Beauty and the Boss (Modern Fairytales)

by Diane Alberts

  As she sat down at their table, he picked up the plates of lobster, carried them to the waiter and whispered, “We need to start over, please. Bring the menus…and an…uh…appletini? Is that a real thing?”

  The waiter bowed. “Yes, sir, it is.”

  “Great. Thank you.” Benjamin straightened his jacket and walked over to the table, his heart beating in tandem with each step he took toward her. The more time he spent with her, the more he realized that, this game they played with one another? It wasn’t in his control at all. And that was a sobering thought. He wasn’t a man who relinquished control easily. “Our menus are coming.”

  She smiled at him, making those damn freckles of hers dance. “Excellent.”

  He settled into his seat and tugged on his jacket sleeves uncomfortably. It was hot as Hades in here. He’d give a leg to take the thing off, but he couldn’t. She might not want a fancy first date, but he wasn’t about to remove his jacket in a five-star restaurant.

  And for the first time ever, he had no idea what to say to a woman. All his normal topics would fall flat with Maggie, just as his earlier tactics had. She unsettled him.

  He wasn’t sure how to feel about that yet.

  “By the way…” She eyed the credit card in the middle of the table. “You can take that back now.”

  “You don’t want it, but hear me out.” He leaned in, and she did the same. The way she stared at him, all wide eyes and parted lips, tested his resolve to keep his hands to himself. “There truly will be a lot of events, and you’ll need clothes of some sort to wear—it doesn’t have to be designer, but you’ll need something. Do you have a whole closet of ball gowns?”

  She hesitated before shaking her head. “No.”

  “So take it. I don’t want you struggling to buy dresses for events you’re only attending because of me.” He shrugged, but he could see he was already winning the argument. “Use it for emergencies when you have nothing that will work.”

  For a while, she didn’t move. “I’ll take it, but I’ll only buy what I absolutely need to.”

  He nodded, taking the win.

  It still baffled him that she’d refused money for her participation in the charade, and had actually been insulted at the mere suggestion. Maggie was an enigma he’d never unravel. She seemed too good to be real. In his life, when something presented as too good to be true—it usually wasn’t. “Good.”

  “You said I’m the boss, but I don’t want to be. I want this to be an equal partnership.” She offered him a small smile. “Like a real relationship, basically.”

  Again, he nodded. “Deal. What else?”

  She tapped her finger to her chin. “Let’s see. We already covered the no kissing part…”

  He held a hand up. “Until you ask me to, that is. Then that rule is out the damn window, where it belongs.”

  “That’s not going happen, but I’ll accept your terms, if that makes you feel better.”

  She’d lit up once they started talking rules. It was clear she liked setting up boundaries as much as he thought he’d enjoy crossing them. “I respect that, and I respect your clause about keeping things businesslike. Just like I appreciate your acceptance of my addendum.” He lifted his glass in a toast to her. “Was that professional enough for you?”

  She blinked at him, taken aback by something. He wasn’t sure what, till he realized he was smiling again. When he was with her, it was a lot harder to hide the happy person he used to be, to keep the controlled, robotic appearance up at all times. Around her, he wanted to be himself, and…

  It was a lot harder to act like his father.

  He quickly erased the smile and cleared his throat, tugging on his tie again. She stared at his chest, swallowing hard. “Well? Are we good to go?”

  “Yeah,” she said, shifting in her seat and nibbling on her lip. “We’re good.”

  They stared at one another, the tension between them building.

  He swallowed a gulp of wine, set it down, and leaned in again. She did the same. It would be so easy to close the distance between them and kiss her like they both wanted. But she wasn’t ready, and he was a patient man. Even so, he couldn’t resist saying, “Just for the record? I reserve the right to do my damnedest to change your mind about the no kissing thing, with every weapon in my arsenal, until you’re begging me to fuck you.”

  Her nostrils flared, and she reared back, breathing heavily. She pressed a hand to her stomach. “Benjamin.”

  “And trust me.” He settled into his chair and eyed her. “It’s just a matter of time. Once I set my mind on something, I always win.”

  A nervous laugh escaped her. “Think what you want, but I never beg. And even if I did? I’ve already seen your moves, and they don’t work on me.”

  He set his glass down. “Challenge accepted.”

  “Oh, hold up.” She shook her head, looking more alive than he’d ever seen her. “I didn’t lay down a challenge. I would never challenge a man like you.”

  “Sure you did. I heard it, loud and clear.” The waiter came up behind her, carrying a frothy green concoction of a drink. “Ah. Here’s your appletini, darling.”

  “My—? I didn’t order one yet.”

  He lifted a shoulder. “Nope, but I did.”

  “But—” She glanced over her shoulder and then slowly turned back to him. “You remembered I said I wanted one?”

  “I did.” He reached out and covered her hand. It trembled beneath his, and she shifted her legs under the table, her knee brushing his. “From now on, I’ll always remember what you tell me. I’ll be waiting, planning, and finding your weaknesses, until you finally accept what I accepted the second you kissed me and called me yours—that we belong together, naked, in a bed.”

  She eyed him with a mixture of excitement, desire, and wariness. It was a feeling he was all too familiar with, because it was exactly how she made him feel. After the drink was placed in front of her, she considered it with a small smile. “I underestimated you, Benjamin.”

  “That’s okay. I did the same thing to you.”

  She tipped her head to the side. “But not anymore?”

  “You bet your pretty little ass I won’t do it again. Like I said, I plan on using every weapon I can against you, till I win.” He casually entwined his fingers with hers as the waiter laid down their menus. It was absurd how fucking right it felt to hold her hand. After they were alone again, he waited until she lifted the glass to her lips and took a sip before he added, “Including my magical knee.”

  She snorted, which was unfortunate since she was in the process of swallowing. She inhaled the liquid, her face reddening as she set the drink down, coughing and cursing him in between breaths. “I. Will. Kill. You.”

  He laughed, pressing a hand to his stomach as she glowered at him and wiped her mouth. He killed the laugh off quickly, but he couldn’t bring himself to regret the rare show of emotion. She stared at him as if he was a ghost, but he didn’t care.

  That had been way too much fun.

  “Keep trying, if you wish, but no one else has succeeded yet.”

  “Oh, but I know things.” She gripped the table with her free hand and waggled her brows. It didn’t escape his notice that she hadn’t pulled free of his touch yet. “Lots of things.”

  He cocked a brow and ran his thumb over the backs of her knuckles. “So do I.”

  She laughed and lifted her glass again, and he realized he’d smiled more in this short timespan with Maggie than he had all the rest of the night, while he tried to be what he thought she’d want him to be. Now that he was relaxing, and being himself instead of a shallow copy of his father…

  It was actually fun. Imagine that.

  “To winning?” she asked, holding up her glass.

  “To you losing,” he countered, clinking his to hers. “And us both being completely satisfied afterward.”

  “Careful, you might blow your load a little too early with all that false confidence.”


  He cocked a brow. “It’s adorable that you think it’s false. It really is.”

  “You keep chasing, I’ll keep running.” She lifted a shoulder. “You’ll see who wins eventually.”

  Yeah. Him. But since he wanted her more than he’d wanted anything in his entire life, and she was determined to keep him at arm’s length…

  He probably should’ve let her keep running.

  A few hours later, Benjamin had his driver stop the car in front of Maggie’s home. He opened the car door and got out, offering her his hand. She held on tight as she slid out, steadying herself on her heels.

  Once she was good to go, she let go of him quickly.

  He let her.

  “Thank you,” he said, glancing down and adjusting his tie, “for giving me a second chance tonight.”

  She smiled and helped him, tugging slightly until it was straight. The small, kind gesture made his throat tighten and his pants shrink. “You’re welcome. Turns out, once you relax, you’re actually a cool guy.”

  “Because I was with you,” he said, forcing himself to stand still as she smoothed his jacket, even though every instinct within him screamed that he should grab her, kiss her, and show her why their relationship would be so much more enjoyable if they let loose a little bit more, this time without those strict rules of hers. “I had fun.”

  “Me, too,” she said softly. So softly he almost missed it. “Benjamin.”

  They fell silent, staring, almost as if they measured one another. The tension between them was impossible to ignore. Heart pounding, he reached out and ran his thumb over the curve of her chin, getting another hit of the drug that was Maggie Donovan. She shivered, gripping his jacket with a sigh. “You’re so fucking unique and beautiful that I’m not even sure what to say to you half the damn time.”

  His words seemed to yank her from some sort of trance—the same trance he’d been stuck in. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud…but even so, it was true. She was gorgeous, inside and out.

  In his world, that was as rare as the Hope Diamond.

  “You can say whatever you want, Benjamin.” Stepping back, she tucked her hair behind her ear and gave him a shy smile. “I’ll see you at the office Monday?”

  “Yes. Of course.” He shoved his trembling hands into his pockets and inclined his head. “I’ll leave once I see you turn the light on, so I know you’re safely inside.”

  She nodded and headed up the stairs, her hips swinging naturally. As soon as the light turned on, she pushed the curtain aside and waved at him. He nodded back, and slid inside his town car. After he closed the door, the driver pulled away.

  No sooner had he cleared the curb, than his phone rang. When he saw who it was, he stiffened. He’d called his brother that morning, but hadn’t gotten a hold of him. Apparently that was changing now. “Andrew. Thanks for calling me back.”

  “No problem,” his brother’s deep voice said through the line. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. What makes you think something’s wrong?”

  Andrew paused. “Well, you called me.”

  “Yeah?”

  “You never call unless something’s wrong.”

  While true, it still hurt to hear. When had he become such a recluse that he forgot to pick up the damn phone and call his brother? “That’s not true. I called you last week.”

  “For my birthday?” Andrew laughed. “Yeah, that doesn’t count, Ben.”

  Benjamin winced, because he was right. “Sorry. Life’s been busy.”

  “I hear you’ve been working constantly.” He paused. “I also heard you have a new woman in the picture. One Mother doesn’t approve of.”

  “Big shocker there.”

  Andrew laughed. “Who is she?”

  “My lead researcher. We’re…” He hesitated because he’d never lied to his brother before. “We’re engaged, actually.”

  “Whoa! Another one bites the dust, huh?”

  He rubbed his scalp. “Yeah. Something like that.”

  “That’s great.” Andrew exclaimed. Thing was, he actually sounded sincere. “When do I get to meet her?”

  “She’ll be at the mayor’s dinner with me.”

  “Excellent.” Andrew sighed. “Confirmed bachelor, Benjamin Gale the third, finally taken down by a woman. I can see the headlines now.”

  “Yeah.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m dreading them already.”

  Andrew laughed. “I’m not.”

  Benjamin took a second and leaned his elbows on his knees. “Hey, did Mother tell you about the motion she wants to put forward?”

  “No.” Andrew’s laughter died. “What’s she up to now?”

  “She wants to propose a motion of no confidence, on account of my nonstop philandering lifestyle.” He paused. “She wants you to take over as CEO.”

  “Shit.” Andrew was silent a minute, then asked, “Is that why you’re suddenly engaged? If so, don’t do it. Don’t give in to her insane demands.”

  “Nah, the engagement happened before this. We’ve been dating for a while now.” Benjamin relaxed against the seat. It appeared that Andrew wasn’t in on his mother’s scheme, but that didn’t mean he was going to come clean about the farce. “But you seriously weren’t aware of it?”

  “Of course not. I have no interest in taking your position.”

  At least he had one family member who wasn’t trying to take him down.

  Thank God.

  Chapter Six

  At exactly five o’clock Monday evening, Maggie closed her computer, slid it into her bag, took a deep breath, and stood. A few coworkers had already gathered their belongings, and they shot her some surreptitious glances the second she moved. She wasn’t sure whether it was because she was leaving earlier than normal, or if it was because word had spread about her and Benjamin being engaged.

  Either way…

  They were freaking staring.

  And they had been all day, too. At first it had been mildly amusing, but after the tenth person stopped by her desk to chat—correction, to gape at her ring—it had gotten old, really fast. Obviously, some sort of announcement was needed.

  She might as well get it over with.

  “Just do it, Maggie. Stand up, and announce you’re dating Benjamin,” she muttered under her breath. Fisting her hands at her sides, she cleared her throat loudly, ignoring her racing heart. “Yes, I’ve been secretly dating Mr. Gale, and yes, I have been since before I even started working here. And yes, I’m engaged to him. He gave me a gorgeous ring.” She led her hand up high, rotating it every which way. “Here it is. Now, can we all move on, and stop staring at me like I’m a freak?”

  People ducked their heads, returning to whatever they’d been doing earlier. Maggie nodded once, smoothed her skirt, and headed for Benjamin’s door.

  That went surprisingly well.

  Hopefully this next step would, too.

  “You can do this. Everything will be fine,” she whispered under her breath, staring at the Empire State Building as she went. She could just make out the red neon sign on top of the old New Yorker Hotel, too. “It’s fine. This’ll be fun. You’re strong and steady, like that building. Benjamin won’t make you cave. You won’t kiss him or touch him. You’re not going to lose.”

  If she said it enough times, maybe she’d actually believe it.

  After a long, calming breath, she lifted her hand and knocked three times on his door. She heard a muffled “come in” through the wood, so she twisted the knob. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d left the office before seven, and Benjamin rarely did either, but tonight…

  They were going to do it together.

  Be rebels.

  It had taken most of the last two days to get everything lined up properly, but she was ready to show him what a real first date should be like. When she walked in, the frown he wore faded a tiny bit, and he studied her without lifting his head from his work. “Hey. How’s it going out there?”

  “Awkwardl
y. They’re all staring.” She waved a hand and tucked her hair behind her ear. He looked so handsome sitting behind his desk in his navy blue suit, with his perfect hair begging to be touched. “Like, constantly. I’m about to drag my desk in here so I can have a closed door, too.”

  He set his pen down and sighed. “Do I need to say something?”

  “No, please. It’s fine.”

  “Okay.” He paused again, frowning. “Why are you in here, if you don’t need my help?”

  Her cheeks heated, because he seemed annoyed at her intrusion. “We’re leaving.”

  “What?” He glanced at his watch and shook his head. “No way in hell. I’ve got at least two more hours of work here on my desk, and it’s only five o’clock. Not to mention, you still haven’t gotten me that report you owe me. I told you it would wait, but I didn’t mean forever.” His tone was dismissive, as if having dealt with her, he expected her to leave.

  He was sadly mistaken.

  The only way she was leaving was with him.

  She crossed her arms and tapped her foot, fighting back the irritation rising within her at his tone. He wasn’t making it hard to resist him with that attitude of his, so it really wasn’t fair that she still wanted him.

  Sighing, he glanced up again. “What now?”

  “The same thing as before.” She tapped her foot faster. “It’s after hours. The ‘boss’ you has to go away, and my ‘fiancé’ needs to come out to play. We have a date.”

  That got his attention. He perked up and pushed his chair back. “In that case, come on over. Give me some sugar, darling.”

  She shook her head, despite the way her pulse leaped when he grinned at her roguishly and patted his lap. All she could think was: yes please.

  After he’d stopped playing by the first-date playbook the other night, things between them had changed. It was like a switch had been turned off inside of him, and he’d become a different man. It had been hard to resist the more controlled version of him.