Page 1 of Boss with Benefits (Boss of Seduction #6)

Jessica raced around Brady’s cramped studio apartment in search of her belongings.

His cologne lingered. An awkward reminder he had the home-field advantage.

She never should have let him talk her into staying the night at his place instead of the motel where they usually met.

Now she was late for work and all because he was an insatiable lover.

At least she’d been smart enough to lay down the law two weeks ago before falling into bed with him.

No strings attached. It was a temporary deal.

Her son was at his father’s house in another state, and she loathed the idea of being alone in her condo, trapped inside those empty walls. No sweet laughter to make her smile.

Another rule: they could have sex as often as they wanted... until Axl came home. Then she’d focus her time and energy on her son again, just him, the way she wished her mother had focused on her when she was growing up.

She hopped across the hardwood floor on one foot, struggling to put a high-heeled shoe on while rounding up the things she needed for her commute: keys, coffee, purse, and blazer.

Hopefully, no one at the office would notice she was wearing the same classic pencil skirt and blouse as the day before. That would set tongues wagging.

Brady’s deep blue eyes burned a sensual path down her body as he watched her from the bed, a fold-out sofa.

A grown man, especially one with more money than Oprah, shouldn’t be sleeping on a folding bed.

She rolled her eyes. It wasn’t any of her business if he wanted a simple lifestyle.

It’s not like he had kids. Or a wife. He was free to do as he pleased, and that made her feel sorry for him as well as a touch envious.

On the one hand, he didn’t have someone else depending on him every second of the day. On the other hand, he was alone.

Stretched across the thin mattress with a black sheet draped over his hips, he grinned. The sight of his rock-hard abs wiped all reasonable thought from her mind. For a moment, she forgot what she was supposed to be doing: getting ready for work.

His sexy dimples deepened as if he could read her mind.

Her fingers itched to bury themselves in his dark, unruly hair.

Long enough to brush against his shoulders, the style was what her mother used to call ‘rock star hair.’ Since he was an artistic genius known for being unconventional, the look worked on him.

Viking? Rogue pirate? He could star in any woman’s romantic fantasies without having to change a thing about himself.

He was almost… perfect.

Lifting the edge of the sheet, he silently invited her back to bed. When she didn’t immediately comply, he put his desire into words. His husky voice, velvety smooth, caused her nerves to tingle with sexual awareness. “Don’t go to work, babe. Play hooky with me.”

She shook her head—determined to be a responsible career woman—and blond waves tumbled over her shoulders to cover the top half of her blouse. “Can’t tempt me today, stud. I have a meeting with an important client this morning.”

“Blow off work, Jess, and spend the day in bed with me. I’ll write you a note.”

Damn, he was tempting. Notorious photographer Brady was the kind of bad boy every woman secretly dreamed of having, but warned their daughters to avoid. Another case of do what I say and not what I do. Lucky for her, she had a son. Boys were easier... or so she’d heard.

She grabbed her mess of blond hair with both hands and twisted and pulled until she tamed it into a high ponytail. “My boss is a tyrant. The only excuse for tardiness is death.”

“Sounds like a real jerk. Want me to kick his ass?”

She chuckled softly. “No offense, stud, but he’s got a black belt. The man is built like a Greek god. His muscles have muscles. I don’t think anyone could kick his ass.”

Brady’s grin turned teasing. “Sounds like you have a thing for him. If I was the jealous type, I might be worried.”

“No way. He has a face only a mother could love.”

Brady’s lips twitched. “Sounds like a real prize. Why do you work for him?”

Work for him? No.

She lifted a solitary eyebrow at the gorgeous man lying naked beneath the thin sheet. “I happen to be a partner in the business. We co-own it. He is not my boss.”

Although, he thought he was exactly that. He loved telling her what to do, and sometimes he made business decisions without consulting her first. It was the price of working with an unapologetic, macho guy who always thought he was right.

“Sounds like you can’t get fired, so why can’t you take the day off?” Brady asked.

He rolled out of bed and picked up his discarded clothing from the floor. He pulled his faded denim jeans on with ease, going commando. She admired the view for a second. Brady had a great ass, and nothing showed it off better than a snug pair of jeans.

Her mouth went dry.

“And why do you call him boss if you’re partners?” he asked.

She diverted her eyes from the magnificent sight of Brady’s sculpted torso. It was difficult to think when looking straight at him. She would have thought she’d be tired of him by now, but no such luck. Her brain shut down for a moment as her body dared her to touch him.

She swallowed hard. “It’s a seventy-thirty partnership. Okay? He thinks he’s my boss because we aren’t fifty-fifty, but he’s not. I offered to buy more of the company. He refused to sell. What can I say? The man is a control-freak.”

Weary of the conversation, she pressed herself against Brady for one last kiss. He tasted incredible, even though he hadn’t had his morning coffee yet. The flavor of his favorite mint gum was still fresh on his tongue. Once again, she was tempted to take him up on his offer of a whole day in bed.

She shook her head and reminded him, “Bridget is picking up Axl from his father’s house, which means you and I can’t do this again. Remember our agreement? We were only keeping each other company until my son gets home.”

Axl had been with her ex for the longest two weeks of her life.

She couldn’t wait to hold her little guy in her arms and rain kisses all over his adorable face.

They’d never been apart before, not for more than a few hours.

Until recently, Randy hadn’t shown any interest in getting to know their son.

Then all of a sudden, he wanted to spend quality time with Axl.

She said no at first, but he threatened her with legal action.

The last thing she wanted was for the courts to get involved.

“What about this afternoon? We could meet up here for a quickie,” Brady suggested, persistent as always.

“I have to get things ready for Axl’s return.” She gestured to Brady’s small, messy dwelling. “Besides, you are a die-hard bachelor if I ever saw one. We had a good time. Let’s just leave it at that. Okay?”

She turned to leave, but Brady had other ideas. With one hand on her elbow, he spun her around like a professional dancer and dipped her back over his other arm. He kissed her with such passion every logical thought fled her mind.

Abruptly, he set her upright, winked, and walked to the bathroom with the sexy swagger he knew drove women crazy. There seemed to be a touch more hip action than usual, leading her to believe he was doing it on purpose.

She enjoyed the sight, but she wasn’t about to change her mind.

His sexy walk solidified her decision to end things with him.

Brady was not the marrying kind. Her younger self would have loved knowing him: the wild child who used to follow her favorite bands across the country and make love without an ounce of guilt or shame.

That Jessica ceased to exist the night her son was born.

She couldn’t allow Brady to bring her back to life.

Her little boy deserved the best mother she could be, and that meant putting him first.

“Last night was our last night,” she called out to Brady. Behind the closed bathroom door, she heard him grunt. She said something she didn’t want him to hear before leaving. It was for her own benefit, a whisper beneath her breath. “If I didn’t have Axl, I’d fall in love with you so hard.”

Her little boy had inadvertently saved her from a broken heart.

Brady wasn’t capable of loving a woman long-term.

He’d told her that himself. His longest relationship had only lasted a few weeks.

According to him, he was easily bored. A pretty face and an incredible body could only hold his attention for so long.

Lucky for her, she wouldn’t have to see if she could break the record.

She took one last look at the unmade bed and got a steamy flashback of last night’s activities. Strong arms. A tender touch. Hours of making love. Blushing, she turned away. She carried her stuff to the car, snapping into professional mode as easily as pushing a button.

Tonight, her son would finally be home where he belonged, and her passionate nights with Brady would be in the past, nothing more than a treasured memory. It was kind of sad, but definitely necessary. For them both.

∞∞∞

She finally made it to work after hitting every red light between Brady’s studio apartment and the office.

If it weren’t for the bumper-to-bumper traffic, she would have arrived a lot sooner.

She pulled into her reserved parking space and shut off the engine before checking a certain spot a few down from hers.

Damn! She was hoping not to see the red motorcycle.

Her so-called boss was already inside the tall black building across the street that looked like a work of art in itself.