Page 6 of A Bossy Surprise

Yes, we were a couple of kids who didn’t know anything about anything, but I haven’t been able to put that night out of my mind ever since.

We barely had time to do anything, but the pleasure she wrung out of me all those years ago is the yardstick by which I measure all my other partners.

As great as that night was, it’s been associated with so much guilt for me all these years. By having sex with Kayla, I broke a promise I made to Lucas.

Lucas is my closest friend. He is my oldest friend. At this point, I see him more like a brother than anything.

I’m not proud to say it, but in high school, I was a little callous with girls. I left a trail of broken hearts in my wake, and Lucas knew it. He made me promise to stay away from Kayla, and I gave him my word that I would. So when I let my arousal get the better of me that night I felt like I betrayed Lucas.

That’s why I freaked out and ran from Kayla.

Over the years, although I’ve been desperate to know what Kayla has been up to, I haven’t asked Lucas, and Lucas, being the reticent guy he is, doesn’t give any information unless asked. I swear, his mother could get run over by a bus and he wouldn’t tell me unless I asked, ‘Did your mother get run over by a bus today?’

Kayla must’ve thought I was such a jerk that night, and to be fair, I was. Especially because I suspect I took her virginity. That’s another thing I’ll forever feel guilty about. If that indeed was her first time, she deserved so much better. She deserved aftercare. She deserved to be held in her lover’s arms and be told how precious she is.

Instead, I bolted.

I did it because I couldn’t risk Lucas finding out. It’s a secret I’ve kept all these years, and one I had hoped to take to the grave.

“Mr. Grant,” I hear my name being called. It’s muffled. Then it comes again, but this time a little louder. “Mr. Grant?!”

I snap my eyes away from Kayla’s and I’m drawn back to the here and now.

Apparently, Arthur has introduced me, but I missed the entire thing. So I launch into my speech and hope I don’t repeat anything he has said.

“Good morning, everyone. I am Adam Grant. I’m the Senior Vice President of the Grant Media Group. We have just purchased GNN and I will be overseeing operations here for the foreseeable future.”

Everyone in the room mutters to the person sitting beside them, but Kayla doesn’t. All she does is stare right at me

“Although you are all doing some good work here, it is my goal to come onboard and steer the ship to greater heights.”

“With all due respect, sir…” says a man sitting towards the end of the table. He has salt and pepper hair and looks like the quintessential journalist. “Like you said, we are doing fine as we are. We don’t need you to right the ship. In fact, I think it’s quite laughable that someone who’s expertise is trashy reality TV would even say that.”

I turned to Arthur and whisper. “Who is that?”

“That’s Maurice Dean. He’s our Head of Programming,” Arthur whispers back.

I turn back to the crowd. “I said you’re doing good work. I chose that word purposefully. I didn’t say you’re doing great or amazing or outstanding work. I said good, and to be frank good is not going to cut it in today’s cutthroat media world. The landscape is changing so quickly, and I’m afraid GNN isn’t changing fast enough. I want to come on—”

“I beg to differ,” Maurice interjects. “We are one of the top news providers in Cleveland.”

I can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of me. “That’s true, but I plan to have GNN be one of the top news providers in the country and then maybe even in the world.”

“You can’t use this place as some sort of an experiment to stroke your ego. People’s livelihoods are at stake here,” Maurice says.

I ball a fist at my side. “Mr. Dean, I am well aware that people’s livelihoods depend on this company. I do not take that for granted, and I will not have anyone accusing me of doing so.”

“But—”

“You’re fired,” I spit at Maurice.

He blinks a couple of times. “What?”

I take a few steps forward. “I want to be very clear. I am not playing around here. I take this endeavor very seriously, and I refuse to work with people who aren’t team players, people who will sabotage my efforts to prove a point. Mr. Dean, you impress me as that kind of a person.”

“Are you sure this is how you want to start?” Arthur whispers.

Without acknowledging Arthur, I continue, “Mr. Dean, please pack your things and exit the building. Human Resources will be in touch regarding your severance package.”