by Jamie Knight
I knew that he was right. As much as I hoped against hope that I wasn't going to be discharged from the military, the fact of the matter was that I was. I had been in denial to think that there was anything I could say or do that would change my fate.
“I understand,” I said, swallowing hard. My heart sunk a little as I began to accept the fact that I would never work on another military aircraft again.
“But, you really have worked hard and I know that you will land on your feet,” James said.
“Thanks,” I said, halfheartedly.
“You're welcome,” he said. “And I know how hard it can be, transitioning from active duty to civilian life, especially when you've been in service for so long. And I don't want you to be on the streets somewhere, but I truly believe that you find a way to make it all work. In the meantime, before your disability pay kicks in and while you are getting things established for yourself, I want to extend you a place to stay. If you're interested, you're welcome to crash with me in my home.”
That was a total fucking shocker.
I was surprised, to say the least. Not that I doubted he was gracious enough to open up his home to someone in need. But we weren't exactly close during my time in the military. He was my commanding officer for the past few years. We had a good relationship in regards to our roles in the Air Force, but it wasn't to the point where I expected that he would just invite me to stay with him—not at all.
I mean, that’s the kind of generosity reserved only for family. At least, I thought it was. I never really had enough of a family to know, to be fair. My manly pride swelled up in my throat for a split second. But then, I thought about it for a hot minute and decided that it would be better to stay with him than to stay in a shelter or on the street.
“Thanks,” I said. “I would greatly appreciate that. It will only be for a short while until I can find a job. I sincerely appreciate this. I will let you know if anything else comes up, sir.”
“Okay,” he said. “I will be heading home at the end of the week. As you know, I travel a lot for work, but this is a period of time that I’ll be home. If you’re ready to be released and would like to come along with me, you are most welcome. And, Bradley, enough with this ‘sir’ business—call me James.”
We said our goodbyes and hung up. I could feel the tension leaving my body. Now, I had somewhat of a plan.
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I'm off limits to him. But he's so into me.
And he always gets what he wants.
He's so damn cocky. Dominant. Egotistical.
Not to mention older, rich and handsome.
And completely bad news.
He flirts with me like I'm the only woman on the planet.
But we both know we'd get into big trouble together.
At first, I try my best not to give in.
But then I let him whisper sweet nothings in my ear.
While he's putting his experienced hands under my skirt.
He says they belong all over my curvy, untouched body.
And I find it harder and harder to resist.
Soon, I'm telling myself it's a passing fling.
But who am I fooling?
My heart is into this just as deeply as his body is into me.
He says he'll protect me no matter what.
Let's hope so, because things are about to get real.
So Bad for Me is a collection of six bad boy romance novels featuring forbidden love. They include My Father's Best Friend's Secret Baby, Office Pet, I Hate You, Move In, Binding His Virgin, Super Over You and Single Mom's Secret Baby. Jamie Knight promises to always bring you a happy ever after filled with plenty of heat. And never any cheating or cliffhangers!
Click here to continuer reading So Bad for Me on Amazon
Sneak Peek of Under Lock & Key
The first book in the Love Under Lockdown series is Under Lock & Key. Enjoy!
Click here to read it.
Chapter 1
Samantha
Just one day after pulling up outside my new apartment building and unloading all of my boxes, with my loyal German Shepherd by my side, I can actually say any excitement I initially felt about this move is completely gone. That is definitely disappointing, but it's not my fault.
I’m heading back to my apartment after getting my mail, and my new landlord walks up to talk to me. I expect a friendly "hello," or a "good morning," but boy, am I in for a surprise. He immediately starts complaining about my dog.
I don't understand this! I had specifically called ahead to see whether I could have a dog before signing the lease, and he had said that I could. The lease had said “no dogs,” which is why I had called, but he had said he would make an exception for me.
I don't think I have ever been so angry at anyone before. I haven't even been here that long, and I already hate this landlord.
I tap my foot impatiently as he explains to me again, "I'm sorry miss, but you can't have that dog here. It's just too big and too mean. When I said you could have a dog, I thought you meant a little one, since this is a small apartment. Little ones are annoying and yappy, but they’re not big and mean-looking like yours is."
I can tell that he's trying not to sound aggressive because he's scared of my dog. Boxes are lined up around us as we stand in the hallway outside what was supposed to be my new apartment. But with the way things are going right now, it doesn't look like that is going to last very long. I glare at him.
"You know you said I could have a dog. You didn't specify any extra requirements or anything. Even though the lease says no dogs allowed, you said I was allowed to move in here with him," I snap. “I wouldn’t have come here otherwise, without my Mr. Barker. Plus, he’s not mean.”
Mr. Barker whines at my feet. I try to calm down, but it's not working. I want to pull out the lease and shake it in his face. I do not need this kind of problem.
"I'm sorry, but I’m free to change my mind. I told you you could have a dog and now I can tell you can’t," the landlord finally snaps back at me. “The only thing that’s in writing says no dogs. Tough luck, kid.”
"We haven't even lived here that long. You don't even know us," I try to plead.
My German Shepherd is perfectly loveable. Although he's protective of me, he wouldn't hurt anyone. He pants happily next to me. The landlord looks us both over.
"Sorry, those are my rules," he replies again.
Why is he being so unfair?
I feel like everything in life is unfair right now.
This is not how today was supposed to go.
"Fine, I will just take my stuff and move somewhere else," I reply childishly.
I'm fed up with this man, and I don't have time to keep arguing about petty stuff right now.
"That's fine with me," the landlord replies, and then he just walks away.
Muttering angrily, I grab my boxes, which only takes me a little while, since I didn't have time to unpack very much.
After I put everything into it, my car is cramped, packed with all my belongings. I make my dog comfortable in the passenger seat and stuff the back with boxes. I climb in and start the car, then peel out and speed away in anger.
I can't help it. I'm worried now that all this nonsense has made me late for work.
I brake suddenly, almost running a red light. I let out a sigh of frustration and try not to cry angry tears.
"Why doesn't anything work out for me?" I ask myself quietly.
Nothing has been going right for me lately. This move was supposed to change that. It was supposed to shake things up and make life more exciting. I don't see that happening now.
Mr. Barker looks out the window happily as we drive. I’m almost jealous - it must be so nice to be worry-free. I reach over and give him an affectionate pat on the head, before sighing in disappointment again.
Everything has gone off the rails. This whole move was supposed to be exciting and fun. I was going to get to explore a ne
w area and meet new people. Between work and unpacking, I haven't had time to do any of that.
Now I have to worry about finding a new place to live, again. That's going to be a giant headache.
I have to hurry to get to work in time. After I make a quick detour to drop my dog off at a friend's house for the day, I realize I’m going to be late.
Hopefully no one will notice. My boss is always looking at me like he has a crush on me, and he’s really busy with work all the time, so he lets a lot slide. I’m grateful for that. It also doesn’t hurt that’s he hot as fuck.
I feel a little calmer now as I come up with a plan for what to do next. I will just apologize as soon as I get to work. And as for another place to live, well, I'm glad I saved the addresses of other possible places to rent from my previous house-searching efforts. None of them are too far away from the office, so I decide that I’ll check them out on my lunch break.
Even though the problem is pretty much solved, I'm still ticked off that the landlord treated me like that. I usually don't hold grudges, but I guess I'm just so upset at the way things don't seem to be working out for me lately. At least work is going well for now. That's the one steady thing I have in my life at the moment.
I've already been on edge all week because everyone has been panicking about getting sick. All this unnecessary stress is just making me more of a wreck. It just goes to show you that anything can happen during the day. It's just my luck that this kind of stuff seems to always happen to me, though.
Actually, this is beyond bad luck. I take a sip of my coffee and try to force the stress to melt away. I don't want to start my day in a bad mood. That’s pretty difficult right now, but I'm trying.
I pull into the parking lot outside the office, trying to hurry up, but I look a mess. I reapply my makeup and straighten my clothes as quickly as I can. Then I grab my purse and rush inside the office building.
Work is always busy, so at least it's sure to distract me from everything that's happened this morning, I tell myself. As long as I don’t get fired for being late.
Chapter 2
Ben
It's been a crazy morning here at Morris Financial, the firm I run. I'm in a meeting with my department heads. We are discussing whether or not to close the business for now because of the virus going around. One of them says what we’re all thinking.
“It only makes sense that we close MoFi. Everything else in the city is shut down already."
I turn to look at him, but I remain silent. I don't want to make a rash decision that hurts the company, and then regret it later. I start to tune out some of the conversation. It's true that the rest of the city is already closed. Even Club Lush.
Not many people know, but I have an appetite for BDSM. I have my kinks, just like everyone else. They definitely don’t make me a bad guy, though. Trust me. I work long hours and go there often to let off steam with the submissive pets that hang around there.
But now that it’s closed, I have no idea what I’m going to do to relax. I already feel tired and drained, and it's barely the start of the workday. It feels like today is going to be no exception from the strain we’ve all been feeling lately. I don't know how I'll make it through the day, or the night. I need to come up with another way to relieve this stress.
Eventually I pay attention to what they are talking about again. I could really use some coffee right now. I wonder to myself where our receptionist is. She’s usually brought it in by this point in our meetings. That might help alleviate the monotony of this discussion.
I more or less have an idea of what we are going to do on this matter, so this meeting is just a formality. I just want to give everyone a chance to express their opinions beforehand, so no one gets their feelings hurt when I make my decision.
One of the chairmen asks, "Can we afford to just close down like that?"
Although I agree with his worries, the first board member answers for me.
"We are already extremely successful. In fact, this has been one of our best years. I don't see how losing a few days or weeks could hurt us. We've already had several employees call in sick. It's better this way."
He continues to urge us to think about the upside. I consider how closing down could be good for everyone here. It would certainly reduce my stress levels and allow me to focus more on my other activities. Besides, day-to-day life is stressful enough because of this Coronavirus that’s going around. Ugh, I don't even want to think about that.
"That's true. I saw when I came in that it's like a ghost town out there. Is everyone absent?" they ask each other.
"We don't even have any coffee. Where's our receptionist? That's her job, isn’t it?" they ask.
I shrug, and finally contribute to the conversation.
"Maybe she's sick as well. She wasn't at her desk when I looked."
And I always look – because she’s hot as hell.
Right then, as if on cue, she rushes in, carrying a tray of coffee cups. We all look at her in surprise. It’s as if she’s trying not to seem nervous and appears to be in a hurry. The coffee is fresh and hot. I'm impressed. Arriving late, but with fresh coffee?
As usual, I can't take my eyes off of her. I subtly drink in her figure and features with my eyes while I can. No one notices, because they’re just happy to finally have coffee. She hurriedly starts handing us our drinks. Some acknowledge her with a slight nod, others just ignore her and take their coffee. She’s clearly embarrassed about not being on time, and she starts to ramble an apology.
"Sorry I'm late; I had a big fight with my landlord..."
The others aren't paying attention and have resumed their discussion. She hands me my coffee, and I thank her quietly, with a little smile. She blushes and scurries out of the room.
Even after she is gone, I keep thinking about her, and about what a perfect opportunity this could be, if I play my cards the right way. She needs a place to live, and I need an assistant to keep working for me, as well as a pet. I’ve always wanted her and she’s just my type: curvy, dark-haired, and big-eyed.
I sip my coffee and continue to think about her. She’s going to make it even more difficult to concentrate on work today. I know eventually I'll have to focus because it's my company, so this responsibility rests entirely on my shoulders.
I sigh and force myself to listen. I consider each argument that the other partners are making. Though we are a successful business, I'd hate to lose money, or put anyone out of a job. Still, I don't want to be known as the guy who risked his employees’ health and safety.
I start to tune them out again, and daydream about the receptionist, and how she'd fit perfectly into my plans for stress relief. It's not every day that I run into a woman who's exactly my type. I mean, it happens, but not as often as I'd like it to.
I think even more about her, and about my decision for the company. I've already convinced myself it's the right one. Coffee cup in hand, I lean back in my chair and take a few sips.
The others are still debating. Two of them are in a heated argument, so this could go on for a while, which leaves me more time to drift off into la-la land.
I don't think it's even possible to call this a workday, because we are not really getting anything done, just talking. Still, this was an important issue that needed to be discussed. A lot of people are in panic mode right now, including my own staff.
I'm glad I’m this good at staying cool though. I'm sure it makes all the others feel calm to see the company in such steady hands. Eventually the conversation comes to a lull, and we drink our coffee in silence. I know they are almost ready to ask me for my final answer. I think I'm more than prepared to give it, but I just want to make sure.
My boss is keeping me under lock and key!
I just moved out of my place after a fight with my landlord.
Only to find out that my office has been shut down.
We're ordered to work at home, but I don't have one!
My boss offers to take me
in as his "assistant."
How could I say no to someone so rich and handsome?
Even if he expects me to fulfill his every deep, dark desire.
I agree to be his captive while we're under quarantine.
No matter how possessive or demanding he gets.
But he's a lot more experienced than I am.
So I didn't exactly know what all I was signing up for.
The deal is that he can do whatever he wants to my body.
But neither of us expected our hearts to get involved.
It's supposed to be a temporary arrangement.
But what if I love being locked down with my boss?
Under Lock and Key is a standalone romance novella with no cheating, no cliffhanger and a very happily ever after.
A note from Jamie: Because you're likely under lockdown, you deserve something HOT to help you pass the time while you stay home and stay healthy. I have a new series called Love Under Lockdown that are standalone books with a similar theme of romance during the lockdown. They can be read and understood separately but are best binge-read all at once. I guarantee this book will push all your buttons and hit the right spot. Enjoy!
Click here to read it!
Love Under Lockdown series:
1): Under Lock & Key
2): Under Lockdown
3): Under Strict Orders
4): Stuck Together
Click here to see the entire series!
Click here to see all my books in my entire catalog!
