Misbehaving Curves: A Boss Romance

by Piper Sullivan

  “On one condition.”

  “Fine,” I groaned. “What is it?”

  “Was Ms. Callahan your match from Time for Love, or is this one of those workplace romances you pretend you don’t believe in?”

  “Joss and I are friends, Mom. That’s all you’re getting.”

  She laughed again. “Then I guess it’s back to our discussion about those friends with benefits relationships. Maybe I should look into getting one, it’s been long enough since-,”

  “Okay, fine Mom. Yes, okay? Time for Love matched Joss and I together.” She squealed with delight and I turned away from Joss and lowered my voice. “Don’t get your hopes up,” I warned. “I still don’t do workplace romances. Period.”

  “Whatever you need to tell yourself,” she sang. “We’ll talk tomorrow since you’ll be missing Sunday dinner, I assume?”

  “That’s right.”

  “See you tomorrow then. I’ll make pot roast just for us.”

  “Bye, Mom. Love you.”

  “Love you, too honey. Enjoy yourself.”

  That’s exactly what I intended to do, enjoy the time I spent with Joss for exactly what it was, time spent in the company of a beautiful, lively woman who drove me crazy.

  “Your mama?”

  “Yeah, she’s worried about my happiness.”

  Joss laughed. “You weren’t kidding about her zeal in getting you matched.” Her words were hesitant, not quite fishing, but wondering.

  “Yeah, she’s just a little too eager for my liking.” And the last thing I wanted was for Mom or Joss to get the wrong idea about where this was going. I like Joss, a lot, but I hadn’t changed my mind about dating people who worked for me.

  Had I?

  Joss

  “Mara, are you busy?” The soccer team didn’t have a game this week so I gave them two days off to rest and recover before the final leg of the playoffs, and leaving work before six in the evening had me feeling restless.

  “I’m always busy. What’s up?” Her droll tone never failed to bring a smile to my face.

  “There’s a new tapas place that opened up between here and Tulip, feel like eating tiny portions of Spanish food?”

  “Always. Are you driving?”

  “Don’t I always?” Mara drove like a maniac, and for some reason she didn’t like to drive, and I preferred to drive everywhere. Some might call it a control issue, I preferred to think of it as maintaining my independence.

  “You do, and I find that an excellent quality in a friend. I need to wash the stench of butter off, can you give me fifteen minutes?”

  “I just finished my workout, so I’ll give you twenty, maybe twenty-five.” Ben’s impromptu visits for the past three nights had made it hard to stick to any type of schedule, but when a girl was getting regular orgasms, she tended not to mind all that much. But a proper hour at Stone Cold Fitness was exactly what I needed to clear my mind and remove thoughts that didn’t belong.

  At least that’s what I told myself when my mind began to wander in the shower to places it shouldn’t. Like Ben and his visits that were starting to feel a lot less like fun sexy trips, and more like something else. More like hiding.

  I shook those thoughts off because Ben was a good man, a nice man. He hadn’t been clear about what he wanted, not explicitly, but he wouldn’t be intentionally cruel. I was sure of that.

  At least I was pretty sure of that.

  I dressed quickly in a pair of dark blue jeans and a brand new red sweater I’d found on sale on one of my rare trips to the mall, pairing the outfit with the black ankle boots Eva had me buy before I gave up on matchmaking. With a few minutes to spare, I grabbed my keys and rushed out the front door, running right into Ben in the process.

  “Ben. What are you doing here?”

  He laughed. “You plan to ask me that question every time I darken your doorstep?”

  “Yes.” He was here again, this time without food, but there was no doubt why he was here. “Well?”

  Ben flashed that ‘aw shucks’ smile and rubbed a hand over his hair. “I was hoping you felt like having some company?”

  I took a step back and took in the sight of him, no longer in his khaki pants and checkered button up that he favored for work, he’d changed into well-worn jeans and a muscle hugging t-shirt.

  “Oh yeah? What kind of company, exactly?”

  He took a step forward and grinned. “The kind that starts with you and me, and then we see what happens. What do you say, Joss?”

  I wanted to say yes, and to slip back inside where we could close the door behind us and enjoy each other until late into the night. But I couldn’t. Not only was Mara expecting me, but this felt important even though I couldn’t say why.

  “I’d love some company, Ben. There’s a tapas place that just opened up, hungry?”

  His shoulders fell, but it was just a fraction, enough that I could have missed it if it didn’t feel so crucial that I play close attention. “I’m not really in the mood to go out.”

  My brows dipped in confusion. “This is out, Ben. What you mean is that you don’t want to go out to dinner with me. Right?” He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to. The look on his face said it all. “You do what you want, Ben. I’m going out for tapas, so I guess I’ll see you around.” I gave him a beat, a moment to change his mind.

  He didn’t.

  I side-stepped his big body, holding my breath to block out the warm, masculine scent of him, and hurried to my car, angry that Ben would rather spend the evening alone than with me. Out in public.

  I should have known. Maybe I did know and just didn’t want to believe it because the truth was, my crush on Ben had only grown since we started spending time together. “Maybe, maybe, maybe.” It was all speculation and I was tired of thinking about it so I slammed on the horn when I pulled up in front of Mara’s place.

  She came running down a few seconds later, a confused look on her face. “Who pissed you off in the twenty minutes since we spoke? And don’t lie to me.”

  “Ben. I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Mara laughed. “Oh yes you do, but I’ll do you the favor of not pushing you to talk until there’s food between us. And if it turns out to be bad, I might even ply you with booze and drive us home.”

  I looked over at Mara and laughed. “Who are you, and what did you do with my friend Mara?”

  “Shut up, I’m being supportive and shit.” She flashed a grin and rolled her eyes with a sigh. “Sheesh.”

  “My bad,” I told her, slightly amused. “I stand corrected.”

  “Damn straight you do.” Mara was true to her word and she didn’t ask why I was upset until we arrived at The Black Olive and there was a plate of anchovy-stuffed olives and meatballs between us, to start. “All right, what happened?”

  I sucked in a deep breath and told her what had just gone down between me and Ben. “He didn’t even consider going, just I don’t feel like going out and that was it. What the hell is up with that?”

  Mara sighed and chewed her olive. “What do you think is up with that? Because it sounds like you’ve got your panties in a twist over a theory, cockamamie, or otherwise.”

  I glared. “It’s not cockamamie, it’s a theory, period. I think Ben is embarrassed to be seen with me. Or maybe he’s embarrassed that he’s attracted to me, I don’t know anything other than he is most definitely embarrassed by me.”

  “Bull.” Mara stared me down with that steely look she usually reserved for Xander, and I sighed and waved at her to finish whatever she had to say. “I think you’re being crazy, but let’s just say you’re right. What do you plan to do about it?”

  “That’s the problem, I don’t really know. My instinct is to test him, figure out why we’re only together in my house. Not even his house,” I said as realization dawned. “Not even his house, Mara. Am I some dirty little secret?”

  “Now you sound ridiculous.” Mara snorted and shook her head before she popped a
n olive in her mouth.

  “I don’t want this to be true, but he told his mother we were just friends not long after we had sex. And I was sitting right there.”

  “Ouch. I’m sorry, Joss.”

  “Don’t be. It’s not your fault. It’s mine for letting him in, over and over again.” Was I so desperate for a man, any man, that I would take whatever scraps Ben was willing to give? “I invited him along, clearly upset, and still he decided to go home. Rather than be seen eating a meal with me.”

  “With us,” she clarified. “Maybe he just wanted you all to himself?”

  A nice thought, but I didn’t believe it. “If that were true, he would’ve said so.”

  “Would he? I mean, it sounds like your whole problem, both of you, is an extreme lack of communication.”

  “Exactly,” I said, barely hearing her words. “That’s why I need to test him. It’s the only way to know for sure.”

  “Er, well, that. Or you could just ask him.”

  “No. If I ask, Ben will just tell me what he thinks I want to hear. His actions will tell me the truth.”

  “You’re asking for trouble, but I can see that you’ve talked yourself into this ridiculous plan.” Mara leaned back when more food arrived at the table, a knowing smirk on her face. “Just know that when this all goes to hell, which it totally will, I’ll be here for you.”

  “Thanks. I think.”

  “And I’ll only say ‘I told you so’ one time before I offer comfort.” She flashed a smile before she shoved a meatball in her mouth.

  I was sick of hearing the sound of my voice, so I enjoyed way too many anchovy stuffed olives, meatballs, potatoes and an obscene amount of bread before I said another word.

  “Fine, I won’t test him. It’s stupid anyway, and chances of success are slim.”

  Mara sighed, seemingly satisfied with my decision. “You’re both educated people, use those college words to figure it out.”

  Words. Sounded easy enough, in theory, but in reality it would leave me as confused as I was now. “I’m done talking about it. I’m done overthinking it too.”

  “Okay.”

  “So tell me, what’s the story with you and Xander.” There was a lot of tension between them, sometimes it was anger or resentment, and other times it was white hot sexual tension.

  “Nothing,” she replied quickly and almost harshly. “He’s the sheriff and I’m a citizen of Pilgrim. End of story.”

  “Baloney.” Mara wasn’t the only one who could call people out and tell them like it is. “Nothing at all, that’s what you want me to believe?”

  She shrugged and looked away. “We knew each other in another lifetime, way back in the day. That’s all.” That was definitely not all, but clearly Mara didn’t just not want to talk about it. She got this squirrely look in her eyes like she wanted to run and I didn’t want that.

  “Okay fine. Keep your secrets. For now.” I would find out, but I had a feeling that was a conversation that required a private location and plenty of booze.

  “Great. Now we can inhale these tapas in peace.”

  I grunted and reached for a giant shrimp, happy that at least one of us had some peace of mind, because mine continued to race at the speed of light, wondering how to deal with the problem of Ben Rutherford and my increasing feelings for a man who probably didn’t return those feelings.

  Whatever they were.

  Ben

  “Hey Joss.” I leaned against the bar at The Mayflower with a wide, flirtatious grin on my face as I got in her personal space.

  She turned emotionless blue eyes my way and sighed. “Ben.” That was it. No smile. No light in her eyes. No happiness at all to see me, but she wasn’t angry, at least not in the traditional sense.

  “How’s it going?” All week I’d been trying to talk to Joss and my attempts were met with short answers and blank stares.

  “It’s going,” she said and turned to the bartender. “A pitcher of mango margaritas and a frozen lime pitcher, thanks.” She tapped her fingers on the edge of the bar, a clear sign she was nervous. I could work with that, nervous meant she was still affected by me.

  “How long are we going to do this, Joss?” I screwed up and I knew it. Not going to that damn tapas restaurant had pissed her off and now I was paying for it. “I screwed up.”

  “How Ben? How did you screw up?” Her words came out quiet and steely, her gaze still fixed on the television above the bar instead of me.

  “I wasn’t in the mood to go out.” It was a damn lie and we both knew it.

  “Okay.” She accepted both pitchers, and backed away from the bar without another look spared for me.

  “Okay? That’s not exactly a complete answer, Joss.” I tried to relieve of her one of the pitchers, but her grip was firm and the message was clear. My help was not wanted. Or needed.

  “It was as far as I’m concerned, now if you don’t mind, I’m here with my friends.” Her blue gaze stared at me until it stared through me, and then she sighed before she carried on to the table where Mara, Sophie and Tara waited for her while glaring at me so angrily that I finally took the hint and rejoined the guys at the dart boards in back.

  She was more upset than I realized. Somehow, I’d convinced myself that she would get over it, that after a day or two of stewing, things would go back to normal. But they hadn’t. “Struck out again, huh?” Stone’s sympathetic tone didn’t help matters because I didn’t deserve sympathy and I didn’t want it either.

  Xander laughed and threw his final dart. “Struck out would be a step up from what just happened. She’s done with him, man.”

  “Thanks, Xander. You’re a real friend. Seriously.”

  He shrugged and pulled the darts from the board. “A real friend would never lie to you, which makes me the best friend, so you’re welcome.” He wasn’t entirely wrong but his words made me realize I preferred Stone’s sympathy to Xander’s brutal honesty. “What did you do, anyway?”

  “Nothing. She was headed out to some tapas place with Mara and invited me along. I wanted to stay in and went home. Now she’s upset.” That was how it played out from my perspective, but clearly Joss saw things differently.

  “Why didn’t you want to go with her?”

  I turned to Stone and frowned. “We work together.”

  “And? What the hell does that have to do with anything? A bunch of teachers, coaches and administrators have dated on and off over the years, dating back since we were Pirates.”

  “Yeah and when they ended, remember how much drama there was? Fights in the hallway, classroom swaps and so much damn gossip we could barely focus on school work.”

  Xander barked out another laugh. “We were kids, man. Any excuse to avoid schoolwork. It could’ve been anything and most of the time it was everything.”

  “Yeah well now it’s my school and I want things done differently. That’s why I don’t date my employees.”

  “But you do sleep with them? In private.” Stone glared at me and shook his head. “No offense man, but you sound like a dick.”

  “I never promised her anything.” I never made promises I couldn’t keep and as much as I wanted Joss, I knew I couldn’t have her. Not really.

  “Yeah, because she’s the kind of woman who would be completely okay with just sleeping with a guy in private,” Stone grunted and turned to Xander. “She’s totally a dirty little secret kind of woman, isn’t she?”

  “If she was, I’d have made a move on her.”

  “Before she became friends with Mara,” I added just to piss him off.

  “Still,” he said, not bothering to deny my words. “She’s beautiful and curvy and loves sports, what’s not to like? If everything about the woman didn’t scream babies and forever, I definitely would have made a play for her.”

  “All right, I got it,” I snapped because I didn’t even want to think about Xander and Joss hooking up. Ever. “Can we talk about something else?” My gaze slid across the bar to where J
oss sat with her girlfriends, laughing and having a good time, like it didn’t bother her that we hadn’t spent any time together all week.

  “Sure, let’s talk about why you care so much that Joss is upset if you’re not dating. Is the sex that good?”

  Hell yeah, it was. “That’s none of your damn business” I growled.

  Xander laughed. “That’s also not an answer. I won,” he declared when the board lit up. “Let’s go see if we can get the girls to buy this winner a drink.”

  Before I could think of an excuse to avoid following them, Stone and Xander headed towards Joss’ table, wicked smiles lighting up both of their meddling faces. “You guys could use a few lessons in subtlety.”

  “Sometimes,” Xander said, turning to me with a smile, “subtlety is overrated.”

  “Hey babe.” Stone leaned over to plant a long kiss on Sophie’s lips and my gaze went to Joss’ full pink lips, currently pursed in annoyance. He pulled back with a wide grin and red cheeks. “Evenin’ ladies. Xander is looking for a free drink for winning Cricket. Any takers?”

  Mara raised her hand. “A full pitcher of water is on me. No thanks necessary.”

  Xander’s face lit up and he leaned on his elbows, right in Mara’s face. “I knew you cared.”

  “Can’t have the law man running around dehydrated with hardened criminals out there, can we?”

  Xander ignored her biting tone and laughed. “Not when there are all these find, upstanding citizens to protect. So, about that water?”

  Tara looked at her boss, amusement coloring her cheeks before she turned to Joss. “The show that never ends.”

  Joss flashed a half-hearted grin. “At least it’s always entertaining.”

  When Tara excused herself, I took her seat across from Joss and leaned forward. “Can we talk?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  “Joss, come on.” The table suddenly fell silent and I instantly regretted my actions.