The Baby Contract: A Marriage of Convenience Boss Romance (Boss of Seduction), page 1
The Baby Contract
Kasi Blake
Copyright © 2022 Kasi Blake
This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law. Cover artist: Les Solet
Author website: http://kasiblake.com
For everyone that loves a good love story...
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Epilogue
About The Author
Chapter One
“I think my boss is about to fire me.”
Katie Greer peeked around a row of dresses and through the boutique’s large storefront window, cell phone to her ear. If she stood at just the right angle, she could see the top of her boss’s dark head as the waitress across the street refilled his cup. Katie moved a bit more to the left and saw the upper half of his body. He was wearing the shirt that made his brown eyes appear velvety and smooth like melted chocolate. She didn’t have to see his lips to know they were compressed in annoyance. The familiar signs of impatience were already there. Mr. Grayson was nothing if not predictable, and she could usually tell the time of day by his mood. He glanced at his watch. Then his fingers drummed on the table’s surface as he scanned passing pedestrians for her familiar face.
“What makes you think that?” Bianca asked through the static-laced connection. “You’ve been a remarkable executive assistant. Best in the biz.”
Katie rolled her eyes. “I’m a glorified secretary and we both know it.”
“What makes you think he’s going to fire you?”
“For two years, Chase Grayson has eaten at his desk every single day. He also expects me to eat at mine. Every. Single. Day. Then out of the clear blue, he invites me to lunch.”
“What a reptile.” Bianca’s tone dripped with sarcasm. “Wait until I tell Christian your boss invited you to lunch. He’ll be utterly shocked.”
“Invite is the wrong word. He demanded I meet him.” Katie groaned. “I have a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. This is it. I am done.”
Bianca giggled.
Katie glared at the phone before returning it to her ear. “It isn’t funny. I love my job, and I don’t want to search for another.”
“If you get fired, you can come work for my magazine.”
Katie sighed as her head dropped forward, and her eyes closed. “We’ve already been over this a million times. I don’t want to move to New York City. San Francisco is my home, and I love it here. I’ve got friends and a beautiful apartment and... my job. Hopefully.”
“I really think you’d love it here, too, if you gave it half a chance, and you can always make new friends.”
“You know how I hate it when people try to arrange my life for me.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
“I already moved across the pond. One big relocation is enough. Besides, you have your hands full with a drop-dead gorgeous husband, a beautiful baby, and your own business. You don’t need me underfoot.”
Katie skimmed over a row of pretty clothes. She was not in a hurry to meet up with her boss just to get the sack. Cradling the phone between her head and shoulder, she removed a stunning black dress from the rack. The tag insisted it was her size, but it looked far too small for her. Maybe the material stretched.
“Think of all the fun we’d have,” Bianca said. “If you move to New York, we’ll have a blast. I promise. Just think about it... even if you don’t get fired.”
Katie held the dress in front of her body while gazing into a full-length mirror. Her light brown hair shimmered with golden highlights against the dark material. She checked the price and nearly choked on her own saliva. It was far too extravagant for someone on the verge of losing their job.
“What’s wrong?” Bianca demanded in a sharp tone. “Are you okay?”
Katie sighed. “No. I am not okay. Haven’t you been listening? I am about to lose a job I am perfect for, a job I enjoy doing. Not to mention the size of my paycheck is ridiculous. I’ve been saving up to buy a house in the country.”
“Wow. That’s a big step.”
“You know I’ve always wanted a terrace with a lovely garden and a nice backyard for a dog. I could do that someday... if I don’t lose this job.”
“Go talk to your boss. He might surprise you. Maybe he’s giving you a raise.”
Katie snorted. “Right. I’m sure that’s why he lured me out of the office to a crowded café.”
“Call me back after you talk to him. If you get fired, you are moving here whether you like it or not. I mean it.”
Katie disconnected the call after saying goodbye and returned the dress to the rack.
“Would you like to try that on, dear?” the saleslady asked from behind her.
Katie wavered. A pretty dress would be a nice pick-me-up if she got fired, and Bianca did promise her work at the magazine. The high price flashed before her mind’s eye. She shook her head at the woman and headed for the door. “Sorry. I’m late for a lunch date. Gotta run.”
“Pretty girl like you must have to beat them off with a stick.” The elderly saleslady picked up the abandoned dress and held it in front of Katie. “Wear this to your lunch date, honey, and you’ll have the young man drooling over you instead of the food. I guarantee it.”
An idea slowly formed in Katie’s brain, and a smile stretched her mouth. In her two years working for Chase Grayson, she hadn’t once made an inappropriate remark or done anything he would deem unprofessional. She left her wild streak at home. Playing the part of a robotic assistant hadn’t been easy. Sometimes she had nightmares about slipping up and revealing her true self. He fired her in those dreams. He always fired her.
Her handsome boss was rigid to the extreme when it came to his routine. It didn’t make sense that he would want to eat lunch with her outside the office after two years unless he was planning to fire her. He didn’t want her to make a scene. People like Mr. Grayson would do anything to avoid a messy, emotional confrontation.
Many times, she’d gazed at his gorgeous dark brown mane and toyed with the idea of delving deep with all ten fingers. His hair always looked too perfect. What would he do if she undid his tie, messed up his hair, and kissed him with the passion she’d been hiding?
Before going to work for Grayson, she’d heard stories about his bachelor lifestyle, a girl for every night of the week, fast cars, and impulsive trips on his private jet to exotic places. She’d seen his sexy dimpled smile in glossy magazines, and she had thought he’d be fun to work for. Wrong! Maybe he was fun at a party—although she even doubted that now—but he certainly wasn’t fun at the office. The grouchy bear wouldn’t appreciate a girl like her, so she kept her personality under wraps at work.
But if she was about to get fired anyway...
She snatched the dress from the lady’s hand and hurried to the dressing room. It wasn’t easy to put on. The material did stretch, just not enough to slide on without a lot of tugging and wiggling. As anticipated, the dress fit like a second skin.
When she emerged, the saleslady clapped with what seemed like genuine glee. “Wonderful! You look like a movie star in that dress. You must have it.”
Katie stood in front of the mirror again. Although she knew the saleslady was simply manipulating her for a nice commission, she wasn’t wrong. A scrunched black bodice pushed her bosom up to the point it was bursting to escape. Katie fluffed her hair and allowed the silky waves to spill over her bare shoulders and rest on the top of the material. Shorter than what she usually wore, the hem barely covered her bum. If she raised her arms, she’d inadvertently give the whole street a free peep show. The daring dress was far too sexy, far too short, and far too dramatic for daytime.
And that’s what made it so perfect for her lunch with her stuffy boss. She couldn’t wait to see his face when he got an eyeful of her in the sexy dress. Perhaps her new appearance would knock him speechless.
“I’ll take it,” she said on impulse.
She removed her purse from her handbag and gave the woman her only credit card. The high-price would be worth it if Mr. Grayson lost the power of speech. Perhaps the sexy dress would even convince him not to fire her.
♥♥♥
Chase finished his second cup of coffee and checked the Rolex on his wrist for what must have been the fiftieth time since sitting down at the cafe table. He’d asked to be seated outside for two reasons. First, his lungs coveted extra oxygen due to stress. Second, he hoped the fragrant flowers growing from nearby pots would somehow soften Katie’s heart so she would at least listen to his outrageous offer.
Calm. Cool. Efficient.
Those words described his assistant better than any others he could come up with. It was a shame he had to lose her. She was so good at her job that it unnerved him at times. Before she’d charged into his life, he had gone through numerous temps, all terrible. Loud, off-putting, nosy, incompetent, and those were the best of the lot. Katie had shown up with a woefully short list of job credits. One look at her pitiful resume and he’d shown her to the door. That was when fate struck with a blow that saved his both office and his sanity.
Temp-of-the-day jumped up screaming, “I can’t! I can’t do this. I’m a model, not a stupid secretary.”
Then she was off, disappearing through the doorway like a magician’s assistant during his final trick. The phone lines blinked relentlessly. Chase had important clients coming to meet him for the first time, and his father’s lawyers were breathing fire in the background.
Cool, calm, and efficient Katie Greer sat at the abandoned desk as if she belonged there, and she took care of the callers with minimal effort. Before the day was over, she had charmed his clients, upgraded his filing system, and made herself indispensable.
During the past two years, he’d marveled over his luck in employing such a rare jewel. He appreciated her professional demeanor, especially when most women he met in the workplace flirted with him until he either gave in or rudely cut them off. Since taking over as CEO, he’d found women would do crazy things just to get his attention.
Fortunately, his workaholic secretary didn’t seem to notice he was a man. That bruised his ego a bit, but her indifference was refreshing. Maybe that was why he wanted her help. Other women gave into his demands too easily and were too eager to comply with his every wish. Unlike the other employees at Grayson, Katie didn’t get flustered around him.
Now, he was about to kiss all that goodbye.
Am I making a mistake?
Chase checked his watch again. Where was she? In two years, she hadn’t been late for anything.
Then he looked up and saw her walking, no, floating in his direction. He did a double-take. For a moment, he didn’t recognize his efficient assistant. The woman headed his way was like a femme fatale from some black and white noir film with a large cult following. She couldn’t possibly be his straight-laced, sexless employee.
The heel of one sleek black boot caught on something, and she tripped. She recovered her balance almost immediately. Her eyes darted around to see if anyone had noticed the klutzy moment. Before she could look his way, he turned his head. His lips twitched, itching to smile. That was definitely his Ms. Greer.
She drew closer.
He realized several things at once. Her full, plump lips were curved slightly at the ends as if she was constantly smirking even when she wasn’t happy. How had he not noticed that before? Instead of being secured to her head in a tight bun, her light brown hair flowed free, bouncing over her shoulders. It was a lot longer than he’d imagined, falling in gentle waves over the swell of her breasts, and there were streaks of gold mixed with the brown that shimmered in the sunlight. In a short time span, he noticed an array of things about her physical appearance that had eluded him before today. The most shocking thing was her youth.
Chase thought back to her resume and willed himself to remember her age. Her youth had been the biggest reason he’d shown her to the door after a quick glance. At the time, she had been... what? Twenty-two? Yes, twenty-two, and if he remembered right, her birthday was just a few weeks before he hired her. That meant she was twenty-four now, barely, still too young to handle the amount of responsibility he threw at her, but she did.
Ms. Greer wore matronly dresses to work every day and kept her hair pulled back in a severe style that made her facial features appear stern. Perhaps that was why he hadn’t noticed she possessed a rare sort of beauty.
As she reached the table, he stood and pulled a chair out for her. He signaled to the waitress that his guest had arrived. The woman brought his assistant a menu while he retook his seat. His young assistant appeared as nervous as he felt.
Ms. Greer handed the menu back without glancing at it. “I’m not hungry.”
“You have to eat something,” he said.
“I’ll have a cuppa and some biscuits, please.” She gave a wane smile to the waitress. “Thank you.”
He snorted.
“What?” Ms. Greer’s brows drew together.
To the confused looking waitress, he explained, “She’ll have a cup of hot tea and a plate of cookies.”
Ms. Greer rolled her eyes as the waitress walked away. “If I live to be a hundred, I will never get used to calling biscuits cookies or chips fries.”
“You live in America now. Learn the lingo or be prepared to eat something you don’t want and didn’t ask for.”
“It was you Americans that started calling biscuits cookies and the like, confusing everyone.”
He grinned. “Is that so?”
She blinked. “I do believe this is the first time I’ve seen you smile, Mr. Grayson. You should do it more often. It makes you look less...”
“Intimidating?”
“I was going to say, constipated.”
He shrugged, knowing she was trying to provoke him for some reason. “Call me Chase. We aren’t at work, and Mr. Grayson is too formal for such a lovely day. May I call you Katie?”
A cute pink shade tinted her cheeks, and his unflappable assistant faltered. “I... why do you want to call me Katie? Are you firing me?”
A bark of laughter burst past his lips before he could squelch it. “What? Why would you think that?” He leaned forward and stared into her cat-like green eyes, searching for deception. “Have you done something I don’t know about?”
“No, sir.” When he gave her a disapproving look, she amended one of those two words. “No... Chase.”
“Very good. Now, you’ve worked for me for two years and I know nothing about you.”
Her eyes narrowed on his face as if she smelled a trap. “Did you or did you not say when I was hired that you were a private person and expected the same from me? I seem to recall you demanding I keep my personal life personal and never bring it to work.”
That sounded like him, although he didn’t remember those exact words coming from his mouth. “I apologize for being a...”
“Jerk?” she offered with a slight smile. “Git? Total wanker? Complete nutter?”
“Okay, okay.”
He held up his hands in mock surrender, and the genuine smile on her face was his reward. How had he not seen her beauty when she was right under his nose for so long? Perhaps it was better he hadn’t noticed. He didn’t smoke, drink to excess, or do drugs. Beautiful women were his only vice, one he refused to give up. If he’d wanted her, he would have pursued her until he got her in bed, and then he would have had to find a new assistant.
The waitress returned long enough to set a plate with six small cookies on it and a cup of tea in front of Katie. Before the woman walked away, she placed a friendly hand on his arm. “Can I refill your cup or get you something else?”
Her blue eyes openly flirted with him, and her smile offered him more than coffee. “I’m fine,” he said. “Thank you.”
The waitress walked away with disappointment etched on her lovely face. For some reason he couldn’t begin to fathom, meaningless sexual encounters had left him feeling empty and confused lately. Something deep within his soul lusted for more than a warm body to indulge in for the night, but he had no clue what. Maybe he was just getting old.
“If you were ever going to get lucky...”
He blinked. “What?”
“The waitress.” Katie smirked at him. “She is obviously into you, and I would bet a year’s salary she puts her phone number on the check.”
“Not interested.”
Katie’s expression turned concerned. “Are you ill?” When he didn’t answer right away, she said, “I’ve noticed how tired you look lately, and you seem more stressed. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen the usual parade of women strolling through the office. Are you sick? Is that why you brought me here? Do I need to look for a new job?”
For a moment, he thought his assistant actually cared what happened to him. He should have known better. People only thought about themselves. They only cared about what happened to them and how things affected their own lives. His parents taught him that tough lesson repeatedly during his disappointing childhood. Why should Katie be any different?
