The Love Boss

by Aurora Peridot

  The Love Boss

  By Aurora Peridot

  Copyright © 2017 Aurora Peridot

  All rights reserved.

  Contents

  Chapter 1 – Bernadette

  Chapter 2 – Bernadette

  Chapter 3 – Bernadette

  Chapter 4 – Edgar

  Chapter 5 – Bernadette

  Chapter 6 – Bernadette

  Chapter 7 – Edgar

  Chapter 8 – Bernadette

  Chapter 9 – Edgar

  Chapter 10 – Bernadette

  Chapter 11 - Edgar

  Chapter 12 – Bernadette

  Chapter 13 – Edgar

  Chapter 14 – Bernadette

  Chapter 15 – Edgar

  Chapter 16 – Edgar

  Chapter 17 – Bernadette

  Chapter 18 – Bernadette

  Chapter 19 – Edgar

  Chapter 20 – Bernadette

  Chapter 21 – Bernadette

  Chapter 22 – Bernadette

  Chapter 23 – Edgar

  Bonus For Fans

  Chapter 1 – Bernadette

  “Hey Em, which shoes do you think look better with this dress?” I called out to my best friend and roommate. I held a black strappy sandal in one hand and a silver ballerina flat in the other. Standing in front of the mirror in my room I contemplated the footwear, trying to decide which went better with the black pencil skirt and white blouse I was wearing.

  “Hot date?” Emily asked as she came into my room.

  “Yeah,” I said, not looking away from the shoes. “David is taking me out tonight. There is some new restaurant we wanted to check out. It’s called Poppy, I think. They do tapas and stuff.”

  “Oh Bernadette, forget the shoes, you look like you’re going to the office, not on a date.”

  “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” I asked defensively. Examining my outfit, it did look a bit more business formal than what I was going for.

  “It’s not really sexy,” Emily said, but kindly. “I mean, it is if David’s into the whole hot secretary thing, but maybe something a bit more risqué. Oh, I know!” With that, she ran off to her room down the hall.

  “You know I don’t fit into any of your clothes,” I yelled, but it was pointless. A few moments later, Emily came in holding a shimmering dress of deep purple silk.

  “What do you think?” Emily asked, smiling.

  “It’s beautiful, but I don’t think it will fit me. I don’t have your body.” It was true. Emily was tall, statuesque and graceful. With her blond hair and high cheekbones, she could have been a model if she hadn’t decided to go into PR. As it was, she definitely fit in during the events and parties she went to as part of her publicist duties. I, on the other hand, well, let’s just say I rocked the secretary look better. My dark curls were always getting in my face, which is why I usually kept my hair up in a bun. And though I was short at five-foot-three, I rarely wore high heels, preferring my flats. Ok, that combined with my glasses and blouse, and I could see why Emily thought I looked like I was going to work.

  “It’s fine. This was a bit loose on me, so I’m sure it will fit you.” Emily was also thin as a rail, while I was better endowed in the ways of bras and butts.

  “Ok, I’ll try it on,” I said, knowing Emily wouldn’t stop pestering me till I put the dress on. I pulled off my skirt and unbuttoned my blouse and slipped on the dress. Surprisingly, I actually did look pretty good. The violet color of the fabric made my pale skin look more luminous and less washed out. And the low plunge of the neckline gave a nice view of my cleavage, something I knew David would appreciate. The hem came to just below my knees and the skirt flew out as I did a turn.

  “You don’t think it’s too much?”

  “You look amazing, Bernadette, really you do. That dress never looked as good on me, you keep it.”

  “Thanks, Em.” I hugged her.

  “David is a lucky guy.”

  “Speaking of which, I need to hurry up.” Realizing that David would be here any minute, I quickly applied my makeup and took my hair out of its bun. I decided on a rarely worn pair of black heels I had in the back of my closet, and prayed I wouldn’t trip in the restaurant.

  Finished, I gave myself a once over. I had to admit, I looked hot. I sat on the couch and read a true crime book I had picked up at the library and waited for David to pick me up.

  And waited.

  And waited.

  And waited.

  Half an hour after David had promised to arrive, I finally called him. As soon as he picked up, I asked him where he was.

  “Sorry, hon, I meant to call you, but work is just really running late. I don’t think I can make dinner tonight. I’m so sorry. It’s just work is so busy right now, you know.”

  I sighed, feeling a stab of disappointment and annoyed at the wasted time I had spent getting ready. I took a deep breath, not wanting to sound as petulant as I felt. “No, it’s ok David, I’m sure work is crazy. Maybe we can take a raincheck?”

  “Sounds great. Thanks, I knew you’d understand. Besides, this will give you some more time to look for work. Ok, love you, bye.” And with that, he hung up before I had a chance to say anything else.

  I sighed again. He was right. While I had wanted a night free of worrying about my lack of employment, ignoring it wouldn’t help. A few weeks ago, the law office I had been working in as an administrative assistant had laid off twenty people. I had been one of the unfortunate ones. Despite several interviews, nothing else had materialized on the job front.

  Figuring I might as well do something productive, I went back to my room and changed out of the lovely dress. I pulled on some sweats and took my laptop into the living room where I booted it up and began perusing the online job ads.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be on a hot date?”

  I looked up to see Emily had come into the room. “David has to work late, so it got postponed.”

  “Bummer. He should have told you earlier.” Emily sat down on the couch next to me.

  “It’s ok. He gets pretty caught up in work.”

  “Even an investment banker, or whatever he does, should take the time to have dinner with his girlfriend,” Emily argued. I agreed but didn’t say so. I didn’t like to say anything disparaging about David.

  “So, what do you want to do now?” Emily asked. “I don’t have plans. We could go out and have a best friends date night!”

  “Thanks, but I’m trying to look for work. It’s starting to get really stressful not having any offers.”

  “Oh hey, that reminds me. A client of mine did mention that a contact of hers was looking for an assistant.”

  “Really?” I asked, suddenly interested.

  “Yeah, but I have to warn you, this guy is kind of weird. Like he’s not dangerous or anything, but he’s a private investigator. My client was going through an ugly divorce and this guy got photos of her husband, now ex-husband, cheating on her that she used as evidence in court. Got her a ton of money in the divorce settlement.”

  “A private investigator? I hadn’t really considered something like that. I was really looking for another office job, you know, something big enough to provide health insurance and regular hours.” But even as I said it, I wondered if assisting a private investigator would be interesting. I wondered if his cases would be anything like the true crime stories I’d read about.

  “Come on, it could be cool. Why not go on an interview and decide if you’d like it?”

  “Sure,” I said, only a bit anxiously. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

  “He says no. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Now, sure I can’t convince you to go out with me? It’s my treat.”

  “Well,” I said
, my resolve weakening. A night out with Emily sounded like a lot more fun than a night of applying for jobs. “It would be nice to get out. And if you connect me with this detective guy, it’s basically like I did some job search tonight.”

  Chapter 2 – Bernadette

  As soon as I changed back into the dress, Emily and I headed out the door. She drove us to Poppy and parked the car. I was starting to think that this was a good idea. The restaurant had a contemporary feel, with bright green walls and tables made out of natural wood.

  “Thanks Em,” I said was we entered the restaurant. “I would have just mopped around at home otherwise.”

  “That what friends are for,” she said, giving me a smile.

  “Do you have a reservation?” the hostess asked as we approached her station. A professional smile was plastered on her face and she held a clipboard with the reservations list.

  “David Wright, but we’re a bit late,” I said. Seeing her odd look I clarified, “My boyfriend made the reservation, but since he can’t make it, I’m taking a friend. Neither of us are named David,” I added with a small laugh. The hostess didn’t smile, but she looked at her list.

  “David Wright, party of two?” she asked.

  “Yes,” I said.

  “I’m sorry ma’am, but I have it marked that David Wright did claim that reservation,” she said.

  “That can’t be right,” I argued. “He let me know that he couldn’t make it out tonight.” A cold feeling of unease trickled into me. It must have been a mistake. Maybe they mixed up his reservation with someone else’s.

  “I seated him right over there,” the hostess said, gesturing to a table in the corner.

  Feeling shaky, I walked over to the table in question, desperately hoping to see strangers. As I got closer, I realized I was half right. There was a woman I didn’t know sitting at the table. She was beautiful, tall and slim with shinnying red hair. She was laughing at whatever the man next to her had just said. A few more steps, and I could clearly see the man sitting next to her. He was tanned and muscular, wearing an expensively tailored suit and carefully slicked back blonde hair. I would know him anywhere.

  “David!” I cried, in shock and horror.

  David whipped his head up and saw me. I saw a look of surprise pass his face and then guilt. He started to get up.

  “Bernadette, listen to me,” he said. But I wasn’t having it. I ran out of the restaurant. My humiliation and hurt threatened to overwhelm me. I needed to get outside. Emily rushed out to be with me. I tried to wave her away. I didn’t want comfort, I just wanted some time alone.

  “Bernadette, let me get the car. Then we can go home,” Emily said in a soft voice. I nodded, unable to say anything.

  As Emily left to get the car, I focused on steadying my breath.

  “Bernadette, you have to listen to me.” David had come outside and was walking towards me.

  “Don’t talk to me,” I snapped, anger flaring in my voice. “You said you were busy with work but instead took another woman here. Do you think I’m an idiot?” I certainly felt like an idiot.

  “It’s not what you think. This was a last-minute work dinner. I swear.”

  I looked up at David. He looked sincere, but I couldn’t see how a date to the restaurant we had reservations could have possibly been a work dinner. I felt the trust I always had in him shatter and fall away. I thought about all the other times he had canceled our dates because of work. I wondered how many of them really were because of work.

  “I don’t think I can trust you now,” I confessed.

  “What do you mean?” he asked. He looked so concerned. Part of me desperately wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe that this was an innocent work date. I wanted to push away my suspicions and kiss him and have him hold me in his arms. But I couldn’t.

  “I think we need a break,” I finally said, unable to look him in the eyes.

  “Do you really think that’s necessary Bernadette? We’ve been through so much together. And I told you that this dinner was just a work thing.”

  “I can’t be with someone I can’t trust,” I said, finally looking at him. His blue eyes were piercing, but I forced myself not to back down.

  He sighed. I hoped he would argue, fight for me to stay with him. Convince me I could trust him. “If that’s what you want. Maybe we should take some time. You’ll realize how foolish you’re being when you’ve had some time to cool off.” With that, he turned and walked back into the restaurant.

  I started crying in earnest then, knowing my mascara was running down my face and not caring. The sobs got so bad I started to hiccup and desperately wanted to run away. There was a physical pain in my heart that was making in hard to breath. I just wanted to curl up and disappear.

  “Bernadette, let’s go,” Emily called. I looked to see she had pulled up the car and was waiting for me. I gratefully ran to the car, feeling so glad to escape. Emily didn’t say anything when I got in the car, but gave me a big hug before driving us home.

  Chapter 3 – Bernadette

  After a few days of wallowing at home in pajamas and eating mint chip ice cream, I decided I had to do something. David had texted me a few times, saying he wanted to talk. I hadn’t responded, but I had thought about him a lot. I need to get my mind off him. I decided I might as well call the detective that Emily had told me about. A job would be a good distraction and allow me to pay my bills.

  “What?” The voice on the other end of the line sounded impatient and irritated. I wondered if I had accidentally dialed the wrong number.

  “Uh, hello, is this Mr. . . .” I fumbled around for the slip of paper that Emily had given me with the name of the private investigator. “Mr. Edgar Rake?” I finally finished when I looked at the paper.

  “Yes, very good, you know who you called. Well done. What is it that you need?” The man sounded quite sarcastic. I was having second thoughts about asking him for an interview. I knew virtually nothing about him. But remembering my dwindling bank account gave me courage.

  “Mr. Rake, my name is Bernadette Saunders. I was referred to you by my friend Emily Jacobs. She said you were looking for an assistant. I would like to come in and interview.” I said it all quickly in one breath, afraid he’d cut me off.

  “Oh right, I guess I was,” Mr. Rake said, sounding more bemused than irritated. “Yes, that would be fine. You sound capable. Be here at 8:00 a.m. sharp tomorrow.”

  I didn’t know how I had sounded capable, but I wasn’t going to argue with him. He gave me the address of his office and immediately hung up. I hadn’t even had the chance to thank him for taking the time to meet with me. It seemed odd, but beggars can’t be choosers. As I looked up the address of his office, I wondered what sort of person Edgar Rake was.

  The next morning, I finished buttoning my blouse, the same one I had almost worn on the night I broke up with David, and tucked it into a pencil skirt. I tried not to think about that night. I added a swipe of lipstick, something in a neutral tone, and grabbed my purse before heading out the door. The investigator’s office was about twenty minutes away, and I made sure to give myself plenty of time to get there and park. Mr. Rake’s office was in an industrial park on the west side of town and I had to circle around several times before I found his office, as all of the offices looked similar, with the smallest of plaques above the doors to specify which company resided within.

  I finally parked and got out of my car. The sun was out, and if I wasn’t nervous about my interview, I would have enjoyed such a pleasant spring day. Instead, I pulled on my sunglasses and walked down a concrete pathway to the office of Mr. Rake. The door was frosted glass, and the name above it read Mr. Edgar Rake: Love Detective. It was pretty cheesy—I had to remind myself not to laugh in case he suddenly showed up behind me.

  Taking a steadying breath, I rang the buzzer for the door. And I waited. No one answered the door. I checked my watch. It was 7:50 a.m. Since I was a few minutes early, I thought maybe he h
ad not yet arrived. I walked back to my car and sat for ten minutes, listening to songs on the radio and running over my qualifications in my head.

  Why yes, I am very organized. My computer skills are strong.

  I have strong time-management skills and the ability to multitask.

  Clearly, I do believe in being punctual.

  For a moment, I worried that I sounded boring. This man ran around undercover to find cheating lovers and I was going to tell him that I knew how to create spreadsheets and file papers. But I figured someone had to do that while he was off being a love detective.

  Sighing, I checked my watch. It was exactly 8:00 a.m. I made my way back to his office and again rang the buzzer. No answer. After a few minutes, I tried again with the same result. I waited in front of his door about five minutes before I called his number. I could hear a phone ringing inside the office, but no one picked it up. I hung up. I paced back and forth, wondering what to do. Maybe I should just leave. But as soon as I thought that, I remembered that rent was due in two weeks and how much I needed to get a job.

  He has to come here eventually, right? I felt a bit emboldened by this idea. After all, this clearly was his office. So maybe he didn’t believe in being on time, but if I stayed here long enough, he would eventually show up. At least, I hoped he would. And without a job, it wasn’t like I had anywhere better to be this morning.

  After another ten minutes, I sat down outside his door and resigned myself to waiting. I amused myself by looking up cat videos on my phone and lost track of time. It was quite a while later when I felt a shadow lean over me. I looked up to see Edgar Rake.

  Chapter 4 – Edgar

  As I walked to my office, I noticed that there was a young woman sitting in front of my door. She was pretty, in a girl-next-door way and completely engrossed in something on her phone. I cleared my throat.

  “I don’t know who you are, but I would like to get into my office, and you appear to be blocking my way.”