A big splash follows, and I rush over to the water side. I take off my jacket, throw off my shoes, and jump in after her. She’s tumbling around, screaming and raging at the same time, clothes everywhere, and I’m right there with her.
“What are you doing?” Lesley sputters, trying to keep her head above water as her soaked clothes weigh down on her.
“I’m trying to help you,” I say. I grab her arms and pick her up, lifting her into my arms.
“What? No,” she protests, trying to scramble away from me, but I keep her tightly locked in my arms.
And good god … feeling her wet body so close to mine sure does something to my excitement down below. Like, literally, I have to force myself not to get a raging boner in public because that’d be a sight to behold.
Next thing you know, all those grannies sitting in the grass and enjoying their sandwiches for lunch would have a heart attack just by looking at me. I don’t want to be responsible for killing someone’s grandma. Nope.
“I don’t need help.” Lesley tries to jerk loose, but her wet clothes stick to my body like glue. “I can swim.”
“You never told me, so I thought you might drown.”
“Really? Like that’s something you say on a job interview,” she scoffs, folding her arms.
“No thank you? Okay. You’re welcome anyway.” I smile as I wade toward the surface.
“For what? You gave that dog to me, and now I’m in the water. One plus one equals two,” she says, frowning.
Pepper has already found the ball and made her way back to the grass, and when Lesley notices, she snaps, “Seriously? All this for a goddamn ball?” Pepper shakes her body, getting the water off. She then breaks out into a happy bark, showing the ball like it’s some kind of victory.
Tapping my chest, Lesley adds, “This is all your fault.”
“Well, if that’s how you feel, then suit yourself.”
I drop her straight back into the water.
She sputters and bubbles come from her mouth, and when she comes up again, she gasps and screams, “What the hell, dude?!”
“You said you could swim,” I say, shrugging and grinning as I walk back on land. “Good luck.”
She smashes the water with her fists and growls but doesn’t respond. I guess she knows everything she says can and will be used against her.
Chapter 7
TJ
After I gave the ball back to the lady and apologized for having Pepper steal it, I follow Lesley, who’s stampeding across the park with a red-hot head. She doesn’t stop once, not even to pull off her heels and pour out the water or while wringing out her hair.
“Where are you going?” I ask, but she won’t answer me. I only just manage to grab my shoes and jacket before running after her.
I have a hard time keeping up while trying to hold on to Pepper’s leash. We’re walking across the road, and I’m just following her, not knowing shit about what she’s thinking. I can definitely tell how she’s feeling, though. The fire is practically blazing off her, and I can feel it burn on my skin. Not literally, of course. That would make her Supergirl, and I hate to say it, but I don’t hire people with those kind of special skills.
I snigger to myself from my own stupid thoughts.
“What’s so funny?” she sneers.
“My imagination,” I reply. “I’m not laughing at you if that’s what you’re thinking.”
She gives me a look but then doesn’t say another word.
“Hey, I’m soaked too,” I say.
“You jumped in on your own,” she says.
“To save you.”
“I don’t need saving,” she hisses. “I can save myself.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re such a capable young woman.”
“Are you making fun of me?” She stops and looks me directly in the eye.
“No,” I say, holding up my hands.
“Yes, you were …” She narrows her eyes. “You think it’s funny that she dragged me into the water. That I’m not good with dogs.”
“I think you’re great with dogs. You just don’t know it yet.”
She looks up at me with curious eyes. Mad … but curious.
“Great with dogs? Yeah, right.”
“Yeah … She loves you. Look.” I point at Pepper who keeps looking up at Lesley with a smiling face and a tongue hanging out. The sight makes Lesley’s face relax, and for a second, there’s a brief smile.
“You’ll get the hang of it. You’ll see. Before you know it, you and Pepper will be making the perfect dog toy and creating the perfect marketing plan.”
“We’ll see. Right now, anyway, we’re soaked. We need to change clothes before we go back to work.”
“I’m fine. It’ll dry.”
“No …” She places a flat hand on my chest. “You are not going to work looking like this.”
I frown, cocking my head. “I’m not going back home. That’ll take way too long, and I’ve got other things to do today.”
“My place is right around the corner. You can change there.”
Whoa. She wants to take me to her home? That’s quick.
“Into what? I don’t have any spare clothes on me.”
“I do,” she says, grasping the leash from my hand and walking away. “C’mon.”
Confused, I follow her across the street and around the corner into an apartment building. We walk up three flights of stairs while I hold Pepper close to my body, so she doesn’t have to jump up the stairs with that wiener body of hers.
When we finally get to her apartment, Lesley shakes off the excess water, pulls a key out of her pocket and uses it to open the door. The room in front of me is small but cozy and filled with colorful furniture and miniature coffee cups and coffee figurines, which make me snicker. Guess I’m not the only one with a weird collection habit.
The walls are chipped, but nothing major. It looks just like I would imagine a starter apartment to look like. “Please don’t look at the mess. I didn’t have any time to clean up,” she says.
“I won’t,” I say, shutting my eyes and shaking my head, which makes her laugh.
“You don’t have to close your eyes,” she says. “But just ignore it, okay?”
“I’m much more interested in your coffee collection,” I say, pointing at the little porcelain man on the table holding a cup of coffee.
“Oh, that? Yeah … I just love coffee,” she says with a flush on her face, and she immediately picks up some of the figures and stuffs them in a cabinet like she’s trying to hide them.
“I like them,” I say. “They look cute.”
She smiles. “Thanks.”
It’s not just a regular smile.
It’s a thankful smile. A smile a girl only gives to those who make her happy.
It’s one that hits me hard. One that can take my breath away.
And it’s at this moment that I realize this girl is really going to mean trouble.
***
Lesley
I stare at him for a moment, taken aback by his easy acceptance of my weird collection. I mean, normally I tuck it all away before anyone visits because I don’t wanna be laughed at, and I know this is weird. I mean, c’mon, who has like twenty coffee figurines in their home? Me, that’s who. I just like cute shit. Plus, I’m a sucker for coffee. So basically, I just started collecting them after I found one of those cute figurines on vacation. It’s sort of my thing.
I just don’t like people’s reaction to them. Except his. That’s why I’m so flabbergasted. He just accepted it like it was no big deal. Him, out of all people.
I never expected him to be this understanding. I pegged him for a complete and utter ass, but maybe I’m wrong. Maybe there is more underneath the slick, sexy surface.
“Uh …” he mutters.
I clear my throat because, fuck, that got awkward fast. “The shower’s over there.” I point at my bathroom. “In case you wanna take a shower. Or something.” Oh god, why did I ha
ve to make it sound so pervy?
“I’m fine,” he says. “I just wanna get dry and get back to work.”
Damn.
For a moment there, I’m actually disappointed. Now I won’t get to see his sexy abs and imagine running my fingers all over them. I wonder what he looks like.
Seriously, Lesley? Stooping so low for some action?
I should definitely have more sex, just to prevent myself from craving him. I mean, I do like casual sex, but I’ve been so busy running my panty-scheme and trying to find a job that I just don’t have the time for sex. Let alone a boyfriend. Nope. I definitely need to find some random hookup. That, or pull my trusty vibrator from the closet.
Especially when he just takes off his shirt … right here in my living room.
I gulp.
The shoulder and back muscles that appear beneath capture my attention, and not just a little bit. My eyes are practically bulging out of my head as he marches toward the bathroom and throws his shirt down with little to no care.
That sexy body dragged me out of the water. He lifted me up and held me close to him as he tried to bring me to the shore. I came so close … and then I screwed it for myself. Why did I do that again? Oh right, because I want to be my own boss. Stupid. I should’ve just let him touch me.
Oh, yes. I’m practically drooling over my shoes at the thought. Fuck.
Roll in that damn tongue, girl.
He throws his jacket on the counter and puts his shoes on the floor. Then he pulls off his soaked socks and pants, revealing his mighty calves. He must go to the gym often to look like this, but my question is … Who’s he doing all the work for? Another girl? Not that it should matter. I mean, I don’t have a shot. I shouldn’t even take a shot; he’s my damn boss.
Annoyed with myself and my own dirty thoughts, I furrow my brows, but still, I can’t take my eyes off him.
He turns around and stares right back at me.
And I’m left horrified and stunned.
“Are you looking at me?” A smug grin spreads across his face.
“N-no, I wasn’t,” I stammer, barely able to keep my eyes from his abs, which are now clearly visible as he’s turned my way.
He’s so damn sexy, and to think that I was in the water with … that. I’m impressed. I never thought he’d be this good looking. I wasn’t looking hard enough. Then again, he’s still kind of an ass.
He snorts. “Yeah, you were.”
Case in point.
Before my face turns red, I spin on my heels and run to the bedroom. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!
What the fuck are you doing, Lesley?
Get a hold of yourself.
I slap myself in the cheeks and open the drawer, determined not to get distracted again. Rummaging through the old clothes, I find one of my ex’s shirts and a pair of pants that he left when he ran. I hope they’re the right size.
When I bring them back to him, I notice he’s stripped down to his underwear, and the sight makes me swallow a whole load of air.
“You can wear these,” I say, trying my best to keep my voice steady as I place them on the bathroom counter. “Leave your clothes here; I’ll dry them and get them back to you tomorrow.”
“Thanks,” he says, grabbing the pants. His abs flex with pure muscle as he slides them over his legs, and I can’t help but stare. Goddamn this man.
He points at the fresh clothes and says, “I’ll bring these back to you steam cleaned tomorrow.”
“Oh, no, don’t bother,” I say, leaning against the doorpost. “Keep them.”
“You sure?”
“Oh yeah, I’m glad to be rid of them.”
He frowns, and for a second there, I’m worried he might start asking questions, but luckily, he keeps his lips sealed.
“I’ll go get changed too,” I say before things get uncomfortable, and I hop back into the bedroom. I really need the breather. Staring at that body too long gets my heart racing, and that can’t be good.
With the door closed, I pull off all my clothes and dab myself with a towel before putting on a new floral dress and some cute slippers. The weather is nice enough, and we still have to walk back to the office, so I might as well enjoy it.
I quickly pull out my phone to text my mom again because she asked me to keep her in the loop. She’s always worried about me, even when she shouldn’t be.
Me: Did you know Morrows sells dog toys?
Mom: Yes, and a bunch of other stuff.
Me: I didn’t. But anyway, they actually gave me a dog to take care of.
Mom: A dog? Pics!
Me: All right.
Pepper’s lying on the floor, and she tilts her head up the moment I look at her. Perfect for a snapshot, which I send to my mom.
Mom: Adorable!
Me: I guess.
Mom: I know you don’t like dogs, but you should give it a chance. This one looks too cute.
Me: I know, I know. I’ll do my best.
Mom: Good. You work hard, honey.
Me: Thanks, Mom.
Mom: xx
Smiling, I put the phone down and open the door. Right then, Pepper steals my wet panties, snagging them from the floor, and dashes off.
“No! Pepper, wait!” I yell as she rushes into the living room with my panties firmly jammed in her jaws.
I stumble after her, catching her … not in time.
Because TJ is standing there with a cup of coffee in his hand, gazing at the dog in my hands and the piece of fabric stuck between her teeth.
He bursts out into laughter at the sight of me rolling on the carpet with a dog. “I’m sorry, but that’s the funniest shit I’ve seen in days.”
Clutching the dog, I frown at him. “Are you drinking coffee?”
“Yeah, made myself a cup. Want one too?”
“Seriously?” I ask, crawling up from the floor. “Do you always snoop through people’s kitchen?”
He shrugs. “Well, since we were already partly going to second base, I thought I might as well make myself at home.”
I almost choke on my breath. “Second base?”
I take a sip. “You know I saw you staring at my chest, right? That constitutes eye-fucking.”
“I was not staring. And Jesus, eye-fucking? No. Letting my eyes roam free? Maybe. That’s a whole different thing.”
“Semantics.”
“Uh, no,” I say, trying to lie my way through this.
“Right …” He slurps again and then zooms in on the dog in my arms. “Is that …?”
Shit. I forgot.
I snatch the panties out of her mouth and hide them behind my back. “Paper.”
“Paper …” he repeats, raising a brow as he slurps on his coffee. “Odd.”
I turn around and saunter back into the bedroom, pretending nothing happened, but his words make me cringe.
“I could swear I saw some lace … from, you know, something that looks like panties.”
I throw them on my bed and quickly shut the door. “You saw nothing,” I say.
The irrevocable smirk on his face is infuriating. “Right.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Because you just keep pretending nothing’s happening even when there is.”
“It’s called management. You should know that, considering your job function.”
“No, it’s called avoiding.” He takes another sip of his coffee. “And I do none of that, especially when it comes to you.”
Fuck. That comment really makes my pussy clench, but I won’t let myself be caught off guard by my own damn horniness. Definitely not with him.
He’s my boss, for crying out loud.
Things should be … professional between us.
I raise my brow at him drinking his coffee like nobody’s business. “Want one too?” he asks after a while.
“Well, since you’re offering so nicely … why yes, thank you,” I say with a sarcastic smile, which makes him smile back even harder.
“I’ll make y
ou some.”
“From my own machine. In my own house,” I say with a snarky voice.
“Semantics, Lesley!” he calls out from the kitchen, making me roll my eyes.
“Yeah, yeah, just hurry up. We’ve got work to do.”
“You keep forgetting I’m the boss.”
I sigh. “I wish, but you keep reminding me.”
“And for good reason because you’re more of a pepper than the dog.”
I snigger a little but not too loud because I don’t want to give him any more reason to be a total arrogant douche.
I tap my foot, and Pepper begins playing with it, which is kind of cute. I admit I was pissed when she stole my panties because it was embarrassing, but now that I think of it, she is kind of funny. A little bit.
“Already falling in love now?” TJ’s suddenly in the room with a cup of coffee, and I stop tapping my foot entirely.
“No,” I say, walking to the table where he set it down. “I’m just entertaining her.”
“Ha … good one.” The left side of his lips quirk up. “You’ll make a fine marketer. Already an expert at the lying part.”
“I’m not a liar,” I say. “I just know how to use my words.” I pick up the coffee and take a sip. Holy shit, what a kick. Damn. If he makes coffee like this all the time, I’d rather drink his. I could have his stuff in my mouth all day long and still be thirsty.
That sounded dirty even though I didn’t mean it that way.
Maybe I did.
“Same thing, Lesley,” he muses. “But now that you work for me, your words had better be useful to me.”
I nod, casually looking off into the distance as I sip my coffee.
It’s quiet for a few seconds as we both finish our coffee while Pepper is staring up at us, waiting for another walk.
“I like your dress,” TJ suddenly says, and he gets up from the chair, grabs the cups, and carries them back to the kitchen.
I don’t know what to say because it’s such a random thing. A sudden compliment out of the blue. And he just walks away like it’s no big deal. “Um … thanks,” I mumble. I’m so great with words.
Bad Boss (Unprofessional Bad Boys Book 2) Page 5
