Page 5 of Beauty and the Boss Man

Chapter Three

Romy

“So, you’re going on a week-long vacation with your boss?” My best friend, Veronica, asks me. She’s sitting on my bed, fiddling with her bright red hair. She’s had it dyed that color for as long as I can remember.

“V, it’s not a vacation. It’s some construction conference thing. I’m sure it’s going to be all work and no play,” I say.

“Romy, you’re going to be in Key West. Construction conference or not, I’m sure you’re going to have some fun. Didn’t you say that your boss is a hottie?”

“I most certainly never said that!” I exclaim.

“Well, is he?”Her eyes are as big as saucers.

“I mean, he’s attractive in a mountain man sort of way, I guess. But he’s always wearing a baseball cap and multiple layers of clothing, so it’s not like I can see all that much. And even if I could, I shouldn’t. He’s my boss, for God’s sake.” I pull some more clothes out of the closet and set them on the bed to be packed.

“What happened to you?” Veronica asks. “Back in college, you were way more fun. You’d be trying to climb that man like a tree without any fear of the consequences.”

“Back in college, things were different, and you know it.”

She simply nods because she knows exactly what changed. In a heartbeat, I went from being a well-off trust fund babe who cared more about partying than school to losing every cent I had and hoping my grades were enough to get me through, so I could graduate and get a good job.

Ever since, I’ve worked hard for everything I have. That’s why I can’t do anything to ruin this job.

I just can’t.

I know Veronica probably wouldn’t understand that, though. The woman runs entirely on impulse and pheromones.

“Do you think he finds you attractive?” She asks.

“I highly doubt it. I’m pretty sure I’m like his annoying work wife who is on his ass most of the time.”

“I didn’t ask about how he personally felt about you. I asked if you think he finds you attractive.”

“Well, I doubt that too. Every day, I go to work bundled up like I’m trekking through the arctic. And every day, I wear my hair in the exact same messy bun with the same nerdy glasses. I don’t exactly dress to impress.”

She holds up one of the shirts I just packed. “Clearly, you have the same mindset for this trip too.”

“What’s wrong with that top?” My voice goes a couple of octaves higher than usual.

“It’s just so…blah. Don’t you have anything else more fun in that closet of yours?” Before waiting for my reply, she gets up and walks past me, examining all the clothes still hanging up.

Rapidly, she starts picking out things and draping the hangers over her arm. When she comes out, she sets the entire pile on the bed next to my suitcase.

There’s a lot of sundresses in the pile, along with a cocktail dress, some jeans and tank tops, and a tiny string bikini.

“No way!” I exclaim. “I can’t wear this stuff in front of my boss!”

“Who says?”

“I say! Not to mention the fact that I’m a good twenty pounds heavier than I was when I bought all this stuff.”

Between stress-eating and my metabolism slowing with age, my body also went downhill with everything else during my college years. That’s another big reason why my wardrobe consists more of loose-fitting items these days.

“Oh, please, Romy. Who cares if you have a little extra fluff? Most all of it went to your ass and your tits.”

“And my stomach,” I argue.

“Barely.”

---