Page 55 of Bossman

We’d arrived at my door.

I vaguely remembered wrapping my arms around his neck and inviting him in. He smiled and shook his head.

“There’s nothing I’d like more than to come inside. And I mean that in more ways than one.” He’d kissed the top of my head.

The top of my head!

“But not this way. Get some sleep.” Taking my keys from my hand, he’d opened all of my locks and waited for me to go inside.

The last things I remembered were his arms over his head as he leaned against the doorframe and him saying, “We’ll finish this game next week. Things are going to be a lot more fun around the office, that’s for damn sure.”

***

I’d canceled my lunch date with Chase a little later that morning, too hungover to get out of bed. When he tried to push me into rescheduling for Monday, I was noncommittal and eventually stopped responding to his texts.

A line had been crossed, and I didn’t know how to back up other than cut myself off completely. It was my own fault, and Monday morning I was adamant about fixing what I’d screwed up.

***

“Morning.” Chase stood in the doorway of my office with the exact same stance he’d had the other night at my apartment door.

I had psyched myself up all day yesterday—I was a professional, I could put what happened Saturday night behind me and work around Chase like nothing had happened. I glanced at my phone…7:05 on Monday morning, and I’d already failed. Great. Just great, Reese.

Chase grinned like he knew I was thinking unprofessional thoughts.

I folded my hands on my desk. “Good morning, Mr. Parker.”

His brows jumped. “Is that how we’re going to play this?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Mr. Parker.”

Chase walked to my desk. “I like the sound of you calling me Mr. Parker. You’ll have to keep it up.”

I swallowed as he moved even closer. My voice showed signs of weakening. “No problem, Mr. Parker.”

“How about, please, Mr. Parker?”

“Please, Mr. Parker, what?”

“Just wanted to hear how good it will sound coming from your lips.” He closed the distance between us, coming around to the other side of my desk and leaning his hip casually against it. He reached out and rubbed my bottom lip with his thumb, speaking directly to my mouth. “Please, Mr. Parker. It will be coming from these lips…mark my words.”

What the hell did I get myself into?

***

It was ironic that I was supposed to be preparing for a focus group, when I was completely unable to focus. The morning blown by my wandering mind, I was glad Monday afternoon was tightly scheduled so there would be no more room for screwing around.

The first of two meetings was at one o’clock in the large conference room on the east side of the building. It was next to Chase’s office, and I couldn’t stop myself from peeking inside as I passed. With the blinds open, his office was a virtual fishbowl. He sat at his desk, leaning back in his leather executive chair with one hand behind his head; the other held his corded desk phone while he talked, looking up at the ceiling.

Momentarily distracted, I stopped paying attention to where I was going and walked straight into Josh. Upon impact, I squeezed the tall coffee in my hand, causing the lid to pop off. I then bobbled the laptop and notepad in my other hand. As I leaned forward in a fruitless attempt to stop everything from falling, I proceeded to pour the entire contents of my coffee all over the front of my blouse, and everything fell to the ground—followed by my empty cup.

“Shit!”

“I’m sorry. I walk too fast,” Josh said.

“No. It’s my fault. I wasn’t paying attention.”

He looked at my shirt. There was steam coming off of it. “That must have been pretty hot coffee. Are you burned?”