Page 70 of Savage Bosses

“You don’t. Trust me, spilling your guts on BBD is safer than airing your grievances at work. You can be as honest as you like.”

If Veronica visited the site how bad could it be? I slipped the sticky note into my binder and stood. “I’m going to the lunchroom for fresh coffee, would you like a cup?”

“No thank you. Trent from sixteen is taking me for beignets in ten minutes.”

“So the ice has thawed?” I wiggled my brows.

“He wishes. But there is nothing that says a girl can’t enjoy her favorite treat while he sweats.”

I laughed, glad I’d taken a break from dating. Even if I wanted to date, the man that occupied my mind made the task impossible. He occupied my thoughts more often than not.

I dumped the stale coffee and started a fresh pot.

Was he okay? Did he suffer a concussion? In my panic I'd listened to news daily, still did and waited for the dreaded news that the Den had called the police. Why hadn’t they? I shook my head. Other times though, I hoped for a call or any news that told me he was okay, that Dax hadn’t done irreversible damage.

Filling my cup with the rich brew, I took a sip to calm my agitation. There was no use worrying now.

I passed Veronica’s empty desk on my way from the lunchroom, and didn't stop until I was at my desk.

My desk! I was giddy with excitement. It was the last day of training and I’d done it.

Since my parents’ passing, life had gone mostly downhill. It felt great to accomplish something I really wanted. I gave myself a quick spin in my chair as a celebration and almost fell from my seat when the desk phone rang. The line indicated the call came from my boss’s office.

I contemplated searching for Veronica, then considered letting it ring.

You got this.

I took a steady breath. Answering phones was my bread and butter at my last job. I could do this.

“How may I help you, Sir?” I didn’t even know who was in my boss’s office, which didn’t make for a great assistant. Okay, that was possibly a minor infringement, nothing I couldn’t overcome.

No response.

“Hello?” I glanced at the phone. The line was definitely active.

“Who are you and where is Veronica?”

“I…” My throat tightened. I wasn’t sure how much time passed before I responded with a coherent thought. “She took a break—”

“Never mind,” he sighed. “Come to my office.”

I knew that voice. It had seduced me, turned me on, and haunted me.

Impossible.

I stood on shaky legs, brushing my sweaty palms down my red pant legs before lifting my notepad and pen from my desk. My heart beat loud enough to pulse in my ears. I knocked on the door and waited for permission to enter. I needed to hear his voice one last time before entering. To confirm whether I should run or I was being paranoid.

Instead of his voice, the door swung open, bringing me face to face with my lover from the Den. He was taller than I remembered but I wasn’t wearing six inch stilettos either.

His gaze peered into mine and my heart stopped as a chill trickled down my spine. All my good vibes about starting over evaporated.

“Come in.”

I coaxed my legs to move and cringed when the door shut, sealing my fate.

He leaned his hips against his desk and gave me an assessing glance. “Mind telling me who you are and why you’re answering my phone?”

I gaped but he looked genuinly curious, almost annoyed. Hurt coursed through me. What did I expect? I was a nobody that happened to have a free pass to an exclusive establishment.

---