Page 61 of By His Rule

“First thing in the morning, then he showers in his office bathroom.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Why not? I think it’s important information to have about your boss.”

I don’t get a chance to respond because the doors open and Tatum spills out into the foyer in search of Cory. I want to say I follow hot on her heels, but that would be a lie. My head is lost in visions of Kian, hot and sweaty in a gym.

I wonder if he uses the sauna…

“Lori,” Cory calls, ensuring all sets of eyes leaving the building for the day turn on us. “How is Callahan Enterprises’s newest and best employee?”

Heat burns my cheeks and down my neck.

“Shut the hell up,” I hiss before he wraps me in his strong arms and kisses my cheek.

“It’s been too long, girl. I’ve missed your sexy ass.”

“I’m sorry. Things have been?—”

“Girl, don’t. I know all about you kicking that cheating fuck to the curb. Good for you. My girl deserves so much better than that. You deserve this,” he says, holding his arms out from his sides and spinning around. “It’s fancy as fuck.”

“It’s sure something,” I mutter, still unsure how I feel about it all.

“It looks so fucking good on you,” he praises with the widest smile I think I’ve ever seen playing on his lips. “Now, let’s go celebrate.” He threads his arm through mine and marches me toward where Tate is laughing with the doormen. “You’re paying, by the way. I have it on good authority that you’ve had an epic pay rise.”

Laughter tumbles from me, and I finally feel some of the stress from my first day beginning to leave me.

My shoulders relax, and my smile loosens, becoming more genuine and less forced.

I think of the figure on that job description Kian handed me earlier and shake my head.

Something is going to have to give soon because this is all too good to be true.

Even Kian and his stupid demands and irritating remarks can’t bring me down from this high.

“Hell yeah,” I say as we collect Tate and emerge into the autumn evening sun. “Where to?”

“Where do you think?” Tate laughs before Lewis opens the door and gestures for us to climb inside.

“I have the best friends in the freaking world,” Cory announces as Tate pops a bottle of champagne that she had waiting for us inside the car. “Now, I have a question,” he says, sounding a little more serious.

“Shoot,” Tate says as she begins filling our flutes full of bubbles.

“What are the chances that I can turn Kieran so that I can have a brother too?”

Tatum barks out a laugh. “Sorry, but I don’t think that’s going to be happening anytime soon. That man is about as addicted to pussy as they come.”

“Worse than Kian?” I blurt, regretting the words the second they spill from my lips.

“Pretty sure they’re in competition,” Tate explains.

It’s nothing I haven’t heard before. But now that Kian is my boss, it’s not something I need to be thinking about, let alone talking about.

“Oh, because Kingston was any different before he got stuck with you,” Cory teases.

“Nice. I think I’ll take this back then,” Tate says, trying to steal the champagne back.

“I don’t think so,” Cory argues before downing the entire glass. “What’s the problem? You tamed that beast. Someone out there will do the same to the others, and until that happens, I’m going to continue thinking that one is secretly gay and longing for a man like me.”

---