Page 142 of Boss of Me

I smile radiantly. “Sounds like the perfect date.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

marlowe

The next two weeks are bliss.

Gunner leaves work early almost every day to have dinner with me. One evening when he can’t get out of a prior commitment, I surprise him the next day with a picnic lunch at his office. After instructing his assistant not to disturb us under any circumstances, he locks the door and pounces on me.

When I emerge more than an hour later with mussed hair and buttons missing from my shirt, Veronica hides a knowing smile behind her computer.

When Gunner and I aren’t feasting on each other or working out together, we have the most stimulating conversations about the economy, geopolitics, philosophy and literature. I play the piano for him, and he helps me with my class assignments. He creates and funds an investment portfolio for me, something I’ve always been too broke to accomplish. He’s even teaching me Mandarin.

On the second weekend, we attend UT’s homecoming game. Gunner and Maverick own a luxury suite with spectacular views of the football field. We’re joined by a bunch of their college friends and fraternity brothers. The guys are uniformly attractive and successful, and all but one are single. Quinn would’ve been in seventh heaven if she were here, but sadly, she had to work.

I sit between Gunner and Maverick, beer in hand, watching as the enormous marching band parades onto the field with horns blaring and drums pounding. The packed stadium is a pulsating mass of burnt orange jerseys liberally sprinkled with pretty girls in cutoff shorts and cowboy boots.

We have an absolute blast cheering on the Longhorns. Every time the team scores, the stadium explodes with one hundred thousand fans screaming “Hook ’em, Horns!”

The relaxed camaraderie between Gunner, Maverick and their friends is a pleasure to watch. They laugh raucously, crack jokes and trade insults that make me blush. It’s another side of Gunner I’ve never seen before, and I find myself thoroughly enjoying it. Equally enjoyable are the stories about their college days that the fellas regale me with.

During these conversations, I often catch Gunner silently watching me. He seems to be observing my interactions with his friends, assessing how I fit into his world. Every time our eyes meet, he smiles enigmatically before looking away, leaving me to wonder what conclusion he reached.

At halftime we’re joined by Sedonia Larson, Pantheon’s CFO. She’s a gorgeous black woman with waist-length micro braids, almond-shaped eyes and a flawless brown complexion that can’t be achieved with any skincare product. Her dimpled smile is infectious, and a form-fitting pink dress shows off her amazing curves.

She’s a stunner, but it’s the man beside her who makes me do a double take. Tall, rangy and good-looking, he’s a dead ringer for Regé-Jean Page, the swoony heartthrob fromBridgerton.

I stare at him agog, making Sedonia laugh.

“Marlowe, this is my boyfriend, Luca. Otherwise known as Simon, the Duke of Hastings.”

I laugh, shaking his hand. “You must get tired of hearing how much you look like him.”

He grins. “It was much worse during the first season. But I’ve gotten used to it.”

“Don’t let him fool you,” Sedonia says with a laugh. “Helovesbeing mistaken for a famous actor. People stop him on the street for an autograph or picture, and he’s always getting free stuff wherever he goes. One night when we were running late to a concert, he charmed his way out of a speeding ticket because the cop couldn’t stop drooling over him. If I hadn’t been sitting right there, she probably would’ve slipped him her number—or her panties.”

Maverick grins lecherously. “Sounds like the perfect setup for a hot threesome.” He claps Luca on the shoulder. “Damn, bro, you were robbed.”

Luca cough-laughs while Sedonia smacks Maverick in the chest.

“You’re such a whore,” she hisses.

He throws back his head and laughs. A few others join in, earning Sedonia’s death glare.

I hide a grin behind my hand. Gunner just shakes his head, lips twitching.

“Anyway,” Sedonia says pointedly, “we’d better get back to our suite. Luca has relatives visiting from Phoenix, and he doesn’t want them running up our bar tab while we’re gone. I just wanted to pop over and introduce myself to you, Marlowe. I didn’t get a chance to meet you the other day at the office,” sheadds with a knowing sideways grin at Gunner. “I walked my ass all the way down the hall to discuss something with your man, but Veronica said he was, ahem, indisposed.”

Heat warms my cheeks.

Gunner chuckles. “Next time, call first.”

“Duly noted, boss.” Sedonia grins at me. “It’s lovely to meet you. Gunner had the worst taste in women back in college, second only to his slutty brother.”

Maverick takes offense. “Hey?—”

She shushes him with a finger to his lips without looking away from me. “Even though we just met, I can already tell you’re a delightful upgrade.”