Twenty-one and ready to take on the world, orphan Lizzie Gold didn't expect her chance encounter with a stranger to lead to a damnable task - to take down a rising business tycoon.
Ryan Pierce - her viciously handsome target and her new boss - might...
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R Y A N 29 | my alien paramour
"Ryan..." Lizzie draws my name out in drowsiness over the phone. "It's the weekend. Let me sleep."
"Get ready in twenty minutes." I take a glance at my Patek Phillipe watch, counting the seconds as it nears eight o'clock. "I'm waiting outside."
I hear a scramble of hurried footsteps over the phone, mixed with Lizzie's panting breaths and I know where to look. Up. She comes running out to her balcony, her hair a mess of curls that resemble a bird's nest. She is in a pink T-shirt paired with shorts so short that I get a boner just by seeing her shiny long legs.
"Ryan, what the fuck?" she says over the phone, her eyes on me as I wait for her, leaning by my car. "What are you doing here?"
I raise a hand to wave at her while shaping my lips to what I hope is a smile. I don't smile much so I have no idea how to feel when I do give her one. She is the only one who has been the recipient of most of my rare smiles.
"I'm the boss, Miss. Gold." I use a more affirmative tone. "You don't get to tell me where I should go."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, boss," Lizzie says, pouting at me from above. "I forget you have amnesia because it's the fucking weekend and I'm free to sleep all day."
"Laziness doesn't suit you."
"I don't care. I'd need my beauty sleep for your Mom's gala tonight. Don't tell me you forgot about it. You're supposed to prepare your speech."
I wouldn't confess it to her but I did forget about it. Mom's parties are never part of my calendar and speeches aren't my thing. The less time I spend with my family, the better I feel about myself.
"Get ready," I tell her, dismissing her words.
"But where are we going?"
"Shopping."
"For what?"
I study her confused expression through my sunglass-covered gaze. This time when I smile, I feel the satisfaction deep in my chest.
"Bring your TBR list. We're going to the bookstore."
***
"Gorgeous!" Lizzie exclaims as she takes in the huge building where we have pulled up.
It is a new independent bookstore that opened up just a few weeks ago. I was invited to the inauguration as the owner was a close friend of mine. The building was designed by my brother but I made the necessary changes needed to provide the ultimate reader haven it required.
"You like that?" I ask her, grabbing her hand as we start to walk towards the revolving doors of the store.
The feel of her soft palms sliding over mine has my heart racing. I have often been a victim of such increased heart rates, especially when I am close to her. My cook must be mixing supplements into my food again. I need to give her a warning.
