Page 24 of Forbidden Grumpy Boss

“Are you decent?” I shuffle on my feet, pressing my ear against the door.

“Decent enough,” she rasps. “It’s nothing you haven’t seen before, Leah. Stop being a prude.”

Taking a deep breath, I push the door open just wide enough to poke my head in. Sure enough, there's Penny. And her latest conquest. Both are half-naked. Both very slick with sweat.

"Uh, Penny?" I call out, eyes shut tight. "Sorry to interrupt, but I really need to talk to you."

The guy, some tattooed gym bro by the sound of it, chuckles, clearly unbothered. “Wanna join?”

"Gross," I mutter under my breath, while Penny, bless her heart, yells, "Ew!" simultaneously. There’s a flurry of movement, a few groans of protest from the dude, and I hear the distinct sound of clothes being hastily put back on.

“You heard the lady. Time to hit the road, champ,” Penny says, giving him a playful slap on the butt.

“You’ll call me?” Mr. Tattooed-arms asks as we all gather in the living room.

Penny and I share a quick look. “Uh, sure. I’ll call you, champ.”

“You don’t even have my number,” he says, looking at her like she just broke his heart.

“I’ll find it.” Penny almost rolls her eyes. “Now, scram! My best friend needs me.” She shoos him away.

Once he's gone, I click my tongue, catching Penny's wide grin. “I can’t believe you just sent him packing like that,” I say, shaking my head.

She throws herself onto the couch, completely unbothered. “Please, there’s more where that came from.” She pats the cushion beside her, and I plop down with a heavy sigh.

But Penny, ever the perceptive one, eyes me closely. “Okay, out with it. Something’s off. You never interrupt me unless it’s serious.”

I groan, leaning back and covering my face with my hands. “You have no idea.”

“Spill.” She scatters her blond locks with her fingers.

“Silas offered me a fake engagement.”

Penny looks at me like I just sprung another eye on my forehead. “Hewhat?”

“He asked me to pretend to be his fiancée for a while.” I shrug. “Like getfakeengaged to him, you know?”

Her reaction is immediate. “Wait, what?!” She sits up straight, her voice higher than usual. “Silas, as inSilas freaking Waverly?Fake engagement, likeengaged,engaged? Why?”

“Yeah,” I say, dragging out the word. “Like, his son is having some problems in school, and he has this big exam coming up, so the principal proposed that the kid needs a stable two-parent household, you know? No big deal.” I wave my hand like I’m shooing a fly, but my stomach churns at the thought.

Penny’s eyes widen, then narrow. “Oh, Leah, no. No, no, no. This is aterribleidea. You’re not the kid’s mother!”

I nod, agreeing with every word, but still unsure why a part of me is tempted. “I know.”

“Aterrible, terribleidea!” Penny repeats, her eyes wide. “What the fuck? A fake engagement? I only see that in movies or—”

“Shitty, cliché romance novels?”

“Right!” Penny exclaims.

“It’s just,” I start, “Caleb. I can’t stop thinking about him. He needs help.”

“Why’s the name so familiar?” She scowls.

“Caleb’s his son.” I tap her arm, and her skin’s warm against my fingers. “You googled him the other day, remember?”

Penny’s face lights up with recognition. “Oh, yeah. I remember.”

---