Page 19 of Boss On Notice
“You have such a hard body,” I say.
He snorts a laugh. “You really are drunk. Let’s get you sober.”
* * *
Our footfalls landon the concrete. Lots of people are out tonight. Our hotel is so empty that it hadn’t occurred to me that we are visitors in one of the most popular and crowded cities in the country. Orion is still holding me close with an arm around my waist. My head rests against his solid shoulder. I need him right now. For one thing, he’s essential to my ability to put one foot in front of the other. But there’s something else too.
“I like you tonight, Orion,” I reveal. “Usually, you’re such a…” What is he? He’s not an asshole.
“Asshole?” he says with a laugh.
“No,” I whisper ardently. “Not an asshole. You’re not mean. You’re just such a manwhore. And you need a lot of attention. You’re so unserious. I also think you’re spoiled and entitled. And a certifiable fuckboy.” I close my eyes and try to remember what I just said. The wordfuckboyis stuck in my head. Did I just tell Orion he’s a fuckboy?
“You’re not wrong.” Orion’s voice sounds like it’s five feet behind us.
“Wrong about what?” I whisper, my eyelids fluttering open.
“All right. I see we have to take a more aggressive approach.”
We come to a stop and somehow, I’m facing him, clinging to his hard arms. “Gosh, your body is so firm. There’s not much better than a man who’s all soft skin and muscle.” I squeeze my arms around his torso and press myself against him. “Umm…” I moan.
“Shit,” he whispers and then quickly says, “Ellis, pick us up. I’ll pin you.”
* * *
I thinkI fell asleep while hugging Orion, but I don’t know. At first, we were standing on the sidewalk and now we’re in the back seat of a chauffeured limousine. I’m close to Orion. I like being close to him. The side of my face still rests on his bicep and my fingers skim the ridges of his obliques. I can’t stop touching this man that I’m with tonight. I don’t even see him as my boss, Orion Lord. He’s someone else, a stranger—a hot, remarkably handsome stranger who smells like citrus, pepper, sandalwood, and cherries. I take another deep inhale. “Umm…”
“Let me know if you’re going to throw up,” he says with a soft laugh.
Orion says I threw up several times on the sidewalk.I had?I don’t recall. But I snuggle him closer. He’s like a big, hard, stuffed animal. “I think I should probably go to bed,” I say, even though I don’t want my night to end.
“We’re just getting started, Lila,” Orion says. He draws me closer.
“Are we?”
Was that a kiss he just put on my forehead? “Let me sober you up some. I know the perfect spot.”
I can use some sobering up. “Okay,” I breathe.
“But we’re getting along, aren’t we?” he asks.
I squeeze his firm obliques. “Yes.”
“You see, we could be friends.”
“Maybe,” I mutter.
“I read your letter, Lila.”
What did he say? Did he call me Lila? “What letter?”
“Returned to the office on Thursday night…”
“Calendar…”
“Power outage…”
“Oh,” I say, finally able to decipher his words. “I left because I wanted to have fun.”
