“Yup, my money is on Lauren.” She looks at me. “You’re lucky she saved you this time.” She smiles at Lauren. “Let’s do lunch tomorrow. Austin’s treat.”
She leaves the room, leaving us all alone. “Fine. I guess I’ll try and work with you, for Barbara.” She walks out to the desk facing my office. She puts her purse on it. Turning the computer on, she grabs a pen and notepad and comes back in. “No time like the present to get this out of the way, so why don’t we start with your expectations of me?”
I look at her while she sits in the chair in front of me, crossing her legs at her ankles. I sit down, leaning back in my chair, and start rocking. “Okay, fine. I expect you to be on time. Every day. No exceptions.”
She doesn’t write it down. “That isn’t a problem. I hate when people are late, so you don’t have to worry about that. Unless, of course, irresponsible people hit my car while I’m innocently driving, I’ll be here on time.”
“There is a list on your desk of routine tasks required of this position that you can read. If it’s not clear enough, then come ask me questions. How’s that?”
She gets up. “That sounds like a plan.” She turns to walk away, and I watch her. Every fucking step she takes she swings her hips; the best thing is, she has no idea she’s doing it. She has no idea that I’m sitting here negotiating with myself about my own rule. I’m not sure how I’m going to get anything done, because fucking her on my desk is the only thing I can think of that needs to be done right now.
Chapter Four
LAUREN
I walk out of the office on shaky legs but manage to make it to my desk. I look up, letting out a slow breath.
I look down at the list that sits on my desk of tasks to be done during the day.
Looking over the list, I realize it looks pretty straightforward. Storing my purse under the desk, I take out my phone, sending a quick text to Penelope.
Get me the fuck out of this job. STAT.
I turn and start going through the emails. I forward most of them to Austin, since I have no idea which ones are important or not.
When the phone on the desk rings, I look down to see if they wrote down how to answer it. When I notice that there are no instructions on the paper, I just answer with, “Hello.”
“Can you tell me why I have fifty extra emails that you forwarded to me?” His snarky voice makes me close my eyes and count to ten. It’s like dealing with my children.
“I didn’t know which one is important or not, so I forwarded them to you for handling or direction,” I respond, looking at the list, checking to see if I missed something.
“It defeats the purpose of having an assistant if I have to answer my own emails,” he huffs into the phone. “Come in here. I’ll show you how it’s done,” he growls before he slams the phone down in my ear.
I take the phone from my ear and look at it. Did he just hang up on me? Without saying ‘please’ or fucking ‘thank you?’ I put the phone back down in the cradle, slamming it a little forcefully. There are a couple of things I just won’t tolerate. Being called a bitch is one of those things, and the other is when you don’t say fucking ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ Three words. Very easily said, and they make a world of difference in any interaction.
I get up and walk over to the door, knocking once. I walk in and sit down in front of him. “How are you going to see what to do if you aren’t over here so I can explain it to you?” he asks.
“Okay, now, just a minute. We may have started out on the wrong foot here.” I watch him watching me. “But I’m not your slave. I’m your assistant. While I am paid to do things for you, I also haven’t even been here an hour yet, an hour that we’ve spent arguing, by the way, and not going over things. I’m learning as I go, and while I’m learning, I’m going to make mistakes. I get you don’t know how to socialize with people.” He starts to sit up straight, trying to talk, but I hold up my hand. “But I will not tolerate rudeness. You want something done, you say ‘please’; I do something for you regardless of whether you pay me or not, you say ‘thank you.’”
He nods at me. “Please,” he says through his clenched teeth. “Come over here so you can see.” He is clenching his teeth together so hard I think they might shatter.
“See, was that hard?” I get up and walk over to his side of the desk. The moment I get close to him, I realize my mistake.
Before, I didn’t feel his presence next to me, I couldn’t smell the woodsy, spicy scent of him. So, I make a mental note to not get this close to him again.
We go over all the fifty emails I sent him, and I take notes as we go along. It lasts maybe an hour. Right before I walk out the door, I turn and ask him, “How do I answer the phone? There is nothing in the notes.” I have one hand on the door knob, ready to walk out.
“What do you mean?” He looks up at me with a raised brow. “I thought you were calling me Asshat?”
“Fine, then, that is exactly how I’ll answer,” I say, walking out of the room, fighting the temptation to slam the door behind me.
I walk over to my desk, drop the pad on it, and throw myself into the chair.
I look at my phone and see that there are five messages from Penelope.
What happened?
Are you still there?
Are you okay?
I don’t know what you did, but Barbara just called and extended your contract. What do I say?
Whatever you do, don’t kill him!
I answer her right away.
He’s an asshat, and he’s rude. He’s a jerk, and he’s a dick.
Her response is immediate.
I’ve been told, but you are the best person for the job.
I roll my eyes.
How am I the right person? I have killed him a million times in my head since I’ve gotten here, and it’s only been an hour. I want out.
I answer the emails that came in. My stomach rumbles, and I automatically look at the clock, seeing it’s almost noon.
I pick my phone back up, and there is a final text from Penelope.
They doubled your salary. Why don’t you see how you feel tomorrow?
Ugh, I’ll deal with Penelope later. I get up and bend over to grab my purse from under the desk.
“Holy mother of God,” I hear said loudly behind me. I go to straighten myself up too fast and knock my head on the desk, the bang echoing in the vast office space.
“Oh my god, are you okay?” I hear behind me as I feel hands trying to help me up. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
He is holding my hand while my hand is rubbing the back of my head. “It’s okay. You startled me,” I start to say and then look at him.
Crystal-clear blue eyes crinkled with laugh lines greet me. His blond hair is falling onto his forehead. He is almost on top of me at this point, my back pressed into the desk.
“What the hell is going on here?” The roar comes from behind me. I push this stranger away from me and look over at Austin. He stands there with his hands on his hips, the vein in his neck twitching.
“It’s my fault, Austin,” the stranger says, dropping my hand. “I came in and was surprised to see her. I startled her, and she knocked her head under the desk. I was just helping her up,” he says as he walks around my desk, right up to Austin, and slaps him on the shoulder. “I was wondering if you wanted to get lunch?”
Even though his ‘friend’ is standing next to me, he hasn’t taken his eyes off me. “No, I’m eating in. I have to go over the Grey Stone Park file. Lauren, can you get me lunch? Go to the deli at the corner; we have an account there. Just tell them it’s for me. They know what I like.”
I put my hand on my hip, glaring at him, waiting for it. When he doesn’t say anything, I cross my hands over my chest. “Please,” he hisses out.
“Fine.” I grab my bag and walk out, holding my breath till I get inside the elevator. I grab my phone and text Kaleigh.
Please get me three bottles
of wine for dinner.
I put the phone back in my purse and make my way to the deli on the corner, where I get my boss his lunch, all the while praying that I will actually get through the day without poisoning him.
Chapter Five
AUSTIN
When I opened the door and saw my childhood best friend, Noah’s, hands all over Lauren, I wanted to rip out his jugular and then spit down his throat. I have no fucking idea why. She is my assistant, making her the definition of off limits.
We both watch Lauren walk away, her ass swinging from side to side with each step. I’m so intent on watching her, I don’t even notice Noah push me aside and walk into my office.
He throws himself on the couch I have in the office, while I open the shade to see out into the office space.
“Jesus Christ, who was that sex kitten in heels? I nearly had a heart attack when I walked up to find her bending over,” he says, looking in the direction of her desk.
“My new stay-away-from-her assistant,” I grumble as I sit down on the other side of the couch.
He throws his head back and laughs. “Oh, what happened to the ‘don’t fuck where you eat, Noah’ speech that you always give me?”
Noah and I have been best friends since we were in kindergarten. His parents were both criminal lawyers, so we were always with our nannies. Of course, no one could top Barbara, while he kept getting different nannies every week. Until he was old enough to fire them himself and hire whoever he wanted. By the ripe old age of fifteen, he had gone through thirty nannies, and at that point, he was hiring them to teach him everything they knew about sex. That was until his parents found him fucking his last nanny bent over the pool table, while she was wearing his mother’s shoes. We still laugh about it today; well, at least I do. He just sits there and groans.
“She’s crazy,” I say. “I hit her car this morning, and then she shows up in the office. I thought she was fucking stalking me.”
That just pushes him over the edge, and now he is laughing so hard the couch is shaking. “You hit her car and then thought she was following you? Holy shit. Were you an asshole to her?”
I smirk at him. “She named me Asshat in her phone.” That set us both off. I figure if I laugh I’ll notice how stupid the idea of getting her under me is. Getting her naked and sweaty and wet under me. Fuck, I need to do something about this.
“You know you’re fucked, right?” He finally stops laughing and throws his hand over the couch. “When you saw me touch her, I thought you would charge at me like one of those bulls running toward the red sheet.”
“She’s nothing more than a crazy chick with a tight ass. Who will get me coffee daily.”
“Oh, really?” Her voice cuts through the air, and just when I thought I could turn her opinion of me as an asshat into that of a nice guy, I’m caught again. “Well, then, I’m happy I could assist you in your day,” she snorts, coming in and dumping the bags on the table in front of us. “I also got something for your friend,” she huffs and then walks away. This time slamming the door on her way out.
“Oh fuck, you are in so much fucking trouble. Dude, she is going to fucking string you up by the balls. Remember that chick you played in college? The one you promised to bring home during spring break? She turned around and cancelled all your tickets. Then she put that ad all over Craigslist ‘Lonely man searching another lonely man.’” I shake my head thinking about it.
“She was fucking crazy! I had to change my number four times. Four! Then I had to start wearing beanies so she wouldn’t recognize me.” I shake my head, while Noah laughs so hard he falls over. I look over at him “It was fucking May! I had to take three showers a day. I had no idea the head could sweat so much.”
He finally stops laughing and looks in the bag that Lauren just dumped on the table in front of us. “If I were you, I’d enjoy this. It’s probably going to be the last meal she hasn’t had the time to spit in.” I open the box that has my name on it. It’s pastrami on rye, touch of mustard and a pickle. The other box has a ham and cheese on brown.
We spend the next thirty minutes eating our lunch while shooting the shit about everything else.
“Are you going out this weekend with Deborah?” he asks me. Deborah is a family friend who I turn to when I have nothing else going on. We both have jobs that keep us busy; she is in real estate law, so we touch base from time to time. I shrug my shoulder. “Not sure what my weekend plans are. What do you have planned?”
He takes out his phone, scrolling. “Andrea, that is who I plan to do. I met her at Starbucks. She has the longest legs I’ve ever seen. I plan to have them wrapped around my neck, and not in a wrestling move, either.” He raises his eyebrows. “If you know what I mean.”
I chuckle at him. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him with someone more than twice. He gets up, putting the garbage in the bag. “This has been a hoot, but sadly, I must run.”
He takes the bag while he walks out. I follow him out and see him stop at Lauren’s desk. She is busy typing something, so she only turns her head. “Thank you so much for lunch, Lauren. You were a life saver.” I roll my eyes at the bullshit he’s spewing, but it’s the sweet smile that Lauren is giving him that really gets to me. I’m about to scoff when he walks away, leaving her with a wink.
“He is so nice,” she says while she continues typing. I don’t know why I feel like I want to rip the keyboard out from in front of her just so she will look at me, just so I can see her face.
“Yeah, well, looks can be deceiving,” I comment while leaning into the door jamb.
She finally stops typing and looks over at me. “Don’t I know it.” Her eyes roam from my head to my toes. It makes my spine stand straight.
“I’ll have you know that I’m the nicest guy here.” I have no idea why I’m trying to convince her of this. I couldn’t care less if she likes me or not. I’m her boss, she is my temp. The fact that I want to see her smile at me is not the point right now. Nor is the fact that I’m also wondering if she is wearing a thong under her skirt or going commando? Does she wax or shave? Landing strip or bare? All these thoughts are running through my mind, so I don’t hear her talking to me right away. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” I ask her again.
“I said Denis sent over the files and plans that you asked him about. He said if you want, he can meet you there so you can go over it. He also said the loft that you were asking about has a roof top terrace that would be great for a restaurant during the day and a bar at night.”
She has been here less than six hours, and she is a million times better than the last ten temps I threw out of here. “Also, I’ve gone over your schedule and color coded all your meetings, so that when you click on the color, all files that correspond to that meeting will pop up as well.”
She organized my whole schedule in three hours. “I didn’t touch Saturday or Sunday, since it’s not my job. Unless there was a note in there that said it’s a work-related event or meeting.”
I run through my schedule in my head and wonder if I wrote anything private down. She must see that I’m thinking this, because she laughs. “Don’t worry, I didn’t find your little black book notes.” She shakes her head, picking up her Starbucks drink that is red with berries in it. “Is there anything else you need from me?” she asks, looking down at the notes in front of her.
I don’t say anything; I just walk back to my desk to go through the notes she just sent me. I also check my calendar and see that everything is organized not only by color, but alphabetically. Jesus, where has she been all my life?
I spend the next three hours going over the plans with Denis, making sure everything is set for us to visit the site of the new nightclub that is set to open in a couple of weeks.
When I hear a knock on my door, I yell for whomever it is to come in. Once the door opens, I see Lauren poke her head in.
“I’m heading out. Just thought you should know.” I look at my watch and see that it is already four p.m.<
br />
I lean back in my chair, putting my hands together. “I guess for the first day, that’s okay, but there might be times when you may have to stay late.” I don’t even finish before she cuts me off. She opens the door and walks inside my office. She stops right in front of my desk, cocks her hips to the side, and places her hands on them.
“No go. I have two kids. My hours are eight to four. Not one minute later. I don’t care about eating lunch at my desk, but I made it crystal clear that my hours were non-negotiable when I took this position.”
“Why can’t your husband get them?” I hold my breath as I wait for her answer. My stomach starts to burn, my chest tightening at the thought of her going home to someone. Then, just like the she-devil she is, she glares at me.
“I’m divorced, and I have full custody of them, so if you can’t accommodate my limitations, it’s better we find out now and part ways.” She starts to turn around and walk away. I clear my throat, watching her fling her hair around. It’s almost like she is doing it in slow motion, just like the commercials for shampoo.
“Fine, okay,” I concede against my better judgment. “We’ll work around it.” I tilt my head and smile. “You’re welcome.”
She nods her head, but I see her pressing her lips together. I’m sure if I weren’t her boss, she would tell me to go fuck myself, and I don’t know why just the thought that she would fight me on this makes me want to belly laugh. She turns and walks out, closing the door softly behind her, which I know is the opposite of what she really wants to do.
I pick up the phone and dial Barbara, who answers on the second ring. “Yes, Austin.”
“What is the story with Lauren?” I ask her, looking out into the office space, watching her pack up her things, pick up her phone, and scroll through it. I see her put the phone to her ear and smile at whoever answers. The thought that it’s her boyfriend, or any man for that matter, makes me want to snatch that phone away from her and smash it.
Tempt The Boss Page 3