With a sigh, I collapsed into my chair, and then I saw her.
Tessa was sleeping on my office couch.
Her back was to me, but I knew it was her by her dark hair and spectacular ass. This morning, I had noted how good she looked in her dark purple dress, and I hadn’t forgotten. It was definitely Tessa.
But since I had also noted how tired she was this morning, I opted to not disturb her, and I opened the folders that had been placed on my desk.
I was about halfway through my notes to Rob when I heard a whimper coming from the other side of the room. I looked up to see Tessa shaking her head back and forth.
“No. Please,” she mumbled.
Shit. She was having a bad dream.
I got up from my desk and walked over to her. I didn’t know if it was better to try to soothe her or to wake her up, so I opted for trying to calm her first. Especially since I had no idea how she’d react to waking up in my office. I sat down by her legs and put my hand on her upper arm.
She stilled, and her breathing evened out some, so it seemed to have worked.
As I was about to get up again, she muttered, “No, no, not again,” and rolled onto her back so fast that she kneed me in the side.
The pain in her voice was it for me.
“Tessa, wake up,” I commanded.
Her eyes popped open, and she bolted into a sitting position.
She looked visibly shaken, and the color had drained from her face.
“Oh my God, I am so sorry. I didn’t—”
I put my hand up because that wasn’t important right now. “Are you okay?” I asked.
“I guess that depends.”
I frowned. “On what?”
“How much trouble I’m in.”
“You’re not in trouble. I’m asking if you’re okay because you were having a bad dream.”
“Oh, that. Yeah, I get nightmares from time to time. It’s not a big deal.”
I didn’t believe that and suspected that was why she had been tired when she came into work this morning.
I stood and held out my hand. “Let me take you home.”
“I can’t let you do that. I live over a half hour away. Besides, my car is here.”
“Where do you live?”
“Shakopee.”
It wasn’t the closest suburb, but it wasn’t the farthest away she could live either.
“It’s okay. I live close. Let me take you home.”
She eyed me skeptically. “You live close to Shakopee?”
“Close enough,” I lied. “Now, let me take you home.”
“But then I won’t be able to get back here in the morning.”
“I’ll pick you up.”
Her eyes rounded. “Won’t that look bad?”
“Why? People commute together to work all the time.”
“I’m fine. Really.” She swung her legs to the floor, pushed herself to her feet, and immediately swayed.
I grabbed her around the waist. “Whoa. I don’t think you’re fine.”
She looked up at me, and close up, I noticed how beautiful her eyes were. I also noticed how good she felt against me.
I let her go and stepped back. “I’m taking you home. No further arguments,” I said in a voice that was firmer than needed. But I was hard now and wasn’t in the mood to waste time, having her try to convince me that she was better off driving herself.
She took the time to shut off her computer and grab her things, and we headed to the parking garage in silence.
When we got to my vehicle, she asked, “Is your other car in the shop?”
“My other car?”
“Yeah, I thought you’d drive a sports car or something. At least in the summer.”
I laughed. “Tessa, this is a Cadillac Escalade.”
“Okay. I don’t know what that means, except it’s an SUV.”
I smiled at her. Escalades weren’t the most expensive SUV on the market, but they were up there. “Get in.”
Once we were both seated, I handed her my phone. “Type in your address.”
Taking my cell from me, she started typing as I made my way out to the street.
I heard my phone ding, and Tessa said, “Oh. Oh.”
“What?”
She shoved my phone back at me and turned her face away. “I think you should take this back.”
“Did you finish typing in your address?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I just saw some stranger’s bajingo.”
“Bajingo? What’s a bajin—” I burst out laughing as I answered my own question.
“It’s not funny.”
I tried to school my face. “You’re right. The fact that you saw what you saw is not funny. But the fact that you called a pussy a bajingo is very funny.” I grinned because I couldn’t hold it in.
We got to the bottom of the ramp, and since no one was behind me, I quickly grabbed my phone and looked. I sighed when I saw the name and immediately deleted the picture. I put my cell back in Tessa’s lap.
“It’s safe now. I deleted the pic. Can you tell me which way to turn and finish putting in your address?”
“Go right.” She finished typing. “Done. Where should I put it?”
I pointed to the magnet I had on my dashboard. “But before you hang it up, can you find Amy in my text messages?”
“Who’s Amy?”
“The woman whose bajingo you just saw,” I teased.
Tessa rolled her eyes at me. “You’re not funny.”
“I believe you already told me something to that effect.”
“So, why would I need to find her in your text messages?”
“Two reasons. I’m driving, and you’re my assistant. I need you to assist me, so I don’t get us into a car accident.”
“If you need help sending a dick pic back to her, I quit.”
I laughed again. “No. I need you to text her and tell her to stop messaging me.”
“Wait, really?” Tessa put the phone down. “But she just sent you an intimate photo. A very intimate photo.”
“Yeah. One that I did not ask for.”
I had met Amy a couple of years ago at a fundraiser. She’d seemed nice when I first met her, but it was clear she only wanted a rich husband. I had known long ago that I would rather be alone than in a relationship that wasn’t based on love.
“Huh.”
“What’s huh?”
“I guess I never thought a guy would turn down something like that.”
“Then, you haven’t been around the right kind of guys.”
She seemed to think on this. “You’re right. Anyway, what do you want me to say?”
I rubbed my chin. “If you pursued a guy who wasn’t showing you interest, what would make you leave him alone?”
She opened her mouth, and I just knew she was going to tell me that she would never pursue a man who didn’t want her.
“Hypothetically,” I quickly added.
“Hmm…” She looked down at my phone and typed away. A few seconds later, she hung up my phone on the dash and rubbed her hands together. “And done.”
“What did you say?”
“I wrote, Please stop sending inappropriate photos like this. You are a lovely person, but I am not interested in dating you. However, my grandfather, who saw your picture first, is a widower and would very much like to take you out.”
“You didn’t.”
“You’re right. I didn’t.”
I chuckled. “Oh shit, that would have been good though.”
She lifted a shoulder. “I thought so. But I didn’t want to make your grandpa, even if he’s fictional, a dirty old man.”
“So, what did you really say?”
“What every woman hates to hear. I’m sorry, but I’m in a relationship now. Please stop sending me inappropriate photos. Otherwise, I will have to block you. As a woman, it’s never fun to be turned down for someone else.”
My pho
ne dinged, and Tessa leaned forward. “Wow. This bitch has balls.”
She snatched my cell up without even asking me, and I liked how she was taking charge. A good assistant knew when to do things on her own.
I turned my eyes back to the road, but I heard my camera click, and then Tessa mumbled something.
This time, she practically slammed my phone back down.
“Hey, gentle. It didn’t do anything to you.”
“Sorry.”
“What happened?” I asked as my GPS told me to turn left up ahead.
“She said she didn’t believe you, and if you had a woman in your life, you’d show proof.” She scoffed. “What kind of woman doesn’t believe that? And even if she doesn’t, it’s apparent by the message that he doesn’t want you, Amy.”
“Should have gone with the grandpa scenario after all.” I wasn’t the least bit surprised Amy would not take a text at face value. “So, did you block her?”
“Nope. I sent her back a picture of my boobs.”
This had me almost driving into the curb. “For real?”
“I had to send her proof that you had someone.”
“I’m sure just a picture of us smiling with our heads together would have done the trick.”
“Oh…I guess I’m still tired.” She shrugged. “Oh well. Too late now.”
Too late for Amy’s eyes and too late for my imagination.
After I dropped Tessa off at her house, I drove back to the city and to my penthouse apartment. I had lied when I told her I lived close, but she would have never let me take her home otherwise. Besides, it wasn’t that big of a deal to take her home and pick her up in the morning.
I threw my suit in the laundry, put on a pair of gray sweats, and went to cook a small dinner.
As my food was simmering on the stove, I grabbed my phone. I really did need to block Amy, but first, I needed to delete her message thread and her number from my Contacts list.
When I opened my text messages, I saw that she had messaged back: Dick. Out of curiosity, I opened it just to check to see what Tessa had written.
She had indeed actually sent Amy a message about me having a girlfriend. And she had also sent Amy a picture of her breasts. And then she had not remembered to delete it.
It was ten times sexier than the crotch shot Amy had sent.
I turned off the burner and headed to my room. My hard cock was in my hand before I even reached my bed.
I should not be thinking about my assistant like this, yet I couldn’t help myself. One thing was for sure: if I didn’t keep myself in line at work, I would be in a world of trouble.
Chapter Eight
Tessa
The next morning, I found myself actually excited to see Seth.
I had gone to bed early, slept without a single bad dream, and woken up, feeling refreshed. Not only was I in a much better mood than the previous morning, I had also enjoyed the ride home last night.
It had been fun to help Seth fend off the Amy woman, and I was impressed that he hadn’t taken her up on her offer. He was definitely good-looking and rich enough to sleep with a woman and never call her again, and that woman probably wouldn’t even hold a grudge. He could have dropped me off and gotten himself a booty call. But instead, he had asked for my advice on how to let her down in a way that firmly delivered the message.
When I saw Seth pull into my driveway, I rushed outside, so he wouldn’t have to wait for me.
“Good morning,” I said as I got in and closed the door.
“Morning,” he said without even glancing my way.
Someone was in a bad mood, it seemed.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Just fine.”
“Did Amy text you back last night?”
He tensed up but only for a second.
Maybe he had gone to see her after he dropped me off.
The amount of disappointment I felt was not rational.
“Sorry, it’s none of my business,” I said.
Just because he had been open with me yesterday didn’t mean he felt that way this morning.
“No, it’s fine. She called me a dick, and that was that.”
I chuckled, and he shot me a look.
“I don’t mean to laugh, but it is kind of funny. Do you think she’ll leave you alone now?”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter if she does or not. I blocked her.”
I turned away from him and grinned. So, he hadn’t gone to see Amy last night. But I couldn’t let my pleasure in this information show. I shouldn’t even be feeling pleasure about this situation. This was my boss.
“I figured out why I was still sleeping on your couch yesterday. I’d accidentally set my alarm for a.m. instead of p.m. Not that I should have done it in the first place. It was very inappropriate of me to sleep on the job.”
“I said that you could. And as long as you get your work done, I don’t care what you do on your breaks.”
Except I had slept way longer than a simple fifteen-minute break, but I didn’t say that out loud. Even though Seth was speaking to me, he still seemed to be brooding about something. Maybe he hadn’t felt like picking me up this morning.
I chewed on my lip. Added to the fact that I’d made him leave work earlier than he planned last night, he might be upset he had driven me home.
It was probably best to leave him alone.
I occupied myself with looking at my phone and scrolling on social media to pass the time, and we got to work sooner than I had expected.
We got out of his vehicle, and he took off as soon as his door was closed.
“I need to get up there. I had planned to finish looking over Rob’s stuff last night,” he said as he walked away, leaving me to stand there by myself.
So, he had gotten behind on work, and even though he had been the one to insist on driving me home the evening before, I still felt bad. If Seth had asked, I would have even gone into work early today.
Hoping to smooth things over, I walked the two blocks to the nearest coffee shop to get him a latte. When I entered, the sights and smells reminded me of what I was working toward. My own place like this.
So, if my new—yet temporary—boss was a little irritated today, I could deal with it because it was bringing me one step closer to my dream.
By Friday, things at the Bradford Group had shifted into a normal work experience.
There were no more embarrassing moments between Seth and me. I didn’t mistake him for someone else, I didn’t fall asleep on his couch, and he didn’t drive me home again.
And while he wasn’t as friendly with me as he had been on Tuesday evening, he wasn’t as standoffish as he had been on Wednesday morning.
He was treating me like a normal employee, and I was treating him like my boss.
Late that morning, I had just returned to my desk from the copy machine when my phone buzzed.
Alexis: What time do you take lunch?
Me: Between 11:30 and noon. Why?
Alexis: Was hoping to talk to you during your break.
Me: I can do that.
I spotted an empty office that I could use to talk to Alexis in private when she called me. I didn’t want Seth or anyone else to hear me talking to my friend. She might have bad news.
Me: Everything okay with the ex?
Alexis: No. What I mean is, nothing has changed. But it wasn’t good to begin with.
Me: So, you’re saying, there could be better news.
Alexis: LOL. Yes.
Me: I’ll talk to you in about an hour. Sound good?
Alexis: Sounds perfect.
I set down my phone and went back to work.
I actually lost track of time and didn’t look up until I heard, “Tessa?”
It was Rhonda coming around the corner.
I stood. “Yes.”
“Were you expecting someone?”
I frowned in confusion.
“Someone named Alexis?”
“Oh, uh
, Alexis is my friend.”
Rhonda waved behind her, and Alexis popped around the corner.
“Surprise,” she said and held up a white box.
I grinned. “I didn’t know you were coming here.”
She wiggled her hips and smiled as she walked over to me. “That’s because I fooled you into thinking that I wanted to talk on the phone.”
“Yeah, you did.”
I noticed that Rhonda was still there. “Thanks for bringing Alexis over here.”
“You’re welcome. And don’t forget, we’re going for drinks tonight.”
I froze.
“Colleen said she told you.”
“Oh, she did, but I forgot.” Forgot to come up with a good excuse. “I have plans with Alexis,” I said.
Rhonda looked over at her. “Your friend can come too.”
Well, crap. What do I say now?
“Sorry, we can’t,” Alexis said in a disappointed voice that I recognized as fake, but Rhonda probably didn’t have a clue. “We have a double date we’re going on tonight. Although drinks with the girls sounds much more fun.”
I stifled a laugh.
“Maybe next time,” Rhonda said.
I only nodded, so I didn’t do something inappropriate.
Once she was gone, Alexis and I erupted into laughter.
Chapter Nine
Seth
“You are such a liar,” Tessa told her friend. “A double date.” She snorted. “I think that goes against the club oath.”
“I had to say something,” her friend said. “Otherwise, you’d be going out with them tonight.” She lowered her chin. “I mean, the last I heard, you didn’t want to go, did you?”
“God, no. I just want to go home and relax.” Tessa pointed at something. “Now, show me what you brought me.”
Her friend looked up and saw me. She blinked a couple of times. “Tessa, I think someone needs something from you.”
I stepped out of my doorway. I hadn’t meant to listen to their conversation so long, but it had seemed rude to interrupt them. However, now that I’d been seen, I might as well introduce myself.
Not Another Billionaire (Not Another Romance) Page 4