by Tyler Grey
BOSS WITH BENEFITS
By Tyler Grey
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2018
Chapter One
Seth
“Finally, fucking done.”
I set the dense stack of pages full of numbers off to the side with a relieved sigh. After an entire afternoon pouring over the figures of this financial prospectus for a proposed acquisition, I closed the binder with relief. I had other things on my mind.
Two weeks. I’d had two agonizing weeks of no sex. I ran a hand through my hair in irritation as I set back in my chair to ease the soreness in my back. What the hell had I been thinking when I let Brianna go two weeks ago? She was great in bed. A busty brunette with a great ass and curves. She could take a dick hard, too. A frown tugged at my lips when I felt myself twitch in arousal. It had nothing to do with her skills in bed. It had to do with the same damn question that every single woman seemed determined to ask. Can we take this relationship further?
I grimaced at the question. Nothing killed my drive more than that type of conversation, and it always seemed to pop up eventually. I’d done marriage. I earned my marriage badge back with McKenzie years ago, and a committed relationship was the last thing on my mind these days. The only two recurring themes in my life were work and fucking. That was it. Nothing else. Just the way I liked it.
The only problem was that work tended to interfere with the other part. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d left the office before seven. That was why my arrangement with Brianna had worked for a few weeks. We both worked late. We usually ate in the office, so dinner dates never happened. Just good old fucking after hours. That was it. Nothing else.
It was Brianna who had ended the relationship by asking if she could have a key to my penthouse. To stay there a few nights out of the week to save cab fare, she said. No fucking thank you. I liked my privacy after a long work day, and I didn't want to cross that line between casual and serious. I didn't mind having a relationship; it was just the time it took to keep a relationship going that I lacked, which caused unnecessary drama and fights.
My business was my partner for the rest of my life. I pictured myself at seventy, sitting at this same desk, reading over the same files for yet another proposed acquisition. I didn't trust anyone with my business. I knew that I was a prick of a boss at times because I micromanaged every detail. I had no future generation behind me to take over or learn this business. It was just me handling the numbers at the end of the day.
I just needed to find a better balance. A good partner willing to keep things sexual. That was it. Someone expecting nothing else out of me because I didn’t have the time to cater to anyone’s needs beyond my own. It made me a selfish bastard, but after building my business from the ground up, I deserved to be selfish. I had sacrificed enough of my life pleasing others. It was time to focus on myself for a little bit.
“Mr. Jackson?”
The doors to my office cracked open. Speaking of potential partners… I swallowed that tempting thought when Alisha Townsend poked her head in to peer at me cautiously. Her fair blond hair was pulled back in its usual fishtail braid, but it was her freckle-spattered face beneath her make- up that got to me as it always did. I had no idea why I found Alisha Townsend, my accounting manager of all things, so attractive. It was everything about her that drew me in, from those shapely legs, to that full bust I could partially see through her silk blouse. She never dressed provocatively either, and that was a strange turn on for me. I was a hot-blooded male that had a sexy account manager working close to me, but that was a line I didn’t feel too willing to cross at the moment. Sex with an employee had always been high on my ‘hell no’ list. Brianna had been my receptionist, and that was bad enough.
“Yes?” I asked irritably. “What is it?”
Alisha pushed the door partially open. “I was wondering if you had a moment.”
I caught sight of a thick envelope in Alisha’s hands. Waving her in, I scooted my chair forward to hide the fact that I was semi-hard and irritated by the lack of release. My eyes went straight to Alisha’s hips as she walked gracefully in to hand over the envelope before taking a seat in one of the chairs across from me.
“What is this?” I asked, dreading the thickness of the envelope. I peeked inside to find papers stuffed in there so tightly that a few of them were crumpled.
“It’s the first part of the financial disclosure from that potential acquisition,” Alisha said. “It just came via FedEx a few minutes ago, and I know you’ve been waiting for it.”
“For two whole days,” I grumbled, pulling the thick stack of papers out. “You said the first part? How many more parts can I expect from them?”
Alisha nodded as she pulled out her notepad to flip through her notes. She carried the tiny notepad around everywhere in the office. At one point, I insisted on buying her something like an iPad to make her note-taking easier, but Alisha insisted that she liked writing the old-fashioned way.
“Looks like three more,” she said. “They should be arriving throughout the week. They’re expecting a quick reply, too.”
I swiped an aggravated hand over my eyes. These types of disclosures took time. Precious time to be investigated, and it was time that I didn’t have. There was another finance company in Boston that was sniffing around this client though, and I didn’t like the idea of losing this to them.
“Fuck,” I said. “Let me know as soon as the other parts get here. Right away.”
“Of course. I’ll make sure you get them the minute they arrive.”
I gazed across my neatly organized desk at Alisha, who scribbled something down on her notepad before placing her pencil behind her ear. It occurred to me then that it just wasn’t Alisha’s physical attributes that attracted me—it was her work ethic, too. She was rarely late. She rarely took any time off besides a few times when her child had been sick. She showed up to work every single day, did her job beautifully, and was one of the few employees that I didn’t have to babysit. I couldn’t even recall a time when I had to correct her work. It had been years since I overlooked what I assigned Alisha to do on any given day.
A part of me twisted uneasily though. I didn’t like the idea of having anyone help me through this disclosure, but I couldn’t do it all by myself. I needed the help.
“I have a proposition for you,” I said. Not the type of proposition I wanted to give—not by a long shot.
Startled, Alisha looked up at me in confusion. “Proposition?”
“Yes, I need your help with this.”
Chapter 2
Alisha
“I need your help with this.”
Those six words made me uneasy. It was a rare occurrence for Seth Jackson—CEO of Jackson Finance and my attractive boss—to ask anyone in the building for help. Half the time, he barked orders at everyone or corrected their mistakes in a harsh tone. Over the year, I’d seen grown men run out of Seth’s office in a rage or close to tears—and everything in between.
I felt blessed that for whatever reason, Seth’s critical eyes were never over my shoulder. He was a legendary micromanager, and no one could truly do their job without supervision because Seth kept his hands in everything when it came to his business. Not that I didn’t blame him for being so uptight about it all. His business was like his child. He did everything he could to make sure that Jackson Finance kept its roots firmly in Boston. Companies conta
cted him from all over the United States, but he kept his Boston roots strong.
I didn’t know whether to be flattered that Seth Jackson was asking me for help or to dread it completely. We already worked in close contact with one another, which made it difficult to fight those cursed butterflies that always fluttered whenever I walked into Seth’s office. I took in those icy blue eyes that were watching me intently while I weighed out my options. His dark hair was slicked back, as usual, to reveal a sharp and freshly shaven face. A bit of gray peppered his hairline, and muscles threatened to bulge out of his tight-fitting suit as he shifted in his seat.
Everything about Seth Jackson was a temptation—the type of temptation that I had no problem caving to if the opportunity ever arose.
“Alisha?”
I blinked when he called out my name. Irritation sparked in his eyes, and I realized he was waiting for an answer.
“Right,” I said, nervously. “Yes, of course. I’ll help in any way I can.”
Seth nodded curtly. “Good. Spend the afternoon getting the rest of your desk cleared off for this; we’ll need to identify some other employees, and I’ll leave word that your regular duties need to be redistributed so you can help me with this.”
“I’ll clear my desk then.”
“I’ll expect you here at seven sharp,” Seth continued. “I’m here by six-fifty-five. Tomorrow we’ll start on everything after I make a few calls to get the rest of this disclosure faster.”
“Of course. I’ll be here at seven.”
I rose from my chair on wobbly legs. My stomach knotted as I walked across the spacious office in the direction of my desk, but it was Seth’s husky voice that stopped me dead in my tracks.
“I’m looking forward to working with you,” he said. “Very much. You’re one of the best employees here.”
The center of my cheeks flared at the compliment. Seth never handed those out either. His comments were always critical when it came to his expectations. What was so different about me?
I peeked a glance over my shoulder to find Seth’s eyes a dark and stormy color. They focused intently on me again—and that smile. It reminded me of a predator lurking in the dark close to something it desired to feast on. A shudder went straight down my spine to curl warmly into my pelvic region. Pushing the doors open, I slipped back into the bustling office space and let out a shaky breath. It was just my imagination… There was no way Seth Jackson was checking me out.
Why would he? I was a divorced, single mother of thirty-three years old. Those weren’t exactly attractive traits in my opinion. It made dating difficult, but in truth, I hated the idea of trusting another man. My ex-husband single-handedly ruined the idea of a relationship for me after taking off with a nineteen-year-old to start a new family. There were no warning signals that our marriage was spiraling down to the pits of hell, and I couldn’t even think of any instances that screamed danger. One minute we’d been happy, and in the next instant, he had packed up his bags and left with no intention of pursuing custody of Christian. It was over just like that.
Working at Jackson Finance hadn’t been a dream-come-true back then. I had applied for a temp job a month after Todd left us because I needed the money. I was desperate to cling to the house that Christian had been born and raised in. It had been over a period of years since then that Seth had promoted me to various positions. The ‘account manager’ status was the one true place that I loved to be. Now, I was going to be working in close contact with Seth every single day reviewing this financial disclosure.
I sat down on the edge of my desk chair to stare down at my planner. Finding someone I could trust to do this workload was not going to be easy, either. I knew that Seth would be relying on my judgment when picking others who could handle my workload while I helped him.
“This is going to be impossible,” I said, shaking my head. “How the hell am I going to find the right person to handle my duties?”
“Talking to yourself again, Ms. Townsend?”
“Shit, Jim!” I started in surprise to find Jim standing directly behind my desk. “Don’t sneak up on me like that again! Where did you come from?”
“The office supply closet,” he replied with a chuckle. “I didn’t mean to scare you. You looked very intense staring down at that planner of yours.”
I rubbed my chest while I willed my pounding heart to calm down. Closing my planner, I looked up at Jim as he grinned down at me, putting on the charm. There was nothing physically wrong about Jim Chambers. He was attractive with his light brown hair and the nicely fitted suits he’d had tailored. I just never could shake my unease when he came around my desk. Mainly because he never stopped asking me out. It didn’t matter how many times I turned him down; he persisted in various ways.
“I am helping Mr. Jackson with a new disclosure,” I said. “I need to find a few employees here that can handle my duties while I—”
“You’re helping Mr. Jackson with the disclosure?”
“Yes,” I said, while a frown spread across Jim’s lips. “Do you have ideas for anyone who could handle things for me while I work on that?”
Bracing his hands on the front of my desk, Jim leaned down to bring his head close to mine. The smell of coffee clung to Jim’s breath when he spoke quietly. “I’m sure you know the rumors about Mr. Jackson, right?”
I leaned back in my chair with an uncomfortable sigh. “Rumors, Jim. That’s exactly what they are.”
“They aren’t rumors, Alisha. They are true. I’ve seen Mr. Jackson with various women over the past year. He is not a commitment type of man.”
“It’s none of my business of what type of man he is. He’s my boss.”
“And you don’t deserve to be tangled up with a man like that,” Jim continued. “I know that he tends to be a bit of a serial womanizer who—”
Seth’s office doors opened behind us. I glanced over my shoulder to see Seth clutching that thick manila envelope in his hands while he strode up to my desk. His sharp eyes glanced over to Jim, who straightened up hastily with a forced cough. The air around Seth felt chilly as he reached the edge of my desk next to Jim.
“Mr. Chambers,” Seth said, coolly. “Is there a reason why you are lingering about Ms. Townsend’s desk when there is work to do?”
Jim reached up to adjust the knot of his tie nervously. “No, sir. I was offering my service to help Ms. Townsend with her workload.”
“I’d like you to stay where you currently are, Mr. Chambers. I have a few people in mind that can tackle Ms. Townsend’s workload.”
An awkward silence fell. I watched as Jim nodded forcibly in Seth’s direction before turning on his heel to walk back in the direction of his desk. Fidgeting with the corner of my planner, I swallowed thickly while Seth set the thick packet of papers on my desk. I didn’t want to address the subject of why Jim was standing at my desk. I knew that a few men in the office weren’t very fond of the rumors circulating about Seth’s playboy habits, but none of them brought it up in his presence. For good reason, too.
“Do you have someone in mind?” I asked. “I don’t want to pick anyone who couldn’t handle my duties competently.”
“I’ve already sent out emails,” Seth said shortly. “They’ll be coming to your desk throughout the afternoon to gather what they need from you.”
“Right.”
“I’ll see you at seven then,” he said. “Have a good rest of your day. Get plenty of sleep tonight.”
Seth continued on his way towards the elevators while scrolling through his phone. I nodded mutely because I didn’t trust my voice at the moment. Not with that awkward interaction between Jim and Seth that I couldn’t figure out. I shook my head in confusion before glancing down at my planner once again. I flipped to tomorrow morning to read the notes there before a horrified realization dawned on me.
“Shit,” I swore, slapping my forehead with the palm of my hand. “Shit, shit! Why didn’t I tell him that I can’t be here that early?�
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Rifling through my desk cabinet door, I pulled out my cell phone to scroll through to find the contact information for my grandmother. I rose from my desk to enter the break room. The last thing I wanted was to be caught by Seth using my phone on the clock. There were several rules at Jackson Finance, but two things were Seth’s absolute pet peeves: office romances and talking on personal phones while on the clock.
Not that Seth ever had to worry about the office romance part when it came to me. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d had sex. Too long. A wry smile spread across my face when I stepped into the office break room to find it thankfully empty. Way too long.
As usual, my grandmother answered on the second ring in her normally cheerful voice. “Hello?”
“Hi, Grandma,” I said, “It’s me.”
“Alisha? Is everything okay? You never call me from work.”
I poured myself a cold cup of coffee on the pretense of looking like I was on break. “Yes, everything is fine. I just need your help with something tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, Alisha,” she started, in exasperation. “Don’t tell me this favor has something to do with your job again.”
“It’s only for a little bit, Grandma. I swear it this time. Mr. Jackson needs my help with this disclosure, and I need to be in the office by seven tomorrow morning.”
“Which requires me to walk Christian to the bus?”
“Yes,” I said, sighing. “I need you to either walk Christian to the bus or to take him directly to his school. Just for a little bit until I figure something out.”
“Christian isn’t going to be happy about losing you for an hour in the morning,” she said. “I’ll do it, obviously. I just still can’t believe those parents won’t tell their children to leave him alone.”
Anger burned my chest just thinking about it. Christian was at that awkward age of being old enough to realize that kids could be cruel for no reason. My heart ached to know the anguish he felt whenever they tossed insults in his direction. The few afternoons he’d arrived home with tears in his eyes were enough to ignite a fire inside of me to protect him from the cruelty.