Page 241 of Savage Bosses

Her smile tightened my jeans again. Where had she been hiding that cocky grin? It was as if she believed she had us all by the balls, and we danced to her to tune. I wasn't leashed to her again.

Images of taking her against the cement wall of the secluded service corridor filled my mind.

“Is there something you want?”

“Absolutely,” was out of my mouth before I could mentally slap myself.

“Okay? It's not more requirements, is it? “

There was a hint of exhaustion in her tone.

“No.”

She put her hand to her chest and sighed. When I didn't elaborate, she gestured for me to do so. “Well?”

My mind was lust fogged. It was like my first time around girls except worse because the experience failed me, not the novelty of the situation. “You're presenting Amber at Love Con.”

Her eyes brightened, she squealed, then enveloped me in a side hug that only made my erection stiffer but allowed it to remain a secret.

“Thank you, Ryu Tsuki.”

“Ryu is fine.”

“I was raised to give proper respect. It's too formal for my boss.”

I couldn't recall how she referred to Jerry, but I didn't like the distance she added. “Don't worry. It won't be so odd in three months because we will meet each day before your muster.”

Her posture straightened.

“This way, there will be no miscommunications as we will both be up to date on progress and expectations.” I stood and straightened my polo shirt. It was just long enough to draw focus away from my desire problem. “See you tomorrow, bright and early, at the same time.”

I left her sputtering in the room with a sense of victory and dread.

What had I done?

CHAPTER 11

Judy-Lynn

“I

stand by what I said, “’ride him into the sunset and keep it moving’. Life is way too short.” Chantel looked up from the large binder on her cherrywood-stained desk. The side of it had numerous multicolored sticky notes poking out.

I coughed several times, resulting in Brooke whacking me on the back. The last thing I wanted to do was pass out and knock over the file piles that Chantel and her interns had worked on the past few days. It was difficult enough trying not to slosh any tomato-flavored chicken stock from my meal on it. “Thanks, girl.”

“You're welcome,” she told me, then shook her head at Chantel as she retreated to her black vinyl cushioned chair that matched mine. “Maybe save the hard conversations for after dinner.”

We came to support Chantel in a bid for wellness during her case prep. After losing a friend while still in college, we vowed never to get so career-focused that we neglected each other or ourselves. This time it meant bringing dinner to the law offices ofPringle, Benson & Shaw.Other times it was helping to file receipts or be a beta tester for an app. Whatever it was, we were there for each other.

Chantel’s takeout box container was half empty, with its spill-proof lid firmly in place. “Well, you did bring yock. I haven't had it since Marcus’s family had that church fundraiser last year.”

She flipped through the binder and then muttered.

I pulled off a pink sticky note and handed it to her to mark the page asof importancein the vast sea of information. “You know attorney life isn't quite as sexy as the movies.”

“It never is,” they both said.

I forked more yock a mein noodles into my mouth and chewed. The tomatoey flavor of the ketchup and chicken stock danced across my tongue. It brought back some memories of my grandmother. She always added an extra bit of crushed red pepper to hers.

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