Misbehaving Curves: A Boss Romance

by Piper Sullivan

  “There’s nothing to talk about, besides people might see us talking.” There was no venom in her words, no emotion at all. Just a blank sort of resignation that made me feel like a jerk.

  “If we talk, maybe I can explain.”

  She let out a bitter laugh. “Your actions are explanation enough, Ben. Just go back to your dartboard.”

  “No.” She wasn’t the only one who could obstinate.

  “Fine, then I’ll go. It was fun girls, I’ll see you soon.” Joss snatched up her scarf and stormed out of The Mayflower.

  “Great going, Ben.” Sophie’s sarcasm hit its mark. “Go after her or leave her alone. Or else.” I didn’t stick around to see what threat Sophie would issue because being on the receiving end of her punishment was somewhere that I never wanted to be. She might be sweet, but she loved her friends fiercely and would defend them as a Worthington would. With everything in her.

  “Be back,” I told her with an excited smile. “Or not.” The chances were slim we would make up and get naked together before the night was over, but a man could hope.

  Out on the street, I spotted Joss’ angry steps nearly a block from the bar and I ran to catch up with her, even though I had no idea what to say or do to make her forgive me.

  “Joss, wait up!”

  “Go away, Ben.” Her tone was serious. There was no hint of our usual flirty banter which left a sinking feeling in my gut that I chose to ignore.

  “I don’t’ want to go away. I want to talk.”

  She shook her head. “And, of course, it’s always about what you want. Right?”

  “What? No. But you won’t talk to me.”

  “Some men might take the hint.”

  I smiled and bumped her shoulder as I fell in stride beside her. “I’m not some men.”

  “No, you’re the man who thinks he can whatever he wants by the sheer force of his charm. Well Ben, I don’t want to be charmed so please, just leave me alone.”

  “I can’t.” I couldn’t explain why but I couldn’t just let her walk away, I couldn’t risk that Joss might hate me forever.

  “Try. You managed to do it quite nicely since I moved to town. Let’s go back to that.”

  I grabbed her arm to stop her long, angry strides. “Joss, please.”

  She yanked out of my grasp and folded her arms. “What, Ben? What is so important that you need to talk to me so urgently?”

  “I’m sorry.” She said nothing in return. She didn’t soften or relax or show any signs of relief. “You caught me off guard-,”

  “Stop. Just…stop it. You’re trying to make yourself feel better and you don’t need me for that. Good night.” She turned and walked away, even faster this time and the acid that turned my stomach over and over, returned.

  I couldn’t just let her walk away but I couldn’t give her what she wanted. Could I? “Go out with me.” The words were out before I could stop them, before I could second guess my way out of them.

  Joss, however, didn’t stop walking. She didn’t respond either.

  “I asked you to go out with me!”

  “I heard you and I don’t need a pity date,” she called back. “Thanks, though.”

  “It’s not pity, it’s desire.”

  “Ha!” She shook her head. “What you desire is to get me back into bed and you think a pity date will get you there. No thanks.” She stopped and turned to me, anger turning her blue eyes black under the yellow glow of the street lights. “You’re embarrassed to be seen with me, Ben. Why ask for a date now, when it’s over between us?”

  “Because it’s not over. It can’t be.”

  She arched a brow. “Because it’s only over when you’re ready for it to be over? Fine, go ahead, declare this thing we’ve been doing over Ben.” She folded her arms, so smug in her assumptions that it made me angry.

  “I don’t want to end it.”

  “And I don’t want to wait around until you’re ready to end it, so I’ve done it for us both. Good night.”

  “I’ll pick you up Friday at seven thirty,” I called after her. “If you’re not ready I guess we’ll just enjoy another night inside.” It was a dick move, I knew it, but I didn’t know what the hell else to do.

  Joss

  “This is ridiculous.” I stood in front of the full length mirror in the corner of my bedroom and stared at Eva’s reflection as she assessed my outfit. “I’m not doing this.”

  “Newsflash Joss, you already are doing this. You’re mostly dressed and your hair is sexy, your makeup is fierce. This date is happening, honey.” Eva’s tone invited no argument but everything about this night, this date, just felt wrong.

  “Can we both just acknowledge that Ben is only doing this to prove some kind of point?” I didn’t believe, no matter how much I wanted to, that Ben suddenly realized we had an amazing connection and wanted to pursue it further.

  “He might be doing this to prove a point, sure. But he’s also doing this because he’s not ready to use you.” Eva moved around me, smoothing the royal blue dress around my hips and fluffing my hair. “Look Joss, Ben is a man who thinks he knows what he wants. He doesn’t want to lose you but he doesn’t know why. That’s something you can work with.”

  I wanted to believe that, the proof of it was in the way my heart sped up at her words. But I couldn’t let myself fall to that line of thinking. It was foolish and a guaranteed path to heartbreak. “What he doesn’t want to lose, is his secret no-string sex.”

  “No strings?” Eva tossed her head back and laughed, clutching her belly just in case I didn’t understand how silly she thought I was being. “There are tons of strings between the two of you. Wanting each other is a string. The feelings you both refuse to own up to, are strings. And then there’s the fact that you work together. Strings all over the place.”

  “Those aren’t real strings because, other than work, they can but cut at any time. I think we should just cut them now and start moving on.” It was the best move for everyone. “Right now my feelings are growing but if this goes on any longer, I could really get hurt.”

  “It’s gonna hurt either way, Joss. The question is do you want to quit before you find out what could really be between you, or do you want to fall and hope for the best?”

  “I want to quit.”

  “No you don’t, you’re just scared. Ben is a good guy who is used to things going his way, until you. Now he has to figure out what he’s willing to do to keep you. Let him.”

  I shook my head with a laugh. “You’re biased because if by some chance we go the distance, it’s another feather in the Time for Love cap.”

  “Yes, I am biased because I want you to find love.” Eva rolled her eyes. “I’m so awful.”

  “Eva,” I growled, annoyed.

  “You owe it to yourself, to your heart to go on this one date with Ben. Forget his motives and just focus on his actions. Do his eyes light up when he looks at you? Are you having a good time? Pay attention to how you feel, to how he makes you feel. And if after the goodnight kiss, you’re still not sure, then you can say you gave it the old college try.”

  She had a point. “Is this the same pep talk you give all your clients?”

  Eva looked at me and let out a loud bark of laughter. “No, this is the friends and family pep talk. Half price but double the wisdom.”

  “Thanks. Is this the part where you wish me good luck?” I could use a heck of a lot more than good luck.

  The doorbell rang and Eva’s gray eyes lit up. “No, because you don’t need good luck. You have everything you need, Joss. Now you just have to believe it. Now go, knock Ben dead with his dress, and don’t forget to have a good time.”

  I wasn’t that was possible, but it was too late to do anything but try now.

  “I know I already said it a few times, but you look really great in that dress.” Ben slid another appreciative look my way and I felt it in all the good parts.

  All of them. “Thank you, Ben. You look nice too.”


  He shook his head. “No, you look way more than nice. Sexy as hell. That dress does something to your eyes.” He shook his head again, this time in disbelief as a crooked smile pulled up on one side of his handsome face.

  “Thanks.” I hated that his words had the power to make me blush. To arouse me when I didn’t want to be aroused. “So where are we going?” We had been driving for a while and my curiosity was piqued.

  “Do you like French food?”

  “I like French fries and all the Cajun and creole food I’ve sampled in my lifetime, but I can’t say I’ve eaten any actual French food.” And French food was supposed to be romantic, right? Did that mean he was trying and that Eva was right, I needed to keep an open mind?

  “Then you are in for a real treat.”

  Ben was right, the restaurant was pretty much everything a girl could want for a first date. The Chateau was dimly lit with soft French music playing, and the whole place smelled like heaven. It was also about forty-five minutes from Pilgrim, located on thee other side of Tulip. “This place is nice.” It really was nice but I couldn’t shake the disappointment that settled over my shoulders.

  “Oh my goodness, Joss is that you?” The voice held a familiar southern twang but I couldn’t say I recognized it, but I turned anyway and smiled in surprise. Ben didn’t seem too interested so I stopped at their table while he went…someplace else.

  Hesitant surprise. “Mikki? Nate? Hi.” I didn’t know what to say to them, especially it was clear Nate wanted nothing to do with me. “How are you guys?”

  “Great” Mikki laughed and sat back, rubbing her belly. “I mean other than being one thousand months pregnant and hungry all the time, not to mention all the time I spend in the bathroom these days, I’m great.”

  “Well you look beautiful, all glow-y and stuff.”

  “Thank you, Joss. That’s nice to hear.” She sighed and looked at her husband who didn’t quite glare, but his dislike was clear.

  “Jase has been expecting you to call.” His voice was deep and accusatory.

  “I figured it was best, for everyone, if I didn’t.” A girl could only take so much rejection and Ben had given me enough to last at least through the rest of this year.

  He shrugged, making it clear that he didn’t care one way or the other. “Do what you want.”

  It wasn’t exactly a rolled out welcome mat, then again I didn’t expect it to be. “I will, but thanks for your permission.” I didn’t want to ruin my pity date or their night out so I flashed a smile at Mikki and prepared to get back to Ben. “Enjoy your night out, and the bathroom.”

  Mikki laughed loudly and shook her head. “Read my review of it on Yelp!”

  “Will do,” I told her with a wave, not bothering with a farewell to the brother who wanted nothing to do with me. Why should I when I had a date with a perfectly gorgeous high school principal who only wanted to be with me in the privacy of my home. And my bedroom. And my shower.

  “Hey.” Ben smiled nervously up at me.

  “Hey.” I took my seat across from him before Ben could stand and perform his gentlemanly duties. “What was that about?”

  “Nothing important.” It was none of his business but he main issue was that I didn’t want to talk about it. “So, what’s good here?”

  He shrugged. “I’m a steak kind of guy so I had chateaubriand when I came here with Mom.”

  He took his mother to a fancy French restaurant. Was this guy for real? “What did your mama order?”

  “Coq au vin but only because it’s the only French word she can say with a perfect accent.”

  “I envy the relationship you have with your mama. It’s sweet.” It made him more appealing and if not for the fact that he drove us all the way to the ass end of Texas for our date, I might be utterly charmed by him.

  “Sweet?” I nodded and he rolled his eyes. “You spend a few weeks with her meddling and see if you still feel that way.”

  Unless I ran into her by accident around town, chances were slim I would ever meet Ben’s mama so I didn’t even let that thought grab hold. “My mama wasn’t much of a meddler.”

  “Lucky girl.”

  I was about to tell him that I’d much rather have what he had but luckily, the handsome twentysomething waiter arrived at the perfect moment with our orders, preventing me from sharing too much, too soon. A comfortable silence settled over the table as we tucked into our meal, testing out the new ingredients before conversation resumed.

  If pressed, I would have to say the date was one of the most engaging I’d ever been on. It really was too bad that Ben was going through the motions. His words were sincere and his actions were too, but something about it all rang hollow. As if he was just powering through until we got to the end of the night. “Is everything all right? Do you not like the duck?” Ben’s brows dipped into a concerned vee and I waved him off.

  “It’s delicious, actually. I guess I must have drifted off for a moment, daydreaming about this meal at a real French café.” It was a terrible lie except for the fact that it was totally believable.

  “Then I guess I better step up my date game.”

  I nodded and flashed a playful smile. “Your date game a little rusty, Ben?” He did all right, in my opinion, for a man who didn’t really want to go out on this date.

  “Probably. You tell me, how am I doing?” His confidence, as usual, bordered on arrogance but it was all part of his charm, his certainty that I was having a wonderful time in his company.

  “So far, so good.”

  “I accept that answer, for now. By dessert you’ll be ready to drag me home and ear my clothes off.”

  I didn’t need dessert or the promise of it, for that particular thought to enter my mind. “You wish,” I said instead.

  “That too,” he growled and the sound shot straight to my nipples and down my midsection to pool between my thighs. “More than anything.”

  I spent the rest of dinner as well as the long drive back to Pilgrim, talking myself out of sleeping with Ben.

  On the first date.

  Ben

  “Hey Ben.” Joss opened the door for me with a smile that didn’t reach her beautiful blue eyes and my confidence floundered. “What’s up?”

  My smile doubled hers as I held up two big canvas sacks. “You didn’t ask me what I was doing here, so I guess that’s progress. Right?”

  She let out a barely audible sigh and stepped back. “No point asking a question when I already know the answer.” And she didn’t seem happy about that fact. “What did you bring?”

  “Something that you’ll find totally irresistible.” I flashed another smile, hoping to pull a bigger, brighter smile out of her as I stepped inside and kicked off my shoes. “Mom’s home cooking. Well, my mom’s home cooking anyway.”

  “What’s on the menu?”

  I ignored her less than enthusiastic tone and made my way to the kitchen. “Fried chicken, of course.”

  “Of course,” she repeated with a half-smile.

  “Garlic mashed potatoes, gravy optional. Mac & cheese, which I made so technically Ben’s home cooking, and Mom’s green bean casserole. I stopped for store bought rolls because we need rolls.”

  “I could eat.”

  I turned to look at Joss, to search for any clues about what was bothering her, but she looked like the Joss I knew. Her blond hair was still damp from a shower, her pale skin was pink and refreshed which only highlighted the sharpness of her blue eyes. She wore flannel pants and a tank top that clung to her breasts and dipped in waist. She looked beautiful. “Are you all right, Joss?”

  She nodded but even that was half-hearted. “I’m fine, Ben. How are you?”

  “Better, now that we’re here. Together.” Maybe I was just being paranoid but Joss didn’t look like she believed my words and worse, she looked like she was disappointed to see me. Or something.

  “Right.” She sighed and eyed the bags, finally flashing a genuine smile for the fi
rst time since I arrived. “Let’s get this food on the table, then, yeah?”

  “Yeah.” We worked in silence, emptying the bags and placing the dishes in the oven to warm them. “The microwave would’ve done just as well. And quicker.”

  She sent me a shocked expression. “Your mama put too much effort into this meal for us to nuke it. You can’t spare twenty minutes for properly hot food?” I heard the challenge in her tone and stepped into her space.

  “I can definitely spare twenty minutes,” I told her and turned away to crank down the oven temperature. “In fact, I can spare forty.” I wrapped a hand around her waist and pulled Joss close, my body heated up at the surprised gasp she let out. “Maybe more.”

  In seconds, Joss had warmed up to me, wrapping her arms around me with a slow, steamy smile. “More, you say?”

  I nodded. “So. Much. More.” Joss pressed her body against mine and my lips crashed over hers, enjoying the soft plumpness before my tongue slid back and forth across the seam of her mouth. She moaned and her grip tightened in my hair, telling me that whatever wariness she had about me, she had none about this. About us coming together in a frenzied passion I found irresistible.

  Undeniable.

  Joss was just as hungry for me as I was for her, I could tell by the way she slid her hands under my shirt and slid them up my abs and over my chest, over my hips and caressing the length of my back. Then she gripped my ass possessively, like it was hers, and my control snapped. “Yes” She let out a low moan when I deepened the kiss, tasting the depths of her mouth, enjoying the parts of herself she couldn’t hide from me.

  Her mouth tasted like peaches and sugar and I couldn’t get enough, backing her against the closest wall so I could ravage her. So I could have my wicked way with her, my mouth on her flesh as I stripped her bare with a frenzy that surprised me. “Joss.” I stepped back and looked my fill at her pale skin and rosy nipples, her mouthwatering curves, especially the crook of her hip where my hand fit perfectly. “You’re so damn beautiful.”