Tamed by the Boss (Tempted Series Book 5)

by Hazel Kelly

  I asked him to tell me something about himself that no one knew.

  And he told me a story about his parents- a sad story, but a sweet story. Which is when he told me that his Dad was dead, that he died of a broken heart.

  At least it really was a story that no one else had ever heard.

  But only because it was a lie. A big fat lie.

  I thought about my own Dad in the cemetery near Niagara Falls and felt nauseous.

  Will knew my Dad was dead. So why would he say his Dad was dead, too? Did he think it would make me feel closer to him?

  Did he think I would never find out?

  Or was he just heartless on a level I never could’ve imagined.

  Chapter 10: Will

  It hadn’t even occurred to me that she wouldn’t show up, but when the clock struck nine, she hadn’t even called.

  The brie tart was burnt to a crisp from being kept warm in the oven, and while the venison still looked delicious, my appetite was ruined. As for the chocolate cake, it was lucky I hadn’t thrown it out the window. And to add insult to injury, ten thousand roses were laughing in my face.

  I considered making arrangements for them to be delivered to the hotel rooms below, but a similar gesture had probably already been made. Plus, I wasn’t out to advertise what a fool I was. It was one thing for me to know I had a shitty Valentine’s Day, but the staff certainly didn’t need to be privy to that information.

  She hadn’t even called.

  By nine thirty I began to worry that something was terribly wrong, but her phone rang out every time I tried to call. I considered calling her Mother, but what would I say? I was planning on sweeping your daughter off her feet tonight, and I demand to know why she’s not here to be swept?

  She might not even know where Ella was and then she would be in a panic, too.

  I hadn’t had a Valentine’s Day this terrible since the weekend I flew to Dubai to surprise Laura and found her knocking flip flops with Mogley from the Jungle Book.

  I wanted to be mad. I had every right to be furious. But I wasn’t. I was just hurt. I was actually more hurt than I even thought I was capable of being.

  I watched wax drip from one of the tall white candles onto my table and did nothing to stop it. Instead, I just kept watching as the hot wax melted drip by drip- the same way Ella had on this very table the first night I brought her back to my place. I sat mesmerized by the wax for ages. Who knows how long I would’ve sat there staring at the growing mess if the phone hadn’t buzzed?

  I hoped the sound of the text message was Ella saying she wasn’t there eating my venison in wine jus because she’d been in a terrible accident in which no one was hurt. And I imagined she wouldn’t stop there. She would go on to say that the near death accident made her have an epiphany, and she knew now that she wasn’t really over me. On the contrary, she’d never been more eager to see me in her whole life.

  But the text wasn’t from Ella. It was from Kendra. It was another invite to the party she already told me about, reminding me I should feel free to stop by if I was in the area. Which I was.

  I sighed.

  My options were limited. I could stay at home and drink whiskey while I wallowed in my own self-pity. At least that way, if Ella showed up, I would be here. Except she wasn’t showing up. I couldn’t recall a single time she was ever late for anything. There was no doubt she was deliberately standing me up.

  My other option was to get some fresh air by escaping my tragic apartment, and if the mood struck while I was out, I could crash Kendra’s party. She wouldn’t think twice about me stopping by on Valentine’s Day. For all she knew, I was on my way home from a business dinner and wasn’t meeting my harem until two in the morning. Not that it mattered. Going to see her carried little risk. She was leaving in a few days and no longer ran in the same circles as I did.

  It might help take my mind off the fact that she hadn’t even called.

  It occurred to me suddenly that if I didn’t text Kendra back, I might end up wandering the streets indefinitely so I sent her a message saying that I would stop by for a few minutes. Then I blew out the candles, left my rose scented prison, and headed towards Club Chic.

  When I arrived, I went to the front of the line, ignoring the line of underdressed women and over styled men waiting for clearance. Once inside, I made my way to the VIP section, all the while thinking they really should’ve called it Club Dark or Club Loud because those were my first impressions of the place. Which was perfect actually because I wasn’t in a talking mood. I just wanted to be distracted so it suited me fine to be in a place where it was too loud to think.

  Kendra clocked me immediately and kissed my cheeks in succession. “I’m so glad you could stop by,” she yelled in my face.

  “Me too,” I said in a normal voice because people in these kinds of places hear what they want to hear regardless.

  “Let’s go somewhere we can talk!”

  “Let’s not,” I said.

  But she grabbed my hand and led me out of the room and around the corner.

  “Where are we going?” I asked. “I haven’t even had a chance to get a drink.”

  “Here,” she said, shoving what looked like a vodka soda in my face. “You can finish mine. I’ve had looaads.”

  When we reached the end of the dark hallway, she used a key card to open a door. I followed her into the windowless room. It had purple lighting and black couches and looked like the kind of place you wouldn’t dare shine a black light.

  “Doesn’t it look just like that room in Vegas where we-”

  “Yeah,” I lied. It didn’t seem like the right time to say I barely remembered our hook-ups much less how the rooms were decorated. “Thanks for showing me.” I was about to step back towards the door when she pushed it shut with her foot, making the room significantly quieter in an instant.

  The next thing I knew she had her arms over my shoulders and was breathing booze in my face.

  I turned my head to the side and finished her drink in one go.

  She laughed and pushed the tip of her finger against my nose. “Does this mean you’re my Valentine, Will Abbott?”

  “Uhhh.”

  “Oh I see,” she said, letting her hands drop to my belt. She walked backwards, pulling me over to the couch. “You’re going to make me work for it.”

  “I didn’t mean to give you the wrong idea.” I put my hands up. “I just stopped by for a drink.”

  “Maybe you’re not the only one who wants a drink,” she said, groping my dick through my pants.

  I had to hand it to her, there was something refreshing about a woman who wasn’t afraid to talk dirty, but I didn’t go there to get my dick wet…Or did I?

  She pushed me with both hands, and I fell back on the fake leather couch.

  Her red dress was so short she ran the risk of getting accidentally fucked in this place. It rode even higher when she straddled me. I wasn’t quite sure what to do. I didn’t want to offend her or act like she repulsed me because nothing about having her firm tits in my face was making me uncomfortable.

  “I’m going to mouth fuck the shit out of you,” she said in my ear.

  “You don’t have to do that, Kendra.”

  “I want to,” she said, pushing my chest with one hand. “I’ve been thinking about your dick ever since I saw you in Times Square.”

  She dropped to her knees between my legs and unzipped my pants.

  I lifted my ass and let her pull my pants and boxers down around the curve of my ass, delighting in the smile that spread across her big, hard lips.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked. “You’ve obviously had a lot to drink.”

  “Shut the fuck up,” she said, stroking my cock with her hand.

  But something was wrong. I wasn’t even a little hard. Here was this woman- who would’ve let me stick it anywhere- pumping my dick on her knees, and I wasn’t even moderately turned on.

  “Looks like I’m n
ot the only one that’s had a lot to drink tonight,” she said, cupping my balls without giving up hope.

  I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I wasn’t even buzzed.

  My reticence to let her suck me off was replaced by serious concern. This had never happened to me before. Ever. I could always get it up. If a place to stick my cock so much as crossed my mind, I would get hard in a second. So what the hell was going on?

  Despite her ball handling skills, there was still nothing happening.

  “Am I doing something wrong?” she asked.

  “It’s not you,” I said. “It’s me. I’m just stressed out.”

  “Poor baby,” she said. “Let me see what I can-”

  “No,” I said, putting my hands on her wrists. “Don’t waste your time.”

  “But I’m thirsty, Will.” She sat back on her heels and made a pouty face.

  “Sorry,” I said. “I just remembered I left the-” I couldn’t think of a single appliance so I just pulled my pants on as fast as I could.

  “You’re leaving?” she asked, looking up at me. “But you just got here.”

  “It’s an emergency.”

  “Is everything okay?” I heard her ask as I went through the door and disappeared into the pulsing club.

  No, I wanted to say. Everything is not okay.

  I have a broken heart.

  And apparently, a broken dick, too.

  Chapter 11: Ella

  “This is my favorite one yet!” I said, putting another covetable shirt on a hanger.

  “As I said before, you are more than welcome to borrow anything I have anytime.”

  I hung the shirt on the bar in Jackie’s new closet. “You’re already the best roommate ever, and you haven’t even been here for twenty four hours.”

  “Doesn’t that look good?” She stepped back to admire her bookshelf.

  “Yeah,” I said, picking up another hanger. “As far as shrines to books you never read in college goes.”

  “Hey.” She turned to glare at me over her shoulder. “That’s not fair.” She pointed at the second shelf from the bottom. “I read those two.”

  “I take it all back then.”

  “And I’m halfway through this one.” She tapped a bright green book with a spine that was two inches thick.

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  “How long have you been halfway through it?”

  “Shut up.”

  I hung another shirt in the closet. “I think we’re making good progress.”

  “Agreed. I thought it would take me all weekend to get this stuff unpacked.”

  “It’s good to know that if I lose my job, I can always get a position in retail somewhere,” I said, slinging a pair of pants over another hanger.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to call him and at least let him know you’re not coming?”

  “I think it’s a bit late for that,” I said. “What time is it now?”

  She pulled her phone out of her back pocket. “After nine.”

  “I’d say he’s figured it out.”

  “Still,” she said, grabbing the open bottle of wine from the top of her bookshelf. “Maybe he can explain?”

  I dropped my arms to my sides. “What is there to explain? He told me his Dad was dead.”

  “I know but-”

  “Do you know how many times I’ve wished that my Dad was alive? That my Mom was lying to me about it this whole time? That he was just somewhere- I don’t know- in fucking Jersey, and I could get on the expressway and go see him whenever I wanted?”

  “I know,” she said softly. “I’m not saying there’s a good explanation.”

  “I need you to support me on this.”

  She nodded and took a swig from the bottle.

  “This is exactly the kind of unforgivable bullshit that I needed him to pull so I can finally move on and stop letting him use me.”

  She held the bottle out to me.

  I grabbed it by the neck. “I mean, not only were his feelings for me never real, but even the goddamn stories he told me about himself were lies. He was just playing some character with me. It’s like we were both living out totally different fantasies.” I took a big chug of the cheap cabernet and set the bottle down on the floor. “The whole thing is fucked.”

  “You’ve gotten really sweary since we’ve been apart.”

  “Sorry,” I said. “I don’t mean to be. I’m just stressed out.”

  She stepped forward and gave me a hug. “I know.”

  My phone buzzed against the bed.

  Jackie took a step back so I could reach for it. “It’s him again, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah.”

  “He’s probably worried sick. This is New York after all. I bet he’s sitting at home thinking the worst.”

  “I don’t care. He needs to understand that I’m not his problem.”

  “Does this mean you’ll be my Valentine?” Jackie’s eyebrows lifted and her eyes went wide.

  “This year and every year forever.”

  “Whoa whoa,” she said. “I’m not ready for that kind of commitment. Plus, I’m hoping to find a man eventually.”

  I made a pouty face.

  “We can still be old maids together, though,” she said, reaching for the wine. “Just as soon as I get sick of sex.”

  I laughed. “You really think that could happen?”

  She shrugged. “There’s only one way to find out.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “What do you say we head out soon?”

  “But we’re almost done,” I said. “I was hoping we could do something this weekend besides unpack your shit. Not that I’m not having a good time but-”

  “That’s why I’m suggesting we go out.”

  “I suppose we should.”

  “I honestly can’t bear the thought of staying in all night listening to Will text you while you try to rationalize standing him up.”

  “Hey that’s not fair!”

  “Okay,” she said, putting a hand up. “I admit that was a poor choice of words. All I’m saying is we could both use a distraction.”

  “Couldn’t we look at it as more of a celebration?” I asked. “I mean, us moving into our first apartment in New York marks a whole new chapter of our lives.”

  “Hopefully a much more exciting chapter,” she said, taking down half of what was left in the bottle and handing it to me while she licked her lips.

  I tipped it straight over my mouth and finished it off. “Yeah. Like one with wine glasses.”

  She clapped her hands in front of her. “That’s a great idea. Oh my god we have so much to look forward to! Buying wine glasses, spotting celebrities, meeting men that don’t describe themselves as gamers...”

  I laughed and felt a shiver at the same time. It had been so long since I’d even checked out anyone that could be described as a boy. I was into real men now, and I wondered if Jackie’s tastes had evolved during our time apart as well.

  “Do you know a good place where we can go celebrate?” she asked. “Cause I have my Jackie does New York debut outfit all planned out.”

  “Of course you do.”

  “And I have the perfect thing for you to wear, too.”

  I slumped on the bed and resumed hanging clothes at a faster rate. Or at least it felt like I was working more efficiently. Then again, it could’ve just been the half bottle of wine I drank in less than an hour saturating my bloodstream.

  “I’m going to wear this little number,” she said, pulling a black dress out of the closet. It had oversized sequins dangling all over it that sparkled when she shook it from side to side. If it were silver, it would’ve looked like it was covered in fish scales.

  “Gorgeous.”

  “And I was thinking this would look great on you,” she pulled a red dress out of the closet.

  I felt my heart sink.

  “What’s with that face? You don’t like it?”

  “No. It’s
just that a little red dress on Valentine’s Day seems a bit sad.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” she said, spinning the hanger around so I could see the blue dress hanging on the other side. “That’s why I was going to suggest you wear this one. It’s a much more Fuck Valentine’s Day color, don’t you think?”

  “Much better,” I said, turning my gaze to the way it was cut. “Won’t my tits be sort of- I don’t know- out in that, though?”

  “If it fits you the way I think it’s going to, they will be.” She reached up and hung the hanger on the door so the blue dress was facing out. “And not just your tits either. This fabric is going to hug your ass like a sex offender.”

  “Jesus. I’m not sure that’s really necessary.”

  “Of course it is.” She knelt down and started opening shoe boxes. “You’re going to look so smokin’ hot you’ll be batting off way too many advances to even have a moment to think about Will.”

  “That does sound appealing.”

  “And someone who can take your mind off him will come along in no time.” She was still focused on opening and closing shoe boxes. “Assuming I can find the shoes that go with it.”

  “But your feet are smaller than mine.”

  She looked at me seriously. “It’s going to be worth it. I promise you.”

  “I guess I’ll have to find a man willing to carry me home when I’m debilitated by blisters.”

  “That’s the spirit!” she said, flipping open another box. “Ah ha.” She pulled out a pair of strappy blue shoes that looked way skankier than anything I would normally wear and held them up for me.

  I crinkled my nose.

  “What?” she asked.

  “They look-”

  “What?”

  “Like they’re going to be too small.”

  “They’re not. They’re going to be perfect. If you want to be my wing woman, you have to dress appropriately.”

  “I thought I was your Valentine.”

  “Well as my Valentine, these are the shoes I want you to wear for me tonight.”

  I sighed. “Fine. Whatever you want my love.”

  She nodded once. “Better. Now let’s get changed before we lose our buzz.”