The Big Surprise (Corporate Complications Book 2) Read online

  Charlie realized this is what life with Katelyn would be like. It would be one endless business meeting with two colleagues discussing their company. He tried to stay interested in the conversation, but his mind kept wandering to Alexa.

  Both women were beautiful, intelligent, and sweet. Only one of them fascinated him with her every word. Katelyn was a great business partner, but Alexa interested and entertained him beyond the world of work. She could talk about anything and he found himself always wanting to hear more.

  Katelyn was boring him already on the subject of his own livelihood. The company they’d built together. A subject he should never tire of discussing. But talking with her was just like work, which wasn't a quality one wanted in a wife.

  Alexa was like a breath of fresh air, where even work felt like fun, and every conversation was unique and different. She was the one he wanted to be with. He had to find a way to win her back, no matter what it took.

  "I can't wait to get home." Katelyn sighed heavily and smiled at him. "Did the movers get all my stuff settled into your apartment okay? Sorry I wasn’t able to help with all that."

  "What? Um, oh, yeah. It’s all good."

  Charlie felt empty as he was rudely reminded that his home was Katelyn’s home now. It was how he first found out that she thought they were engaged. He’d been floored when the movers showed up at his penthouse the day after she went to Chicago.

  He'd had no choice but to let them in, and called her immediately, thinking it was a practical joke. He'd been stunned to realize she thought they were getting married. He hadn’t been able to do what he should have done, which was to tell her flat out that they weren't a couple.

  Now, it only added an extra layer of difficulty to what was already a horribly uncomfortable task. And here again was the perfect opportunity to bring up the difficult subject, but he didn’t do it.

  Charlie shook his head to clear it. He couldn't think about finding Katelyn a new place to live and moving her out yet. Right now, all he could think about was Alexa and winning her back. That was the first and only priority. Until he knew that she was willing to be his, there was nothing else Charlie could think about or do.

  He pulled his car up to a stop right in front of his luxury condo and smiled as the doorman opened the passenger side door for Katelyn. He jumped out and grabbed her bag. It was big and heavy and Bert, the doorman, reached to pull the handle and wheel it inside.

  “Thanks, Bert!” Charlie was already rushing back to the car and didn’t turn around to say anything to Katelyn.

  "Hey, where are you going? Aren't you coming in with me? I just got home!"

  Again, he knew he was being horrible. Making mistakes. But he felt like he didn’t have a choice. He had to get to Alexa.

  7

  The moment Charlie got back to the office he looked everywhere he thought she might be. No luck.

  “Hey, Jana. Have you seen Alexa?” The accounting assistant stopped in the hallway and looked surprised that the owner of the company had stopped her.

  Charlie smiled and tried to be as genuine and casual as possible in spite of the jumbled state of his mood at the moment.

  “Hi, Mr. Frenquist…”

  “Um, Charlie. Call me Charlie, please.”

  “Oh, well, Charlie… Alexa’s gone. I saw her get on the elevator about two hours ago.” She bit her bottom lip as if she realized she might be getting Alexa in trouble. “You know, maybe it was only a few minutes ago. I’m so busy today I might have lost track of time. Maybe she’s on a late lunch break.”

  He couldn’t hide the sinking feeling. He didn’t even try to smile at her, but he did manage to not snarl at her. “Thanks.”

  As he strode back toward his office, he felt panic rising in his chest. She hadn’t taken a lunch break. She’d bolted. Shit! What if she hadn't just left for the day, but was gone for good?

  Charlie didn’t even go back to his office. He went to the elevators and immediately out to his car. He needed to get away from here and think. Driving always helped calm him down. Maybe it would work now.

  He drove through the traffic around the office, trying desperately to figure out what he should do. He couldn't go home to Katelyn. He didn't want to go back to the office and be faced by Alexa's empty desk. He needed to see her and know that she felt the same way for him as he did for her.

  He felt a jolt as he realized exactly what it was he felt for her. It wasn’t just lust. It wasn’t just a desire to be naked with her. He liked her. He was also in loved with her.

  Suddenly as the huge understanding of his feelings hit him, he saw it. He slammed on the brakes and stopped almost directly in front of the bar where he and Alexa had first met.

  He smiled at the now bittersweet memory. A night out with his buddies landed him in bed with an amazing woman. He'd mistakenly thought she was a hooker, when really she'd just been heartbroken and drunk. Their one-night-stand turned into a passionate affair when she turned out to be his new executive assistant.

  In just the few weeks since, Alexa had turned his life from one of boring propriety, to one of passion and excitement. Now, he couldn't imagine a day of his life without her. Yes, he did love her.

  On a hunch, Charlie pulled into the parking lot and hoped against hope that Alexa had sought refuge here. He ran inside the bar, not caring what people would think. If he looked like a fool, then so be it.

  8

  Alexa was still nursing her first vodka tonic. She hadn't really wanted to get drunk, she'd just needed to get the hell out of the office. Maybe getting away from there would help her escape the heartbreak she was feeling.

  She'd been so certain Charlie Frenquist was different than the other men she'd met. All those men who’d turned out to be cheaters and liars.

  He'd seemed so responsible, kind, and caring. When they made love she felt like the only woman in the world. He made her feel special, not like just another notch in his belt or a way to pass the time. Worst of all, she'd been convinced that they were both falling in love.

  Though he didn’t know it, she'd given her heart to him. She’d had a hunch he was feeling the same way about her.

  If only things had turned out differently. If only he hadn't been engaged. Or maybe if he'd come clean when she confronted him. If only he’d told her that he didn’t love Katelyn and was going to end it with her. If only he’d said he loved her, Alexa.

  If he’d said he’d leave Katelyn to be only with Alexa, she might have been able to forgive him. The thought made her feel like a weak and dependent woman, but she couldn’t help it. It was the truth.

  Even now, she found herself hoping that their relationship could still be saved even though she was devastated at what he’d done. She daydreamed that he’d come in, pull her into his arms, and tell her that she was the only woman for him.

  Then she chuckled out loud at her silly notion. That only happened in the movies. Or silly bodice-ripper novels. She took another sip of her watered down drink and thought about switching to something else. Something non-alcoholic.

  Just as she was about to signal the bartender, Alexa caught a flash of movement from the corner of her eye. She darted her eyes over and saw Charlie striding towards her with his jaw set intently.

  Practically in shock, she stood up and gasped. He'd come back for her. Could this really be happening? Shaking her head to make her imagination stop playing tricks on her, she closed her eyes tightly. When she opened them, he was almost to her.

  She knew in her brain that this was too good to be true, that she should turn him away and refuse to be sucked in by his lies. Her heart, however, didn't care. Why shouldn't she give in to this romantic moment and allow herself to revel in one last moment of bliss?

  So, when he stopped in front of her, she threw her arms around him, and let him kiss her. The kiss was so passionate it almost lifted her right up off the floor.

  9

  "I need to explain things to you." Charlie spoke against her mouth, but
Alexa just kept kissing him.

  "No, don't speak. Just take me home." Alexa didn’t want to break the magical spell with the ugliness of reality.

  She put his hands on her body, and he couldn't resist running them over the length of curves as she pressed herself to him and kissed him hungrily. God, she tasted so good and felt so right. Entwined in each other's arms, they stumbled from the bar across the parking lot, devouring each other's lips all the while.

  When they slammed back against his car, it nearly knocked the breath out of her, and she clawed at the buttons on his shirt.

  "Let me unlock the car first." He fumbled for his keys, found them, and pressed the fob.

  "Hurry."

  Alexa panted for breath. She was acting wild with lust, but she knew she had to hurry or reason would take over and rob her of this moment of passion. Time was of the essence, or the magic would be gone. If she gave herself time to think she'd never let herself go through with such madness.

  Charlie opened the rear car door and they fell inside, landing in the back seat like two kids at prom. He'd barely gotten the car door shut when Alexa was pulling off his pants. Her hot, wet mouth was on his cock, making love to him with her lips and tongue.

  "You're getting me too hot." Charlie extracted himself from Alexa's incredible lips, making her pout. Laying her back on the long back seat, Charlie grinned down at her. "My turn."

  Alexa gasped with pleasure as Charlie brought his mouth to her most sensitive area. His expert tongue made her writhe and moan with pleasure so intense, she could hardly stand it.

  "I want you inside me, right now." Alexa gasped and tried to get her breath. She pushed Charlie back so he was sitting up and then she straddled him. Sighing with satisfaction as he filled her completely.

  Charlie ripped off Alexa's blouse and took her pebble hard nipples into his mouth, suckling loudly while she moved up and down on his lap, bucking wildly. The harder his mouth worked her nipples, the faster she moved, until he could feel her climaxing.

  Alexa gripped Charlie's shoulders and threw her head back, as every muscle in her body seized with the power of her orgasm. Her screams of pleasure echoed off the walls of the interior of the car. Charlie gritted his teeth as he exploded deep inside her.

  Finally, their pulses began to slow and Alexa felt light headed as her breathing slowly began to return to normal. As her heartbeat returned to normal, reality set in. She was suddenly very sad.

  10

  "You're the most incredible woman in the world." He leaned in to kiss Alexa's lips, but she turned her head away from him.

  "Take me home." Her voice sounded strange, but he ignored it for now. Maybe she just realized how exposed they were sitting naked in the parking lot of a bar in the back seat of his car.

  "Of course. There we can make love all we want in a comfortable place. Not that this wasn't great, but I want to pleasure you the way you deserve to be treated. They way I know you like it. Soft and slow, taking my time to make it last all night. I’ll give you more orgasms than you can count."

  He smiled and leaned in to kiss her again. Once more, she turned her head.

  "No. Just take me home."

  "Is something wrong? Are you mad at me?" He tilted his head to the side. They’d just made up. Hadn’t they? What could be wrong now?

  "No, I'm angry at myself." Alexa's blue eyes were suddenly dark and brooding.

  "I don't understand? I came into the bar to talk to you. I wanted to explain about Katelyn. You just threw yourself at me and it seemed like you were desperate to make love. I thought I was giving you what you wanted, and now you're acting like I did something wrong."

  "I'm not mad at you, Charlie. I'm mad at myself for letting this.. this sex thing happen again." Touching Charlie's firm jaw with a look of sorrow, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You're not just my boss, you're engaged to be married. That’s a big deal."

  "Let me explain about that. You see it was—"

  "No. I don’t want to hear it. I don’t need to.”

  “But I want—"

  She held up a hand for him to stop. He did, but with a heavy sigh and a slight nod.

  “You see, I thought maybe we could just stop sleeping together and work together in a purely professional relationship. That’s not going to work. I see now what a foolish idea that was. The chemistry between us is too strong, and my feelings for you are… well, I won’t be able to just be your employee.”

  He sat there without moving. He looked away into the distance, but he was hearing every word. Taking it in as his heart sunk.

  “Even if we both tried to make it work, it wouldn’t. Your marriage and my self-respect would always be on the line. I can't be the other woman. I refuse to be your mistress on the side, but whenever I'm around you, I find myself wanting you too much. There’s only one solution.”

  He jerked his head to look at her with wide eyes as his blood ran cold. “What?”

  “I can’t work with you. We can’t see each other again."

  "No, wait. You don't have to do that." Charlie felt a panic in his chest.

  "Yes, I do." Alexa kissed his lips lightly and pulled back. “Goodbye, Charlie. I quit."

  Did you miss the first story in the Corporate Complications Series – One Night?

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  Charlie and Alexa’s story continues in A New Start.

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  About Page Kelley

  Paige Kelley loves romance! All kinds. From sweet to steamy. Immediate attraction to friends in love. One night stands and second chances.

  Love is truly grand - no matter what form finds you.

  Paige writes about all of it and she hopes you enjoy the stories that finally make it out of her imagination.

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