A Baby for the Beastly Boss Read online

  A Baby for the Beastly Boss

  By Jenessa Beyer

  Copyright 2019 by Jenessa Beyer. All rights reserved.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Epilogue

  About Jenessa Beyer

  Chapter One (Emma)

  “Look out, everyone,” one of the secretaries whispered. A chorus of hushed giggles followed the quiet declaration, making it impossible to tell who had actually said the words. “Here comes the ogre.”

  The front door of the office was made of glass, and so it couldn’t be slammed with quite the force that I’m sure Mr. Harrison would like to apply. He stormed past the front desk without so much as glancing in our direction, and another chorus of nervous laughter followed in his wake.

  “Looks like you’re going to have a rough day today, Emma.”

  Before I could answer, another of the secretaries spoke up. “She always has a rough day. She has to work with him, doesn’t she?”

  “It’s not that bad,” I said. Even though I knew that my feeble protest would do nothing to change their opinion of our boss. “And remember, he did have to go to a funeral this morning. I think that gives him a right to be in a bad mood.”

  “Maybe. If he was actually capable of feeling any grief. Which I doubt.” That statement was followed by several nods of agreement. Though it was well known that our boss had attended the funeral of his great-uncle, it was equally widely rumored that he hadn’t cared for the old man anyway.

  Even I didn’t know all the details, despite the fact that I had been his personal assistant for nearly five years. He was not what anyone would consider open about his private life, especially in front of his employees. All I knew was that it stemmed from the way that Mr. Harrison had ended up taking over the company.

  Still, I had the sense that his uncle’s death had rattled him in more ways than one.

  Not that I was going to tell anyone that. It wouldn’t do any good. I knew what the entire office thought of me. That I was the quiet mouse, the abused and put-upon assistant who would never dare speak a word against the bully. I set my coffee cup aside and rose to my feet. “I need to get back to work.”

  I knew it was late enough in the day that my boss would not want coffee now. The funeral had consumed most of the morning and it was now nearly lunch time. Perhaps I should check if he wanted something to eat.

  He had already thrown off his coat and rolled up the sleeves of his crisp white shirt. He was leaning forward with his elbows on his desk. His hands over his face.

  I paused in the doorway instead of approaching, my heart racing.

  Not because of fear. Oh, no.

  It would be so much easier for me to work with Andrew Harrison each and every single day, if I had been afraid of him.

  My real emotions were more difficult to deal with.

  And that much more pathetic.

  I had certainly never intended to become that oldest of clichés: the secretary or assistant who fell in love with her boss. I couldn’t even say for certain whether or not I was actually in love with him, but I certainly admired him more than I should.

  And not purely in the emotional sense.

  Even now, when I could see how upset he was, my body was reacting to his. Besides my racing heart and shortness of breath, I had the ridiculous urge to squirm and wriggle my hips as a flood of wetness soaked my panties. Inside my bra, my nipples had tightened into hard points, which chafed against the very plain cotton fabric. I never wore anything sexy to the office, no matter how much I might be tempted.

  Not that I was deluded enough to believe that anyone would see what I was wearing underneath my suit. Especially not Andrew. The practical garments made it easier for me to forget their existence, even if they did nothing to help me control my responses.

  I had several phone messages that I needed to give him, but I knew he would be in no mood to deal with them now. “I’d offer you a drink, sir,” I said. Trying to keep my voice as professional and normal as he would expect. “But I assume it’s a little too early in the day for that.”

  His laugh was more bitter than amused, but at least he did laugh. “Well, you know what they say. It’s five o’clock somewhere.”

  We didn’t keep any alcohol in the office. Andrew rarely drank at all, as far as I knew. Only on those rare social occasions when he allowed himself to indulge in something as frivolous as free time. His whole existence was focused—almost consumed—by his work. “If you want, I can step out for a few minutes to get something.”

  “No.” He finally lifted his head, raking a hand through his dark brown hair in a way that had it standing up on end. I knew him well enough now that to see the shadows in his eyes, though I knew it wouldn’t be obvious to everyone. Not with the way they considered him as nothing better than an ogre. A monster. “I don’t really have time for that, anyway. And I’ll certainly need my wits about me if I’m to figure out how to get out of this mess.”

  “Mess, sir?”

  I half expected him to tell me to ignore what he’d just said. It was certainly not my business, as I sensed it had to be personal.

  “I was called to a lawyer’s office immediately after the service was over. Apparently, my uncle didn’t want his will to be read until now.”

  “His will, sir?” I bit my lip as soon as the words were out. “Never mind. You don’t need to tell me.”

  He dropped his head in his hands again and muttered something under his breath. It was as if he hadn’t heard me at all. And I thought I heard them say something about how someone was continuing to control his life, even beyond the grave.

  Which could only be a reference to his uncle.

  I didn’t need to hear the details in order to know how much this is bothering him. It had been clear from the moment that he walked into the office.

  He started rubbing at the back of his neck, a clear sign that he was feeling the strain. Not just there, but if something wasn’t done to relax him soon, he would likely end up with one of his stress headaches.

  I moved toward the small floor cabinet that stood not far from his desk. That was where I kept the things that were needed for a time like this.

  Namely, the small heating pad that would fit around the back of his neck.

  I retrieved it, moved to plug it in, and cursed.

  His head snapped up and he stared at me in shock. My face heated, for though I could have a bit of a potty mouth during my off hours, I usually could do a better job of cleaning up my language at work.

  I held up the plug to the heating pad so that he could see the section of wire where the plastic coating had worn away from the metal. “I guess we need to get a new one.” I was about to volunteer to run out to the store, but experience told me that by the time I got back, it might already be too late. “But if you let me, maybe there’s something else I can do for now.”

  He was still staring at me with an odd expression, and that was making me nervous. Though maybe it had to do with my choice of words This wasn’t the first time the heating pad had failed in some way, and I’d needed to take a more hands-on approach.

  My breathing quickened as my fingers touched his skin. Made me take in more of his scent, his unique mix of his skin and his woodsy aftershave. He was so tall that even in his chair, it was a little difficult for me to reach the upper parts of him. For practicality reasons, I didn’t wear heels to work.

  Bu
t he knew all that, of course. Letting out a low groan that seem to send a jolt of energy rocketing through every nerve in my body, he closed his eyes. “You always know just what I need, Miss Riley.”

  It was just a careless complement, one he probably didn’t even think much about, but it caused a little flutter in my belly. And a little lower than that too.

  I tried to ignore that and focus on his needs instead.

  Despite his words, the muscles of his neck were tighter than I had ever felt them before. “Sir, you need to stop tensing up so much.”

  “Easy for you to say,” he snapped. Then he immediately shook his head. “Sorry about that. Didn’t mean to bite your head off.”

  “It’s all right,” I said. “I know you’ve had a lot to deal with lately.”

  He turned his head and opened his eyes to look at me. “That doesn’t excuse what I just did.”

  This was the side of him that had only start to come out after my first year of working for him, and which no one else ever saw. Part of the reason might be because no one else had managed to stay with him for long.

  Andrew was a perfectionist, which he would admit to anyone who would listen, but that also made him very difficult to work with. Of course, it had brought him a great deal of success too.

  Though I didn’t think he would actually open up to me, I had to try. “Do you want to talk about it, sir?”

  For the first time, I saw him hesitate. Then he shook his head. “I wouldn’t want to bother you with my problems.”

  “I’m just trying to help.”

  Something in his expression changed, and if I didn’t know better, I’d swear that he was blushing. There did appear to be a faint flush of red upon his strong cheekbones that disappeared down into his well-trimmed beard. I was close enough to see the golden highlights among the short strands and my fingers itched with the urge to touch them. “I don’t think you could help me with this.”

  I couldn’t imagine why he would be embarrassed now. “I just meant that… If you want someone to listen to you. It might help to get it off your chest.”

  He gave me another of those indecipherable looks again. Then he sighed. “How much do you know about the ownership of this company?”

  “Not much, sir. I didn’t think I needed to know.”

  “Even though I took over the day-to-day running of everything ten years ago, the business legally remained the property of my great-uncle. Which means he had the right to dispose of it as he wished, in his will.”

  Somehow, that wasn’t at all what I was expecting to hear. “Don’t tell me that he is trying to force you out! No one else could run this place as well as you do.”

  Okay. Maybe that was a little too enthusiastic, but it did get a smile out of my boss. Sort of. “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” he said. “But he’s not actually forcing me out. Not immediately, at least.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “There were some rather ridiculous conditions put forth in his will, which I’ve been assured are still perfectly legal, unfortunately. I suspect he knew that I would question his sanity in this case, for he also made sure to have statements from his physician that he was imperfectly sound mind when he wrote up his last wishes.” He slashed his hand through his hair once again. “Namely, he wants me to produce an heir.”

  “Is that even legal?” It was a little surprising but having met his great-uncle on more than one occasion, not completely unexpected.

  Their family had been tiny already. Down to just the two of them, since Andrew was an only child of an only child. And his uncle had come from an older generation where things like continuation of the family line would be considered of utmost importance.

  It was an explanation for his views, though rather an ironic one, considering that the elderly man had not had any children or grandchildren himself.

  “I’m having it reviewed by some other lawyers, but I don’t have much hope that it will be overturned.” His grimace deepened into a scowl. “I suppose I should be grateful that he didn’t specify needed to be married too. But as you can see, this really isn’t something you can help me with.”

  A familiar heat rushed through my body. My mind didn’t need much encouragement to go places it really shouldn’t. Wondering what it would be like if I actually could help my boss with this problem. “I wish…” I bit my lip and glanced in his direction.

  My breath caught when I saw his eyes burning with a heat that I had never seen from him before. “Is that right?” He swiveled his chair about to face me.

  Then he snaked one strong arm around my waist and tugged me down into his lap.

  And he was hard.

  Chapter Two (Andrew)

  Oh, fuck.

  I should not have grabbed her. I couldn’t even explain why I had done it. Emma would have every right to accuse me of harassment for this, or worse yet, she might decide to just quit.

  And though it wasn’t really that difficult to find a personal assistant with the sort of business qualifications that I required, there were very few who would be able to put up with me. I was amazed, in a way, that Emma had stuck around as long as she had.

  That, in itself, made her irreplaceable.

  As good as she felt in my lap, I quickly dropped my arm away from her slender waist. Freeing her. But she did not move.

  No. That wasn’t exactly true.

  She was squirming ever so slightly, even though I was sure that she had to feel my hard-on throbbing against her soft, rounded ass. There was a look in her eyes too, something I had seen more than once over the years but had chosen to ignore.

  It was the same look that she’d had when she had spoken those two words: I wish.

  She could have been expressing her desire to help me with something that was business related, maybe even thinking about way to get out of the conditions of my uncle’s will, but I doubted it. Her voice had been too soft and breathless. The tone more personal and intimate.

  And then she’d bitten her lip.

  The same thing that she was doing right now.

  Fuck, but the effect that had on me.

  I’ll admit, I hadn’t been completely blind where she was concerned. But I had always done my best to forget how pretty she was, to ignore any attraction that I had felt, because any move on my part would have been taking advantage of my position over her.

  At least, that was how it had felt.

  Now, however, it was as if I could not stop noticing things about her. Like the way her cheeks were flushed a very lovely shade of pink. How the pupils of her hazel eyes had dilated when she looked at me.

  And how very full and kissable her lips were.

  Hell, I had no right to be thinking any of these things. I certainly shouldn’t be wondering if her skin was as soft as it looked, or what kind of sounds she might make if I bent her over my desk, pushed up that prim and proper skirt, and thrust my cock deep into her sweet little body.

  Would she make soft and gentle cries, or would she scream?

  I couldn’t get that image out of my head, and the way she kept squirming wasn’t really helping the situation.

  Giving in to the most innocent of the many temptations, I lifted one hand to touch her cheek.

  It was even softer than it looked. Like silk under my fingers.

  Emma inhaled sharply but did not protest. Did not try to move away.

  I cupped my hand along the delicate line of her jaw and dipped down to kiss her.

  Her breath exploded against my lips in a gasp and her hands moved against my chest, then slid up to the back of my neck.

  It was far from the first time that she had touched me, of course. Especially there. I couldn’t remember what, exactly, had led to that first massage. I’d never thought to ask for such a thing. Not from her. That wouldn’t have been professional or proper.

  In fact, I thought I recalled refusing her initial offer.

  But the pain of my neck—or her perception of it—had become too great, an
d I got to find out what kind of magic her fingers could work on my skin.

  Now, however, they were casting an entirely different sort of spell.

  And more than that, she was kissing me back. Her mouth softened and her lips parted to give me an opening. Her tongue snaked out to meet mine and brushed it tentatively.

  She tasted so sweet.

  There was something almost innocent in her kiss. Or there would have been, if she had not been moving her hips the entire time, riding my cock through my pants.

  Fuck, she had me so hard.

  I grabbed her hip, intending to hold her still so she could not continue that maddening squirming, but then she moaned against my lips and I knew she was taking the gesture as something else entirely.

  This needed to stop.

  Or did it?

  She might be the solution to the problem of my uncle’s will. I could fuck her bare, get her pregnant with the child I needed, and then…

  Fuck.

  What was I thinking?

  I broke the kiss and turned my head away.

  She slipped off my lap and her soft footsteps moved around to the other side of my desk.

  I turned to look at her. Her cheeks were still flushed, and strands of her dark hair had escaped from the normally prim and proper bun. Curling softly against the side of her neck. What would she look like with her hair completely down, spread out over the pillows on my bed?

  My thoughts were still locked on that same direction. Focused on the same impulse to fuck this woman hard and deep, again and again, until we were both too exhausted to move.

  And now that I’d tasted her kiss, I suspected that she would likely yield to me willingly.

  Sweetly.

  Eagerly.

  And I might have tried to find out just how right I was, everything else be damned, but something in her eyes stopped me. They were still dark with desire, yet there was also confusion.

  Oh, hell. “Should I apologize, Emma?”

  She jumped and I realized that I was still using her first name, rather than the more formal title and surname that I normally used to keep my distance. One hand fluttered up to the back of her neck as she fumbled and tried to push the loose strands back into place. “I… I don’t think so.”