Page 24 of Falling For Her Boss

I guess we just have to play it by ear. Perhaps she doesn’t even want the same things I do. Maybe she’ll be happy to draw a line in the sand after a few one-night stands and walk away. Something tells me that won’t be the case, though. If she’s waited this long to have sex, it clearly really means something to her…as it should in anyone’s case. I don’t want to let her down, so for now, I’m playing it safe. At least until she tells me otherwise.

I’m going to be late if I don’t stop dithering about. I head out of my office, hoping no one can tell that I’ve got a hard-on. The sooner I sit down, the better.

And yet, the second I walk into the meeting room, my legs turn to jelly. There she is, sitting nervously at the table with her legs crossed one over the other delicately. The sight of her Cinderella shoes makes me smile. I take a seat at the head of the table, incidentally right beside her. Our legs nudge as the meeting room fills out and I smile, not looking at her face. We have to be discreet, after all. But with her skin on mine, even just barely, it’s a good start to this meeting.

“Right,” I address the room, clapping my hands together. “Let’s get started, shall we?” I finally let myself look at Isabella. She takes my breath away by doing nothing at all. Her blonde curls fall so prettily around her face that I’m utterly distracted. I clear my throat to bring myself to my senses, fully aware that everyone is watching me.

“So, since our original meeting was postponed, I’m sure you’ve all had plenty of time to brainstorm and to get some results from our marketing surveys. Would anyone like to lead the way?”

I zone out as Bret starts talking. It’s fortunate that Isabella is making notes for me because I’m sure I won’t remember a single word he said. What is wrong with me? Ever since I became a part of this company, I’ve been so focused. I’ve never let anything distract me from work before. Even when Maeve was still my assistant and we were hooking up after hours, I barely thought of her during the day. Sure, she crossed my mind when I took my lunch break and had time to think, or whenever she sashayed into my office. It’s hard to ignore someone who is deliberately trying to catch your eye. But with Isabella, she’s all-consuming. By the time Bret finishes talking, a long silence drapes over the room and it takes me a long moment to realize it’s because I haven’t responded.

“Um…good work, Bret.”

“You alright, boss? You seem a little distracted,” he says with concern. I force out a laugh.

“I’m fine, really. I’m just still a little drowsy. I’m on some…heavy medication,” I say, gesturing to my injured face and hoping no one will question me any further. When they don’t, I finally turn back to Isabella. Fortunately, the next part of the meeting requires me to look at her. I can finally give her my undivided attention.

“So today, we have Isabella with us. She correctly pointed out last week that our panel here isn’t exactly diverse. It’s hard for us to get an idea of what women truly want because of our lack of research. And of course, surveys are helpful for getting a wide range of opinions…but actually, we’ll be talking to something of an expert here today. Isabella knows a lot about makeup and is hoping to become a makeup artist someday.”

Some of the men look at one another and snigger. Isabella blushes and I feel a surge of anger shoot through me. I know they feel like she’s easy-pickings for the butt of a joke, after all, as the only woman in the meeting, she’s severely underrated, but I won’t tolerate them making her uncomfortable. I slowly lean in toward them and they all have the sense to look uncomfortable.

“I don’t know what you are all laughing at,” I growl. “It would seem that she has more ambition than any of you idiots. She’s also capable of doing your job better than you, which is why she is here today. So I suggest you stop looking down your noses at her and listen. You might actually learn something.”

I notice that Isabella is smiling as she hides behind her hair. She doesn’t look offended by the men, but rather pleased that I stepped in to take care of her. I’ve become strangely protective of her these past few weeks, especially now after what we shared in my office. The memory causes a twinge in my pants and I hastily decide to get back to the task at hand before I get any more aroused.

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