Page 19 of Bossed By the Orc

Scrambling backward, I hurried to my new bedroom, closing myself inside and leaning against the door, releasing a sigh of relief. I didn’t need the temptation he presented.

I had enough going on without adding him as an extra layer of complication. Our debt and the house was my number one priority and there wasn’t any orc-sized space in my life for him. I moved over to my bags, looking around the huge bedroom with trepidation.

If this was going to be my space, I’d find a way to make it homier eventually. I opened my bags on the bed, unpacking and realizing that I’d only taken up a tiny portion of the huge walk-in closet.

Who lives like this?

I moved over to the bank of windows, and stood staring out. I could stand here forever and never want to peel myself away. Dristan had an exceptional view from every angle of his penthouse.

I saw the huge park, greenery rolling in front of me. Reaching out, I pressed my palm to the glass, the chill of it not doing anything to calm my nerves.

Living here, with him, was another huge change in such a short span of time. My life was a rollercoaster and I wasn’t getting a moment to catch a break.

Heaving in an unsteady breath, I moved to sit on the bed—the softest one I’d ever been on. I wondered if I was in a dream. It would explain so much.

If I went to sleep, would I wake up in my bed back home? Away from the stress of almost losing our house? Of taking an unexpected job? And having to live with the boss I couldn’t stop thinking about? It was all too much.

Squeezing my eyes shut and falling back on the bed, exhaustion overtaking me, I wished that I could go back to when everything was simple and made sense.

I peeked my eyes open, having had the best night of sleep I’d ever had and immediately knew I hadn’t returned to Kansas like Dorothy. I was still in the penthouse with Dristan, and I was starting my new job as his Personal Assistant today.

Sitting up in bed, I scrubbed the grit from my eyes.

I ran my palms over the luxurious sheets and pillowcase, knowing the material was thousands of thread counts higher than I was used to. Tapping the screen of my phone, I swore, realizing it was dead and I didn’t have a clock to tell me if I’d slept through my alarm.

I hadn’t plugged it into the charger. Doing that, I rushed through my morning routine, ensuring that I at least looked human before standing in front of my closet for an unnecessarily long time.

I wasn’t sure what I should wear to be Dristan’s Personal Assistant. I’d only just been hired the day before, but I couldn’t exactly wear the cleaning uniform I’d been given.

Reaching for leggings and the nicest blouse I owned—which was still ratty compared to most people’s standards I supposed—I got dressed quickly and then ran into the kitchen. I was relieved that I hadn’t slept in too late when I saw the clock on the stove.

Despite the early hour, I spotted breakfast on the table already. I looked around, trying to see if anyone was still there, but they were long gone.

I crinkled my nose at the cold cereal, oats, and fruit that was laid out. How did a massive orc like Dristan survive on this kind of breakfast?

No wonder the male was grumpy all the time if this was what he was eating. Still, beggars couldn’t be choosers and I was definitely the beggar in this situation.

I sat down, grabbing some fruit for myself and digging in right away. I was moaning around a strawberry when Dristan turned the corner. I tried not to stare at him in another one of his perfectly tailored suits—blue with a yellow tie that matched his eyes this time—but I was failing before the day had even begun.

He froze, those yellow eyes going dark as he took me in, perched on a stool, sitting at his island. Even if he thought I was audacious to start without him, I wasn’t giving up my fruits. They were my favorite and something I hadn’t been able to indulge in with my tight budget.

I shoved the entire strawberry into my mouth, praying I wouldn’t choke as I ate as fast as I could. I watched amusement twinkle to life in his eyes as he made his way closer.

He pulled a mug from one of the higher cupboards that I wasn’t sure I could reach.

“Good morning,” I called after swallowing my bite.

He nodded, holding out the mug in my direction, an eyebrow quirked.

“Yes, please,” I said, accepting his silent offer of coffee.

He moved over to the most complicated machine I’d ever seen in my life—and I’d been a barista for a few summers back home—and started tinkering, hissing and odd noises coming from the stainless steel contraption along with the glorious aroma of magical morning elixir.

When he made his way over, he pushed a mug toward me and I took it, murmuring my thanks and realizing it was already lightened with cream. I took a sip before narrowing my eyes at him. “It’s a good thing I take my coffee with milk and sugar or I guess I’d be out of luck.”

He grunted, not bothering to give me a proper response as he pulled a bowl of cereal toward him, adding milk and blueberries. I rolled my eyes at his non-responsiveness and went back to shoveling as many fruits into my mouth as I could.

“Can you tell me what we’re doing today?” I asked around a bite of honeydew melon and he narrowed his eyes at me.

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