Page 1 of Brighter than the Boss
1
Sunny
I ignored the beach seductively calling my name. Didn't let myself feel the cool breeze or the warm sun blinding me as I entered the Lifeguard Headquarters building. Contrary to all the people frolicking around on the beach, I was here to do a job. A job I'd worked years to attain. I was finally hired as a full-time lifeguard in my ideal city, Huntington Beach.
The heavy glass door swung open in my strong grip. You didn't make it as a beach lifeguard for eight years without building a muscle or two. I was only five foot three, but don't let my height or the long blonde hair fool you, I was a strong, grown-ass woman. I'd had a lot of nicknames growing up, mostly to do with my short stature, so I'd always been focused on being the best at everything to show ’em up. Competitive? You bet your ass.
"Can I help you?" the girl said from behind the front desk with a sweet smile.
"Yes, I'm Sunny. I'm here to meet with either Ivan or Cain." She saw my nerves as I rushed to tell her the rest. "It's my first day."
"Well, welcome! Let me radio the guys and see who's available to run you through everything. Probably not Cain...it's his birthday today and he's busy being a slacker, I bet." She smiled and picked up a walkie-talkie to call it in.
I took that time to walk around the Headquarters lobby, studying the pictures on the wall. I saw several pictures with Cain, one of two head supervisors in this division. His reputation in the SoCal area was one of a total player. Talented beyond belief out there in the water, but a ladies’ man of epic proportions. His tall, dark, and handsome was driven up a notch by his spectacular body and a rumored substantial bank account. If it was his birthday, I would bet he'd be out on the beach flirting with all the pretty ladies in bikinis.
"Sunny?"
I whipped around to find a tall blond man waiting for me with a smile on his handsome face. Thank goodness, it wasn't Cain. I don't think I could have gotten through a conversation with him on my first day. They didn't make boys like that back home in Muncie, Indiana.
Ivan showed me around the building and explained how they ran their department, which was slightly different from how they did things at my previous lifeguarding job further north in Los Angeles County. I was instructed to don my new red swimsuit and meet Ivan down at tower 3 while he got ahold of Cain to hand over his birthday present.
Pushing the door open to the locker room, I rushed to store my things in an empty locker and stripped out of my clothes, still feeling those first-day jitters. I was just about to step into the suit bottoms when the door burst open and a huge man barreled in. He skidded to a stop, a frown marring his face, and the door swung closed behind him with a clang.
At this moment of surprise and vulnerability, I'm sure most women would duck or cover. Instead, my first instinct was to fight.
I stepped into a wide defensive stance and raised my hands, ready for anything. I didn't take years of Jiu Jitsu without learning a thing or two. I didn't normally spar naked, but hey, I could adapt.
While I anticipated what he'd do, a tickle of awareness moved through me, leaving me feeling hot and dizzy. My intruder was freaking hot.
The locker room was small and cramped, which left him only a foot or two away, our gazes locked in a staring contest. I noted he blinked first, his gaze traveling down my body like a physical touch, the temptation of a naked woman too much to care about a silly stare-down. I don't know what he saw to change his current mood, but the frown turned into a giant grin, setting off new warning bells in my head.
I knew this guy.
Cain.
My new boss.
Apparently he didn't know who I was because he took one giant step forward, grabbed my wrists and pulled my arms up over my head. He crowded me back into the lockers behind me, the cold metal and the look in his eye pulling a gasp from me.
"Thank you, Ivan," he muttered reverently.
I had no time to respond before his lips slammed down on mine, the warning bells silenced with the press of his firm body on my naked one. I felt every ripple of muscle and a steel pipe digging into my stomach, letting me know who was in charge here. I got lost in the kiss, forgetting who he was, where I was, and how badly this would inevitably end. The panic had quickly dissolved into red-hot desire.
One hand left my wrists to travel down my body, a trail of goose bumps and fire in its wake. His rough fingers settled between my legs, parting me and zeroing in with deadly accuracy. My eyes rolled back in my head, lost to everything but the expert way he strummed my body. His tongue and fingers coordinated their attack, leaving me high and definitely not dry. A few moments longer and I could come all over his fingers, I was sure of it.
He chose that moment to pull back a fraction of an inch, his heavy breath fanning across my lips. "Where did Ivan find you?"
I tried to blink away the fog and scrunched my nose. "Ivan?"
He paused, face now blank, fingers now frozen. All I heard was a constant drip coming from one of the showerheads, heading down the drain, along with my career.
He tilted his head and spoke slowly, "Who are you?"
The room came back into focus and my stomach dropped. I swallowed, knowing this was it. The moment where I paid for that epic kiss. The one I never dreamed I'd get from a man who would never normally look at me twice.
"I'm Sunny, your newest lifeguard."
His head dropped and I could smell his midnight-black hair. I memorized the scent of his gel, knowing I'd never get it out of my head and probably never be close enough to smell it again. His hand released my wrists like I'd burned him. The step back was only a foot or two, but the distance between us was now a gaping chasm. My nipples pebbled at the sudden chill, but he never saw, having averted his eyes like he couldn't stand to look at me.
