Misbehaving Curves: A Boss Romance

by Piper Sullivan

  “Look at the compatibility score, Ben! That could be you.”

  I didn’t bother to respond to my mom, because the only answer she would accept was that I’d used the gift certificate and found a perfect little wife who would slide seamlessly into the Rutherford family. Of course, that brought Joss to mind, which it shouldn’t, because she was off limits.

  Completely.

  By lunch, thoughts of those big blue eyes looking at me like I hung the moon wouldn’t go away, and I knew what I had to do. “Hey Kendra, it’s Ben Rutherford.”

  “Principal Ben Rutherford?”

  “Yeah,” I said in a low voice to hide my amusement at her surprise. “One and the same. My mother bought a gift certificate for your services, and I’d, uh, like to set up a consultation or however you do it.”

  Joss

  “All right girls, great practice. I’m impressed with the way you’ve improved this season, and we have the playoffs to show for it. No practice tomorrow, so enjoy yourselves. But not too much.” I flashed a knowing smile at my varsity soccer girls, grinning because I’d heard rumblings about the big party out in Muncher’s Field tonight.

  “Seriously, Ms. C? No practice?”

  I nodded and the girls erupted in applause, laughter and excited whistles. “All right!” Krissy Lohman did a round of high fives for everyone before she turned to me. “Is this because we’re so awesome, or because you look all hot and have a hot date tonight?”

  I barked out a laugh even though I felt heat creep up my neck and face. “This is all about you girls, I can assure you of that.” So far Time for Love had produced no matches, which made me feel some kind of way butt hurt, but I decided to ignore it. For now. “But if you’d prefer to have practice, I’m happy to put it back on the schedule.”

  Cries of refusal went up all around and I laughed.

  “Then go hit the lockers before I change my mind.” The girls took off but not before putting away the equipment, which I appreciated after a long, grueling practice.

  After a quick change out of my athletic gear, I made my way towards the only doors open this late in the day. There weren’t really any security problems at PHS, but Ben, Principal Rutherford, had decided it never hurt to be too careful. A move that made all the mothers love him even more. Not just the mothers, either. I shook off that thought and lengthened my stride, anything to distract me from thoughts of my former crush.

  “Ms. Callahan!” I knew that voice well, and I walked a little faster, a useless endeavor since Ben had about seven inches on me. “Joss, wait up!”

  He’s my boss. I slowed my steps until they came to a stop and turned to see Principal Rutherford, because I refused to think of him as my crush Ben any longer, running towards me. His long legs moved gracefully and his slight flush and breathlessness was enough to produce an ache that started deep within me. He’s my boss, not my crush!

  “Hey Principal Rutherford, what’s up?” That sounded totally normal, and I stood a little taller, proud of myself.

  “Hey, uh, Joss. How’s it going?”

  “Great. Just finished practice so I’m headed…out.” There, that was sufficiently vague, so I didn’t sound like I was after an invitation of some sort.

  “Okay. I wasn’t sure if you were planning to play in the dart tournament tonight, Arts versus Sciences?” There was a hint of hope in his voice, but I just chalked it up to Ben, Principal Rutherford, being the one-man welcome wagon and self-appointed social director for every teacher at PHS.

  It’s not about me. “I didn’t know about it,” I told him honestly. “And I have other plans, but thanks for thinking of me.”

  “Not a problem.” He flashed that killer smile, the one that made me wonder if there were dimples hidden beneath that auburn beard. “You have a date?” I blinked in shock at the question. I’d tried and tried to get to know the man personally for months, and he’d given me nothing and now he was asking personal questions?

  Unbelievable!

  When I continued to stare in shock, he raked a nervous hand through his hair and let out a sigh. “Sorry, I just assumed that with your new look, the men would be lining up to take you out.”

  “Ouch.” I folded my arms and stared at him, shaking my head as disappointment settled over me, guess he was just that shallow. “To answer your question Principal Rutherford, no, I don’t have a date. But I would hope that any man who wants to go out with me would be able to see past my clothes and make up.” The urge to cry overwhelmed me and I took a few steps back, needing more distance than just a few feet.

  “That’s not what I meant, Joss.” He looked upset, but I couldn’t let myself care, not if I wanted to get over this silly infatuation.

  “It’s what you said,” I finally managed to say after I’d turned to head towards the exit. It was a good thing to know that my perfect guy wasn’t so perfect after all. It would make getting over him, when I had to see him every day, a lot easier.

  Once the late afternoon air hit my skin, I managed a smile because today was about another man, or more specifically, two other men. I picked up Mara from her small rental home and we headed to Tulip.

  “Ready?” Mara slid into the passenger seat with an encouraging smile and fastened her seatbelt with a loud click.

  “More than ready.” At the question in her brown eyes, I told her about my most recent run-in with Ben. “He made me feel like a butt ugly hobo.”

  She laughed. “I’m sorry, I know it’s not funny, but why a hobo?”

  “Because he acted like I normally came to school dressed like a homeless person! Whatever, I’m not stressing about it. Not tonight.” I needed every ounce of courage I possessed to see my brothers. Half-brothers.

  “At least now we know he is a normal man, and not some fairytale perfect, rom-com hero, which is kind of refreshing. It’s not too late to change your mind about him. Again.”

  I shook my head. “I’m leaving my fate in the hands of Sophie and Eva. For now. If they don’t find any matches then I might join you on the non-dating train.” It wasn’t a thought I was ready to really consider, but with each passing day, it grew into more of a possibility. A likelihood, even.

  “Which brother are we ambushing first?” I glared at Mara, but she only laughed. “What do you call showing up instead of calling first?”

  I shrugged. “Increasing my odds of success? I’m hoping that seeing me in person will make it harder to turn me away.”

  Mara snorted. “It won’t, but if that happens, I’ll be here with you to dry your tears. Or kick some ass. Whatever the situation requires.”

  I smiled at her as we crossed into Tulip town limits. “Thank you for coming with me, Mara.” I was more nervous than I let on, but having a friendly face, a friend in general, made it all somehow less terrifying.

  “No problem. My old foster family lives here.”

  I turned slowly and stared at her, shock written all over my face. “You’re adopted and you grew up here?” It was more personal information than she’d ever revealed. “Wow you must really be worried my brothers will reject me to share that news.”

  Just as I expected, she smiled and relaxed at my joke. “What can I say? I’m just awesome like that.”

  She was, but Mara would only get gruff and sarcastic if I said so, so I maneuvered the car to the first stop. My oldest brother, Nate’s, house. “Okay. Here we go.” I climbed the stairs to the picture-perfect home with the light blue shutters, and knocked. My heart beat through my chest while we waited.

  And waited.

  And waited.

  A pretty brunette answered the door, her belly round with pregnancy and a question in her eyes. “May I help you?” she asked in a thick accent.

  “Um, yes. Maybe?” I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Is Nate Callahan home?”

  Her dark, well-manicured brows dipped low. “No, he’s not, but I’m his wife, Mikki. Can I help?” The woman was curious, but all I felt was disappointment that I’d f
inally gotten up my courage and he wasn’t around.

  “I can’t do this.” Tears stung my eyes and I turned, ready to run back to my car and leave Tulip behind forever, but Mara grabbed my arm and I glared up at her.

  “Fine, but don’t have this woman thinking her husband is some kind of jerk either.”

  My eyes went wide at Mara’s words and I turned back to Mikki. “Oh my god, I didn’t even think. It’s nothing like that, I swear. I’ve never met Nate, or Jase actually. They’re my brothers, well my half-brothers since we share a father and I…well it doesn’t matter now. Sorry to have bothered you.”

  “Wait!” She called out. “It’s just Nate and Jase, they’ve never mentioned a sister.”

  “They don’t know about me. I only found out about them after my mama died.” She wanted me to have family, but I realized in that moment, they wouldn’t see me as family. “It doesn’t matter, because this was a terrible idea. I’m sorry to have bothered you, Mikki. Congratulations on your baby.”

  “Thanks,” she said so softly it was almost a whisper. “If you want to leave a number or something, I’m happy to pass it on to Nate.”

  I shook my head. “No thanks, I really shouldn’t have done this. I know it’s a big ask, but if you could pretend the past five minutes never happened, that would be great. Really great, actually.”

  There was sympathy in her eyes, and I knew she would share it with her husband, because he was her husband and I was nobody. “Good night.”

  I flew off the porch before the door closed, heart pounding like a race horse as I slid behind the steering wheel. “That was a spectacularly bad idea.” Maybe, hopefully, taking control of my love life would go better.

  “You didn’t even give it a chance to go badly,” Mara insisted.

  “Don’t you get it? My father left their mother for mine, before he left her too. I should have realized before this moment they wouldn’t be happy to meet me. I was fooling myself the same way I fooled myself about Ben. Principal Rutherford, I mean.” Maybe Mama was right, I did have a habit of romanticizing things with the slightest provocation.

  “You don’t know that,” Mara insisted, but I did know. I could see the pattern as I gave the idea more thought.

  My phone beeped, but I ignored it and started the engine. “Do you want to stop by to see your foster family?”

  “Former foster family, and no I don’t. They wouldn’t be happy to see me.” I had a feeling that wasn’t true, but I was in no mood for an argument. Mara picked up my phone and gasped. “Eva says they have a match for you. And a date set up.”

  “Already?” I couldn’t believe it. Was this a sign that my luck was turning around.

  “Yep. Tomorrow night at, where else? Carriage House.”

  Okay, good news. I could handle that. “Perfect. Dinner on me?”

  Mara laughed. “My three favorite words.”

  Ben

  “Gin and tonic, please.” Normally I’d wait for my date to arrive to order a drink, but since this was a blind date, for some odd reason, I decided to use a little liquid courage to take the edge off.

  “Bad day?” Sage smirked from his spot behind the bar as if he had some inside knowledge I wasn’t privy to, and arched one bushy brow to go with this question.

  “No, just waiting for my date.”

  He rolled his eyes and shrugged. “Good luck.” He set the drink on the bar and I grabbed it, waiting until I was seated to take a sip.

  Luck. I wasn’t a big believer in luck because I worked hard for every goal I’d achieved, whether it was on the basketball court or in a classroom. Tonight though, I felt as if a little bit of luck might go a long way. Sophie hadn’t said much about the woman I’d been matched with, only that she was beautiful, lively and compatible. And she guaranteed I would be pleasantly surprised.

  Since I arrived at the Carriage House fifteen minutes early to avoid arriving late, I sat back and observed the groups of friends, the long-term couples and the newbies out on first or second dates. It had been a long time since I indulged in people watching, but I found myself wondering about the people at each table.

  The bar door opened and shut, bringing a chill and a burst of electricity in the air, drawing my attention to the woman in the red dress. She had long blond hair in those Jessica Rabbit waves that went half way down her back, leaving about a foot of bare flesh from where her hair ended and the curve of her ass began.

  A very familiar ass, in fact.

  The woman removed a soft looking shawl and draped it over her arm before she turned around, shaking her waves so they fell around her shoulders, and put my wonder over her identity to rest.

  It was Joss. Looking absolutely breathtaking in a curve hugging red dress and the kind of heels you asked a woman to keep on during sex.

  Carriage House was the date place in Pilgrim, so it wasn’t a huge surprise to see her, just a mild shock to my system at the sight of her in that dress. Needing to distract myself from staring like a perv, I glanced back down at my phone and the message Eva had sent earlier today. Keep an eye out for a hot blond in a red dress.

  There was only one woman in the place who fit that particular description. Joss. I knew, at that moment, I should have been more clear with the women of Time for Love to avoid this exact scenario.

  I knew the moment Joss spotted me, because the air between us charged like those moments just before a mid-afternoon thunderstorm, thick and hazy and hot. Her gaze slid from my scowling face to the bouquet of purple and white tulips on the table, which Sophie had instructed me to bring.

  Now I know why.

  Joss’ blue eyes widened in surprise, with hurt immediately on its heels. She didn’t advance forward as expected, instead she took three steps back before she turned on her heels, and ran away.

  I stood and glanced down at my drink and then the empty spot where Joss had stood just a moment ago, before my feet started to move. “Dammit.”

  “That’s one way to avoid bad dates,” Sage offered up.

  “Shut up,” I growled and pushed the front door open with more force than the flimsy, swinging door required, scanning up and down the street for the woman in red. As soon as I spotted Joss, I took off down the street. “Joss, wait!” She kept walking and if my imagination wasn’t running away with me, she walked just a little bit faster. “Joss, please.”

  She kept going, but flashed a quick glance over her shoulder. “I don’t need your apology and I don’t want it.”

  “You deserve it, though.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t need to be nice for the sake of being nice. I saw your expression when you realized I was your date, and trust me, it’s not one I’ll soon forget.”

  Of course, that was the impression she would get at my scowling expression. “It just caught me by surprise is all, Joss. I wasn’t expecting you to be my date.” I wasn’t sure what fact surprised me more, that I hadn’t told the women I didn’t want to date any woman who worked with me, or that the system had matched me with Joss.

  “You were disappointed, at least have the balls to admit that much.” This version of Joss wasn’t just sweet and soft and kind, there was a fire in her I hadn’t seen before.

  “A little, sure, but not for the reasons you think.” I let out a sigh and scrubbed a hand over my head and down my face. “Can I explain it to you? Over dinner?”

  The adamant shake of her head took me by surprise. “You can tell me now.”

  Okay. I really hated that I wanted to see more of the fire that burned inside Joss, to see more of what made her tick, because I couldn’t. But I owed her some sort of explanation.

  “Okay then, good night.” She turned away again and I groaned.

  “I’m attracted to you Joss.” Those words stopped those sexy little heels from moving her further away from me. “But I don’t date co-workers and employees, and that’s why I was disappointed that you were my match.”

  She turned, arms folded tight around her chest and a d
efiant look of disbelief on her face. “I work for the school district, not you.”

  “Semantics. I do the evaluations that determine raises and promotions, I can hire or fire you, which makes me your boss. Whether you like it or not.” Because seeing her in that dress, bathed in moonlight, I didn’t feel like her boss. I felt like a man, deeply attracted to a woman. I wanted to run my fingers through her waves to see if they were as silky as they looked, I wanted to kiss that red lipstick from her lush mouth to see if her lips were as sweet as they seemed, as plump as they felt underneath the color.

  Something flashed behind those blue eyes, acceptance mixed with disbelief, and I prepared for a fight. But Joss surprised me again when her arms untangled and fell at her sides with a resolute sigh. “Thank you for letting me know. Have a good night, Principal Rutherford.”

  I let out a groan at her new fondness for addressing me so formally. “Call me Ben.”

  “That would be unprofessional,” she shot back with a sweet smile. “You look nice tonight, it’s too bad you wasted the outfit on me.”

  “It wasn’t a waste,” I growled back. “It’s just too damn bad that you work for me.” I was more conflicted than ever, wishing I’d made the effort to get to know Joss better while simultaneously grateful that I hadn’t, because I had a feeling knowing her would make this whole situation pure torture.

  “It amounts to the same thing,” she shot back with a wave over her shoulder and a sad smile.

  She was right, but I didn’t want that to be the truth and I stared after Joss as if the power of my stare could change things, or maybe it was the way her narrow waist flared out into hips that were all woman.

  “Damn.”

  When I finally returned to Carriage House, I left the reserved table empty in favor of the bar, where I ordered another gin and tonic. “What happened?”

  It wasn’t a complicated story, so I gave Sage the abbreviated version between sips of gin. “Now I think she hates me.” Which would make things awkward at work, the exact fate I’d been trying to avoid.