Page 9 of Claimed By the Boss

“I think you’re right.Now, I want you to choose a dress.” He pointed to the other stand of clothes.

“Huh?” Now she wasconfused.

“Trudy is going to bebusy, and I need to take a date to the charity dinner tonight. I don’t goalone.” He clicked his fingers. “Choose your dress. Try it on.”

She had noticed apartition had been placed in his office. “I, uh, I don’t think I should begoing to a charity dinner.”

“Why not?”

“Won’t there be like …press? I am one of your employees.”

“It’s not one of thosemeals. The press will be there, but it’s not to gossip or gather dirt. It isfor children, but it is more of an … honest event.”

“Honest event?” Noraasked.

“I’m not there to have myname splashed in the papers. Nancy, one of the organizers, doesn’t like to makea big song-and-dance. The event is to be described as what it is. It is adinner, but the caterers volunteer. We donate, and the money spent on the tablegoes to the cause. There are no prizes to be won. All funds go to thechildren’s charity.”

“Wow,” Nora said.

“And I would like to go,as there will be women there, and I have no interest in fighting them off.”

She mouthed the word “wow”and turned toward the stand of beautiful gowns.

“I’m not being full ofmyself if that is what you are thinking,” Gabriel said.

Nora turned to look athim.

He winked at her. “I sawthat ‘wow.’”

Her face started to heat.“I, uh, don’t think any of these are going to be in my size.”

“Nonsense. I got Trudy toorder them, as she had seen your size when she took care of your clothes. Pickone.”

This was getting evenweirder.

She was about to choose agown to accompany Gabriel to a charity event. She had to be dreaming. This kindof stuff never happened. This was a fairy tale.

She tried to pinch herselfto see if she was going to wake up, and she winced. Nope, very much awake.

“Why are you pinchingyourself?” Gabriel asked, and he was suddenly right there behind her.

She let out a gasp andquickly pressed a hand to her chest.

“You scared me.” How didhe move so fast without her hearing him?

“I think the red will suityou,” he said.

He was so close. Her heartstarted to race. She did not want to panic.

Picking up the red dress,she made her escape behind the curtain and attempted not to scold herself. Sheneeded to get herself together. The temptation to slap herself was so strong,but she avoided it. This was just a favor.

Gabriel was her friend,which was as crazy as it sounded, but they were friends. He just happened to bea multibillionaire and her boss. Bosses and employees could be friends.

She was now naked in hisoffice. When was the weirdness going to end? Stepping into the dress, shecouldn’t help but pray that it fit.Please, please, please fit.

And the weirdnesscontinued as it slid right over her hips and fit her like a second skin. Thestraps were thin, and it had a built-in bra, which meant she didn’t have towear one. Nora knew she shouldn’t take her bra off, but she needed to know ifit fit.

The bra came off, and shereached for the zip, only able to pull it up halfway. She gritted her teeth.This was typical.

---