Page 13 of Enemy Boss

“Hi,” I say. “Can you talk?”

“Well, it could be a problem between me having to focus so hard on the TV or on Rufus’s snoring,” she says with a laugh. I smile at the thought of Rufus’s sweet little face. Rufus is Harriet’s snuggle bug of a bull dog. “So, what I’m trying to say is yes, I am free to talk. What’s up?”

“I have a meeting in,” - I twist my wrist and look at my watch – “About twenty minutes with Cullen and I know he’s going to find fault with my work. I just want someone to remind me I am not totally useless before I go in there.”

“Oh, for lord’s sake,” Harriet says, and she huffs out a sigh. I picture her rolling her eyes at me. “I wish you two would just fuck already, get it out of your systems, and then you could stop thinking about him and he could stop doing the adult equivalent to pulling your pig tails to make sure that you notice him.”

“It’s not … that’s not going to happen,” I say.

“But it should,” Harriet insists. “It really would help. And it’s not like you don’t want to. Don’t lie to me Max, I know you do.”

I sigh and sip my coffee which is now just on the right side of warm.

“He’s hot, I’m not denying that. But he’s awful as a person. He’s moody and arrogant and all he seems to do is criticize me,” I say.

“I’m not saying marry the guy,” Harriet replies. “I’m saying fuck him. And if you don’t want to hear the shit he talks, I don’t know, sit on his face or something.”

I burst out laughing at that and I instantly feel better. Harriet never fails to make me laugh about things that have been bothering me and it seems that Cullen making my life hell is no exception. I almost didn’t tell her about Cullen and our history together, but now I’m glad I did.

“Seriously though, what do I do about him always digging at me,” I say.

“Is fucking him really out of the question?” she asks.

“Completely,” I confirm.

Harriet thinks for a moment and then she speaks again.

“Ok, here’s what you do,” she says. “Forget you have shared history with him and think of him like any other boss. You wouldn’t have gotten upset if your last boss had criticized your work, justified or not. Think of him only as your boss and let his words roll off of you. You know you’re good at your job and despite moany pants having a go at you, he has kept you on, so he obviously knows it too and that’s all that matters.”

I smile and nod my head. It’s good advice and she is right – with any other boss, I would just ignore the moaning and the digging. Some bosses just don’t know how to manage people and that’s ok, I can let that slide off me like Harriet said.

“I can do that,” I say.

“I know you can,” Harriet says. “And if all else fails, just imagine him naked.”

“How will that help?” I say with a laugh.

“I have no idea but it’s a thing, isn’t it?” Harriet says.

“For interviews,” I say.

“Interviews, meetings, whatever,” Harriet says. “Now do you genuinely feel better, or do I have to come down there myself and kick this guy’s ass?”

“No, you don’t have to do that just yet,” I say with another laugh. “And yes, I do genuinely feel better. I just have to remember that Cullen’s opinion of me isn’t important, and I will be fine.”

“Exactly,” Harriet says. “Or fuck him. Your call.”

Chapter 10

Cullen

Isigh as I read over the next section of the report. Max watches me from the opposite side of my desk. I can’t deny that I like her presence, like looking at her, but I miss Lisa’s cool, quiet efficiency. It took me five minutes to get Max to stop the nervous babbling when she first appeared in my office. And then she looked confused when I snapped at her to be quiet so I could look over the damned report.

I know the majority of the information in it already – after all, I had been the one to provide it and have Max type it up in a cohesive form and then pull up several other reports to compare the information in them. It is that comparison that I am mostly interested in and also a large part of what this meeting is about, because the answers in the report comparisons will show me where we need to concentrate our marketing efforts next to get the best chance of getting new business.

I scan down the columns of figures, aware of Max’s eyes on me as I read. I glance up and she looks away quickly, her face flushing with embarrassment at being caught watching me. I can’t help but grin to myself. It’s good to know that despite how much she annoys me at times, I can have that same effect on Max as she has on me. Even now, the sexual tension in the air hums around me and it’s all I can do to concentrate on the report and not on her face.

I look back down at the report and my desire takes a back seat to frustration when I see the mistake Max has made on the next section of the report. I sigh loudly and look up at Max again. She is looking back at me, but this time, she has a questioning look on her face rather than a sheepish look.

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