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Julia, Ms. Shea’s personal assistant, came in right on her heels carrying a pile of folders haphazardly stacked up in her arms. Jim felt sorry for the young woman, who sported a pair of suspicious-looking tracks on her cheeks. Combined with a red nose and puffy eyes, the marks suggested a recent bout of crying. So recent, Julie didn’t have time to cover them up before following the lady boss inside a room packed full of her co-workers, leaving everyone’s imagination to fill in the blanks and work out her reasons for having cried. Safest bets comprised anger, frustration and self-doubt. If Jim were a gambler, he would put all his money on the last one.

Jim’s blood boiled at the unfairness of the situation. Nobody had the right to make another person cry, especially not in the workplace. Certainly not when said person occupied a position of power as the other one’s boss. Indignation revved up his otherwise good nature and he met Ms. Shea’s gaze with a defiant glare of his own. Talk about a wrong move. His world tilted out of its axis when he found himself on the receiving end of a once-over to put all pointy stares to shame. His breath got caught in his throat when he spied a glint of appreciation in her brown eyes. The flash disappeared before his next heartbeat. Her no-nonsense expression, complemented by a stern-looking tight bun that tamed her red curls, made him doubt his eyes. However, his treacherous body didn’t get the memo, reacting to her self-confidence with a spike of adrenaline. The submissive in him connected to her authoritative presence in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time. He dropped his hands to his lap to reposition his twitching cock inside the dark blue slacks. The sympathy he’d just felt for Julie jumped out of the window, substituted by piercing envy. When someone had the unique chance of working for a dynamo such as Amber, they should hang on to it and never let go.

After working in the same office for three years, he had crossed paths with Ms. Shea before that staff meeting. He had even contributed in a project with her team. However, she had never directed her blatantly dominant gaze at him. As his knees turned to jelly at the possibilities, he mentally knuckled himself in the head to wake up from that impossible daydream.Financial genius, lady boss on one hand. Stockbroker rookie, entry-level office staff, on the other. It’s not going to happen, man.

Whatever that spark in Ms. Shea’s eyes meant, she hosed it down by the time she spoke. Arctic waters gave off much more warmth than her tone as she addressed the team. “Times are bleak now, but they’ll get worse. Believe me. People are beginning to panic and their natural reaction will be withdrawing from the stock market because they believe they’re cutting their losses doing so. That’s the obvious scenario. What should we do so we don’t get caught in the whirlpool of sewage that’s about to flood Wall Street?”

Voices raised at once in a cacophony of suggestions and complaints. Without losing her poise, Ms. Shea listened to each member’s input, agreed with the ones that had merit, and rebutted those that didn’t, succinctly stating why that idea wouldn’t work. She worked the room like a pro, making everyone feel appreciated, validating their suggestions. Their glowed with the satisfaction of having contributed to the team effort, to the company’s future. Oddly enough, Jim’s guts twisted for his colleagues. Ms. Shea might even take into consideration the ideas tossed around by her employees, but his instincts told him she would end up doing whatever the hell she wanted to do.

During that meeting, Jim took advantage of a front-row seat to witness why Amber Shea gained the respect of the male dominated high finances market. At twenty, she started Growth Inc. Now, at her twenty-seven, she reigned as the company remained a top earner for years in a row. Some considered her ruthless, but her sharp mind as well as knowledge of the trade rivaled no one else’s. He’d learned more from her in her business over the past three than from some of his prestigious professors in grad school. He admired her, no doubt about it. In fact, his star-struck brain took a moment to realize she was talking to him.

“Beg your pardon, ma’am. What did you just say?”

“Don’t make me regret my decision, Mr. Barryson,” she scolded him, a dry laugh complementing the wry response. “I’ve just fired my assistant and need an interim while Human Resources recruits someone to fill the position on a permanent basis. Are you up for the temporary assignment?”

He stared back at her as words deserted him. Was he? The fact that a train wreck had nothing on her assistant resembled throughout the entire meeting didn’t bode well for his odds of succeeding in that position. The real danger sprang from the relentless pull in his guts the woman evoked. Could he work for her when butterflies swarmed around his stomach each time their eyes met?

She added, “You always come across as shrewd in our meetings, but I could be mistaken. It happens. I’ve made wrong calls on rare occasions,” she stated in a tone that flirted with playfulness. “I won’t bite your head off, if you say no.” This time the amusement in her voice, and the glint that sparked her brown eyes, made her state of mind clear as a summer day.

Jim recovered his power of speech to accept her offer with a gracious bow of his head. “I’d love to work with you, Ms. Shea. Thanks for the opportunity. When can I start?”

“Five minutes ago,” she replied over her shoulder, on her way out of the door.

He turned to Julie to ask for her input on how to deal with that information, but the young woman had already scurried after her former boss.

“Great. Just great,” he muttered under his breath as he threw his hands in the air and followed the women down the corridor.

Continue readingBoss Meat https://geni.us/Boss_me_Choice

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Meet ayoungErik CrawfordasMuse of Darknessmakes a cameo as the supporting act for mega star Izzie Anderson inTristan(Book #1 in the Knight’s Edge series) https://geni.us/Tristan_Choice.

They never thought they’d havea second chance at first love. They were wrong.

Ten years ago,Izzie’s lies broke Tristan. Yet she lied toprotecthim. Now she needs Tristan tosave her son’s life.

Cantwo damaged soulsget a second chance? Or are there wrongs that can never be righted?

Sneak Peek, you say? You’ve got it.

Chapter 3 - Tristan

Being something of a night owl, the late shift in the restaurant suited Tristan perfectly. His partners gladly let him take charge of closing time. However, he was glad to cover for Moira today. Focusing on preparing drinks kept his mind busy and the problems at bay. Maybe the ghosts from his past wouldn’t haunt him. He could hope, right? God only knew he could use some quality sleep for a change.

The ringtone he set for Noah’s calls, a classic song by U2, blasted. Tristan fished his cell phone from the back pocket of this pants and tucked it on the crook of his neck, holding it in place with his shoulder. He never stopped mixing drinks for another order.

He smiled into the mouthpiece. “What’s up, loser?”

“That’s how you greet your band mate?” Noah’s amused retort was buried under loud guitar riffs.

Tristan knitted his eyebrows. “Where the hell are you?”

“Home, rehearsing. Where the hell areyou? I’ve banged on your door so hard it stung my hand.”

Tristan smacked his forehead. “Shit! Totally forgot, dude.”

He had promised Noah he would rehearse for a while before heading out to the restaurant. Another reason he should not have taken that damn nap.

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