Millionaire Romance: In Love With My Boss - A Contemporary Romance (Millionaire Romance, Contemporary Romance, Comedy Romance Book 1)

by Tolhouse, Audrey

  The car swerved dramatically towards the shoulder. She gasped, the shock immediately turning to laughter as she released his arm.

  “Oops!”

  “You’re crazy,” Andrew said with a half-smile. He checked his mirrors. “You’ll get me pulled over for driving like a drunk person.”

  Jennifer relaxed against the seat and took a deep breath. Her mind fluttered to James and Melony, her boss’s longtime friend. From what she knew, Melony was some single mother who knew James from college back when they were both single and ran from serious commitments. She didn’t think anything was likely to happen between the two of them because see appeared to be a bit of a drama case.

  Jennifer still wasn’t sure what kept those two in contact; but, knowing James, it was probably the fact that whenever he needed to unplug, he rushed out to the country to Melony. If the roles were switched, Jennifer was sure she wouldn’t likely relinquish the small place in Melone’s life she would have held in Melony’s place either. With another wistful sigh, Jennifer looked towards Andrew. She needed to stop thinking about James Melone.

  “What’s your story?” She said, tipping her head towards Andrew.

  He glanced towards her after a moment. “You want to talk now?”

  “Well, I figured we should if we plan to spend all day together. I didn’t have much to say on the plane or the first half of this drive,” she shrugged. “Gotta do something to pass the time.”

  Andrew held back a scoff. “You’re incredibly rude.” He faced the steering wheel and cleared his throat. “Hope you’re more genial to your boss.”

  Jennifer smiled. “He pays me to be.”

  After a moment more, Andrew spoke again. “I’m not here to entertain you.” His voice lacked enthusiasm.

  Jennifer pursed her lips, but said nothing at first. She turned to look out the window. “You were born in Colorado?” She asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Where?”

  Andrew’s jaw clicked. “Cascade.”

  With a nod, Jennifer looked towards Andrew. His jaw was taut. “Do you remember it?”

  A smile brushed his lips. He nodded. “Yeah. I remember a lot about it.” He blinked and swallowed back, keeping his hands on the steering wheel. “What about you? Chicagoan through and through?”

  She smiled. “No, actually. Born in Beloit, Wisconsin.” She forced a northern accent that made Andrew laugh. It was a fully belly roar that pulled laughter from deep within Jennifer’s chest.

  Jennifer responded at length after her cackles had subsided, “I was so close to Chicago that I made every effort to see it when I could.”

  Andrew nodded. “Air shows.”

  “The lake.”

  “Parades.”

  “The big Christmas tree lighting,” they both said in unison. Jennifer chuckled awkwardly.

  “You’ve been to it?” Her voice was hopeful.

  Andrew offered a weak shrug. “I love Christmas.”

  “Me too! Ever do the Taste of Chicago?”

  He smiled and nodded. “As soon as I could pay my way,” Andrew turned to Jennifer and smiled. “So how’d you meet Melone?”

  His question didn’t evoke the angry feelings thought it might have. With a sigh, Jennifer shrugged.

  “At a coffee shop, like I said.”

  “Have you always been an assistant?”

  Jennifer shifted. No, not always. She had dreams of owning a business one day. Melone was supposed to be a stepping stone, except that she never stepped on to anything else. James had kept offering her more to stay because of her organizational skills. She helped him run more efficiently. He had the brains and the knowledge, yes, but that brain was very cluttered and unorganized.

  He could close deals and seal negotiations, but struggled with the follow up of the day to day. Jennifer had helped him sort that out to the point where he could accomplish twice as much as before. As his business grew, so did her job and salary.

  Jennifer shrugged off the question and replied solemnly, “Melone was the first real professional I ever worked for.”

  “Oh.”

  “You know, many women are believed to have better secretarial skills and stuff,” Jennifer glanced towards Andrew. “I did a lot of office management with small startups and logistic companies throughout college.”

  “College? Which one? What was your major?”

  Jennifer blinked. “It doesn’t matter.”

  Laughing, Andrew looked towards her quickly. “Yes, it does.”

  “No, it doesn’t!” Jennifer snapped. The techno trance swelled within the Charger in a matter of seconds.

  Andrew turned towards the road and took a deep breath. They continued in silence well past the welcoming stone of Colorado Springs. Jennifer pressed her face against the glass, eyeing the Rockies on her right. She shifted in her seat and glanced towards Andrew. He had relaxed considerably since she had raised her voice, but she could tell he was purposefully ignoring her now, taking too much interest in the road signs and other vehicles on the road.

  She considered offering an apology but never opened her mouth. Instead, she interested herself with the passing colors of rock.

  “Are we almost there?” She asked after he had taken a few more exits. They were coming to a town now where hippies seemed to stroll the blocks with gusto. Interesting.

  “Almost.”

  More silence. About five minutes later, Andrew circled around a section twice.

  “What are you doing?” Jennifer asked, watching a couple leave their vehicle on the side of the road. There appeared to be shoulder parking, but she could tell it was sparse.

  “Looking for a place to park.”

  “There’s one,” she pointed through the window and turned to Andrew, a hint of a smile on the corners of her lips.

  His eyes trailed the length of her forearm from her fingers to her shoulder. He slowed the vehicle.

  “Can you parallel park?” Jennifer asked.

  “Do I drive inner city Chicago?”

  His tone was flat. He wasn’t joking. Jennifer took a deep breath, and forced herself to control her rolling eyes. Her beef wasn’t with Andrew.

  “I’m sorry I snapped at you,” she said with effort.

  Andrew looked towards her. Their eyes fixed for a moment before he turned his attention to parking. Once he had nestled the Charger between an SUV and a small Prius, he cut the engine.

  “Thank you.” He turned to Jennifer and looked her over again. “I don’t know if hiking to the waterfall is a good idea in your thing,” his eyes washed over her body. “It’s really pretty though.”

  Jennifer looked down at herself. “What’s wrong with it? I’m pretty athletic. I have a gym membership,” she said quickly.

  “It’s a bit of a walk.”

  “I can do it,” Jennifer left the car, tucking her purse into the side of the door before she exited. “Where are we going?” She looked around. They had parked on the side of a slope, with a steep hill behind them. She faced towards the hill once she realized that it was the direction other people faced. “Up this hill? Is that it?”

  “Well, we do need to get up this hill to start.” Andrew locked the door and pointed towards the hill. He slipped a pack on his back that hugged closely to his skin once he snapped it into place.

  “There are two trails over here. One is the Incline, and the other is the Bail Trail. We’ll take that one and then turn off a little ways to get to the waterfall,” he paused. “We can just do the other thing if you want.”

  Jennifer began to prance on the tips of her toes as they walked up the hill. “You don’t think I could do it?” She watched Andrew for his reply. No, he didn’t think she could. He looked her over thoughtfully.

  “I think you could with the proper motivation,” he smiled. What exactly did that mean? Jennifer chuckled at his answer and flipped her pony tail.

  “I ran track in high school.” That wasn’t entirely true. She was on the team but never actual
ly ran a meet. She was a backup, or at least that’s what the coach told her. He didn’t need to know that though.

  “Oh, really?” Andrew arched a brow inquisitively.

  “Sure did. Fastest girl too.” That was a flat out lie. Jennifer pulled her eyes from Andrew’s and started stretching her arms across her chest. He chuckled and shook his head.

  “Alright, to the waterfall it is.” They took off towards the paved him. Andrew led the way. Apprehension didn’t start to build until fifteen minutes later when her body was already covered in sweat and she was out of breath.

  Chapter Seven

  View from the Top

  30 MINUTES LATER, they stopped yet again. They had already turned off the Bail Trial, so coined because it was less strenuous than the actual Incline itself, or at least according to what Andrew had told her. That statement had only pissed her off. From what she could gather, the Bail Trail was still no joke and her calves and thighs burned. Her water bottle was half gone.

  Too stubborn to admit Andrew was right, they had continued to press on, even into the wall of brush that she would have classified as a thicket any other day of the week. Today, however, she only wanted to think of it as thick brush. There was no way she could actually survive a hike into a thicket on a mountainside towards a waterfall.

  They had crossed many boulders, trees, stumps, and lovely flowers, but Jennifer had barely taken the time to see most of it. Her feet were already aching.

  “So how much further do you think it is?” She said in a pant, trying to mask a layer of fear coming over her.

  Andrew turned towards her and placed his hands on his hips. They were beneath a canopy of trees now. It was cool, but the intense altitude climb was giving them both a workout.

  “We can turn back if you want,” he said instead.

  Jennifer wiped the top of her brow. “That’s not what I asked.”

  “No, but you’ve asked me the same question more than five times now.” He chuckled. “I told you it was far.”

  “Well, how far is far?” Jennifer looked around them. The trees and silence this deep into nature unsettled her. There were huge ants marching along the bark of multiple trees and she had already stumbled along fluttering moths that nearly made her jump out her skin.

  “I don’t know, Jennifer.”

  She faced Andrew at the sound of her name. It took ahold of her somewhere, softening her resolve. He smiled at her kindly. She could also see his concern.

  “Are you okay?” He asked.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” Jennifer stressed quickly. She wasn’t fine. She felt like her skin was teeming with invisible bugs. Did she like being outdoors? Yes, with cropped lawns, pools, towels, and SPF 70 to get the perfect golden tan, white girls like her cherished.

  There wasn’t sun up here. Just bugs, gnats, and other flying things that made her skin crawl. But there was still that waterfall…

  “Maybe I just need a moment,” Jennifer said softly. She glanced at her feet. There was nowhere to sit. Figures.

  “Do you hear that?” Andrew asked after a moment. Sweat had begun to dot his brow. He took slow, steady breaths, not in the least bit panting, or out of shape, apparently.

  “Hear what?” Jennifer looked around, annoyed. “I don’t hear anything. Just the wind and—”

  “It’s rushing water,” Andrew said quickly. She heard the excitement in his voice.

  “Do you think we’re near?” Jennifer unscrewed the top of her water and swallowed another gulp. She noticed that Andrew had barely touched his.

  “Maybe another twenty minutes.” Andrew’s back was to Jennifer. There were several large boulders they stood on. “It’s under the rocks,” he bent down, lowering himself to the stone with his hands.

  Jennifer took the time to sculpt out his backside. He had an excellent figure. He definitely kept in shape. Perhaps he even did martial arts.

  “So, do you want to keep going?” Andrew pushed himself off the ground and faced Jennifer, clapping his hands together to get rid of the dust. He eyed the bottle of water in her hand. “You look like you’re drinking enough water. That’s good.”

  Jennifer forced herself to a smile. “I’m thirsty.”

  Looking her way, Andrew nodded. “Ready?” He climbed onto a higher ledge before turning to help Jennifer up. He was strong. Able to pull her weight mostly with one hand, and that was saying something. She was a bit on the taller side of most females but wasn’t exactly the lollipop size either. She had a healthy set of curves she nourished without shame. Andrew didn’t seem fazed.

  Once he had helped Jennifer to the next leverage they could find, she looked down. They were on a fallen old tree. Moss covered it, and ants marched between their feet. She jumped, nearly losing her balance. Andrew grabbed her quickly, pulling her back into him as he braced himself to keep both of them steady. His chest seemed to hold just as much strength as his arms.

  Once they steadied, Andrew released Jennifer slowly so she could pull away. Her face had been pressed against him. She chuckled and avoided his eyes.

  “That thing’s pretty hard,” she commented. “You work out or something?” She pushed a free strand of hair behind her ear and tucked it beneath the ball cap.

  Andrew nodded. “Every day.”

  “Oh.” Jennifer exhaled and eyed the ants again. Her heart was still racing. Her fingertips seemed to itch at the idea of turning back. They had long been off the trail, and Andrew had already told her the route wasn’t official. It was something he had stumbled upon years ago and made a point to frequent anytime he was near the Springs. “So how much further?”

  Andrew laughed, turning back to her. “We can turn around.”

  “But I want to see the waterfall,” she said in a breath. Andrew eyed her carefully. His gaze seemed to drift down her body.

  “It only gets rougher,” he said after a long pause. “Fallen trees, loose gravel,” he motioned around himself. “This isn’t a trail people use. The Cog Railway passes through. When we get high enough, you’ll see them on the left,” he pointed through the dense trees towards more rock facing.

  Jennifer swallowed. “Loose gravel?” She eyed the ants and smashed one with the tip of her right foot.

  “Let’s turn back.”

  “No!” She nearly shouted, but her tone lacked the anger it held while they were in the car. Andrew froze at her insistence. “I can do this,” she said again with a nod. “I don’t want to turn back.”

  Taking a deep breath, Andrew half turned to look over the trail. He looked back to Jennifer. “Are you sure? I won’t judge you if we turn back,” a chortle seemed to get lodged in his throat. She wasn’t sure if it was out of pity for the pathetic sight she was sure she must have been.

  Jennifer half smiled back. She didn’t hike much. She remembered taking a field trip once to a place with a steep incline and loose gravel. The guides had instructed the children not to run, but she skipped a bit to test the rocks and found that once she started, she couldn’t stop. That was quite a scare, but she had never climbed boulders, dead trees—pure earth—before. It seemed to give her a rush. Even if she was wearing a romper.

  “Yeah, let’s keep going. I want to see the waterfall.”

  “Okay.” Andrew turned to lead the way. He stayed close to Jennifer, not even an arm’s length away. They passed over more rocks and trees and loose earth. Jennifer was sure she had never seen a place quite like where they were.

  At one point, she decided to jump to a log instead of crossing after Andrew and landed in a shady spot that housed hundreds of flying insects. They sprang to life and swarmed her face before making it out to safety from her flailing hands.

  Andrew was at her side in an instant to calm her down. She needed a moment to recover from that one, but less than ten minutes later she slipped trying to climb a patch of loose gravel. The ground swallowed her hands towards mystery insects hiding in the sand.

  She screaming and tried to push away from the sand, but on
ly slid further down the slope, which frightened her even more. Andrew held onto a nearby truck clinging firmly to the ground with thick roots and moved down the slope. The gravel swallowed his shoes and ankles. Jennifer cringed at the sight. When he was close enough, he grabbed her arm and helped her scale the slope. He pulled her up was probably more accurate. Jennifer couldn’t stand the idea of the dirt getting into her shoes and barely placed pressure on the ground.

  At the top of the short slope, Andrew pulled Jennifer to her feet. Her entire body shook, almost near tears. He helped her to some water, and then looked squarely at her face.

  “You’re okay,” he urged, wiping at the side of her face. Jennifer was certain he could see the fear within her. She felt like she could have almost died, although she knew the worst that would have happened was that she simply wouldn’t have slipped to the previous platform of rock. Still, it didn’t take away her fear from not being strong enough to pull herself up.

  Andrew cooed to her and told her that she was going to be okay. After a moment, he pulled her into a hug and held her until she calmed down. Jenifer wasn’t sure how long that was. After a while, she realized that her breathing was no longer scared gasps for air. She pulled her head back from Andrew’s chest and met his gaze. He smiled at her, and then chuckled.

  “That scared you a little bit, didn’t it?”

  She nervously nodded, but then allowed herself to chuckle with him. It turned into a genuine laugh. She still clung to his arm, unwilling to let go. There was no way she would have ever come this far on her own, or with Melone.

  “Oh shoot,” Jennifer looked down at herself, searching for her phone.

  “What is it?” Andrew was still holding her around her waist. They stood at the top of a flat surface of loose earth wearing a layer of grime from the surrounding elements.

  “My phone,” Jennifer met Andrew’s eyes, finally letting her fingers loose from his bare arms. “I think I left it in my purse in your car.”