FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS (Ophelia Corrigan) novel Chapter 69

CHAPTER 69

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I watched the door, counting the seconds until she walked through it. Five minutes. I’d given her five minutes, and I was already climbing the walls.

The door swung open.

Jamie walked in, and every rational thought I possessed went up in smoke.

She’d fixed her hair, but I could still see the faint flush on her cheeks-the one I’d put there. Her posture was rigid, that professional armor she wore like a second skin.

I rose slowly from the chair, letting my eyes travel over her body with deliberate appreciation.

“Right on time, Counselor.”

“I’m not your assistant, Simon. I have actual work-”

“You think I called you in here because of work?” I rounded the desk, closing the distance between us. “You think I can focus on contracts when the image of that idiot with his hands on you is still burned into my

brain?”

Her jaw tightened. “He was helping me. With a zipper.”

I reached out, my fingers finding the hem of her blouse. She sucked in a breath when I tugged the fabric free from her waistband, but she didn’t pull back.

“I’ve been thinking about you all morning. Your smell. Your body. That ragged little sound you make right before you come.”

Her breath hitched. “We’re at work.”

“I don’t care.”

“You should.”

“I don’t care.” I stepped closer, my lips brushing the shell of her ear. “What I should be doing is bending you over this desk and reminding you that you want this just as much as I do.”

She shivered-I felt it, the tremor that ran through her at my words. But instead of leaning into me, she \ pulled back, putting distance between us.

“I have a lot to do today, Simon.” Her voice was steadier than I expected. “We can’t keep doing this in the middle of business hours.”

Something cold settled in my chest. “Doing what?”

“Whatever this is.” She gestured between us. “It’s getting complicated.”

“That’s the first thing you’ve said today that I agree with. Because this isn’t just sex anymore, is it?”

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FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

Her eyes flickered with something-panic, maybe. Or the recognition of a truth she wasn’t ready to face.

hink we should focus on the deal,” she said carefully. “The original one.”

I laughed a short, humorless sound. “The original deal? The one where we were pretending? Jamie, we’re way past pretending.”

She opened her mouth to respond, but I was already moving, my hand finding a document on the desk and holding it up between us.

“The Montclair acquisition,” I said, my voice smooth and professional. “I was thinking we should go over those clauses together.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “What?”

I gestured to the chair across from my desk. “Please. Have a seat, Ms. Collins.”

She stared at me for a long moment, clearly trying to figure out if I was serious. Then, slowly, she sat.

I took my place behind the desk, opening the document. “The exclusivity clause is fairly standard, but I’m concerned about the penalties for breach.”

Jamie blinked, still off-balance. “The penalties are standard for this type of partnership. I already reviewed them with the team.”

“Indulge me,” I said, and if my voice was a little rougher than necessary, I didn’t care. “I want your take.”

She launched into a professional analysis, and I let her talk, my eyes fixed on the movement of her lips, the way her brow furrowed when she reached a point she wanted to emphasize, the way her hands gestured when she was passionate about something.

It took me a moment to realize the silence had stretched.

“You’re not listening,” she said flatly. “Are you?”

I’m listening to everything,” I admitted. “Just not the words.”

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

I leaned back in my chair, studying her. “I found a nanny, by the way.”

“I know,” she said.

I tilted my head. “How do you know?”

“News about the CEO’s personal life travels fast in this company.”

“I found a woman,” I said. “Fifty, experienced. But she’s only available for a month. After that, she’s moving to France with her daughter.”

Jamie frowned. “A month?”

“She’s been a nanny for fifteen years, but her daughter got a job in Paris. She’s following her.”

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FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

“So you’ll need to find a permanent replacement.”

elly’s already looking. But I’m hopeful Abby will wake up before I have to make a decision.” I leaned back. “Maybe she’ll get better soon, and I won’t have to decide anything.”

“Did Abby have anyone watching the kids?” she asked. “Family, or something?”

I shook my head. “I asked her mom. Abby always handled things on her own, sometimes with her help. The kids’ dad helped when they were married. But so far he-” I paused. “He hasn’t shown up.”

“That’s strange. As absent as he was, don’t you think it’s weird he hasn’t shown up in a situation this serious?”

I considered that. “Maybe her mom didn’t tell him. Maybe she doesn’t trust him enough to get involved

“Makes sense,” Jamie said slowly. “But it’s still strange.”

For a moment, I let the silence settle between us. I could feel her watching me-the weight of her gaze, the unasked questions still hanging in the air. She was curious, I realized. Not digging, not yet, but listening. Paying attention.

It was a strange feeling, being seen like that.

“The acquisition terms are good,” I said finally, steering us back. “You did great work, Collins.”

She blinked, surprised by the shift. “Thank you, Mr. Hart.”

“Simon,” I corrected quietly. “Or baby. Sweetheart. Daddy. My man.”

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