Irresistible Billionaires by Summer Brooks
Bella
“BELLA!” Yevgeny’s screech was so loud I was absolutely positive that my heart froze up in my chest at the sound. It took me an entire thirty seconds to regain a semblance of my usual composure.
Before I could stride out into the open office spaces and chastise him for scaring the daylights out of me, the blonde came rushing in.
Today, he was dressed in a nicely pressed sky blue button-down shirt, complete with khakis and a red bow tie. His black shoes were, as always, newly shined.
But, unlike normal, Yevgeny was completely out of breath. He was panting so hard that I could have sworn I felt his breath cross the room and smack me in the face, and the poor guy had to double over on his knees in an attempt to catch it.
Yevgeny was not what anyone would classify as particularly athletic.
“I… have… news,” he finally managed to get out.
“News?” I quirked a brow and stood from my desk, walking over to grab him a bottle of water from my office mini-fridge. “Drink.”
He tipped his head up and chugged down half the bottle in about three seconds, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and managing to regain his breath after he did so.
“Yes,” he nodded. “News.”
That was it. That was all he said. I waited five seconds more before I gently poked him in the shoulder.
“Care to elaborate?”
“Jacinda is retiring.”
I’d waited so long to hear those words that the moment they hit my eardrums, I just blinked at him. This was way too good to be true.
“She’s…. Are you sure?” I demanded.
I couldn’t let myself get too excited before I knew for sure that I'd heard correctly. For all I knew, I’d somehow gone deaf in the last two minutes and was merely making up this entire scenario.
As farfetched as that scenario would be, it was a lot easier to keep myself calm while thinking like that.
“Yes,” he nodded vigorously, nearly jumping up and down with his barely contained excitement. “I overheard Evan on the phone.”
“Yevgeny!” I gasped. “You’re not supposed to eavesdrop.”
But I was afraid my chastising didn’t quite hit its mark since I couldn’t exactly keep the massive grin off my face. I even swiped at my lips, probably ruining my new Fenty lip gloss, in an attempt to get that smile off my face.
It didn't work. I’d been dreaming about Jacinda’s retirement for what felt like my entire life. At the very least, it was somewhere in the ballpark of a whole year.
“Are you not glad I did?” Yevgeny shot back, a knowing gleam in his eyes.
“Well, of course, I am,” I giggled. “I’m your boss. I’m supposed to reprimand you.”
“I’ll only be here for a few more months,” he shrugged. “It doesn’t bother me.”
“God, she’s retiring,” I breathed, sinking down into one of my chairs. They were not at all comfortable, but at that moment, I just needed something under my ass to make sure I didn’t faint.
“I don’t know when yet,” Yevgeny said. “But I think Evan will be paying you a visit sometime this afternoon.”
As if he had magically called her with his words, Evan appeared in my doorway, eyeing Yevgeny and the probably dazed expression on my face.
“I am going to assume your intern already told you,” she announced, looking between the two of us.
“That is my cue,” Yevgeny said, raising a hand in the air as he left my office.
Evan closed the door, a sure sign that she had news. She came over to plant herself in the chair across from me and then proceeded to make me wait with bated breath. I didn't want to come out and say it since Yevgeny definitely wasn’t supposed to have told me, but we both knew.
Sometimes I liked to stick to formalities.
“Jacinda’s announced that she’s retiring,” Evan finally said, and I let out a massively tense breath.
“Tell her I said congratulations,” I replied, attempting to maintain some semblance of professionalism.
“I will,” Evan smiled. “She’ll need a replacement.’”
“Of course,” I nodded.
Here it came. I was pretty sure I’d stopped breathing again, but then again, I could hardly even tell that my soul was still inside of my body.
“Denise would do a good job as Head Designer.”
The very idea of someone taking over Jacinda’s job- someone that wasn’t me, of course- made my blood boil, but I kept myself steady and just nodded.
“But I don’t think Denise should do it,” Evan continued. “I think it should be you.”
“Yes!” The scream that erupted from me was absolutely unprofessional, but I couldn’t bring myself to care at that moment.
This was everything I’d ever wanted. My dreams were right there, within arm’s reach. I just had to open up my hands and take them.
“I take it that you’ll accept the job?” Evan grinned.
“Uh, yes,” I nodded so vigorously it would not have surprised me if my head had just bobbed right off my shoulders. “I will accept the job. I’d accept it a thousand times if I could. When does it start?”
“Not for a year or so,” Evan replied. “She’s only said she plans to retire sometime next year. But she wanted me to know so I could get you ready to replace her.”
“Thank you, Evan,” I sobbed out. Actual tears had started to prick at my eyes, but I did my best to hold them back.
“Don’t thank me,” Evan replied. “You did this all by yourself. Good job, Bella.”
The rest of the day went by in a total blur. I don’t even think I came back down to planet Earth until Logan texted me asking to go furniture shopping.
On any other day, I would have been thrilled that he’d finally realized he had the decorating chops of a sea slug. But today, I was too nervous.
It wasn't until his text came that it finally started to sink in.
I was moving to New York. I wouldn't be able to see him every day, whenever I wanted. Even though I’d been irked when he’d first moved into the condo across the way, it felt like tradition now. I liked to wake up in the morning and know that Logan was drinking his coffee just eight feet away.
I’d never have that again.
I shoved all of that down, though, so that when I met him at Union Square the next day, he didn’t think anything was different.
“Colors," I ordered as we walked down the street, glancing in store windows and waiting for some sort of inspiration to strike. Logan had grown up in a place that he had no hand in decorating, and I was beginning to wonder if he even knew what he liked at all. So I was asking him questions, trying to get a feel for exactly what his style would be.
“Colors?” he replied, quirking an eyebrow and glancing down at his plain white t-shirt and jeans. “White, I guess.”
“Okay,” I nodded. “So that’s like… all the colors mixed together. Plus, your walls are all white. I’m trying to go for something a little different here, you know? A little more out there. Like yellow.”
“Nope.” His reaction was immediate. He wrinkled his nose in a way that made his light spattering of freckles stand out and shook his head. “Too happy.”
“You are happy!” I protested. “Fine. Purple?”
“Too girly.”
“So then what?” I demanded exasperated. “If you don’t give me an answer in five seconds, I’m going to decorate your entire place with pink and lace.”
“God, no!” He groaned. “Fine. I like orange, I guess."
"Orange like the Giants,” I nodded. “That should be easy. We’re in San Francisco, after all.”
“And green,” he continued. “Not like lime green, though. More like emerald green. A deep color. Sort of like your eyes.”
I fully expected him to blush at his words the way I was now doing, and quickly change the subject. But he didn’t. He just kept walking down the street, his eyes straight ahead, serious and purposeful, like he had a destination in mind.
“O-okay,” I stammered. “Green like my eyes. Noted.”
“Wait!” Logan gasped, pulling to a sudden stop in front of a mattress store. “We need to go in here.”
“Do you need a new mattress?” I asked, glancing up at the sign.
“My mattress is fifteen years old,” he replied matter-of-factly.
“That's terrible for your back,” I informed him.
“Yeah, I know, that’s why I need a new mattress,” he chuckled. “Come on.”
Once inside the store, Logan waved off any help from the attentive salesclerks, preferring, as usual, to do things on his own.
He weaved around to the right side of the store, where the fancy, uber-comfortable mattresses were kept. The ones that cost thousands of dollars and can move up and down like a hospital bed. Though, why anyone would want that in a mattress was always beyond me.
Logan chose one, seemingly at random, and plopped down on it with a loud thunk.
“Logan, be careful,” I laughed.
“I’m just trying to get a good feeling for the mattress,” he replied. “I need to know if it would work when I flop down.”
“Because you do that so much,” I rolled my eyes.
“Uh, yeah,” he replied. “You don’t do a good flop before you go to bed at night?”
I did, truthfully. But I wanted to keep this high ground I had built for myself.
“Never.”
“Come on,” he ordered, patting the space next to him.
“What? No,” I shook my head. “It’s your mattress. You need to be the one testing it out.”
“Yeah, but I want your opinion.”
“Why? I won’t be sleeping on it,” I replied.
Truthfully, the thought of getting on a mattress next to Logan thrilled me more than I ever wanted to let on.
“Because I value your opinion, Bella,” Logan laughed. “Would you just lay down and tell me what you think?”
I considered for a moment, looking at Logan’s cherubic face. Then, I gave in. As usual.
I set my purse down beside the mattress and carefully crawled on, laying on the right side just far enough away from Logan that it didn't seem too much like the way a couple would lay, and closed my eyes to feel out the mattress.
The thing was like a cloud. I’d always thought people were exaggerating when they said mattresses could be so comfortable they’d make a person want to fall asleep, but had someone said that to me, I absolutely would have understood what they mean.
I could have stayed there for hours.
“What do you think?" Logan murmured. I was too far gone to really notice how close his voice was, and I found myself humming in bliss.
“I think I could fall asleep right now,” I murmured. “This thing is perfect. You should buy it, and I‘ll come over every night just to sleep with you.”
“Really?”
It wasn’t until I heard the slight tone of surprise, but also the hint of smug pride, in his voice that I realized what I had just said.
“No, that’s not what I meant,” I protested. My eyes flew open in shock, and the surprise only grew when I saw that Logan had shifted on the mattress and was now hovering above me, gazing down at me with those perfect blue eyes of his.
“Good Lord,” I muttered as I stared into the crystal clear blue orbs.
I should move. The thought crossed my mind, but it was fleeting.
I didn't want to move. I wanted to stay there forever, safe underneath Logan.
Slowly, he started to dip his head downward, his lips coming towards mine gently. I knew I should have protested, should have forced myself to stick to the boundary I'd created with him.
But no sound escaped my lips. Instead, I just laid there, still as I anticipated the feeling of his lips on mine.
Our eyes remained locked together as he lowered himself further and further. I could smell the woodsy scent of his cologne, the toothpaste on his breath, and the slightly floral scent of his clothing detergent. All of the aromas were positively intoxicating.
When our lips met, I swear to God I saw fireworks. Never in my life had I felt the instantaneous spark like I did when Logan kissed me. It was as if both of our bodies were brimming with electricity, playing with each other, sending sparks back and forth, and all around us.
His lips were surprisingly soft. I don’t know why, but I'd never imagined Logan to be the guy of guy who had soft lips. But they were- smooth and soft and buttery with his vanilla Chapstick. The taste bounced off my tongue, sending little shrills down to the base of my spine as I let myself get lost in the feel and taste of him.
He pressed his tongue inside my mouth slowly, and for once, I didn't even battle for control. I just let him take over, making me feel things I’d never felt before. He had complete control over me at the moment, and I was pretty sure he knew it.
I lost myself in the feeling of his mouth on mine, hardly breathing, as I ran my fingers up his toned back so I could play with the slight curls of hair at the nape of his neck. The sensation of his warm, smooth skin underneath my fingers made my body go haywire.
I wanted to feel more of it. I wanted to feel all of it.
Before I even knew what I was doing, my hands traveled down his body, to where his t-shirt met his jeans, and started to inch the fabric up, exposing little bits of tanned, warm skin as I went.
“Excuse me!” A shrill voice suddenly interrupted us, but we didn’t even spring apart. Instead, Logan pulled his mouth away slowly, and I moaned quietly at the loss of contact. He sat up, still straddling me, and fixed his shirt before he turned to eye the offended store manager, who had two patrons stands bashfully behind him. It was a couple, and they looked like they might have been enjoying the show.
Oh my God, the show. The realization suddenly hit me. Logan and I had just been making out.
In a mattress store.
“Sorry,” Logan said quickly to the irritated managed. “Just testing out the bed, if you know what I mean.”
He shot the stout man a wink that would have made me giggle if I hadn’t been trying to figure out just what I’d done.
“Yes, well, until you buy the mattress, we do ask that you not do that here,” the manager replied snippily.
“Would you buy a mattress you hadn’t tested?” Logan asked.
But I was in no mood to keep poking fun at the angry manager.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered, pushing Logan off of me and nearly leaping from the bed. “We’ll leave now.”
I didn’t even check to make sure Logan was behind me as I snatched my purse and high tailed it out of that blasted mattress store.
“Hey, wait up!” Logan called after me.
But I just kept walking with my head down, trying to disappear into the crowd. It would have broken one of our friendship rules had I managed to ditch Logan, but I couldn’t manage to care at that moment.
Kissing your best friend broke all of the friendship rules.
“Bella,” Logan gasped, finally pulling up next to me and yanking me to a stop. “Hold on.”
“No,” I snapped, whipping around to face him head-on. “I told you this was a bad idea. I told you we’re better as friends. Why didn’t you listen to me?”
“Do you think that was better than anything we do as friends?” he demanded. “Wait, no, that came out backward. What I mean is, do you really think friends would do that as well as we just did?”
He motioned toward the mattress store to indicate all of the shenanigans that we had just partaken in.
“I- I,” I spluttered, trying to find a plausible excuse.
“I- I,” he repeated in annoyance. “Just come out and say it, Bella. No. The answer is no. You can’t expect to just be friends when you kiss me like that.”
“You kissed me!”
“And then you kissed me back!” He yelled.
At this point, we’d attracted the attention of at least half of the patrons of Union Square. Somehow, I’d managed to transition from a casual observer of the usual San Francisco drama to partaking in it.
“So what?” I demanded.
“So what? So WHAT?”
“Stop repeating everything I say,” I spat.
“Fine,” he growled. “The so what is that I think it’s terribly unfair of you to deny both of us the shot at something that could be really great. Amazing, even.”
“I’m not denying anyone anything,” I replied. “It won’t even matter in a year.”
“What?” Logan asked, confusion clouding his face and bringing his anger down about a thousand notches.
I’d forgotten I hadn’t told him about the promotion yet.
“Look,” I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face and trying to maintain control over myself, “Jacinda’s retiring next year. And Evan’s already informed me that the position is mine. We’re going to be on opposite sides of the country in a year, tops, Logan. I don’t want to start something I’m just going to have to end, okay? That’s why I said we need to stay friends.”
The shocked expression in my best friend’s eyes was too much to bear. So I turned around and walked away, leaving Logan and half of San Francisco to process my impending move.