Melting the Billionaire's Heart

Excerpt

"Tracy just called, she wants me to pick her up at the airport. I have to go now and leave you two alone. If I'm just two minutes late, I bet I'll lose some limbs, and hell no!

You wouldn't want your would-be best man to come in a wheelchair or some goddamn crutches on your wedding day."

With that Davis strode out, leaving Xander alone with Anna, who was still chuckling from Davis' amusing joke.

She was still laughing when her mind processed the words "leaving you two alone." What? Davis was going to leave her alone with Xander?

Wait! He wasn't just going to leave her. He already left her with him! Did he know what he just did?

Her lungs went out of air the moment the words became clear to her and she wanted to run away, far away from what she was feeling before she acted on it.

She snapped out of her thoughts as a familiar scent enveloped her. Oh! God, he's coming closer. She thought while taking backward steps one at a time.

The moment her back hit the wall, she knew that she was completely screwed. All Xander had to do to reach her was to take just a few steps and oh boy! There he was.

He was right in her front, tormenting and filling her senses with his intoxicating scent. He inched closer to her, letting out a hot breath before finally speaking.

"I see that you have been avoiding me lately, Miss Houston. Is there any reason in particular why?" Xander asked, with his head tilted while his eyes searched hers.

Miss Houston? Did he just speak formally to her after he had been all but flirting with her for the past few weeks? She was going to give him a comeback, but she froze just as her eyes met his beautiful brown orbs.

She became lost in those eyes and for what seemed like thirty seconds, all she could do was stutter.

"I...I...I don't know what you are talking about Xander. I think you are the one assuming things. I think I've just been scarce."

She said, not meeting his eyes. She didn't just call him by his first name... she almost muttered under her breath.

She wanted to give her big mouth a hard slap for calling him Xander when all she wanted to do was to call his name formally.

M.R. W.I.L.L.I.A.M.S, was that so hard to say? She thought, biting her lips hard, at the thought of her lips betraying her.

Xander who appeared amused by her reaction lowered his head and trapped her between his hands, inching closer to her.

His lips were now about half an inch from hers and she could feel his hot breath against her skin which made her tingle.

She could see his inviting wet lips now and all she wanted to do right there was to press hers against him. On impulse, she licked those luscious lips of hers.

Her sanity however got the better of her. She chose to play hard to get, not minding the part of her that was screaming in her ears to act on what she was feeling.

Xander's lips pursed as he caught her licking those luscious lips of hers that had him thinking about her now and then.

His fingers trailed along her face and she felt her cheeks go red hot from his touch. She could feel the heat emanating from her body as he stood in front of her. She could also hear her heartbeat very loud and clear or was it his?

"How about I put you to a test right now and right here? Let's see how far you can go about all the charades you've been pulling."

Her eyes fluttered as he said those words, wondering what he meant.

However, before she could figure out his intention, Xander held her face up, and without warning, he captured her lips into his already wet and soft one, shutting down all her senses completely and in that instant, Anna's body went limp.

Chapter One

"What did you say your name was again?" Xander asked, looking rather emotionlessly at the frail-looking old woman standing in front of his desk.

"Dorothy Finn, sir. Mr Williams entrusted you in my hands right before he passed away. I-I-I'll take care of you henceforth, just like- just like I did him. You have nothing to worry about, Mr William's II."

She managed to say in between coughs and sneezes, while occasionally adjusting the frame of her pair of glasses.

"Mrs Finn, from what I'm seeing right now, I should be the one worrying about you. Don't you think?" Xander stood up from his chair and walked slowly to her, trailing his fingers on his desk.

"I see that you are very interested in taking good care of me. But here is a little piece of advice for you, Mrs Finn."

He stood right in her front and was in her face, leaning closer to her and bringing his lips close to her ears, he said rather harshly. "Why not take good care of yourself first?

I think I might consider taking you as my personal assistant then." He whispered with a smirk plastered on his face.

Her body went limp and she managed to stabilize herself by placing her hands on his desk to support her shaky legs.

"Mr Williams, I-I-I-"

"You are fired!" Without another word, Xander left for his desk and made a call, ordering the security to come to his office to walk Mrs Finn out of the company, out of his company, and in a few minutes, they came into his office and saw her out of the company.

Xander loosened his tie, reclined on his chair, and placed his hands on his temple, giving it a quick massage.

His day had barely even started, yet he already had a throbbing pain in his head. So much for his very first day at work, he thought to himself.

He reached out for the phone on his desk and dialled a number. "Mr Hart, report immediately to my office!" He snapped.

After a few minutes, someone knocked on the door and Xander ordered the person in. A very sturdy man in a black business suit appeared in Xander's office.

Mr Hart was Mr Williams I's special advisor. He had served him for as long as Xander could remember.

It was time for him to be in service to Xander, who just emerged as the new CEO of BrooksWill & Sons Company after his late father, Mr Williams I's death.

His face looked rather pale as Xander's brown orbs bore into his. "You called for me sir." He said with his head slightly bowed.

"Is that your definition of a VERY COMPETENT PERSONAL ASSISTANT, Mr Hart?" He questioned, enunciating his last few words as he eyed him.

"I thought you had a better sense of judgment, considering your position in this company, especially to Mr Williams I."

Without any further ado, he said icily. "Find me a new personal assistant in the next forty-eight hours." He gave him a look that spoke volumes of what would happen if he failed to do as he says.

With that, Mr Hart scurried out of Xander's office with no further delay.

It's been a couple of hours since Mr Hart left Xander's office. Xander had left his office and was headed to the hotel to unwind. His first day was not what he had expected, in fact, it was very far from it.

He had earlier dismissed his driver, assuring him that he would be fine just by himself. He needed space to clear his head.

Everything was happening too fast for him to take. He knew that he was rather cold to the poor frail woman earlier but he just couldn't help it.

He had asked for her file earlier and had seen that she had been serving Mr Williams I, his late father, for quite some time now, exactly fifteen years.

He had had everything taken care of. He had ensured that she got compensation for her job loss which would serve her for a lifetime, he supposed.

Just then, his phone beeped and he seethed as he saw the caller ID. He had wanted to ignore the call but he ended up answering the call as it kept coming in incessantly.

"What do you want this time?" He asked passively. He was sick and tired of women who threw tantrums like a child who lost candy whenever he stopped seeing them.

It was however something he couldn't help. Alexander Williams was known to be a playboy by those who are familiar with him. This even earned him the nickname "no commitment" by his buddies.

"Money? Sex? You know what? I could have it off with you right now, but guess what? I got sick and tired of you."

Seeing that the woman was not budging, he added, "Do I have to spell it out that you're E-X-P-I-R-E-D? We're done." He said apathetically, enunciating the word "expired" before hanging up abruptly.

He immediately missed a bump on the road and tried to maintain his balance. Before he could get his car under control, he saw a figure jump at his car and in the next minute, the person was lying on the floor.

He quickly got out of his car once he had it under control and walked slowly to where the figure lay.

With each step that he took, his heart was thumping so loud in his chest, that he thought it would fall out in the next minute.

His mind which was earlier unsettled became very disarrayed, as the thought of what just happened kept replaying in his foggy mind.

He peeped at the figure which he now confirmed was a woman who was probably middle-aged.

He instantly confirmed his fears as he saw the woman lying on the floor right before his car.

He just hit a person! Was she dead?

Chapter Two

He just hit a person! Was she dead? Xander thought while still in a frenzy. He moved closer to her and poked her skin to get a reaction from her.

He did this a few more times because she didn't move while calling her out to respond to him. He hurriedly turned her over and carried her in his arms.

He rushed to his car and placed her in the back seat swiftly and drove as fast as he could to the nearest hospital.

At the hospital, he paced about with his hands akimbo while praying silently that she would be alright. He ran his hands through his tousled hair and heaved a sigh.

Just then, he noticed his hands and saw that there was no trace of blood on them.

He took a punctilious look at his white shirt and discovered that it wasn't covered in blood. There wasn't even a dab of blood on his shirt.

He headed back quickly to his car to check the backseat, where he placed the woman some moments ago and saw that his car seat was quite unsullied.

His memory came back in a flash and he remembered that she wasn't covered in blood when he turned her over. He was sure that he didn't see a trace of blood on her.

That only meant one thing. He didn't hit her with his car! The poor woman probably fainted as a result of the shock of a car hitting her.

He headed back inside the hospital just in time to see the doctor talking with a lady whom he presumed to be the guardian of the woman he brought to the hospital.

He couldn't see her face properly as her back was all that was in view. He took a few strides towards them and stopped in his tracks as he heard the condition of the woman.

"She's stable now. She collapsed as a result of her condition."

"Condition? What condition?" The lady asked bewilderedly.

"After running a series of tests on the patient, we discovered that she has leukaemia.

As such, the patient would be needing a stem cell transplant as soon as possible." He heard the doctor say.

"Despite being stable now, she needs to undergo surgery at the earliest possible time as her life could be in danger if it's delayed." He added.

He could hear the lady's sobs as the doctor went on about the woman's condition.

"How soon is 'the earliest possible time'?" She managed to say in between sobs. "How-how-how long can she endure before the surgery would be performed? Is it for weeks, days or months?" She said discontinuously.

"Her condition could worsen if her surgery is delayed for months. But she can survive a few months. I'll strongly advise that she stays confined in the hospital room until her surgery will be performed."

The young woman simply nodded while staring blankly at the doctor with hazy eyes. Her mind was in total disarray as she was concomitantly thinking about a lot of things.

She was clueless as to how she would find the money for her mother's surgery. She wasn't even sure if she could afford the bills for her mother's confinement in the hospital, because it was a privately owned one.

Why on earth was she even brought here of all other hospitals in the first place? She thought to herself.

As if the doctor knew her thoughts, he added, "Also, you also need not worry about the hospital bills as they have been taken care of." He added.

"Taken care of? What do you mean by that?" She asked, giving the young doctor a questioning look.

"The man who brought her in already took care of the bills". He said tersely.

"A man?" The lady asked, looking rather puzzled. "Who is he? Can I see him?" She inquired almost immediately.

"He was here a few moments ago..."

"Do it." A deep authoritative voice echoed in the hallway, cutting short the doctor's words and, disrupting his conversation with Miss Houston.

The lady turned around to see a pair of beautiful ice-cold brown orbs that sent chills down her spine.

"Proceed with the surgery." He ordered, in a more intimidating tone, keeping a straight face.

Even though her mind was hazy, she could not deny the fact that the mysterious man before her was strikingly handsome.

He was tall and he had quite an athletic build. Although his gaze at the doctor was piercing, his eyes were still captivating.

His clenched jaw was quite firm and his beards accentuated it perfectly. His wavy dark hair had curls that were quite noticeable because of his hairdo.

His tone was rather demanding and she presumed that he must be a man of authority. That still did not explain why he would butt into her conversation with the doctor and even give him orders.

She was sure that she hadn't seen him before. Or was he the owner of the hospital? Was that why he was giving orders to the doctor? She thought.

"Excuse me? Who are you?" She demanded, looking warily at the mysterious man.

Without paying her any attention at all, he took slow strides from where she was and covered the distance between them, stopping right in front of the doctor.

"Go. Ahead. With. The. Surgery." He said more menacingly with his deep voice, taking her aback. He spoke like one who was used to giving authority without any question.

If she had a shock absorber, she would have made use of it right then and there. If there was any word to describe the man right beside her, it's the word "R.U.D.E".

Who did he think he was to meddle in her affairs and completely ignore her?

She didn't even care who he was again. Neither would she give a damn that the man was such a beauty to behold. He had crossed the line and she would give him his just deserts.

Without further delay, she tapped on his firm shoulders and said. "Hey, I am, I don't know who you are and I don't even care to know. Who do you think you are to interrupt a conversation without so much as an explanation?"

She blurted out, finally getting a reaction from the mysterious man who looked at his shoulder before finally turning his head to stare coldly at her.

If looks could kill, she would have died right there and then as those ice-cold eyes of his bore into hers.

Chapter Three

Xander slowly turned to the audacious woman who dared to tap on his shoulders and thought to himself that she was really bold and daring.

He looked curiously at her unyielding eyes and was about to say something to the woman, but was immediately interrupted by the Doctor.

"Of course, Mr Williams. Definitely. We would be needing a bone marrow transplant and we'll surely proceed with the surgery immediately after we find a matching bone marrow.

Also, I'd like to apologize on the young woman's behalf. It's all my fault. I was about to introduce you to her when you came in."

"This is Mr Williams, one of our very important clients in this hospital." He said looking more at him. "Mr Williams, she is the daughter of the patient. She's Miss..." The doctor looked at her, gesturing for her to say her name.

"Houston. Anna Houston." She said, heaving a sigh, not sure whether to be angry or grateful to the man.

That explained why he could order the doctor around. No doubt, he was a great asset to the hospital, considering the tons of money they received from rendering their services to him.

The doctor simply nodded at her words and bowed curtly at Mr Williams, leaving him with Miss Houston.

"I am, I don't know why you did that and I also can't seem to wrap my mind around why you would want to do this. If the circumstances were different, I wouldn't have allowed this. However, I'll pay you back. I will."

She shoved her hands into her pockets and looked at him before adding, "For the second time, my name is Anna Houston. It's a pleasure meeting you." She let out her hand for a shake and folded it back when the man didn't take it.

She wondered what kind of person this man was. He was such a strange one and for reasons she couldn't quite understand, he piqued her interest.

"Forget it." He spoke, devoid of any emotions as he stared blankly into the space.

"Excuse me?" She asked, perplexed as to what he meant. She wasn't sure whether he was referring to the handshake or the money.

"It's nothing to me. Just consider it as a form of-" He paused for a moment to find the right words before he finally said "CHARITY. Consider it as charity." Again, she was taken aback by the impudence of this man. She almost gaped at him.

What? Charity? Maybe it was the way the word "CHARITY" sounded in her ears. Or the way he said the word. She just didn't like it and she wouldn't let it slide.

"Hey, I am. I know that you are filthy rich and the money is probably like the price of a gum stick to you, but I can't accept it as C.H.A.R.I.T.Y. I'm going to pay you back." She said, glaring at him.

The man just kept staring at the woman in front of him. She was a strange one. Anyone in her shoes would have been kissing his ass right now and singing "thank yous" in his ears obsequiously.

The woman holds her pride in high esteem. He thought. And what was with the nickname she gave to him? I am?

He snapped out of his thoughts as he heard her clear her throat. "So, is that a deal?" She asked, looking up at him unrelentingly.

He moved closer to her and bent his head while folding his hands. "I see you are hellbent on doing this but, have you considered how you would go about it?" Her eyes fluttered at his words. Right! She didn't even think about that. What would she do to get that kind of money?

The money was quite a lot and she didn't have the mind to rob a bank, break into a filthy rich man's house to steal or even do anything illegal.

He seemed to have noticed her uneasiness because he added, "Backing out now?" He searched her eyes for a few seconds before straightening. "Just forget-

"I WILL PAY YOU BACK. I haven't figured out how but trust my words." She blurted out, looking at him with those determined eyes again.

The woman was stubborn and inexorable. "Fine, I see that you have made up your mind-

His phone beeped in his pocket, interrupting his conversation with Miss Houston. He took it out and saw that it was Mr Hart.

Right! The ultimatum. He almost forgot about that. He was so preoccupied with the turnout of the day's events that it skipped his mind.

Just then, an idea popped into his head and he let out a smirk, looking at the young woman. He took the call and spoke first. "Hello Mr Hart, abort it at your end. I've had it taken care of."

His eyes never left her as he spoke. With that, he hung up not minding the resonating "what? (s)" that came from the puzzled man.

He placed both hands of his in his pockets before speaking. "What if I give you an offer?" She scrunched up her face, waiting for him to reveal what he had up his sleeves.

"Well, since you are clueless as to how you would pay your debt to me and are also very determined to do the same, work for me as my personal assistant." He said frankly.

What? A personal assistant? Not just any personal assistant now, but one to this impertinent man? She knew that he was definitely the CEO of some company the moment she had a share of his churlishness.

She wasn't sure if she could work for him. Would she be able to deal with him? Many would jump at this opportunity he was throwing at her. There were most likely many more qualified persons than her, yet he asked her without even asking for her qualifications.

She must have been silent for quite a long time because she heard him say, "What? You can't do it? Fine. I guess-

She didn't even let him finish before she spoke. "I can do it. I. WILL. DO. IT." She said, more to herself, as though she was assuring herself that she could deal with him.

"Great. Deal," he said, pursing his lips. What he did next took her completely off guard. He let out his hand for a handshake.