Accidental Roommate

by Katie Kyler

  Did my monochrome pantsuits fit me well? Did they look good?

  Their hair was in sleek buns or fell around their shoulders to frame their faces, and they wore make-up.

  My damp hair was in a ponytail that I’d tied while walking to the office. And I hadn’t had time for make-up this morning.

  I hated that he’d made me think of myself this way. His words had hurt. His inability to see past the surface of things hurt. I’d thought there was more to him, but maybe not.

  For three years, maybe I’d been chasing a stupid dream.

  After logging in to my work computer, I opened files and office emails until I realized I wasn’t actually reading any of them. I was just going through the motions, opening up one after another. Just so I could say I did.

  I stood up, tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, and marched into the hallway. I couldn’t concentrate, and it was causing my work to suffer. It was time to talk to Joshua.

  His door opened, and morning light spilled across the hallway.

  Crap. No way. I dived back into the safety of my cubicle, panting.

  Shake it off, Alls, I could hear Jess’s voice in my head, encouraging me. You can do this.

  I took another step out. This was it. I was going to talk to that bastard and tell him exactly what I thought and where he could shove the word “frumpy.”

  “Allison?”

  “Ack!” I grabbed my chest, trying to breathe.

  It was Craig, Joshua’s assistant. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Fine. Yes. I’m,” I said.

  He looked at me in concern.

  “Yes, I’m fine,” I finally said. “Doing just great.”

  “Okay,” he said slowly, as if talking to an unpredictable animal. “Joshua wants to have a word with you, in his office.”

  I gulped. “Um, when?”

  Craig shook his head, like Can you believe this woman? “Right now, if you’re free.”

  Was I free? Was I free to say no and run down the hall, flinging myself down the stairwell so I’d never have to talk to him again? But I remembered what I told myself this morning. I had nothing to hide. Squaring my shoulders and smoothing imaginary wrinkles on my pants, I gave Craig my widest smile. “Of course. I’ll head over there now, thanks.”

  Everything had played out just like I had imagined. I was now on my way to get fired by the man I was infatuated with. The man I had slept with. My boss.

  I stood in the doorway and attempted to peek through the crack. I wondered whether he’d be doing the firing alone or whether someone from Human Resources would be there. I took a deep, reassuring breath and knocked. I was ready for this.

  “Come in.”

  I stepped inside, suddenly conscious of not only my pantsuit, but my messy ponytail and my lack of make-up. My heart pounded as I stared at him sitting behind his big, expensive desk. His power position. He looked incredible. Better than incredible. He looked like none of this had even bothered him in the slightest way. The perfect amount of stubble covered his face and his million-dollar smile glared back at me. He was going to enjoy this.

  I glanced toward the wall of windows that faced the sea of cubicles. The entire floor would be able to watch him fire me. I felt like I was in an aquarium, and about to get devoured by a shark. The nine a.m. feeding frenzy.

  I blankly stared into his eyes, waiting for his words to strike.

  Suddenly, I felt like a true nobody.

  He stood up. His smile grew bigger as his eyes sparkled. He was perfect. I’d been so out of my league.

  He nodded once. “Allison.”

  I kept my back straight. Out of my league or not, I had my pride. “Joshua.”

  His cologne smelled so good, laced with the soft spicy scent that I could only describe as uniquely his. He came around his desk and perched himself on the edge. Here it was.

  He gazed into my eyes. “I was an ass.”

  “Of course,” I said, launching into my rehearsed speech. “I should have known you would retaliate like this—wait. What?”

  “I’m so sorry. The other morning. I just, I was caught off guard. I’m an idiot and I felt embarrassed thinking maybe everyone else knew, that you’d been laughing at me.”

  “No!” I said. “Jeez. Don’t you know me at all?”

  “I do, once I thought about it. I was so wrong. I’ve been thinking about it all weekend.”

  “I’ve been thinking about it, too.” Of course, I had been thinking about strangling him with the belt from my pantsuits, but I thought it best not to mention that.

  “I was angry, but it was wrong to talk to you that way. You deserve better. Allison, you’re the most interesting woman I’ve ever met. The most interesting woman I’ve ever dated.”

  The room began to spin as I listened to his words. This was not what I had been expecting. “Are you sure you don’t have me confused with someone else?”

  He nodded. “I’m sure. You’ve been right here in front of me this whole time.” He spoke quietly as he let his gaze drop toward the floor.

  It had been so hard to come to work, and be ignored. I remembered how Jess had told me to tell him the truth.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t make the connection. Here I had believed you were trying to keep things low-key, not acknowledging me, for a reason. The truth was, you just didn’t see me.” The truth hurt. I had been invisible to him all along, but now, somehow, he’d been able to see me for who I really was.

  He winced. “I know. I guess I should have seen you, but I’d been so happy, so excited, I barely noticed anything else going on around me. You did that to me, Allison.”

  His face relaxed into a smile, and we looked at each other for a moment. Warmth spread through my body, warmth and light.

  His gaze traveled down from my eyes and landed on my lips. My heart started thundering in my chest. Those jungle drums in my dreams—maybe they’d been the sounds of our beating hearts.

  “You don’t know how badly I want to kiss you right now,” he said.

  I gave an awkward laugh. “Really? Still, after all of this?”

  “I do, even more so now.”

  This! This was my happily-ever-after, that moment at the end of Singin’ in the Rain when Kathy and Don end up together, kissing in front of the billboard for their new show in full view of the world. I leaned toward Joshua. I wanted to kiss him, too, and I didn’t care that the blinds were open, that everyone in the office could see. I wanted them to see. Wanted them to watch him claim me.

  He stepped back, and cleared his throat. “There’s a company rule against inter-office relationships. Specifically, against bosses dating employees.”

  Here it comes, I knew it. “I need this job, Joshua. I’m good at it, and I love the company,” I pleaded.

  “No, Allison, you’re not losing your job,” he said, “I’ll rip up the company handbook before I let you go. I want this. I want us, but we have to keep it a secret here in the office.”

  I couldn’t stop the smile that stretched across my face. “Of course. Yes. Of course!”

  He reached out and took my hand in his, kissing it quickly and letting it go. We gazed at each other. I wanted to hold him so badly.

  “This is going to be difficult,” he said, “seeing you every day, but not being able to touch you, to let our secret out.”

  “I’m up for the challenge,” I said, feeling my flirtatious side coming back.

  “Me, too,” he grinned. “We’ll make this work.”

  My dream came to mind again. One of these days I was going to tell him about it. The desk, how he leaned me against it… My gaze traveled over to it, the smooth wood and how it had been gently rounded at the edges. Perhaps we could stay late one evening.

  “There’s a party at my dad’s club this weekend. It’s his birthday,” he said, interrupting my thoughts. “Please come with me, as my date.”

  “A birthday party?” I squeaked. “Sounds like it should be a family thing.”


  “It is, but it’s huge. Jamie said he’s bringing a date, and we’ll have a lot of other relatives there, too. Will you come? Please?”

  “Jamie?” I swallowed hard at the thought of Jamie seeing me with his brother. “Are you sure? What if–?”

  “Don’t worry about Jamie, would you come?”

  I nodded hesitantly. “I’d love to.”

  Chapter 4

  Joshua

  Two dresses were arranged against my black duvet. Both gowns were Allison’s size. The one on the left was a pale lavender, peppered with real diamonds. It would show off her dazzling skin perfectly and make her form look even more tempting. The one on the right was a night-sky blue lace gown. It would hug her curves and bring out her eyes.

  I hadn’t been able to decide at the boutique, and I couldn’t decide now. It seemed most women wanted to show off their favorite features. Honestly, though, it was hard to pick a favorite. I liked all of her. So what did she like best about herself? I pictured Allison in my head, trying to figure out which of her assets were her favorites, and not just mine. Curves, I thought. And her eyes. I placed the lavender one back on its hanger and wrapped it in the plastic cover before stowing it at the back of my closet. I could always ask her to wear it to something later on.

  The deep blue gown I slid onto its hanger. She’d look magnificent in it, and it would help boost her confidence. Yesterday she’d admitted that she was nervous about meeting my family, and I wanted to make this as easy on her as possible.

  I was nervous, too. My family was going to be shocked to see me with a quiet, dark-haired woman. It would’ve been so easy to find another date, even just for this party. I’d have no intention of taking it any further; just a date to talk to so my family wouldn’t think there was something wrong with me. Finding someone wouldn’t have been hard. Women were always ready to be wooed by a billionaire. And maybe that had been the problem—I wasn’t picky enough.

  But now I was in too deep. A brunette or a blonde, it didn’t matter which Allison was. I couldn’t imagine letting her go.

  It was a new experience for me, and it made my whole body hum with excitement.

  I held the gown at arm’s length, feeling the texture of the soft lace between my fingers, imagining Allison in it.

  Then I caved to temptation and imagined her out of it.

  * * * * *

  Allison held my hand in a death grip as we drove up to my dad’s clubhouse. The club was situated on acres of gentle hills and picturesque woodland, right next to a lake. I watched Allison from the corner of my eye as she took in the landscape. The drive circled up to a large brick building, where valets waited for us. The garden in front was filled with arrangements of flowers and fountains. Stone benches and tiny lanterns were spaced along the meandering paths. Seeing it through Allison’s eyes, I had new appreciation for its beauty.

  After we’d gotten out of the car, Allison looked up at the building. The large white columns suggested age and elegance, and the brick front made me think of strong, lasting tradition. Of course my dad loved this place.

  Her eyes were huge as she took it all in. She seemed to curl in on herself at first, but then I saw a flash of determination in her eyes and she stood up straighter.

  “You look like you belong here,” I told her. “And you do belong here. If you feel strange or nervous, just hold tightly to me.”

  She nodded, but she still looked a little pale.

  It was incredible how she turned on the protective side of me. I wanted nothing more than to take care of her and make her the most comfortable woman in the world.

  “Have I told you yet how stunning you look?” I asked.

  She rolled her eyes and smiled playfully. “Only six or seven times.”

  “Consider this eight.” I’d been right about the dress. Not only did she squeal with pleasure when she first saw it, but now, wearing it, she looked even more amazing than usual.

  When we went inside, my aging aunts descended on us like they were thirsty frat boys and we’d shown up with a keg.

  “And who is this?” Aunt May exclaimed, taking one of Allison’s hands in her own.

  “This is my girlfriend, Allison Mahoney,” I said.

  Allison beamed. I didn’t think I’d ever called her my girlfriend before…she must’ve liked it. I knew I did.

  “Oh, what a wonder. Look at your gorgeous skin,” May said. Nudging Aunt Kathleen next to her, she added, “Remember when we had skin like this? I could just touch this girl all day long.”

  Allison looked a bit panicked.

  “Um, maybe not,” I said, pulling her away. “We still have to say hi to Dad.”

  I spied him across the room, telling what looked like a longwinded, humorous story to some of his old friends who’d probably heard it five times already. But the way my dad spun a tale, you could have it memorized and it still sounded new.

  I tugged Allison along, giving her a smile of encouragement.

  “This place is amazing,” she breathed, her gaze bouncing everywhere, from the giant chandeliers overhead to the classical paintings adorning the rear wall. “I don’t feel like I belong here.”

  “You’re doing great,” I said. “Come meet my dad. He’s over there.”

  Dad gave me a huge hug and clapped me on the back when we reached him. He tried to ruffle my hair like he’d done when I was a kid, but I dodged him easily. That was a lesson I learned a long time ago.

  “Who’s this?” he said, taking in Allison’s beauty. His gray moustache lifted up when he smiled.

  “This is my friend, Allison Mahoney. Allison, this is my dad, Roger Tolbert.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” Allison said, extending her hand.

  He pulled her into a hug. “Pleased to meet you, too!” he exclaimed. “Please, call me Roger.”

  Allison looked startled, but she grinned. “Okay. Happy birthday…Roger.”

  My dad took Allison’s hand. “I just have to tell you, the way you carry yourself, it reminds me of Joshua and Jamie’s mother. She was a wonderful woman.”

  “I would’ve liked to have met her,” Allison said.

  “Nice talking to you, Dad. We should make the rounds.”

  It was a flimsy excuse, but I didn’t want to talk about Mom tonight. I steered Allison away from Dad and looked over the rest of the reception room. Dad’s birthday was an excuse for our largest family reunion, and I hadn’t seen very many of my cousins since last year. As we moved across the room, a waiter wandered past with a tray of champagne flutes. I plucked a couple of glasses for me and Allison.

  “So how are you doing?” I asked her as I handed her a flute.

  She sipped the champagne absentmindedly, her attention on the giant picture windows opening out to the front gardens.

  “I’m actually doing okay,” she said. “Nobody’s asking me how much money I make, or whether my family’s old money or new money, or whether I was bred into politics or business.”

  “Yet,” I smiled. “You still haven’t met my grandmother.”

  Her gaze swung back to me. “Joking! I’m just kidding.”

  She punched me on the arm. “Don’t do that to me.”

  I couldn’t help my smile, but she looked like she’d forgiven me.

  Jamie sauntered around the corner with a stunning woman on his arm. I’d never seen her before, but I couldn’t help notice she looked a little bit like Allison. Dark hair, an oval face, bright eyes. That’s where the similarities ended, though. She wore a dress that looked like it had been painted on, and she had the biggest tits I’d ever seen in my life.

  “Whoa,” Allison said. “Who is that? I didn’t know Jamie had a girlfriend.”

  “Neither did I.”

  “How can she walk with that chest?” she mused. “She can’t even see the ground in front of her.”

  I nearly spewed champagne from my nose. My eyes watered painfully as I choked it down.

  “What?” Allison asked, a pout playi
ng on those gorgeous lips of hers. “I’m not saying it to be mean. It just…it must be tough. I don’t think they look good, but the problem is more that it’s gotta be hard to move around.”

  “No, you’re right. You’re totally right. I just wouldn’t have thought you’d comment on it.”

  She shrugged. “Sometimes I say what I’m thinking. Maybe it’s not always appropriate.”

  I reached around her waist and pulled her in close to me. The lace of her dress was softer than it looked. I wanted to gather it in my hands and rip it all off of her. “It’s never inappropriate for me,” I said. “I always want to know what you’re thinking.”

  Allison and I chatted with one of my uncles and his newest wife. I sipped my champagne, watching how she moved in that lacey dress. Irresistible. She gestured as she spoke, subtle movements that accentuated her words. She had a quiet confidence to her. Other girls I had dated had rarely ever met my family. Those that did only talked about themselves and how wonderful they were. Allison was different. Much different.

  “Hey,” Aunt May said, sidling up to me. “I think you’ve found yourself a keeper.”

  “You’re a keeper,” I said, kissing her cheek.

  “You’re a flatterer,” she said, smacking my shoulder. “You keep this one happy, you hear?”

  “Loud and clear, Aunt May.”

  It occurred to me, all that I’d done before with my past girlfriends, trying to keep them happy. Buying them things. Expensive dinners. Clothes, shoes, cars. Vacations. And it had never been enough. But Allison didn’t seem to expect any of that, and she didn’t even seem to want it. She was truly shocked when I’d asked if I could bring a dress over for her to wear to the party. Actually, she’d sounded offended at first, until I said it was a gift, and not because she needed it. I’d seen her in gorgeous dresses before. This was just how I wanted to show I cared. Plus, I’d added, it would look damn sexy on her. It had seemed to reassure her. Then when she opened the garment bag and actually saw the dress, she seemed to fall in love with it at once.

  Aunt May wandered off to harass one of my cousins, and Jamie came over to introduce his date. I tried to keep my face straight as I watched her totter forward on her stilettos. It looked like she was having exactly the trouble Allison had mentioned. Too hard to walk when you can’t see where you’re going.