The Billionaire’s Pawn

LONDON

“Welcome back!” Neke gushed as soon as I entered the office floor.

“Oh, my God!” I yelped as the confetti popped right into my face. “What’s going on?”

When I arrived last night, I only told Neke because I had to go to work. I could already picture my pending work piling on top of my desk. My honeymoon phase was over. I was back to the reality of my life.

As much as I’d love to cuddle and make love to my husband, I had a job waiting for me, and I needed to work hard for my savings now that Dad had left me hanging.

“Congratulations, Mrs. Cade!” my staff chorused as I walked through the aisle. They were throwing petals at me as if I had just got married.

“Wow. You guys take this surprise to a whole new level.” I glanced at them one by one. “Thank you so much. And thank you so much for keeping this under wraps.”

They applauded before they went back to work.

“How are you?” I followed Neke as she pushed the door to my office.

“Me? Nothing interesting happened. Unlike you.” She looked at me from head to toe. “You are glowing, girl. Damn, he must have been so good in showering you with-” She pursed her lips to hide her wicked smile. I knew she was thinking dirty right now. It was all over her face.

“Showered me with that?”

“Gifts? Kisses?”

“That’s all?” I arched a brow as I dropped my bag on the desk.

“You look happy. That’s all I want to say. You’re madly in love with the white knight.”

“Stop calling him that.”

“Try me. You two had fun?”

“Yes. Did you go out on a date while I was away?” I folded my arms over my chest as I watched her twitch. “So, you’re seeing someone, huh?”

“No. It was just one time.”

“But he asked for your number. Is he cute?”

“Shut up. I won’t see him again.”

“Wait.” I stared at her. “What are you scared of? You’re beautiful and awesome. Why don’t you give it a try if he wants to see you again? If some asshole broke your heart, men are not the same, Neke. Look at Magnus and Cade.” The image of Magnus and Ivy flashed before me. I quickly pushed it out of my head.

“I’m enjoying casual sex for now. I’m not ready to enter a serious relationship.”

“Well, when you meet the right guy for you, no matter how hard you try to ignore and run away from the right person, fate will still find a way for both of you to be together. Trust me. You will still fall in love. Hard, but he will be there to catch you.”

She hugged me. “I guess that’s what happened between you two and white knight, huh? Well, you look happy, and I can see he’s a good man. I’m happy for you.”

I hugged her back. “I know you will find the black or white knight for you.”

“Not looking forward to it, but whatever.”

“So tell me, what’s new?” I went to my chair.

“You will be checking the store. It will be done by the end of the week. So the grand opening will be by next month.”

“That’s great.”

“Anything new in my schedule for today?”

“I already put the new catalog on your desk. You will have the sales report by tomorrow. And the promo can still continue if you wish to. I don’t wanna give you a butt load of work on your first day.”

“Thanks, Neke. I think I still have jet lag-”

“And another kind of lag.”

“Stop it.” I rolled my eyes.

“Why?” She beamed. “What’s wrong if you had fun in bed? It’s normal. You’re newlyweds, and I could see that he got that.” She raised her arm, showing me her flexed biceps.

“Really, Neke? You really want me to tell you if the sex is good? And why do people think that honeymoon is all about sex?”

“Oh, best friend. You don’t have to. You are the living proof it is.” She turned on her heels. “I’m going back to work. If you are bored, call me. I’m taking you out to the cafe downtown.”

“I think I’m gonna sit for a while. I missed this chair.”

“If you say so, Mrs. Cade.”

Mrs. Cade. I couldn’t help but smile as she shut the door behind her. I drew a deep breath before I browsed the new collection catalog.

My gaze fell onto my rings. I was still pinching myself that I’d been married for a week. Striker was a fantastic husband, a generous lover, a protector, a good listener, and an honest best friend.

I picked up my phone. I was about to call him when I heard a knock. “Come in?”

“What are you doing here?” My eyes widened to see who had just entered my office. I was already on my feet as I called his name.

“Party on your floor?” My husband just came to me with a bouquet of white flowers in his hand. He leaned down to kiss me on my lips. “You miss your job, aren’t you? You just tried hard not to show me while we were traveling.”

“Stop. I had a lot of fun. I deserved those days of freedom, away from work and just being with you. And the confetti outside was their way to welcome me back.”

“For you. I was supposed to let it deliver, but I also wanna check my wife.”My wife. I still got butterflies in my stomach every time I heard the words my wife from him.

“Thanks.” I smelled the mixed white flowers. “They are beautiful.”

“Just like you, baby.” He sat on my desk, let me stand between his thighs, and his hands went to my butt. I tried hard not to respond to his touch because I was at work. Sexual innuendos and behavior wouldn’t be tolerated during working hours.

“I know why you’re here.” I hooked my arms around his neck. “I’m safe here. Reed is just around the corner. Nobody can come in and out without him knowing.”

“I know. I honestly just wanna see you. Don’t work too hard, okay? I need that strength for later.” His lips curved up to a smirk.

“Is that a promise?”

“Yes.” His answer was pretty quick. “I’ll be home early. Dinner is on me.” I didn’t resist when he told me we were going home to his house because that place had grown on me already.

“Oh, good, because don’t ever expect me to cook or I burn the entire house. I can order food or call the chef, but other than that? Sorry, husband. We’re gonna starve.”

He chuckled. “It’s not a big deal. We can hire a chef. And the fridge is stuck with chilled food, fresh fruits, dairy, and beverages. There are also cereals and granola, in case you want.”

“Thanks. I should learn cooking, you know.”

“Do you know how to brew coffee?”

“Of course. I know how to use a microwave, brew coffee, and operate appliances.” My eyes narrowed.

“Okay, baby. I was just messing with you. You don’t have to be so defensive.”

“You’re gonna see your father today?”

He sighed deeply. “I wanna see Linden first. I’m meeting Dad tomorrow. Moses? I don’t know. I’ll have to see him outside the Hover first.”

“Okay, sweetheart. I don’t wanna hold you too long. Besides, I have a lot of work to do.”

“Good luck.” He kissed me quickly before he let me go.

Once he was gone, I informed Neke that we would see the boutique. On our way, I uploaded one of the pictures forwarded to me by the professional photographer we hired. It was simple, just us holding hands together. I added a caption-ourhearts as one.

For the kin observers, they would notice I was wearing a white gown, and my engagement and wedding band were too obvious for them to miss it. I wanted to make a statement that I was happy where I was right now, and their opinion didn’t matter whatever it was.

We arrived at the outlet. The glass walls were already attached. The carpenters were still working on the selves.

“The size of the whole store was pretty big,” I told Neke. “Kevin did a good job.”

“He did. The whole stalls are already reserved, and get the best spot near the entrance.”

“May I see the layout?” I asked one of these men.

The blond took me to the small table. He explained the outline. “Shelves, racks, over there are the displays. At the back is for the fitting rooms and stocks.” He pointed at my back. “The cashier. Your planner told us everything is in white. This is the final color.”

“I like it already. Thank you.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

I picked up some bills from my bags. “We have to go. This is for your lunch.” I put some bills on top of the plan. “Just inform Kevin once it’s done.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“New store?” Reed asked.

“Yes. I’m excited and nervous at the same time.”

“Don’t be. It already looks good from the outside. Where to?”

“I’m hungry.”

“I know a place if you’re not on a diet,” Reed said.

“What do you have in mind?”

“Sushi.”

“Yes.” Neke literally gushed, making Reed smile.

“It’s just sushi. What are you so excited about it?”

“When was the last time we had sushi together?” When I couldn’t reply, she pointed her finger at me. “That’s what I am talking about. But good to know Cade doesn’t keep you to himself and let you maintain a strict diet.”

“Just at night, Miss Web,” Reed answered. “Not the diet.”

“You know, you can call me Neke. Drop the formality.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Aren’t you calling your Cade to join us for lunch?”

“My Cade? No. He’s busy catching up on what he missed.”

“You two work so hard as if you don’t have savings that could last ten lifetimes. You should slow down and make a lot of babies instead. You can name them after the fifty-one states.”

Then I remembered something. Crap.