Perfect Boss

by Penny Wylder

  A woman approaches us. She smiles at me and touches Marcus’s shoulder to get his attention. When he turns toward her, his brilliant lit face goes cold, as if a storm cloud had passed over his head. I didn’t recognize his ex-wife, Miranda, at first. Her hair is long and curly, cascading around her shoulders. In photos she always has it up. She’s in her early thirties, though she could easily pass for younger.

  Marcus’s lips tighten and there’s a wrinkle between his brows that I haven’t seen from him before. It’s an expression I don’t like at all. I hope the day he looks at me like that never comes.

  He looks at her with disdain, but she looks at him like he’s hung the moon. I don’t like that look on her face either. I want to be the only woman who looks at him like that. Suddenly I’m feeling very possessive and I cling to his arm. When she looks at me, her eyebrows rise.

  “You must be what all the gossip is about.” She reaches her hand out. Her nails are perfectly manicured. Bracelets jingle as she moves. It never occurred to me to get a manicure. I’m not sure why. Again, the self-consciousness catches up with me. I try to swallow it down, remembering that I’m the one on his arm and not her. He doesn’t look at me with the grimace he seems to save just for her.

  I smile and introduce myself. She gives a little snort at the sound of my name.

  “So you’re the girl of the hour,” she says, then gives Marcus a bit of a nudge on his arm and leans in. “But I’m guessing more like a minute.”

  Marcus glares at her, unamused. “She’s my wife.”

  Miranda takes a subtle step back. Had she not heard that part in all the gossip going around? She glances down at my hand, seeming to notice the ring for the first time. Then she notices the companion ring on Marcus’s finger and her hand goes to her chest where she fiddles with a diamond necklace that looks like it cost a fortune.

  “I’ve heard rumors, but I didn’t believe it.” She seems to swallow something stuck in her throat. “I guess congratulations are in order.”

  Marcus’s face softens a little. “Thank you, Miranda. I appreciate it.”

  Someone calls Miranda’s name. She looks relieved. “Please, excuse me for a moment. It’s a busy night.” Marcus nods and Miranda looks like she couldn’t get away fast enough.

  He then leans into me and talks just under his breath. “I think maybe the plan worked.”

  I look up at him. “Really? How can you tell?”

  “She’s acting different. The moment she saw you, she looked … detached. Like she finally realizes it’s over between us. I could be wrong. She might not be willing to sell her shares to me, but … maybe. It’s been a long time since I even thought there was a maybe in the future.”

  I squeeze his hand reassuringly.

  Miranda never comes back and Marcus doesn’t wait around for her. We go to several fashion shows. I’m still his personal assistant, so I’m busy taking notes and writing down all the different designers he likes and the styles he might want to see in his stores. I’m glad for the work. It gives me something to think about other than the turmoil I feel right now.

  Later, at an after party, he’s pulled away to look at someone’s look-book, and my feet are killing me in these shoes, so I find a quiet place to settle into and clean up my notes so they’re legible enough to read before I forget what I’d scribbled.

  While I’m alone, I’m approached by Miranda. My back instantly goes rigid. Marcus is nowhere around. I see the top of his head in the corner, but his nose is in a book and I’m on my own with the she-devil. She sits beside me without being invited and I pull in a breath and hold it until my lungs hurt.

  “Marcus has always been a terrible liar,” she says.

  She reminds me of Meryl Streep’s character in the Devil wears Prada, just a younger version. She reaches for my hand and toys with the diamond on my finger. I want to pull away from her, but can’t seem to move.

  “I know you’re not married. I have eyes and ears all over that store.”

  I should deny it, stand up for Marcus, but it wouldn’t take much for her to check the facts and find that there’s no marriage certificate. Continuing the lie will only make him look foolish and I want to protect him in any way I can.

  “He’s just using you, you know. He likes his shiny new toys.” She glances at the swell of my breasts pointedly to let me know exactly what she’s talking about. “But he always comes back to me in the end. We’ve been playing this little game from the beginning. There’s always some excuse to come to these events. What is it this time? Do I owe him money? Let me guess, he told you I’m holding the shares of his company hostage. That’s classic.”

  My heart thunders in my ears. She has to be lying. This is some kind of game she’s playing. Marcus wouldn’t use me just to have an excuse to be here … unless he’s been using me to make her jealous this whole time.

  My breathing sharpens even though I will my lungs to slow down.

  “Every time we meet at one of these events, we fuck and he begs me to come back to him.”

  I stand abruptly. I can’t listen to this anymore. I start to walk away, but she grabs my arm. “Let go of me,” I demand, but she doesn’t. When I try to pull out of her grip she rips my mother’s sweater. I push her and she falls back into her seat, looking at me, startled.

  We’ve attracted quite the audience by now. People have their phones out, recording and snapping pictures. My blood boils over. If I don’t leave now, I’m going to punch her right in the face.

  “You’re nothing,” she says as I flee, venom spewing from her lips. “You’re trash. He’ll never love you the way he loves me. It will be me in his bed tonight. Not you.”

  I glance over at where Marcus was standing. He sees the gathering crowd and heads toward us. I can’t be near him right now. I have to get out of here. There’s no way I’ll be able to run in these shoes, so I kick them off and I leave as fast as I can.

  7

  I walk the streets of Paris alone and barefoot. It’s a beautiful city but I’m struggling to take it all in. All I can think about are the horrible words Miranda said to me. I look down at my ripped sweater and my heart breaks. The one thing I had of my mother’s is ruined. It wasn’t worth it. None it was. The car, the promise of the house, the job, none of it is worth the heartbreak I feel right now.

  I flag down a taxi and head back to the hotel. I take off my clothes once I’m in the room and get in the shower, crying and letting the warm water run over me. I don’t want to be here when Marcus gets back. I just want to be alone, so I make it quick. I put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and head downstairs. I walk the streets some more to clear my head and find a pastry shop around the corner. That’s exactly what I need. I’m going to drown my sorrows in sugar and eat my feeling until there’s nothing left.

  Sitting in the bakery, eating flaky pastries, I know what I have to do. I have to leave Marcus’s home and my job at his store and find a way to make it on my own. I’ll ask Alba for help. Her family is always swamped at the diner. I’m sure they would give me job as a waitress until I can find something else. My love for fashion will have to go on the back burner for now. There will always be a fear of running into Marcus, and worse, Miranda. Maybe I can go back to school. I love books and reading. Maybe I can learn to be an editor. English was always my best subject.

  Either way, whatever Marcus and I had, it’s over. As heartbreaking as it is to admit it, that’s the reality.

  It’s late by the time I get back to the hotel. I take my time walking down the halls, wondering exactly what I’m going to say to him. When I’m standing in front of the door, I hear two people inside. Is that a woman’s voice? Someone is giggling. It’s two in the morning. If Miranda is in there with him, there’s only one thing they could be doing.

  My stomach tightens and my hands shake as I reach for the handle. I don’t want to see what I’m afraid is happening in there.

  I open the door, ready to go off on them, but when I get inside,
Miranda isn’t in the room. The TV is on. Marcus is on the bed, alone, still in his clothes, watching a French version of The Bachelor. He jumps up when he sees me, my sweater falling off his lap.

  “There you are, I was afraid you got lost,” he says, his voice full of worry.

  I pick the sweater up off the floor. There’s no trace of the rip. He sewed it up so that it looks like new. I hug it to my chest. It smells like him.

  Tears start to stream down my cheeks. “Thank you for fixing it.”

  “It was the least I could do. I’m so sorry that I left you alone. I never should have done that with Miranda stalking the room like a shark. I saw a video of the confrontation. She’s a liar and a manipulator. I’ve never had sex with her at one of these events. If anything, I go out of my way to avoid her for this very reason. She does whatever she can to make my life hell.”

  He reaches for me, tentatively, like he’s afraid I might pull away from him. I don’t. I’m just so happy to hear him say those words. When he holds me, everything feels like it’s going to be okay.

  “I’m sorry I put money and getting my shares back from Miranda above your feelings. I’ll never do that again. You will always come first.”

  I lean back to look him in the eyes. “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying I want to be with you, Ruby. I’ve fallen head over heels in love with you and I would give up my company and all my money before I’ll let you go.”

  His eyes bore into mine and I know he’s telling me the truth.

  “I love you, too,” I say, the words barely audible. My voice is rough from crying.

  Marcus crushes his lips against mine, then lays me down on the bed, pushing himself against me. I arch back, loving how it feels.

  His lips are warm and delicious. He kisses me with a fervor that is so much stronger than he’s ever kissed me before. Whenever I stop kissing him, he pulls me back in. We kiss until our lips are raw. He keeps his eyes open, watching my face as he undresses me.

  He peels off my shirt and takes off my bra. I take off his pants and boxers, and we keep removing each other’s clothes until we’re both naked. As soon as his cock springs free from his boxers, I have my hands wrapped around it. He licks and sucks at my neck and breasts. A whimper passes between my lips as he flicks my hard nipple with my tongue. Then he takes the whole thing in his mouth, kneading and biting gently at the soft mound of flesh.

  He seems to lose focus for a moment as I pay thorough attention to his cock. His breath quickens, then I slow down to keep him from coming too fast.

  He lets out a low chuckle. “You’re amazing at that,” he says.

  I give him a sly grin. “I’m amazing at a lot of things. We’ve barely just scratched the surface.”

  He gives me a curious look. “I look forward to learning all your different talents throughout our lives together.”

  “Our lives together…” I say, repeating the words. “I like the sound of that.”

  He kisses my cheek, then my lips. “Me too.”

  “I want you inside me,” I tell him.

  “Anything you want.”

  He gets himself into position. The head of his cock meets my slippery warm opening. I can feel the heat of him radiating through me.

  As he pushes into me, my mouth parts and my breath shivers out. Once he’s all the way in, my muscles clench around him, and he lets out a feral growl. We fit together like a glove. He pulls out and pushes his way back in over and over until I’m clawing at the sheets.

  “Oh, God, your cock feels so good inside of me.”

  My dirty words fuel his fire. His lips turn up in a smirk, and he pushes harder. Each time he drives into me, I scream for him not to stop, and thankfully he doesn’t. The man has incredible stamina and powerful legs that allow him to thrust deep and hard.

  I lift my legs, nearly folding myself in half. He’s able go deeper in this position. “Fuck, yes, right there. Please don’t stop,” I beg.

  “I love the way your tight pussy squeezes my cock,” he says, each word spoken with a thrust.

  He fucks the breath from my lungs until I’m gasping for air. As my orgasm hurls toward me, my body starts to buck and shake. I’m holding my breath, making choking sounds as his breathing changes and quickens. My pussy clamps down so tight that he can no longer move and he’s trapped inside of me. He lets out a long moan as he unloads his seed into me.

  When we’re done, we lay beside each other, our bodies useless and unmovable from exertion.

  He stays inside of me, even after he’s gone limp, and I love that connected feeling between us. He’s warm and comforting. He feels like home.

  8

  The next day we head to the breakfast buffet for the business meeting between the shareholders. I hate that I have to be in the same room with Miranda again, and I hate that she was able to get under my skin. Marcus holds my hand as we enter the room. It’s a long table and there are plenty of other people there, so at least I don’t have to sit near her.

  I do notice, however, that she continues to stare at me throughout the meeting. I try to take as many notes as possible, but it’s distracting. Marcus puts his hand on my knee for comfort, and it helps a little.

  When Marcus stands to speak to the committee, he kisses the top of my head. Just at that moment I meet Miranda’s gaze and she looks stunned. I think she thought her shenanigans from last night would tear us apart. It almost worked, I’ll give her that. But it’s going to take more than lies to tear us apart. Now that I know he’s just as in love with me as I am with him, there’s no way I’m going to let anyone interfere with my happiness. I’ve lost too many people that I love. I won’t lose anyone else. Especially not to jealousy and petty games.

  Once everyone has said their part, we get up to leave. We have a flight to catch and I’m eager to get back to the states and start my new life with Marcus as a couple.

  Someone taps my shoulder as I’m leaving the room, and to my surprise, when I turn around to see who it is, Miranda is standing there. I’m poised to fight. If she thinks I’m going to let her tear my sweater again, she has another thing coming.

  “That was an interesting meeting—” Miranda starts to say, but Marcus cuts her off before she can finish her sentence.

  “You can keep the shares, Miranda. I don’t care anymore, but if you’re holding onto them thinking that you stand a chance with me, you should get that out of your head right now. Ruby and I are in love and I’m going to spend the rest of my life with her.”

  My heart starts thundering in my chest. I want to kiss him right now, but instead I settle for holding his hand.

  Miranda smirks at him, and at first I think she’s going to come back with something bitchy to say about it, how I’m nothing, how I’m trash. But instead she hands him an envelope.

  Wary, Marcus opens it. Inside is a bill of sale for the shares. They’re signed over to Marcus.

  “I didn’t believe you at first when you showed up with Ruby on your arm. I thought it was all just a game.” She gives him a knowing grin. “And I’m sure it was at first. But you never looked at me the way you look at her. I guess this is goodbye.”

  She gives me a sad smile and leaves without saying anything else and without waiting for Marcus to reply.

  I can’t believe that just happened. Marcus looks at me like he can’t believe it either.

  On the plane I’m not nearly as nervous as I was the first time, but I’m still uneasy. Marcus’s fingers wrap around mine and I stare down at the ring.

  “I should probably take this off now,” I say, and start to twist the ring off my finger. I bet it cost a fortune and I’m sure he’ll be wanting it back.

  “No,” he says, covering my hand with his. “Keep it on. At least until I can get you a proper engagement ring—that is, if you’ll marry me.”

  Giddy laughter bursts from my mouth and my eyes start to well up with tears. “Of course I’ll marry you.”

  He kisses me and I can’
t remember a time in my life when I’ve been happier than I am right now.

  THE END

  Keep reading for my special Bonus Story!

  The Billionaire’s Toy!

  Want another hot and dirty read? Check out the first chapter of THE ROOMMATE’S BABY, available now!

  "Rina Smith?"

  I straighten my skirt and shove to my feet, waving at the nurse behind the desk and wondering if she recognizes me by now. After all, it's my third time here at the clinic.

  My stomach is a huge ball of nerves. My first two visits were easy—I just had to speak to the doctor about what I want. That much wasn't hard. I want a baby. Then I had to submit my employment history, proof of my capabilities to take care of said baby, not to mention being able to afford the steep price tag attached to this treatment. But again, that wasn't hard. I've had a hugely successful legal career, and I'm due for another promotion next quarter when my boss and mentor retires and names me as her successor. My life is completely on track in every way. By the time I'm forty, just twelve years from now, I should make partner at my firm. I'm living every dream I've ever had.

  Except one.

  I've been kind of busy, between killing it at work, keeping up with all my close friends, and enjoying my time off in ways I love—vacationing at the shore, going on hikes on the weekends–I haven't had a lot of time to date.

  Okay, so I've had zero time for dating, actually. Ever since my first and only long-term relationship fell apart a few years ago. Well, more like blew up in my face. It’s left me hesitant to ever go through anything like that again.