The Billionaire Wins the Game

 

 

As soon as they were
outside, she turned towards him, ready to unleash all of her anger,
which had been building the past few hours.

“Look...” she didn’t get to finish. He
suddenly pulled her into his arms and crushed his lips to
hers.

She was so stunned she stood there
rigid for about three seconds while his lips stroked hers. Then,
she forgot who she was, let alone who he was and melted into
him.

There were no thoughts of protest or
anger anymore. She’d never been knocked off her feet before, but
there was a first time for everything. Her body was on fire and she
never wanted the feeling to stop.

Her arms reached around his neck and
her lips opened in invitation, allowing him full access to her
mouth. His lips softened caressing now instead of bruising. His
arms moved up and down her back, molding her body to his. She felt
like she couldn’t get close enough.

She couldn’t breathe, but she had no
need for oxygen. She only needed his body pressed into hers. She
only needed his lips to keep working their magic. Her stomach had a
million butterflies flying around and sparks of electricity shot
through her lips.

He was ready to take her there on the
sidewalk. His body and mind were on fire for her, He couldn’t have
remembered his own name if someone had asked it right then. He had
to have her now. He started to lift up the bottom of her shirt,
forgetting they were standing on the sidewalk in full view of
anyone who cared to walk by…

The Billionaire Wins the
Game

Billionaire Bachelors –
Book One

Melody Anne

Copyright MelodyAnne
©2011

Published by Exclusive
Publishing at Smashwords

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Books by Melody Anne

*The Billionaire Wins the
Game

*The Billionaire’s Dance

*The Billionaire Falls

*The Billionaire’s Marriage
Proposal

*Blackmailing the
Billionaire

+The Tycoon’s Revenge

+The Tycoon’s Vacation

+The Tycoon’s Proposal

=Midnight Fire – Rise of the Dark
Angel, Book One

=Midnight Moon – Rise of the Dark
Angel, Book Two

See Melody on Facebook at
facebook.com/authormelodyanne

Melody’s Web Site:
www.melodyanne.com

Twitter: @authmelodyanne

Prologue

“It’s just not right, Katherine!”
Joseph slammed his fist down on the table, making the dinnerware
shake.

“Those kids simply don’t listen to us,
not one of them. Can’t they see we aren’t getting any younger? I
should’ve had grandbabies bouncing on my knees years ago.”
Katherine smiled as she listened to her husband complain about his
disobedient children.

She knew what he said was nothing but
empty words. He adored their kids as much as she did. She had to
agree with him, though, that women holding babies would be an
excellent addition to the house. She’d always dreamed of rocking
grandkids and chasing down toddlers.

“Now Joseph, you know if you go
meddling again the boys are going to disown you,” Katherine warned
her husband.

“If they don’t do something about this
grandbaby situation, I’m going to disown them,” he
growled.

“Since you retired last year you’ve had
way too much time on your hands, Joseph Anderson. The boys have all
been tossed a lot of responsibility already. Are you sure you want
to add more to their plates?” she finished, knowing his
answer.

“The boys are ready for love and
marriage. They just need a little helping push.”

The decision had been made. He would
have at least one grandchild in his empty house before
Christmas.

Katherine suppressed her sigh, knowing
there was nothing she could say that would change her willful
husband’s mind. Where did he think their sons acquired that
particular trait? Even with their flaws she couldn’t possibly love
any of them, including her husband, more than she already
did.

“Lucas will be first,” Joseph said in
his booming voice, startling Katherine out of her reverie. “I’ve
already found him the perfect bride.”

Joseph leaned back in his chair with a
pleased expression on his face. Finally, he had a project to keep
himself occupied, with the prize of grandkids as his reward. Lucas
was in for some wild adventures come Monday morning.

Chapter One

“You can do this. Walk in
there with complete confidence. Who cares if this family is worth
more than Bill Gates and Donald Trump combined. You were hired for
this position, and you need this job.
” Amy
Harper continued to lecture herself on the long elevator ride up to
the twenty-fifth floor.

She brushed the few strands of escaped
golden hair from her face, more out of nervousness than necessity.
She considered herself to be of average looks, and tried to
downplay the assets she’d been given. She wanted to be respected,
not lusted after, like her mother. She had long hair she couldn’t
find the will to cut off, although when out she always placed it in
an unflattering bun.

She always hid her curves
from the world. She’d been well endowed, in what an ex-boyfriend
had called
all the right
places
. Her green eyes gave away every
emotion she was feeling, and no matter how hard she tried, she
couldn’t manage to eliminate, what she considered, a fatal
flaw.

She still couldn’t believe she’d been
hired as executive secretary for Lucas Anderson. Anyone who lived
within a thousand mile radius of Seattle Washington knew who the
Anderson’s were. Their company had many different divisions, which
required a large staff. They dealt in everything from construction
and farming, to high end corporate takeovers. Although their
headquarters were in the US, they did business all around the
world, and she was excited to be a part of it all.

As she continued the long ride in the
elevator, her mind flashed back to the previous week when she’d
interviewed for the job.

Her interview with the head of the
family had terrified her, but she’d found him to be a really decent
guy. He was kind, and if she’d met him at a café instead of his
million dollar mansion, she wouldn’t have known he was worth more
than royalty.

She’d gone to his place expecting a
formal interview with a rigid man. She’d been pleasantly surprised
by the reality. He’d welcomed her into his home and seemed to care
more about her as a person than what was on her resume. That was a
good thing, considering she’d recently graduated college and the
only other jobs she’d held had been anything but
corporate.

She’d originally met Joseph at a
college fair towards the end of her senior year, and he’d given her
his card and told her to call after graduation. She’d done so and
he got her in for an interview faster than she ever expected. She
assumed it was because she’d graduated in the top five percent of
her class.

Amy snapped back to the
present as the elevator chimed her arrival.
“Do not blow this job, Amy. If it all works out you could
have that child you could be fully secure within a year.”
With her final words of encouragement to herself,
she took a deep breath and waited for the doors to open.

When she stepped onto the twenty-fifth
floor she was momentarily paralyzed with fear. It was the most
beautiful office she’d ever seen. The doors opened up to a massive
lobby area, with a round cherry wood desk. Behind the desk was a
stunning blonde who looked more efficient than Amy ever hoped to
be. White marble columns flanked the entrance way, leading to the
offices. Exquisite paintings hung on the walls, adding a depth of
warm color. In the corner was a seating area with soft leather
furniture and an antique coffee table with a priceless chandelier
acting as a centerpiece. She felt increasingly frumpy and
inadequate as she stepped forward.

“Can I help you?” the woman asked
Amy.

Amy snapped out of her temporary
paralysis and walked forward. “Yes, I’m Amy Harper. I’m the new
executive secretary for Mr. Anderson. I start today,” she finished
with as much confidence as she could rally.

The woman looked at her blankly for a
moment before finally reaching for the phone. “Mr. Anderson, I have
Amy Harper here who says she’s your new executive secretary.” She
paused for a few moments, “okay…yes, sir.”

She hung up the phone and turned back
toward Amy, “Mr. Anderson says he already has an executive
secretary and has hired no one new. He also said if you’re a
reporter trying for another story on his family, all his answers
are no comment.” The woman looked dismissively at Amy and then said
“have a nice day, Ms. Harper.”

She didn’t give Amy another glance. She
just turned toward her computer and acted like Amy wasn’t in the
room. As far as she was concerned Amy was dismissed.

“Um, excuse me,” Amy looked at the
secretary’s name plate. “Shelly, I was interviewed last week by Mr.
Anderson. He told me to be in the office at eight A.M. sharp, so
you may want to just check again,” she said a little bit more
powerfully. Shelly glanced up, as if shocked the disturbing woman
was still there.

Just then the elevator chimed and in
walked an older woman with smiling blue eyes. “You must be Amy. I’m
sorry I’m late. I got stuck behind a car accident,” the woman said
as she approached. “My name’s Esther and I’ll be working with you
this week, getting you trained to be on your own. Joseph called me
and let me know he found my perfect replacement,” she said with
humor in her voice.

Amy took a deep breath and felt relief
the job wasn’t only in her imagination. “It’s so good to meet you
Esther. I was a little nervous when Shelly said there wasn’t a
job,” she finished, not even glancing at the secretary.

Esther looked over at the woman in
question with disapproval. “She answers the phones here,
temporarily, and didn’t know I’m retiring. I’m sorry about any lack
of communication,” Esther said. It was obvious there wasn’t any
love lost between the two of them.

“Walk with me and I’ll show you your
new office. You should love it but if you want to make any changes
please feel free to do so. You’ll be spending many hours in there,
as I’m sure Joseph already told you, so it needs to be comfortable
for you.”

They walked down the hallway and
through a large oak doorway into a massive office. Was everything
in the building done on a much grander scale than your average
place? There were floor to ceiling windows against the back wall,
letting the early morning light shine through. She was grateful for
the natural light.

In the middle of the room was a huge
three sided desk. On the surface sat a top-of-the-line computer and
an overflowing in and out box.

“Come in, come in. Have a seat. I’ll
show you what you need to get started and before you know it,
you’ll be excellent on your own,” Esther said kindly.

The two women worked together the rest
of the morning. Amy felt slightly overwhelmed, but she enjoyed
Esther’s company and was starting to pick up on some of the tasks
they were doing. After lunch she felt comfortable enough to admit
to Esther she really wasn’t qualified for the position, but she was
a very fast learner and would study day and night to learn the
systems.

Esther reassured her that Joseph had
obviously seen something in her and he only hired the
best.

“Esther, I need those Niles reports,
please, and can you cancel my appointments for the rest of the day?
I need to go to my father’s.” Amy looked up as the most stunning
man she’d ever glimpsed walked through the door. He was looking
down at a paper in his hand, which gave her time to secretly
observe him from head to toe.

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