Taboo Boss: An Older Man Younger Woman Romance

by Black, Natasha L.

  It didn’t seem like they were going to need a lot of encouragement. The crowd was enthusiastic, and there was still a long line even after we reached capacity. Everything was so busy, I didn’t even notice when Tom showed up.

  I didn’t know he was there until I felt a hand on my arm and turned around to see Tom gesturing for me to follow him outside. The fresh, cool air outside was a relief after the close warmth of the bar, and I took a few deep breaths.

  “How is everything going?” he asked, bringing me in for a kiss.

  “You saw the crowd,” I said. “It’s been like that since we opened the door. It’s going to be amazing around here.”

  “I’m so glad,” he said, then took my hands and pulled me close to wrap my arms around his waist. “And I’m even more glad to have you here by my side through it all.”

  I smiled. “Me too.” He kissed me. “How was your work?”

  “Good. I put in for that transfer for you,” he said.

  I barely even remembered filling out the application right after coming back from Astoria before finding out I was pregnant. Now hearing him say he was approving of me moving away from him in the company made my stomach sink a little.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Because the department you applied for is actually looking for a position that is higher in the company than you have now. It is a promotion, and I can’t think of anyone who would do better in it. You will be fantastic in the position, and you deserve it,” he said.

  “Thank you,” I said. “That means so much to me.” He leaned down for another kiss, and I stopped him. “Wait… that would still mean we’re technically coworkers. What about the policy against coworkers dating? What will the investors think when they find out about all this?”

  Tom shook his head. “The investors can kiss my ass.”

  I slapped his arm playfully. “Tom!”

  He laughed. “I’m just kidding. I looked into it. That policy is specifically against upper-level managers and executives dating those under them. Technically I will still be your boss since I am the CEO of the company, but I’m kind of everybody’s boss. I won’t be directly above you anymore, so I don’t think the policy counts. We have nothing to worry about.”

  “I’m still worried,” I said. “Maybe not about the investors, but what if the media finds out? You aren’t just some small business. You own a huge corporation that has been making a lot of waves. If they find out you hooked up with your secretary and now she’s pregnant, they’re going to eat it alive.”

  “I didn’t hook up with my secretary,” he said. “I fell in love with my secretary. And it’s none of the media’s business what’s going on between us. If it gets out, we will deal with it then. I’m not ashamed. And it doesn’t have anything to do with my business or how I can run it. They don’t have anything to say about it that would bother me.”

  That brought tears to my eyes, and I gave him another kiss. A few seconds later, the door opened and Ava and Mason came out. They were laughing and talking, but when they saw us, Ava’s expression grew concerned.

  “Amanda? Are you okay?” she asked, coming toward me.

  I nodded. “I’m fine. We just came out for a second of fresh air.”

  Ava smiled. “Us, too. It’s crazy in there. Are you feeling alright?”

  I nodded again. “Little Bean is still giving me some trouble, but I can deal with it. It’s not too bad.”

  “Good. Don’t push yourself too hard. Drink plenty of water. And if you ever need anything, let me know,” she said.

  “I will,” I said.

  “That goes for both of you,” Mason said. “We want you to know we’re here for you through all the pregnancy and parenting stuff. We’ve been there, and we’re happy to help you in any way we can.”

  “Even if it’s just venting,” Ava said.

  This filled me with relief and made me smile even more. I needed to hear that. Emily wouldn’t ever understand, so while she was still my best friend and I adored her, knowing I had someone to be there for me in this way meant so much.

  39

  Tom

  The grand reopening of the bar was wildly successful, and we were there until the early hours of Sunday morning cleaning up and talking about what an amazing time we had. We were all looking forward to the future and excited for what was to come. There was a lot of adrenaline rushing through us, and even I felt like I could just keep going, but we needed to finish up and get some rest.

  Amanda and I had a flight Monday morning to head back to San Francisco. It wouldn’t be long until we were back in Astoria for a little while, I knew. We both really enjoyed working from there and wanted to be more involved in the running of the Hollow. But we needed to get back to the office and work there in person for a while. Besides, we had a new life to introduce to everyone.

  Ava came over Sunday evening to help us finish packing up the hotel room, and we had one more dinner at the hotel restaurant. There were still a few dishes I could just as soon never see again, but the place was growing on me. Even more importantly, Amanda said she wanted to go there. I was shocked considering she was the one who told me how tired she was of it.

  “Maybe it’s just the baby talking. Of all things for me to not have an aversion to, I’m craving the garlicky shrimp pasta with cream sauce and garlic cheese bread from the restaurant,” she said.

  “Seriously? I would think just the smell of that would make you sick.”

  “Me too. Ava told me it would have made her turn green instantly if she tried that when she was pregnant, but she couldn’t get enough of drinking milk, which made me want to throw up in that instant,” Amanda said.

  We laughed and I felt another surge of gratitude for having her in my life, and that she was getting along so well with my family.

  “You two seem to be getting close,” I said.

  “We really are. I love being able to confide in her and talk about what I’m going through. Even just the smallest things like wondering if a symptom is normal, or big things like being excited about finding out if it’s a boy or a girl,” she said.

  This was the big controversy going on between us at that point in the pregnancy.

  I rolled my eyes. “I still don’t want to know what the baby is until it’s born. You know I love the idea of the doctor catching the baby, pulling it up, and announcing what it is before putting it on your chest and letting me cut the cord.”

  “I know. And that is an adorable, nostalgic image, I have to admit. It was definitely something we would remember for the rest of our lives. I still want to find out as soon as possible. I want to design the baby’s nursery and get into the debate about names. That’s going to take a long time to settle on,” she said.

  “Why?”

  “It took me three months to finalize a name for my puppy when I was little, and since that perpetually confused dog, I’ve never been good at picking names. I want as much time as possible to make lists, mark through all the options, come up with other lists, and eventually narrow it to a handful to debate when the baby gets here,” she said.

  I laughed. “You know, we can come up with lists of names even if we don’t know what it is. Make one for a boy and one for a girl. This will give you twice as many names to cross off and replace.”

  She looked like she was considering it as we headed out to dinner. I would keep working on her. I hoped she would let us wait, but maybe she would be right and I would get so excited over the weeks I would want to know soon, too. We would just have to wait and see. I wasn’t rushing any of this. I wanted to enjoy every second of her pregnancy and looking forward to my little one.

  An easy flight seemed like it was a harbinger of an easy day, but when we arrived, the front of the building was surrounded by tabloid reporters digging for a story. The story had spread like wildfire in record time, and the clamoring for pictures of Amanda and me together was high. Amanda looked embarrassed, but I had turned a corner. Rather than shy away from them,
I brought her to them and very visibly gave her a kiss.

  “Tom,” she said, when our embrace broke, her cheeks red and looking back and forth between us and the snapping photographers.

  “It’s fine,” I said. “I don’t care if people know now. You’re moving into a new position, and I don’t want to hide you.”

  She blushed, and one of the reporters moved a bit closer, and I recognized him. He was one of the few who seemed to have a bit of respect for my privacy and had been the only person I had talked to when they had hounded me before over other things.

  “Sorry to surprise you,” he said, a smile on his face. “But it looks like you don’t seem to mind all that much.”

  “I don’t,” I said, “but I am curious as to how they found out.”

  “You guys got caught smooching at the grand opening of the bar, and the pics made their way to the tabloids online immediately,” he said.

  “Ah.”

  The reporter shrugged. “You can never put anything past these vultures when they need something to occupy a day’s news cycle on the gossip pages,” he said.

  “I get it,” I said. “Hopefully now they leave me alone.”

  “Probably,” he said. “Hey, you wouldn’t have a statement for me, would you?”

  “About this?”

  “I mean, that’s why I’m here,” he said, laughing.

  “Just that sometimes, love just happens,” I said. I pulled Amanda in and kissed her again, eliciting another wave of flashes.

  “Perfect,” the reporter said, and I whisked Amanda inside the building, our cheeks hurting from smiling so much.

  We reached the elevator with minimal fuss, only some not-so-secretive gossiping by people on the fringes of the room.

  “I didn’t see that coming,” Amanda said as she wrapped up in my arms when the doors closed.

  “Well, at least it’s over now. If they’re still out there later, just don’t answer them,” I said. “That’s just giving them what they want.”

  “Speaking of,” she said as the doors opened and what seemed like every eye in the room turned to us. We walked out to a room full of watchful people and headed to my office. When the door shut behind us, it only took a few seconds before Landon knocked.

  “Come in,” I said, and Landon opened the door, a big smile on his face.

  “Tom, Amanda,” he said respectfully as he shut the door behind him. “There, now the door is closed, I can say this. It took you two long enough to finally get together!”

  We all laughed heartily, and Landon clapped me on the back.

  “Thanks, man,” I said.

  “Seriously, it’s good to see you two together,” he said. “Ignore anyone who says anything else.”

  “Well, there might be more,” Amanda said, grinning and looking over at me.

  “More?” Landon asked, looking between the two of us as we stayed silent, smiling at each other. “Will someone tell me what is going on?”

  “Amanda is pregnant,” I said. I didn’t say anything else as I waited for the statement to sink in. Slowly his jaw fell further and further open until I thought it would hit the floor. Then he snapped it back up almost all the way and smiled.

  “You’re kidding,” he said.

  “Nope,” Amanda said. “Most certainly not kidding.”

  “Well, damn!” Landon said, getting another excited laugh from me and Amanda. “Congratulations to both of you, damn! It’s amazing to have a family, and I am so excited for you to go on that journey.”

  “Thanks, Landon. We appreciate that. Can you do me a favor?” I asked.

  “Of course you can name the baby Landon,” he said without missing a beat. We all laughed again, and I shook my head.

  “No, I was going to ask if you could get everyone to meet up in the conference room. No use in letting this hang above everyone and no one getting any work done. Might as well address the elephant in the room.” I said.

  “Sure, absolutely. But my offer still stands. I can help teach him the wise and noble ways of men named Landon,” he said.

  “Who said it was going to be a boy?” Amanda said.

  “The wise and noble ways of anyone named Landon,” he corrected.

  “We will think about it,” Amanda said, “but I think we already have a couple names picked out.”

  “I will settle for being a godparent,” Landon said. “Or at least a cool person you call ‘Uncle Landon’ despite no familial relations. But that’s as far as I’m willing to go.”

  “Deal,” I said, offering my hand. He shook it vigorously.

  “Seriously, congratulations, you two. I’ll see you out there,” Landon said and left.

  We had a few minutes alone, and Amanda’s smile slowly faded. She looked to the door apprehensively, and I looked up from the laptop where I was firing off an email.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “I’m just worried,” she said.

  I closed the laptop and moved over to her. “Don’t be. Remember, no matter what, I’m always going to be by your side.”

  She smiled and nodded her head. I dipped mine in for a kiss and pressed it to her lips.

  “Always,” she said.

  “Always,” I repeated.

  Epilogue

  Amanda

  I felt like I was getting into the groove of motherhood. There was plenty more to come, I knew. A lot of challenges weren’t even on my radar yet, but I would deal with them when they showed up. For now, I decided to think of being able to juggle Rosie sleeping in her car seat and the diaper bag and unlock the door without waking her up as a victory.

  My maneuver for getting inside the house involved pushing the door open a couple of inches, catching it with my foot, pushing it open with a bit of a kick, and moving inside either sideways or backward so the baby didn’t go inside first. It wasn’t the smoothest or most attractive of movements, but it worked.

  The grin on my face was still lingering from my doctor’s appointment. The six-week postpartum checkup had been written on my calendar since the day Rosie was born. I couldn’t believe it had been that long, and at the same time it felt like the day took forever to come.

  Setting the car seat down on the sofa, I carefully slipped the baby out of her harness and cradled her close to my chest, resting a kiss to the top of her head. It was chilly outside, so she wore a little pink hat to go with her pink rose-themed romper. Maybe it was a bit predictable, but I couldn’t help myself when it came to putting her in rose-colored or themed clothes and accessories.

  I had a feeling that was going to be a thing for the rest of her life. Or at least until she was a teenager and decided to rebel by rejecting anything pink or floral. But if that happened, at least I had a good fourteen or fifteen years ahead of me where I could get in my fill.

  Holding Rosie in one arm, I took out my phone and called Ava.

  “How did it go?” she asked.

  “Great,” I said. “I was nervous about it, but the doctor said everything looks good, and I’m getting back to normal. I still have some weight to lose, but the breastfeeding is helping.”

  “Don’t worry about that. It will happen. You already look great. And how’s Rosie? Did the doctor look at her?”

  “Yep. Just a quick checkup, but she’s great. She’s gaining weight well, and she’s really happy with how she’s responding to the world around her. It’s hard to believe she’s already six weeks old, but she has so much of a little personality now. She’s her own little person. It’s amazing,” I said, looking down at her.

  She was starting to stir a bit, and I sat down on the couch to open my nursing bra and feed her. It was right around the time when she should be having a feeding and getting down for a good afternoon nap. I didn’t want to wake her up too much and have her not be able to settle down again.

  I decided from the beginning I wasn’t going to be one of those parents who got too wrapped up in the idea of scheduling my baby. I understood there were a lot of mothe
rs who swore by having every minute of the day strictly decided and planning their lives around the set milestones of each day for their children. I just wasn’t that kind of mother.

  Instead, I had an idea of when she should go to bed and settled her down each night. But for the most part, she established her own rhythm, and I followed it. I found that she naturally napped around the same time every day and got hungry around the same time. But I didn’t need to be so strict and try to force her to follow along with those. I figured it made more sense to follow what she needed when she needed it.

  This didn’t mean I didn’t know she needed her naps and would do my best to encourage them. Especially after something different like going out to the doctor, she needed to keep up her usual flow. Fortunately, my little daughter was cooperating with me, and after a brief feeding, she fell into a contented sleep again.

  “You guys are still planning on coming out for Thanksgiving, right?” Ava asked.

  “Definitely. We’ve already bought the plane tickets. We get in that Monday and are staying for a week,” I said.

  “Perfect,” Ava said. “Maybe we can do some Christmas shopping together.”

  “Absolutely. I would love to see what kind of Black Friday shenanigans you can get yourself into.”

  We laughed and chatted for a few more minutes about baby Rosie and the upcoming holiday season. Tom and I had started talking about buying a little house in Astoria so we would have somewhere to stay other than the hotel when we went to visit his family.

  I had a soft spot in my heart for that hotel. After all, it was where we’d really fallen in love and where I’d told him about his daughter. But it wasn’t ideal for a baby or a small child. Both of us wanted her to have somewhere comfortable where she could feel like she had a second home. Now that we had Rosie, both of us were even more motivated to spend time with them. We wanted her to be as close as possible with her grandmother and extended family.