My Billionaire Boss

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Questions

Willow fell onto her bed. Nelson jumped up as well, vying for her attention after so much time apart.

It felt good to be back in her own bed, but there was some lingering disappointment. Her fantasy vacation with Matthew had come to an end, now it was back to the reality of work. 

She absentmindedly stroked Nelson's soft fur as she thought about what was to come. Could she consider Matthew her boyfriend? Once they had reached New York, he seemed to become distant. Their goodbye was professional, not what she expected from the man she had slept with.

In times of distress, she could turn to Giana for help. She quickly pulled out her phone and dialed Giana's number. She called but could only reach her voicemail. With a sigh, Willow put her phone away and laid back down.

There's no use worrying about this now. Just stay focused on your work. Remember all those student loans you have to pay off, she thought as she drifted to sleep.

***

Willow's day started off well-enough. She made it to work early and didn't have any run-ins with Jack. She walked into Matthew's personal office and was greeted by Adam filing away papers. 

"Welcome back," he began, "I looked into that Laurence guy you mentioned, he's a shipping magnate that has ties to communication groups in Northern Africa. I talked to a friend who works for one of his branch organizations, rumor has it that Laurence is looking to sell his communications stock, but it hasn't been announced yet."

That would explain Jack's question, Willow contemplated.

"Interesting. You should bring it up when you have a free moment with Mr. Burns," she suggested.

Adam arched an eyebrow, "You don't want to present this amazing find yourself?" he asked.

Willow gave a nervous chuckle and shook her head, "You can take all the glory for this one," she answered.

"Whatever you say," Adam said with a shrug.

Willow got to work preparing the itinerary for the next week when Matthew walked into his office, closing the door behind him. Willow's heart almost stopped, she couldn't bear to make eye contact with him. She didn't want him to see the desperation in her eyes.

"Good morning, Ms. Pearson," he said in his deep, husky voice.

Willow swallowed, "Good morning, Mr. Burns," she quietly replied.

She turned her back to him and organized some papers sitting on his desk.

"We should go over the plans for the Cobbs merger," she suggested, trying to fill in the gap of silence.

Matthew leaned against his desk and crossed his arms. The cut of his gray suit jacket only highlighted his thick biceps. 

Willow could feel his eyes on her.

"That would be a good start," he replied.

Willow sat down and cleared her throat. His eyes were still on her, but she refused to look up. She began reading aloud some of the plans that would be implemented in the next month for the merger to go more smoothly.

Before she could finish, Matthew gently took the papers out of her hands. She reluctantly looked into her boss's piercing blue eyes. 

"Are you ok?" he asked, concerning marring his face.

Willow took a long shaky breath. 

"Yes, it's just... I don't know how to act around you anymore," she answered cautiously.

"Act?" he asked, sounding confused.

Willow almost rolled her eyes, "Yes, after everything that's happened in the past week, well it's hard to separate the boss from the man I've... come to know more intimately,"

It was out in the open now, there was no taking back what she said.

Matthew opened his mouth to answer when a knock sounded on the office door.

"What?" he snapped, looking irritated.

Adam poked his head in. "Cobbs is on the line, it sounds like an urgent matter," Adam announced.

Matthew took a deep breath before responding, "Alright, patch him through," he said.

Matthew's eyes rested on Willow, "We'll discuss this later," he said, his mouth forming a hard line.

She quickly walked back to the safety of her personal office. A thousand questions ran through her head, but most pressing of all was: Did Matthew still want to be with her?

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A/N:

I'll update this story on Wednesday OR when this chapter hits 75 likes. Whichever comes first!

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. What do you think Matthew's feelings for Willow are?