Boss with Benefits_An Office Romance

by Tyler Grey

  I thought I was dreaming. I was standing by the door, waiting for Hayden to come back after getting something from the car. Then I heard him talking to a familiar voice. A voice I knew well. A voice I wasn’t sure if I would ever hear again.

  “Alice?” I asked.

  I stood for several seconds, waiting to find out what was going on. I had a strong suspicion that I was just imagining all of this, but suddenly she was in front of me. I could smell the sweetness of her perfume, and I thought I was going to faint from the sheer deliciousness of it all.

  “Hi, Jacob.” Her voice was so soft, like a whisper.

  “Alice?” I said again. I seemed to have lost my ability to string together a conversation.

  “Yeah, it’s me. Want to go for a walk?” she asked. Then she squealed. “Tank! My boy, it’s so good to see you. Come here.”

  I chuckled. “He’s missed you, and yes, I would love to go for a walk. Uh, Hayden? Are you still here?”

  I heard footsteps. “I’m here. Look, you go for walk, and I’ll sort out everything here. I’ll take Katrina with me when she’s finished up for today. Call me later, okay?”

  “Thank you.”

  Alice, Tank, and myself began to walk. It was amazing how quickly we fell into a familiar rhythm and how good I felt having her with me again.

  “Am I dreaming?” I asked her.

  She chuckled. “If you are, then I am too. Oh, Jacob, I’ve missed this so much. It’s so good to be here.”

  “I’m confused. Aren’t you supposed to be in Belgium?”

  “No, I’m supposed to be here.” There was a finality in her voice that I hadn’t heard before.

  “I’m glad you’re here, but I thought you had gone.”

  “I did go. I was there for a month. I came back.”

  “Alice, I’m so sorry. For everything. The way I spoke to you. It hurt me to do that to you, but I only thought I was doing the right thing. I wanted you to go out and enjoy your life. I didn’t want to be the one that kept you back. You deserve so much better than me. But I didn’t mean any of those words that I said to you. I’m sorry,” I said, and felt myself choking up.

  She squeezed my hand. “Don’t be sorry, Jacob. You did what you thought was right, and I know it came from a good place. I was hurt at first, and shocked, but I slowly started to realize what you had done. At least, I hoped that was why you did it. I knew that the man I had come to know was the real Jacob. I knew it. I had a lot of faith in that.”

  “Are you…are you just here on vacation?” I asked. What I really wanted to know was how much time I had with her before she was going back. I wanted to make the most of every second that I had.

  “Actually, I’m back for good.”

  “You are? But… the job.”

  “Like I said, my job is here. Belgium was amazing. The restaurant was incredible, and I learned so much about myself in that time. It wasn’t for me, though. Mostly, my heart wasn’t in it. I kept thinking about you and that I’d rather be here. But even if you weren’t part of the equation I’m sure I wouldn’t have been happy. That’s not the career path for me. I always said that I didn’t want to work in a restaurant and now it was proven that I was right.”

  “Tell me you’re going to write your book,” I said. “I’ve been thinking about it so much. How I teased you when I caught you writing at school and told everyone how bad you were. I can’t believe I did that. I was in awe of your writing, and I was jealous. That’s why I did it. You have to go after that dream, Alice.” I couldn’t let me be the reason that she didn’t become an author. I couldn’t bear it.

  “Oh, don’t worry about it, Jacob. Your teasing me about my writing didn’t stop me from wanting to become a writer. If anything, it did the opposite. I wanted to prove to you that I could do it. I’m going to do it. I promise you. And that’s not all. I’ve decided that I want to start cooking lessons for kids. I’m going to spend the next few months setting this up. Between that and the book, I think I finally have my career sorted out.”

  “Alice, that’s amazing. I can definitely see you doing this. I feel like I’m going to burst. Hey, where are we, by the way? I just realized that I’ve been so excited to have you with me that I haven’t concentrated on where we were going.”

  She chuckled. “Well, I was hungry, and even though it’s lunchtime I figured we needed some breakfast. I wanted to take you back to the same place where you first discovered who I was.”

  I was just about to say something when I heard someone gasp. I knew immediately that it was Mary Hutchinson.

  “You’re back! Oh, I’m so glad. I was hoping to see you again. The last time I saw the two you, you just rushed out in a hurry. Come on, let me get you a seat. Follow me,” Mary said, and Alice squeezed my hand as we made our way inside. Mary didn’t stop talking the whole time, exclaiming how happy she was to see us again.

  “So,” she said once we had taken our seats. “How on earth did the two of you end up together? As far as I remember, the two of you didn’t exactly see eye to eye in the past.”

  I laughed. “Well, I’m blind now, so we still don’t see eye to eye.” Alice burst out laughing, but Mary made a weird sound as if she couldn’t quite believe I had just said that. That was what I loved about Alice; she got my sense of humor immediately.

  “Well, uh, that’s funny,” Mary said without laughing. “So, are the two of you friends now or something?”

  “We’re friends,” I said.

  “No, we’re more than that,” Alice said. “Jacob here is my boyfriend.”

  “He is?” Mary gasped. “Well, I never thought I’d see the day. So, what can I get for you?”

  “I’ll take your breakfast special and a cup of coffee.”

  “Make that two,” I said. The moment I heard Mary’s footsteps retreating, I said to Alice, “I’m your boyfriend?”

  “Yes, you are. I mean, if you want to be.”

  I chuckled. “I’m still worried that I am going to wake up to find out that all of this was just a dream. Of course I want to be your boyfriend. Are you sure though, Alice? I mean, I know I put you through a lot, and I completely understand if you hate me. You deserve better than me.”

  “Hayden tells me that your father put you through a lot as a kid,” Alice said without answering my question.

  I sighed. “Yeah, not the nicest man in the world. We don’t talk anymore. He’s a horrible man, and he made my childhood a living hell sometimes. For a long time, I thought that it was normal to act the way he did. I went to school with that mentality. You make sure that you never have anyone close to you, but you bully everyone around you so that they do what you say. My father had no friends, but he got people to do things for him all the time. So that’s what I did. When I realized that what he was doing, and what I was doing, was wrong, it was too late. I didn’t want to look weak in front of everyone. I continued being a bully because I didn’t know any other way.”

  “I appreciate your honesty, Jacob. Well, we both had shitty childhoods, then. I guess we have something in common.”

  “Yeah, but I’m the one who made yours shitty, and I’m so sorry. Do you know why I teased you so much?”

  “Because you liked me?” she said as a joke.

  “Because I knew you were stronger than me. You were the strongest girl in class. And Laurie too. I always admired the two of you. I wanted to see how far I could push you, but you never backed down. You never gave in. You never once followed me around like everyone else did. You just stood up for yourself no matter how hard I made it for you to do that. I admired you so much. And, as much as I wouldn’t admit to it, I thought you were the prettiest girl in school.”

  She chuckled. “You thought the clown was pretty?”

  I groaned. “I can’t believe I called you that.”

  Alice laughed. “That’s okay. I always thought I had a good sense of humor. You know, my hair was never really red.”

  “I know. It was beautiful. When the sun ca
ught it at a certain moment in time, you could see the red streaks. Is it still like that?”

  “Yeah, it hasn’t changed much. Brown hair, with little red streaks. Still the same little Alice Bozeman as before.”

  I smiled. “That’s a nice thought.”

  “You know, I always knew it was you that put that stuff in the shampoo. My hair was bright red and came out in clusters when I brushed it. That was horrifying.”

  I groaned. “Oh no. I’m so sorry. I felt awful. That’s the crazy thing. Everything I did to you made me feel worse. But I kept doing it because I was afraid you’d see how much it really did affect me. You’d look at me with those big green eyes, and I would die a little inside. Nobody else could do that to me. I was this big shot at school, but I’d go home and cry myself to sleep. That’s no excuse, of course. I’m not looking for your pardon or anything. I’m just… well, it’s nice to finally get the chance to explain it to you.”

  “You know what, Jacob? I’m not sure I can stay for lunch.”

  I frowned. Had I said something wrong? “Oh. Why not? Did I say something wrong?”

  “Oh, quite the opposite. You said all the right things. I want to be home with you. The things I want to do…well, let’s just say we can’t do them here.”

  I chuckled. “Let’s go.”

  As we stood up, Mary arrived.

  “Uh, what’s going on? Don’t tell me you’re running off again?”

  “I’m sorry,” Alice said to her. “We are. I know, here’s money for the food and coffee and a tip. I’m sorry about that. We’re making this a habit, aren’t we? One day we’ll actually come and eat.”

  “But what’s going on? Is everything okay?”

  “Everything is fine. Everything is more than fine.”

  Chapter 36

  Alice

  I wanted to get out of the cafe quickly, but I knew that we still had to make our way back home. Jacob couldn’t walk fast, and I also didn’t want to hurry him up. We couldn’t stop laughing about what had happened with Mary. She’d insisted that we stay for lunch even when we told her that we had to get going. Eventually, I had just looked her in the eye and told her that we were leaving to have sex.

  “I still can’t believe you said that,” Jacob said.

  “Well, it’s the truth, and it was the only way to get out of there. That woman can talk someone into a corner.”

  “Are we ever going to go back there?” he asked.

  I laughed. “Maybe not for a while. Although, actually I don’t care. I’m proud to be with you.”

  “Alice, how on earth did I get so lucky to get someone like you?”

  “You’ve clearly wanted me from the time we were 13,” I teased.

  “I want you now more than anything else. I really hope Hayden is not still at home.”

  “I thought you’d moved on with the new chef,” I admitted. “When I saw her at your house, I thought she had replaced me.”

  “No way. I have barely spoken to the poor woman. She seems nice enough, but it just felt weird having her there. Alice, are we there yet? Because if we’re not, I think we should just have sex right here.”

  I laughed. “A few more steps.”

  I was pleased to see that there was nobody in the house. I locked the door behind us just in case and took Jacob’s hand. I wanted to rip his clothes off right there, but I also wanted to do it properly. We’d waited this long, anyway. We made our way to his bedroom, and I smiled when we entered. It felt so good to be in that room again after spending a full month in a place that felt just like a hotel. I moved forward and took his hands. I lifted them up and placed them on my face. I smiled as he felt my face and told me how beautiful I was, his smooth fingers stroking my cheeks, touching my mouth. It felt so erotic, and every sense was heightened. We took off our clothes and lowered ourselves to the bed, but we never stopped touching. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion, as if we didn’t want the moment to end. Jacob took his time with my body, feeling every groove, every surface, until I was wet and shaking with desire. He worked his way down from my face to my breasts, kissing and licking them, making a trail all the way down to my sex. He ran his tongue over the insides of my thighs and I quivered as he made his way to my clit, kissing and sucking it while he fingered me slowly, which was the most pleasurable type of torture I had ever experienced. I just layed there with my eyes closed, enjoying every second.

  “You’re the most beautiful woman in the world, Alice,” he said. I was lying on my back, my hands and legs sprawled out like a starfish while he inspected me with his hands and his mouth. When he did this, I felt like he could see me, which was the most unusual feeling in the world. It felt more real than it ever had with anyone else. When he said I was beautiful, I believed it. It also felt sexier than I’d ever felt with anyone, even though I knew he couldn’t see me. He could see the real me, and that meant more than simply gazing at one another’s nakedness. But luckily for me, I had a lot to look at, and he was perfect in every way.

  “I don’t want this to end,” I said, when he finally moved up on top of me and entered me. I groaned, opened up more, and then wrapped my legs around him, pushing him even further inside of me. I wanted to feel him as deeply as possible.

  “Don’t worry,” he said as he kissed me gently on the mouth. “We’re going to be doing this over and over again.”

  “Wait, I have an idea,” I said. It was something I had thought of before, but I hadn’t had the guts to do it until now. I slowly pushed him off me. “Sorry, I’ll be right back.”

  I jumped out of bed and looked around the room until I found something suitable. Finally, I found his tie: the one he had worn to the banquet, and I climbed back into bed with it.

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “I’ve got your tie,” I explained. “I’m going to put it around my eyes. I want to know what it’s like to be you. I want to feel you the same way that you feel me. Is… is that weird? I mean… is that okay? If you don’t want me to, I understand.”

  He smiled. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Yes, that would be wonderful.”

  I secured the tie around my eyes and was surprised at how vulnerable I immediately felt. I reached out for him, feeling him in a whole new way. Without my eyesight, I had to rely on my instincts. Jacob helped me by taking my hand and placing it on his body. I lay him down and did what he had done to me. I felt every part of him, touching him and getting to know him all over again. My other senses became acutely aroused, and I couldn’t believe how much more intense everything felt. How soft his skin felt, how he tasted when I took him into my mouth. The velvety way his tongue felt against mine as I explored him. When I could take it no more, I climbed on top of him and felt him slide inside me. We both groaned. I leaned down and kissed him while I moved on top of him. I’d never had sex like this before, and if I thought it was good the other times, I obviously had no idea how good it could really be. Every feeling was increased, every touch felt electric. It felt like one long and amazing orgasm that I never wanted to end.

  “How was it?” he asked when we were done.

  I snuggled into him. I still had the tie on my eyes. “It was amazing. No, that’s not the right word for it. It was mind-blowing. My heart is still pounding. I didn’t know it was possible to feel that way.”

  He chuckled. “The one and only bonus of being blind. The sex is out of this world.”

  “I had no idea. You… you felt different then you did before,” I said. “It was also nice having sex with my boyfriend, rather than my boss.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, I could get used to this. I could definitely get used to this. It’s been a very long and very tough month without you.”

  “It certainly has. Although, I’d still like to work for you, if you don’t mind?”

  “You would?”

  “It’s going to take me a while to get myself off the ground with this new idea of mine, and I really enjoyed cooking for
you. I mean, if you’ll have me. I do realize you have someone else already.”

  “No way. You have the job. She’s out of here. I don’t think she enjoys being here anyway. I think I made her uncomfortable. Poor woman. I was too busy pining after you. Also, Tank doesn’t really like her, and he’s a good judge of character.”

  “I missed Tank so much,” I said.

  “Oh, he missed you too. He’ll be pleased to know that you’ll be cooking for us again, that’s for sure. I actually have another idea for you.”

  “Idea?” I asked.

  “Well, you said you wanted to teach kids how to cook. I think that’s a great idea, but why stop there?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Have you considered teaching blind people how to cook? You taught me so much. When you left, I didn’t get someone else in for about a week. That whole time I made food myself. Just simple things, but I wouldn’t even have been able to do that if you hadn’t shown me how. You have a good way with people, and I think a lot of people could really benefit from something like this. It will give them a chance to become more independent. Which, trust me, is the one thing we miss the most.”

  I grinned. I pulled off my tie and reached over to plant a kiss on his mouth. “That’s an amazing idea. I never thought of that.”

  “Well, someone has to be the brains in this relationship,” he said, and laughed.

  “You do realize though that I’m going to be testing out my ideas on you now, don’t you? You’re going to have cooking lessons every day.”

  He groaned. “Can’t you just cook for me and I’ll eat what you make?”

  “No. You’ll be my student. But don’t worry: all our lessons will end in bed.”

  “Oh, then sign me up. I hope your other students are not going to get the same privilege as me, though.”

  I laughed. “Only you.”

  “So, tell me about Belgium. I want to know everything.”

  I lay back down next to him, my arm around his waist, and smiled. I told him all about the job, and the food, and the owner, and the apartment. I only paused when I got to the part about the art gallery. I was just about to tell him when an idea popped into my head. “Actually, Jacob, there’s somewhere I want to take you. Later this week, clear your schedule.”