The Boss(hole)

by Bloom, Penelope

  I had to stop myself from letting out a sigh of relief. It was perfect, so long as I didn’t give away how happy I was. Of course, he had no idea what Adrian was going to do with his position at Coleton Central. He wouldn’t think I would particularly care one way or another if my boss got fired as long as he didn’t know we were dating.

  I had to sell my dismay and convince him he really had me worried. “Mikey, please. I know we never got along, but really? Do you hate me this much?”

  He scoffed. “I don’t hate you. I grew tired of watching you carry on like a spoiled child. This is a lesson you need to learn.”

  That was rich, coming from Michael Van Coleton, the most spoiled of all spoiled children. I needed to keep myself from snapping at him, though. I knew how to deal with men like my brother, and aggression on my part would only make things worse. “What if I promised to quit on my own?” I asked.

  He scratched his smoothly shaven chin. “Why would I agree to that?”

  “Because if father finds out you were the one who sent the email to my boss, he may also find out you knew I was here and didn’t tell him. Think about it. What would he expect? You to solve this yourself, or for you to call him immediately?” If I could get Mikey to agree to this, it would help make it even less likely that he’d go to father about Adrian. The less connected I was to Adrian, the better.

  Mikey fidgeted. “If you quit on your own,” he said. “It would need to be soon. Let’s be generous and call it tomorrow.”

  I spun the gears in my brain, scrambling for some way to push for more time. “Give me two weeks. Let me finish the move back to New York with him. He’s a good guy, and I want to help him get set up at Coleton Central before I go. And it’ll mean I’ll have had time to find a place of my own before father finds out. Maybe he’ll agree to let me stay there if I promise to play by his rules from now on.”

  Mikey pursed his lips and continued to pace. I knew Mikey wouldn’t like the idea of me getting to stay in New York in a place of my own at all. He’d want to do anything to stop me from getting that luxury. But I also knew he was sadistic and petty enough that he’d probably relish the idea of me having one more thing for father to take away. I just hoped he was thinking the way I predicted.

  Finally, he nodded his head, grinning as if he’d just thought of something. “Two weeks. Fine. But if you haven’t quit and come clean to father in two weeks, I’ll tell him myself. And trust me, he will come down far harder on you if he hears it from me.”

  Mikey wasn’t wrong about that much.

  “So we have a deal?” I got up and stuck my hand out for him to shake.

  “We do. And I hope you’ll learn from this, Juliette. There is a place for you in the Coleton family. But you need to stop lusting after things that aren’t meant for you. Stay in your lane, and we’ll keep you fed and taken care of with plenty of shiny things to put on your pretty little fingers. Okay?” He actually gave my cheek a little condescending pat, as if his words needed any help enraging me.

  I stared at him, mustering up every ounce of willpower I had not to knee him in the balls. But my brother was a twisted product of the Coleton machine my father built. The real bad guy—the real problem was at the head of the snake. I silently promised to go extra hard on father for what Mikey had just said, then plastered a winning smile on my face. “That sounds real nice,” I said.

  25

  Juliette

  My last stop before leaving North Carolina was to have Anastasia over to my place. She took one end of my thrift store couch, and I took the other. I’d just finished summarizing everything that had happened, and her eyebrows were officially raised.

  “Wow,” Anastasia said. “When you texted that things were ‘spicy’ I expected you to say some creep at the office tried to pinch your ass.”

  “Well,” I said. “I guess I should’ve known this secret of mine was eventually going to explode.”

  “So you really like this guy?” she asked. “Adrian.”

  “Yeah.” I smiled. “He expected the world from me as soon as I started working for him. He was unreasonable, aggressive, and abrasive.”

  “Sounds charming,” Anastasia deadpanned.

  I grinned. “All the guys I knew before thought I was a spoiled princess. Just some useless wallflower who was only good at swiping daddy’s card. Adrian was the first who actually expected me to be capable. Or maybe he thought I couldn’t manage, but he appreciated what I could do when I did it. He values me for what I’ve done.” I shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean that’s just part of it. I also feel like jelly every time I’m within a few feet of the man. And I respect what he’s trying to do. He makes me feel safe, too. Like in a kind of overprotective, caveman sort of way. But it’s still nice.”

  Anastasia nodded. “Sounds perfect. Have you checked him for a power cord? He could be a robot. The real ones always have a flaw somewhere.”

  “I’d say I’ve thoroughly explored him. If there was a power cord, I would know it by now.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “You dirty dog.”

  “I’ve been sneaking into his office once or twice a day now,” I admitted. “Until he left for New York, at least. He just takes me on his desk. Or against the wall. Or on the floor.”

  “Jesus. Look at how my little girl has grown,” Anastasia said with a half smile. “Practically a porn star now, aren’t you?”

  “Stop,” I laughed. “It just has all kind of been based around work. We both work so late and get up so early. I don’t really get to have him over or do a whole lot of actual dating. So the office is really the only place where… yeah.”

  “Sounds hot. Do the employees watch? You should give him a blowjob while making eye contact with them to assert dominance. At least that’s what I’d do.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Maybe that’s why you don’t work for Maxi anymore.”

  “I don’t work for Maxi anymore because she’s an uptight bitch who wouldn’t know a useful employee if they yanked the stick out of her ass and crawled up there themselves.”

  “Vivid image,” I said.

  “Yeah, well, fuck her.”

  I laughed. “Fuck her,” I agreed.

  “And fuck your new boss. On the floor. Or on his desk. Or against the wall,” she said.

  I shook my head. “You’re ridiculous.”

  “Considering the story you just told me, I think you have no room to talk. I’ve never pressed my face into my boss’ boner in an airplane bathroom.”

  “I’ve only done that once,” I said, as if that was a valid defense.

  “I don’t usually say this to people,” Anastasia said. “So if you repeat it, I’ll claim you’re lying. But I’m going to miss you. If you come back to visit, you’ll let me know, right?”

  “Wow,” I said. I rushed across the couch and hugged her, but she started pushing me off. I hugged her anyway, smiling into her shoulder. “I’m going to miss you too.”

  “Don’t make it weird,” she groaned, awkwardly patting my back.

  “Too late,” I said. “And I’ll come visit you whenever I can, bestie.”

  Anastasia groaned.

  * * *

  I’d never actually been to Adrian’s place in North Carolina. If our relationship had been normal, I would’ve considered that a red flag. But I was with the man almost every hour of the day when he was working, and I sensed that he’d wanted to at least keep one boundary between work and our personal lives. Oddly enough, that boundary seemed to be that we had generally only interacted at work.

  Now that was all going to change, I supposed. In fact, it was going to completely reverse, and I hoped our fragile relationship could handle it.

  The apartment he secured in New York was a pleasant surprise. I’d seen what a lot of multi-millionaires did with their money. They bought the biggest, most pretentious space they could afford and expected everybody who entered to fall on their knees and begin worshipping.

  Adrian didn’t appear to be th
at type of man. The place wasn’t an echo chamber that was large for the sake of grandeur. It was cozy and had character with exposed brick walls and some industrial touches. It was a two bedroom with a view, and the few nice furniture pieces, paintings, and even a surprising amount of family photos made it feel more like a home than anywhere I’d ever lived growing up.

  It occurred to me that I didn’t even know if he was a billionaire. I didn’t know that I particularly cared, but I also hadn’t met many billionaires who weren’t horrible human beings. There was a certain kind of narcissism that drove men and women to keep playing the game of acquiring wealth past a point. It was hoarding resources for the sake of hoarding resources and competing against their peers.

  But Adrian, at least, had noble intentions. That set him apart from the majority of the people who ran in my father’s circles. He wanted to accomplish something, and it had nothing to do with money.

  Adrian stopped me once we were in the door and kissed me fiercely. He was a physical being, and once we’d crossed the threshold of accepting our relationship, he could barely keep his hands off me. When his mouth was against mine and our bodies were together, my worries melted away. All I needed to do was hold on and let the moment wash over me like refreshing waves of ocean water on a hot day.

  But he pulled away from the kiss, then tucked my head toward him and kissed me once more on the crown of my head. “Go ahead and get yourself set up. I’ve got a call with Myers I need to prepare for. I’m going to head down to the office.”

  “Oh,” I said. “Myers? I don’t remember setting that up.”

  Adrian had already gone halfway out the door when he paused. He hesitated, then sighed and turned to look me straight in the eyes. “I have a secretary at the office. She’s not replacing what you do, but there are just some inter-office things that’ll be easier for her to arrange since she’s on site.”

  “Oh,” I said quietly.

  He smiled, but I could tell from the look in his eyes he was already shifting to work mode. It was something I’d learned about him. The man had a one-track mind. Once he got his thoughts on work, it was nearly impossible to peel him away. Worse, he only seemed to devote a minimum percentage of his brain power when he was in this mode to things like noticing my feelings. “I’ll see you tonight,” he said. He gave me another quick kiss, then smiled and left.

  I was just standing there feeling gutted when the door closed. Another secretary. It was exactly what I’d been afraid of. This whole thing was a farce. Adrian wasn’t going to really see me as his assistant anymore. I was just his girlfriend, and I was getting paid to keep my head in the sand.

  I dragged my little suitcase to the couch and flopped down, turning on the TV. I wanted to watch something to take my mind off everything. I went to turn it on and saw nothing had been set up. The damn thing wasn’t even plugged into the wall yet.

  I dramatically sprawled out. At least the couch was comfortable. That way I could wallow without getting cramps in my back.

  I picked the situation over while I lay there, then decided to call Lythe. We’d exchanged numbers before I left for New York, and I didn’t want to worry Anastasia by calling so soon after our last talk. There were probably a dozen other people I could’ve called from my old life, but I was still hung up on how none of them had bothered to see through the obvious smokescreen of my “extended vacation.” Lythe, at least, liked me for me. Not for being a Coleton.

  “Hey, stranger,” Lythe said once she picked up after a few rings.

  “I need some advice,” I said.

  “Okay, one sec. I’m in the breakroom. Let me get to my desk.”

  I waited, listening to the muffled shuffle of her movements and vague hints of conversation from the office. It was ridiculous, but I already felt homesick for the offices of Coleton Publishing. At least I’d been allowed to show my face there.

  “Alright, sorry,” Lythe said. “Bunch of eavesdropping assholes back there. What’s up?”

  I hadn’t thought too hard about doing it, but I decided to tell Lythe the full truth about who I was. I left out Adrian’s secrets, but decided those weren’t necessarily needed for the advice I wanted. I also included as much as I dared about me and Adrian’s relationship so far, which came as news to Lythe.

  “Wow,” Lythe said once I’d finished. “I should probably be more shocked about the Coleton thing, but I’m honestly trying to get over the fact that you got into Adrian White’s pants.”

  I groaned. “Oh, come on. That can’t be the most interesting part.”

  “I don’t know,” she said, laughing. “I’d be lying if I said I’d never wondered what was behind those fancy slacks of his. The man may be a nightmare, but he’s a gorgeous one.”

  “That’s my sort of boyfriend you’re talking about,” I teased.

  “So is he actually nice to people he sleeps with?” Lythe asked. “I can’t picture it. Does he get you flowers? Massage your feet?”

  I laughed. I needed this. It felt normal, and I was already feeling less gloom and doom about my situation. “We’re still finding our rhythm. As soon as we halfway made things official, we had to pack up and move to New York. And now he’s extra busy getting set up at the new job, so…”

  “So no foot rubs yet?”

  “No much of anything,” I admitted. “Except the way he practically mauls me whenever he gets a rare break from work. Not that I’m complaining,” I added. “It just feels like we’re kind of in a holding pattern until things settle down. But who knows when that’ll be.”

  “Relationships are hard. Maybe see if you can get him to agree to take a little time off tomorrow and do something with just the two of you? I bet you’ll feel a lot better.”

  “Yeah. That’s a good idea. I’ll try.”

  “Oh, and Jules? Our new boss is a total dweeb. So I’m blaming you for helping my former hot boss get promoted and stealing my eye candy.”

  I grinned. “You need to make up your mind. Was he the worst boss ever, or do you want him back?”

  “I framed a picture from a company retreat of him and put it on my desk. So he can stay in New York, I guess. But I will miss those beige slacks he wore sometimes. That man looked like he was smuggling giant peaches in the back of those things.” Lythe let out a low, catlike growl.

  “God,” I said, grinning. “It sounds like I should be glad we moved. Otherwise you and I would need to have a word or two about boundaries.”

  “He’s all yours. I just liked looking.”

  I thanked Lythe for the advice and ended the call, feeling significantly better. I was overreacting. Adrian getting a new secretary for the office made sense. After all, he was right. I couldn’t be in the office and have access to some of the people she would. It was just practical, so I was going to stop being dramatic and get over it.

  Eventually.

  When he came home tonight, I’d see about accomplishing the impossible and getting him to take a break from work to take me out.

  26

  Adrian

  The Coleton Central offices were a hub of activity at the highest level. Everybody there was hand selected and hyper competitive. I had to admit if I wasn’t planning on tearing the whole thing down, I could’ve enjoyed working with these sorts of people.

  I met with Noah

  Noah had on his thick glasses and his dark hair was gelled back from his forehead. Travis was dressed well in a gray suit with a white undershirt and a red tie. His hair was unruly as usual.

  To tell the truth, I’d been dreading this conversation. Me and the guys hadn’t had an official chance to sit down and talk over what I’d done in regards to Jules. Telling her what we were doing was supposed to be a team decision, and I’d done it on my own.

  “I think it’s okay,” Noah said. “If she was going to tell her father, she would’ve done it by now.”

  Travis wasn’t taking it as well. “Maybe, but what happens when Cassanova over here fucks up? What about when he forgets
her birthday or gets on her nerves? Where do you think she’ll go first to make him pay?”

  “Stop it,” I growled. “Jules isn’t like that.”

  “So you say,” Travis said. “But women are vicious when they’re cornered, man. They go for the fucking throat. You don’t think she’ll pull out the nuclear football if things go bad and sink us all?”

  “No,” I said. “I don’t. I think she has her own vendetta against her father. She wants to help us do this. She’s not just promising to keep quiet and let us do it. She wants to help,” I repeated.

  Noah shrugged. “Could be useful. She may be able to accelerate the process of bringing them down if she’s willing to get her hands dirty.”

  “How so?” Travis asked.

  “She’s got a direct line to the guys at the top,” Noah said. “I’ve been digging for months now and I’ve got dozens of threads to pull. But with a company this big, we need every bit of ammunition we can get. I’ve got financial records, witness testimony of wrongdoings by Coleton, documents submitted by former employees, medical experts willing to testify about research they’ve had blocked… I’ve got an arsenal, but if this goes to legal, jurors are human. Jules could be a final nail in the coffin, so to speak.”

  “It won’t go to legal,” I said. We’d brought down dozens of companies. We’d never had to take things to a court before. I hoped this wouldn’t be the first time we did. Usually, all it took was a few corrupt people in the right places we could lean on. It was surprisingly easy to bring down a juggernaut if you worked from the inside. A handful of shady accounting fabrications. A pile of bad investments. A few misplaced forms. Sometimes that was all it took, and the cracks would grow on their own until the whole thing crumbled.

  “Let’s hope,” Travis said. “So how are you going to make sure you keep this girl happy?”

  “She’s not a pet, Travis.”