As I Hide: Adrian #1: Billionaire Grooms, Unexpected Brides Read online

  AS I HIDE: ADRIAN

  Part 1

  Anna Antonia

  DelSin Publishing, LLC 2015

  Copyright © 2015 by Anna Antonia

  All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from DelSin Publishing, LLC. DelSin Publishing, LLC and the author assume no liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Published by:

  DelSin Publishing, LLC

  www.delsinpublishing.com

  Cover Credits: George Meyer

  Cover Design: CGM Web Designs

  Table of Contents

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  More Anna

  About Anna

  ONE

  Adrian Hawthorne was not a man prone to idleness. An early riser, he worked out like a professional athlete every day before showering and eating breakfast. Plugged into his mobile and laptop by seven a.m., he was generally the first to arrive at the office and the last to leave.

  Work was his addiction of choice and Adrian had no desire to change that.

  He was a child born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth, but Adrian fought his way to the top of a heap that cared exactly zero for his pedigree and Ivy League accomplishments. Never content with trading on his family name, Adrian had been determined to prove his mettle and change the world as a byproduct.

  So he’d founded a company to do just that by the time he was twenty-one. The NYSE was just one of the markets to benefit from his digital prowess and excellent eye for finding and hiring the best programmers the world had to offer.

  When his company went public every single hire, all the way down to the receptionist, was a millionaire. Scenting the winds were changing in tech, Adrian made the prudent decision to sell and walked away with nearly half a billion in his account.

  Adrian could’ve retired to a sunny island and lived comfortably off the residuals for the rest of his life. Retirement wasn’t even on the horizon for him because Adrian Hawthorne was just getting started.

  Not the least bit complacent with his early success, Adrian left the tech field and entered the hospitality industry, boutique hotels in particular. Catering to the nouveau riche through thoughtful design and artisan detail did much to fatten his net worth, but Adrian soon found it to be dull work once he’d established his world-wide brand.

  Hungry for a challenge, Adrian hurtled into the lucrative arena of data mining. When that didn’t prove challenging enough, he turned his sights to the Arctic. Iron ore in particular. Partnering with an established firm, Adrian tackled the logistics and environmental nightmares with a laser focus that didn’t leave room for failure.

  Not surprisingly, the venture was an unequivocal success.

  All Adrian’s countless hours of unflagging work and predatory instincts left him in the enviable position of quadrupling the Hawthorne family wealth as well as his own.

  A billionaire by age thirty, Adrian was confident there was little left to conquer—not in the business world and especially not in his personal life. A handsome face and staggering wealth were a potent combination to the women of his acquaintance. As a consequence, Adrian had sampled more than his fair share of models, actresses, and socialites throughout the years.

  Even so, he’d yet to even come within spitting distance of a church. The only jewelry he bought were the colorful trinkets his latest paramour expected as her due. Never a stingy man in body or generosity, Adrian had showered his lovers with all the material possessions they could’ve desired. Trips around the world were commonplace in his courtships and he’d bought enough jewels, clothes, and cars to drive his personal accountant into apoplexy on a quarterly basis.

  Still, none of those gorgeous women had stayed long enough to make an inevitable move towards the altar and matrimony.

  Although once there was an actress who’d left a bridal magazine on his side of the bed, prompting Adrian to bid her adieu by the following evening. She’d gotten married to her costar six weeks later and Adrian had sent the blessed couple an all-expense paid stay at any of his exclusive hotels as a gift—which they’d politely accepted.

  Adrian Hawthorne was in his prime and extremely happy with his life as it was. He went where he pleased, worked as often as he wanted, and never lacked for charming companionship.

  The world was his and it was good.

  Little did he know implosion was imminent to his carefully managed kingdom.

  And that implosion’s name was Victoria Montford.

  ***

  Victoria Montford worked like a woman possessed. She had classes in the mornings and afternoons at the university five days a week. She worked at her first job Friday through Monday as a waitress at one of the many sports bars catering towards men who liked seeing the staff wearing as little as possible. The work was tiring but the great tips went a long way in easing her sore feet.

  Monday night saw Victoria trading her miniscule kilt and barely-there top for gray coveralls when she went to her second job as an office cleaner. That work lasted through Wednesday, which left Thursday as her only day off.

  Between homework, class, and work, Victoria didn’t have much of a social life much less time for a boyfriend. Which suited her fine. Relationships, while nice, just didn’t seem to be in the cards for her—at least for now.

  A late bloomer, she’d had only one boyfriend in high school and he’d been a member of the Purity Club—which automatically made her a member by proxy. While she missed out on all the good stuff, Kevin had been a nice first boyfriend and Victoria looked back at her junior and senior year fondly mainly because of him.

  They’d broken up before she went off to school and while Victoria had been sad at their parting, she’d been looking forward to the full college experience of partying, hookups, and eventually finding a serious boyfriend. Preferably in pre-med.

  Instead, it was her senior year and not only had she’d not had the full college experience and hence was still a virgin, but more importantly, her father had passed away from a heart attack during her freshman year. His unexpected death had left Victoria, her stepmother, and her half-sisters reeling in grief at his loss.

  Victoria had taken a leave of absence for a year, shocked by the turn her life had taken. She’d already lost her mother as a toddler, but she’d never expected to lose her father too. Victor Montford had been young, barely forty-five. Neither he nor his wife Kathy had even suspected he had issues with his heart until he dropped dead during an evening run at the local track.

  Even now she could barely remember the funeral or the weeks that followed it. Victoria had eventually come out of the fog of grief more determined than ever to take the place of her father as provider for her family.

  After paying off the house and outstanding bills, the life insurance policy would tide them over until the twins were out of high school, but only if Victoria took on the financial burden of paying her own way.

  There was no question on what she would do. Although Kathy argued vehemently against it, saying that Victor wouldn’t want that burden for his oldest daughter, Victoria couldn’t be dissuaded from her decision.

  She
wouldn’t rely on anyone’s help—no matter how well-meaning.

  So Victoria worked until she fell into an exhausted heap every night and usually woke up five hours later to start the cycle all over again. And even though she was running on empty more often than not, Victoria was confident that one day all her efforts would be rewarded.

  She’d earn her degree in accounting, a solid position with the ability to become a licensed CPA, and the peace of mind knowing she’d done the best she could for her family.

  But like all best-laid plans, hers were about to run aground when she met Mr. Adrian Hawthorne one late night at work.

  TWO

  Two more sections left to go and then I’m done for the night.

  Victoria liked the quietness of her job. No customers to serve, no smiles to fake, just the hum of her vacuum cleaner and the never-ending shuffle of her mp3 player.

  Confident in the solitude of her space, Victoria turned up the volume and belted out her best rendition of Muddy Waters’ “(I’m Your) Hoochie Coochie Man” while vacuuming a path in front of the break room door. While singing about being born for good luck, she did a little backwards slide and immediately stumbled into someone.

  “Oh!”

  Large hands reached out to steady her. Victoria whirled around, mouth open in shock and embarrassment painting twin stripes on her cheeks. Muddy Waters droned in her ears while she looked dumbly at the man still holding onto her shoulders.

  Tall, broad-shouldered, dark hair, hazel eyes framed by thick lashes, and a perfect face to die for, the stranger stared at her as intently as she stared at him.

  His mouth moved, the words lost to those of Muddy’s. Victoria shook her head and he frowned. Belatedly, she took a step back and tried not to focus on the fact that his fingers had flexed, as if he hadn’t wanted to let her go.

  Victoria’s fingers fumbled with the vacuum’s power button. She managed to shut it off after two attempts. She then yanked the buds out of her ears and then turned to face the gorgeous man who still stood there.

  “Sorry about that, Sir. I didn’t know anyone was behind me.” Victoria pushed a few loose strands of hair behind her ears, nervous the longer he went without speaking.

  He simply remained silent, head cocked in apparent thought as he swept his gaze from the top of her dark hair to the tips of her sneakered toes.

  I bet his smile has the power to knock a girl silly.

  She pushed the wayward thought out of her mind. Victoria had never had trouble at her position, even after working there for the last two years, and hoped she hadn’t just inadvertently invited it with her lack of awareness.

  Maybe this was an executive who didn’t appreciate the cleaning crew making their presence known with raucous singing? Maybe he took it as a sign of sloppy work or not caring about her job?

  What if he complains? They might not just reprimand me.

  Victoria’s body tensed with nervousness. She really needed this position and hated to think that she’d just lost it over something so stupid.

  When he didn’t say anything or make a move to leave, Victoria decided it was best to act if nothing wrong had happened.

  “Umm, okay. Sorry again for bumping into you. I’ll be on my way.”

  She turned away and grabbed her vacuum cleaner. She could feel his stare bore into her back and while it may have been flattering under different circumstances, Victoria couldn’t help but tremble beneath its intense regard this time.

  Unplugging the machine, she carefully wound the cord around the neck and prayed he’d keep whatever thoughts he had about her to himself and let the whole thing slide.

  Normally one would think this wasn’t even close to a fireable offense, but Victoria had learned throughout the years that the high and mighty were quick to push the red button over offended dignity. It was infuriating for sure, but there was a time and a place for pride—having the rent due the upcoming week wasn’t one of them.

  Victoria’s breathing evened out after she took a few steps in peace.

  “Wait.”

  Oh God.

  She could’ve pretended to not hear him, but her earbuds still dangled down by her legs—a fact she was sure he hadn’t missed.

  Victoria took a shallow breath and turned around. “Yes?” She took a reflexive step back when she realized how close he was to her. How had she not heard him?

  He flashed a smile and it was even better than she imagined. She felt her lips forming one in return.

  “I should be the one apologizing for startling you.”

  “No!” Victoria cut in reflexively. “I didn’t know anyone was still here.” He nodded, but his gaze was fixated on her mouth. Victoria’s smile faded. “I’m sorry for disrupting you. I’ll make sure to not do that again.”

  “Why ever not?”

  “Pardon?”

  He smiled again and this time it made Victoria’s hand flutter about her waist. “You shouldn’t stop. You have a lovely singing voice.”

  She smiled again, nervously this time. She wasn’t sure if he was being polite or truthful. “Thank you.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Victoria.”

  He said it slowly, as if savoring the feel of the syllables in his mouth. “That’s a lovely name.”

  “Thank you.” Victoria’s gaze jumped to the floor and back up again. “Um, what’s yours?”

  He observed her for another second before answering. “Adrian. Adrian Hawthorne.”

  Victoria thought it seemed as if he was expecting her to know his name. She ran through her mental banks but came up blank. She’d never seen him before. Giving a shrug, she stuck her hand out and waited for him to take it.

  A bemused crook of his lips and then he enfolded his large hand around her much smaller one. Victoria gave it a firm shake. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Hawthorne.”

  “You too, Ms. …”

  “Montford.”

  “Ah. Is Ms. Montford appropriate then?”

  Victoria bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling like a fool. Adrian Hawthorne was probably being polite and if he was a little flirtatious it was probably because it came second nature to him.

  She wouldn’t make the mistake of believing it to be more than it was. Nor would she make a total fool of herself by being gauche enough to let it show that while she knew how to handle rowdy men in a sports bar, she’d had far less experience with men who dressed and comported themselves like Adrian.

  Even though it was almost two in the morning, Adrian’s dark suit was completely free of lint and wrinkles. His perfectly-knotted tie remained in place. There wasn’t even a hint of fatigue around his eyes, ones made even more beautiful by the fact that they seemed a shade greener than they were before.

  The only thing betraying the late hour was the dark shadow of stubble on his sculpted cheeks, but that bit of imperfection only added to his delicious virility.

  Victoria let her mouth curve into another soft smile. “Yes, it is.”

  “Good.”

  Even though her tummy tightened with marvelous appreciation, she didn’t allow herself the freedom to think behind what the one word could mean.

  “How long have you been working here, Victoria?”

  “About two years, Mr. Hawthorne.”

  He held out a hand. “No, please. Mr. Hawthorne is for the regular workday and I hear enough of it. It’s Adrian.”

  “But it’s still my workday.” She meant it as a point of fact, but Adrian seemed to take it another way.

  He took a step closer to let his hand close gently over hers. Before she could react, Adrian took the vacuum cleaner away. “I’d like you to call me Adrian, but only if you don’t mind. Would you mind, Victoria?”

  The dulcet tones of his lowered voice slid over her like cashmere. It was so soft and light. Victoria’s body swayed a fraction of an inch towards him, seemingly without thought. “Adrian.”

  “Lovely.” Adrian beamed as if she’d granted him a pri
celess gift.

  Victoria swallowed hard. The tension in her belly returned and it wasn’t unpleasant in the least bit. It was the same feelings she felt when Kevin first asked her to be his girlfriend.

  I feel smitten. What’s happening to me?

  She cleared her throat and then laughed. Instead of taking offense, Adrian joined her. Victoria’s whole body seemed to come alive at the husky sounds of his pleasure.

  The worries of her life disappeared. Victoria felt like the young woman she was instead of the older woman she lived like daily. Even if she never saw Adrian Hawthorne again, she wouldn’t forget the magic he’d awakened in her tonight.

  It was a reminder that life didn’t have to be solely about existence and survival.

  Once her laughter died down, Victoria said, “Sorry about that. I’m probably just tired.”

  Adrian nodded once. “What time do you get off work?”

  Victoria looked at her wrist. “In about fifteen minutes. I just need to finish vacuuming this last part and the next hall.”

  He nodded again. “And then?”

  She fought to keep her gaze on his. “And then I go home.”

  “I see.” Adrian handed her the vacuum cleaner. “Well, I don’t want to keep you any longer than I already have.”

  Victoria’s hand tightened on the handle. She wasn’t sure exactly what happened, but Adrian’s demeanor changed. He pulled away from her and while she had promised herself she wouldn’t look deeper into his words or demeanor, she’d found that it was too late.

  She managed another smile, unable to force it to reflect in her eyes. “Okay. Bye.”

  Victoria made it down the hall when Adrian called out her name. She turned around quickly.

  “Seeing that I’m going to be working late for the next two weeks, I imagine I’ll see you again?”

  Relief hit her harder than it should have. “I guess.”

  “See you tomorrow, Ms. Montford.”

  “See you.” Victoria then rounded the corner, giddy smile in place, before it fell for two reasons. One—she wasn’t going to be here tomorrow since it was Thursday. Two—she still hadn’t finished vacuuming the hallway and had to go back, effectively ruining her exit.