Page 13 of Boss of Me

His expression is caught somewhere between sheepish and irritated. “Marlowe?—”

“Stay the hell away from me!” Too incensed to wait for an Uber, I march to the curb, climb into the waiting car and ride off without looking back.

i’m still fuming when i gethome.

I don’t bother to wash off my makeup or brush my teeth. I kick off my heels, change into an oversized Pittsburgh Steelers T-shirt and crawl under my covers.

When Sansa leaps onto the bed to sniff my face, I glare at her and grumble, “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

She eyes me for a long moment, then flicks her tail and meows as if to sayBetter luck next time.

I snort at that. I’m done with blind dates. After tonight’s disaster, I’d have to be crazy to risk such humiliation again.

Scowling, I watch Sansa hop down from the bed and wander off in pursuit of better entertainment. I know my sister will worry if I don’t check in before morning, so I reluctantly fish my phone out of my purse and shoot her a text:Date turned out to be a dud. Not even worth discussing. I’m going to bed. We can chat tomorrow.

A minute passes before Ember responds:A dud? That sucks! Was he full of himself? The hot ones usually are.

He was definitely full ofsomething, I think darkly before texting back:He was an asshole. Gave me a creepy stalker vibe.

Oh hell no!

Exactly, I reply.

I’m so sorry, Mar,Ember commiserates.Bad dates are depressing. But it sounds like you dodged a bullet.

Definitely, I agree. But beneath my fury and embarrassment, I can’t help feeling an almost crushing disappointment.

I’ve never met anyone like Gunner before. It wasn’t just the explosive chemistry we shared, the way he made my whole body ignite like fireworks. It was also the way he looked at me, the way he smiled and laughed. The way he listened to me and said my name like a caress. He was the first man with whom I’d ever felt such a deep connection.

And it was all a big damn lie.

Ember sends another text:Just found out I have to go overseas. My boss and I are meeting with a big client at the London office. We’ll be gone for a week, but I’ll try to touch base when I can.

Ok, I reply, wishing I could go with her if only to escape my mortifying life for a while.Have a safe trip and take lots of pics.

I’ll try, she promises.

I sign off with a blowing-kiss emoji and she responds in kind.

After tossing my phone on the nightstand, I flop onto my back and glare at the ceiling. I find myself replaying everything that happened tonight, remembering each scintillating detail.

I can still smell him on me, which doesn’t bother me nearly as much as it should. Worse, there’s an intense throbbing between my legs, a pulsing beat I can’t ignore.

I squeeze my thighs together, but the ache only deepens. Heaving a frustrated breath, I grab the pillow out from under my head and press it over my hot face.

Damn that lying, filthy-sexy bastard!

It takes me forever to fall asleep, and when I finally do, a pair of hypnotic blue eyes chases me into my dreams.

Chapter Four

marlowe

Friday night’s fiasco puts me ina bad mood for the rest of the weekend.

I hate that I can’t stop thinking about Mr. Tall, Dark and Creepy. I hate that I can’t stop reliving the way he felt inside me, the way he made me beg and moan and come all over his fingers. It was the hottest sexual encounter I’ve ever had in my life. Which makes his deception all the more infuriating.

I’m still seething by the time Monday rolls around. On top of everything else, I dread seeing my boss. By now she would’ve heard about my disastrous non-date with Dawson. I’m sure she thinks I’m a total flake, and she probably regrets playing matchmaker for me. I just hope it won’t affect our working relationship.