by Sam Crescent
Chasing Bunny
Sam Crescent
Jenika Snow
Contents
Synopsis
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Epilogue
About the Authors
CHASING BUNNY
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By Sam Crescent & Jenika Snow
Copyright © April 2019 by Sam Crescent & Jenika Snow
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Image provided by: Adobe Stock
Editor: Kasi Alexander
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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: The unauthorized reproduction, transmission, or distribution of any part of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
This literary work is fiction. Any name, places, characters and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or establishments is solely coincidental.
Please respect the author and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials that would violate the author’s rights.
It shouldn’t have been as complicated as it was.
Stay away from his employee, the one woman he wanted more than anything else.
Bunny.
But Brice had wanted Bunny for the past two years. He’d watched her … craved her. And despite the fact he was used to getting what he wanted, the one thing he desired but couldn’t have was her.
But two years was a long time to wait for the one thing you desperately needed in life. And Brice was done waiting.
He was ready to finally make Bunny his, even if that meant chasing her until she realized they belonged together.
1
Bunny Carson licked her lips, moaning at the taste of the milk chocolate. The candy bar was so good, but the unusual heat meant it melted with way too much ease. Staring at her computer screen, she nodded her head at the tune that had been going around her mind since that morning. She couldn’t even remember the song and it was driving her crazy, just the tempo.
“Do I pay you to hum?”
She turned toward her door and stared at her boss. At six foot three, Brice Chambers was absolute smoking sin.
With her finger in her mouth, she could imagine dribbling chocolate syrup all over his body and licking it up for herself.
“You pay me to be your awesome PA, and I’ve already got that letter ready.” She clicked print for the letter she’d been typing up for him. She had to stop to lick up her chocolate. Removing her finger from her mouth, she tried not to think about the fact she’d spoken to her boss with a finger in her mouth. “All perfect.” She cleaned off her fingers before grabbing the letter and handing it to him. “You just need to sign it.”
She knew Brice didn’t like her.
Well, she wasn’t sure if he liked her or not. When she’d first arrived at his company, she’d overheard him take out a bet with a couple of his buddies that she wouldn’t last six months. Two years in, and she was the best damn PA he’d ever experienced and she wasn’t blowing her own horn either.
She knew his office had never run so well. She’d been complimented on her efficiency many times. Not by Brice, of course.
He also liked to give her tasks that were not in her resume, but again, she didn’t mind. He wasn’t the first guy to demand she make coffee or run his dry-cleaning errands.
She’d had it all thrown at her. There was no way she could have gotten to thirty without having to deal with some asshole bosses.
Pushing her hair off her shoulder, she stood up and waited.
He looked over the letter. “Very good. In my office now, Bunny.”
When she first told him her name, he’d laughed. Her parents had to have been high when they named her and well, she had seen no reason to get it changed. She rather liked that her name was different and it meant she was always remembered. Not necessarily for all the right reasons, but nothing she could do about that.
Stepping around her desk, she walked into his office. Again, she was the one to clean it because he didn’t trust anyone else.
She sat down on the seat opposite his desk, watching him as he walked around it.
The long strands of her hair tickled her cheeks as the breeze picked up from his movements. Bunny knew she should put the long blond locks into a ponytail, but she liked having it free and unrestrained.
Crossing one leg over the other, she rested her fingers against her knee, waiting for him to tell her whatever he had to say.
“So, how long have you been with me now, Bunny?”
“Nearly two years, give or take.” She shrugged. What a strange question to ask. “Do you have a problem with my work?”
“No, I don’t.”
He took a seat behind his desk, and it was hard for her to look elsewhere. No one should look that good in a suit.
She’d never seen Brice in anything but his work attire, and he always had everything impeccably in place. Not a piece of hair out of order.
Brice didn’t seem interested in speeding this meeting along. She couldn’t help but glance down at her watch though.
“I hate to rush this, sir, but I would advise you that you have a meeting in ten minutes with Mr. Philips. You asked me to set it up three weeks ago.”
“Yes, I remember.” He stared at her. “Do you own something more than your work clothes?”
She glanced down at her outfit, feeling her brows knit in confusion. “Excuse me?” She glanced back up at him. “Of course.”
“How about something to wear to an evening dinner? A charity auction event.”
This made her pause.
She knew what gathering he was talking about. The charity auction was one she’d helped schedule for him. It was of particular interest to Brice, and he always donated heavily, and pushed for others to do so.
Licking her dry lips, she nodded. “Of course I have evening wear.”
Other than scheduling and fine-tuning some details, she’d never been asked to actually attend.
Don’t get ahead of yourself now.
“Good, I want you to attend the evening with me. I expect you to be in the perfect evening gown. I don’t want you to be the main headline the next morning.” He pulled out a credit card. “Take as long as you need, and don’t worry about expense. Get accessories as well.”
She took the card from him.
Was this really happening?
“Yes, of course, sir.”
“Do it this afternoon. I don’t want you to leave anything to the last minute. You may leave.”
She left his office, bending over her desk to grab her backpack. When she saw the notes he’d need, she turned to find him watching her.
There was no way she could have caught him admiring her ass, was there?
No, it had to be in her head.
“You’ll need these. Philips doesn’t like sharing credit and any negotiation you enter into will require delicate handling.”
“I’ve been doing my job for a long time now, Bunny. Go and make sure you buy something pretty for yourself.”
She wasn’t prone to blushing, but the way he was looking at her, she couldn’t help but feel exposed.
“Yes, of course.”
She rushed toward the elevator, wondering what had gotten into her boss. It wasn’t like Brice to be this demanding over something like an outfit.
Staring at the card he’d given her, his name printed across it, she ran her thumb over the words.
He had such a regal sounding name.
“Get your head out of the clouds, Bunny. It’s not going to happen, not in a million years will he ever chase after you.”
2
Brice had wanted to fire Bunny, not because she wasn’t a good PA, not because he had any problems with her. But because he desired her like crazy.
He wanted her in every way possible.
For the past two years he’d watched her, lusted after her. But he kept his distance, knowing that being with her was against the rules. His rules.
He didn’t get involved with his employees, least of all his personal assistant. But there was something about Bunny, something that drew him in like a moth to a flame.
She was his undeniable death, that bright light and heat that drew him in so close he’d burn alive. But what a way to go.
He wanted to get lost in her.
But being cold and distant, being a bastard, was what he was good at.
Two years he’d wanted no one but her. She was quirky and funny. She was smart and witty. Even though he knew he could be a tyrant, she stayed.
Here he sat, staring at the elevator. The doors had shut ten minutes ago, the company credit card in her hand as he’d ordered her to go. He had wanted to be gentlemanly with her, ask her on a date and make it all official. Fuck his own rules.
But, in true fucking Brice fashion, he’d demanded her attendance. He’d all but shoved the card in her face and told her to pick something out to wear tonight.
He had better intentions, wanted to lose the cold, unforgiving persona he’d always held with her, but he didn’t know if he ever would. Sure, he wanted to blame his strict family upbringing, but the truth was, his frustration about not being able to have Bunny ate at him even more than anything else.
There was no way she would be with him in any capacity, though. He could see she tolerated him, that this was a job and she wouldn’t risk anything about it.
But fuck, he wanted Bunny. And it seemed like he was willing to do just about anything to make that happen, even force her to go to a charity event with him.
He pushed away from his desk instead, standing by the window and looking out at the cityscape.
For the past decade, he’d worked his ass off building this company, an advertising agency that worked with nonprofit and low-budget businesses. His family had made sure to tell him their displeasure with the type of business he conducted, but he didn’t fucking care. Brice did what he wanted even if his family wanted to fucking complain about it.
But it was those companies that had attracted the higher ups, the moneymakers. It was those corporations that allowed him to work on passion projects, like doing pro bono work when needed.
He did have a bastardly attitude most days, but he liked to think of himself as being an overall good guy, of wanting to do good in the world.
His phone rang and he pulled his thoughts off the one woman he wanted, the one woman he probably shouldn’t desire the way he did. Brice picked up his phone and barked into it. “Yeah?”
“Brice, darling,” his mother’s saccharine voice seeped through the receiver.
“Mother.”
“I’ve been trying your cellular phone all day. You really are going to make your mother call your office line?”
He exhaled and sat behind his desk. “I’ve been busy and half the time don’t even check my cell.” She tsked and he already felt a headache coming on. Brice loved his mother, but she was old school aristocratic, did the whole garden party thing, had even been Miss Cambridge back in the day. She came from old money, which meant that was all she knew. She didn’t work for what she had, but instead had everything handed to her. Clarice Chambers didn’t have to worry about anything, and so she didn’t understand when her eldest child wanted nothing to do with the family law firm and instead decided to work with charities.
She started going on about the party she was planning, the schedule, the decorations … things he didn’t care about. But this was what was important to his mother, so he obliged her by agreeing, acting interested. But the truth was his thoughts were elsewhere, on one person.
On Bunny.
Once he was finally off the phone, Brice turned and stared out the window again, picturing all the things he would say to Bunny when the time was right, all the things he’d do to her. Maybe he’d have sex with her at the charity event. Maybe he wouldn’t. The last thing he wanted to do was drive a wedge between them.
But then again, she was all he wanted.
He would make Bunny see that she was meant for him. He would show her that the last two years she’d been it for him. From the moment she’d walked into his life that was it. He was done for. And if she didn’t see… then chasing Bunny would be his life’s mission.
3
Bunny stared down at her dress and then at her hair, and at the jewels Brice had also forced her to wear. She was in his office, waiting for him to get back to take her to this charity event.
This wasn’t her.
Still, it had been fun to go shopping, even if this didn’t feel natural to her.
She thought about the last couple of years she’d worked for him, how he’d been cold and gruff, as if looking for a reason to get rid of her.
She’d proven herself time and time again. If he thought to humiliate her by taking her tonight, then she was done. She wouldn’t fight for a job anymore where she wasn’t wanted, where the man she’d secretly desired was nothing but a pompous asshole, even if the work he did was for a good cause.
Brice knocked on the door, behaving like the perfect gentleman.
“Come in,” she said.
She hated how unsure she sounded. Grow some balls, Bunny.
Brice opened the door and then stood there. She put on her “I give no shits” attitude and smiled, giving a little twirl.
“What do you think?”
He didn’t answer.
She finally turned toward him, brow raised, and waited. “Did I pick the wrong dress?” She’d gone for a red. The sales assistant had helped her pick it because she was useless when it came to fashion of any kind. She tended to just see things she liked and buy them, even if the color was ghastly and horrible.
“No, it’s perfect,” he said. “You look … stunning.” He cleared his throat and she felt the air change, shift. Had she actually affected him?
Was he paying her a compliment?
“Are you sure? I can take it back and you’ll have to pick from your little black book of tricks for your date.”
“My little black book?”
“Yeah, you know, all the women you’ve dated. They say that men keep black books, or they did. I don’t know.” What she did know was she had never been in any guy’s black book, nor did she want to be.
“I’m not lying to you. You look amazing.”
“I clean up pretty good, huh?” She winked but internally, she cringed. “So, are you ready to take me to the ball, Prince? Just ignore me. There’s a reason I don’t go out in public.”
“You’re nervous.”
“Yeah, I am.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you nervous.”
“I don’t make a habit of doing things that freak me out. This is all new. Are you sure you need me?”
“I need you.” He stepped into the office, looking even better in a tuxedo than he did in a suit. How was that even possible? It wasn’t fair but damn, he certainly did look like a prince to her. She didn’t understand why she was thinking about all these fairy tales. “Let’s go and get this over with.”
He offered his arm and it took her a second to realize he wanted her to take it.
“Right, of course.” She slid her arm through his, and held it. T
hey walked together toward the elevator. “Are we walking there?”
“No. My driver is downstairs. He’s waiting for us.”
“I see.”
“You don’t have to be nervous.”
“The press is going to be there. I think I’d much prefer going through the back entrance, but we can’t always have what we want.”
“I’ve found if you want something enough, you’ll fight for it. It may take you some time to come up with a cunning plan, but overall, it’ll work. You’ve just got to stay focused.”
“Is that how you achieve everything? By staying focused?”
“It’s how anyone gets anything in life. It’s how I built all of this up.”
“I know you’re a hard worker. I would never question your dedication.”
“It’s more than hard work.”
She chuckled.
“What’s so funny?”
“Oh, I know it’s more than hard work. It’s one of the reasons I love working for you. There is never a dull moment in the office. I’ve had jobs throughout my life where watching paint dry would have been a more entertaining way to spend my day.”
“You like working for me?”
“Yes. You’re a—challenging.” She caught herself at the last minute. Calling her boss an asshole wouldn’t exactly go down well. “So, will there be food at this event?” She closed her eyes, wishing the floor would just open up and swallow her.
“There better be. I did give you a list of everything we needed organized and that was including food.”
“Yes, there is food. Lots of it as well.” She would just have to stand near the buffet table, stuffing her face with appetizers.