take my time before I got started. I’d ended up picking a song Kari and I had performed to for one of our plays in middle school, but I’d jazzed up the old dance a bit.

  I smiled to myself when I imagined how my sister was going to react when I told her what I’d chosen. She was going to crack up, but I also suspected she was going to want to see my improved moves and insist on learning them with me.

  Since she was still at work though, I was going to have to wait a while before I could start cautiously celebrating my new job. In the meantime, I had the place to myself again and fully intended on using the time to finish a show I’d been binge-watching but still had a few episodes left of.

  With my tea in hand, I was about to go change before spending the afternoon on the couch when there was a knock at our door. I frowned, then rolled my eyes. Kari must’ve decided to order some of her Christmas gifts online after our flopped shopping spree the other day.

  Yanking the door open, I held out my hand for the clipboard to sign whatever I needed to sign on her behalf. The first clue I got that the person outside wasn’t a delivery man was the tailored pinstripe suit he had on underneath an overcoat and scarf.

  My eyes flew to his face, and I nearly swallowed my darn tongue. Standing on my doorstep was none other than Benjamin Reed, the man who’d fired me the last time I’d seen him.

  For a moment, I was so shocked that I was speechless. My mouth even dropped open half an inch or so, but not a single sound came out.

  Benny Boy’s lips twitched into something that might’ve been on its way to a smirk before he turned it into a smile. “Hi. Can I come inside for a minute? I’ve got something I’d like to discuss with you.”

  My brows lifted, but I stepped back and waved him in, wondering what the heck was going on now. Maybe he thought I’d stolen a pen or something on my way out. Hell, I actually think I might’ve.

  On my last day, I’d dumped the contents of my drawers into the box they so generously provided and got out of Dodge as fast as my legs could carry me. I didn’t think I’d taken anything that didn’t belong to me, but I couldn’t fathom any other reason why he’d be here.

  Silently walking past me, he stopped in our living room while I closed the door behind him. When I turned around, he looked me up and down slowly, his gaze lingering and making my insides suddenly feel all warm.

  His black hair was perfectly styled into that I-didn’t-spend-any-time-on-it look again, and the blue of his eyes seemed to be more prominent than the gold today. Like the hot, dancing blue of a fire starting against a log.

  Under his heated gaze, my brain momentarily left the building. In a flash of insanity, I imagined running into his arms. I wondered what they would feel like if they wrapped around me and whether they were as hard and strong as they looked.

  His scent would be something spicy and expensive, and his lips would be soft even if his kisses would undoubtedly be hard and demanding. The fabric of his overcoat looked soft enough, but I’d bet it would be rough against my bare—

  Stop it. He’s the jerk who fired you. Focus.

  “What did you want to discuss?” I asked, folding my arms over my chest just in case his scrutiny and my reaction to it had made my nipples feel happy. The last thing I needed was this insensitive dick thinking I was attracted to him or anything.

  Because I’m not. Totally not. He’s absolutely not the hottest man I’d seen in forever. If I’d been alone, I would’ve rolled my eyes again—this time at myself.

  But I wasn’t alone, and the infuriating man was staring at me like I was that three hundred dollar dessert someone had sent over a couple of weeks ago. Clearing his throat slightly when he seemed to realize it too, he slid his fingers into the pockets of his slacks and gave me another smile.

  “I think you and I got off on the wrong foot during your interview,” he said, his voice as rich and smooth as I remembered it being.

  Dear Lord, would it have killed you to give him a squeaky, pathetic voice instead?

  “The wrong foot? That’s putting it mildly but please, continue.” I held his gaze, refusing to give him the satisfaction of looking away even though it felt like he could see directly into my brain.

  “I liked your spirit,” he said confidently without a hint of hesitation or embarrassment, “but there are other qualified people who are already employed in your position. I hope there are no hard feelings.”

  No hard feelings? I nearly burst out laughing. “Sure. Whatever you need to tell yourself. If that’s all you came to say—”

  “It’s not.” His head dipped slightly to one side, his eyes remaining locked on mine. “Your leaving the company has presented me with an opportunity I wanted to discuss with you.”

  “It has?” Surprise rooted me to the spot, freezing me up as I fought against gaping at him again. “What opportunity?”

  “Since you’re no longer my employee, you’re free to go out with me.” He said it like it was the obvious, natural conclusion to have drawn. His expression still didn’t betray him, and neither did his voice.

  He wasn’t uncomfortable or insecure about this at all. It seemed like he truly thought there was nothing out of the ordinary about coming to my apartment to talk to me about dating him when he’d fired me just last week.

  Yep. Battle lost. My mouth dropped open as I stared at him in total, stunned disbelief.

  To make matters more surreal, he reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a long, rectangular jewelry box. As he snapped it open, I saw what looked like a real diamond tennis bracelet lying on a soft bed of velvet inside.

  “I hope you’ll accept this as a token of my—”

  I couldn’t help myself. I tried so hard, but there was no holding it back. I started laughing, big belly laughs that left him with a confused look on his face and me gasping for air.

  It took me a few minutes to get it under control, and eventually, the only way I managed to do it at all was to drag in deep, deliberate breaths. Glancing around the apartment, I wondered if this was some elaborate practical joke.

  When I didn’t see the tell-tale glinting of lenses in any of the corners, I faced him again. “I’m sorry. I really thought you were joking.”

  “What?” His perfect forehead furrowed. It was almost like he really couldn’t believe it. “Why?”

  “Why?” My volume increased a little more than I was proud of, but in my defense, I was on the edge of hysteria. I was also more than halfway convinced I was in the middle of a mental break. There was no way this could really be happening.

  “If you’re honestly not joking, let me be perfectly clear with you.” I raised my chin in an attempt to look more confident than I was feeling. Mental break or not, I needed to get my point across. “I’m not interested in dating you. How d
id you even think this was going to play out? Gee, I’m sorry you lost your job, but as a consolation prize, you get to date me?”

  His brows knitted even closer together. I snorted softly when I noticed the defiance entering his eyes. He’s not going to give up just yet. What is wrong with him?

  “Has that ever worked on a girl?” I asked, completely incredulous. “Because it’s really not going to work on this one.”

  My words finally seemed to be having an effect. I could see him becoming angry, the tops of his cheeks becoming just a shade or so redder than normal and his gorgeous eyes narrowing.

  Sensing that our conversation was quickly coming to an end, I inclined my head at the bracelet he still clutched in his hand. “Do me a favor. Take those diamonds and hire back a staff member with it, but not me. I wouldn’t work for you again if you were the last boss on Earth.”

  Benjamin didn’t say a word. He simply stared at me for another beat, his head shaking back and forth before he marched past me and left.

  When the door slammed shut behind him, I laughed again. It was more hysterical this time. I had to pinch myself to get it to stop.

  My former boss, for as brief a period as it might have been, a billionaire who had fired not only me but at least half of the entire workforce, had just asked to date me. It was, by far and hands down, the most absurd thing that had ever happened to me.

  When had the world gone crazy? Or maybe it was just me. The mental-break theory was still on the table. Maybe when Kari got home later, we had to look into it because there just didn’t seem to be any way that had actually just happened. It was just too crazy.

  Chapter 14

  BEN

  The day after that complete fucking fiasco with Victoria, I was getting ready for the annual holiday poker game I hosted every year. My mood was still stormy after her outright rejection, and I’d been snapping at people helping me set up all day.