Page 15
Story: The Boss Problem
Unless she voluntarily left early. Assistants had done that. Women had done that.
If I could temporarily make her life miserable, she would quit. By then, I’d have found her another job on another floor in this building. One that involved no interaction with me.
I turned to Edith. My hand went down to my side. “Edith, I think you’ve just convinced me. Let’s hire her as my admin assistant.”
Edith narrowed her eyes. “Are you sure?”
I waved her concerns aside. “It’ll all work out. I really ought to listen to you more, Edith,” I said, waggling a finger at her as I stood up.
7
SEAN
Istepped out of Edith’s office and began walking down the hallway, back to the tiny conference room where Chloe was waiting. In the distance, I could see the receptionist for this floor stiffening at my presence as he nervously adjusted the contents of his desk.
Most employees usually froze at my sight or said ridiculous, bumbling words. I preferred the former, finding my solace in silence.
After Mom had left when I was eight, extended silences at home had become what I was used to, growing up. It was also probably the reason why Lucas and I didn’t get along. I simply didn’t talk much. And I didn’t know how to be around people who talked a lot. Like Lucas with his impossiblewhyquestions whenever I saw him with his nanny, Anne.
I finally entered the room and saw Chloe. Her pale skin flushed when I walked over, and she stood up when I came to a stop in front of her.
Ignoring the vanilla-tinged smell she carried about her, I opened my mouth. “Edith and I spoke, and it turns out thatthere’s one job we can offer you,” I told her gruffly, not feeling too pleased.
Her gaze was fixed on my face, and I could see the emotions flickering in those eyes. Hope, yearning, and perhaps a hint of desperation too.
“You’ll be working as my assistant. A temporary one, mind you, while my current assistant is away for the next six months.”
“An assistant?” Chloe asked.
Her cheeks were red, but she continued to meet my gaze steadily. We were standing a foot away from each other, her chest rising and falling as she breathed rapidly, as though she had run a marathon in the past hour. I couldn’t blame her. One did not get fired and rehired in the span of a few hours.
“Yes. It involves getting me a lot of coffee,” I said dryly, deciding to scare her off the job right away.
“Well, I’ve been an admin assistant for the past eight years, so that would be no problem. Besides, I love coffee. I was at a café on my supposed wedding day too, if you recall.”
She bit her lip as soon as the words were out of her mouth and pressed her lips together. “Sorry,” she said immediately, looking mortified. “I won’t bring that up again.”
“That would be the right thing to do,” I said, clamping my jaw shut.
The image of her in a wedding dress at the café was not one I wanted crossing my mind right now. She had looked beautiful. Heck, she still looked pretty right now.
We stared at each other in silence, my mind playing out many impossible scenarios now that she was so close. None of which I’d entertain, of course. Even the one with her and me at the rooftop pool, where she was in a bikini that dipped low between her breasts, sitting by the water’s edge. I’d pull her to me, her soft body flush against mine, while I took her lips in mine?—
No, no, no.I coughed and turned away, fixing my mouth into a thin line. Which begged the question,What the fuck am I doing, commencing a working relationship with such a woman?
I felt Chloe’s eyes on me and turned reluctantly.
“So, if I accept, you’ll be my new boss?” Chloe asked, picking up her box and following me out as I tried to put some distance between us.
I turned around to face her. “Yes. That’s the only position we have available, unfortunately.” I paused, squaring my shoulders. I could make this easy. “No one’s forcing you to take it. It’s a job that requires far less experience than you?—”
“I’ll take it,” she said breathlessly, finishing her sentence even before I finished mine.
Darn. The enthusiasm with which she spoke lit up those pretty azure eyes, and they were sparkling now. Didn’t she know my reputation for being tough?
“Is something wrong?” she asked, her eyes reflecting some concern.
Yes, there’s a hell of a lot wrong, I thought, feeling irritated.I’m attracted to you when I shouldn’t be, but my body isn’t getting the memo. I’ve built you up in my fantasies as a mesmerizing woman, and I’m afraid that working with you will ruin it. I wanted to have you fired, but I only got closer to you instead. These are some of the things that are wrong, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.
If I could temporarily make her life miserable, she would quit. By then, I’d have found her another job on another floor in this building. One that involved no interaction with me.
I turned to Edith. My hand went down to my side. “Edith, I think you’ve just convinced me. Let’s hire her as my admin assistant.”
Edith narrowed her eyes. “Are you sure?”
I waved her concerns aside. “It’ll all work out. I really ought to listen to you more, Edith,” I said, waggling a finger at her as I stood up.
7
SEAN
Istepped out of Edith’s office and began walking down the hallway, back to the tiny conference room where Chloe was waiting. In the distance, I could see the receptionist for this floor stiffening at my presence as he nervously adjusted the contents of his desk.
Most employees usually froze at my sight or said ridiculous, bumbling words. I preferred the former, finding my solace in silence.
After Mom had left when I was eight, extended silences at home had become what I was used to, growing up. It was also probably the reason why Lucas and I didn’t get along. I simply didn’t talk much. And I didn’t know how to be around people who talked a lot. Like Lucas with his impossiblewhyquestions whenever I saw him with his nanny, Anne.
I finally entered the room and saw Chloe. Her pale skin flushed when I walked over, and she stood up when I came to a stop in front of her.
Ignoring the vanilla-tinged smell she carried about her, I opened my mouth. “Edith and I spoke, and it turns out thatthere’s one job we can offer you,” I told her gruffly, not feeling too pleased.
Her gaze was fixed on my face, and I could see the emotions flickering in those eyes. Hope, yearning, and perhaps a hint of desperation too.
“You’ll be working as my assistant. A temporary one, mind you, while my current assistant is away for the next six months.”
“An assistant?” Chloe asked.
Her cheeks were red, but she continued to meet my gaze steadily. We were standing a foot away from each other, her chest rising and falling as she breathed rapidly, as though she had run a marathon in the past hour. I couldn’t blame her. One did not get fired and rehired in the span of a few hours.
“Yes. It involves getting me a lot of coffee,” I said dryly, deciding to scare her off the job right away.
“Well, I’ve been an admin assistant for the past eight years, so that would be no problem. Besides, I love coffee. I was at a café on my supposed wedding day too, if you recall.”
She bit her lip as soon as the words were out of her mouth and pressed her lips together. “Sorry,” she said immediately, looking mortified. “I won’t bring that up again.”
“That would be the right thing to do,” I said, clamping my jaw shut.
The image of her in a wedding dress at the café was not one I wanted crossing my mind right now. She had looked beautiful. Heck, she still looked pretty right now.
We stared at each other in silence, my mind playing out many impossible scenarios now that she was so close. None of which I’d entertain, of course. Even the one with her and me at the rooftop pool, where she was in a bikini that dipped low between her breasts, sitting by the water’s edge. I’d pull her to me, her soft body flush against mine, while I took her lips in mine?—
No, no, no.I coughed and turned away, fixing my mouth into a thin line. Which begged the question,What the fuck am I doing, commencing a working relationship with such a woman?
I felt Chloe’s eyes on me and turned reluctantly.
“So, if I accept, you’ll be my new boss?” Chloe asked, picking up her box and following me out as I tried to put some distance between us.
I turned around to face her. “Yes. That’s the only position we have available, unfortunately.” I paused, squaring my shoulders. I could make this easy. “No one’s forcing you to take it. It’s a job that requires far less experience than you?—”
“I’ll take it,” she said breathlessly, finishing her sentence even before I finished mine.
Darn. The enthusiasm with which she spoke lit up those pretty azure eyes, and they were sparkling now. Didn’t she know my reputation for being tough?
“Is something wrong?” she asked, her eyes reflecting some concern.
Yes, there’s a hell of a lot wrong, I thought, feeling irritated.I’m attracted to you when I shouldn’t be, but my body isn’t getting the memo. I’ve built you up in my fantasies as a mesmerizing woman, and I’m afraid that working with you will ruin it. I wanted to have you fired, but I only got closer to you instead. These are some of the things that are wrong, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144