Free Romance: The Billionaire Alpha Collection by Penny Ward

should go back to apologize, or beg for forgiveness?  I could offer him something that would convince him to rehire me.
    No.  I wasn’t going to do that.  I was just going to do what I’ve always done - find a way through the mess.  It’s not like I had a choice.
    As my head rested in my hands, I began to gently sob.  Life has been so hard lately that I am almost out of tears.
    As the gentle cries soaked my hands, a strong male voice came from over my shoulder, “Excuse me.  Are you alright?”
    My wet eyes looked up and a beautiful figure was standing next to me. 
    Great.  Just what I needed – a beautiful man to watch me cry. 
    Why couldn’t I meet this man when I was dressed up for a dinner party? (Not that I have many of those!)
    “Do you need some help?” he asked.
    I recognized the face.  The perfect cheekbones, the dreamy eyes, the smooth skin.  It was a face I had dreamt about.
    “Um… hi.” Those were the only words I could mutter as I felt a loose tear roll down my cheek.
    He held out his hand, asking me to stand up, “I saw what happened.  I was in the restaurant, you were serving me, remember?”
    “Oh… Of course,” I mentioned as I stood up and quickly wiped my eyes, “Could you see what happened from in the restaurant?”
    “We could certainly hear it in the restaurant.  His voice echoed through the room.”
    “Oh.” I blushed in further embarrassment.
    “Don’t be embarrassed.  That man doesn’t deserve to have someone like you working for him.”
    I smiled in return of his comment. 
    “Shall we go for a walk?” he said in his deep, silky voice.
    I do remember that he was in the restaurant now. 
    He was sitting in the corner booth and I remember bringing him wine.  But my shift was a whirlwind of customers and my mind was still on my ex-boyfriend, Richard.  
    “I'm really sorry about what happened.  That was humiliating…” I tried to refuse his offer for a walk. 
    The man opposite me made me uncomfortable – he seemed perfect in every way.  His suit was perfectly fitted, his shoes perfectly cleaned and his body seems perfectly groomed.
    As I stood next to him, I felt small in his presence. 
    “Don’t be embarrassed.  That was not your fault.  If anything, you should be proud of the way you handled it.  You walked away from that argument with class.”
    Class? 
    Who is he kidding?  I just got fired.
    The man looked back over his shoulder as a slick limousine pulled up to the curb.
    “Is that your car?” I said, half-joking.
    He smiled nicely. “It is.”
    Wow. 
    The car was about as big as the shoebox I was living in.
    “Do you have another job to go to?” he asked.
    I shook my head gently.
    “Walk with me,” he stated firmly and began to walk off.
    I don’t know why, but I felt compelled to follow him.  His voice was full of authority and I had already had enough arguments for one day.
    “What will you do next?” He asked.
    “I really don't know. The job market is still tight and I don’t have a lot of skills.  But I still have debts to pay. The landlord will probably evict me from my apartment complex,” I murmured in response. 
    I didn’t mention that it was the 3rd and I was already late on paying him. 
    “Do you have any family to help you out?”
    I laughed at his response, “They don’t care about me.”
    Although I laughed at the statement, my smile was only trying to hide the pain of having a family who disapproved of everything I did.
    “I’m sorry to hear that.”
    Oh great. 
    Now he pitied me.
    “Do you have many friends that could help you out?”
    I just shook my head.
    No amount of laughing could help hide how lonely I was feeling.
    “I moved to New York two years ago.” I tried to explain to him. “And I haven’t really gotten to know many people.  Although there are so many people here, it can be quite lonely.  I’ve been talking a lot to a girl in my apartment block but she is in the same financial