Page 36 of Rude Boss 2

“No, I don’t consider it an interruption at all. I’m just happy to be able to be here for you.”

She nods. Smiles nervously. “They’re discharging her in the morning.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. The doctor already confirmed it.”

“That’s good. I have a meeting with Walbridge in the morning that I can’t miss.”

“Who is Walbridge? Another new hire you’re torturing?”

I grin. “No. Walbridge Industries is owned by Paul Walton. He’s a new client.”

“Oh.”

“The client I landed because of you.”

“I doubt that, but I’m glad you were able to secure the business.”

“I am, too, Quintessa.” I take a sip of tea, then say, “I want you to take the rest of the week off to be with your mother.”

“I’m not doing that.”

“Youaredoing that.”

“I have work to do at the office just like everybody else, Essex. I don’t want any special treatment.”

“That’s not what this is. You have a family emergency. You’re taking the rest of the week off. End of discussion.”

“Ugh…there you go again, bossing me around,” she tells me.

“Maybe you should stop being so hardheaded.”

“You’rethe one being hardheaded. I can’t take off Wednesday, ThursdayandFriday. I’ll definitely be on Greta’s bad side.”

“Yeah, and Greta will be on my bad side if she gives you any problems about it. In fact, I’ll send her an email to let her know you’ll be back on Monday.”

“No, Essex, don’t do that. Then she’ll think something is going on between us.”

“Somethingisgoing on between us, Tessie, so she’d be correct in her assumption.”

She rolls her eyes up to look at me. “And what’s going on between us exactly?”

“A lot of things that have been left unsaid. Since the day of your interview, you’ve been on my mind constantly—sometimes multiple times a day. Most timesallday. You flood my dreams. I wake up in the morning thinking of you. You know how to get to me in ways other women can’t, and I can’t believe I’m admitting that to you. Since I’m on a roll, I may as well confess…I love talking to you. Arguing with you. Getting under your skin. Sharing meals with you. I like it. I like it a lot. I likeyoua lot.”

With a darting gaze that refuses to connect with mine, she says, “I like you, too, Essex.”

Leaning forward, I ask, “What was that? I don’t think I heard you correctly.”

She chews her lip before she looks at me this time and says, “I said, I like you, too, Essex, but let me finish. While I can admit that, I know this is not a good look for you.”

“What does it matter?”

I ask the question as if I’m unaware of the implications that come along with dating an employee. Surely something like this will be frowned upon, but I honestly do not care. This is Quintessa Bailey – the woman who saved me in so many ways. I’d risk it all for her.

She says, “A man like you can’t be linked up with an employee. It could ruin your reputation.”

“My reputation. That’s laughable. People have already formed their opinions about me—most of them bad. What do I care about a few more opinions?”

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