Mr. Hired Boss (Alphalicious Billionaires Boss Book 4)

by Lindsey Hart

  As soon as I stop, Gabriel throws open the back door of the car and tosses in his duffel. The suit follows, laid out with a little more care. Then, he climbs into the passenger seat like we’re old friends who’ve known each other for ages.

  It’s only going to be us two on the drive to my parents’ house. Dean, being held up at work will be driving up by himself tomorrow.

  Seattle traffic could test anyone’s patience, and mine isn’t the best. In order to distract Gabriel from judging my driving, which is made worse because I’m very self-conscious with him sitting right beside me—living proof that we’re seriously doing this—I glance at the glovebox at a red light.

  “If you open that up, there’s an envelope with five hundred dollars inside.”

  “Alright.” He pops the glove box, stares at the envelope for a second, and shuts the plastic hatch back up with a little pop.

  “Aren’t you going to count it, or at least open it?”

  “I trust you.”

  The light turns green. I go back to trying to get our asses out of the city.

  “What do you like to do for fun?” It’s a while before Gabriel says anything, and I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting that.

  I was prepared for him to ask me a million questions about my family. About the wedding. About myself, since we’re supposed to be going out. I already have a plan to cover for that. Since I can’t just sit here and keep it bottled up, I blurt it out.

  “I’m going to tell my parents we met two weeks ago. I didn’t want to tell them about you because it was too soon and too new, but I’m now definitely sure I’m falling for you, so I suppose there’s no time like the present. I hate that saying. It’s stupid. There are lots of better times than the present, but coming single to my sister’s wedding makes me look like a fool, and the whole bit about if you weren’t there, my parents wouldn’t actually believe you existed and would probably pester me until I died from their endless pestering.”

  “I think you can actually die from being smothered, but I’m not sure about pestered.”

  I bite down on my bottom lip to keep a smile in check. “I think that’s the wrong kind of smothering.”

  “You never know.”

  “Fun.” Right. He asked me about what I do for fun. Because he’s a nice guy. Doing me a massive favor. Yes, it might be for cash, but he’s right. He’s putting his fair share of good karma out into the world. I should at least answer him, no matter how boring I might sound. “Let’s see. I’m an interior designer, so I do that, I guess. It takes up a lot of my time. Or I make it take up time. I book a lot of appointments after hours and work with clients that a lot of other people turned down. I don’t mind that it takes up time. I guess it keeps me busy, which is not always a bad thing. It pays well, and who doesn’t like getting paid to shop and pick out awesome colors?”

  “Colors?”

  “Oh. Sorry. Colors are like the coordinating finishes. It can be flooring choice, backsplash, window treatments, furniture shapes and colors—” Suddenly, I’m aware that I’m getting carried away. The light ahead of me turns red, and when I stop, I turn to Gabriel, expecting a very bored expression on his face, but he’s studying me with what appears to be keen interest.

  “I have no idea what it means, but I like that you’re obviously passionate about it. You’re probably really good at it. Maybe I should hire you to redo my place.”

  “Give me a chance to earn some of that money back? Sure. If you’re serious.”

  “It’s a new build, and it’s drab as hell, but I have no idea what to do with it. I haven’t gotten around to figuring it out.”

  “A new build?”

  A strange look passes over Gabriel’s face, and his dark eyes seem to shutter off completely. He blinks, and it’s like he just checked out. “Freshly renovated inside. I guess I should get my terms straight. I told you I wasn’t good at this.”

  “That’s alright.” I start moving at a snail pace ahead of me towards the next red light. Only an hour more of this, and we should be home free, heading towards what could be my doom. I’m not entirely sure I’m actually excited to get to my parent’s house, but I am excited to get the heck out of this traffic. “If you’re serious, sure. You have my number.”

  “I do.” Gabriel nods. I glance sidelong at him while we creep along. The car is moving, but barely. “But you didn’t answer me. I guess you kind of did, sort of…if you do that for fun, but I meant hobbies. I should know something about you, just a few basics if we’re going to sell this.”

  “I like to read. I like painting, but I suck. I like sewing, and I’m a little better at that, as sometimes it’s a job requirement. I also like plants, and I have a cat. I like her too. She’s a rescue from a shelter. A calico. And her name is Princess Bob.”

  “Princess Bob?”

  “I didn’t name her. She was really sick when she came into the shelter, and this lady fostered her, and she had a daughter who named her. She begged me to keep the name, and I couldn’t deny her.”

  “That’s sweet,” Gabriel coughs out.

  “What? Should I have broken a little girl’s heart?”

  “No. But you could have renamed her after. She would never have known.”

  “That’s just…that’s terrible energy to put into the universe.”

  Gabriel gets this satisfied smirk on his face, and I realize I’ve just declared myself to be a pretty huge hypocrite, given that I’m embarking on a whole journey to lie to a massive amount of people.

  “What do you do for fun?” I croak out. I desperately want to change the subject.

  “I’m a bit of a nerd. I like computers. Gaming. Software. I also like reading.”

  “But clearly, not romances.”

  “No.” Gabriel laughs, and I’m pretty sure the hair on the backs of my arms shivers to life since the sound is so musical and rich. “Not romances. I read non-fiction mostly, but if I do read fiction, it’s usually the thriller books.”

  “I bet you like true crime. You seem like a true crime kind of guy.”

  “I’m afraid not. I like more political stuff. I guess some of it would be the adventure genre as well.”

  “Do you have any pets?”

  “No. Not right now. I used to travel a lot for work, so I never felt like I had time to care for one properly, but I’ve toned things down in the past year. Maybe I’ll get a fish or something.”

  “A fish? That’s hardly a pet.”

  “I think the poor fish that just wants to be loved would prove you wrong.”

  “Okay,” I laugh. I finally hit a break in traffic, so I edge towards the maze of turns that will eventually end up in us getting the hell out of here. “What do you do for a living? I guess I should ask. It would seem weird if I didn’t know.”

  “I guess I’m like you. I work too much, also in technology. And my hobbies overlap.”

  “I’m really glad you could take a holiday. And that you’re here. Seriously, I am. I can’t say it enough.”

  When I sidelong glance at Gabriel in what is probably the most sketchy way a person could look at another person, he has a dangerous look going on. The kind of look that says he might secretly find it funny to cause me lots of trouble this weekend. But not bad trouble. Just funny trouble.

  The look hits me like getting slapped with a glass of water and leaves me extra worried—kind of. I guess I just realized Gabriel actually has a sense of humor. And it might be dry. Really, really dry. Normally, I like dry, but I’m not sure this counts. Maybe I’d actually like it a little bit wet.

  God. That just sounds wrong.

  “I’m glad I’m here too. I mean, what’s better than a wedding? There’s always cake, at least. And free dinner. And some entertainment, if there’s going to be speeches.”

  I want to lambaste my face all over the steering wheel, but I remain upright and settle for dying a little, or a lot, inside.

  “My grandmas are going to love you,” I sigh. “They might pin
ch your cheeks. Just a warning. Both of them, if they can reach up that high. And yes, I have the same name as my one grandma. That’s why I sound like an eighty-year-old lady and love it.”

  “Pearl suits you.”

  “Why? Because I’m boring, old fashioned, and dry?”

  “No. Because Pearl is a beautiful name, and you’re the most beautiful woman in the world, my snookums.”

  “Snookums?” I nearly drive the car straight off the road and have to correct my steering fast. We only swerve moderately. “What the hell?” I gape at Gabriel. Do not call me that!” And what about the bit before that?

  “Sorry, just practicing for a few hours from now. This is the only rehearsal we’re going to get. You’re saying that Snookums is not an appropriate form of endearment? Should I go for the classic, babe? Or maybe it’s bae now? We have to keep up with the times and all.”

  “Argh! No! None of those. I’m not a mushy person! I don’t use terms of endearment at all. Just my name will do.”

  “Pearly whirly?”

  “No! No! Just, no!”

  “Okay. Point taken, my baby bunny wunny rabbit babbit boo-boo.”

  “Christ,” I mutter.

  This is going to be a very long weekend. Hopefully, I make it out alive without too many disgusting terms of endearment directed my way. Oddly enough, thoughts of having to fake kiss or fake hold hands or fake hug Gabriel isn’t nearly as bad, which means it is really bad. Bad for me.

  Yup. Long mother-effing weekend of terrible torture, here I come.

  My sister will never know just how much I sacrificed for her to keep her special day special.

  CHAPTER 6

  Gabriel

  Sisston has a big welcome sign right outside the small town. It’s located off an exit and down a road lined and littered with potholes that Pearl dodges with expertise—expertise that’s probably born out of navigating it for the better part of her life.

  “I lived here until I was eighteen,” she says, not looking at me. She swerves to miss another pothole, then stops at a stop sign in the middle of absolutely nowhere. She actually looks in all four directions before she continues on. “It’s not big. Only six hundred people. I graduated with Dean and fourteen other kids, and we were a big class.”

  “It looks nice.” The houses and the yards really do have that quaint, small-town feel. Everything is neatly manicured. The yards are cut, people’s houses have porches, and flowers add splashes of color in pots and flower beds.

  “There aren’t any sidewalks except on the main street, which has like ten businesses. It’s got the usual restaurant and bar, post office, town office, and gas station combo. The school is brick, and it was a hundred years old two years ago.” Pearl pauses for a breath. I notice how her hands tighten on the wheel just a little. “I never appreciated growing up here until I moved. Not fully, at least. Not until I got to the city. No one knows each other’s name there. The traffic is crazy too, and it’s easy to just get lost. You can’t do that here. At first, I really liked it, but after a few years, it’s nice to take a break and come home for a weekend.”

  “Even if your parents hound you to death?”

  “They do that when I’m not here too.”

  I was trying to be funny, but I notice the way Pearl’s shoulders hunch up. She’s nervous. We must be getting close. My suspicions are confirmed when she pulls down a short driveway off to the side of a medium-sized gray, two-story house. The siding of the house looks new. There’s a porch overhanging the front door, and copious amounts of flowers are spilling out of pots wherever you look. It’s a corner lot, so the yard is quite large.

  “This is nice.” I mean it, but Pearl shoots me a dirty look.

  “Please don’t mess this up. I know it would probably be funny and serve me right, but my sister would never forgive me, and I doubt my parents would either. We’re in this now. No backing out.”

  I nod solemnly, a little wounded that she still doesn’t trust me, but then again, she’s also known me for all of a few hours. I get that a lot is riding on this for her.

  The stakes ratchet up a few notches when half a household cracks the red front door and spills out onto the porch and lawn. I can tell right away before I even get my seatbelt off which ones are Pearl’s parents. They’d stand out in a crowd as related to her since they have the same features. Pearl’s parents both have darker hair and darker eyes. I can see that even from where I am. Their facial features are a mix of Pearl’s, or I guess it should be the other way around. Both her parents are still quite trim, and her dad looks fairly athletic, even now. Her mom is quite pretty, and she looks rather astounding with a blue and white polka dot sundress on.

  I spot Pearl’s sister right away too. There are five other women out on the lawn, but Susan stands out. She’s beautiful too, with darker hair and the same hazel eyes Pearl has. I notice this because she’s walking towards the car, staring intently at both of us.

  The whole world freezes on the front lawn the second I open the car door, and I’m reminded that Pearl didn’t warn anyone she was bringing a plus one.

  For a second, it’s like the entire world is holding its breath, then it’s released, and everything explodes into action.

  Pearl’s parents come running. I really mean, running, over to us. I slowly edge around the front of the car to stand by Pearl. Her whole posture is rigid, almost like she’s waiting for the sky to open up and send a lightning bolt straight down to fry her for even thinking of lying to her family. I loop an arm casually around her waist and tug her gently to my side. A shiver rips through her, but it’s probably fear since her parents are now just a foot away.

  Standing at the edge of the driveway and gaping at us in astonishment, their faces are literally frozen with shock, but it quickly melts away to such immense pleasure, anyone would think they’d just won the lottery or something.

  Pearl remains frozen at my side, so I stick a hand out in her parent’s general direction. “Nice to meet you.” I realize, too late, that I should have let her take the lead. I’m about to say Mister or Missus something, but then I realize I don’t even know Pearl’s last name.

  “Oh no,” Pearl’s mom says quickly. “We don’t use last names here. It’s Marnie and Fred. And we are so happy you’re here! Pearl didn’t tell us she was bringing anyone.”

  “Mom,” Pearl groans. “Don’t scare him off the second he gets out of the car. This is Gabriel. And we’re new. So please, don’t jinx it.”

  “Jinx it?” Marnie gasps. “I would never! Oh, my goodness! Isn’t this just a great surprise!”

  “Now, Marnie,” Fred warns softly, but there’s so much affection in it that it’s hard to take him seriously. “Let them at least get their bags out, and let’s get them fed and watered. We can save the questions for later.”

  “Yes. Right, I’m sorry.” Marnie grins at both of us. “Let us help you with your bags.”

  “That’s quite alright,” I assure them. “I’ve got it.”

  “That can wait too!” Susan rushes forward to hug her sister. Pearl quickly disengages from me, and I have to admit, I kind of miss having my arm around her narrow waist. She was warm, and of course, she smells like heaven. Now I’m the one getting chills running up my spine, and I can’t blame it on the weather because it’s full-on sunny and as hot as the inside of an old boot after a long day’s work. “You’re here right on time! We have everything set up in the back yard.”

  “Everything?” Pearl asks tentatively.

  “All the games! I didn’t have a stagette since I couldn’t get everyone together before the wedding, and I didn’t want that anyway, but you already knew that, so I planned a whole bunch of party games for this afternoon instead.”

  “We were just about to play pin the penis on the groom,” one of Susan’s friends—a tall, blonde woman—pipes up from the crowd of friends and probably bridesmaids that are gathered near the front step.

  “We have different colored penises!” That
’s from a brunette.

  “Purple and green and pink and blue!” Another one of the friends, though it’s not obvious which one because I can’t actually see the whole group.

  “Oh. That sounds…um…great.” Pearl looks at me like I might be able to save her, but I just shrug, almost imperceptibly.

  “He can play too!” The blonde says eagerly.

  “Whoa now,” I warn. “I’d participate if I were doing the pinning, but not if I was being pinned to.”

  There’s a chorus of giggles as I flash my best, friendly grin. Pearl groans beside me while Susan claps her hands eagerly. Fred goes around to the trunk of the car and starts grabbing Pearl’s bags, and Marnie starts talking about cookies and iced tea, which sounds really, really good since I’m getting roasted like a rotisserie chicken under the early afternoon summer sun.

  While I break away and grab my own bags before Fred can burden himself with them, Susan leads her friends around the side of the house, probably into the back yard. Fred marches on ahead, and Marnie quickly follows.

  “Two minutes down, only about five thousand more to go,” Pearl mutters under her breath as I walk beside her to the front door. I notice she doesn’t lock the car even though there’s an envelope with cash in the glove box.

  “You know how many minutes there are in a day? That’s impressive.”

  “Not a day. Three and a half days. We still have Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and the rest of today to get through.”

  “Still. You counted that out?”

  “I did do the calculation on my phone last night. I thought breaking it down by minutes would be helpful.”