Boss with Benefits_An Office Romance

by Tyler Grey

  Suddenly, I wanted to know everything there was about this girl. I wanted to know who she was before I met her. I wanted to know what she was like as a child and what sort of woman she wanted to be in the future.

  Mostly, I wanted to know how it would really feel to kiss her.

  Something was brewing between us, and it wasn’t going to take long for her to cave in. For the first time, I was sure that I could get her to succumb to her emotions. I just needed a bit more time and some more one-on-one sessions. Thankfully, as her boss, I could create more moments like that one. Which I had every intention of doing.

  The fresh air of the golf course was just what I needed, and because my client talked incessantly, I didn’t have much time to think about Paisley. He was one of my best clients, and I needed to keep things professional between us. He was of similar age to me, though, and I knew that he would love to hear about my obsession with one of my employees. But I wouldn’t do it. My father would not be happy to know that I had confided with a client in such a personal matter.

  I would have to wait and talk to Shawn about it. But he was proving to be the worst person to talk to when it came to Paisley. I wasn’t sure if it was because he really didn’t agree with me being with her or because he was still so eager for me to date this girl he had in mind for me.

  I usually liked to let my clients win when I played golf, just to appease them. Usually, I played until I was just about to win, and then I’d lose right at the end. But I was not the most focused that day, and because I was so determined to win over Paisley, I ended up becoming determined to win the game.

  “Wow,” the client said. “You’re on fire today.”

  I realized what I had done, but it was too late. “Wow, you’re right. I don’t know what got into me. I guess I’ve been hanging around you so much. You’ve taught me the way.”

  “That’s good to hear. You’re really good at this, Henry. It was a good game. Just means we’ll have to have another one soon.”

  “It’s a deal.”

  “You know, Henry, it’s nice to see that you’re so genuine. Do you know how many other companies I’ve played golf with? They always let me win. It’s always so obvious, too. I’m not going to give my business to someone just because they let me win in a game of golf. That’s ridiculous. I prefer dealing with honest people, even if it means losing every now and again.”

  I grinned. My distraction with Paisley had ended up being a good thing, after all. I knew she was good for me. I left the golf course feeling happy about everything. I saw it as a good omen. I was meant to be with Paisley. I was sure of it. I thought about all the warnings I had received from Shawn. He was right about them, too. Of course, he was. But sometimes doing the wrong thing was also doing the right thing, and I was willing to at least give it a try.

  I took a shower and then headed back to the office for the afternoon. I hadn’t planned to go back. I was going to spend the whole day avoiding Paisley, but now I felt excited to see her again. I knew the moment I walked in that I had done the right thing. She looked gorgeous that day, in her pencil skirt and white blouse. I could just about make out her bra underneath. Not because her shirt was see-through, but because she was wearing a black bra under a white shirt. I liked that she was the sort of woman that did that. It thrilled me to just look at her, and I knew I had to ramp up the flirting.

  “Morning, Paisley. You look beautiful today,” I said, offering her what I hoped was one of my sweetest smiles.

  She smiled back, but didn’t meet my eye. “Thank you. Good day out?”

  “Yeah, it was great. How about here? How have things been at the office?” I walked right up to her, so that I was a little closer than normal.

  She looked at her computer, instead of at me. “Oh, you know, everything has been fine,” she said. “Busy, busy.”

  I leaned in and pretended to look at something on her computer, but I did it in a way that made our arms touch. I felt her jump, but she didn’t move away. That simple act made me feel bolder. The only reason I moved was because I heard Jessica walk past. She coughed as she went by us, and I stood up.

  “Well, I better get back to my desk. Keep up the good work,” I said.

  The moment I got back to my desk, Jessica came by with some coffee for me and some more homemade cookies. She was wearing a low-cut top, which was unlike her, and she seemed desperate for me to notice it. She pushed her top down even more as we spoke. I really needed to find the girl a boyfriend.

  I smiled at her and took some of her cookies. I couldn’t exactly say no to her, but I was going to do my best not to lead her on. Perhaps I’d been a little too flirty with her in the past, but I wasn’t going to do that anymore. Not if it could potentially ruin any chance I had with Paisley. Jessica seemed determined to make a move on me, but I finally got her out of my office with pretenses of important calls to be made. She hurried out and told me to call her if I needed anything.

  I couldn’t concentrate on my work, no matter how hard I tried. I kept opening up my emails and then just staring at them without actually reading them. I felt suddenly desperate to be with Paisley, more so than before. I had never been this desperate in my life, and it was a feeling that I didn’t enjoy. I was used to getting what I wanted, and although I didn’t mind fighting for it, I wasn’t used to waiting quite this long.

  I flirted with Paisley as much as possible throughout the day. I tried not to make it too obvious in case Jessica or someone else saw us, but I did it in a way that would at least make it obvious to Paisley. I wanted her to know how much I wanted her. She blushed every time I looked at her, and I knew that she felt the same way about me. At first, I wasn’t sure, but now it seemed obvious to me.

  So what was holding her back? I wondered. It could only be one thing: our parents. Paisley was close to her mother, and she had a lot of respect for my father. I was almost certain that they were the reason that she was holding back. For the first time, I almost wished that my father hadn’t married Myra. I was glad he was so happy, and I really did like Myra a lot, but he was cock blocking me without even knowing it. My father’s happiness was standing in the way of my own. I didn’t want my father to break up with Myra, but I did want to be with Paisley.

  It didn’t bother me so much, but it clearly bothered her. She felt the same way about the situation as Shawn did. Could I convince her that we were not siblings, so there was nothing at all wrong with the two of us being together? Would she finally give in? Would my father understand? Would Myra? I groaned. I had no idea what our parents would think about it all. I had always just assumed they would be fine with it, but what if they felt the same as Paisley did?

  I was able to put her out of my head for a while when an urgent job came in out of the blue and demanded all of my attention. When I saw the time, I realized that I was going to have to work late. I popped my head around the door.

  “Paisley, would you mind working late tonight? I need to finish this job before tomorrow. It’s a new client, and it only just came to me now. If you can’t, it’s okay though. I know it’s a last-minute request.”

  “I don’t mind. Just send me the details of what you need done.”

  I nodded. “Thank you.”

  I sent Paisley some work and told Jessica that she didn’t need to stay late. Of course, Jessica stayed as long as she possibly could. She was obviously hoping that I would eventually announce that the job was done, but eventually, she gave in and left home with her head hanging low. I didn’t have time to worry about it. There was too much to think about with this job. I picked up the phone and ordered a pizza. Paisley came in later holding the box.

  “Uh, this was delivered for you,” she said.

  I smiled. “For us.”

  “You got me dinner?”

  “Well, we’re going to be here for at least another hour, and I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”

  She smiled. “I’m starving, too.”

  “Let’s sit in the
office together. We can eat and go over what still needs to be done.”

  Paisley took a seat opposite me, and while we ate, we spoke about the job. Despite the obvious chemistry between us, we managed to concentrate on work.

  “You know,” I said as we were finishing up. “I’m honestly not sure I would’ve been able to do this without you. I’ve been putting off getting an assistant, but I’m glad I got one now. You’re… Well… You’re really good at this. You’re going to go far in life.”

  She beamed. She probably wasn’t used to me being so genuine to her. Most of the time, I was just flirting. “Thank you so much for saying that,” she said. “For a long time, I thought I might be useless, and that I might never find a job. For what it’s worth, I’m really enjoying myself here. I like the job.”

  “That’s good to hear. I like having you here. I mean it, Paisley. I like it a lot.” I looked at her and felt a genuine connection between us. It was a mixture of lust and something else — friendship, respect? I wasn’t sure. We held the eye contact for a bit longer than normal, and I felt my body immediately begin to react. I wanted to lean in and kiss her, but for the first time ever, I thought about her reservations and about our parents. I suddenly didn’t know what to do. So I coughed and looked away, and the moment was gone.

  She stood up. “I think I better finish off those emails before I go. Thank you so much for the pizza. I really appreciate it.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Paisley

  I got into the car and screamed. Then I called Olive.

  “Hey, you,” she said brightly into the phone.

  “Argh!”

  She laughed. “Oh dear. Is this the call of a frustrated Paisley?”

  “It is. I’ve never felt this way before.”

  “Where are you? At home? Can’t he hear you?”

  “I’m in my car.”

  “In your car? What are you doing there so late?”

  “I had to work overtime today. We had a last-minute client that needed stuff, so I agreed to help him.”

  “Let me get this straight,” she said. “You worked late with Henry in the office, just the two of you, and nothing happened?”

  I sighed. “Nothing happened. It was close, though. He flirted with me for most of the afternoon, which was hard enough to deal with in the first place. But Jessica was there, and other staff members and clients kept walking through, so I was able to keep myself in check. But tonight, it was just the two of us. He even got us pizza to share in his office.”

  She giggled. “So romantic.”

  “No! It wasn’t romantic. It was torturous. Absolute torture. I feel like I’m going out of my mind. Seriously, Olive, I have never felt this way before about any guy. I’m not sure if I like him, or if it’s just because I can’t have him. All I know is that every time I look at him, I feel like I’m going to implode. My body breaks out in tingles.”

  “Tingles? Hell, Paisley, you obviously really like the guy. Why on earth have you not just given in to him?”

  “You know why.”

  “Oh, come on, you can’t sure still be worried about that. Your mother is so cool. She’ll understand. How many more times can I tell you that you and Henry are not related?”

  “I know we’re not,” I said. “Okay, you want to know what I’m most worried about?”

  “Go for it.”

  “I'm worried that I tell my mother and that she feels weird about it. Then I’m worried that she breaks it off with Duncan just so that I can be with Henry. You know what my mom is like. She would do something like that. She would do it for me. And, I don’t want to be the cause of her breaking up with Duncan. I’d never forgive myself. Imagine I just sleep with Henry a few times, and then the two of us realize we don’t actually like each other. I’d have ruined a beautiful relationship for nothing. I’m not sure I can do that.”

  “Okay, I understand that, and it’s nice that you’re thinking of your mom. But I think you might be over exaggerating. I think there is a big possibility your mom won’t even care.”

  “But what if she does?”

  “Why not mention it to her? She what she says?”

  “I don’t know, Olive… I’m not sure I can. I might just have to continue avoiding the guy. Guess what I tried the other day?”

  “Masturbation?” she asked.

  I gasped. “Olive! No, not that,” I said, which wasn’t entirely true. It just wasn’t what I was talking about at that moment. “Online dating. I tried online dating.”

  “Are you serious? You actually did it?”

  “Well, I’m desperate. I needed a distraction.”

  “And?”

  “Two duds, and one potential. I never got back to him, though.”

  “Are you going to?”

  “I wasn’t. But after today, I think I might just do it.”

  She sighed. “Yeah, maybe you should. You’ll either forget about Henry or you’ll realize that you have to be with him. Either way, it will give you some answers.”

  “Okay, I’m going to do it,” I said, even though I didn’t want to. “I’ll respond to him when I get home. I better go. I’m still sitting in the parking lot at work. Hopefully, Henry is in his room when I get home.”

  Thankfully, I was right. Henry was in his room, and I managed to quickly sneak up to mine without seeing anyone. I closed the door and immediately went to my computer to contact the guy from the dating site. He replied straight away and asked if I wanted to do breakfast the following day.

  The next day, as I was heading out, I saw Henry get into the car with his father and drive off. I saw my mom and asked where they were going.

  “Oh, they’re going to play golf. They invited me to go with them, but it doesn’t interest me in the slightest. So, would you like some breakfast? I’m making for myself.”

  I shook my head. “I’m actually off on a date.”

  “A date? Really? Right now?”

  “Yeah, a breakfast date.”

  Her eyes brightened. “That’s wonderful, darling. And, who is the lucky guy?”

  I shrugged. “Someone from an online dating site. Figured I might as well give it a go. He seems nice.”

  “Well, a few years ago I would’ve told you that it was not the right way to meet someone, but I know now that I’m wrong. It’s the way to go. And, breakfast is such a nice safe way to meet someone you don’t know. Well, good luck, darling. Let me know how it goes later. You look beautiful, by the way.”

  I hadn’t made much of an effort that day. I figured if the guy liked me as I was, then it was a good sign. Still, I had on my nice new skinny jeans, and I was wearing my favorite green coat. The café we were meeting was within walking distance, but it was a cold day, so I decided to take the car. When I arrived, I saw that he was already there, and I was pleased to see that he looked exactly like his profile picture.

  Jeremy Lisbon was a thirty-year-old banker with a charming smile. He stood up and kissed me on both cheeks, before pulling out the chair for me. I took off my coat and sat down.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” I said to him.

  “The pleasure is all mine. I’m so glad you look like your picture,” he said.

  I laughed. “I was thinking the exact same thing. This is my first foray into online dating, so I had no idea what to expect. I’ve heard horror stories.”

  “Well, this is my second time trying it. The first lady looked nothing like her photo. When I questioned it, she said it was just taken from a different angle. It honestly looked like a completely different person.”

  I laughed. “I don’t understand why people do it. Wouldn’t you want someone to choose you for who you are, not because they think you’re someone else? I would hate someone to see me and feel disappointed.”

  “Exactly. Well, here’s to an honest date.”

  “Filled with lots of coffee,” I said.

  “And, lots of food.”

  “Ah, we’re starting off on the right foot a
lready.”

  The waiter came by, and we placed our order. We both ordered the exact same meal, and we took our coffee in the exact same way.

  He laughed. “It’s not often I meet someone that takes their coffee this way. Nowadays everyone likes their coffee black.”

  “I know. What’s up with that? I’m all about the sweetness.”

  He grinned. “Well, this is already starting off so much better than my last date. Not only did she not look like her picture, but she ordered a whiskey and Coke the moment she arrived.”

  “Oh, not a fan of drinking?” I asked.

  “Oh, I’m a big fan of drinking. Just not at nine in the morning.”

  “Oh, no! That’s crazy.”

  “Tell me about it. I almost gave up on the idea of dating completely after that.”

  “So, what made you try again?”

  “Honestly? I went on to delete my account, and then I came across your profile. You were beautiful, and there was just something about you that made me want to give it one more shot. I figured if you were not at all what you seemed to be, then I’d give up.”

  I grinned. “That’s very nice of you to say. Thank you.”

  The date went well. Very well. In fact, I was surprised at how well it went. The two of us had a lot in common, and the conversation flowed easily. I hadn’t been able to talk so honestly and openly with someone like that for a long time. It was almost like I was talking to Olive.

  And yet, I knew that there wasn’t going to be a second date. The thought saddened me. It wasn’t because he didn’t like me or because there was something wrong with him. It was because of Henry. I thought that coming on this date would help me forget about him, but it had only made me think of him even more.

  I’d never spoken like this to Henry before, but this date made me want to. I wanted to sit and have a good conversation with him. I wanted to get to know him. Most of all, I wanted to be with him. I wanted to find out if that spark between us was real. I knew, without a doubt, that if I had met Jeremy before I had met Henry, that there would have been a second date. It was such a pity.