Baby for My Silver Fox CEO: A Billionaire Best Friend's Dad Romance, page 1
Baby for My Silver Fox CEO
Jaclyn Hartley
Copyright © 2023 by Jaclyn Hartley
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission requests, contact hello@jaclynhartley.com.
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.
Contents
1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3
4. Chapter 4
5. Chapter 5
6. Chapter 6
7. Chapter 7
8. Chapter 8
9. Chapter 9
10. Chapter 10
11. Chapter 11
12. Chapter 12
13. Chapter 13
14. Chapter 14
15. Chapter 15
16. Chapter 16
17. Chapter 17
18. Chapter 18
Next Book Coming Soon
Sneak Peek - Chapter One
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Chapter 1
Megan
The sound of the buzzing intercom never fails to scare me, distracting me from my work. Now the sentence I’d been typing has a mishmash of letters instead of a word that actually makes sense.
Sighing, I delete the error as I answer the intercom. “Yes, Mr. Evans?”
“Have you got my schedule sorted for next week, Megan? I have a few more meetings that I need to fit in somewhere.”
I stop myself from groaning out loud. My boss is probably one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met, but when it comes to organizing his time, he is atrocious. And he’s always asking me to redo the schedule after I’ve already organized it to how it should be.
But I push all that aside and force myself to sound pleasant when I respond with, “I’ll bring it in for you, sir. One moment.”
I am just about to go for lunch with Eric, too. He was going to treat me to that little bistro across the street. My stomach has been growling for a couple of hours now, and I’m looking forward to sinking my teeth into a good steak.
It’s a pity that my lunch hour will not be long enough for me to sneak home with him for a bit of intimate time before I get back to work. Mr. Evans doesn’t want me abusing my breaks. Not when it’s a busy time of year.
But the thought of getting Eric to myself later is enough to make me smile.
Picking up the iPad from my desk, I knock on my boss’ door and enter without missing a beat. Mr. Joel Evans is sitting behind his desk, looking at his laptop through wire-rimmed glasses, wearing a frown that suggests that he’s not in a good mood.
I use the moment of his distraction to take him in. I have a boyfriend, but even I can appreciate my boss’ good looks. And that is an understatement. Mr. Evans isn’t far from fifty, but he can easily grace the covers of magazines. I am sure he has in the past, as an aspiring hot billionaire; he would’ve had the photographers drooling. Over six feet of lean, solid muscle, his black hair going silver at the temples, and eyes that could have people drowning in them if they look too closely. As my friend Natalie says, totally droolworthy.
Which makes me feel a little weird, seeing as Natalie is Mr. Evan’s daughter.
Mr. Evans finally looks up, arching an eyebrow at me. “Have you finished?”
“What?” I feel like I’ve been caught out.
He quirks a brow, a shadow of a smile playing on his lips. “Staring at me. You done?”
“Oh!” I laugh nervously and approach his desk. “I’m saying nothing that’ll inflate your ego, sir.”
Mr. Evans smiles, and he sits back in his chair. I wish he wouldn’t do that; it makes his shirt stretch across his flat belly, showing off the sculpted muscles underneath. I will never figure out how he has managed to make himself look this good.
Remember, you’ve got a boyfriend. Sort your head out.
“You’ve got my schedule with you?” Mr. Evans asks.
“Sure.” I hand over the iPad. “Do you need me for anything else?”
“Why? Are you looking for some more work?” Mr. Evans gives me a bemused smile. “Am I not working you hard enough?”
“Eric’s coming to take me to lunch any minute now,” I say, trying to hide how uncomfortable I’m feeling. “I don’t want to keep him waiting.”
It’s weird talking about my boyfriend to my boss, of all people.
“Ah. I see,” Mr. Evans grunts. He waves me toward the door. “Off you go, then. I’ll deal with this on my own.”
“Thank you, sir,” I breathe a sigh of relief.
I fight back the urge to tell him not to change everything around too much. There are some meetings that can’t be moved, and I know what Mr. Evans is like. He will just move everything around like it’s a game of Tetris. Then I’ll have to redo everything later.
Well, I’m on my lunch break now, and I can hear voices in my office. So it’s officially not my problem for another hour.
“Do you want me to order you lunch before I go, Mr. Evans?” I ask as I head toward the door.
“Don’t worry about it, I’ll order in.” He doesn’t look up from the iPad, his frown deepening as he taps at the screen. “You go and enjoy your lunch date.”
I’m sure he’s not going to order anything. Mr. Evans will forget to eat if someone doesn’t get it for him. I make a mental note to get something for him on my way back.
Besides, I can hear Eric’s voice in my office. He’s probably waiting for me, and I shouldn’t dawdle around my hot boss. At least he’s not alone. I can hear him talking in a low voice with someone, and the other person is giggling. He’s probably telling one of his bad jokes again.
I enter my office, only to stop suddenly when I see two people in a passionate clinch. One I recognize as Eric, who has his tongue shoved down another woman’s throat. And from the moans emanating from both of them, they are clearly enjoying it.
The woman is partially obscured from me, but I recognize the long, bright pink nails as she holds onto his shoulders, the raven-black hair that falls almost to her waist, and the familiar silver diamond glinting in her ear.
“What the hell is going on?”
Eric breaks the kiss and looks around. But he doesn’t look embarrassed at being caught. And the woman in his arms giggles at me, giving me a smug look.
“Hey, Megan,” Anna says. “I thought you were going to be longer, dealing with Dad.”
“I… what…?” My mind is reeling.
I can’t speak. What is happening? Is this a bad dream, or is my boyfriend kissing my boss’ daughter?
Eric laughs, his arms still around Anna. “I think we’ve shocked her into silence, Anna.”
“I’m not surprised,” Anna giggles, running her hands up his chest. “It’s a lot for her to take in, after all.”
Why are they talking about it like they’ve done nothing wrong? My mouth is dry, and my head is pounding as I take in the sight of the guy I love holding onto another woman. This couldn’t be happening. It had to be a dream.
“What’s going on here?”
I jump with a little squeak when I hear Mr. Evans’ voice. I hadn’t realized that he had heard the commotion and joined us. Now he’s looking at the scene with a frown. It makes me wish that the ground would open up and swallow me whole.
“Hi, Dad,” Anna beams. “We just came by to see if you wanted anything. We’re going to the bistro across the street for lunch. Do you want us to bring some food back?”
“No, but… What’s going on?” Mr. Evans looks at me. “Am I missing something?”
“I… I don’t know.” Gathering the last of my composure, which is quickly seeping away, I focus on Eric. “What are you doing, Eric? What’s going on?”
“What does it look like, Megan?” Anna speaks as if Eric hasn’t been addressed. She still has her arms around him. “Eric’s here to tell you that he’s taking me to lunch instead of you because… Well, we’re dating now, and it would be weird if he didn’t take his girlfriend to lunch.”
“You’re dating?” I look at Eric, stunned to my core. “I want to hear it from you, Eric. Are you dating both of us?”
“Well, no, just Anna now,” Eric shrugs. “It was over between us, anyway.”
His words are like a hundred daggers to my heart. Heat rises to the back of my neck. Angry and humiliated, that’s how I feel.
“Since when?” I ask, my voice trembling slightly. “You never said anything was wrong!”
“Megan, you knew it was done. Besides, I can’t resist someone like Anna.” Eric presses a kiss to Anna’s head, and she gives me a smile that makes me want to rip her face off. “She offered, I accepted, and now we’re together.”
“Without telling me we’re over?”
I can feel my whole body shaking. Eric and I have been together for years. We had been talking about marriage, with Eric saying he was looking forward to it. Was that all a lie? Aware that Mr. Evans is behind me watching the scene, I try to focus on Eric.
“How long?” I ask. “How long have you been cheating on me?”
“Oh, he hasn’t been cheating on you,” Anna giggles. “There’s just been an overlap, that’s all.”
My mind is a mess. Nothing makes sense. “What? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“So, now you know,” Anna shrugs. “Eric and I are dating, and you’re done.”
“Get out of here.” The sound of Mr. Evan’s growl sends a shiver up my spine.
It’s been a while since I’ve heard him like this and when I do, I’m glad it’s not aimed at me. Eric looks equally uncomfortable, while Anna simply rolls her eyes. Like a petulant child.
“No need to get upset, Dad. We’re just letting Megan know not to bother us, that’s all.” She sounds like a spoiled brat the way she talks to her father.
“By getting one of my employees to tell his girlfriend that he’s been cheating on her?” Mr. Evans steps between me and the happy couple. “And in my office? Did you think that was going to be a good idea when you thought it up, or have you taken leave of your common sense?”
Anna doesn’t like being told off, and she pouts at her father. “Eric just didn’t get around to telling her earlier. I told him we needed to do it, and he eventually agreed. So, that’s what we’re doing.”
I want to slap her. I really do. This woman is a snobbish brat, but I thought we got along. I never believed that she would actually steal my boyfriend and treat it like they haven’t done anything wrong.
Mr. Evans steps closer to her and points his index finger right in front of her face.
“You and I are going to discuss this later, Anna,” he says, in a tone that says that he’s close to losing his temper. “In the meantime, get out of this office. And you,” he swings around on Eric, “if you’re a minute late from lunch, you’re going to have your wages cut for skipping work.”
Eric blinks. Now he looks a little nervous. After all he is working for Mr. Evans, not his daughter, Anna. But Anna, on the other hand, does not flinch.
“You can’t do that, Dad,” she whines. “He’s allowed to take a lunch break, and you can’t garnish his wages for that.”
Mr. Evans lets out a snarl that makes both Anna and Eric jump. It even startles me, and my heart is racing as the cheating couple back away from the CEO.
“Get. Out.” Mr. Evans towers over them. “You’re pushing my patience, Anna. Unless you want me to treat you like a child, I suggest you leave and stop behaving like one. Now, out.”
I can see that Anna wants to argue with her father—she is the more confrontational one out of his two daughters—but Eric is already pulling her out of the room. I can still hear her protesting as the door closes behind them.
Then silence closes in on me, and it hits me harder than I think. The room is shifting, then it begins to sway.
“Megan?”
I feel hands on my arms, and the room momentarily stops tilting over. I find myself leaning up against my boss, practically resting against his chest. I can feel my face getting warm, and I know I’m blushing. God, why did this have to happen now?
“I… I need a break,” I whisper.
Mr. Evans is frowning at me in concern, but he nods. “You need a moment, of course. You can use my private bathroom,” he says quietly. “Splash some water on your face.”
“Th—thank you.”
I don’t know if cold water is going to do anything, but I do need to use bathroom; I’m sure my stomach isn’t going to keep what little I have in there for much longer.
***
Joel
Megan hasn’t come out yet. I glance over at the bathroom door again. I can hear some water running, but that’s it. At least it’s better than the retching sounds I heard earlier.
But I can understand her reaction. Seeing your boyfriend kissing another woman right in front of you, and then rubbing it in your face had to be difficult. Especially when the woman is looking like the cat who got the cream.
I’m struggling to understand why my daughter thinks it was a good idea to do this. Why would she go after a guy who was in a committed relationship? Given how wealthy I am—which means, in turn, that she has everything she needs and beyond—there has to be plenty of guys who want to be with her and she can take her pick. Why does it have to be my personal assistant’s boyfriend?
And why does she want to be seen as the other woman in a relationship? Surely, that’s not something anyone would be proud of, and yet Anna is wearing that badge with pride. I know she is a snob and a brat, but she is still my daughter.
Even then, there is a limit to what I will support and this isn’t something I can approve of. Especially when I know Eric was meant to be with Megan. From what I’ve seen, the two of them had been happy and a solid couple.
I find it embarrassing that my own kid got between my PA and her man. I feel like it’s my fault. I should have raised her better. Megan is not going to look at me the same way again.
Anna has indeed created a huge mess.
My cell phone is buzzing its way across the desk. I don’t want to answer, but I see that it’s from my other daughter. I would normally ignore the call—I am at work, after all—but when it comes to the kids I still try to answer just in case. If Natalie is calling me during work hours, it has to be important.
“Hey, Nat.” I try to keep the concern out of my voice.
“I’m sorry to call you, Dad, but I thought you should know that Anna’s going to be doing something stupid.”
I think I can guess what it is.
“Does it involve going with Eric to tell Megan that she’s been cheated, and sucking each other’s lips off in front of her?” I rub my temples to try and keep the impending migraine at bay.
“Wh—How did you know?”
I sigh heavily. “Because it’s already happened. You’re a little too late.”
Natalie groans. “Oh, no. I thought Anna would be doing it later today. I’ve been trying to get hold of Megan, but there’s no answer. I’m guessing she doesn’t have her phone with her.”
“You know my policy on having phones out during work hours,” I say, feeling guilty about that too. If it weren’t for the policy, Megan would’ve gotten her warning.
“Apart from you, of course, Dad,” Natalie says, a smile in her voice.
“Cheeky,” I find myself smiling too. She’s always been the sweet one in the family. “Anyway, if you wanted me to warn Megan that Anna had stolen her boyfriend, you’re too late. Megan saw it all.”
“I can’t believe she did that,” Natalie says. “How’s Megan?”
“As well as anyone can be in that situation,” I reply. “Anna had no shame about it, and Eric just looked happy to have her attention.”
“And here I was thinking that he was a decent guy,” Natalie scoffs.
I’m thinking the same thing. Of course I know of Eric, being one of my employees, and I know Megan loved him. He always seemed to be a respectable individual, and he appeared to treat Megan with the attention and affection she deserved. Turns out, he didn’t love her enough if he could cheat with someone else.
And of all the people to cheat with, why did it have to be my daughter?
I rub a hand over my face. The headache has set in despite my attempts to stop it.
“I feel so bad for Megan, Dad,” Natalie’s voice makes my eardrum vibrate. “She’s my best friend, and I love her. I cannot believe Anna did that to her.”
It’s hard to field these questions when I have no answers. “I have no idea. I didn’t think Anna would take a guy who wasn’t single for herself.”
“As long as she gets what she wants, she doesn’t care,” Natalie’s tone is harsh, but I can’t blame her. What she’s saying is true. “You know what she’s like, and she isn’t likely to change any time soon. She’s such a spoiled brat.”
That’s the problem. Anna isn't going to change. And she’ll expect me to bail her out if it goes wrong. The way she usually does. I’m not sure I’m going to be willing to come to her rescue this time, though. Not after what she did to my PA.
Others may think that I’m a little too protective over Megan, but I don’t care. I don’t think I’d be able to function without her. She’s the most efficient woman I’ve ever come across, and her feisty attitude is something that irritates me at the same time it makes me smile. She always has a quick comeback, which adds color to the days over here.
