CEO'S Secret Baby: A Standalone Surprise Pregnancy Romance - Iona Rose (which ebook reader .txt) 📗

few moms to get their perspectives on this. I should be able to find some on Facebook groups.” She started to head back to her table again, and took her seat.

I let out another suggestion, “Tracy is a kindergarten teacher,” I reminded her. “A gold mine for young moms. Do they have any events coming up soon? Take a couple of the drinks over and chat with them. You might get everything you need.”

Leah jumped up from the stool again, and I couldn’t help my amusement. She was like an ecstatic child.

“You’re fucking right, but wait… I don’t think you can do this. You’re my boss… you can’t be aware that I’m not that smart on the spot.”

“At the office I’m your boss,” I said as I rinsed my hands and grabbed a napkin to wipe them dry. “But right here at home, you’re my girl. No more talk about work. Let’s watch something together or go to bed. Hectic day tomorrow for the both of us.

She rounded up with her meal, while I headed over to her couch. A few minutes later she joined me, her head on my lap as she began to scroll through her phone for some research. I settled in with the news and the time flew by in perfect bliss. Suddenly, there was a thump on the floor and I looked to see that it was her phone.

She was completely knocked out, her eyes closed. I lifted her into my arms, and tucked her into her bed with me, her hands tightening on mine to assure herself of my presence.

Chapter 28

Leah

A few days later, I was knee deep into my research of customer reviews on Amazon when a figure came behind me.

At first, I didn’t notice him, my focus completely on the insight into women’s experiences with the various drinks. One amusingly called the majority of energy drinks, sugared down battery acid, but I was a bit disheartened to hear that what attracted her to the brand she was currently hooked on. It had been her companion all through college and now the daily ‘oomfs’ that she needed to power through her job, and deal with her kids, was the pink color of the can.

Vita 500 was orange, and in a bottle, so I jotted down notes on how to use this point to our advantage. The more common plays of the brand’s contribution to cancer research were recurring, but before I could go any further, Henry’s icy tone gripped me.

“What are you doing?”

I swiveled around in my chair to face him, my cheeks flushed at his sudden presence. I could also tell from his gaze that his question had been rhetorical.

“Didn’t we decide to focus on celebrity endorsement, and entertainment marketing?”

“I know.’’ I cleared my throat. “But it's not a fashion product. Focusing more on its contribution to the everyday reality of our customers would be… I just want to also explore this path a bit mo—”

“Do you hate yourself?” He sniped.

I instantly shrunk back into my shell.

“It’s a question.”

My head lowered. “No, sir.”

“Then why don’t you want to just do what Coghlan asked for, so that we can all move on with our lives?” With a hard look at me, he straightened. “Get the list of plausible celebrities I requested, before the end of the day.”

“Yes, sir,” I responded.

He stormed away.

By lunch time, I needed an escape, so when Jeremy came with the offer to go for a smoothie, I was out of my chair in a flash. He grumbled about his struggle with the new logo for the resort company another team asked him to handle, and I listened as best as I could to take my mind off my own problems.

The elevator to our floor dinged open, but as we moved to take a step in, the singular man that stood in it completely arrested our attention. Today, his suit was a tweed pattern in a chestnut brown that seemed to further bring out the green of his eyes. I remembered waking up in his arms earlier that morning, but when I was finally ready to pull myself out of bed, I’d found that he had left, with a note by my side of how he’d needed to hurry back to his hotel to change.

“Good morning, sir,” Jeremy greeted smoothly as we walked in.

My gaze lowered from his. I could barely control my smile as I thought back to his face buried in my breasts the previous evening. Unfortunately for me, more staff followed our entrance. The elevator picked up more traffic as we headed down, until I was more or less standing in front of him.

In the glorious awkwardness of elevators, no one made a sound but then a heavy hand suddenly slinked around my waist, and I was pulled into him. My body settled with familiarity against his, and it felt as though my bones were beginning to disintegrate into dust.

His hand splayed across my stomach, the gesture of possession undeniable as heat and unbridled sexual tension crackled between us.

The elevator arrived on the lobby, and his hand fell away. I walked out along with the crowd, my mood instantly doing a 180, but Jeremy was close to passing out.

“Did you see the boss? Oh, my God!” He fanned himself. “That man’s going to be the death of me. Leah, have you ever seen someone look so good in tweed?”

I cocked my head at him as we headed out the double doors and onto the street. We continued walking along and although I fought the urge to, I couldn’t stop myself from looking backwards to see as he got into his car.

I bit my lips to hide my smile.

Jeremy turned just in time to see my expression. “What’s making you so happy?” He asked at the permanent upturn of my lips as we headed down the busy downtown street towards a cafe.

I couldn’t tell him, so I just shook my head, and tried to pay