The Billionaire's Mistress Complete Series: Alpha Billionaire Romance Read Online Free PDF

knew it would happen again, and unless it was really blatant, he wouldn't fire me. I was too good at my job. Also, I was smart enough to save my sharp tongue for those who were too vapid to pick up on the sly insults. I pretended to be contrite, and we were both happy enough with it as I headed out the door. I was one of his best, and I was the most unflappable person in there. The insults hurled by the snottier patrons wouldn’t put me in tears, and if I was given a one-dollar tip by some snide piece of work, I knew I’d make up for it with somebody else, like Daisy.
    It was a workable arrangement, but today, it all put me back on edge.
    I had to pick up TJ, and by the time I left, my head was pounding. I might've had enough self-control to keep my temper, but it didn't mean the things people did and said to me didn't affect me. Sometimes I wondered if I really did want a job, but I never let myself push it past that wondering phase. It wasn’t like a hundred jobs were lying around that paid this well or offered the flexible hours I needed.
    In other words, just like all other aspects of my life, I was stuck.
    And that was the thought that bounced in my head the entire way to my brother's school. Over and over it played, all the ways I could never get out of the life I was in. Most of the time, I didn't even think it. I loved my family. I more or less liked my job. But there were times when certain things hit me. This was one of those times.
    TJ was just coming out the door when I got to his school. I smiled at him and asked how his day was.
    His only response was a shrug. It was hard to tell if that was a good thing or a bad one, but I remembered what it was like to be in middle school. It'd kind of sucked for me, and the bullies I'd had to deal with had been nothing compared to the assholes who went after TJ.
    As we started down the sidewalk, I caught sight of some familiar faces. One of them opened his mouth before he saw me. He snapped it shut, shifting his features into a casual smile. Not buying it, pal. Giving him a narrow-eyed glare, I lifted my chin and stared him down. His face flushed a dull red, and he jabbed his friend in the side. They both turned, slinking away.
    Cowards. I didn't care that they were only kids. They were old enough to know better, and that was what mattered.
    “They take one look at you and take off ,” TJ signed, shaking his head. “ You gotta show me how to do that.”
    “TJ, my man, it won’t work,” I said. “That's a special trick unique to women, especially effective on the bullying type and the small-minded. But you don’t have the equipment to do it, even if you did have the right temperament.”
    He snorted when he laughed like he always did, and it was enough to make me smile. Like always. I gave his head a playful shove. He was nine years younger than me, but we were close. We didn't really look anything alike since he looked more like his father with his darker skin and similar features. I was more of a combination of my mom and asshole sperm donor, which meant TJ and I shared very little in the way of a physical resemblance. None of that mattered to us though. Our relationship had never been awkward or weird. It was easy. Sure, we got on each other's nerves sometimes, but it was never for long.
    “Okay, man. Let’s get you back home. I want some ice cream.”
    His face lit up is if I had said the magic words. I guess in a way I had. He didn't have much of a sweet tooth, but he did like his ice cream.

    * * *
    I t took another hour and a half for me to get any time to myself. Mom and Tyson were at home when we got in. Naturally, they asked how school had gone and TJ had launched into a description of how I’d made the two ringleaders of the bullies take off with their tales tucked between their legs.
    That resulted in me being questioned since, of course, I was supposed to take the high road and ignore them. I was only supposed to walk with TJ and make sure nobody