Alpha Billionaire Series

CHARLIE

The next morning, I find myself looking forward to seeing Nash. I was surprised when he left early yesterday since neither of us ever usually leaves the office before 7:00 p.m. I hope his brother is okay.

It's pouring rain and the commute this morning leaves me crabby and late. I didn't sleep very well because I kept thinking about my proposal. One night with Nash. The thought makes my stomach do a series of flip flops and I prop my umbrella in the corner. After hanging my coat in the closet, I walk over to my desk and freeze.

There's an envelope with my name handwritten on it. Curious, I pick it up and slit it open with my letter opener. It's an invitation to have dinner at Nash's apartment tonight. A smile curves my mouth because it's a fancy card with the lettering printed neatly. It's also formally worded which is kind of adorable.

“You are cordially invited by Nash Beckett to dinner tonight at 6:00 p.m. sharp. Please dress in formal dinner attire and follow the enclosed map to the location. RSVP to Nash at [email protected] by I0:00 a.m. I do hope you'll join me!

For a moment, 'm not sure what to think. It's a sweet gesture and the idea of spending the evening with Nash makes my pulse speed up. I had no idea he could be so romantic. I wonder if Tanner had anything to do with it since he wa: with him yesterday.

Not that it matters. No one has ever invited me to dinner like this and I open my laptop to respond.

“Dear Mr. Beckett- I am pleased to accept your invitation. Please let me know if I should bring anything. I will see you at six sharp.”

Before I can think too hard, I hit send. Then I do something I don't think I've ever done in my life- I squeak. Excited anticipation fills me and the last thing I feel like doing now is working. Again, another first for me.

It seems like Nash is turning my neatly organized world upside down and, for whatever reason, I don’t seem to mind I'm actually enjoying it. Less than a minute later, I receive his response and I smile as I open it.

“No need to bring anything other than your lovely personality, Ms. Langley.”

I roll my eyes and suppress a giggle. What a charmer. And since when do I giggle?

My mood magically turns from grouchy to playful thanks to Nash. Deciding to keep the game going, I grab the invitation and pause in front of the mirror to smooth my damp hair back and check my makeup. As good as it gets, I decide, and head down to his office/closet.

When I step into the doorway, my heart skips a beat when I see him typing away on his phone. He's letting his hair grow longer on top and a lock falls down over his forehead giving him a boyish look. The moment he senses my presence, he looks up, blue eyes bright.

I lift the invitation and smirk. “Cute,” I comment.

“Did it at least make you smile?” He sits back, crosses his arms over his chest and tosses me a mischievous grin.

I nod. “Yes, it did. And I had a pretty lousy commute, so thanks for turning my day around.”

“No problem. There are donuts in the kitchen, too,” he adds.

“Glazed?”

“Of course.”

“Are you trying to make me gain weight?” I ask and tilt my head. I realize that I'm flirting, and I don't even care.

“It wouldn't matter. You'd still be gorgeous.”

His words make me blush. “So, I, ah, was thinking you should probably move out of here” I look around the tiny roor and suddenly feel bad for sticking him in here. “It was only a joke.”

“Where do you want me?”

I don't want to kill the vibe between us, so I hesitate. “I was thinking you could take my office and I could move into the corner office”

“I wondered when you'd finally make the big move”

“I should, right?”

“May as well enjoy a perk of the title, Madame President.”

His voice is light and teasing and I nod. “Let's move your stuff down,” I say.

We spend the next few hours moving Nash's things into my old office and all of my things into Thomas’ corner office. As I'm setting up, Nash sits in his father's big leather chair, and helps me go through his dad's belongings, files and personal items.

“I'm going to take this. If you don’t mind,” he says and lifts the framed picture of him, his dad and siblings. “It was mine originally”

“Of course” I look down at the photo in his hands. “You all look very nice in that picture.”

“It's before everything went to shit,” he says. “I don't know what he told you about our relationship with him and each other, but it went downhill after Mom died.”

“I'm sorry," I say. “He never said anything other than you were all estranged.”

“Yeah, thanks to him.” Nash sets the frame aside. “Anyway, enough about the old man.” He spins the chair around and gazes out at the dark, gray sky and pouring rain. “You've got quite the view.”

I chuckle. “Not so much right now but, yeah, it's pretty spectacular”

Spending time with Nash makes the morning fly by. We accomplish our office moves and then go our separate ways for conference calls and zoom meetings. I don't have time to leave for lunch and at I:00 p.m., Nash walks in with a brown paper bag.

I look up from a stack of quarterly reports and stick my pen in the back of my bun.

“Since it looks like you didn’t have time to go out, I grabbed you some lunch. Besides, it's still pouring out there.” He sets the bag down on the edge of the desk, swipes a hand through his wet hair and my heart trips. No one looks out for me like he does and it's a strange feeling.

“Thank you,” I murmur. The gesture touches me and emotion tightens my chest.

“Just something light. I have a big dinner planned,” he says with a wink and walks out to let me keep working.

I open the bag and take out a container of hot vegetable soup and a chunk of sourdough bread. Mmm, perfect for a rainy day.

Since I'm so busy, the rest of the day flies by in a blur and it's 5:30 p.m. before I know it. I force myself to stop working and freshen up before our dinner. I want to look nice, of course, and I touch up my makeup in the attached bathroom. I also pull the pins from my hair and brush my loose, shoulder-length waves out until they gleam.

I can't help but wonder if the only thing on tonight's menu is dinner. Or is this going to be the night of hot sex? My toes curl in my high heels. Either way, 'm going to be ready. I take one last glance in the mirror and after a quick spritz of perfume, I walk back into the office and grab my purse and coat.

The rain finally seems to have slowed down to a drizzle and, as I'm reaching for my umbrella, Nash appears in the doorway.

“Are you ready?” he asks.

I nod and follow him out. “It's strange leaving so early,” I say as we walk down to the elevators.

“Kind of nice to have something else planned, though.”

“Itis)" I agree.

Down in the garage, he guides me over to his Tesla and opens the door for me.

“Thank you," I say and slip inside.

The drive back to his place takes a little longer because of traffic and the bad weather so we don't arrive at his apartment until nearly 6:30 p.m.

“You're late,” a voice says, and I look over to see Tanner. “Hi, Charlie”

“Hi” I say and send a surprised look at Nash.

“Tanner is an excellent cook and prepared our dinner tonight,” Nash says.

“Oh!” I exclaim as Nash helps me take my coat off. “That's so nice of you.”

“You two have a seat. I'll be right out with the wine.”

Nash gives me a smile and nods toward the terrace. “I had plans to do dinner out there, but the weather changed that. So, I figure we can sit right by the window and still enjoy the view.”

“Sounds good.” He pulls my chair out and I sit, not knowing when he turned into such a gentleman. I really like it, though. A candle burns in the center of the small table and Tanner returns with a bottle of red wine. He pours us each a glass.

“Appetizers are on the way,’ Tanner says and leaves the bottle on the table.

I lay the cloth napkin on my lap, look over the nice place setting and realize how much trouble Nash and Tanner wen to tonight. It's beyond sweet and he's the only man who ever took the time and trouble to do such a kind gesture. “What's wrong?” Nash asks.

I look up and force a smile. “Nothing”

“Are you sure?”

“This is all very nice. You really didn't have to go to so much trouble.”

“Tanner deserves all the thanks,” he says as his brother walks back out with a tray of hor d'oeuvres.

“Dig in,” Tanner says with a grin. “There's bruschetta, Greek salad skewers and grilled squash ribbons and prosciutto with mint dressing.”

“It all looks delicious,” I say.

“The chef does accept tips, by the way,” he says and heads back to the kitchen. I chuckle and reach for a piece of toasted bruschetta.

“It must be nice having a brother who cooks,” I say.

“just found out and, yeah, it is,” Nash says and bites into the grilled squash.

I'm curious about their relationship but don't feel comfortable asking yet. It seems to be improving, though, so that's good. The food is delicious and it's not long before Tanner serves us chicken with roasted baby potatoes and other assorted veggies on the side.

“That's about it for me,” Nash says and sets another bottle of wine on the table. “Hope you enjoy it”

“Thank you, Tanner. It's all so good,” I tell him.

“My pleasure.” He leans over and I hear him tell Nash dessert is in the fridge. As Tanner quietly slips out, I study Nas closely over the rim of my glass. He looks extremely handsome tonight and I get the overwhelming urge to know more about him.

“Seems like you and Tanner have made amends,” I say.

“Our relationship was always the strongest,” he says. “But time and distance have a way of disintegrating things.”

“It must be nice to have him back in town.”

“itis, he says and takes a sip of wine. “What about you? Any brothers or sisters?”

“Nor

“Are you close to your parents?”

I shake my head and drag my fork through my potatoes. “They died about ten years ago.” I don't remember the last time I talked about my family. Or lack of one. “A car accident.”

“I'm sorry”

I release a low breath. “It was hard at the time, and I think that's when I threw myself into work and my goals." “That's understandable.”

I meet his blue gaze, glowing in the dim candlelight. “No one has ever understood why I work so hard except me. You're the first”

“Takes one to know one, right?”

“I guess 50,” I say with a little smile.

“Everyone needs to relax or hang out with friends at some point, though."

I shrug a shoulder and don’t dare admit that I no longer have any friends because work has become my life.

“What do you do to unwind?” he asks.

“Unwind?” I ask with a chuckle. “What's that?”

“Oh, c'mon. What do you like to do on the weekends?”

I know my truth is horribly pathetic, but I tell Nash, anyway. “I work!”

“You don't ever take a day off?”Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

“I mean, occasionally. I guess.”

“What did you do on your last day off?”

The last time I really allowed myself not to think about work was last summer when Thomas forced me to take a day off. He claimed I'd been working too hard and told me I wasn’t welcome in the office one Friday.

“After bringing on a really big client last summer, your dad forced me to take a day off. I ended up leaving the city and rode the ferry around. I stumbled across this little island called East Bay and spent the day there. I'm not sure what it was, but the place was magical. Especially the lighthouse. I could sit there on the beach all day and look at it with the waves rolling in and out.”

“You haven't been back since?”

I shake my head. “No, but I'd like to return. There was something really peaceful and calm about it. I don’t know how to describe it. It just felt soothing!”

“It sounds nice!”

“What about you? What do you do for fun?”

“Hang out with my best friend Alex. We usually catch up once a week at this neighborhood pub called Whiskey's. Or we'll go to a game if he or I have tickets.”

“It's been a long time since I had a friend like that,” I admit, and I envy him.

“How come?”

“I chose work over relationships years ago."

“Why does there have to be a choice?”

I finish my wine, contemplating his words. “Because if you want to be the best then you have to make sacrifices. You know that”

“True, but you can still have a life!”

“Can you?"

“I think so.” His intense blue gaze studies me and I look away.

“I guess I just wasn't very good at balancing work and play.”

“Then we should work on that”

er

He shrugs. “Sounds like you could use some help” When I don't reply, Nash stands up. “Tanner said dessert is in the fridge. Hang on”

I watch him walk away, appreciating the way his broad shoulders stretch his shirt across his back. My mouth begins to water but it's not for dessert. A moment later, Nash returns with a small plate and pulls his chair around next to mine. “Looks like we'll be sharing”

A piece of chocolate mousse drizzled in chocolate sauce and sprinkled with raspberries sits on the plate and looks utterly sinful. “Oh, wow" I say and lift my fork, ready to dive in.

Nash laughs and sits beside me. “It does look pretty damn good.”

We both sink our forks in and that first bite melts on my tongue like a little piece of heaven. At the same time, we both sigh and then burst into laughter.

“Maybe you should take some cooking lessons from your brother,” I say.

“If itll get you to come over for dinner again, I will”

Our gazes collide and his warm arm pressing into mine makes my breath catch. Our forks clatter against the plate and our mouths crash together. I slide my hands up over his chest and around his neck, scratching my nails through his hair.

“C'mere, baby," Nash whispers between kisses and pulls me onto his lap.

“Mmm,” I murmur, settling down on his thighs. He tastes sweet. Like chocolate and raspberry and I can't get enough. Our tongues twist and he drags his fingers through my hair, pulling, angling my head back to deepen the kiss even more.

A heat begins to pulse low in my belly and I'm already wet between my aching thighs. I have a very good feeling that tonight is going to be our night. Wild, delicious and utterly decadent just like our dessert.