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

“He didn’t exactly push her off, the way Jake would for you. No beat it or fuck off, he just stood there watching her gyrating at him with her hands on his chest. Then it hit me, if I wasn’t there then he would’ve totally fucked her.” She brings a red-rimmed set of heartbroken eyes to me and I sigh. I know how soul destroying that kind of insecurity can be. Hunter probably wasn’t even aware of the affect his indifference to the girl had on Leila.

“I know he wouldn’t have. You’re not giving him a chance, Leila. You’re so sure he’s going to disappoint you and hurt you that you’re looking for fault. Looking to push him away.” I take her hand in mine, trying for mature and direct. Sarah can be the soft one, I need Leila to see sense.

“Did you confront him?” Sarah is watching her with the same expression as me, maybe she’s decided logical is the best route too.

“Of course, in grand crazy bitch fashion, the stupid me who has been giving him hell for weeks.” she sighs and sinks even lower in her seat. “I told him to fuck off, we were done, and I threw my drink at him. Told him to take the whore if that’s what he wanted.” A blush of red surges over her delicate features as she cringes at the memory; at least she has the sense to realize she acted like an insane woman.

“Jealousy is a killer.” I point out, knowing fine well I probably would’ve kicked Jake’s ass if it’d been me. Jealousy makes us irrational, seeing red no matter how innocent the situation.

“Well, aren’t we little angelic bundles of insecurity?” Sarah chirps in with a smile, patting Leila’s hand. “I once threw an entire plate of pasta at Marcus in a restaurant because some ex-girlfriend kissed him on the cheek when she came by to say hi.” She shrugs as a matter of fact.

“I tried to convince Jake I was climbing into another guy’s bed because I heard a girl in the background when he was on the phone to me.” I also shrug. The three of us regard each other for a moment, then burst out laughing. Even Leila laughs and wipes her smudgy eyes.

“None of that is healthy at all.” Leila looks deflated. “But it makes me feel less insane. I know I flew off the handle, but honestly, this is so hard. Daniel has made an art out of fucking my head up for the last ten years and now he’s doing it again. I’m so scared that one of these days he’s going to turn around and be like … “This ain’t for me, kitten.” She does a very good Hunter impression, alarmingly so, even the way she tilts her head and raises a palm.

“Have you ever thought about not being so hostile and giving him a genuine chance? Letting him in a little so that maybe he won’t want to turn and run?” Now it’s my turn to pat Leila’s hand and she sighs as the bar tender nudges in with a round of drinks, leaving his card in full view in front of Leila, cockily and a little too smoothly. A move Jake would’ve pulled off a hundred times more seductively.

“Call me.” He winks at her, before wandering back off back to the bar, with a smile. All three of us watch him go with equally unamused expressions. He’s tall like Hunter, overly muscular and blonde, but way less appealing. He has an I’m in love with myself, so I bet you are too aura about him, making him unattractive instantly.

“Arse,” Leila retorts, dumping the card over her shoulder toward the floor, no care to the fact that he can still see her.

not going to cut it then what next?”

tell the assholes

try to pretend to look surprised at seeing

here.” She mumbles, sitting up straight, and taking

her hair, tidying it

* * *

and fix her face. I

sip our drinks watching the scenery, chatting non-descriptively, in the few minutes it takes that sexy six-foot two Adonis to come swaggering in, making my insides liquefy. He has the same effect on me every time I see him. He makes everyone else disappear, with just an appearance,

Hunter behind him. Some little brunette appears, stopping their progress, waving her hands and hips at him and a frown crosses Jake’s face as he looks down at whatever she’s saying. He gently and firmly puts a hand on her shoulder, pushing her aside without another glance, and he just

what Leila meant. She wanted some sort of sign that Daniel was hers, not just weird angry dating and sex. She wanted to see him show loving possession in subtle ways like Jake just did. The girl was a test in

softness while Leila’s been in high maintenance feisty mode. He needs to be the guy he was when she was sixteen, the gentle boy who

needs Daniel to cut through all her crap and see

needs to romance her, rather

still a girl

fragile heart.

hard on the mouth, a hint of aggression telling me the last half hour has probably been torture for him and now he’s here needing to expel all his tension. I tilt my head

on, Carrero.” Sarah giggles, slapping him on his huge muscular shoulder. “Let the lady breathe. You might actually break her neck if you keep that up.” Jake throws her a non-apologetic smirk then comes back

a lot heartbroken. He looks nothing like the Daniel Hunter of old, the little lost soul inside of

sweep of the room. It’s obvious he’s on tenterhooks and can’t seem to stand