Daddy’s Billionaire Boss

As I tucked her into my car, her brow furrowed. I pulled out of the specially reserved CEO space, nodding to the security guards, and drove out into the soft light of early evening. The slight frown was still on her beautiful face.

“You don’t like my car?” I asked.

“No, it’s great. I guess,” I glanced over to see her hands twisting the hem of her skirt, “I keep focusing on your work, and you, and forgetting how impossibly rich you are.”

“Some people wouldn’t see that as a problem,” I smirked, turning a corner and heading out of the downtown core to my admittedly posh neighborhood.

“I’ve just never really been around wealth,” she shrugged. I hated that those big brown eyes looked so uncomfortable. “I hope I don’t embarrass you, use the wrong fork sometime or anything.”

Reaching over, I slipped her fingers through mine. “Never. Emily, I know that I have a reputation for being a cold, robotic workaholic.”

Sneaking a look, she was smiling, waiting for me to continue.

“But people can change, apparently. I’ve already changed so much in the past few days I’ve known you.”

“I don’t want to change you,” she said softly.

“You’re not doing it on purpose,” I said quickly. “Maybe it was just time for me to learn how to relax a little.”

Rubbing my thumb along the side of her hand, we turned down a lush street lined with huge old oak trees.

“I haven’t had a relationship in years,” I said softly. “I didn’t even realize it was time for me to find a girlfriend. But a man can’t be a robot his entire life,” I grinned.

Looking over, Emily was staring out the window in disbelief as we paused for the gigantic gate to open.

“There are only three houses on this court,” I explained. “Those are the Graces – they have a real estate empire,” I said, nodding to the east. “On the other side is the Armstrongs. They run a collection of shopping malls.”

It seemed like Emily stopped breathing as we rolled through the smaller gate to the north, and up my long driveway. To me, this was just the house I lived in. Trying to see it through Emily’s eyes was a challenge.

The house was a simple, classic style, with white columns, and those weird little manicured trees across the front. It looked like an appropriate sort of house. Yet I realized it was larger than the other two houses on the court, and they were each families of four or five.

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The second I parked, I dashed around to Emily’s side. Slipping an arm around her, we stared at my glossy black front door, adorned only with a giant brass knocker.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, gripping my arm.

“Maybe I really am cold,” I murmured, staring at my home with fresh eyes.

Walking her inside, her low heels clicked on the gray marble floor, as I looked around the black, gray, white and silver space. Turning to Emily, she stood out like the centerpiece at a fancy restaurant. She was the bright, lively, colorful highlight.

“I need you,” I said simply, making her blush instantly.

My deep chuckle confused her. “Okay, yes, I do need you like that. But look at how lifeless this room was until you walked in,” I explained, pulling her into my arms as I kissed the top of her hair. “You’re my bright spot of color. My happiness. I’m all hard angles, and you’re all soft curves,” I said as my palms skimmed along her hips. “You’re going to balance me. Can you feel it?”

“That’s a lot of pressure,” she smiled, “but I’ll try.”

The caveman part of my mind wanted to carry her upstairs to my bed immediately, but I didn’t want to frighten her. Taking her hand, I led her down the hall to the giant white and steel kitchen.

Across the marble island were bowls of freshly chopped vegetables, three different grated cheeses, and creamy guacamole. Spicy chicken was simmering in a pan on the stove.

Emily turned to me with her hands on her hips. “I thought we were going to make dinner.”

I shrugged. “I can’t cook, and I didn’t want my gorgeous new girlfriend to have to work. So I thought this was a reasonable compromise. We’ll still be assembling everything.”

Her little hand smacked my bicep lightly. There was no logical reason for me to love it when she tapped me, except that it proved she was the only person around who wasn’t afraid of me.

“I want to be mad that you kind of cheated, but this smells delicious,” she smiled.