The Trouble With Love: An Age Gap Romance (The Forbidden Love 1)

I note the time, grabbing my phone and wandering across to the boardroom. The noise stops upon my arrival, my management team quietly waiting until Lex Edwards enters the room. The bastards all fall on their knees with his dominating presence, whereas I extend my hand, shaking his.

Unlike everyone else, I’ve known Lex on a personal level all my life. I have considered him an uncle, a great mentor, and one who treats me like his own son. Not only do we have personal ties, but it’s also Lex who invested in my company, allowing it to launch initially, making it now a multi-million-dollar business.

He informed me of his trip to the city, and I suggested we meet as there’s a chance of extending the business, though we need more capital.

“Let’s get down to it,” he insists, taking his spot at the table. “Show me your numbers.”

By the end of the meeting, my staff scurries out like lost puppies, leaving only Lex and me. Outside the window, darkness falls, though the bright city lights never fail to shine, and just like I had predicted, we dragged well into the night.

“I’m going to agree with you. I see the potential and want the full scope of this merger by the end of the month. You deliver what I need, and the capital is yours.”

I breathe a sigh of relief, confident I can do that. I only learn from the best, and there’s no chance in hell that Lex will allow me to screw this up. I may have graduated with a Master’s in Business, but nothing is as important as a mogul’s guidance.

A tycoon, as he’s often referred to.

Standing up to stretch my legs, I open the cabinet and pull out an aged whisky bottle I store in there, handing a glass to Lex. We cheer on our proposed deal, then both let out a relaxed breath.

“Change of topic,” Lex says, taking another drink. “Amelia has started at Yale.”

“Yale? Impressive.” I nod, despite being a Harvard man myself. “What’s she studying?”

The truth be told, I haven’t seen her since she was a kid or maybe four years ago when she was in middle school. It would’ve been one of our family dinners and given our age gap of just over ten years, we had nothing in common. My memories of her are this annoying little girl who would pester me to do dangerous things in her backyard on my visits, like jumping off the roof and into the pool.

“Law, like mother like daughter,” Lex professes while s

miling fondly. “I wasn’t exactly thrilled when we found out.”

I laugh, pouring more whisky into our glasses. “Lex Edwards, billionaire tycoon with four daughters. Why am I not surprised?”

He snickers, enjoying my dig at his protective persona. “One day, you’ll have kids of your own, possibly daughters, and then you’ll know.”

“Please…” I roll my eyes with boredom. “The last thing I want is marriage and babies. I’m quite happy being single despite what my mother believes.”

“Your mother believes you can’t keep your dick in your pants. Hence, why she keeps having to deal with different assistants when trying to call you.”

“Hmm… gossip travels fast.” I smirk playfully behind the glass. “No one understands my lifestyle. They either want on my cock or in my pocket. I’m almost thirty, too young to worry about settling down. I’ve got an empire to build, not pussy to chase.”

Lex shakes his head with a knowing smile. “Aren’t you the epitome of a young Lex Edwards? But a word of warning, one day you’ll wake up and realize that being alone is a punishment, not a blessing.”

“And until then, what does it matter if my bed is warm in the morning from some chick who can get me off quickly?”

“Why do I not believe you allow them to stay over?”

I throw back the rest of my drink. “You have me there, old fella, just trying to paint myself as a considerate lover.”

Lex points his finger at me. “You, Will Romano, are a selfish man, as was I once upon a time, but look where I ended up? If you’re to follow in my footsteps, I expect some woman to own you very soon.”

Laughter escapes me. “I recall the upsetting memory. You stole my favorite aunt and whisked her away to have babies in LA. I’m happy to prove you wrong. Wager, if needed.”

“Now, now, don’t get so cocky. Mark my words, son, it’ll happen to you. And all this…” he points around my office with an arrogant grin, “… will mean nothing if you can’t have her.”

With a dismissive nod, I raise my glass. “The bet is on. It’s time to prove Lex Edwards wrong.”

Seven

Amelia

We stand inside the dorm room, the last of my boxes placed on the wooden floor.