Boss Undercover: Part 3 (Boss Undercover Series)

by J. S. Badham

  And here she was, suddenly picturing the first smirk, their first encounter when he stood all mysterious outside work. Darren beside her, telling her to hastily message him back, wondering if that was him.

  The nicknames, their bickering, the sex, and just his mere presence.

  Fuck, they had been through so much.

  Taking a deep, nerve-wrecking breath, she slowly made her way over. From the side, he looked so lost, transfixed, so he didn’t even notice when she sat down beside him in the adjacent leather chair.

  God, she was right near him. She could smell that familiar musky cologne, picture those hands holding tight on her, and even remember that small tattoo on his hip from his drunken mistake.

  Just do it, she thought.

  Taking another slow breath, she turned gently towards him as she found herself saying words. “Hello…my name is Claire Winter.” Her voice tuned him into reality as he looked at her with shock. His brows lifted, and his lips gaped a little open, gobsmacked as she could tell by the sight of her sitting there. She didn’t give him chance to speak. “I’m twenty-four…” Swallowing, she kept her composure, feeling exposed under his staring eyes. “My favourite colour is grey, and I could eat BBQ ribs all day without a doubt. I’m…caring…” Her right shoulder subconsciously lifted up. “Friendly, and confident…but I can be stubborn and sometimes spiteful.” Then she looked down briefly before returning her eyes to his bewitched ones. “I’ve just recently went…through a terrible…break-up. I hurt someone I love. Like really hurt them and…I don’t know if we’ll ever go back to how things used to be, but…no matter what, I’ll always love them and be there for them.” Holding back the tears she felt, Claire swallowed another mouthful of air. “I know your name is Zack Benson. You’re…funnily enough, my boss. Your favourite colour is purple…and you suck at washing up. You always…leave the toilet seat up, and you think it’s funny when I get mad. You’re caring, cool, and dare I say incredibly handsome in every way…” Pausing, she stopped her fingers from madly twitching in her lap. “Although sometimes you lie. But…you never have really. You’ve always been hundred percent truthful. And that’s why you’re…incredible.” Stopping again, she looked elsewhere for a second before returning. “You’ve been through a lot with someone. You were there when she pretended to like some guy because she was a fool in thinking she didn’t love you. You were there when her friend’s boyfriend died. You danced with her at her brother’s wedding, and you’ve plenty of times had crazy sex. Point is, you’ve always been there.” Then she pressed her lips together, studying how he had not once moved. “I…would like to get to know you more. It’s a little strange, I know. I’m your employee, but I really like you. I might even be crazy to dare say I love you, but Mr. Benson…” She held out a hand to shake. “I would love it if you would go on a date with me. What do you say?”

  They said it took five seconds to look someone in the eye and fall in love. You’re on the same wavelength. You’d do anything for that person. And faithful no matter what. It’s something that could be abused in its lifetime, taken for granted, or torn to pieces. But no matter, it couldn’t be helped. You couldn’t help but fall in love. It suddenly latched on to you and wouldn’t let go. There’s no manual about it. Nothing to teach you about it. It just happened, and you’d know the second you looked someone in the eyes and spoke those simple three words, “I love you.”

  Ahead of her, Zack was quiet. He had not shifted a muscle. She was certain he had not blinked, either. Not even registered that her hand that she held out trembled frantically before slowly deflating and returning to her lap.

  Part of her hoped he would have spoken by now…kissed her or held her tight.

  Claire’s stomach was clenching fiercely as she anticipated his answer. There was nothing else she could have said; she had said the entire truth. Surely, they could have a fresh start? They deserved that.

  Zack then suddenly licked his bottom lip, turned his head to the front as he dropped his elbows onto the edge of his knees, and stooped his head down in between his legs towards the floor. From her perspective, it looked like a sign of defeat, suggesting that it wasn’t enough for Zack.

  Claire was going to get up, leave, and accept with mutual respect that perhaps it just wasn’t meant to be. But then at a glimpse of his lips, the right edge of his lip that faced her, all at once, gradually curved up.

  Was that a smile?

  “What am I going to bloody do with you, Claire, huh?” Angling his head slightly towards her, it looked like a genuine look of relief had hugged his face. “You say you’re my employee? Well, that is a problem.” Then his hand snaked over and clasped to squeeze her hand. “I hope you can manage a long-haul flight.”

  THE END

  Acknowledgements

  So, here we are! The last book in the series. There are several people that I would like to acknowledge for their support in the series Boss Undercover.

  I would first like to make an acknowledgment to Limitless Publishing for giving me the opportunity to publish my work. I didn’t expect anything when I first sent off that manuscript—to be honest, I expected them to send back a “rejection” email, so, of course, it was a surprise and a half. They gave me a chance, and I am nothing but thankful that they’ve published me.

  I would also like to acknowledge my editor, Toni, who has been nothing but helpful and supportive throughout the journey of these books. She has helped me really challenge myself to improve my story and has been there anytime I needed support on an idea. So, thank you, Toni. I really do appreciate what you’ve done.

  I would like to thank my loving family and friends who constantly provide me unconditional support. It makes me feel good that I can make them proud—that’s all I ever want to achieve.

  I would also like to acknowledge my fans on Wattpad—where it all started. Without your support, I wouldn’t be publishing this story. Your support through commenting, voting, and just in general reading the book is staggering! I appreciate it so much.

  I would like to acknowledge the person who is reading this book. Thank you. You don’t understand how much it means for me to think that there is someone out there who is enjoying my work.

  So, thank you. I hope you enjoyed reading Boss Undercover.

  About the Author

  Romance is just one thing J.S.Badham cannot get enough of! Whether it’s the typical cliché love-at-first-sight or I-hate-you-but-also-love-you compelling stories, they’re always close to her heart! Most will probably see it as trash literature but love is what makes the world go around! So, why not romance?

  Her spark for writing began at the age of fifteen; a passion ignited thanks to her favourite author, Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampires) encouraging her that writing is the ability to be able to share inner stories and connect to the world.

  J.S. Badham’s journey began on Wattpad, her path continues to grow, she continues to learn hoping that some day she’ll share a story that is inspiring.

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