The Billionaire Wins the Game (12 page)

Lucas got a stealthy look on his face
and walked slowly to her. She remained standing firmly planted, not
backing away again. She’d show strength even though she was shaking
uncontrollably on the inside.

Without any words, Lucas bent down and
yanked her head back, moving his face to within an inch of hers. He
remained frozen until he saw desire return to her eyes. “So, last
night was just a test run for you and your boyfriend,” he said in a
voice so quiet it was far more frightening than if he were yelling.
She could feel the coiled power running through his
arms.

She wasn’t afraid of him hitting her.
She was far more afraid he’d kiss her again. Her resistance was at
an all-time low and if he took her lips again she’d end up begging
him not to stop. The heat kept pooling in her body in anticipation
of just that happening.

“I don’t appreciate being used, Ms.
Harper, not at all, and I really don’t appreciate you lying to my
face. Last night may have meant nothing to you, but while I was
hard and deep inside your body, there was no other man on your
mind. You were quivering for me, and only me. When you lay with
this boyfriend of yours, my face will be what you see. He won’t
make you quiver the way I did. You can think about that.” He pushed
her away and walked out of the apartment.

Amy waited until she heard the door
shut before she allowed herself to lose her composure. Once she
heard the click of the latch connecting, she slumped where she was
and allowed herself a good cry.

Why had she let this happen? If she’d
just taken her bath later and not been standing there in only a
towel. If only she could’ve been able to say no, then maybe, just
maybe, they’d be able to occupy the same room without snapping at
each other, or trying to rip each other’s clothing off. Maybe they
could’ve stayed completely professional. Even as she thought it,
she knew it was a fantasy. The fierce attraction was just too
strong, even from the first day.

She remained in the same spot for more
time than she should’ve, crying and feeling sorry for herself.
Finally, she got up, she wouldn’t let this affect her any longer.
She’d go to work and then stay far away from him at all times. It
was the smart thing to do.

She’d been smart for the first
twenty-eight years of her life; she’d have to forgive her one lapse
in judgment. Everyone was allowed to make a mistake once in a
while.

Chapter Six

Amy had mixed feelings going into work
on Monday. She was floating on clouds because her new car had been
delivered the night before and she loved driving it. It was an
exhilarating feeling, controlling the beautiful machine, and
knowing she’d never have to fight the crowds on public
transportation again. There’d definitely been a few times of terror
on the bus, when she’d been approached by some less than
respectable people.

She was terrified, on the other hand,
of the work environment, when stepping through those double doors.
Was Lucas going to cause a scene? Was he going to send her packing?
Could he fire her? He couldn’t because of their physical
relationship.

Lucas could fire her for not being good
enough at her job. She was already nervous about how well she did
in the position. She parked the car and headed inside. She’d just
have to see how things went. There was nothing she could do about
it, so she’d have to do what she could and go from
there.

The elevator doors chimed and the door
opened to Tom’s smiling face. “I was wondering when you were going
to get here. I’ve been bouncing in my seat for a half hour,” he
said with no time for hellos.

Amy sighed, “Hey, Tom. If you’ve been
bouncing in your seat for a half hour, then you were here an hour
early, because I’m a half hour early,” she replied. He threw an arm
around her shoulders and led her toward his desk.

“Okay, Amy, time to spill. What
happened? You totally ditched me this weekend. The way the boss was
acting on Friday night, I didn’t even know if you’d be here this
morning,” he whined.

“Everything’s fine, Tom. The boss and I
just had a little misunderstanding. I promise I’ll fill you in
later, but I need to get started on my work before the
aforementioned person walks in and has a reason to fire me for
being a slacker,” she said, while walking toward her
office.

Tom trailed along with her. “You’re
here early. You can’t get into trouble for chatting with me on your
own time.”

“I don’t think any time we’re in these
offices is our own. Please, just let me get to work and we’ll go
out for happy hour tonight, I promise,” she said pushing him out of
her office.

Amy was busy at her desk
when Lucas came in two hours later
. It
must be nice to be the boss and show up when you felt like
it
, she thought with attitude, then
regretted it immediately. She wasn’t some high school ex-girlfriend
who was going to think petty thoughts. What he did on his own time
was his business, definitely not hers.

Lucas was completely professional with
her, giving her a list of things he wanted done, and then he left
the office, staying away the rest of the day. It gave her plenty of
time to breathe, and she found herself relaxing and even finishing
her work early.

The next few months flew by, with each
day the same as the next. Lucas gave Amy her assignments, with very
little talk, then left her alone. He never lingered and never
seemed to make eye contact.

She’d gotten the hang of her job and
finally felt comfortable with her work. Esther stopped by several
times and praised her progress, saying it was as if Amy had been
with the company for ten years instead of a few short months. Amy
was thrilled by the praise and held the feeling close to
her.

Try as she might to ignore her true
feelings, Amy was disappointed each time Lucas left the room. His
scent would linger, causing her body to ache, thinking of him for
hours on end.

She’d run through their night of love
making, too often. She woke in the middle of the night, with his
name on her lips, and her body wet and ready. She was grateful he
was keeping his distance because she’d never have the will power to
push him away if he kissed her again.

She had no other man to compare him to,
but she couldn’t imagine lovemaking to be any better than what
she’d had with him that night. Even though she tried to put him out
of her mind, he came to her nightly, in her dreams. She woke up
yearning, with a feeling of emptiness.

Amy put off taking a
pregnancy test for too long because she knew the answer. She’d been
dealing with morning sickness and there were subtle changes in her
body. She was naturally small so most wouldn’t notice the tiny bump
on her lower stomach, but she did. She finally broke down and took
the test, then threw it in the garbage. She’d already known the
answer was
yes
.

“Amy, it’s late, and I’m more than
ready for happy hour. Come, girl, let’s whisk you away from here,”
Tom came bouncing into her office at six. “I’ve been patiently
waiting for you for an hour, now. You do realize you’re salaried,
not paid by the hour?” he added.

Tom sat on the corner of her desk and
sat down while she finished her project. “Hold your pants on, Tom,
I’m almost finished,” she said with what felt like her first real
smile in weeks. “Drinks, my dear, are on me,” she said in delight.
“I got paid and actually have money left, and I owe you a million
lunches and drinks. I intend to pay them all back,” she said,
feeling great about herself. It was so nice to have money building
up in her meager savings account.

She only had the money due to having
very little bills. She was in love with her apartment, and car, and
life was close to perfect. She placed her hand on her stomach,
which she often did without realizing.

Lucas was in his office with the
connecting door cracked and heard the exchange between Amy and Tom.
He was surprised by the amount of jealousy he felt at how easily
she laughed with him.

He’d never felt jealousy before Amy,
and was shocked by the emotion tugging at his gut. They couldn’t be
a couple. She was his employee and it wouldn’t work. He shouldn’t
feel anything toward her, but even after months he couldn’t stop
thinking about her on a daily basis.

He sat a little straighter in his
chair. He was going out of his mind, which would amuse his brothers
to no end. He laid his head in his hands and waited for her to
leave. He had no complaints with her work. She’d learned more each
day and was doing an excellent job.

He’d entertained the idea of firing
her, but had thrown the thought out immediately. He just couldn’t
let her go. Maybe, he’d be able to eventually. Of course he would.
He’d get over his feelings for her and be able to work with her,
like anyone else, or he’d have no choice but to move her to another
division. Even thinking that made his stomach clench.

Lucas got up and decided to go out for
a drink. He’d find himself a nice distraction for the night. Any
woman would be happy to come home with him. He was Lucas Anderson,
and never had trouble finding a date.

Even though the thought of any other
woman, besides Amy, wasn’t appealing, he’d just have to work
through it. He knew once he stepped out, he’d begin to feel better,
and he was sure some pretty thing would catch his eye, at least
enough for one night.

Lucas went to a club he
hadn’t been to for a while and sat down. He ordered a drink and was
there no more than five minutes when an exceptionally gorgeous
redhead sat next to him. She gave him the look that said,
buy me a drink and you can take me
home.

He threw back his drink, before turning
to give her his full attention, “can I buy you something?” He
placed all the charm at his disposal into his voice.

She rubbed her finger up his arm, “I’ll
have a dirty martini, Sugar.”

He bought her several drinks and
listened as she tried to charm him over an almost endless hour. He
knew all he had to do was crook his finger and she’d be in his car,
going home with him. He was trying to will himself to do just that
and knew it wasn’t going to happen.

Lucas felt zero desire for the woman
who was showing her curves to anyone wanting a clear view. “Thank
you for your company this evening,” he said as he threw several
bills on the table. “Goodnight,” he finished.

“In case you haven’t noticed the
signals, baby, I’m offering to go with you. Trust me, you won’t
regret a night, or more, with me,” she purred.

Lucas just looked at her for a moment,
then turned and walked away. He’d felt nothing. Normally, he
would’ve taken her home and accepted what she was offering. A no
strings attached night of great sex.

The whole time he’d sat with her, all
he could think of was Amy. She was soft and feminine, not trampy
and brash. She was also the greatest sexual experience he’d ever
had. How was that woman always so much a part of his
thoughts?

He quickly made it home and parked in
his spot, immediately noticing Amy’s car. He was surprised by the
feeling of relief washing over him at knowing she was home. Of
course, that was short lived as he thought there could be a man in
her apartment with her.

Suddenly, he had to know. He had to
know if she was with someone, or if she was by herself. He knew if
he was with her one more night he could get her out of his system.
He needed to take her again and then maybe he’d realize it wasn’t
as great as he remembered.

Lucas was in a rush to get up to her
apartment. She still hadn’t figured out the other unit on their
floor was his. He’d been very careful about coming and going at
different times from her. He hadn’t wanted her knowing he was that
close.

The doors opened and Fred looked up
from his paper. “Hello, Mr. Anderson. How was your day, sir?” Fred
asked.

“It was great, Fred. Do you know if Ms.
Harper is in her apartment?” he asked, coming right to the
point.

“Ms. Harper is currently in the pool,
sir,” Fred told him.

“Thank you, Fred, have a nice night.”
He quickly turned toward the pool.

If she was already swimming, she
must’ve only been out for about a half hour. That was a quick
night. He guessed she didn’t have as big a social life as she
wanted him to believe.

Or, she could be planning to go out
later when the real nightlife began. Well, she could put those
thoughts on hold, he thought, because he’d decided she was spending
the night with him.

He went into the men’s locker room and
quickly changed.

Lucas came out of the locker room and
stood unnoticed for several minutes as Amy swam in the pool alone.
She looked phenomenal in her swim suit. It showed all her curves
off to perfection. He wanted to take her right then, but
anticipation was part of the fun. When she was swimming away from
him, he dove effortlessly into the pool.

He made little noise, and Amy didn’t
notice his entrance. She turned around and was making her way back
toward him. He decided to stay in her lane and anticipated them
connecting.