by Holly Rayner
Please don’t talk about another woman, she begged him silently. I want you all to myself.
The thought was completely illogical. He was her boss, after all, not a potential boyfriend. At the same time, she couldn’t ignore the feelings that she was developing for Ben. They seemed to get stronger and stronger with every passing day.
Ben finished his bite of dessert before answering. “No… I haven’t had a woman over for dinner in quite some time,” he said. “I mean, besides you.”
His eyes searched hers.
She swallowed. “Well, this isn’t a social engagement,” Maia said, her voice barely over a whisper. “I’m working for you.”
She wanted to convey, somehow, the tension she felt within her body. It was so hard to be with him—in the same room with him, or even worse, on the same couch as him—yet keep her hands off of him. She wanted so badly to reach out and touch him. More than that, she wanted to kiss him. She longed to feel his arms wrapped around her, and his lips on hers.
“You are…” Ben said. His chest rose and fell as he took several rapid breaths. She saw his eyes move over her body in a way that sent a shiver up her spine. He raised his eyes to hers again. “When the kids are up,” he added. “But they’re in bed now, and we put our computers away. So I’d say you’re off the clock.”
“Oh, really?” she teased. “Then I guess I don’t have to call you Mr. Briars.”
He laughed, so low that it sounded like water bubbling over rocks in a brook. “When have you ever called me Mr. Briars?”
“All the time,” Maia said jokingly, though she rarely ever used that moniker for her boss. She took a final bite of her dessert and then slipped off of the stool she was on. She walked over to Ben and held out her hand. “Are you all done with your ice cream, Mr. Briars?” she asked.
He grinned and submitted his dish. “All done. Thank you, Maia.”
“I won’t expect a tip,” Maia said, as she placed both bowls in the sink and started running hot water over them. “Seeing as I’m off the clock and all.”
They continued bantering back and forth as she rinsed the dishes and handed them to Ben so that he could load them into the dishwasher.
Though their dessert was over, she didn’t want the time with Ben to end. He moved to the stairwell that would take him up to his master bedroom. Maia’s guest room was one floor removed, and she knew they would have to part ways. She didn’t want to.
“You know,” Ben said, as he lingered in the stairwell’s entrance. “Now that I know a little bit more about what it’s like to have a family, I can see why you’ve been nagging me about all those family-friendly work programs.”
Maia swatted Ben’s upper arm playfully. “Nagging!” she said. “Oh, I don’t think so.”
“Okay, maybe nagging isn’t the right word,” Ben said with a grin. “Bringing the topics to my attention.”
“Better,” Maia said, lifting her chin.
“I’m going to implement some of the changes you suggested,” Ben said, “to make it easier on parents. You know, flexible schedules, work from home options—”
“A daycare service at the PubLive headquarters?” Maia asked hopefully.
Ben nodded. “That, too. It’s a good idea. I can see how it would make a huge difference in the lives of our employees and for their families.”
“Exactly,” Maia said, beaming.
Ben’s gaze lingered on her for a moment longer, and then he turned toward the stairs that would lead him up to his bedroom. “Good night, Maia,” he said over his shoulder.
“Good night, Ben.”
Maia lingered in the kitchen for a moment, then walked up the wooden staircase toward the guest room. She was careful to push the door open slowly, so as not to introduce too much light to the room suddenly. Joy was sleeping soundly. A quick peek through the open doorway that led to the adjacent guest room let Maia know that Colby was also fast asleep.
As Maia brushed her teeth, she thought happily about Ben’s parting statement. He’s going to take my advice, she thought. After bringing it up so many times at work, with no results, he’s finally listening.
Ben’s openness to her suggestions about making the office more family-friendly was a great change to see—and it wasn’t the only one she’d noticed over the past week. Ben also seemed to be more relaxed in general.
He no longer walked around the house with his earbuds in. Instead, he chatted with the kids or engaged Maia in conversation. And when he spoke to her, she no longer felt so rushed, as if she had to communicate everything in the most efficient way possible. He didn’t seem to be impatient or mentally running over the next item on his to-do list. Instead, he just slowed down and listened.
It was so nice to talk to him without feeling the pressure that she used to feel.
She peeked in on Colby one last time, as she crossed the bedroom. He was hugging his Pete the Penguin doll in his sleep.
Poor little guy, she thought, as she watched him stir, as if he was reacting to something in his dream. He’s been through so much. No wonder he was difficult at times, early on in the week. He misses his mother.
She thought about how Colby’s behavior had changed, for the better, over the course of the week. He’d reacted well to the routines she established. Joy, too, was growing as the week progressed. Maia noticed that she was readily sharing her books and toys, rather than holding onto everything tightly as she’d done at the beginning of the week.
It’s good for her to have another child around, Maia thought.
She moved toward the king-sized bed and carefully pulled the covers back in a manner that wouldn’t disturb her sleeping daughter.
I suppose this week has been good for all of us, she thought, as her mind turned once again to the changes she’d seen in her boss.
She nestled her head into the plump pillow and closed her eyes. A faint smile graced her lips as her thoughts became less focused. She was tired. It had been a long, wonderful day.
And we still have a week left, she realized happily. What other changes are possible?
This was her last thought before sleep drew her into dreams.
Chapter 9
Maia
“Colby, honey, this way,” Maia called out, as Colby veered left instead of right. She held the door open, and the little guy trotted past her through the Vive Tea House entryway.
Joy looked up at Maia. “Is he going to be careful with the toys?” she asked, a look of concern etched on her angelic face.
Maia patted her daughter’s head, smiling. Ever since Maia and Caroline had started their weekly tradition of meeting up at the tea house, Joy had loved to admire a shelf of glass figurines at the back of the restaurant. “You’re going to have to remind him, okay?”
Joy nodded earnestly. “Okay.”
The tea house was fairly busy, and Maia kept an eye on the two youngsters while also scanning the hip crowd for Caroline. She spotted her on the far side of the room, already seated, then steered the children toward the table.
At the sight of Caroline, Joy ran ahead.
Caroline got out of her chair and knelt down to receive the hug that was offered. “Miss Joy Emma, I’ve missed you!” Caroline exclaimed, squeezing Joy tight. “Look at you! I think you grew a little taller since I saw you last time.”
Joy scrunched up her nose. “It’s only been…” She trailed off and looked up at her mother.
“A little over a week,” Maia said. “About eight days. Maybe nine.”
Caroline stood and wrapped her arms around Maia. “Feels like forever,” she gushed. “You guys have to sit down and tell me everything. How is it going? And is this your new friend Colby that I’ve been hearing so much about?”
Colby climbed up onto a chair, dragging his somewhat dirty Pete the Penguin doll with him. “I like tea,” he announced. “Better with cookies.”
Joy nodded and climbed up onto a chair, too. Maia helped them remove their jackets as Caroline started pouring Swee
t Mandarin Orange herbal tea into waiting teacups.
“This tea house doesn’t serve cookies,” Caroline explained. “But they do have special scones that we like to get. Isn’t that right, girls?”
“So good,” Maia said, salivating at the thought of the cranberry scones that they always ordered to go along with their tea and gabfest.
“I already ordered four, and they should be right over,” Caroline promised. “But I’m not kidding, ladies… and gentleman.” She gave a playful nod to Colby, who was wrapping his pudgy hands around the delicate teacup. “I want to hear all about your week of adventure and fun.” She eyed Maia as she said this, indicating that she was especially interested in hearing about Maia’s experience of living with her boss.
Maia reached across the table to help Colby manage his cup. As she did, she said, “It’s been… really good,” she said. Really good didn’t even come close to describing the strange mix of temptation and bliss that she’d experienced over the course of the week.
Joy chimed in. “Mr. Bry… I mean Briars—”
“Uncle Benny!” Colby interjected.
Joy shot him a look, “He’s not my uncle,” she said. Then she went on, “He’s so much fun. And silly!”
“Fun? Silly?” Caroline raised her brows and looked over at Maia. “Is this the same Mr. Briars that you’ve been working for over the past two years? Because I’ve never heard you describe him as fun or silly before.”
Joy tugged at Maia’s sleeve. “Can I go show Colby the special animals?”
Maia knew that her daughter was referring to the shelves of glass figurines. She was glad that the display was not far away; she’d be able to keep an eye on the two while she and Caroline chatted. “Sure, honey. Remember not to touch, just look.”
Joy nodded, then beckoned for Colby to follow her.
Once the two were positioned a few feet away, ogling the shelf of intricately painted glass animals, Caroline spoke again. “So what’s the deal? I thought Mr. Briars was always so serious… an all-business kind of guy.” She lifted her teacup to her lips and took a sip.
“That’s what I thought, too,” Maia said. “I mean, that’s always how he acts at work—so distant and detached. Almost cold, even. But this week, I’ve seen a different side of him.”
“Oh,” Caroline said, wiggling her brows. “A good side?” She’d visited Maia at work before, and she knew how handsome Ben was. “Maybe… his backside? He has such a cute tush.” She made a curve in the air with her hands as if outlining Ben’s backside.
“Caroline!” Maia said, swatting her friend’s hand down. She felt herself blush. “What I mean is, he’s not like that at home. He relaxes. We’ve been having fun.”
“That’s great,” Caroline said. “I got a real stand-offish vibe from him that time I visited you at work. Remember how he walked right past me, without even saying hi?” Caroline ran a ring-clad hand through her hair.
Maia knew just what Caroline was thinking: how could a guy not want to say hi to me? She was used to men dropping everything just to talk to her, not brushing past her without even stopping.
“He’s always like that at the office,” Maia said. “Don’t worry, it’s not just you. He barely stops to talk to anyone. Do you know how many times he’s walked past my desk without even pulling out his earbuds?”
Maia rolled her eyes and picked up her teacup. Before she took a sip, she said, “But things between us feel different now. He actually stops what he’s doing to talk to me. We’ve had some really good conversations.”
“Wow,” Caroline said, settling back into her cushioned chair. “This is big. Really big. Benjamin Briars is actually stopping his busy life to talk to someone.”
Not just anyone, Maia thought. Me. She grinned and sipped her tea.
Caroline twirled a lock of her hair thoughtfully. Then she said, “So, what have you two been talking about?”
“You know, the kids. His family a little bit—but not much. Sometimes work. And sometimes, we just joke around… not talking about anything serious. Just hanging out and laughing. The other night we stayed up late drinking wine and playing Monopoly, after the kids went to bed, and—”
“Hold up,” Caroline said. She set her cup down and stared wide-eyed at Maia. “Did you just say you two stayed up late, drinking wine and—”
“Playing Monopoly,” Maia finished with a nod. “Yep. That’s what I said.”
“Maia, that’s not just hanging out and goofing around. That’s, like, a date.”
Maia shook her head. “No, no… it was just that I’d mentioned to Ben that I loved playing the game with my family when I was young, back in Iowa, and he said he’d never played before. So I was showing him how. He’d opened a bottle of red to go with the dinner I cooked, and we didn’t want to let it go to waste, so…” Her voice trailed off and she looked to Caroline. “Oh, my goodness! Maybe you’re right.”
“Of course, I’m right!” Caroline said confidently.
Maia had met Caroline years before, due to a conflict they’d had at the apartment complex. Back then, Caroline was working a temp job that had her working nights and sleeping during the day. Maia had enrolled in an online kickboxing class that had her jumping all over her living room every afternoon, just when Caroline wanted to be deep asleep.
After a few angry notes passed back and forth under doorways, the two finally met in person. Maia had offered to practice her kickboxing in the early mornings instead, and seeing as that was just when Caroline got off from work, she decided to join in. It wasn’t long before they discovered that they shared the same clothing size and started sharing wardrobes. From then on, they’d been best friends, though Caroline, at twenty-five, was ten years younger than Maia.
Maia knew that her friend had plenty of experience with dating guys. During the course of their friendship, Caroline had dated countless men and had experienced many ups and downs along the way. If there was anyone to whom Maia could go to for advice about dating, it was Caroline.
“Really,” Maia said, sitting back in her chair. “I didn’t realize…”
“Maia, think about it,” Caroline said. “A guy wouldn’t stay up late with you, drinking wine and playing some boring board game unless he was into you.”
“Really,” Maia repeated. She felt a familiar flutter in her stomach as she thought of the way it had felt to sit on the loveseat in Ben’s office, right next to him. There’d been that brief moment when she felt sure that he was going to kiss her…
She shook her head. “No,” she said.
“No, what?” Caroline asked.
“He can’t be into me,” Maia said. “If he was, he would have made a move by now. Right?” She really wasn’t sure. She looked to Caroline for input.
Now it was Caroline’s turn to shake her head. “Not necessarily,” she said. “I mean, think about the position he’s in. He hired you to live at his house. He probably doesn’t want to seem too forward. Okay—let’s back up. Remember when I had that temp job at the law firm, and lawyer guy Kurt asked me out for margaritas, but he also asked out two other employees?”
Maia wasn’t sure where her friend was going with the story. “Yeah,” she said.
Caroline flipped her hair over her shoulder. “And, like, I was seeing that construction guy who was fixing the leak in my bathroom?”
“I think he was a plumber,” Maia said.
“Oh yeah, right,” Caroline said. “He was a plumber. Anyway, I got confused and thought the lawyer guy was into me, and so I dumped the plumber, but then I realized that the lawyer guy wasn’t that great, and I wanted the plumber back, but it was too late?”
Maia felt confused by the story. “I think I remember that,” she said.
“My point is,” Caroline said, “it’s good to get clear about what you want, before you make any moves. I was so flattered that the lawyer guy asked me out for margaritas. But if I’d just stopped and thought things through for like, two seconds, I would have realize
d that Bobby the plumber was way hotter and also really sweet.” She stopped and took a sip of her tea.
Maia tried to process all that her friend had just said. Sometimes, when Caroline was in a chatty mood, she was hard to keep up with.
Caroline seemed to pick up on Maia’s confusion. “I’m saying you should get clear on what you want. Just because Ben is hitting on you doesn’t mean you have to—”
“He’s not hitting on me,” Maia said,
Caroline gave an expression of disbelief. “Oh, really,” she said flatly.
“He’s not,” Maia insisted. “Sure, we’ve been flirting… I think.” She frowned. “It’s been a long, long time since I’ve had to figure any of this stuff out. I mean, to be honest, sometimes it’s hard to tell if he’s even flirting with me. But I get the impression he is.”
“I’m one thousand percent sure he is,” Caroline said. “You’re gorgeous, smart, and the nicest person in the whole world. He’d be nuts not to flirt with you. And he’s single, right?”
“Right.” Maia nodded.
“Okay, then. We know he’s flirting with you. Now the question is, how do you feel about him?”
“I—I like him,” Maia admitted. The words felt awkward on her tongue. She felt they were so inadequate when it came to describing how she felt about her boss.
The word “like” doesn’t even scratch the surface, she thought.
The truth was, her feelings for Ben Briars ran much deeper than “like.” She tried to voice this by saying, “I’m incredibly attracted to him—”
“Obviously!” Caroline interjected. “That man is probably the hottest guy in the city, Maia.”
“You have no idea,” Maia said in a near whisper. She glanced over to the two children, who were still engrossed in their examination of the little figurines. Maia leaned forward. “Caroline, you should see his chest and abs. His body… mm.” She bit her lip and then leaned back.
