Free The Billionaire's Ball: BBW Billionaire Boss Erotic Romance (Vivian's Desire) by Fiona Wells Page A

that she suspected had cost a fortune to install. Her gaze fell over the steadily growing crowd of passengers, many of whom were already congregating near a refreshment bar on the far side of the room.
     
    A man was looking in her direction. She had the sudden impression of a wolf among a herd of sheep. He was oddly lanky and pale with only a sparse bit of hair gelled across his shiny head. His grin turned her stomach. She immediately turned back towards Alex with a shiver, feeling as if she’d like to crawl out of her own skin.
     
    “Is everything alright, Vivian?” she was suddenly aware that Alex was peering at her. “Your face looks pale.”
     
    “Everything’s fine,” she lied and smoothed her dress over her shapely hips. He nodded, assured, and they headed off to the elevator.
     
    She could not shake the feeling that the man’s eyes were following her the entire time, but she pushed the thought far from her mind.
     
     
     
    By dinnertime, she had checked her phone a dozen times before finally accepting that Ben hadn’t sent her any messages. It left her feeling frightfully disappointed, but she was determined not to overthink the situation. It was easier said than done though, with a vast array of happy couples cuddled up together at the velvety tables in the dining room.
     
    Alex seemed oblivious to her eyes wandering to the phone in her purse as he practically inhaled his first plate of food while glancing over the notes in his portfolio.
     
    “I’d like to change this part,” he mused between bites of seasoned chicken. She finally tucked her purse out of sight underneath the table and leaned over to see the portion he was indicating. She marked the section with a tiny red star with her pen while he ordered something else from the menu.
     
    The shift of the ship beneath them sent a lively rush through the restaurant. She glanced enviously as lovers pressed closer together with smiles. Her boss suddenly cleared his throat.
     
    “Vivian?”
     
    She had absentmindedly dragged her pen all the way across the paper and onto the tablecloth. Her cheeks flushed. “Oh, whoops.”
     
    “Do you miss Ben?” he asked, although his concern seemed to abate briefly with the arrival of a second breadbasket to the table.
     
    “Are you going to miss fitting into the pants you came in?” she shot back, eyeing the roll he was already buttering. He chuckled and took a huge bite.
     
    “OK, fair enough. I won’t tell Ben if you don’t tell my wife about all the empty calories.”
     
    “Like I’d ever be the one to judge!” she exclaimed and gestured playfully at her own curves. Truly, she loved food and had shed the ‘must be thin’ idea back in high school. It had never bothered her either. She loved the way she filled out pencil skirts and blouses at the office. She definitely loved the way Ben grabbed her body. Her mind flickered to his face and she was heaving a sigh before she even realized it.
     
    “I do miss him,” she admitted and Alex nodded sympathetically.
     
    “It’s hard being away from loved ones,” he said and then with a quick little smile, “But, you’ll be together soon enough.” She gave a small nod and sipped from her glass of wine.
     
    “Did you know there’s going to be a masquerade ball?”
     
    “Are you forgetting that I’m the best assistant in the world?” she asked with a cocked eyebrow and amused smirk.
     
    Truthfully, her own boss had been blissfully unaware of it until recently despite her reminders. She had ended up telling his wife, Adriana, to make sure he had a mask packed. It wasn’t unusual for Vivian to tell him something over and over, only to have him suddenly relay the information to her one day as if he was telling her something profoundly new. She’d stopped reminding him that she’d already told him that because he would get so embarrassed.
     
    Oh, men. I can’t live with them or without them , she thought with a chuckle as he began to