Tempted by the Boss (Tempted Series Book 1)

by Hazel Kelly

  Still, while I didn’t see him much in the weeks leading up to the party, when I did, he still looked at me that way. Like I was a piece of art. Like I was something collectible. Truthfully, I felt a little ashamed of how much I enjoyed him looking at me like that. Especially because I knew it wasn’t appropriate. Nor was it appropriate that I had full on fantasies about him when my mind wandered. But I knew they weren’t real. I knew they were just as ludicrous as the fantasies I had about Channing Tatum for a year after I went to see Magic Mike with Jackie.

  Will and I couldn’t really be together. I just had a silly crush. Which was harmless as long as I didn’t let it affect my job. So as much as I wanted to drop everything and imagine Will’s big hands on my body, I couldn’t stop executing the Christmas Party Plans.

  And even though he seemed to find me attractive- he’d said as much anyway- that didn’t mean anything. I knew how charming he was with everyone else, and it would be foolish to think that there was something more going on between us. After all, that was the secret to his success. He made people feel special, indispensable, and important. That was why everyone he worked with was enamored with him. And just because I was too didn’t mean it was okay to get carried away by the way he looked, the way he moved, and the way he smelled. It was a good, clean man smell. It was so pleasant it was weeks before I let myself wonder how he smelled when he was sweaty.

  I wish the thought had never entered my brain in the first place, but I couldn’t help it. One day a few weeks ago, he walked in the office to pick something up from Emily, and it was the first time I’d ever seen him without a suit on. He was in a sweaty t-shirt and sweat pants with a little white towel around his neck. My eyes didn’t even know where to look. I swear it was the first time I understood why anyone would ever whistle at another human being.

  The worst thing was that when he made eye contact with me, I wasn’t smiling politely like I normally tried to do. I was staring at him like a creepy stalker. To my credit, I wasn’t drooling, but it seemed like it should definitely be against the rules for him to come in like that. Surely other people’s productivity was similarly disrupted. I spent the next hour wondering what he was like when his heart was racing and holding my cold water bottle on the back of my neck.

  But somehow, against all odds and the fact that my boss was walking porn, I’d managed to pull everything together in time for the Christmas Party. Now it was just a question of whether I could pull it off on the night. Which I had to do if I was going to earn my money back for all of Emily’s damn lattes. Not that they weren’t worth it. On the contrary, she saw through the whole charade for a good three weeks, but eventually she seemed increasingly happy to see me. Then one day I complimented a brooch she was wearing that her late husband bought her at some fancy market in Paris, and she gushed about their honeymoon there for a good ten minutes. Which in Emily time was like two and a half hours. After that, she was much more tolerant of me.

  “Do you think it would be inappropriate to get Emily a Christmas Present?” I asked Jackie across the rack at Macy’s.

  “How should I know?” She kept her eyes on the dresses in front of her. “Would she think you were sucking up or would she appreciate it?”

  “Probably both.”

  “Let’s worry about your dress first. She’s number two on the list of people I want you to impress on the night.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Thanks for coming all the way out to help me pick something.”

  “Wouldn’t miss it. This is your big society debut. What you wear is half the battle.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I do say so.”

  I smiled. “What about this one?” I held up a dark green dress.

  She crinkled her face. “That would be perfect if you were going as a Christmas Tree.”

  “I think it’s pretty.”

  “The green isn’t right.”

  “I didn’t know we had a color concept in mind already.”

  “We do. And it isn’t green.”

  “What are you thinking then?”

  “Something more like this.” She held out a floor length red dress. When she twirled it, I could see that it had a plunging neckline.

  “I’m supposed to be behind the scenes, Jackie. Not Cameron Diaz in the Mask.”

  “First of all, she looked amazing in that movie. Second of all, you are not supposed to be behind the scenes. It would be a shame for you to look less amazing than the party itself.”

  “The plunging neckline is a bit much, though, don’t you think? For a work thing?”

  “You could at least try it on.”

  “How much is it?”

  She found the tag and inhaled sharply through her teeth.

  “I only have what’s left on the gift card, remember? Plus, I want to get something for Emily.”

  “I know, but the sugar plum fairies are going to be stiff competition.”

  “True.”

  “And this isn’t just a party. It’s also an interview. I mean, isn’t the goal to look so good Will can’t imagine attending another party without you for the next few years?”

  “Sort of.”

  “And if you secure that job, you won’t have to worry about money again for a long time, right?”

  “I suppose.”

  “So this dress isn’t really a purchase.” She tilted her head. “It’s more like an investment.”

  “I get what you’re saying. Really I do. But the plunging neckline is still too sexy.” I held the dress up in front of me. “I can’t do my job when I’m on the constant verge of a wardrobe malfunction.”

  She bit her lip and scanned the rack. “Ah ha!” She grabbed another red dress off the rack. “How about this one?”

  “That’s the same dress, dummy.”

  “No it’s not. This one has a plunging backline.” She twirled the hanger. “See?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never worn a backless dress.”

  “Instead of in your face sexy like that one-” She nodded towards the dress I was holding. “It’s understated sexy. Which is exactly what you’re going for.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “What don’t you know?! It’s perfect. Business in the front, party in the back.”

  I laughed. “Oh brilliant. Just what I wanted. A dress that makes people think about mullets.”

  “Trust me. No one is going to be able to think about anything when they see you in this dress.”

  I looked at the striking red dress in front of her. I did want to look pretty, and even though the plunging back was very revealing, the front was conservative. There was a chance it would be the perfect way to hold my own in a room full of sugar plum fairies.

  I sighed and looked at Jackie’s hopeful face. “I guess there’s no harm in trying it on.”

  Chapter 16: Will

  The day of the party was strange. Normally, all I have to worry about is getting dressed, but this time I also had to worry about getting calm.

  Not because I was nervous about the party. I was confident that Ella was going to pull it off. Emily wasn’t worried anyway, and she was essentially in charge of telling me when I should and shouldn’t be concerned.

  But I was still nervous about seeing Ella at a party where there was bound to be mistletoe. The morning of the party I did twice my normal workout, and I still had to rub one out in the shower because I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

  Of course, I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize her chances of throwing a great party. I desperately wanted her to do a fantastic job so it would be easy for me to extend her contract and have an excuse to spend more time with her. Unfortunately, that meant I had to spend as little time with her as possible leading up to the event. I was a man who was used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it, and it drove me crazy that I couldn’t just take her the way I took other things that caught my eye.

  Maybe I could’ve. It wasn’t like I couldn’t get someone else to do her job,
but it wasn’t that simple. On one hand, I didn’t think I could find anyone more beautiful to take her place. Which was purely selfish, but I worked hard my whole life and if I wanted to surround myself with people that were pleasing to look at, I shouldn’t have to apologize for it. At the same time, I actually cared about the consequences for her.

  Which was a totally new situation for me to find myself in. I didn’t get where I was by worrying about how my actions affected other people. There was usually zero risk to me if I wanted to behave selfishly and do as I pleased. But for the first time, I actually gave a shit about someone else’s feelings.

  Which made me equally uncomfortable and confused. Not only did I care about whether she liked her job, I cared about whether she liked me.

  It actually made me feel a little nauseous.

  I wanted to not care. I wanted to consume her and make her scream my name until her voice went hoarse and her legs went numb, but for some reason, I couldn’t think of her as a purely sexual object. I wanted to coax her into trusting me, not demand that she let me have my way with her.

  I think something happened at that dinner at Capulets. Like she put me under a spell or something that kept me from considering her disposable. She was so warm and charming. I remember being afraid of blowing it with her that night.

  Which was never a concern for me before. I had never doubted my own ability to seduce or satisfy a woman. What’s more, I had never given a shit about whether or not it was what she wanted. Not that I had any complaints. But something about Ella just made her more… I couldn’t put my finger on it.

  She was more beautiful, more enthusiastic, and more opinionated that any woman I’d met in years. And all those things made her infinitely more… intriguing. She was like a unicorn or something, like some sort of creature that I’d stopped believing existed.

  I’d fucked so many empty shells, so many socialite bimbos, and so many coin operated call girls. It was like I forgot what it was like to be around a real woman, a woman with depth. With substance. With honest to god soul crushing sex appeal.

  I didn’t just want to have her once either. I wanted to have her over and over again. And for some reason that made me feel like I had to change my approach. Like I had to be patient. Because I didn’t just want to seduce her body. I wanted to seduce her mind.

  So I had to stay away from her. I had been polite, of course, but the only way I could keep myself from being forward was to give her space. Because I swear every time I looked at her it got harder to bide my time. The sound of my name on her lips just once could keep me going for days. She was driving me crazy without even trying. It made me shudder to think what she might do if I let her know she had a chance with me. More than a chance. But besides the fact that she blushed every time we made eye contact, she had been a complete professional.

  Still, there was nothing I wanted more than to make her blush all over.

  The days when she came in with her hair up were the hardest. Not that her hair wasn’t gorgeous. On the contrary, I was dying to see what it would look like strewn across the pillows of my bed. But when her hair was up, I could see her neck. It was so smooth and delicate. The sight of it made me feel absolutely primal. It made me wish I could just pounce on her, sink my teeth into her neck, and carry her back to my cave like a lion.

  I hoped that the party would be another chance for me to be around her when she was relaxed and having a good time. Her smile was the only present I wanted this year, and I was hoping she wouldn’t be too nervous to have a glass of champagne with me. But maybe not gin. I could tell the old adage would probably apply to her after our dinner and if she was going to sin with me, I wanted her to be aware of what she was doing. I wanted her to choose to be naughty.

  I could just hear what my friends would say if I told them. They’d tell me to get her liquored up and make it easy. But I didn’t want it to be easy. I didn’t want her to feel coerced. Not just because that would be unethical considering the current state of our relationship, but because she deserved more than that. She was smart, and she deserved respect. Which is why I was having such a hard time in the first place.

  Because I wanted to disrespect her in ways she didn’t even know she wanted to be disrespected.

  And when she finally realized that my intentions were as impure as they were chivalrous, there would be no turning back. I’d been as patient as I could be without driving myself mad, but my ability to resist her was wearing thin, and after tonight, she would know where I stood and how I felt.

  I just hoped she would feel the same once she knew she had permission to let her guard down. Because I wouldn’t disappoint her. I was prepared to do everything in my power to make her feel better than she’d ever felt before.

  After all, I had no reason to think she wouldn’t continue to impress me. Something gave me confidence that her inexperience would be an asset behind closed doors and that her body would be even more sensitive than I imagined.

  And it wouldn’t be long now before I knew for sure.

  If everything went according to plan, the Christmas Party would be the first of many long, sleepless nights with Ella.

  Just as long as she didn’t bring a date.

  Chapter 17: Ella

  The ballroom ceiling was covered in real pine branches, the smell of which mixed perfectly with the scent of freshly roasted chestnuts on every table. Enormous, lavishly decorated presents added color around the room, dwarfing the party guests in a way that created the whimsical feeling I was hoping for.

  I spent all afternoon making the final arrangements and doing the fitting for the evenings catering staff. The bar men were easy enough with their nutcracker costumes. Only one of them didn’t fit in his so we had to get a Santa Costume at the last minute, but he was absolutely delighted with it.

  The sugar plum fairies were a bit more fickle. I had to beg them not to sample their outfits, and everyone wanted a piece of the gingerbread dress. Meanwhile, no one wanted to be the eggnog shot girl because she had to stand still for the whole night, but eventually they all got settled and understood where I wanted them to remain for the majority of the evening.

  For a while, I was worried I wouldn’t get everything done in time, especially when the florists showed up while I was trying to figure out how to angle the snow machine so it wouldn’t assault people as they arrived. They needed to know where I wanted five thousand dollars’ worth of poinsettias and their trucks were blocking the fire lane.

  At that point I was feeling really panicked, and it was time for me to start getting ready. Of course, that’s the moment when the reindeer turned up. Fortunately, my directions for their keepers were very clear. The reindeer were to stand outside the hotel on the entry way stairs for the first hour and a half until after all the guests had arrived. Then they were free to go.

  When I finally had a chance to sneak away and get dressed, I was relieved that Will had set aside a hotel room for me to use. It would’ve been tricky getting ready in my Mom’s cramped apartment and traveling across town in my party dress. Regrettably, he didn’t tell me in person so I hadn’t had an opportunity to thank him. Instead, there was just a card on my desk earlier in the week saying that he was looking forward to the party and that I was welcome to use one of the hotel’s rooms to prepare for the evening.

  Once I was inside, I took a deep breath which felt like my first of the entire day. Then I turned towards the garment bag that was hanging on the closet door and unzipped it. The dress was redder and sparklier than I even remembered. I took off my work clothes and slipped into it, pulling each side over my shoulders one at a time. Then I wiggled my breasts into place just so and walked over to the mirror.

  I didn’t even recognize myself. I looked like I was ready to go to the Oscars. I spun around and looked over my shoulder. The dress scooped down all the way to my lower back. I swallowed. It was one thing to spin around in it with Jackie cheering me on, but now that I was looking at myself in it, I was unsure
of whether I could pull it off.

  Not that I had a choice. It wasn’t like I had a Plan B. I slipped my feet in my shiny black heels which made me feel a little less ridiculous. Then I turned and looked at my back again. Even though it was the only skin showing, it still seemed so revealing. I knew other people would be wearing more outrageous outfits, but I felt so… exposed.

  I considered letting my hair down to cover some of my back, but Jackie made me promise to not even think of doing that. She said my hair had to be up for the full effect. I wished I could just see what it would look like down, but there were so many pins keeping my updo in place my hair would probably be way too kinky if I took it down anyway. That is, if the party wasn’t over by the time I located all the pins.

  I turned the light on over the desk and grabbed my makeup bag. My face was pretty much party ready as it was. I could never really pull off anything like a smoky eye. Still, I figured a fresh powdering would do me good, and after a few extra coats of mascara, I felt less overwhelmed by the dress.

  When there was nothing more I could do to boost my confidence, and I was sick of practicing ways to greet Will at the party, I went down to make sure everything that actually could be perfect was.

  And I couldn’t have been happier with the result. More importantly, everyone else seemed to love it from the moment they walked in. The few people who knew I was behind the planning came up and congratulated me on an enchanting evening. I was bursting with so much pride that the dress felt totally appropriate. I don’t think I’d ever been more gratified by anything in my life. The only hiccup was when the gingerbread girl proved more popular than I’d anticipated and her legs started to show through her edible gingerbread skirt, but a quick call to the kitchen saved us both.

  Overall, everything was even better than I had dreamed it would be, and I spent most of the evening by the bar where I could enjoy the party from the perimeter and watch Will laugh, joke, and dance with his staff.