Page 28 of Boss of Me

When I head down to Mrs. Calder’s office, she gives me a tour of the mansion. There are fourteen bedrooms, eleven baths and too many other rooms to count. The place is immaculate, every surface sparkling.

After the tour, we have lemonade in the sunroom while she goes over my cleaning schedule. It’s dauntingly thorough, detailing how each task should be performed and how long it should take.

When she finishes her rundown, she asks if I have any questions.

“No, I think you covered everything.” I sip my lemonade and stare out the window, admiring the beautiful gardens. “How long have you worked for Mr. Ransom?”

“Just five years,” she says. “But I’ve known him all his life.”

“You have?”

“Indeed. His father and I grew up together in Bullsboro,” she explains, smiling faintly. “It’s one of those small towns where everyone knows everyone or has at least heard rumors. Dale Ransom was the boy next door, rowdy as a wild mustang. We used to fight like cats and dogs, but there wasn’t anything we wouldn’t do for each other.” She smiles again, her face looking softer in the sunlight spilling into the sunroom.

She’s a very beautiful woman. I can tell she must have been an absolute stunner when she was my age. I wonder if she and Gunner’s father had feelings for each other.

“Dale left home at seventeen to work on an oil rig,” she continues. “He ended up going to college and landing a good job in Houston. You would think he’d struck gold the way he used tocall and write me letters, urging me to join him in the big city. I was very tempted, but ultimately I wasn’t brave enough to leave our hometown.” Her eyes twinkle at me. “Perhaps I could have used your courage.”

I smile at her.

She smiles back before picking up her glass, ice cubes clinking. “After Dale got married, he brought his sons home for a visit every summer. He wanted them to know where he came from. He said seeing his humble beginnings would inspire them to work hard and always strive for the best. Turns out he was right.” She pauses to sip her drink. “After my dear husband passed away, I felt lost and purposeless. My parents were long gone and my daughters had moved away, so there was nothing left for me in Bullsboro. When Gunner invited me to come stay with him, I didn’t want to feel like a charity case. I told him to give me a job, put me to work. After some wrangling, he agreed. And the rest is history.”

I smile quietly, appreciating the story and the insight it provides.

“It goes without saying that I’m proud of the man Gunner has become. He donates generously to worthy causes, and his charitable foundation awards millions in scholarships and grants every year. He also put my youngest through college and helped her land her dream job in New York.” Mrs. Calder smiles softly, allowing me to absorb the magnitude of Gunner’s kindness before she speaks again. “He has a heart of gold, but he’s not always the easiest man to deal with. As long as you perform your duties satisfactorily, you should have no trouble staying out of his crosshairs.”

I nod, not entirely reassured.

She finishes her lemonade and sets the glass down. “I’m glad you accepted the position. I thought you might have changed your mind.”

“I did,” I sheepishly admit. “But Mr. Ransom was very . . . persistent.”

Mrs. Calder’s eyes twinkle with a woman’s intuition. “I bet he was.”

i don’t see him for thefirst three days of my employment.

He leaves early in the morning and doesn’t come home until late. According to Mrs. Calder, he starts each day with a workout and then spends long hours at the office, capping off most evenings with business dinners at high-end restaurants.

I’m in no hurry to see him again, so his absence comes as a big relief. As long as he pays me every two weeks, I’m good. The less I have to interact with him, the better.

At least that’s what I tell myself.

But lying in bed late at night, I find myself thinking about him. I imagine him pacing the floor of his master suite in the south wing. I imagine him tossing and turning in that massive bed, his body aching for mine until he can’t take it anymore. I imagine him sneaking into my room, prowling through the shadows to reach my bed. I imagine him above me, moving deep inside me as I moan his name.

Last night I got so turned on that I rolled onto my stomach and started humping the mattress, desperate for any sort of friction. Visualizing Gunner’s smoldering blue eyes and sexy mouth, I reached between my legs and rubbed my clit until an orgasm burst over me, hard and fast.

Afterward I was mortified beyond belief. But that didn’t stop me from adding a vibrator to my wish list of things to buy with my first paycheck.

When my shift ends on Thursday evening, I return to my room and treat myself to a hot bath in the huge soaking tub. Luxuriating in the fragrance of lotus blossoms, I close my eyes and try not to think dirty thoughts about my absent boss.

I doze off and wake to the feeling of someone standing over me. But the room is empty, the water has cooled and my skin has turned pruney.

With a lazy sigh, I step out of the tub and dry off with the plushest towel I’ve ever felt in my life.

Mrs. Calder is meeting with her book club tonight, so I’m on my own for dinner. Just as I finish getting dressed, there’s a knock on my door.

When I open it, I’m surprised to see Mr. Leland standing there.

“Good evening, Miss Somerset.” He refuses to call me by my first name, though I’ve repeatedly asked him to. “Mr. Ransom instructed me to summon you.”