Page 12 of The Cocky Neighbor

Speaking of clubs, I hadn’t had time to visit any recently due to the increased workload from the new changes at the hotel. The past week had been filled with long hours and early mornings, and I didn’t see it improving anytime soon. This was probably the reason why I had such a hard time keeping Liam out of my thoughts. I was pent up and in desperate need of blowing off some steam.

"So? There's nothing in the employee handbook stating that you can't date a coworker. Or a boss," he said with a huff.

"Wait, why do you know that? Our employee handbook is like a billion pages long. No way you read the entire thing."

Alfred shifted in his seat, his eyes darting everywhere in the room but at me. "Alfred?" His shifty eyes continued as he ignored me. I poked him on the cheek, and he swatted my hand away with a huff.

"Fine, I'll tell you. Don't get your panties all twisted up." He took a deep breath before continuing, "I looked it up becauseIhadacrushonyoubefore." The last part of the sentence was said almost at a whisper, with the words all jumbled together.

"What was that again?"He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at me. "No, I really didn't catch that," I said with my hands up.

He rolled his eyes and huffed out a breath of air. "I said, I had a crush on you before."

The expression on my face must have been the most comical thing in the world since Alfred busted out in laughter when he saw it. "Chill, babe. You know I'm very happy with my boyfriend. It wasyearsago, and I'm so over it now. Besides, it was before I'd realized you were a bottom like me."

"I'm not a bottom, I'm vers," I sputtered as if I had something to prove. I was not a small man. At six foot, Itowered over most, and with my muscles, I wasn't the most cuddly person to hold. For some reason, I mostly attracted men who assumed I was a strict top, and I was always met with surprise when they found out I liked to bottom. The men I'd slept with would all probably have heart attacks if they knew I actually preferred to bottom, which meant that I topped more often than not these days.

Alfred scoffed, calling out my bluff. "Okay, sweetie. If it means anything at all, my gaydar is telling me our new boss is definitely a top, and a dominant one at that. Of course, that little fact shouldn't matter to you, right?"

I shifted in my seat, and he shot me a glance that said he already knew exactly what I was thinking. I grumbled under my breath, refusing to admit that he had me read like an open book. He wasn't my work husband for no reason, but this time, he was wrong.

"You're right. It doesn't matter," I said with a huff. "The man can't even stand to be in the same room as me. His preferences in bed have nothing to do with me. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

I picked up the box that was filled with complaints and pulled one out to read. Perhaps if I kept reading how annoying the man was, I would finally stop thinking about the attraction I'd felt for him. It was unlikely, but worth a try.

TEN

LIAM

I'd managed to avoid Eric for the past few days with much difficulty. He'd been trying to track me down, and I was running out of excuses to not be in the same room as him.

It didn't help that every time I caught his figure from the corner of my eyes, I'd lose track of what I was doing and my entire focus would automatically shift to him.

Wasn't it a thing that the more you couldn't have something, the more you wanted it? Because I was definitely feeling that now. In the mere days apart, Eric seemed to have become even more handsome, if that was possible. He seemed to sparkle and looked larger than life as he used his expressive hands and face to speak with his coworkers.

Of course, this was only when he was unaware of my presence. They were standing beside the receptionist desk, facing the front, and I was walking out from the staff area from the side.

Once he'd caught sight of me, his bright features morphed into something much gloomier, and I'd instantly missed the fire that used to shine in his eyes when he faced me. It didn't matter if the fire was lust or annoyance, it was a million times better than the dullness that currently marred his beautiful face.

I shot him a bright smile, hoping that it would calm some of the negative feelings he currently had toward me. The smile lasted for half a second until I saw the man standing next to Eric pull out a cell phone from behind the front desk and fiddle with it. There was one guest being taken care of by the receptionist, but that didn't matter. They had completely disregarded my orders.

I strode to Eric and leaned into his ear so that the guest wouldn't overhear. "A word, please." My words came out almost as a growl, and I saw Eric's eyes flickered closed as my breath tickled his ear. If I wasn't so angry right now, the sight would have aroused me, but currently, there was no room for anything else besides a good scolding.

Withdrawing, I turned and strode toward to the staff area without looking back to see if Eric was following. I knew that he was. His presence was larger than life, and right now he was glaring so hard at my back that I felt it heat up.

I didn't stop until we reached Eric's office. I'd avoided being alone with him this entire week, but that was only because I didn't know if I could control the attraction I felt for him if we were alone. It was good that the only thing I currently felt for this man was annoyance at his disobedience.

"What the hell was that?" I asked as soon as the office door closed.

Eric looked startled by my question, but his expression quickly turned into a frown as he crossed his big arms. "Why the heck are you mad? If anyone should be angry here, it's me," he said with a huff that had halted my momentum.

A part of me felt guilty for the way I'd treated Eric this past week, but the other part, the one who was taught to control everything in the palm of my hand, said that it was my right as his boss to dictate the mode of communication I wanted to use with my employees.

"I don't understand what you mean. I've treated you with professionalism since the beginning," I said. It was the truth. I was nothing if not polite to Eric, so polite that I was keeping him at arm's length when I wanted nothing more than to breach that distance.

"Is that all you have to say? I've been trying to schedule a meeting with you all week. Yes, I get that everything could have been discussed through email, but some things are better said in person," Eric said, waving his hand in the air as if they helped emphasize his words. The man expressed himself with every single part of his body.

"Besides, it seemed like you had plenty of time to look for Alfred." He deflated, sounding almost hurt,jealous, that I had met with the assistant manager instead of him. Was it messed up that the thought of this man being jealous over me had butterflies dancing in my stomach?

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