Page 8 of Hooked on Lane

“He wasn’t feeling great this morning and was going to get an extra hour of sleep. I’ll just be using his office and going through case files if you need anything.”

She nodded and walked out of the office. This was soon going to be all mine. All of my hard work, eighty-hour workweeks, and sleepless nights were catching up to me, and my dream was coming true. New York City might not have been my first choice of places to live, but getting the offer from this firm spoke wonders about my reputation.

Jennifer’s mother might think her job was a joke, but that was typical. Assistants didn’t get enough compliments, but not under my watch. She would know just how much I appreciated her every day, but besides coffee, how could I show my appreciation?

Chapter Seven

Jennifer

Laura and I sat on the couch, refilling our wineglasses. This was the first night Laura had been off before eight in weeks.

“So stop thinking and spit it out. What’s going on?” Laura asked.

She knew exactly what I was freaking out about. “Why did you have to say anything? Every time we are around each other, I feel like he’s taking me in. He’s my boss, and as much as it makes me feel sexy, it’s wrong on so many levels.”

Laura raised her eyebrows. “You think? Sometimes those are the best relationships. The risk… the adrenaline coursing through your veins every time you sneak away into a coat closet to get a quick kiss.”

“Dear God, come on. This is real life.” I took a sip of my wine. “There has to be a reason he isn’t married already.”

Laura put her glass on the table. “Wait. Think about what you are saying… You are only at max seven years younger than him. It’s difficult to find your person, and using that logic against him will not benefit you.”

She was right. Age shouldn’t matter.I’m thirty-three and still undoubtedly single.“It’s just this feeling I get when he looks at me. Like… like he’s interested.”

Laura’s cheeks flushed. “Oh, believe me, do you forget I by you? I see every interaction and he might not act on it outright, but he finds you attractive. But heck, what man wouldn’t? Look at you.”

I ran my fingers through my hair before throwing it over my shoulder with a bright laugh. “The wall Pilates is doing wonders. My butt has never looked so good.”

My mind thought back to that royal-blue pencil skirt, Lane’s eyes wandering down me. There wasn’t much that made me shy, but his gaze did. I had always been confident, but a man like him gave me a thrill. He took care of his sick mother, which meant he was caring and cared about more than just climbing his way to the top of the firm. But he was my boss.

“Girl, listen. Every woman in the office wants him. He’s hot with a capitalH, and fresh meat in this office is scarce.”

I flexed my fingers around my wineglass. “He’s so charming, and he has that amazing smile. Why couldn’t I have met him outside of the firm? It’s like life wants to show me who’s in control… and it’s not me.”

“Mm-hmm,” Laura replied. “I give it a month before they will remove the company policy. It’s a total double standard. Men get praised for messing around with their assistants, but the women… Leave it to the lawyers saving their own hides.”

God, she is so right.“Listen, he’s hot, we both agree, but I’m not the type of girl to do anything more than have a harmless crush.” My gaze shifted to the window.

There was a knock at the door, signaling the takeout arrived. I got up to answer it. After handing the guy cash, I shut the door and set the bag down on the coffee table. “I am so hungry!” I picked up a container of fried rice and dished it onto a plate.

Laura followed suit, eating as she gave me the scoop on her life. “Maybe you’ll get lucky and Mr. Curran will retire early.”

“Surely the world won’t screw me twice. I’m so ready to have a boss that gets off at a decent time. My looks are taking a real hit from the lack of sleep.”

Laura wasn’t the model type, but she was hardly ugly. Her bright-red hair and green eyes gave her an allure. She was as feisty as her locks, and everyone knew. Whoever ended up being her new boss was in for a treat. She was an extremely dedicated assistant—even Mr. Curran knows that—but sometimes she didn’t quite know when to think before she spoke.

“We will reinstate Happy Hour nights. Remember when we used to go to that bar on sixth? What was it called? The Boardroom… that’s right. Girl’s night and do karaoke. God, it was a blast. I miss that.”

Laura took her last sip of wine and refilled the glass without missing a beat. “Going out and enjoying myself is going to be the first thing on my list. Hopefully, he doesn’t wait too long because I’m ready.”

Laura got paid more than I did, but she also worked a lot more hours. She deserved it, and even though Mr. Curran was as evil as they come, he gave her a decent raise every year.

“Why don’t we do that tomorrow? Maybe Mr. Curran will leave early so we can enjoy ourselves.” I wiggled my eyebrows.

“If it happens, I am totally down!”

As the night went on, Laura had a little too much wine, going all out for her first early night, and passed out on my couch. I didn’t have the gall to wake her, so I threw a blanket over her and headed to my bedroom where Lane would most likely invade my dreams.

Chapter Eight

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