The PlayLion Billionaire: A Paranormal Billionaire Romance by Maria Amor Read Free Book Online Page A

aren’t so busy you end up not eating.” Olivia’s lips quirked and Robert wondered if he had overplayed his hand.
    “Should I bring my lunch with me or will you be having lunch catered?”
    Robert laughed. “I will have lunch brought in for us. It’s the least I can do if I expect you to work during your lunch hour.”
    *
    Olivia walked towards the parking garage, lost in thought. She had stayed late the entire week, working on the logistics of the project that she was working on for Robert. She stopped short, frowning in puzzlement. When did I start thinking of him as Robert? There was something about that level of familiarity that disturbed her.
    She bit her bottom lip. They had been working on the outreach project for three weeks; somehow, at some point in that time, she had stopped thinking about him as the CEO of the company, as a man who had slyly used the excuse of a job interview to seduce her. She had approached their first meeting warily, fully expecting for Robert to make another move on her, to convince her that it would only be right for them to sleep together again.
    Instead, Robert had been absolutely professional; he had asked pertinent questions about her progress, asked about her needs to get things done more quickly, and made comments about what Jennifer, her manager, had told him about the work she was doing.
    Her request for someone to do research into some of the charities he wanted the company to work with was immediately granted; but he had not given an inch on the suggestion she made that being on the receptionist coverage rotation was slowing her down.
    “It’s part of your first ninety days here at the company,” he had said. “I appreciate that your circumstances are unique with this project, but I can’t treat you differently, and there are other people in the pool who have heavy workloads covering the reception desk as well.”
    Olivia had respected the fact that he wasn’t making an exception for her; she found the need to occasionally cover reception irritating, but since the roster included both male and female new employees—and since the goal of that assignment was to promote organizational understanding—she couldn’t argue against it.
    But when did I start thinking of him as just Robert? That was the mystery that plagued her. Olivia realized she had been standing stock still in the middle of the garage for several minutes and stirred herself to walk once more; she wanted to get home at a reasonable hour, spend some time with her TV and a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia, and get a good night’s sleep.
    As she walked, Olivia tried to pin down the moment when Robert had become someone different in her mind. Gradually, as their weekly meetings recurred, she had relaxed her guard; it was obvious that whatever thoughts Robert had of using the project as an excuse to try and convince her to prolong their fling, he had abandoned it.
    Yet—and yet. Olivia remembered the gossip that went around the office; Robert Lowe was not acting like the carefree playboy he had been since before taking the helm as the company’s CEO. He was in the office early, he wasn’t partying late at night, and he was taking a firmer hold on the day-to-day business than he ever had before. The company was responding to his newfound zest for leadership; Olivia was looking forward to the end of her probation period, when she could sign up for stock options.
    She remembered that during their lunch date cum interview, Robert had mentioned that he was working towards settling down; Olivia remembered that he hadn’t been very enthusiastic about the idea—but he seemed to be slowly taking on the burden of being a responsible adult more and more eagerly.
    As she approached her car, Olivia thought wryly that he must have actually moved on; he must have found the woman with whom he could settle down. It surprised her that she felt chagrin at the thought.
    Olivia rummaged in her purse for her keys, looking