All Chapters of One Night Stand With The Billionaire Boss : Chapter 151 - Chapter 160

165 Chapters

79

KipEven though it’s Sunday, I’ve been at work this morning, trying to clear the decks ready for Alice’s visit tomorrow.I’m in a strange mood—a mixture of excitement at the thought of spending some serious time with her, and frustration from issues at work. The integration of the software with Genica’s hardware isn’t going as well as I’d hoped. The software is sound, but they’re having trouble getting the voice synthesizer to sync with it, and it’s giving us all a major headache. Jack Evans wants me to change a part of the software to fit his hardware, but so far I’ve balked at the significant amount of work that’ll involve. I’ve taken a long time to get MOTHER to a state where I feel she’s ready for integration, and I’m reluctant to change it now.Add to that the fact that Craig’s lawyers have started legal proceedings for his claim of wrongful termination, and my irritability levels are higher than usual. I definitely need some Alice time, and the ability to work off my frustration
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“I know it’s not my fault, but I am the eldest, and because of that I get to make this decision.”“Alice, you’re not listening. I’m saying that neither of you have to give up everything for your mum. There are ways around it. I can help.”“Kip—”“I can try to find her boyfriend a job down here.”“He doesn’t want to stay in Wellington—he’s working at the family firm in Auckland and quite happy about it, I believe.”“But if he wants Charlie, he might be willing to change that for her.”“She doesn’t want that.”Jesus. These women.“That still doesn’t mean you have to stop seeing me,” I tell her. “What we’re doing right now is working, isn’t it?”“Not really, Kip. When you go, it kills me. I miss you so much. It’s so hard.”“Then I’ll come up every weekend.”“That’s not an answer. You’re tired anyway when I see you. Every weekend is going to kill you.”“People commute all the time.”“We’ve had this conversation. And anyway, even if you did do that, it’s not a permanent answer.”“I thought
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KipWhich is all well and dandy until I hear the door open and Damon call out, “Kip?”Fuck. I forgot all about the party tonight.“Down here,” I yell, pushing myself upright on the sofa. It’s a struggle, and my eyes take a moment to focus on him as he comes down the stairs.He takes one look at me and frowns. “We said five, right?”“Uh, yeah.”He picks up the bottle of Lagavulin, which is a quarter empty, and his gaze slides to me. “Are you drunk?”“No.” I do my best to sound indignant, which isn’t easy when I’m seeing double.“Did you forget about the party?”I run a hand over my face and through my hair. “Kind of. Sorry, I should have texted. I’m not going.”He slides his hand into his pockets. “What’s going on?”“Nothing. Tell them I’m sorry, but I couldn’t make it.”He studies me calmly for a moment. Then he says, “Go and get dressed. I’ll make you a cup of coffee.”“I’m not going.”“Yes, you are. I’ve also got better things to do than play happy families, but Mum wants us to be t
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“Mum, I’m fine.” Irritably, I drop my arm, walk over to one of the armchairs, and drop into it. I know I’m being mulish, but it’s taking all my willpower just to stop myself walking out. I’m too miserable to make an effort.I’ve never been the sort of person to want to talk through my problems, and to be fair my family knows this and they all ignore me for the next hour or so, while Pamela, our housekeeper, brings in the food that Pierre, the chef, has made. I pass on all of it, sickened at the thought of swallowing anything except the whisky. Why have I never thought about the fact that we have our own chef? How decadent is that?About every five seconds, I check my phone to see if Alice has texted me, but the screen remains dark, and my Apple watch refuses to buzz against my wrist to announce an incoming call. Slowly knocking back the whiskies, and taking off my glasses, I grow more morose as the evening goes on, having to sit there and listen to everyone cooing over the babies and
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83

“Yes, Alice broke up with me, okay? Her sister’s boyfriend is moving to Auckland and has proposed to her, and Alice wants her to go with him, which means she has to stay in Gisborne. So she’s told me it’s over.”“What the fuck?” He looks bemused. “And you’re just going along with that? Didn’t you suggest she move down here?”“Of course I suggested it, and a hundred other things, but she’s made up her mind, and anything I say now is going to look as if I’m bullying her.”“Suggesting isn’t bullying.”“Well you know that and I know that…”“Want me to talk to her?” he asks. “I’m better at it.” His lips curve up. He’s probably referring to the moment I told Catie I’d teach her the guitar because I’d do it better than him, but for some reason I feel a flare of jealousy, maybe because I had the same thought a few minutes ago. All I can think is that he got his girl, and I didn’t get mine.“You’re really starting to piss me off,” I say irritably.“Am I? I’d never have guessed.”“Boys,” Dad sa
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“Jesus.” He pauses, then gets out, comes around to my side, and lifts me out again. I stand by the flowerbeds, bent over with my hands on my knees, then vomit over the lobelia.He sighs, goes back to the car to get a water bottle, and hands it to me. I take a mouthful, rinse, and spit, then let him lead me back to the passenger seat.He drives me home, not saying anything, and takes my keys from me to open the door.“I don’t want coffee,” I mumble.“You’re going to drink a bottle of water, and then you’re going to sleep,” he informs me. He grabs a bottle of water from the fridge, takes me down the stairs to my bedroom, and guides me to the bed. He stands over me until I’ve drunk the whole bottle, then makes me lie back and pulls off my shoes.“Lock the door on your way out,” I mumble as he heads for the door.“I’m not going anywhere,” he says. “You’ll only choke on your vomit, and if you have a rock-star death I’ll never hear the end of it from Mum. I’ll be back in a minute.” He disap
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KipI vomit twice more in the night, but luckily Damon’s there to help me stumble to the bathroom, and to encourage me to drink more water. So when I eventually wake up for real, I feel a tad fragile, but not half as bad as I might have done if he hadn’t been there.I check the time—07:14. The sun is up, flooding the room with pale yellow light. The sky is such a light blue that it’s almost white.The bed next to me is empty, and I can’t hear Damon upstairs.Still no message or calls from Alice, but there are a few others waiting for me. The first is from Damon.Hey bro, I left around two a.m. once you stopped throwing up. Take the Panadol and drink the orange juice, then go apologize to Saxon and Catie and I’m sure you’ll feel better. DThe second is from my father.I’d like to see you here at eleven a.m., kiddo. Make sure you’re not over the limit. Dad xHe hasn’t called me kiddo for years. It’s obviously a reflection of my behavior last night.The third and fourth are from Saxon. The
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KipI read it several times, then send it.It’s time to head over to my parents’ house. Dad bought each of us a breathalyzer when we were younger so we could make sure we weren’t over the limit after a few drinks. I haven’t used it for a while as I don’t tend to drink at all when I’m driving, but I take it out of the cupboard and blow into it, relieved to find I’m well under.Taking the presents with me, I get into the Merc and head out into the sunny morning.When I pull up at the house, Saxon’s Aston is already there, gleaming in the sunshine. I pick up the parcels and make my way inside, my stomach fluttering. It’s been a long time since I’ve had the need to apologize for bad behavior.As I pass the kitchen I see Mum there, talking to Pamela as they load a tray with cups of coffee. They both look over as I stop and walk in. Pamela gives a wry smile, and Mum gives me a look that says, ‘What am I going to do with you?’“Morning,” I say, going up to Mum, leaving the parcels on the cou
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He puts his arm around her. “It’s amazing,” he says softly. “Thank you.” The last ounce of resentment has vanished from his eyes.“They’re lovely gifts,” Mum tells me. “Well done.”One of the babies—Liam, I think, because he’s wearing red—stirs in the cot, waving his tiny fists in the air.“Can I pick him up?” I ask, and Catie wipes her eyes and nods..“Of course.”I lift the baby out and walk beneath the umbrella so he doesn’t have the sun in his eyes.“Hey, little fella,” I murmur, and he looks up at me with his big blue eyes. He smells sweet, of milk and talcum powder, and when I stroke his cheek with a finger, he grabs it and tries to suck it. I chuckle and look at Saxon, who’s watching me with a smile.I feel a huge swell of relief. It’s the first step to putting things right with the people I love, and it feels damn good.I just hope I can do something similar with Craig and Alice.*I stay for another hour, drinking my coffee and chatting to my family. Then, just before midday,
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KipAfter my long phone call with Penny, I send a text to Sam, the pilot of the Knight Sky, then take my laptop out onto the deck and spend half an hour browsing and jotting down some notes until the doorbell goes. I answer it to find Craig standing there. To my relief, there’s no sign of Renée. I’m tempted to say, ‘So she let you out on your own, then?’ but I manage to restrain myself.“Jesus,” he says, staring at my eye, “what happened to you?”“Don’t ask,” I reply wryly. “Come in.” I stand back and let him pass, close the door, and follow him down the steps. “You want a coffee?”He shrugs. “Okay.”I take it as a sign that he’s planning to stay at least long enough to have a drink, and turn on the machine. “Thanks for coming,” I say as I start the espresso pouring. “I wasn’t sure you’d agree to it.” I glance at him. “Was Renée okay with you coming?” I’m genuinely curious, as I was convinced she’d arrive with him.He sits on one of the barstools and scratches at a mark on the counter.
last updateLast Updated : 2024-04-20
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