Page 43 of Broken Boss

“Sorry. He’s a little excited.”

Autumn looks nervous. I can guess why. She’s wearing a comfortable-looking jersey dress that hugs her curves. The neckline shows off the tops of her luscious breasts, and it’s a gorgeous champagne color. My mind goes to all the other ways I could cover her with champagne, and I shake it off.

“It’s no problem. There’s not really anything he can get into.”

As the bland words leave my mouth, I look around and realize just how true they are.

My place is…minimalist.

The furniture is sharp-edged, definitely not kid-friendly, and most of the artwork on the walls is dark and expensive. Autumn is looking around curiously, stepping onto a lush black rug, looking like a star in the night sky.

“So it’s just you here.”

It’s not a question. My shoulders slump marginally. Over the past few years, Grant has made a few comments here and there—it’s why he pushes me toward seeing my family more.

Family.

I latch onto the thought and eagerly offer up, “I’m the only one that lives here, but my brothers and their wives visit often.” Not much recently, though, with how distracted I’ve been, but Autumn doesn’t need to know that. “Their kids, too.”

She turns and raises her eyebrows, a smile quirking her lips. “Kids? You’re an uncle?” I can tell she’s trying to imagine it—the coldhearted lawyer as an uncle. Kids running around all these sharp edges and glass.

“Yeah. I have two nieces and a nephew, actually.”

The tension leaves her body as she wanders farther into the house and I follow. She saw most of the place last night and this morning fleetingly. The kitchen, she’s familiar with, as well as the guest bedroom and attached bathroom. Now she looks around the living area curiously and dips into the dining room as Frank rounds the corner to disappear elsewhere.

“What’s upstairs?” She points. I shrug.

“Not much. A home office. A balcony, of sorts.”

Her head tilts in curiosity. “A balcony?”

“Here, I’ll show you.”

Up the stairs, take a right, slide open the doors.

“Oh my God. Chris, this is gorgeous.”

My face heats. With pleasure, or embarrassment?

Autumn walks out onto the balcony, which is more of a porch, or a giant outdoor seating area. It takes up half of the second story of the house—all stained wood, live plants, an outdoor firepit, and a small bar.

“Thank you. It’s more enjoyable in spring and summer, I have to say.”

There’s a large wall of windows that looks in on my home office, also rarely used. It’s hitting me just how impersonal and cold my home feels, and self-consciousness is sinking in.

Why? It’s not like I’ve never brought women home before.

This is different. She’s not one of those women. She’s not just staying the night.

Autumn is grinning, leaning against the railing as she looks out at a few other scattered houses and the wooded area beyond. A park, a relatively quiet one, that people hike or picnic at. Maybe I should take her there. I’ve never been, myself.

She turns and gives me a shy smile. That dress…the way it clings to her curves is making it hard for me to think. I follow her mindlessly back into the house, down the stairs.

“Where’s Frank?”

She frowns, checking the living room and kitchen. I duck into the main bathroom and then the guest room. Not there.

Autumn lets out a huff and marches farther down the hallway. There’s only one other option…

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