Brazen Bossman: A Hero Club Novel

by Emma Nichole

  “No, I’m not a wine drinker at all. I’ll be back with the bourbon.” She motions to the large booth I noticed when I first walked in. “We’ll all join you in a few minutes.”

  ***

  They say time flies when you’re having a good time, and even with my mind on my fight with my father seventy percent of the time, two hours melt away over dinner and drinks with Piper and her family. The remaining thirty percent of the time when I’m able to give them all of my attention, I can see why Piper is so incredible.

  This is the type of family everyone should have. Close, but not stuck up each other’s ass, able to throw jabs back and forth and laugh about it without being offended. It’s what I wanted my own family to be once upon a time.

  “So, Piper tells me you’re an architect, Nathanial,” her mother mentions as she pours another glass of chardonnay for herself

  “Yes ma’am, I am. That’s taken a bit of a back seat for now though. I’ll get back to that eventually, but Lennox needs my help for now,” I tell her, keeping it vague, hoping she doesn’t press any further, but I’m not so lucky.

  “And you’re leading Lennox since your father chose to retire? I hear it was very abrupt. Why is that?”

  “Jesus Christ, Mom.” Piper puts her head in her hands. “Nathanial, I’m so sorry.”

  I place my hand on her thigh and squeeze. “It’s okay.” I swallow a gulp of bourbon before I continue, “It was a family decision based on multiple factors.” I don’t specify any more than that.

  “You don’t have to talk about this anymore. At all,” Piper says to me, but her glare is on her mother.

  “I said it’s okay. It is.”

  “So does that mean you’ll be taking over Lennox Publishing permanently then?”

  Her mother’s question hangs in the air, making it thick enough to cut with one of the bread knives on the center of the table. I don’t answer right away, opting instead to watch the condensation slip down the side of my water glass as I contemplate how to best answer this question, because the truth will, without a doubt, cause Piper to lose her shit.

  “Publishing isn’t something I wanted to work in, well, ever. I’m an only child, and was forced into a literature major, even though all I wanted to focus on was architecture. I doubled up, got a degree in both and opted to utilize the architecture degree, much to my father’s chagrin. He’s a stickler for wanting to keep the business in the family, so when he decided to retire, I was the only option he was willing to entertain, but I do not plan on staying in this position forever because I do have my own company that needs my attention.” I look to Piper and release a breath. “So, I am in the process of maybe looking into selling Lennox Publishing in its entirety. I don’t know what it will look like once the new ownership takes over, but at that point, it will be out of my hands.”

  If looks could actually kill, I’d be a fucking dead man.

  “Wait.” Piper shifts in her seat to face me a little more. “You’re selling Lennox Publishing? Why?”

  “Because it is what needs to be done to work in the grand scheme of things in my life.”

  Piper clearly doesn’t accept this answer and gives me one of her famous scoffs, “And what if this new owner decides to shut down and restructure? The entire staff would be out of work in the middle of a pretty shitty economy.”

  I have to admit, the spoiled rich kid I was raised as has never had to worry about the economic blowback of anything… ever.

  The business owner that I am now, however, knows a thing or two about it.

  “I wouldn’t have any control over something like that once the new owner takes over.”

  “Have you chosen someone yet? Is it final?” Piper asks me while everyone else at the table remains quiet.

  “Piper, I don’t think this is the place to have a conversation like that. I’ve emailed you my request for a staff meeting Monday. We will discuss it then and I’ll answer any question you have, so until then I’d rather not let that place suck up any more of my time outside of the office. Drop it.”

  “Fine.” Piper begins to stack our plates. “Can you let me out of the booth, please? I’m going to help my mom close out the night. You’re more than welcome to stay for another drink, but you are driving home. If you choose to have another, I’ll call you an Uber.”

  “Piper, there is no reason to react this way over this.”

  “We shouldn’t discuss this here. My boss is having a meeting Monday. I’ll discuss it with him then.” She throws my own words back at me.

  Just like that, I’m being dismissed. Usually, I like pushing her buttons and pulling a tone and spark from her, but there is a total sense of sadness and confusion washing over her.

  She doesn’t look at me. She sits completely stoic waiting for me to move out of her way, and as soon as I do, she takes the stack of plates in her hands and stomps off into the kitchen.

  Oliver stands and claps his hand on my shoulder. “Word of advice, pal. The worst thing you could do is hurt my sister. Not only would I kick your ass, but also so would my brother. But really, Piper would take care of you before we could even have our turn.”

  “I don’t doubt that for even a second.” I gather my suit coat that was long since discarded. “Rosa, dinner was incredible. Thank you for having me and being so gracious. I apologize for how it ended.”

  “Nathanial. Wait a moment. Let’s talk outside,” she says, sliding from the booth. “Boys, go help your sister and the rest of the crew in the back finish up. I’ll be along soon.”

  They don’t grumble for a moment before bidding their goodbyes to me and heading off in the same direction Piper went.

  I motion my hand outward, allowing Mrs. Kingston to walk out ahead of me onto the sidewalk.

  “Now, Nathanial, I don’t know what your intentions are with my daughter, and frankly, I’m not sure I want the dirty details, but here is what I do want to know. You do understand the risk in dating or having a fling with a subordinate? While I know there is little to no risk for you, especially since you are leaving your company, there is massive risk for my child.”

  “With all due respect, Mrs. Kingston…”

  “Rosa. I told you to call me Rosa.” She places her hands on her hips just as Piper does when she’s fired up.

  “Rosa, with all due respect, I am completely aware of the repercussions of my relationship with your daughter. I have told her many times that I want to shield her from any blowback, but as I’m sure you’ve noticed in the twenty-six years you’ve known her, she is stubborn and does what she wants.”

  “To say the least. I do need a favor of you though…” She looks down at the ground then back up at me.

  “Okay…”

  “Whoever you sell to, or whomever steps into your role, please put in a good word for Piper. Publishing is her dream career. She’s good at hiding it because she doesn’t want to seem desperate, but it is. She has always wanted to be in that industry. She’s passionate about the authors and their work. And now with the situation with us, she’s even more nervous about keeping her job. When you dropped the bomb in there earlier, I saw the light leave her eyes, and my heart broke. So, if there is any care in your heart for her, if you would please, make sure she’s safe once you’re no longer in the picture professionally.”

  “I care for her, Rosa, as an employee, and as a friend. She’s been keeping me in line since the minute I stepped into the office. I promise you I will try to lessen any blow she may feel.”

  She reaches out to give my arm a squeeze before turning on her heel and heading back into the restaurant.

  I lean against the brick wall, hands shoved into my pockets, staring up at the sky.

  I broke her heart in there without even realizing it. She depends on her job with me to help with her mother, and I know she thinks if she loses it, they’ll lose every shot they have of keeping Kingston’s alive and well.

  One option races through my brain, but it almost seems too crazy to ev
en consider, but since when does crazy stop me?

  I pull out my cell and fire off three text messages, hoping one of them works out the way I need it to.

  Chapter 16

  Piper

  Ida,

  So, turns out, I may be losing my job. What a turn of events, right? Everything was going so well, albeit really fast. He came to dinner with my family, but he was in such a sour mood when he got there, and then he drops the bomb that he’s selling the business I work for. Can you believe that? He hasn’t said a word to the staff. What are we supposed to do if we all lose our jobs? Honestly, I shouldn’t be surprised. It would be in typical asshole fashion. He hadn’t shown his face in a while. I guess it was time.

  P.

  I fire off the email to the Ida account and toss my phone into my bag as the train seat vibrates underneath me, which is packed, as usual on a Monday morning.

  I didn’t speak to Nathanial at all yesterday, and to be fair, he didn’t try to contact me either. I just needed my space. From what, I’m not even sure; it just felt like the appropriate reaction to have given the circumstances.

  My mom told me not to jump the gun and buy anger for something that may not even be true, but this is my career, my life, we are talking about here.

  I remember when my father lost his job at a manufacturing plant in Queens when I was a little girl. At the time, Kingston’s was brand-new and Mom was the only one working there full time because they weren’t making enough for ends to meet.

  I lay in the hallway, hiding in the darkness, listening to my father cry, terrified he wasn’t going to be able to provide for us anymore. As an adult, I think I know now that very moment was when his addiction to money started. That moment in time created a butterfly effect that ultimately lost my mother the last piece of my father: Kingston’s.

  Now I’ll probably lose mine in some sort of fucked-up vicious cycle, putting the nail in the coffin.

  My phone buzzes in my purse, and I pull it out, seeing an email response from Ida.

  Piper,

  I say this with love… You need a reality show or a soap opera based on your life, my dear.

  Holy God, the drama that finds you is insane, again, I say that with love.

  Until you actually lose your job, I’d say don’t let it get you all riled up.

  Companies change ownership all the time without the staffs being affected in the least.

  I think what it comes down to is that you don’t fully trust what is happening between you, so your mind is taking things to the extreme, so you can hide from him and your feelings for him.

  A woman doesn’t send emails to an advice column over and over if she isn’t harboring some kind of feeling.

  Stop running from it.

  Trust me.

  Ida

  ***

  Nathanial is in his office when I arrive, with his door shut, and on our interoffice instant messaging system shows him as “busy” so I don’t bother him. Given his mood Saturday evening, who knows what is going on in his world today.

  I’m just settling in for the morning and firing up my email when Kate comes by my desk and places a cup of coffee directly in front of me.

  “Mmmm. Oh my God, that smells amazing.” I waft the fumes up into my nose.

  “I figured that was the way to your heart, considering you are sleeping with our boss and you didn’t think to tell me,” she says with her hands on her hips.

  “WHAT?” I bolt up from my chair. “Kate, Jesus Christ,” I whisper-yell.

  She whisper-yells right back, “Well, it’s true.”

  “Not here.” I take her hand. “Follow me.”

  I all but drag her down the hallway to an empty office as far away from everyone as we can possibly get. The office is dingy and depressing, begging for a revamp of some kind. The offices on this side of the building never get used. They are too far away from the main hustle and bustle of our floor, so they are sad and ignored.

  As soon as the door closes, she lets loose.

  “Before you say anything to me at all about this, I need to just know that you’re okay. Are you okay?” She hops up to sit on the empty desk by the window.

  “Yeah, I’m okay. Why?” I lean back against the closed door, tucking my slightly curled hair behind my ear.

  “Because I know you and I know your aura. It’s so blue right now that I could mistake it for the ocean. Did something happen?”

  I sigh heavily before walking over to plop down in the seat in front of her. “Well, the very short answer is yes, I’m okay. The long, complicated answer is just that, long and complicated.”

  “We can stay here undetected for ten minutes. I’ve done the research.”

  “I have questions about that, but I have a feeling I don’t want to know those answers.”

  She smiles and turns red. “You don’t.”

  One day, she’ll fess up to whatever is happening between her and my brother, but for now, I leave it be and divulge the details of the entire past few days. The text, the almost kiss, the romp on his desk, his penthouse, and dinner with my family, plus his admittance that he is putting Lennox on the market.

  “There is so much to unpack here, I don’t even know where to start. Holy shit, Piper.”

  I drop my face into my hands. “I know. I know. It’s so fucked up.”

  “Let’s get the easy stuff out of the way. How is he in bed? You know I have to know these things. We’ve been talking about it for so long. Spill.”

  In any other circumstance, with any other man, I’d give her every sordid detail down to the size, color, and shape of their penis, but with Nathanial, I want to keep certain things private for myself.

  “Let’s just say, he lived up to every expectation plus a thousand.” I look down at my hands and smile at the memory of his hands on my body.

  “Oh my God. I knew it. He just oozes sexual ability, even if he is an asshole. Speaking of which, he clearly isn’t that way all the time, so why is it so bad when he’s here? Because everyone knows he’s one unbearable jerk sometimes.”

  I shake my head. That is the understatement of the century.

  “I think it has a lot to do with his father. We don’t really talk about his family or about him at all really. He told my mom a little about his business, but nothing personal. I haven’t really pressed because it doesn’t feel like my business.”

  “Girl, that man had you in his bed, let you sleep over, then had dinner with your mom and brothers. That’s personal, which makes asking these things your business.”

  Moments like this remind me of the many talks we had over ice cream and cheap booze when we were in college. Only now it’s office air and coffee.

  “Am I wrong for being upset at him for selling Lennox?”

  “Um, not at all. Piper, this is your job, your security. You actually love it here, which is more than most people can say for where they work. Selling this place puts that at risk. I think you’re completely within your rights to be upset, but… I don’t think it’s a personal attack on you or the people here.”

  I groan like an upset child. “I hate that I like him. It would be much easier to stomp around and act mad if he weren’t so freaking cute.”

  A knock on the door draws our attention. We exchange glances, sure no one saw us come in here.

  “I’ll get it,” I tell her, before rising from my seat and smoothing out my high-waisted, pinstriped slacks.

  When I pull the door open, I’m met with the intense green eyes of the man who has my body, mind, and heart in a whirlpool, inside of a hurricane, with an earthquake thrown in for good measure, and a side of tornado.

  “If you ladies are finished partaking in your morning gossip while on company time, the meeting was called for fifteen minutes ago. Everyone is waiting in the conference room. Except you two, of course.”

  He is leaning against the doorframe, filling the doorway completely with all six foot three, muscular inch of him.

  I hear Kate’
s heels against the marble floors as she hops down from the desk. “The meeting wasn’t on the calendar when we left our desks. It was a simple mistake and we are on our way now.”

  I look over my shoulder at her then back to Nathanial. He’s watching me with careful eyes, and I can feel the heat of him prickling my every pore.

  “I just needed a bit of a pep talk for my day, Mr. Lennox.” I square my shoulders. “My friend was happy to oblige.”

  He keeps his eyes on me, never letting them drift, even as he speaks directly to Kate. “Ms. Baxter, if you could, go ahead on to the conference and let them know I’ll be along shortly. I’d like a word with Ms. Kingston alone.”

  Kate comes to my side and places her hand on my arm. “You’re good?”

  She’s always been this way, making sure that I’m absolutely comfortable in a situation before she exits said situation. We ladies have to keep each other safe nowadays, but I know without a doubt, I’m safe with Nathanial, and I am absolutely okay being alone with him.

  “Of course. I’m okay. Go ahead. I’ll be there in a second.”

  She nods in understanding then slips by Nathanial and disappears down the hallway.

  “I have a feeling you’re ignoring me, Piper,” he says softly, not moving from his position.

  “If I were ignoring you, I wouldn’t be standing here talking to you.”

  The sexual tension between us has always been thick and present. One would think that would have lessened since we have officially scratched that itch, but honestly… it’s even worse now.

  “I’ve made you angry, haven’t I, and don’t lie to me.” He reaches out and cups my cheek in his hand.

  My eyes drop closed and I nuzzle my skin into his touch. “I’m not angry, Nathanial. I’m just confused, stressed, and nervous.” I huff out a breath.

  “Don’t be. Everything has a way of working out the way it’s supposed to, doesn’t it?”