The Carrero Effect - Falling for the Boss (Billionaire CEO)

He drinks three shots to my one for a couple of rounds until I protest, a lot. He’s being evasive and as much as I try to bring up the mysterious Ben, he just blanks it completely. I’m already drunk and anymore I’ll be unable to walk at all. Jake switches to vodka on the rocks and hands me a fruity cocktail which I leave on the bar for fear of passing out. He’s avoiding conversation, so I let the subject lie, trying to get glimpses of Leila’s brother when Jake’s not looking at me to figure out who the heck he is.

Daniel appears and swings an arm around Jake’s neck from behind, whispering something close to his ear that makes Jake frown. He turns his back on me in Daniel’s hold and the two of them lower heads to one another and carry on the conversation in hushed tones. They look strangely cute yet totally male in that hunched way and even though he’s being uncharacteristically weird, I try to ignore it.

“Dance!” Leila demands appearing with another girl in tow and grabbing my hand, her eyes dart at the huddled pair and for a moment, I note a flicker of pain. Then defiant Leila brews up in its place and the smile is pasted back on.

You go, girl!

“Sure thing.” I beam, I turn, tugging the back of Jake’s shirt to alert him to the fact I’m leaving. He turns as I’m motioning the dance floor and he smiles, kisses me quickly on the cheek and turns back to Daniel, who has the bar filling up with doubles and shots in front of them.

Oh boy, from sober to plastered in the shortest time ever. Looks like that’s what he intends to do.

* * *

“Wow.” I scream as Leila spins me for the third time sending me wheeling across the narrow area we have chosen as a dance space; the place is jam packed and bumping into random strangers is inevitable. I catch Jake looking over from the group of men he’s encompassed within and smile at him. He smiles back but there’s a tension about him that wasn’t there before. I’m pulled back by Leila minutes later, before being thrust out in a twirl and colliding with someone hard.

hands come up to steady me. I pull myself from the person, apologizing profusely and stand on my own two feet. Hard to do when you’re extremely drunk and I’m sure I’m slurring. I look up into the face of the tall dark wall of collision and I’m surprised by the resemblance to Jake,

‘I’m too hot’ smile, he doesn’t compare at all and his smile seems somehow all too white and all too engineered in that

shake his hand and quickly pull away, not liking the feel of his skin on mine, somehow it feels wrong to

he’s trying to flirt. I lower my brows, narrow my eyes suspiciously and move back, feeling a little uncomfortable. There’s that same thing with him that I get with most men, most men except Jake. I never ever felt it with him, not

She likes to embellish.” I smile tightly, making sure I don’t encourage him in any way, I know his

tells me you’re Jake’s girlfriend?” there’s that inner wave of bile and unease. He’s making my skin crawl, but I don’t get a chance to answer when I’m tugged back harshly into a hard chest and a very irate Jake,

off Jake in overwhelming waves, making me extremely uneasy almost instantly. My alarm bells going off at being caught between them and

Ben quips grinning, but it’s the wrong thing to say and Jake moves forward to him in a flash, face to face. Pushing me a little too abruptly aside so that I stumble into someone else. I catch myself and stagger behind him to keep

be jealous of you? Emma wouldn’t give you a second look.” He snaps in Ben’s face, the men nose to nose in a display of dominance, equally matched in height and muscle. The air sparking around them. My inner body begins to tremble in fear, unsure how to react. I’ve never seen Jake come head to head with someone in this way. Never seen him behave like this. Only Ray Vanquis and that ended in bloodshed

climb into my bed.” Ben sneers and my brain instantly clicks the

was Jake’s best friend? The man who betrayed him so long ago. No wonder Jake feels this way

I barely see it happen. He hits Ben full on in the face with one perfect punch in his trained boxer stance, energy rippling around us and the room almost falls