Not Another Billionaire (Not Another Romance) Read online

  Not Another Billionaire

  Not Another Romance Novel

  R.L. Kenderson

  Contents

  Not Another Billionaire

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Epilogue

  Also by R.L. Kenderson

  About the Author

  Not Another Billionaire

  Copyright © 2021 by R.L. Kenderson

  All Rights Reserved

  ISBN-13: 978-1-950918-37-9

  Editor: Jovana Shirley, Unforeseen Editing, www.unforeseenediting.com

  Cover image:

  Photographer: GoldenCzermak, FuriousFotog, www.onefuriousfotog.com

  Model: Hank Meyer

  Designer: R.L. Kenderson at R.L. Cover Designs, www.rlcoverdesigns.com

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Not Another Billionaire

  Not Another Billionaire

  When she breaks her own rule and takes a job working for a CEO, he’ll show her that money doesn’t matter when it comes to the heart.

  As a poor girl who went to a private school filled with rich kids who made fun of me, I’ve since avoided anyone who has a lot of money. But when I’m offered a temp job as the assistant to a business tycoon that pays very well, I can’t pass it up. The extra cash will help me secure a down payment on the perfect location for my new business.

  I arrive at my workplace with my armor in place and a professional smile on my face, but Seth Crawford is not what I expected. He doesn’t look like a CEO or act like a CEO, and he doesn’t treat me like he’s the CEO. And when I accompany him on a business trip, he shows me what it would be like to be more than his assistant.

  But playing pretend outside of the office can’t last forever. In the real world, he’ll never see me as his equal, and unfortunately, neither will I.

  Chapter One

  Tessa

  I entered the restaurant and spotted one of my good friends and new business partner, Alexis. I was happy to see that she was the only one who had arrived so far.

  Tonight was the monthly dinner I had with my six friends from high school. Alexis, Bree, Paisley, Pru, Elizabeth, Isabelle, and I had been friends since our freshman year, and every fourth Wednesday, we met up for dinner. If we didn’t plan our get-togethers so far in advance, we would never find the time for all seven of us to be free.

  “Hey,” I said, sliding into my seat. “I have some news.”

  Alexis perked up. “You do?”

  “Yes, I got a call from the temp agency today. They offered me a position that will last twelve weeks, and the pay is awesome.”

  Alexis and I had been working on opening up our own bakery and café, but it was easier to say you were going to do something than to actually do it.

  We had found the perfect location. It was brand-new and still under construction, but any day now, it was going to be available to buy. The only problem was, Alexis and I didn’t have as much money saved as we’d like to.

  “Ooh…what are you going to do?”

  I bit my lip before spitting it out. “I got a temp job as the assistant to the CEO of a huge advertising agency.” And because they were huge, they could afford to pay me very well.

  Alexis’s face fell. “So, you’re going to be the right-hand woman to a rich guy for three months? You’re going to hate it. I can’t let you do this.”

  She knew how much I didn’t like being around rich people. I’d had an experience that still left a bad taste in my mouth to this day. But I was an adult now, and it was only temporary. I had previously run the office of a small legal firm that included three lawyers, two paralegals, and two receptionists. I could be the assistant to one filthy rich guy.

  What I wasn’t going to share with Alexis was, I was keeping my fingers crossed that he wasn’t a stuck-up jerk with an ego too big to fit through the door. I wasn’t expecting someone nice and friendly, but I was hoping for polite and reasonable.

  I raised my brow and gave her a look. “Let me, huh?”

  “You know what I mean. I know you’re doing this because I haven’t put together my half of the money yet.” She looked away. “I’m already failing as a business partner.”

  “You stop saying that. It is not your fault your ex-husband is an asshole.”

  When Alexis and her husband had gotten divorced, as part of their decree, her ex was supposed to sell their house and split the proceeds with Alexis. Their shared home was quite large and would bring in a good amount of money, even with it split between the two of them. Meanwhile, Alexis had been living in a two-bedroom apartment since the divorce even though she could afford more because she was saving for our business. Unfortunately, without her half of the house, she didn’t quite have enough to put toward the down payment of the shop. She probably would have had more saved if she hadn’t had to spend so much on a divorce lawyer to get out of her awful marriage.

  But that was where I wanted to help. Alexis could always pay me back, even though she wouldn’t have to, once our bakery was up and running and we were making money.

  “I can’t help it, sure, but I was the one who married him.”

  “Eh. Win some, lose some.”

  Alexis chuckled and pushed me away with her elbow. “I think it’s more than that, but thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. This job isn’t forever, and once it is over, who knows? Maybe your old house will be sold, and we’ll just have extra money to buy stuff for our business.”

  “I like the way you think.” She put her head on my shoulder. “You’re a good friend.”

  “I like to think so,” I joked.

  The door to the restaurant opened, and the rest of our friends walked in as Alexis lifted her head.

  “Hey,” Bree said, taking a seat beside me. “When did you two get here?”

  “I asked Alexis to meet a little early, so I could tell her about my new temp position.”

  “Ooh, do tell,” Paisley said, taking her seat.

  Before I could say anything, Alexis told our friends, “She’s going to be working for some billionaire at a big advertising agency. She’s going to hate it.”

  “It won’t be that bad,” I protested.

  Isabelle shrugged. “She used to work for lawyers. It can’t be any worse.”

  “Yeah, but those l
awyers weren’t rich,” Pru pointed out.

  Pru was right. All of them lived comfortably, but they weren’t swimming in money. It was one of the reasons I’d liked working for them. They were down-to-earth and had integrity—unlike some lawyers who were caught up in the number of zeros after a dollar sign.

  “But,” Alexis added, “she’ll not just be working for his company; she’ll be working as his assistant. She’ll have to talk to him every day and pretend that she likes him.”

  My friends made sounds of sympathy and looked at me like they felt sorry for me.

  “Hey,” I objected. “I don’t think it will be that hard for me to fake it even if I actually don’t like him. I am not a mean person. And that’s assuming I don’t get along with him. I haven’t even met the guy yet.”

  “But we know how you feel,” Elizabeth added.

  “You are all making a way bigger deal out of this than it is. My childhood experience wasn’t that bad.”

  “Childhood trauma,” Pru corrected. “And just because some people might have had it worse than you, that doesn’t mean it still didn’t affect you.”

  “Yeah, I know. Okay, so some asshole rich kids used to make fun of me. I highly doubt my new boss is going to do the same thing. I don’t know how old he is, but to be the CEO, he’s probably in his fifties. Now, we all know men can be immature, but I’m sure he’s better than a bunch of high schoolers.”

  Bree smiled sympathetically. “I suppose he won’t tease you. At least, he won’t if he knows what’s good for him.”

  The server came over then and took our drink orders and handed out menus. It was a relief for me because I didn’t want to talk about my past anymore.

  After he left, Pru asked, “I don’t think you mentioned the name of the company. How do you know they make a lot of money?”

  “It’s the Bradford Group. And I’m not sure how they make a lot of money, but they are sure paying me like they do.”

  “Ooh, hold on. I’m going to look it up,” Bree said.

  “What do they even do there?” Paisley asked.

  “I’m guessing they make advertisements for companies,” I said.

  “No shit, Sherlock. I meant, what type of companies?”

  “Honestly, as long as I get paid and my boss isn’t a complete asshole, I don’t care who their clientele is.”

  Bree raised her hand. “Okay, so the Bradford Group was started…twelve years ago and has quickly risen to be the largest advertising agency in the Midwest.” She gasped and looked up at me. “What is the name of your new boss?”

  “Uh…crap…I can’t quite remember.” That was probably something I should learn before I showed up on Monday.

  “Is it Seth Crawford?”

  I snapped my fingers. “That’s it.”

  Bree’s eyebrows rose as she read the next line. “Not only is Seth Crawford the CEO, but he is also the founder and owner.” She squinted. “Actually, he was a cofounder with some guy name John Bradley.” She laughed. “I get it. Bradley plus Crawford equals Bradford.” She kept reading a little bit more and shrugged. “The Bradley guy is not mentioned again, so I think it’s safe to assume that Seth Crawford is the head honcho.”

  “Oh no,” Alexis said. “Your new boss is such an asshole that he drove his business partner away.”

  “No, he didn’t,” I said, but inside, I was actually starting to worry. CEO and owner. And what if he really was a dick no one wanted to work with?

  “Stop scaring Tessa,” Pru said. “She’s not marrying the guy. She’s going to work for him for three months. And there is this little thing called quitting.”

  I smiled at Pru. “Thank you for putting it into perspective.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “It also says something about his parents, Stuart and Deedee, and his brother, Declan. That’s a good sign, I think,” Bree added.

  “I agree. He hasn’t ostracized his family, so maybe he didn’t scare away his partner,” I said. “And before this temp job is even up, Alexis and I will have enough money to put a down payment on our building. Even if I quit, like Pru said, whatever money I make will be worth my time.”

  “I agree,” Bree said. “I’m so happy for you both. Once your place is open, I’m going to be there every day, buying Alexis’s baked goodies.”

  Alexis shifted in her seat. “Thanks, Bree. But if my ex would sell our house, we’d have a nice cushion to actually buy things for our business.”

  “Is there anything you can do to move it along?” Elizabeth asked.

  “Ask my lawyer to pressure him. But that’s just more money being taken away from the bakery.”

  “Let’s give the jerk a few more months,” I said, not wanting Alexis to spend more money on her ex-husband than she already had. “If nothing happens by then, we’ll talk to your lawyer. But we’re doing good for now, and I have high hopes for this temp position.”

  “Thank you.”

  The server returned with our drinks, and after he left, Pru raised her glass. “Cheers to Tessa’s new job and to you ladies being one step closer to getting your new bakery up and running.”

  As we all picked up our glasses, Alexis smiled. “And let’s not forget the United She-Woman Single Ladies with Our Vibrators So We Never Have Another Bad Date or Experience Romance Again Because Men Suck Club.”

  I tilted my head to the side. “Can we call ourselves that with Bree now in a relationship with my brother?”

  “Yes,” Bree said. “I am still a founding member after all. And Zack and I are just dating. We’re not married or even engaged. Technically, I’m still single.”

  I snorted.

  She scowled at me. “What?”

  I gave her my best innocent eyes. “Nothing.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  I wouldn’t either if I were her because she was in denial. Zack had gone to a trade show last week, and he’d missed her so much that he asked her to move in with him. Bree hadn’t said anything to the rest of us, but it turned out, my brother had a big mouth because he’d told me they were already house-hunting. I was letting her sit with her news for a bit because I knew she wanted to take things slow and was probably embarrassed to admit that she was taking such a big step. But she couldn’t help it. She and Zack were crazy about each other.

  Schooling my expression, I said, “You’re right. Technically, you are still single. And we’re all still friends.” I raised my glass. “So, cheers to everything we already said.”

  We clinked our glasses and took a drink.

  Alexis turned to me. “Please remember, you are more important than our business. If you hate it there, please quit.”

  “I agree,” Pru said. “If push comes to shove, we’ll start an online charity.”

  I grimaced. I did not want to be someone’s charity case.

  “Everybody, it’ll be fine. It’s twelve weeks. What’s the worst that can happen in twelve weeks?”

  Chapter Two

  Tessa

  Monday morning, I walked into the tall metal building in the middle of downtown Minneapolis. I’d forgotten to tell my friends that this was the other downfall to the job. Driving around downtown wasn’t easy, and parking was almost always a nightmare. My last job had been in a suburb with a nice parking lot attached to the building. Thankfully, there was a parking garage close to the office building, so I didn’t have to go too far.

  I headed to the security desk at the front. Even though the Bradford Group was a big business, they only used one floor, and the other floors belonged to other businesses. It made me feel a little better about being at this intimidating location.

  “Hello. How may I help you?” the polite gentleman in a security uniform said from behind the desk.

  “I am starting a job at the Bradford Group today.”

  He clicked something into his computer. “Your name, please?”

  “Tessa Archer.”

  He scanned his screen. “Ah, there you are. Oh, it look
s like you are only here temporarily.”

  “Yes. I’m filling in as Mr. Crawford’s assistant.”

  The guard’s eyes rounded. “Wow. The big man himself.”

  Oh shit. That didn’t seem like a good response. Why was the guy so wide-eyed?

  “Yes, the CEO himself.” I leaned in. “Is there something I should know before I start my first day?”

  The guard shook his head. “Oh, no. I have nothing to say.”

  That sounded like he had something very interesting to say but didn’t want to get in trouble.

  I sighed. I hoped I wasn’t going to immediately regret this decision. The dollar amount was enticing for my business plans, but I didn’t need any workplace drama.

  “Okay then. Do I need anything before I go up?”

  “One second, please.” He shuffled some papers around on his desk until he found what he was looking for. “Here is your temporary pass. Once you’re up there, they will take your picture and give you a permanent ID that you can use for the elevators.” He waved the white plastic card in his hand. “This will be deactivated after twelve hours, so make sure you get the ID; otherwise, you’ll be stopping here again tomorrow.”

  I held out my hand. “Got it.”

  The guard slapped the card down. “Have a good first day. And good luck.”

  “Thanks,” I said, heading toward the staff elevators.