Forbidden Boss Read online

  Forbidden Boss

  Carmen Falcone

  Contents

  Untitled

  Untitled

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Epilogue

  Bonus Read!

  About the Author

  Also By Carmen Falcone

  Forbidden Boss

  by

  Carmen Falcone

  Billionaire investor Lucas Grande needs to know if a resort property in Brazil is worth his time and money. The catch? It’s a couples’ only retreat, which means he needs a female companion to fly under the radar. The solution: to summon his snarky and ultra efficient assistant to pretend to be his girlfriend for a weekend.

  Crystal Fox has always walked the line, refusing to give in to crazy temptations like her unreliable mother. When Lucas proposes she act as his girlfriend, she agrees. In exchange she asks him to be her fake boyfriend during her upcoming high school reunion. She’s sure she’ll be able to keep things professional while vacationing in paradise, but she doesn’t count on her suppressed urges and cravings rising to the surface once she’s sharing a room with her hot boss.

  Chapter 1

  Online dating. That’s what it’s come down to.

  Crystal Fox glanced at the virtual offering of men on the sleek screen. At twenty-eight years old, she expected to have at least a steady boyfriend by now. She didn’t need a white picket fence bungalow in the suburbs with 2.5 children. A sensible boyfriend who looked good enough to be her date for the upcoming high school ten-year reunion would fit the bill.

  Of course she had one until about a year ago, when her ex Davey, the Greyhound bus driver, met another woman in St. Louis. She bet he only kept her around for two years to have a place where he could send his mail—besides free rent. The jerk.

  She skimmed the guys smiling at her. She usually kept the ones with a picture of a dog, and passed on the ones without a shirt or with a kid in the picture. She was fine with them pimping their pets online to get dates, but the poor children deserved better.

  She fixed her glasses, wishing she didn’t have to work. She could totally deal with taking the rest of the day off, but no, even though it was Friday, she had to stay and wait until her hot Brazilian boss left.

  Lucas Grande worked all hours in his quest to buy companies in a sucky state to fix them up and profit later. He was like a corporate fixer upper, except a multi-millionaire one. Sexy as sin. Not that she cared—her girly parts took notice of him, obviously, but in the two years she’d worked for him, she’d seen all kinds of women move in and out of his life like a revolving door. That alone served as an efficient reality check.

  She’d already had to deal with Davey’s womanizing ways. Besides, at five-foot-nine and with an hourglass figure she preferred to keep hidden, she doubted she was Lucas’s type. For some reason, he always favored petite, small, super skinny girls that could fit into his pocket like some kind of human gadget.

  If the salary didn’t surpass what any other company would pay her, she’d have split the first time he asked her to do something douchey like send flowers to a woman he dated. Why didn’t he send his own damn flowers? Yet, she needed the job and the financial security it gave her.

  “Crystal?” his deep cultured voice sounded through the intercom.

  “Yes, Lucas?” she asked. About a year ago, he’d begged her to drop the formality and she finally agreed.

  “Can you please get me the UPS envelope at the reception desk? It’s urgent.”

  “Of course.” She stood at her feet, and walked up to the elevator, riding all fifty floors until she arrived. Walter, a day too late for his retirement, nodded at her, and perhaps anticipating why she was there, handed her the envelope.

  “Boss man couldn’t wait until Aaron did his runs huh?” he said, mentioning the intern who usually took important documents from couriers to the top executives in the building.

  “Nope.” She gave him a close-lipped smile, took the envelope and soon, was back at her floor, walking to her desk.

  She gave his door a light knock, then entered his office without waiting for his reply. The enormous space was furnished with the best looking Scandinavian furniture and large art decorated the walls, yet the best part was the breathtaking view of New York City. “Here you go,” she said.

  Lucas stood, towering over her. He dwarfed her, something not easy to do. At six-foot-three, he was an excellent representative of his kind—like seriously, if humanity ran out of good genes, he’d be personally contacted by whoever was in charge to donate his semen and perpetuate the population with his striking looks.

  Lucas had the tall shoulders and wide chest of a man who had a passion for rowing on his free time. The way his body adjusted to the designer label suits he wore left no doubt, he had a six-pack under all that expensive fabric. Okay, maybe a nine pack—or a twelve. Was that a thing, anyway? Twelve pack?

  “Crystal,” he said in that dangerously erotic accent. When she started working for him, she had to switch underwear in the middle of the shift. Nowadays, she’d become more used to it… but certainly understood why he cast a spell on so many women. “Have a seat.”

  She sat on the chair opposite his, and crossed her legs. She didn’t have to—she wore loose black wool pants, and not a sexy pencil skirt.

  After sitting again, he glanced at her with those expressive brown eyes. “I have something under wraps. There’s this resort I’m thinking about buying in Brazil. It’s been in business for five years, but instead of making a profit it’s always in the red despite decent occupancy rates.”

  “Interesting.”

  “I’m checking out the place, but this time, I don’t want anyone to know my purpose. I know the owner, too. I’ll stay as a guest to take a look objectively at first to see if it’s even worth buying before rumors begin.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Great.” He rocked back in his chair. “You’re coming with me to a resort near Recife.”

  She slid to the edge of the chair. “Recife, as in Recife, Brazil?”

  “Yes. In a couple of days.”

  “Oh.” She had traveled with him for business, but usually in United States and just once to Canada. She’d gone to São Paulo a few times, but those trips were scheduled ahead of time. With high-speed internet, she could work from the office and get whatever he needed via email.

  “Why do you need me? I mean, I don’t speak the language,” she said truthfully. She’d mastered the basic greetings, and luckily in São Paulo most business people she dealt with in the trips spoke English. She remembered seeing Recife on the map, the city located thousands of miles from São Paulo, and on the coast. Images of sandy beaches and glowing rays of sunshine flooded her mind.

  He grabbed a pen from the holder and played with it in his long, tanned fingers. “Exactly. People know me over there. You’re a foreigner. You can tell me what it feels like for someone who’s an outsider. How many employees speak English and how fluent are they? I want to pinpoint the reason why this particular resort hasn’t taken off as it should. Of course you’ll be handsomely rewarded for your time.” He clicked the pen a few times, before putting it aside and starting to drum his fingers on the dark oak table.

  She wrinkled her nose. What did any of this have to do with her? Something didn’t seem right. “What’s the catch?”

  He gave her a salesman-like smile, the kind able to sell Ryan Gosling some acting classes. “It’s a couples-only resort for romantic getaways.”

  Couples only? She frowned. She’d heard about some of these places, a few had strict
rules. No children were allowed, but also no singles, either, to keep the focus on couples and remove any distractions from their time together. “Why don’t you take Carina?” she asked, remembering the architect who’d kept calling him at the office a couple weeks prior.

  “You mean Olivia?”

  She shrugged. Whatever. “Yes. Sure.”

  “Olivia is no longer in the picture. The problem is… I once had a brief affair with the resort owner’s wife. They weren’t married back then, obviously. But, regardless, it’ll be easier for everyone if she thinks I have my eyes elsewhere, since I’m meeting them for dinner.”

  She rolled her eyes at Lucas, knowing she was possibly the only one who got away with it. “You really think you’re that irresistible that she will jump into your arms even if she’s married to someone else?”

  He flashed her a delicious smile. “Yes. Because her husband is forty years older than her, and during the couple of times I met her at social events she made it clear she’s… available.”

  Shit. “So you want me to pretend I’m your girlfriend while we’re there,” she said, managing to sound in control. Note to self: never complain about sending flowers or picking up jewelry again.

  “Yes.”

  “What if I say no?”

  “How much do you want? Give me a number.” He grabbed a piece of paper from his notepad and slid it across the desk for her. “I’m generous.”

  She glanced down at the blank note, knowing fully well she could demand a number in the thousands and he wouldn’t even blink. He wanted that deal. Could she do it, though? She hadn’t been anyone’s real girlfriend for so long even pretending sounded like a stretch. Especially where he was concerned. Who would believe a sophisticated, sex-on-a-stick guy like him would go for a plain Jane like her? The mean girls from her senior year, for instance, would laugh at the idea.

  Crystal blinked. No. For the first time in a long time, she’d have the last laugh. She slid the blank note pad to him. She didn’t need money from Lucas, she needed something far more important. “I’ll go along if you return the favor and come with me for my ten year high school reunion next month. As my boyfriend.”

  * * *

  Lucas stared at the intriguing woman in front of him. She lifted her chin and threw her shoulders forward, as if mentally answering the question lurking in his head. Why did she need a pretend boyfriend?

  Until not long ago, his uber efficient assistant had been in a relationship with some loser guy who was never around, and worse, cheated on her. Sure, she didn’t make use of her natural assets, like the silky dirty blonde hair she kept tying in a low ponytail, or the hideous clothes that should never belong in any woman’s wardrobe. They were a size or two too big, Polyester-y, and worse, boring shades of grey, black and brown. “Okay. Deal,” he said. How bad could one night out with a bunch of former wannabes be anyway?

  She parted her mouth, then hesitated. “Great. Now, we need to establish some rules to make sure things don’t get out of hand.”

  Rules. Of course. “Please, go ahead,” he said, amused. Crystal had a knack for implementing policies and seeing them through. She had made several suggestions about ways to increase productivity to the office and even to building in the years she’s worked there. Was that why she was having a hard time finding a date? He remembered the relationship website he’d seen just a few minutes ago, when he’d run to her desk. For some reason, seeing those sneaky men on her work computer annoyed him.

  “There will be no chatting about it. I’ll pretend I’m with you during those occasions you mentioned, and you’ll do the same for me. That’s it. No one else needs to know, definitely no one from this office,” she said.

  He smoothed his tie. Did she think he was an idiot? Of course he wouldn’t tell a soul. His late father had ruined his life because he’d actually gotten involved with his assistant, who slapped him with a sexual harassment lawsuit and earned millions of dollars. Lucas would never make the same mistake. “Agreed.”

  “When you go to my high school reunion, you won’t flirt with my former classmates, or anyone. You’ll act the part.”

  Meu Deus. What kind of douche bag did she peg him for? Sure, he was no saint and in the past few years, he’d been with more women than what was socially acceptable. But, he never cheated on them, and on the few occasions he screwed more than one woman at a time, it was with their consent and eager participation. “I’ll be Boyfriend of the Year.”

  “Good. And needless to say, we’re getting different rooms at the resort. Different floors.”

  A chuckle floated up his throat. “I’ve booked a presidential suite that has two bedrooms, and you’ll have your own room and privacy. I can’t expect people to think we’re together in a honeymoon resort if we’re occupying different floors,” he said, knowing fully well the presidential suite was the size of a medium apartment, therefore, neither of them had anything to worry about.

  A lovely shade of pink spread across her freckled nose and cheeks. “Fine. Do you have anything to add?”

  “Yes. I need for your wardrobe to reflect someone who would be seen with me. So, we’ll need to go shopping,” he said. Most of the time, he was thankful for her hideous ensembles—they made sure he didn’t harbor any fantasies about her.

  “Shopping? I like the way I dress. It’s comfortable.”

  “Yes, if you’re an old lady obsessed with cats and word puzzles.”

  “Hey! There’s nothing wrong with word puzzles.”

  He caught himself smiling. Crystal Fox amused him on a daily basis. Nobody else got away with telling him half of the things she did. She was the best administrative assistant he’d had in years, so he compromised. A lot. But now, those clothes had to go. “Nevertheless… you can use a minimum makeover.”

  She threw her hands in the air, sighing. “Oh great, you’re already insulting me like a longtime boyfriend. I’m thinking the pretend part won’t be needed after all.”

  “Hey. You’re a pretty lady. I just want the world to see it, too.” He stood. “C’mon. I’m taking you shopping.”

  She frowned. “R-Right now?”

  “It’s like they say… if not now, then when?” he asked innocently. He usually hated taking women shopping, but he knew in his gut going with Crystal would be too much fun to pass up.

  * * *

  “She’s been in there for a while. Is everything okay?” Lucas asked the personal stylist who had helped them in the VIP floor of the luxury department store where, reluctantly, Crystal had answered to questions about her preferences and style.

  Then, Felicia, the lovely lady in her fifties, had prepared a fitting room for her with all kinds of outfits for Crystal to try on.

  He’d sat on the chair across from the fitting room, waiting for her to pop out at any moment and bite him. But… nothing.

  “Would you like to show us the dress?” the stylist asked.

  “Not necessarily... but sure, I guess you can see it,” Crystal said from the fitting room.

  She opened the door, and Lucas did a double take. His heart hammered in his chest as he lasered his gaze in on her.

  The red dress accentuated the rack he never imagined she had. Thin straps supported each side of her shoulders, then a corset-type top squeezed her breasts, creating a sinful valley in between them. His throat thickened, and any moisture evaporated. Who knew Crystal had epic tits? Well, he supposed she did, but he never looked at her that way. His father had almost destroyed the business because of an affair with the assistant. Why would he do the same?

  She shifted her weight from foot to foot. He studied her, lowering his gaze, sliding past the indent at her waist and down her thighs. Sadly, the gown covered the legs, making him wonder if they were as delectable as the rest of her.

  “Oh, turn around, the tag is showing,” Felicia said in a voice far, far away.

  Crystal gyrated so the woman could hide the tag, and air was socked from his lungs. He salivated over the most perfe
ct ass he’d ever seen. The hips were round, lush, shapely, and the way the fabric hugged her butt cheeks, he imagined they were fleshy, a bit muscly, kissable even.

  “Mister Grande?”

  “Oh.” He scratched his chin. “Looks good to me. What do you think, Crystal?”

  “It’s not something I’d wear in a million of years. But if you think it’s fancy enough for the type of places we’ll visit, sure, I don’t mind,” she said matter-of-factly. Then, she smoothed her hand over the fabric, as to prove a point.

  Cold sweat slicked his palm. He gave her a once over, hoping to remain professional and not let the dirty thoughts flooding his mind show on his face. So what if she had a sexy body? He swallowed hard. He should revisit his idea of taking her to Brazil to pose as his love interest. The idea that seemed perfect hours ago would probably bring him a lot of—

  “Lucas?” Crystal asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

  He removed his phone from his pocket, acting as if he had better things to do. “We’ll take it.” He gestured with his hand to give his fidgety fingers something to do. To keep from reaching out and touching her. What the hell? A rush of desire pounded his gut. Hard. He cleared his throat. “Felicia can help you with the other outfits… I need to take a phone call.”

  Chapter 2

  Crystal pulled the hem of her knee-length skirt. It was supposed to be knee-length anyway, but as she walked, it hiked up a bit. God, this was so uncomfortable. The saleswoman from the previous day had insisted she visit the place’s on-site hair salon. She politely refused it, but Lucas thought it was a great idea.