Falling For The Boss (3 page)

I got to the gym earlier than normal because I hated myself for wanting to see her as soon as I woke up. That dream should have been enough to deter me. Over the years, sexual lust had never been able to get past the pain of that day.

The gym was empty, so I put on my headphones and began my cardio. I ran six miles on the treadmill. That was longer than normal, but she seemed to break through all my norms. After my grueling workout, she popped back into my head. I wanted to rush into work and fuck her into my desk. The thoughts of a life with her were drumming through my head, but I couldn’t be my father, so I had to back away. Since I couldn’t shake those feelings, I added another cardio session to punish myself.

The punishment did nothing to stop the need. All I managed to do was build up an appetite and create a backlog of work to return to.

Thankfully she’d decided to dress a little more conservatively today. I didn’t know what I’d do if she dressed like someone her age. If she wore her suit jacket unbuttoned, I’d probably come in my pants. I hadn’t meant to snap at her when I came in, but Jessica’s concern for my emotions hit me right in my gut. I wanted her more than I could ever imagine. That wasn’t a good thing. It could never be a good thing.

I managed to get through the day until it was time for my business lunch with my lawyer. The entire way to the meeting, I thought about how I should have invited Jessica. She could have learned that the stories floating around the office were lies.

But Jessica stayed at the office to wait for a specific call I needed, which meant she’d have to have lunch at her desk. I wasn’t crazy about that idea. They said eating at the desk didn’t give a worker the reprieve they needed and was ultimately bad for the company. But since I knew she didn’t have money to go out, I didn’t pitch a fit.

My lawyer and I talked about the rumors and damage to my reputation. After my lawyer told me his people couldn’t narrow down the blogger’s location, I called an end to the meeting. It wasn’t productive, which meant the lunch was a total waste of my time. Plus, I wanted to see her.

It was about one in the afternoon, and I was about to leave the restaurant, when I called the office. “Jess, this is Nate. How’s it going?”

“It’s going okay. I received a call from Mr. Delany’s assistant. She said he’s no longer interested and is going with another company.”

“Damn it,” I snapped. Moriarty was probably undercutting me again, or the rumors were starting to spread.

“I’m sorry. I hate to be the bearer of bad news.”

I didn’t mean for her to feel responsible. It wasn’t her issue. “It’s not your fault. I actually called to see if you ate yet.”

“No, I was going to wait until you got back,” she said softly. I wondered if it was because she had the same old thing and she wasn’t interested in eating it.

“Did you want something to eat from here? I know you’re busy, but you’ve got to eat,” I reminded her. I was about to leave for almost a week, and I knew I’d be worried about her. I’d tell finance to process her check early. Everyone got paid on Monday, but since she was new, she’d normally have to wait until the following pay period. Rushing it wasn’t a big deal to me though.

“Um. No, that’s okay. I brought my lunch.”

Yeah, I’d seen that plain ham-and-cheese sandwich. It was the same thing she’d had the day before. I knew she was poor, but damn, she was going to starve if she didn’t get a paycheck soon. I hadn’t seen a piece of fruit or even a snack to go with the sandwich. I’d been there before, so I knew what it was like. She was going to fight me on this, but there was no way I’d let her starve.

“So a cheeseburger and fries cool?” I knew, from the ham sandwiches, that she ate meat, so a burger was the safest choice.

“I brought my lunch.”

I knew it; she’d put up a fight, but I wasn’t going to let her win.

“Save it for later. I asked you if you want a burger,” I stated authoritatively. If she tried to fight me again, I might have to spank her pretty ass. Damn, that thought was tempting.

“You’re persistent. No mayo please.”

That was easier than I expected, and I was surprised. Maybe she was hungrier than she let on. That wasn’t something I could deal with. I had to take her to dinner as soon as possible.

When I brought the meal back to her, she tried to act as though it was nothing, but her eyes gave away how hungry she was. Damn, I was right. I wondered how long she’d gone without a normal dinner. Had she struggled through college, or was this poverty recent? I wanted to know everything about her, and I could have if I made some calls, but for some reason, I wanted her to tell me herself.

Returning to my office, I manage to get shit done. I sent her several projects to keep her busy through the rest of the week. After calling my sister, I thought about Jessica again. My brain was completely focused on her and her circumstances.

I hid in my office for a few hours, and by the time I was ready to leave for the night, Jessica was gone. I went home thinking I’d defeated my desire, but somehow, I knew it wouldn’t last. By the next morning, I understood that it would never go away, but I would keep trying to fight it.

It was only day three, and the tension between us had reached a new level. It got a little out of hand today when I came in wearing a suit that didn’t cover every inch of my skin. I didn’t own many plain and unflattering outfits, and after seeing most of the women in the building, I realized I looked like a real fuddy-duddy. So I wore something more age-appropriate. My skirt went to the knee, and my blouse was a professional dress shirt buttoned up to the top of my cleavage. Then I tossed on my favorite pearl necklace and a few bangles on my wrists. I looked good, but I didn’t look like I was hoping he’d fuck me. I barely glossed my lips with a nude shine.

I got to the office first and was working on some of the emails he’d sent me the night before when he walked in. He stopped on a dime, just inside the office door, and stood there. I watched him take a deep breath and swallow hard. I wanted to smile at the way I’d caught him off guard, but then I remembered he had a reputation of fucking his assistants. So I frowned, and like that, his expression changed.

He barely said a curt, “Good morning,” before walking into his office and slamming the door a bit harder than he should have.

As much as I wanted him to want me, I didn’t want to be tossed out on the street without a job and with a broken spirit. It was starting to dawn on me that the feelings I had for him were more intense than I wanted. While I hadn’t been attracted to anyone before him, he’d been all over the previous assistants, fucking then firing them. I didn’t know how he could legally get away with it, but then again, men with power could make things happen.

It ended up being a super long day of me stupidly, anxiously waiting for him to come out of his office or call me in there. That didn’t happen though. He never asked to see me. Instead, he emailed me when he needed something.

I hated the loss of that dimpled smile I had gotten on occasion the first two days. Every one of his emails was curt and to the point. I felt as though I was being dismissed, but maybe that was for the best. I needed to stay away from him. He was a menace to any sense I’d had before I came here.

I’d kept my body under control and locked up for years, so what the hell had changed? The past two nights, I’d come home in a heated mess—a frenzy of pure lust. I’d touched myself like never before, and for the first time, I came from just my hand and visions of his bald head between my legs.

~~~~~

“What are you wearing?” he growled, looking at me from head to toe, and ended up focusing on my breasts. His expression was one of pure frustration, and his voice echoed his anger.

I didn’t know what he was talking about. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

I looked down at my clothes to see if I was missing something. Had a button popped open? Nope, I was buttoned up appropriately. He was out of his damn mind.

“You’re dressed like you’re trying to get me to notice you. Every day your outfits get tighter and more revealing,” he snapped, pointing at my average work clothes.

I arched my brow and gave him a side-eyed stare, moving my head back in indignation. I couldn’t lose my job, so I sucked up my need to go tell him to go fuck himself. “That’s not my intention at all. I don’t happen to own that many plain suits. I’m dressed no differently than any of the other female staff members, but I’ll take your preferences under consideration for tomorrow. We’re going to be late if we don’t go into the meeting.”

“Fine, but button up one more button. Everyone inside the conference room doesn’t need to get a glimpse of your tits.” He waved at my top.

My cleavage wasn’t even really showing. I thought he just preferred me in a full button-up. Was he trying to blame his assistants for his sleazy behavior? Wow, that was a bit extreme.

“You know, you’re acting like a sexist ass. I can see why you can’t keep assistants,” I shouted, regretting it right away. He could fire me on the spot. God, I hoped that no one had heard us. I looked around to see if anybody was lurking in the halls.

“Are you telling me you want to quit?” He scrunched his brows. I guessed he didn’t like that idea very much.

“I didn’t say that. I’ll just ignore your remarks that don’t pertain to my work,” I surrendered.

“I swear,” he snarled before holding the door open for me.

I walked past him. He let out a grunt-like growl, and I knew he was ogling my ass. It hit me then—his problem was he liked sex too much and hated that he did. Nate probably had a sex addiction, and I was only making it worse for him. Well, I’d let him suffer. Fuck it, he was a prick anyway, and he smelled amazing.

The moment we stepped into the weekly executive meeting, all eyes were on us. I wondered if the heads of each department heard our spat out in the hall. Everyone that was anyone was here. From their expressions, I was certain they had. Being as professional as possible, I brushed off the need to blush and walked around the room, handing out the agenda for the meeting. That got Nathaniel’s attention again. He stared at me with a tic in his jaw. I could tell he was pissed at me and giving Alan, the finance manager, a glare. When I looked down at Alan, he was staring at my shirt. Fucking pig.

Once the meeting was underway, I took my seat next to the boss and started taking notes. It was hard to concentrate when he smelled that good. I wanted to lean in and get a stronger sniff. He was so hot; it was hard not to stare at him. I’d forgotten that I was angry with him. I listened to the way he spoke, which made my panties wet. I didn’t even know why I bothered wearing them.

By the time the meeting was over, I was a ball of mush with less-than-stellar notes. If I wasn’t hanging on his every word, I would have drawn little hearts with our names in them like a school girl with a crush. I straightened up the conference room because heaven help us if grown adults picked up after themselves. I heard the door close, so I thought everyone had gone, then a distinct cough caught my attention.

From the moment she stepped into the meeting, all eyes were on her and her sexy figure. Jessica was right. She wasn’t dressed inappropriately, but it didn’t matter. Her beauty was hard to miss. Even though she didn’t flaunt her sensuality, I still didn’t approve of others enjoying what was mine. Her body was curvier than she let on.

I’d been waiting for the pain of the past to push my desire for her out of my system, but it hadn’t. Instead, all I could think about was how fucked both of us were going to be. Because it was a matter of time before I caved. Didn’t she realize what she was doing? Everything about her sent me into overdrive. My dick hadn’t seen so much hand action since I was a teen.

As I the rest of the staff strolled out of the conference room, I walked up to her as she tried to clean up behind the lazy shits. Coughing I got her attention. Crowding her space, I touched the infernal button that had caught Alan’s notice. “You see this?” I looked into her pretty eyes. “This is what I was talking about. I can see your white lace bra right through the gap in the button. It’s an unnecessary distraction.”

She took a sharp breath at my touch then bit her glossy lip. It hit me in the balls so hard, I thought I’d come on cue. I had to look away from her before I lost control, so I turned my head toward the window overlooking outside. It was killing me to not claim her as mine, but I wanted to give her time to know me, the real me. The change in her clothes told me what I’d known from day one—she bought the bullshit about my supposed sexploits. Finally calming, I took a step back from her.

“I wasn’t the only one. Hell, the HR woman was showing more cleavage than a strip club,” she sniped back at me.

Instantly, I was in her space again. She hadn’t moved, our faces weren’t far apart. “I don’t give a shit about her cleavage. I don’t want to fuck her. And I sure as hell don’t care if any other man looks at her tits.”

Her breathing was getting heavy. “I won’t be another level to your assistant fucking totem pole,” she said shakily.

I slid my hand down to the table beside her, pressing her against it with my body. I knew she could feel my erection on her belly, but I didn’t fucking care. Looking into her eyes, I whispered gruffly, “You shouldn’t believe rumors. It’s not smart, and I don’t take you for a fool.”

“Maybe I’m just not interested,” she said, looking away from me. The little liar.

I tilted her chin and smiled at her with a chuckle. “Honey, you’re more than interested. I can tell by the way you look at me. The way you added sexy little touches to your clothes and the delicious way you smell. It hit my nose every time you rubbed your thick thighs together.”

“Maybe it wasn’t for you.”

She knew how to piss me off. No one else could do it easily, but with her, every one of my emotions felt amplified.

Our faces were a mere inch away from each other, and I wanted to close the fucking gap, but I needed to get a hold of myself. This was not the time or place to deal with this. If I treated her at work like I wanted to, she’d think the bullshit was true.

So I spoke my piece. “Don’t play a game you can’t win. I will break my foot off in a motherfucker’s ass. I’ll fire every man who was in there today. Don’t try me, Jessica.”

Then I walked out. Needing space, I stayed in my office all day because I didn’t trust myself. She looked so damn fuckable in that outfit; her big tits were on display even though she’d done as I asked and buttoned that shit up. Her waist was small for the time being, because if I had my way, several Hendrickses would be added to the family in the next couple of years. Because at this point, I was hooked. I’d die to have her. She had me completely obsessed.

~~~~~

By the end of the day Friday, I was ready to explode with heated lust for her. Making an excuse to spend more time with her, I invited her to a business lunch to go over everything that I would need from her while I was gone. By the time we stepped into the elevator together, I was regretting having to take her to lunch. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to take her out, but being with her was like adding gas to the fire. I burned for her and yet it wasn’t the time to make my move. Watching her eat was such a turn-on, I had to grip the edges of my seat to keep my ass down. She was unbearably more beautiful when she smiled, which fucked with my heart as much as my cock.

“So how was your first week? Besides me being a total ass,” I asked, trying to lighten the tension I felt building between us. I was fighting my own inner demon. The decision had been made for me from the start, but I didn’t want to lose myself and hurt anyone.

“You weren’t a total ass,” she offered with a shrug.

“Oh, yeah? So when was and wasn’t I an ass?” I asked, wondering if she’d tell me the truth or bullshit me.

“Your assery was at its peak during the times we spoke. All your emails were civil.”

“Assery?” I asked, shocked at the term.

“What would you prefer assdom?”

“I’d prefer you didn’t think I was an ass at all.” I hated that I really felt that way. I wanted her to like me. My obsession was getting out of control and so damn consuming.

“Of course, you are my boss. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that,” she said meekly.

“No, Jess, it’s okay. I don’t mean to be an ass to you, but something about you’s got me tied up in knots,” I confessed.

“Does this usually work?” She laughed, shaking her head.

“What?” Jess didn’t believe me.

Her body became rigid in her seat. Her smile turned into a scowl, then the shit hit the fan. “The pathetic explanation for being an ass. Do they all fall at your feet like that?”

She got up and threw her napkin on the table before storming out of the restaurant. I’d fucked up, but I wasn’t going to let her get away like that. I ran often, so it was easy to catch her in her fuck-me heels.

Halting her mad dash, I commanded, “Stop. I’ll drive you back to the office.”

She turned toward me with an empty expression. “Fine, but stop with the lies. I’m not the kind of woman you can play with.”

“Okay, but just don’t quit,” I pleaded. If she left, I’d have to chase her down.

“I won’t,” she said, and I believed her.

Once we got into the parking garage, I turned to apologize. “I’m sorry. I mistook our attraction as something more.”

“You didn’t mistake it. I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”

I swallowed hard. That was something I could fix. We both exited the car and began walking back to the office. She tripped on a crack in the pavement, but I caught her before she hit the nearby pillar.

“Are you okay?” I lifted her up, so we were standing in front of the pillar. She could have twisted her ankle; I had to make sure she was okay to walk back.

“Yes. Embarrassed but okay,” she said, a blush staining her face.

It was too much. Before I realized what I was doing, I had her pinned against the pillar. My lips crashed down on hers with my hands thrusted into her hair. The kiss wasn’t gentle. It was rough and possessive.

I expected Jessica to push back against me, to fight me off, but she didn’t. Instead, she slid her hands onto my shoulders, pulling me closer. Our mouths pressed against each other as we kissed as though it was as necessary as breathing.

I heard a car coming through the downstairs entrance, so I stepped back, both of us breathing heavily. I looked into her eyes and saw the heat inside me was reciprocated. I was going to have to lay down some ground rules until I could hold her again.

“Sorry, I couldn’t stop myself. When I get back from my trip, you and I have a lot to discuss. Fuck, I’m going to miss you.”

“Excuse me, I’ve got to go.” She rushed past me, opening the door to the stairwell and disappearing from sight.

“Fuck!” I slammed my palm on the wall. I’d fucked up.

When I returned to my office, she was sitting quietly, typing and ignoring my arrival. She acted as though what had happened in the parking garage wasn’t shit.

“Your conference call is in two minutes,” she called as I walked to my office. So she did know I was there.

“Okay, good. Come take notes.”

She was hesitant to move, as if she was afraid I’d attack her and fuck her on my desk. It wasn’t a bad idea, but in due time. Her refusal to get up changed my mind though.

“Never mind, I’ll do it myself,” I snarled.

“I…I…”

Annoyed, I walked up to her and pulled her up from the chair. “What happened in the garage isn’t going to go away, so stop acting like you regret it because that shit isn’t cool. I know you want me, and I want you like you can’t even understand. So, sweetheart, do me a favor and stop buying the BS you heard or read about. Sex has been the least of my priorities for the past ten-plus years. With you, my dick’s alive again. Now, take the rest of the day off, and I’ll see you when I get back from London. Understood?” I didn’t mean to sound like a prick, but my obsession was getting too strong, and it scared the fuck out of me. She nodded, but I needed an answer. “Yes or no, Jess?”

“Yes,” she whispered, biting her lip and looking at me with the same desirous look she’d given me in the parking garage.

Strangling the lust, I regained my composure. “Good. Have a nice day, babe. I’ll see you next Friday.”

She looked up at me expectantly, and that was all the permission I needed. Bending, I took her mouth. We moaned as our lips met. It felt so incredible. I lifted her into my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist with my hands gripping her ass. I held her up with one hand and moved the other to her hair, tugging on it to get access to her neck. She cried out my name just as the elevator pinged. We quickly pulled apart but were still caught red-handed by an HR gofer.

“Um, Erin asked me to bring up these papers for you to sign,” the young temp said, handing Jess the papers.

With a blush, Jessica took them, gave her a nod, and said, “Thanks.” After the temp got back on the elevator, Jessica turned toward me. “Your call, Mr. Hendricks.”

I smiled sheepishly at her before walking into my office. By the time I got out of the call twenty minutes later, she was gone. Dammit, I wished I hadn’t sent her home early. Those kisses were fucking addictive.