Seducing the Boss Lady

by Cooper, Sharon C.

  Drawing deep within herself, she steadied her breathing and sat behind her desk. “Get out,” she said calmly, despite the impatience raging through her. “And leave your ID and keys with Tammy. Your last check will be mailed to you.”

  “I’m not leaving because I’m not fired.” He leaned on the desk facing her. “The day you left for Jamaica, MJ told me I was doing a good job. So I’m not—”

  Peyton lunged out of her chair. “I want you out of my office. Now!”

  “That’s enough!”

  Peyton and Jerry jerked their heads toward the entrance where Steven Jenkins filled the doorway.

  “I can hear you two all the way down the hall.” Their grandfather stepped in, and slammed the door.

  “Pops, she’s trying to fire me. Isn’t there a process or warnings employees are supposed to get before being fired?”

  “I’ve given you plenty of warnings!”

  “Not written ones!” Jerry shouted.

  “Okay, that’s enough. Jay, leave your sister and me alone for a minute.” Her grandfather sat in one of the guest chairs in front of Peyton’s desk and she already knew she was about to get one of his famous lectures.

  “Sis, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean some of the things I said.” Jerry turned to leave but stopped. “Actually, I take that back. I meant what I said. I just could have said it differently.” He cocked that crooked smile that used to get him anything he wanted from her when he was little.

  “Oh shut up and get out of my office,” she said, some of the anger lifted from her voice as she reclaimed her seat. He always got on her nerves like most kid brothers, but she still loved him.

  “So how many times have you fired Jerry?” her grandfather asked, humor in his voice.

  Peyton rubbed her forehead, frustration jockeying inside of her chest. She had “fired” Jerry at least five times in the past year, but never followed through. Eleven years apart, she and Jerry had a good relationship, for the most part. She might’ve spoiled him when they were growing up, but now Peyton needed him to behave like an adult and take responsibility for his mistakes. His good looks and charming personality were only going to take him so far.

  “Care to tell me what’s really going on?” Steven asked as he crossed his legs and folded his hands on his lap.

  Peyton sucked in a deep breath and released it slowly. “Grampa, he’s been screwing up jobs. Then he turns around and suggests either a different service or product to the client and they let his screw up slide.”

  Steven Jenkins cocked an eyebrow. “So in the end the client is happy, and the job is done?”

  Peyton lowered her gaze. “Yes.” So what’s the big deal? Why was she constantly on Jerry’s case? Why had she fired him, again? Those were the questions she expected from her grandfather, but they never came.

  “In Jamaica, you seemed happier than I’ve seen you in a long time. I assume it had something to do with the young man you were with.”

  Since returning home, not a day went by that Peyton didn’t think of Michael, wondering how he was doing. Despite knowing that what they had shared was temporary, she had fallen for his arrogant ass.

  “Jamaica was a great trip. It felt good to get away.” It also felt good to pretend she was someone else for a while without all the responsibilities and memories of past hurts.

  Peyton’s shoulders slumped with the realization that she couldn’t run away from her problems. They were still here, still buried deep inside of her.

  Tears pricked her eyes, and she blinked several times to keep them at bay. If she were honest with herself, she was better off before going out of town. At least then, she hadn’t known what she’d been missing. Spending time with Michael, she had forgotten what it was like to have a man’s full attention.

  Her grandfather stood and walked around the desk. Pulling Peyton into a standing position, he wrapped his arms around her. Tears she had managed to hold at bay for the past week, spilled down her cheeks. The disappointment of returning to Cincinnati the same way she left and the loneliness of the week had finally caught up with her.

  The more she thought about her lonely life, the faster the tears fell. She had no clue how to pull herself from the rut she’d dug herself into, but she had to figure it out. She couldn’t keep going like this, driving herself and everyone around her crazy.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart. Everything is going to be fine.” Her grandfather rubbed her back.

  Peyton accepted the Kleenex he stuffed into her hand and quickly wiped her face. “Sorry.” She stepped out of his arms and sat on the edge of the desk.

  “I know I don’t say this often enough, but I love you. I’m proud of all that you have accomplished. You stepped into the lead role here when no one else was willing and you’ve taken this company further than I thought possible. But PJ, this place cannot be your whole life.”

  “Grampa—”

  “You need a break. That spark I usually see in your eyes is gone. I couldn’t remember the last time I saw it until we were in Jamaica and you were dancing at the wedding with Michael.”

  Peyton hadn’t realized her grandfather had paid her any attention while on the trip. It wasn’t like they spent much time in the same space. As for Michael, he made her laugh and forget her troubles. And sure he had stirred a desire within her that had her ready to drop her panties, but—

  “That’s the look right there.”

  Peyton glanced at her grandfather, who was smiling. Heat rose to her cheeks at the route her thoughts had taken, but she said nothing.

  “This company has been your whole life, and that’s not the life I want for you. When I was running the business, your grandmother was the one who made sure I kept a good balance.” He chuckled. “She once told me that there was no way she was coming second to Jenkins & Sons Construction. Trust me, over the years, there were plenty of times she had to remind me that this was just a job, not my life. So now I’m reminding you. It’s time for you to use some of those vacation days that you have accumulated.”

  Peyton smiled. Everyone knew Katherine Jenkins was in charge of the Jenkins family. Sure their grandfather made the tough decisions, gave the great lectures, and in most cases was the go-to person in the time of need. Her grandmother was the glue that kept the family together.

  “I don’t know if it’s a good time to be away from the office. I just submitted bids for several big projects and—”

  “And this company is not going to fall apart without you, PJ.” He kissed the top of her head. “You need some time off. Travel or take up a new hobby. Whatever it takes to get your joy back, do it.”

  Peyton didn’t have a clue on how to reclaim her joy. She wasn’t even sure when she’d lost it. As for traveling and learning a new hobby, working long hours didn’t allow much time for thinking about hobbies or a social life.

  “Take at least a month off. Longer if you need to.”

  “A month, Grampa? Who’s going to take care of everything around here?”

  “Martina and Nick did a great job while we were in Jamaica. I’m sure they can handle a month.”

  “MJ goes on maternity leave soon, and there’s too much work for Nick to handle by himself.” Granted Peyton did a big chunk of the work herself, but after so many years she had learned to multi-task and prioritize.

  Her grandfather gripped her shoulders. “Peyton, you’re going to take some time off, and we’ll take care of the company.”

  “But I haven’t had time to prepare them or get anything in order.”

  “Okay, your leave starts Monday. That gives you five days to transition the work to the team.”

  The office door swung open, and Martina waddled in carrying a large bouquet of yellow roses.

  “Oh, hey, Grampa. I didn’t know you were still here,” she said, handing Peyton the flowers. “Special delivery.”

  “For me?” Peyton asked, remembering the flowers her ex-husband had sent while she was in Jamaica.

  “Okay, girls. I�
��m heading out. Peyton, remember what I said. Oh, and if you’re receiving flowers, that means you have someone who can help take your mind off of work.”

  Peyton smiled and shook her head. “Bye, Grampa.”

  “What was that all about?” Martina asked, plucking the card from the flowers. Peyton snatched it from her.

  “Grampa wants me to take some time off,” Peyton said absently, as she scanned the card.

  Just thinking about you. Hope all is well. Dylan.

  “Okay, first who are the roses from? And second, I agree with Grampa.” Martina grabbed the card from Peyton’s hand. “Dylan? What the heck, PJ? Why is he suddenly sending you flowers? That’s twice in a couple of weeks.”

  “Hey, your guess is as good as mine.”

  “Please tell me you haven’t given that jerk any reason to think you would give him another chance.”

  “I haven’t spoken to Dylan since our divorce was final and I plan to keep it that way.” Peyton carefully removed the flowers from the glass vase and tossed them in the trashcan next to her desk. “The vase is too pretty to throw out.”

  “Just because you toss the flowers doesn’t mean he’s going to go away.” Martina stood next to the desk rubbing her round belly. At seven months, she wasn’t very big and looked as though she had a basketball under her shirt. “I don’t like it. He’s up to something.

  “MJ, I told you I haven’t been in contact with him. I don’t know why he sent the roses, and I don’t care. He’s still the lowest form of human life as far as I’m concerned.”

  Martina studied Peyton. “Good. His cheating ass lost all rights to you when he decided to screw around.”

  “Don’t remind me.”

  Martina sat, sinking low in the leather guest chair. “It burns me up inside that he thinks he can send flowers and make things right between you two. And why the hell is he sending them three years later?”

  Peyton wondered the same thing as she sat in her desk chair.

  “When the roses arrived, I was secretly hoping they were from your boy-toy, Michael,” Martina admitted. “Have you heard from him?”

  “No and he wasn’t my boy-toy,” Peyton said for what felt like the thousandth time. She hadn’t heard from Michael, and it frustrated her that she couldn’t stop thinking about him. “Can we talk about something else?”

  “Sure. So Grampa wants you to take some time off. What, he tryin’ to help you get your groove back?”

  Peyton laughed. Martina was the loud mouth in the family and had no filter. The family thought that after she married a former U.S. Senator, Paul, that she would tone down. That didn’t happen, but Martina seemed happier than Peyton had ever seen her. A wonderful husband and a baby on the way, what more could a person ask for?

  Don’t go there.

  Peyton sighed and rubbed her temples. That was part of her problem. She wanted what her cousins and her sister had found – happiness with a special man.

  “Hellooo.” Martina waved her hands in Peyton’s face. “You were going to tell me about the time off Grampa wants you to take.”

  “Oh, yeah. He said I need to take some time and find my joy.”

  “I agree. You’re driving everyone around here nuts. We can handle the office work.”

  “Grampa suggested a month.”

  “A month! Dang, that’s a long time.”

  “I know. You guys need me.”

  Martina nodded. “Maybe we do, but we want the old Peyton back. The one who bossed us around with sternness, but compassion.”

  Peyton chuckled. “Hearing you say the word compassion is funny. What do you know about compassion?”

  “I know that I don’t have much of it, and you’re starting to act more like me every day. I don’t like it.”

  Peyton laughed again realizing she hadn’t laughed since leaving Jamaica and Michael.

  Sighing she mentally slapped herself. There she went again thinking about him. Maybe a month off would do her some good. She could regroup and maybe even find a boy-toy.

  *

  Three days into her mandatory leave and Peyton was about to go crazy. She plopped down on her sofa with a pint of Graeter’s Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip ice cream and picked up the television remote. This daily routine, of eating the dessert, would have to come to an end if she planned to fit any of her clothes. She needed to find something to get into and soon.

  Her cell phone rang, and she leaned forward and swiped it from the sofa table. She glanced at the screen, not recognizing the number, and debated on whether to answer. “Oh what the heck.”

  “Hello.”

  “Hello, Peyton.” The baritone voice of her ex-husband caught her by surprise. “How are you?”

  “What do you want, Dylan?” He was the last person she expected or wanted to hear from.

  He chuckled. “Is that any way to greet your first love, the man you vowed to spend the rest of your life with?”

  “You have sixty seconds to state your reason for calling. As for being my first love, you weren’t,” she lied. “Oh, and that vow, biggest mistake I’ve ever made.”

  Silence. For a minute she thought he had hung up until she heard traffic in the background.

  “I called to see if you received the flowers. You’ve been on my mind, and I just wanted you to know that I’ve been thinking about you. I’m sorry for the way things ended with—”

  “It’s been three years, Dylan. Why now? Wait, you know what? It doesn’t matter. I don’t care. Goodbye.” She disconnected the call and dropped the phone on the sofa next to her.

  In the past three years, she’d only talked to her ex twice and each time was because he wanted or needed something. The first time, he had inquired about his high school letterman jacket, which she had given to Goodwill. The last time, he’d had the nerve to ask if she could do some electrical work for him. Each time he acted as if they were friends. Like he had forgotten the crap he had put her through.

  When her cell rang again, she snatched it up prepared to tell Dylan off, but it wasn’t him. A sweet thrill skittered up her back seeing Michael’s name on the screen. They had exchanged numbers before leaving Jamaica, but at the time, she hadn’t believed he would call.

  “Hello.” She set her ice cream on the table.

  “Hey, Boss Lady. How you doin’?” His familiar voice brought a smile to her face.

  “I’m fine. So let me guess, CJ called you.”

  “Noo, I haven’t heard from her or Luke. Why? What’s going on?”

  Peyton hesitated. Could it be he had been thinking about her as much as she’d been thinking about him?

  A shot of adrenaline burst through her veins and like a little kid, she did a happy dance in her seat, swinging her arms and legs back and forth. She shouldn’t read too much into the phone call, but she couldn’t help herself.

  “I’m on a mandatory leave of absence. I thought maybe CJ had mentioned it to you.”

  “Why? Are you hurt?” The worry in his voice didn’t go unnoticed, enhancing the flutter in her stomach.

  “I’m fine. According to my grandfather, and every other member of my family, I need a vacation. A long vacation. Hence, the mandatory leave. But I think I’m going to go crazy laying around the house.”

  “Then don’t. Come…” His voice trailed off but then he continued. “While you’re deciding what to do with yourself, consider coming to New York. I’d be glad to show you around and…and maybe treat you to a dirty water dog.”

  Peyton laughed. “A dirty water dog? Umm, I think that’s something I can do without. I’m not really a dog person.”

  Michael’s deep laughter flowed through the phone line. He explained the dirty water dog he was referring to was a New York hot dog purchased from a street vendor.

  Peyton grabbed the pint of ice cream and curled back up on the sofa. She and Michael laughed, and talked like old friends, the easy conversation brought back memories of their time in Jamaica.

  This is what she missed liv
ing alone. Discussing her day, laughing and feeling as if someone cared enough to listen to what she had to say. That’s what Michael gave her. Back in Jamaica, when he said they could be friends, Peyton had been a little disappointed because she thought it was just a line, but now, she had a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, they could be more than friends.

  Chapter Ten

  Michael set his cell phone on the desk and rocked in his chair. Peyton would be in New York in five days, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that. When he invited her to visit, the words were out of his mouth before he had a chance to pull them back. But he’d be lying if he said he didn’t want to see her.

  Michael picked up the television remote and pointed it at the flat screen on the wall across from his desk, and unmuted the NBA basketball game. New York was down by twenty points with three minutes to go. It was safe to say they weren’t going to make the playoffs again this year.

  A sound near the door caught his attention.

  “Daddy, can I have some water?” his daughter, Michaela, asked in that tiny voice that tugged at his heart-strings. Normally Michael heard her the moment she came out of her bedroom, but not tonight. So distracted by thoughts of Peyton, he hadn’t even heard the third step from the bottom that groaned when stepped on.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be asleep?”

  She ran over to him, her messy ponytails swinging on each side of her head. His little girl meant the world to him, and she was definitely his greatest accomplishment.

  Michaela climbed onto his lap, kissed his cheek, and snuggled close knowing he couldn't resist when she nestled against him.

  “You should have been asleep an hour ago.”

  “I was thirsty, but I’m not thirsty anymore. I wanted to give you a hug.”

  “Oh really?” Michael chuckled and tweaked her nose. “I think this is you stalling again. I’m starting to see a pattern. We go through this every night. Especially school nights.”

  Michaela lifted her head. “Was that your girlfriend on the phone?”

  Michael frowned and leaned back. “What are you talking about?” This was the first time he’d spoken to Peyton since returning from Jamaica, and he hadn’t mentioned her to anyone.