The Billionaire's Secret Boxed Set

The Billionaire’s Secret Boxed Set

(BBW Paranormal Shifter Erotic Romance
– Billionaire Alpha Male)

by Daphne Loveling

Copyright 2014
Daphne Loveling

All rights reserved.

Book design by Daphne
Loveling

Contents

A Wolf in Billionaire’s Clothing

Tamed by the Billionaire Werewolf

Taken by the Billionaire Alpha Wolf

About the Author

Miranda Jacobs stood in the lobby of Blake Consulting, waiting for the elevator doors to open and carry her skyward toward her new job.  Fresh out of college and new to the city, Miranda had been looking for work for four months when finally, the agency she had signed on with had found her an opening.  Miranda had gone in for the interview last week, and the agency had called her the next day and told her to report to work the following Monday. 

It was, the agency contact assured her, a surprisingly good position for someone with so little experience.  The job was an emergency replacement as a personal secretary for Liam Blake, CEO of Blake Consulting.  Miranda knew next to nothing about him.  A quick Google search told her that he had appeared more than once on lists of the city’s most eligible bachelors, and that he was rarely seen in the company of women, and had never been linked as being seriously involved with anyone, male or female.  He was young, had started the company from scratch, and that after only five years, it was one of the premier consulting firms in the region.  Looking at her surroundings, Miranda could certainly believe this.  The skyscraper where Blake Industries was located was prime downtown real estate. Miranda was awed and a little intimidated by the idea that she would be working here.  She had stared for twenty minutes this morning at her woefully inadequate wardrobe, hoping that she could scrimp and save enough cash with the first couple of paychecks to supplement what she had into some semblance of downtown-worthy attire. 

With a soft ding, the elevator doors opened, and Miranda walked in with a small crowd and pushed the button for the twenty-third floor.  Stepping out into the lobby of Blake Consulting, she walked up to the slim, pretty blond seated at the front desk and introduced herself. 

“Hello, I’m Miranda Jacobs.  I’ve been hired as secretary to Mr. Liam Blake.”

“Oh, yes, Ms. Jacobs.  Please have a seat and I’ll call Ms. Anderson.”  The blond gave Miranda a quick once-over and then picked up the phone. Miranda sat down in one of the black leather chairs and tried not to let her nervousness show on her face.

A few minutes later, the sound of footsteps coming toward her made Miranda turn to look for the source. A tall, statuesque brunette in her mid-thirties walked up to Miranda and held out her hand. Miranda recognized her as the woman who had interviewed her the week before. Her dark green suit, with its knee-length pencil skirt, revealed a nearly perfect figure. Her high-heeled black pumps showed off her shapely calves attractively.  Miranda found herself feeling underdressed, as she had feared she would.  She once again vowed to herself to spend part of her first paycheck on some better clothes. 
And a gym membership as soon as possible,
she added mentally.  Miranda’s own naturally curvy figure seemed out of place among these perfectly slim beauties.

“Ms. Jacobs, good morning,” said the brunette as Miranda stood to greet her.  “Welcome on board.  We’re so pleased you’ve accepted the position.” 

“Thank you,” Miranda said in what she hoped was a calm, assured voice.  “I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten your name?”

“Marie Hathaway,” the brunette said smoothly.  Ms. Hathaway gave Miranda an obvious once-over that Miranda wasn’t sure how to interpret.  On the one hand, she seemed to be judging Miranda’s appearance and finding it wanting.  On the other, she didn’t look particularly displeased about this.

“Let me show you around the office, and where you’ll be working.  Mr. Blake isn’t due in until later today, so he’s instructed me to get you settled in and start you on some projects.”

Miranda followed Ms. Hathaway down the hall and into a larger area.  The space was filled with cubicles.  Around the outside of the cubicles was a hallway, and large private offices skirted the exterior walls.  Ms. Hathaway showed Miranda the different areas of the office, including the break room and washrooms.  Well-dressed men and beautiful, stylish women seemed to greet them at every turn.  Finally, she led Miranda to an open space toward the back,
where there was a large desk, a waiting area, and a closed door to what was obviously a very large office.  A large nameplate to the side of the door read simply “Liam Blake.”

“This is you,” Ms. Hathaway said crisply, pointing to the large desk in front of Mr. Blake’s office.  “There are quite a few tasks waiting for you, as Mr. Blake has been without an assistant for more than a week.
Why don’t you start with typing up some correspondence, and then I’ll be back to check in and give you something else to do in a while.”  Ms. Hathaway showed Miranda how to log into the computer with a new email address that had been created for her, and how to set a password for herself.  When she was sure Miranda knew enough to start working on Mr. Blake’s correspondence, Ms. Hathaway gave her one more appraising look and then turned and walked away, leaving Miranda to settle in.

Miranda looked at all of her new colleagues, milling around her in various stages of activity. 
What is it with all of these gorgeous women?
she wondered abstractly.  She fought the urge to compare herself with them.  She knew it would only make her feel miserable.  She had always been curvy, ever since puberty.  It didn’t matter how much she exercised or what she ate. Even at her very thinnest, when she was playing sports in high school, she never got below a size ten.  Privately, she thought she looked better now than she did then, but still.  That didn’t mean she didn’t often wish, in her heart of hearts, that she could be long and lithe like the blond at the reception.  What she wouldn’t give to be able to wear skinny fashion-model designs! 

Sighing, Miranda straightened in her chair and told herself sternly to stop thinking about it.  She was who she was, and that wasn’t going to change.  Frowning, she reached up to pull her cascading brown hair out of her way to one side, and picked up the first bit of correspondence to be typed.  Before she knew it, she was immersed in her work.  She continued until a voice to her left said, “Do you need a friend for lunch?”

Looking up, Miranda saw a slim, attractive redhead in a black pencil skirt and emerald green top. 
What is it with all these stick-think women?
she thought irritably, struck once more by how out of place she felt.  Still, the woman was looking at her expectantly, and seemed friendly enough.  “Sure, thanks for asking! I’m Miranda,” she said with a smile. 

“Kim,” the redhead said, holding out her hand for Miranda to shake. “I figured you could use a breather.  You worked straight through the morning without a break.”

“I did?” Miranda looked at the computer screen for the time. 12:06.  “Wow, you’re right.  I guess I thought Ms. Hathaway would be back for me soon, so I just didn’t pay attention to the time.”

At the mention of Ms. Hathaway, Kim rolled her eyes a bit. 

“What? Should I be worried about Ms. Hathaway?” Miranda queried.

“
Nooo… she’s okay.  Just a little demanding.  She tends to play favorites.  But anyway, she’s not the one you have to worry about.  It’s Liam Blake you’re working for.”

“What’s he like?”

“Come on.” Kim urged Miranda out of her seat. “I’ll tell you at lunch.”

A few minutes later, over sandwiches in the cafeteria, Kim told Miranda what she knew about Liam Blake.  “He’s freaking
gorgeous
,” Kim sighed, taking another bite of her turkey on wheat. “All the women in the office are in love with him.  But he doesn’t give anyone the time of day.  Ms. Hathaway gets on some of the women that she thinks are flirting with him.  It’s like she thinks she owns him.  But he doesn’t really pay much attention to her, either, as much as she’d like him to.”  Kim giggled.  “The only time you will ever see Marie smile is when she’s talking to him.”

“Marie?
Oh, Ms. Hathaway.” Miranda had forgotten her first name.

“Yeah, the name doesn’t really suit her, does it?” Kim mused.  “Marie sounds like a soft name.  She’s pretty tough. Like a one-syllable, no-nonsense name.  Jane. 
Or Kate.  Something like that.”

They passed the rest of their lunch break thinking of better first names for Marie Hathaway and gossiping about other people in the office.  By the end, Miranda decided Kim was very nice, if a little too willing to bring up personal details about her colleagues.  Miranda made a mental note not to confide in her too much.

At the beginning of the afternoon, Marie Hathaway came back to Miranda’s desk and spent the better part of an hour with her, going through various aspects of the job. 

“Mr. Blake should be in later this afternoon.  He’s coming back from a business trip and needs to take care of a few things here before the end of the day.  Be sure to keep a professional attitude with him.  No flirting. He doesn’t appreciate it,” Marie warned. 
He doesn’t, or you don’t?
Miranda thought, but she simply smiled and nodded.  Besides, it wasn’t like Miranda would flirt with him, anyway.  If none of these thin, perfect women could manage to get any attention from him, how would she stand a chance? 

“Understood,” Miranda murmured, knowing that Ms. Hathaway would expect an answer. 

Marie Hathaway gave Miranda a long, cool appraising look.  “Good.  Now, here is a project that should take you through the rest of the day.  I have a meeting now, so I won’t be back to check up on you. Once Mr. Blake arrives, I’m sure he’ll have work for you to do, as well.”

Miranda watched Marie’s
disappearing figure stride purposefully down the hallway, breathing a sigh of relief when she was out of sight.  She turned back to her work, and again lost herself in the task until she heard footsteps approaching on the carpet.  Looking up expectantly, she was suddenly staring into the eyes of one Liam Blake.

Good God, he’s even better looking than in the photographs
, she thought instantly.  Strong, square jaw, dark eyes, dark brown hair the curled slightly.  His expensively tailored suit hung perfectly on him, its cut suggesting a powerful and well-formed physique underneath. Full, sensual lips turned down slightly in something like a frown, and his brow furrowed slightly.    Miranda hurriedly stood up to face him and extended her hand.  “Hello, Mr. Blake.  I’m Miranda Jacobs, your new personal secretary.” 

Liam Blake’s eyes traveled from her face down her body in a long, lingering look. An unreadable expression flickered across his sculpted features.
Irritation? Disappointment? A few moments later, he slowly raised his hand to clasp hers.  An electric jolt shot through her at the contact of his hot skin.  His large hand engulfed her smaller one.  “Ms. Jacobs,” he said softly.

“I… I’ve just been finishing up on a project that Ms. Hathaway gave me.  Is there anything I can do for you? Ms. Hathaway didn’t tell me much about your needs, so please let me know whatever is expected of me.” Her words came out in a rush, and Miranda stopped abruptly,
not wanting to completely lose her composure in front of him.  Her last sentence hung awkwardly between them, as if its vagueness was almost an invitation.  Miranda blushed, without knowing exactly why. She felt… exposed, somehow.  Naked.

“Right now, I need to finish some work, he said gruffly.  “You can leave for the day.  Come see me first thing in the morning.” Liam walked into his office and slammed the door.

Miranda sat back down in her chair, a dazed expression on her face. 
Did I say something wrong?
she wondered.  Puzzled, and a little nervous, she put away the files she had just finished and shut down her computer. 

When Miranda emerged from the building into the late fall afternoon, it was already growing dark.  She had plans to meet for dinner to celebrate her new job at a trendy restaurant a few blocks away.  Despite the slight chill, she opted to walk rather than take the subway.  When she arrived, her friend Megan was already waiting for her.  They shared some appetizers for dinner, and Miranda had three cosmos – much more than she usually drank on a week night, but Megan coaxed her, saying it was a special night.  By the time Miranda and Megan hugged goodbye in front of the restaurant, it was after 10:00 and Miranda was a bit tipsy.  She checked her phone briefly for the nearest subway station, which was only three blocks away by taking side streets.

A couple of minutes into her walk, Miranda was startled when a man appeared suddenly out of the shadows.  “Hey, baby, what are you doing all alone tonight? Come party with me!” The man was large – at least 6’3” -- smelled like beer and was slurring his words slightly. 

“No thank you,” Miranda said, stepping up her pace and trying not to telegraph her fear.

“Come on, honey, you look pretty good for a big girl.  Come let me show you a good time,” he said.  As Miranda walked by him, he lurched at her suddenly, catching her by the coat sleeve and pulling her into him.  She opened her mouth in the beginning of a scream, but he clamped a hand around her throat. “I wouldn’t fucking do that, girly,” he hissed, his mouth inches away from her ear.  “You shut the fuck up, you hear?” Miranda nodded, her eyes wide.  Slowly, he took his hand away from her mouth and grabbed her by the shoulders.  “You know you want me, you’re just playing hard to get.  Don’t waste my fuckin’ time.  I know how cock teases like you think.”  Smashing his lips down over hers, he crushed her against him.  She could feel his erection through his pants and began to panic.  She looked around her wildly, but he was holding her too tightly for her to get away from him.