Billionaires Runaway Bride

I had investors in London and the United States calling to ask what the deal was with the new product. So, not only were my staff confused, but the buyers were as well. Fuck my communication skills. They were rather lacking, but I’d known that for some time. Visionaries usually had a horrible time communicating to the worker bees what they wanted to come from the big idea. I was no exception to the rule.

I was going to have a headache by the end of the day. I could feel it as I turned off various lights and walked to the front door. I paused and glanced back toward the stairs, thinking about whether I should let Molly know that I was leaving.

No. I was being too invasive. The woman was a guest, not a potential date. I smiled and walked out in the chilly morning air. If the situation were different than it was, I’d have to qualms asking out a woman like Molly. She was exactly my type, and like she had alluded to the night before, she stood out amongst the Europeans. Her dark, exotic features were something that would draw attention easily. She definitely had mine.

The soft hum of the radio drove away any lingering sleep in my eyes as I drove my favorite SUV down the sleepy streets of my town. I glanced in the rearview mirror to see the rental car I had yet to drop off. I had promised Peyton to cover the cost for however long Molly decided to stay.

She would need a car to get around Devon instead of waiting around on me all the time. So maybe it was a good thing that I was running behind on the errand. Now Molly would have the ability to get out and enjoy herself a little bit. It wasn’t healthy to sit in the house and stew on the shit Harry had done. If nothing else, I’d make sure she had a few moments of reprieve.

The road to London was dark and lonely with only a few cars on the road at this early hour. I parked in my usual parking space in the parking garage outside of the building my business was nestled in. It was at the center of London, right in the middle of it all, and while I loved coming into the city, I enjoyed the quietness when I returned home at night.

It was the best of both worlds.

I got into the office and had barely gotten settled when my secretary walked in and paused by the door. “Morning, sir.”

“Sicily.” I gave her a tight smile. “Make sure that the conference room is ready for our executive staff meeting this morning.” I lifted my arm to glance down at my watch. “It starts in—”

“Ten min

utes,” she jumped in as her smile broadened. “I have everything laid out, just as you like it. We’ll have fresh coffee and a kettle of tea as well.”

“Excellent.” I pulled my laptop from my briefcase and opened it. “Anything else?”

“Not right now, sir. Let me know if you need me.”

“I always need you, Sicily,” I mumbled just loud enough for her to hear me as I dove into answering a few e-mails. Her chuckle was my reward, and I’d take it. She was a good woman and a great secretary.

A few minutes later, she was back with a two-minute warning. I stood, closed the laptop, and walked down the hall. Ten of my top executives sat quietly as I walked into the room.

“Morning. It’s come to my attention that there was some confusion over the new phone prototype that I designed and presented last week.” I pulled out my chair and lifted an eyebrow as I glanced at the faces staring at me. “Why so gloomy? Someone die?”

Bill chuckled. “No, sir. We’re just hoping that you’re going to explain the prototype in a different way. We’re trying to grasp it, but it’s like telling us that the U.S. is going to send someone to the moon. Seemed impossible, and yet they did it.”

“Maybe,” Kent said. “Who knows if it were true?”

We all gave a soft chuckle and I took my seat. “Well, going to the moon is a discussion for another day.” I leaned down and pulled the prototype from my bag. “This, however, is our main focus right now. You guys are in charge of marketing and sales. Let’s get you caught up on the science and then the benefits our customers will receive because of this newest jewel.”

I dove into my presentation, having reworked it five times in between all of the activities around Harry’s wedding. After answering a million questions and ensuring beyond the shadow of a doubt that my team knew what the hell they were looking at, I dismissed them.

We had another meeting coming up later that week where the marketing team would brief me on our new strategy. We needed something different, something wow.

After everyone had left the conference room, I walked over to the floor to ceiling windows and slipped my hands into my pockets. I had everything a man my age could want. Wealth. Security. Fame. Attention.

The only thing missing was a woman who loved me.

I couldn’t help but let my thoughts rush back to my quiet estate and the pretty dark-haired beauty who rested inside its thick walls. I wasn’t sure why I wanted to offer her healing, but it was bothersome. She was off limits.

At least in my head she was. My body had a completely different understanding of the situation. Sex had healing powers, and I’d experienced it many times before in my life. A part of me wanted to seduce her and dip her into the pool of pleasure. If she liked what I had to offer, maybe she’d slide in deeper…or let me.

*

I got home just after eight, which was early for me. The concern over leaving Molly at the house too long by herself was unfounded, but it was a concern nevertheless. After parking the SUV, I walked to the back door and realized that once again, I’d forgotten my damn key.

I knocked and pursed my lips as my stomach tightened. Molly had her long black hair in a ponytail, and from the looks of it, the house was chilled. Her nipples budded into tight peaks and poked through her white t-shirt. My body ached for something that I was most certainly not going to allow. Not even with me thinking about how good it would feel for both of us.

Her smile widened as she opened the door. “I need to give you the key to the house back.”

The smell of tomatoes and cheese filled my nose, and my stomach growled. I hadn’t eaten all day. Dammit. I tried hard not to forget to eat something for the purposes of energy, but it happened. More often than not.