Page 3 of Dating the Boss

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COULTER

“Another party?” I toss the invitation on my desk and lean back, pinning my brother with a look that he’s effectively ignored since we were teenagers. He doesn’t care that I’m annoyed. He doesn’t care that I’m tired of living a lie. To be honest, if I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t care either.

“Like it or not, your pseudo-celebrity status as Spring City’s most eligible bachelor has brought positive press to Manning Industries, which equals new customers and, more important, new investors.”

I rub my face and sigh. “Yeah, I know, but how much longer do I have to keep up this ruse?”

Camden plops into a chair and rolls his eyes. “Oh, poor you. It must be so hard to go to fancy A-list events with models, singers, and actresses.”

“I don’t have anything in common with them. Why don’t you do it?”

“I can’t be the face of Manning Industries because I’m not the one with the Ivy League MBA. I’m not the CEO.”

“But you’re a board member and VP of public relations.” I tap my chin, “Oh, and a Manning. You can boost or damage our company’s image just as easily as I can.”

He frowns. “Just admit it. You want to date Brooklyn, but you know that can’t happen, so you’re bitching about dating beautiful women who you’d have something in common with if you’d only give them half a chance.”

I glance at the door and then at my phone to make sure my line isn’t live. “Shut up.”

Camden flashes me a victorious smile. “Once we successfully launch the new product, we can slow down the public image campaign, and you can retire yourmost eligibletiara.”

“Good.” Chuckling, I toss a pen at him, which he successfully ducks.

“Speaking of which, how is the new product?”

I nod, my gaze scanning my incoming emails for anything interesting. “Testing of the app has gone well. On-demand manufacturing and logistics are in place, and as long as the marketing department delivers on their roll-out presentation today, we’ll start a public campaign next week and take on a test market the following week. By this time next month, we’ll have launched a whole new business model to take Manning Industries into the twenty-first century.”

“It’s about time,” Camden says at the same time Brooklyn opens the door with lunch.

“Bite me, Camden. If you’re that hungry, you should have brought lunch with you.”

My brother laughs, his gaze bouncing between her and me. “Damn, Brooklyn. I wasn’t talking about lunch.”

A blush hits her cheeks, but as I expect, she doesn’t back down. Instead, she narrows her eyes and walks to the table, setting two plates down. “Your lunches.”

“Aren’t you eating with us?” I stand up and smooth down my tie, my gaze drinking in Brooklyn in her V-cut blouse, tight capris pants, and high heels. I fantasize about her curves, and the idea of sliding my hands along them sends my blood rushing south every time.

Having her as my assistant has been a constant temptation over the last eight months. I love everything about her, from the way she looks to her brains to her smart-ass mouth. She’s seduction personified, her curves soft and ample, her golden hair long and lush, eyes a soft blue that changes color with her mood. And don’t get me started on her lips, which are perpetually pursed and ready to be devoured. Two months ago, I caught her sucking on a candy cane at her desk and damn near came in my pants. Yeah, she’s everything I want and exactly who I don’t deserve—not with the way I’ve been galivanting around town like some trust fund kid who has more money than brains. But I hope once the new product rolls out, and our stock prices show signs of returning to what they were before our father took the reins, I can ditch this public persona and ease my way into Brooklyn’s heart. I don’t want to lose her as an assistant, but there has to be a happy middle ground where we can be boss and employee as well as lovers.

There has to be a world where that can work—right?

“Do you want the marketing department’s presentation at four to be flawless?” She hands me a set of chopsticks, her eyes sparkling with a sarcastic glint. Brooklyn Pierce happens to be one of the sassiest women I’ve ever met. She takes no shit off of anyone, and I love that about her.

“Of course,” I deadpan.

“Then I’ll be eating lunch at my desk.” She tilts her head, her gaze giving me a once-over that borders between lust and disdain. The way she looks at me drives me crazy, like she absolutely wants to take a bite out of me but isn’t sure if she’ll savor the taste or spit me out. Then she reaches up and picks at a spot on my tie, flashing me a teasing smile. “Enjoy your lunch.”

I watch her sashay out, my body on fire from that fleeting touch.

Camden scoffs beside me, shoving a piece of sashimi into his mouth before he says something that will get him smacked.

“Shut up,” I say anyway, picking up my plate and taking it back to my desk.

For the last year and a half, I’ve attended a multitude of functions, all to rebrand Manning Industries, whose reputation was driven into the toilet by twelve years of mismanagement under my father’s care. He destroyed every relationship my grandfather cultivated since he started the family company in 1962. Back then, Manning Industries was purely manufacturing, working with all the major US automotive and marine companies, mass producing assembly line and aftermarket parts. It was a simple business model: produce what was required, as long as it was required in mass. That’s it. We didn’t do specialty parts or orders under one hundred thousand units, which at the time wasn’t in high demand. But my father was never interested in running a company, and when our grandfather got sick, he was thrust into the position since Camden and I were too young to step into the roles.

Luckily, our grandfather put our shares in a trust and secured our positions on the board. All we had to do was graduate with business degrees and work at least six months in every department prior to our twenty-fifth birthdays, which I did. Our father was willing to step aside, as long as his allowance keeps him living the lifestyle he believes he deserves. And since our mother divorced him long ago, it was an easy decision to make.

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