Surprise Billionaire Boss

Surprise Billionaire Boss

A BWWM Romance

Rose Francis

Copyright © 2017 by Rose Francis

All Rights Reserved.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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

Cover design by PAPDesign

First Electronic Edition: December 2017

Contents

MAILING LIST

Synopsis

Part I

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Part II

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Epilogue

Epilogue 2

EXCERPT

About the Author

Also by Rose Francis

MAILING LIST

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Synopsis

Vivacious Annie is bored—especially since her childhood best friend left their home state to follow journalistic dreams in New York, leaving Annie feeling lonelier than ever. But an unusual shake-up at work clears an unexpected path for her as she takes a handsome stranger under her wing!

To appease his strict father and ensure his billion-dollar birthright, playboy Chase must go undercover at one of his dad’s companies and toil alongside the workers. Working closely with the beautiful Annie sparks something in him, and he must find a way to woo her without exposing his true identity. But Annie is a tough nut to crack, and he’ll have to dig deep to win her over!

When an outside party threatens his progress on all fronts by exposing his secrets, will Chase figure out how to keep both Annie and his inheritance?

**A BWWM secret identity contemporary billionaire romance.**

Surprise Billionaire Boss is the third book in the Secrets & Deception series. All books in the series are standalone interracial love stories, but it is best to read the series in order, beginning with The Billionaire Scoop. No cliffhangers and a guaranteed HEA!

Part I

Undercover

Chapter 1

Chase

W hat the hell’s gotten into you? Father says into my ear, making me regret hitting ‘answer’ when I saw his name pop up on my cell.

I was in a good mood strolling toward my residence just a few blocks away, but now my energy has gone south.

"Son, you know I don’t know or care anything about tumbling Instapics or whatever, but some of our board members do. They don’t like it when their future CEO looks like an irresponsible boy. And frankly, you can’t just hang around on yachts and islands waiting for me to croak so you can snatch up everything I busted my ass for and pour it down drains."

Ouch.

Dad would never talk to my older (by two minutes) brother, Charlie, like this.

Then again, Charlie isn’t banking on our inheritance like I am.

But they know I’m rich! I protest. Our fortune was built from liquor and hotels—we sell partying and fun, for Christ’s sake!

That’s not the point, son—no one likes it when you flaunt it; who wants to see their future leader swimming in a pool of expensive alcohol? And you could have at least showcased our brands! Don’t even get me started on the other nonsense you posted. Keep your yacht parties to yourself!

Unlike my twin, I take every opportunity to enjoy the advantages afforded me due to our family’s wealth.

I don’t have to work hard for what I have, so why should I?

Charles… Father begins, making me groan.

Here we go—he’s gonna wax poetic about the sainted eldest, the better twin aptly named after our father, Charles Andrew the first.

…found a way to make his own millions, Father continues. "He built his own wealth. He doesn’t need a place in any of my companies, the trusts, a spot in my will. But guess what? He’s got the top spot in the latter. And why? Because your brother is responsible, he has agency. Charlie won’t piss away my cash in pools of liquor."

You forgot to add hookers and blow, I say dryly, but before he responds, I add, Kidding, Dad. Sheesh. I don’t know what you think I am.

You’ve shown me what you are on that site. Who’s supposed to trust a guy like that with anything?

But it’s just for show! None of that stuff means I can’t…

You’re only proving my point, son. If you don’t know the basics—how important image is—you know nothing. You don’t deserve access to an allowance, a place at any of my boards. And look… His voice softens, …I know of the two of you, losing Chelsea has been hardest on you. But I can’t let you go on like this; it’s been over four years and you’ve made no strides at all; no personal growth in any area.

My chest smarts with a dull ache at his rebuke and the mention of my younger sister.

Yes, it still hurts that she’s no longer around, and obviously, I’m not the only one who got affected by her death, but everyone else has managed to go on.

Still, what my father said feels like a low blow.

Then again, that’s probably just the irresponsible, self-victimizer in me talking.

I sigh heavily. Fine, I’ll kill the Instagram account. Anything else?

You know as well as I do that photos live on, so you’re gonna have to work on your image otherwise. Create a narrative that you’ve got what it takes inside you. You’re still young—you’ll be forgiven just about anything at this point, as long as you can show you’ve grown or that you’ve taken some steps to change for the better at the very least.

What do you propose?

I’ll do pretty much anything he says—no way I’m risking losing out on Dad’s fortune.

He already threatened to give the majority of it away to charity before since he has no wife to take care of currently.

Charlie is his greatest hope, but I’m definitely down to change that.

Well, let me think, he says, but I know it’s just for show; I bet he already has some ideas.

I know it’s partially my fault for spoiling you, he begins, and for some reason, I just know this is gonna be bad. I gave you everything, and when you needed it most, I neglected to introduce you to the concept of hard work. You saw no examples of planting and toiling, tilling and watering coming to bloom.

What the fuck is this? Just get to the point already, Pops—I don’t need Gardening 101!

I should have made you work during your teenage summers, pushed you into internships while you were in college…

Okay, I think I’m starting to understand the punishment now. If I have to listen to him yap aimlessly for much longer…

…so I think you should familiarize yourself with the human resources side of things. So here’s what I’m thinking—I want you to spend some time at a few of our companies, learning how things work from the bottom up.

Do. Not. Comprehend.

You should probably start with the cinema chain, he continues. Learn how to pop popcorn and make hot dogs. Maybe even pick up after movie viewers between showings…

You’re fucking kidding me.

The words are out before I can stop them.

I know I said I’d do anything, but this is ridiculous.

What the hell is popping popcorn for the masses supposed to teach me?

And I’m supposed to clean up after people too?

I thought he’d put me in some office and make me answer phones or something. File papers and do mindless data entry work. Maybe even get coffee and run other errands for middle management types.

But serve junk food? Mop and shit?

Do you have a problem with this, Chase? I’m certainly not open to suggestions, he says.

How does humiliating me help?

You think this is to humiliate you? Then I’m obviously doing the right thing.

I wait a few moments before speaking again to make sure I have a solid handle on the next set of words that tumble from my mouth.

I remind myself what’s at stake, and I’ll do whatever he needs to secure myself unlimited access to funds and power.

What will happen to my accounts? I ask.

There’s a chill in the slight pause—as if he might’ve smiled evilly on the other end of the phone.

I’m glad you asked. They’ve already been frozen. You will have access to a specific account for the course of your ‘internship’ with a particular amount allotted to you.

And how much will it be?

I will provide more concrete details later. Just know that however small it might seem to you, it will be a livable amount; you can find a way to make it work. There was a time I lived on far less.

I get a sinking feeling.

Dad, you can’t just throw me into the ocean like that! How am I supposed to figure out how to live on a fraction of my usual allowance over the course of however long this lasts?

"It wouldn’t be a challenge without a challenge, would it? Oh, and we’ll make sure you’re disguised—no need to actually embarrass you in case someone recognizes you then photographs you, putting an image of you on the web looking poor and hideous in some drab uniform holding a dirty mop; in fact, we’ll make it fun—I’ll come up with a story about why you’re there since