Tempted by the Boss (Tempted Series Book 1) Read online

  Basically, the blue power jacket did the trick because he decided he could trust me not only with his own company’s Christmas party, but with a quarter of a million dollar budget, too! It was a dream come true. Finally, I would get to plan a party that didn’t involve tiaras, bouncy castles, or birthday cakes.

  Of course the best part was that he was going to pay me big money to do it. Assuming I could pull it off, fifty thousand dollars was going to completely change my life. I thought my college loans would be hanging over my head for years. I thought I would have to choose between paying them off and moving out- which was priority number one- but I could afford to do everything I needed if I impressed Will. And if I secured a full time position at the end of this thing, I might even be able to get my Mom into a nicer place that wasn’t a hazard to her personal hygiene.

  Plus, I got to work for the sexiest man in the city, and he wasn’t just sexy. He was a nice guy, a good guy. Everyone seemed to genuinely like him, and even though I still felt sort of stupid and mousy around him because of the confidence he exuded, I was delighted that I was going to get to spend more time with him. There was no question that I was going to learn a lot.

  I could even forgive the fact that he was a little self-impressed. If anything, it was a miracle he wasn’t more conceited. After all, considering how much people fawned over him, it was amazing that his head didn’t explode. But I didn’t want to be one of those people. I wanted him to know that I could be focused around him, that I wasn’t just pretending to work while I was secretly plotting how to get into his pants.

  Not that I wasn’t curious about what was in there. But I would have to keep my meaningless sexual fantasies separate from my job. I was a working woman now, and there was nothing more important than getting my career off the ground. I would be pleasant and I would be pretty, but above all, I would be professional.

  As soon as I accepted the offer, our food came which was perfect because it meant I could eat and nod instead of giving away how hysterical I was. And as he explained the history of the hotel and the traditional importance of the company Christmas party, the reality of my responsibility began to hit me.

  When we were done eating, he brought me to meet Emily, his personal assistant. She seemed quite stern and her beady eyes jutted around like she was a bird of prey. It was obvious that she took her job seriously, and she didn’t waste any time on small talk. Will told her to organize a space for me to work somewhere near her and explained to both of us that she would be working closely with me to make sure I was on the right track. Then he asked her to get the “Christmas Party Planning Files” for me so I could start looking over them right away.

  While Emily went to retrieve the files, I watched Will adjust his cufflinks with his thick fingers and did my best to pretend I wasn’t wishing it was my nipples he was tweaking. When she reappeared, she was carrying a stack of papers so big it looked like she should’ve just wheeled the whole file cabinet over.

  That’s when I realized I was in way over my head.

  Emily said there was no reason for me to try and look through them all tonight, so she just gave me half of the binders to start with. It was a workout just getting them out of the building, and by the time I got home, I was wet with sweat. And it’s not like I wasn’t used to lugging a bunch of paper around. I’d just done that for four years straight. Still, I was shocked that my Mom’s flimsy kitchen table didn’t collapse under the weight of the materials.

  I poured myself a ginger ale, sat down in front of the files, and slid the first one off the top of the stack.

  The inside contained everything: budget breakdowns, contact information for party goods suppliers, and countless pictures of the parties during the planning process and the actual event. There were Christmas trees made of champagne bottles, ice sculptures of Santa’s entire village, there was even a picture of a pig with a shiny red apple in its mouth. I had never seen such decadence, and I turned through the pictures in awe. I would have to get used to seeing such creative ideas before I could even worry about what everything cost and where the heck it came from.

  Then I found two pictures, one of all the staff and one of Will and a few other people. One of them was Emily. In it, her hair was black instead of grey. Will looked younger, too, but I actually preferred the way he looked now. He was a little too pretty then. A few shallow wrinkles around his eyes actually made him look a more ruggedly handsome in my opinion.

  I heard a key in the door.

  “Hi Mom.”

  “Hi Honey,” she said, hanging her purse and keys on the mismatched hooks beside the door.

  “How was your day?” I asked, closing the folder. I put it back in the stack and scooted the whole pile towards the corner.

  “Good. The sun came up didn’t it?”

  I stood up and gave the electric kettle a shake before topping it up with tap water.

  She stepped into the kitchen and nodded towards the kettle. “Thanks.”

  “Sure.”

  “How was your meeting with William today?”

  “I think you should sit down.”

  She furrowed her brow and pulled out the chair at the end of the table. “What’s all that stuff?”

  “I’m about to tell you.”

  “Spit it out already. I’ve been dying to know what happened all day.”

  I sat down next to her. “He’s going to give me a shot.”

  “That’s fantastic, Ella. Oh my God!”

  “I know.”

  “What will you be doing?”

  “I’m going to be in charge of planning the Christmas Party.”

  “That’s wonderful! What an exciting opportunity.” She reached out and squeezed my hand.

  “That stuff is for me to look over to get an idea of what they’ve done in the past.”

  “Good Lord. You’ll be lucky if you get through that by Christmas.”

  I laughed. “I know. I’m freaking out. Guess what my budget is for the party.”

  “How could I possib-“

  “A quarter of a million dollars.”

  My Mom gasped and brought her hand to her mouth.

  “I’m afraid that’s how I might have reacted when he told me.”

  “I hope he’s paying you fairly if he’s trusting you with such a big responsibility.”

  I nodded. “He is. My contract is for thirty thousand dollars.”

  That’s when my Mom started to glow.

  “With a bonus if the night is a success.”

  “Oh, honey. I’m so happy for you.”

  “And if it goes well, he said he would be open to discussing giving me a full time position with the company.”

  “He would be a fool not to.”

  “Thanks, Mom. I just don’t want him to regret hiring me. I have to do whatever it takes to impress him.”

  She smiled. “I think it’s safe to say that you already have.”

  Chapter 10: Will

  I walked by her desk every chance I could get. Sometimes I got lucky and she’d be standing up when I came around the corner. Then I could admire the lovely curve of her ass in her fitted skirts that were never short enough, but at least she seemed to have appreciated the Macy’s voucher. And it pleased me that she was making an effort to look nice since she was a reflection of me and the company now. Though I had a feeling she’d look good in a poncho. Especially one of those cheap see thru ones they always sold outside the Giants’ games.

  For the first week and a half I pretended to be too busy to check on her even though the only thing I was too busy doing was undressing her with my eyes. Her body was like buried treasure the way it was hidden underneath her clothes. And I’ve always been all about the booty. Though her tits were nice, too. At least they moved naturally.

  I had no idea what other men saw in fake tits. I liked tits I could squeeze and sensitive nipples that liked to be teased. Plus, I found nothing more erotic than shapely breasts concealed beneath a conservative top. It made me
eager to see more of her. But not in the workplace. It was sexier that way. When she showed me what she was keeping below her collarbone, I wanted to relish the fact that no one else had gotten to see it but me. And I planned to reward her accordingly for her discretion.

  Unfortunately, she thought highly of me. That much was obvious. Everyone did. But things were a bit sticky ever since I became her employer. It was necessary to keep her around and learn more about her, but it meant there was a line I couldn’t cross. Not without a direct invitation anyway.

  And it was hard to tell where she stood with me. The way she smiled in my direction when I walked by was adorable, but it was also the way you might smile at a big dog before you’ve decided if it’s friendly. I know I needed to be more approachable, but I’d rather that she felt intimidated by me than think I was harmless. Cause I wasn’t. And even though I didn’t mean her any harm, that didn’t mean that what I had in mind wouldn’t hurt.

  Of course, I couldn’t do anything until I knew she was available. Even though I didn’t blame the pool boy for Laura’s gravest error, I still knew how it felt to have your woman seduced by another man, and it was the worst feeling in the world, a feeling I would never deliberately make another person suffer through. Ever. So before I pursued her, I had to know if her body belonged to anyone else.

  So I hatched the perfect plan to find out. After all, I was a classy guy so I didn’t want to just ask. Instead, I sent her flowers. Anonymously. It was a strategic move, but the fact that I got to see her face light up when they arrived was a nice bonus.

  “Those are lovely,” I said, stopping in front of her desk where she was standing dwarfed by the arrangement. I may have gotten carried away.

  “Aren’t they?” She ducked behind the flowers and searched the area at the top of the vase for a card.

  “Are they from your boyfriend?”

  “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

  “I’m surprised to hear that.” And delighted.

  “I don’t date.” Her nose disappeared into a flower.

  “Ever?”

  She looked at me. “Anymore.”

  “Maybe you have a secret admirer?”

  “That’s not possible… Unless it’s you or Emily.”

  I smiled.

  She squinted at me. “Are these from you?” She put her hands on her gorgeous hips. “Did you send these to me?”

  “Would I be in trouble if I did?”

  She tried not to smile but one side of her mouth wouldn’t cooperate. “Not in trouble.”

  “What then?”

  “Just trouble. Plain old trouble.”

  “They’re just to welcome you to the team. I thought they’d brighten up your desk a bit.”

  “They brighten up the whole room.”

  “Well, I’m always more relaxed when I have something pretty to look at,” I said, locking my eyes on hers.

  She looked down at her desk for a moment and when she looked up, her cheeks were rosy. “That was very sweet of you.”

  I laughed. There was nothing sweet about what I wanted to do to her. “Don’t mention it.”

  She twirled the thin chain of her necklace around her small fingers.

  “How are things going with Emily?”

  She looked over at Emily’s empty desk beside her and lowered her voice. “I don’t think she likes me very much.”

  “I’m sure that’s not true.”

  She shrugged. “She’s very serious.”

  “That’s what I pay her for. The more serious she is, the more carefree I can be.”

  “You must not have any worries at all then.”

  “Let’s not get carried away.” The truth was I was never more worried lately than I was around Ella. My list of worries concerning her went on and on. Would I ever get to bite her plump bottom lip? Would she taste as sweet as I imagined? Would she be too tight to handle my cock?

  “Will?”

  I stepped behind her desk so she wouldn’t see what it did to me when she said my name. “Yes?”

  “Is there anything I can do to make her like me more?”

  “Don’t worry about it. She’ll warm up to you.”

  Ella made a pouty face.

  “Pumpkin Cappuccinos work, too.”

  Her eyes smiled. “Thanks.”

  I nodded. “And how is the research and planning phase for this year’s party going?”

  “Okay so far.”

  “I really need better than okay. Everyone looks forward to this party all year and many of my staff will talk about it for years to come if it’s a knockout.”

  “I understand.”

  “I can’t wait to hear your ideas. I assume you’ve already come up with some?”

  “Of course.” She rolled her shoulders back and cleared her throat. “It’s just a matter of narrowing it down now.”

  “Great.” I looked at my watch. “Why don’t we discuss them at dinner on Friday?”

  “Dinner on Friday?”

  “I know we’d be mixing business with pleasure-”

  She pushed her hair out of her eyes.

  “But the rest of my week is jammed.”

  She pursed her lips.

  “And I’m obligated to take you to dinner as part of your prize for the raffle.”

  “Oh right.” Her shoulders relaxed. “The raffle dinner.”

  “And I think it would be the perfect time to discuss the ideas you have for the party because we’ll have some privacy.”

  It looked like she’d stopped breathing.

  “Because the party is really supposed to be as much of a surprise for the staff as possible.”

  “Whenever is convenient for you.”

  “Dinner on Friday then?”

  She clasped her hands together. “Okay.”

  I nodded and turned towards my office.

  “Will-”

  I spun around quickly. Too quickly.

  “Where should I meet you?” She put her fingers down on her desk and leaned forward. “I don’t know what your favorite place to eat is.”

  “I can send a car to-”

  “No.” The smiled fell from her face. “I’d rather make my own way if that’s okay.”

  I sighed. Her timing for when to be difficult baffled me. I opened my wallet and flicked through some cards. When I found the one I was looking for, I held it up and placed it on her desk. “Capulets. It’s about 15 blocks south of here.”

  “Thanks.”

  I turned around.

  “Will-”

  I let my shoulders drop and turned around at a more appropriate pace. “Ella?”

  She rocked up on her toes for a moment. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  “Me, too,” I said. “I recommend you skip lunch.”

  Chapter 11: Ella

  “How’s the new job treating you?” Jackie asked.

  “How was your burrito?”

  “How did you?... Oh that’s attractive,” she said, picking a black bean off her shirt.

  “Can you move your webcam so I don’t have to stare at your chest while we’re talking?” I asked, shaking some red nail polish.

  “Sorry.” She tilted her screen so I could see her face.

  “That’s better.”

  “And the burrito was good, thanks. At least the parts that made it into my mouth.”

  I smiled.

  “So tell me about working for the sexiest man in New York.”

  “He might even be the sexiest man in the country. The guy just drips sex appeal.”

  “And you’ve only seen him in his clothes.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”

  “Oh my god you have only seen him in his clothes, right?”

  “Yes. Obviously. Why? What’s he hiding?”

  “I wish I could say I knew firsthand. All I know is that the girls in wardrobe talked about his abs for a good two weeks after he was here.”

  “They’re that good, huh?”

  “App
arently he’s a total gym rat.”

  I put my foot on a magazine in front of me and unscrewed the polish. “Well that’s not intimidating at all.”

  “I guess if Trevor asks me for your address again, I’ll just tell him you’re too busy sleeping with your millionaire boss to take his calls.”

  “There are so many things wrong with that sentence I don’t know where to start.” I fixed my eyes on hers. “First of all, I’m pretty sure he’s a billionaire.”

  “Ha! Brilliant. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to offend either of you by suggesting he was a mere millionaire.”

  “Second, you shouldn’t respond to notes from Trevor for any reason. No matter how good he is as getting you to feel bad for him.”

  “He is good at that. I think it’s probably why you pity-dated him for so long.”

  “And most of all, I’m not sleeping with my boss.” I was only fantasizing about it in my spare time.

  “Yet. You aren’t sleeping with him yet.”

  I rested my chin on my knee and focused on my toes. “What makes you so sure that’s where things are headed?”

  She put her hands on her head. “So many reasons! Where do I start?”

  I raised my eyes towards the laptop where it sat at the end of my bed.

  “First of all, you can never tell when a guy likes you so I can’t trust your judgment at all.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Yes it is. You’re beyond dense. Subtlety is lost on you.”

  “No it’s not.”

  “I can’t even humor you on that so let’s move on.”

  “Let’s,” I said, annoyed. I wasn’t stupid. I could tell if a guy was blatantly flirting with me, and Will hadn’t done anything blatant. Or had he?

  “Plus, I’m sure the guy is a sex machine.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Cause he’s like the poster boy for everything that’s sexy and powerful. I mean, everything about the guy works overtime. I don’t see why his libido wouldn’t be the same.”

  “But basically this is all just based on your own unfounded theories?”

  I heard the pitter patter of something on her desk.

  “What was that?”

  “Skittles.” She held up a purple one and plopped it in her mouth. “Look, my theories are not totally unfounded. I was on the set for all the bachelors’ shoots this year and every single one of them is known for having an insatiable sexual appetite.”