Page 481 of Savage Bosses

Deja saved her progress and closed her laptop. She stood and could see Stephen perusing her body out of the corner of her eye.

She packed up her stuff and walked past Stephen. He could still faintly smell her floral fragrance as she passed him. He didn’t like her, but he felt resisted the strong urge to kiss her. Stephen wanted to hate her, but the more he was around her, the more he was drawn to her.

“Did you drive?” Stephen asked as he put on his suit jacket.

“No, I can take an Uber home.”

“I will take you home,”

“That’s not nec…,”

Stephen walked up to her and stood so close their bodies almost touched. “I will take you home.” His tone was defiant. “It’s late and if something happens to you, we will be at square one on this project.”

Deja clenched her jaw, trying to ignore the faint smell of Stephen's cologne that filled the air when he moved to put his jacket on. “Thanks for your caring attitude,” she said sarcastically as she walked towards the door. She had worked too many long hours and she was fed up with his nasty attitude. She brushed past him. And he put his arm up to block her path.

“Move your arm,” she snapped, her voice laced with anger and exhaustion.

“Wait.” Stephen said in a hushed, soft tone.

“Wait for what? you have treated me like trash since I started working here. I’ve done nothing but be professional and try to do my job, but you are pushing me to my limit.”

“Fine,” he grumbled as he moved his arm. Their bodies touched as she walked through the door. He wanted to have a conversation about why he had an issue with her, but it would have to wait until after they finished the current project.

They rode the elevator in silence. As Deja tried to walk across the lobby, Stephen tugged at her arm. “I…, I will have my driver take you home.” He placed his hand at the base of her back as he guided her through the door. When they got outside, Stephen’s driver was waiting with the car door open. “Make sure Ms. Rose gets home safely.” He said to his driver before turning to her. “I will see you in the morning. Get some rest Deja.” His tone was softer.

Deja looked at him as he walked back into the building.

Stephen pulled his phone out of his pocket as he walked towards the elevator leading to the underground garage. “Meet me at Mike’s for a drink.” He said to Caleb before getting into his Mercedes.

What the fuck is it about her that I can’t get off my mind?

Stephen drove down the road, and the image of Deja was stuck in his thoughts.

Fifteen minutes later, he was sitting with Caleb and drinking.

“What is it about this woman that has you so twisted? I’ve never seen you treat anyone like that before. She seems really nice, and she is smart as shit. The strategies she came up with is next level.”

Stephen ran his hand through his hair. “She is making me crazy.”

“I don’t understand. Why?”

Stephen drained his glass. “I know her.”

“What are you talking about?”

“We went to the same high school. That woman changed the trajectory of my life.”

Caleb’s eyebrow was raised as he leaned into the table. “How did she do that?”

Stephen leaned back in his chair as he looked into his glass. “I was a nerdy kid. Way too thin and always had my head in the books. She approached me and convinced me that she liked me. I looked at her and wondered why would someone like that like me. She was so beautiful. The next day we went out after school, and I thought she really liked me.” He paused as he gulped his drink. “God, she was so beautiful.” he paused and took another sip of his drink. “She still is.” The server brought them another drink.

“Bring the entire bottle of bourbon,” Caleb told him as he handed him a hundred-dollar tip.

“I’m still not understanding the problem.” Caleb said.

“Man, I thought, how did I get so lucky?” Stephen shook his head. The thoughts of his pass still haunted him. “One day, she told me to meet her after school behind the gym. She said she had a surprise for me. I knew I should’ve gone straight home because my mother was still undergoing cancer treatment and it was the day, she got her chemo.” He gave Caleb a faint smile. “She was usually sick after her appointment, and I always tried to be there to help her if she needed it. But I figured I would only be a few minutes late.” Stephen inhaled sharply as he tried to contain a tear that was threatening to fall. He hadn’t cried over this shit in years. Having her around was bringing up too many bad memories. He poured another drink. “When I met her behind the building, she wasn’t alone. There were some guys from the football team with her. One said that she was his girlfriend, and he punched me in the face. I remembered thinking, what the hell is happening?”

“What the fuck?” Caleb said as he sat up in his seat.

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