Page 44 of Romance with Mr. Bossy Pants

“Um, Chloe, I’m…I’m actually heading back with Alex,” she confesses with a sheepish grin.

My jaw drops. “Can we talk for a second?” But I don’t wait for an answer before I pull her aside.

“You’re going to sleep with Alex?!” I half-scream, half-whisper.

“Why not? He’s funny and cute.”

“That’s not the point. He’s sweet, Amber. Sweet is not your type.”

“Yeah, but I believe he has other…things that are my type,” Amber says, glancing at Alex with a hungry look on her face.

“Okay, that’s gross,” I groan. “Just be…have fun. Oh, great. Now I’ll never look at Alex the same way again. Go on.”

Amber chuckles, gives me a quick hug, and struts off to meet Alex. As I watch them go, I feel a pang of envy. Amber has it so easy.

When I get home, I turn the shower on immediately with the hopes of washing off Antonio’s scent. But things don’t go exactly as planned.

I step into the warm embrace of the shower, letting the hot water cascade over me. As I reach for the soap, my mind starts to wander, unbidden thoughts invading my consciousness.

Daniel's face flashes into my mind…his chiseled jawline, those piercing eyes that seem to see right through me. I try to push the image away, but it lingers, stubbornly refusing to fade.

I tell myself it's just curiosity. After all, he's my boss, and he's obviously attractive. It's natural for thoughts to stray occasionally, right? I focus on washing my hair, trying to distract myself, but the image of him shirtless slips in. I let my mind wander a bit longer than I should, imagining what it would be like to run my fingers over those defined muscles, to feel his warmth against me.

I stop abruptly, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment. This is so ridiculous. I'm not attracted to Daniel. I'm just curious about how someone like him could have such an effect on me. It's purely an intellectual exercise, nothing more.

But what if I indulge this curiosity? Just this once. It could be a harmless way to satisfy my mind's wandering. After all, it's just fantasy. I'm not actually going to act on it.

I force myself to refocus on the task at hand, scrubbing away any lingering thoughts. I need to stop this before it goes any further. Having these kinds of thoughts about my boss is definitely not appropriate. It's just a passing fancy, a fleeting moment of temptation.

With a determined sigh, I finish my shower quickly, willing myself to put these thoughts behind me.

14

Daniel

“Put it on my desk,” I snap without bothering to glance up.

Chloe’s scent announces her presence before she even steps foot in my office, a fact that annoys me to no end—the realization that I recognize her fragrance and, worse, that I actually like it.

Chloe sets the report she’s been working on down and turns to leave, but she pauses by the door. “Should I plan to work extra hours, Daniel?”

I blink.

Ah, yes. The soirée.

Our biggest client, Maven, is hosting their annual spring kick-off soirée for families and it’s fast approaching. After last year’s drama when the wrong video reel played during the opening, it’s clear I need to take the reins. The team will do a great job, but I can now trust Chloe to help with almost everything around here. She just gets it.

But I barely let a hint of enthusiasm slip through the gruff answer I give her. “Yeah, okay.”

“Coffee?”

“No, thanks.” I gesture towards the exit without raising my eyes from the brochure edits. “Just close the door behind you.”

Once the door clicks shut, I fling my pen onto the desk and recline in my chair. Chloe’s scent has permeated the entire office. Moments later, still distracted, I boot up my laptop and type a quick message on Slack to my exasperating assistant.

Daniel Andrews: Your perfume is very strong. I get a whiff of it before you enter the room. It triggers my allergies, so I’d be grateful if you could tone it down. After all, elegance lies in being understated.

With that message sent, I refocus on my work. But not long after, the ping of an incoming message on Slack pulls my attention. It has to be from Chloe.

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