Bad Boss (Unprofessional Bad Boys Book 2)

by Clarissa Wild

  God … and to think this interview started out so well. Who’d have thought he’d suddenly make a U-turn. Not me. Must be something on his mind.

  I take a deep breath and grab my bag. “All right.” I get up and hold out my hand, shaking his with pride even though I feel defeated. “I’m sorry I couldn’t persuade you. Thank you for your time.”

  “I’m sure you’ll find the perfect internship,” he says, holding my hand a little longer than I’d anticipated.

  Before I leave, I turn and look at him again. He’s still staring at his laptop, but when his eyes finally meet mine, I feel like there’s more to this story than he’s letting on. They betray something in him … A weakness I can’t put my finger on.

  And it played a part in this conversation.

  “You’ll regret this,” I muse, giving him the cutest smile I can muster.

  But right as I walk out the door, his voice rings in my ears. “I know I will.”

  Chapter 3

  TJ

  Minutes later, Beau, one of my employees, barges right into my office. “What just happened?” He closes the door and folds his arm.

  “What?” I shrug.

  “That girl.” He cocks his head. “You let her walk out of here?”

  “Yeah?” I don’t really know what else to say.

  I can hardly explain it.

  Like … hey, I liked her application, but I can’t accept it because she sent me her dirty panties?

  That’s some conversation starter, all right.

  After sleeping with a potential intern, sniffing her panties is the second stupidest thing to do, and it’s totally not acceptable when it comes to hiring people. I can’t mix work with my private life. It’s just not okay.

  I frown, sighing out loud.

  “Why? You were excited about her coming here to apply all day long. And now you suddenly back down?”

  “It’s none of your business,” I reply. “Were you snooping on me?”

  “Honey,” he says, snorting. “Do you see that glass over there?” He points at the two windows near the edge of the door. “I can see you from my desk, you know.”

  “Oh, right, I forgot. You read lips like a pro.” I roll my eyes. Like he ever lets me forget. He’s always up in my business, listening to conversations and butting in where he shouldn’t be. That’s Beau. But at least he always has the best insight into things, and I really can’t do without his advice.

  He’s like my personal psyche or something. Except he’s just an employee doing his work. And trying to do other people’s work for them.

  “What are you hiding?” he asks.

  “Nothing,” I say, closing my eyes. “Look, I just need some time to think about it, okay?”

  “Damn right, you do,” he says, snapping his fingers. “Boy, what’s wrong with you? She sounded perfect for the job.”

  He sits down in the chair in front of me and grabs one of my pencils, twirling it around in his fingers. “You know that, and you know you need someone too.”

  “I got you, Beau. What else could I need?” I muse jokingly.

  He sticks the pencil into the automatic sharpener and starts toying with it. “You know as damn well as I do that I’m too busy to be your assistant.”

  “I could give you a bigger salary,” I say.

  “TJ …” He raises his brow. “Don’t go there now. We already talked about this.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” I lean back in my chair. “You’re way too good to be working under my rule.”

  He sniggers. “Exactly. Plus, my strength lies in design. Not marketing.” He points the half-shaved-down pencil at me and says, “And that’s exactly what her forte is.”

  “I can’t hire her, all right?”

  “Why not? What’s wrong with her?”

  “Uh …” Now that I think about it, I can’t really name anything.

  Except for the fact that …

  “She never even talked about our company and what we do. I don’t think she knows. She hardly seemed like she did her research.”

  “So? Who cares. I’ve seen her resumé.”

  “You’re snooping in my laptop too, now?” I raise a brow.

  “No, pfft,” he says, blowing off some steam. “Of course not, silly. You just looked at it while you were in the cafeteria, and I happened to walk by at the time.”

  “Right …” I smash my lips together and roll my eyes again.

  “The point is,” he says, placing his hand on the table, “she has the drive. She wants to learn and succeed. Someone like that is invaluable. With her kind of passion and fire, can’t you imagine all the things she could do for this company? Bring it new life. Maybe even give you that spark you need too.” He winks.

  “Spark? What are you talking about?”

  “You know as well as I do you’ve been in a slump lately. It’s all because of that—”

  I raise my hand. “Don’t say it.”

  “Right. Still sensitive, I see.” He places the pencil on the table and leans back. “Look, TJ. If you actually have to think hard to come up with reasons not to hire her, then that means she’s a good fit. You’re just holding yourself back.”

  “It’s not as easy as you think it is,” I say, biting my lip in annoyance with myself.

  “That’s your opinion. I think you should take a leap of faith every now and again. She seemed desperate to work here. Willing to do anything.”

  I sigh out loud and push back my chair as I get up. “All right, all right … I’ll hire her.”

  A smile appears on his face. “Good for you.”

  “Really?” This guy … sometimes I really wanna fire him for being so obnoxious, but I also know I can’t do without him. Besides, what’s Morrows without Beau? He’s part of the heart of the company, and I’m part of the brains. Or at least, that’s what I’m supposed to be.

  “I’m glad you changed your mind. Maybe it will do the company good. You never know.”

  “Or I’ll ruin it forever,” I say, laughing a little, but it dies out pretty quickly.

  “Well, I gotta get back to that new design I was working on. Will you come check it out when you’ve got some free time?”

  “Sure,” I say, throwing up my stress ball.

  He nods and, before leaving the room, says in the most annoying voice he can muster, “Bye, TJ!”

  I groan and rub my forehead. Guess there was no way around it.

  I knew saying no to her would be tough, but I never imagined it would be this hard.

  I didn’t want to either even though she probably thinks I did. Seeing her face the moment she realized I said no broke me a little. I wanted nothing more than to give her what she wanted. After all, she gave me her damn panties, so I should return the favor, right?

  Except if anyone found out I bought her panties, I’d be ruined.

  No, worse, the company would be buried under the scandal.

  And now, despite saying no to her face, I promised Beau I’d hire her.

  Oh, boy. What have I gotten myself into now?

  ***

  Lesley

  I’m busy selling my panties to a new customer when an email pings in my inbox from TJ Morrows himself. Frowning, I open it and read it.

  From: TJMorrows@Morrows.com

  To: LesleyFischer@Gmail.com

  Subject: Application – Internship

  Hello Lesley,

  I hope you’re doing well. I have to apologize for my rash decision yesterday. I don’t know what came over me, and I regret the decision of not hiring you. I wanted to let you know we’d still love to have you if you’ll accept the offer. I think you’ll be a great asset to the company.

  I’ve attached the contract and payment details. If you accept, please sign them, and I’ll see you as soon as you can come to my office. Make sure to bring the contract.

  Best regards,

  TJ Morrows

  My jaw slowly drops. “Motherfucker.”

  One day.

  One
fucking day passed, and he already reverses his decision.

  I slam the laptop shut, fuming. Did that fucker really just dismiss me and then just invite me back in like he never said no in the first place? Who does he think he is?

  Still, I can’t help myself from opening the laptop again and peeking at the contract and payment details. Holy shit. The amount of money has got my attention.

  But why did he wait this long?

  And why make a U-turn?

  Someone must have changed his mind. That, or he finally wised up.

  I know I didn’t exactly show a lot of interest in his company’s history and what they do, but I know I can be an asset. He just had to give me a chance, which he didn’t … but now does? I’m so confused.

  He must have turned me away for a reason, and I wanna know why before I say yes to something.

  So I print out the contract and sign it, ready to tackle this new job.

  Chapter 4

  Lesley

  The moment Gillian sees me walk up to her desk, she starts to protest, standing up from her chair like she’s got something to say about me being here.

  “I’ve signed the contract,” I say, showing it to her.

  Right before she snatches it, I pull back and tuck it in my bag. I’m not letting her get her greedy hands on it. Before you know it, she’ll have shredded the papers. No way will I let that happen after all the effort I put into landing this job.

  “He hired you?”

  “That’s a surprise?” I muse, raising a brow.

  “No … but he sent you away.”

  “And then he sent me the contract by email,” I reply. “I just wanted you to tell him that I’m here. You know, so I don’t have to barge into his office again.” I give her my familiar bitchy smile, which makes her squint.

  She doesn’t reply. Instead, she sits down with a sour pout on her face as she types away on her keyboard as a keyboard warrior would. I snigger to myself as I watch her rage silently.

  “Your appointment is in five minutes from now. You can sit down there,” she says, pointing at a couch in the corner. “Mr. Morrows will come and get you when he’s ready.”

  “Thanks,” I say, turning and strutting away.

  I sit down and almost drown in the super soft couch, struggling to sit upright. Gillian watches me from her corner, judging me with an evil smirk on her face as if she deliberately made me go here just to see me fall for the trap.

  Damn her.

  It won’t let this imaginary fight get to me, though. This is just a pissing contest, and I’m too much of an adult to participate. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.

  I don’t know why she doesn’t like me. Maybe she’s jealous and wants my job. Or maybe she likes TJ a little too much, and she’s protective of him. Or maybe my imagination is running loose again.

  I should stop filling things in for people. Whatever is going on with her has nothing to do with me.

  A door suddenly opens, and handsome TJ steps out into the hallway, greeting me with that heartthrob smile that I still can’t handle.

  “Lesley, come in,” he says, holding his door open.

  I pat down my soft orange dress and run my fingers through my hair to make myself look presentable again before I get up and walk toward him.

  We shake hands. “So glad you decided to come.”

  Come.

  Why do I imagine the most inappropriate, scandalous sex when he says that word?

  It’s not a dirty word, yet my mind can’t help but go there.

  I clear my throat and walk past him into the office, sitting down on the same chair while he closes the door and pushes a button to rolls down the blinds. I frown.

  “Yeah, sorry. My employees have a habit of snooping.”

  I giggle. “Why is that not surprising?”

  “I guess we like things a little out of the ordinary here.”

  “I can tell,” I muse, crossing my legs as he sits down behind his desk and settles in. “So… you decided you wanted me after all?”

  His eyes suddenly meet mine, and he stammers, “What?”

  “You sent me the contract,” I say.

  “Oh … right.” He smiles.

  “What, did you forget or something? If it was a mistake, I could go again; it’s no problem.” I’m tempted to see how far he’d go now, seeing as he made me leave last time. It’d be nice to watch him beg. Oh, yes. That would definitely do the trick.

  I mean, I could still walk out of here and leave him high and dry. His loss, not mine. Maybe I should make him suffer for making me suffer. Or is that taking things a little too far?

  Perhaps. But I like being the conniving bitch every once in a while.

  “Well, let’s get down to business,” he says, clearing his throat. “I’m glad you decided to accept my offer.”

  “Except you said you didn’t want me at first. Why the change of heart?” Honestly, at this point, I don’t really care if this sassy remark means he’ll kick me out again. I want him to feel it the way I felt it.

  “Uh, yeah …” He adjusts his tie. “I was rash and indecisive, and I’m sorry about that.” He folds his hands on the table. “But I’d love to give you a chance.”

  “A chance, huh?” I cock my head. “Well, all right.”

  He smiles. “I was almost worried you’d say no and walk out of here.”

  “It did cross my mind,” I reply, smiling back and watching as his smile slides off his face.

  “You don’t want the job?” he says, narrowing his eyes.

  “Oh, I do.”

  “Great.” He grins and closes his jacket then grabs a pen. “Got the contract for me?”

  For a moment, I’m flabbergasted. I can’t believe he just stepped over it like that. Determined to just ignore my annoyance with how this went. Maybe he thinks I’m easy. Or maybe he’s right because I do honestly want this job and I never really planned on walking out of here without securing it. Did he see through my bluff all along?

  Damn him.

  I rummage in my bag and take out the papers, placing them on the table. Without looking, I slide the papers forward while closing my bag, which is when I feel his fingers against mine. An electrical current flows through my hands, and I pull back immediately, feeling the heat rise in my body from the shock that I actually touched him.

  Stop it, Lesley. You can’t feel that for him. He’s going to be your damn boss, and you’re going to be the best employee he’s ever had, so act like it.

  “Sorry,” he mumbles, licking his lips as eyes hidden under thick lashes meet mine. Just for a moment, he’s captured my attention … and then he lets it go by focusing on the contract in front of him. He flips through the pages. “Signed it?”

  “Yup,” I reply, trying to calm my nerves.

  “All right. Before I make this final, can I ask you one more thing?”

  “Sure. What do you want to know?”

  His gaze narrows. “Can I … trust you?”

  My lips part, but I hesitate. I don’t know how to answer. What kind of question is that? Who asks that? And why?

  Still, there’s only one correct answer if I want to get this job. “Of course.”

  He nods. “Great. I’ll take your word for it.”

  While he signs the contract, I quickly pull out my phone and text my mom.

  Me: Finally got it! Morrows it is. Gonna be an intern.

  Mom: Wow! Congratulations, honey! Can’t wait to hear how it goes.

  Me: Thanks! Will talk more later. xx

  When he stops writing, I quickly tuck the phone away again. He pulls one of the copies of the contract out and hands it back to me. “This is yours; I’ll keep the rest.” He holds out his hand, and I shake it. “Welcome to the firm.”

  “Thanks,” I reply, trying not to feel overwhelmed by his hand touching mine.

  “So …” He leans back in his chair. “I’m curious. How come you never asked what it is that we do?”

  “I
don’t know. I just …”

  Shit, he saw right through me.

  Maybe I should’ve done my research when I still had the chance.

  Stupid, stupid, stupid!

  “It’s okay. I knew it the moment you walked in here during your interview,” he muses, the left side of his lip quirking up into a smile. “You apply to a bunch of companies and try to snag the first one that talks to you.”

  I rub my lips together, feeling the heat.

  “Don’t worry; I’m not going to pull the rug out from underneath you.” He chuckles. “I already hired you, even when I knew all this.”

  “Is that why you sent me away?” I ask.

  “No.” He takes a short breath. “That was about something else. Look, the point is, it doesn’t matter to me. You convinced me you’re perfect for the job with just your attitude alone.”

  The compliment makes me glow, but I don’t know why. I normally never care that much about what other people think about me. But with him, it’s different. I feel like I constantly need to impress him.

  “Thank you. I appreciate the chance,” I say. “I won’t let you down.”

  He nods. “Great, because you can bet I’m going to hold you to that.” We both laugh a little. He tucks away the papers and gets up from his chair. “Now that the official part is over, I can finally introduce you to your new partner.” I follow his lead as he walks to the door.

  “Partner?”

  “Yeah.” We go through the hallway and into the elevator. “Tell me, Lesley, what do you think we do here at Morrows?”

  “Uh …” The doors close and he presses a button, letting me suffer in silence while I try to think of an answer. “You sell products?”

  The right side of his lips tip up briefly, and he places his hand on the wall beside me. “Good guess.”

  I can’t stop staring at his smoldering eyes. And the way he stares back at me makes me feel like he knew this was coming. Like he’s been waiting for me all along. But that doesn’t make any sense.