Total pages in book: 20
Estimated words: 19284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 96(@200wpm)___ 77(@250wpm)___ 64(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 19284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 96(@200wpm)___ 77(@250wpm)___ 64(@300wpm)
“I didn’t come with a date.” She forced a smile.
“No date.”
She chuckled. “Is that a surprise to you?”
“You do realize this is a family event?”
“I … don’t have any family,” she said, biting her lip. This was the most they had talked … ever.
Adam was usually so busy. Oftentimes she saw him staring down at his cell phone. The guy was glued to that thing, but then, he had built this company from the ground up.
“An only child?”
She shook her head. “No, the foster system. I never got adopted. Left the institution when I was eighteen, didn’t look back.” She had a job from the age of fourteen, worked her ass off so that she could leave when she turned eighteen, and was able to fend for herself. One thing the foster system taught her was to never rely on anyone but herself. People were always there to stab her in the back. She couldn’t trust anyone.
“Huh, what a surprise,” Adam said. He took a seat beside her. This was a first. “Do you not approve of my Christmas party?”
“I don’t disapprove of it.”
“That’s not really an answer.”
Alora sighed. “Your Christmas party is great. I just, I don’t know. I guess I’m not the kind of woman to pretend that Eric from accounts didn’t try to take one of my clients from me. Or that Martha didn’t talk to one of the clients and try to convince them I was a drug addict and my work ethic sucked.”
Adam chuckled. “Ah, the competition.”
“Exactly. So, I am enjoying my glass of champagne, a couple of the fancy snacks, and loving the Christmas music. It is a good party.”
“I’m glad.”
This was the most they had ever talked. Alora looked across the room and spotted his model. She kept looking toward Adam, and much to her surprise, he kept on paying attention to her rather than his date.
His gaze and attention were so surprising, she couldn’t resist tucking some of her hair behind her ear in case she looked a little scruffy. Did she have a flake of a pastry on her? She wasn’t used to being the kind of woman that gained male attention. She had always been a bigger woman. A bigger girl, and as she’d gotten older, bigger in the breasts, hips, and ass. She had embraced her size where many others wouldn’t have.
Why did Adam keep on staring at her?
****
Adam was … besotted.
Alora had been on his radar for a long time now. Her work ethic, the standards she set, it was admirable. What had really gained his attention was her argument with him. She refused to back down even though he was the boss. It was so refreshing. More often than not, he had people around him who had gotten into the habit of submitting to him and kissing his ass.
He didn’t want robots.
He expected his staff to argue with him, especially if their points were better than his. Most of the time, they truly weren’t, but Alora had known what she was doing. If she’d listened to him, it would have cost them an account.
This was what made him one of the best employers in the city. He listened to his staff, or at least he used to when they fought back. He wasn’t a pet owner, but he just knew Alora had to be. A cat or a dog, he wasn’t sure what she owned, but she clearly knew what she was talking about with their client.
The advertisement had been a giant success, and their client only wanted to deal with Alora. She saw their vision and brought it to life.
When he saw her sitting alone, it was the perfect excuse to get rid of his annoying date. With how many men were panting over Amelia, it wasn’t hard to leave her alone. He liked the best of everything, and that included women other men wanted.
What Adam wanted was Alora.
Sipping at his champagne, he watched her every movement. She had changed into a beautiful red dress. It had a large V that showcased her cleavage, dipped in at the waist, and flared out at the hips. White lace covered parts of the red, giving the dress a very festive feel, and in truth, he’d been enraptured by her from the moment she walked through the ballroom doors.
No boyfriend.
No family.
She was single.
He knew all of this, of course, but HR didn’t always keep the most up-to-date records. A little error he had to deal with come the New Year.
“I noticed the art in your office,” he said, attempting to open up a conversation.
Alora’s smile was so fucking beautiful, it lit up her entire face, and her lips, they were so enticing. He wanted to kiss her.
Throughout the day, he’d find himself using any number of excuses to visit her floor, just to catch a glimpse of her. She was always busy. Her blonde hair pinned up atop her head, paint brushes and pencils either behind her ear or stuffed into her bun. At times, she looked like a sexy art teacher. One he desperately wanted.