Page 5 of Dating the Boss

There’s something about knowing Brooklyn will be presented with twenty eligible bachelors in a two-hour period that fills me with an anger so visceral, I find my hands are shaking. I can handle not making her my own when I thought she wasn’t actively looking, but now? I had no idea she was interested in dating, and now that I know, I don’t think I can ignore my feelings for her anymore.

But what am I going to do about it?

3

BROOKLYN

Two weeks ago, Coulter asked me if I had Valentine’s Day plans. I have to admit, for a split second there, my heart jumped into my throat as I thought all my fantasies were about to come true. Then he mentioned a fundraiser he needed to attend, and I told him something I’ve never said before; I told him no.

Ever since then, he’s been acting weird. Maybe it’s because I told him no. I’ve never not made myself available when he’s requested my presence, but I draw the line at attending another fundraiser as his staff member while some thin, beautiful woman gushes for the cameras on his arm—on Valentine’s Day.

Nope. Not this year. Maybe never again.

“Oh, you look great!” Margot comes into my office with two lattes. We agreed to dress for the speed dating event and go straight from the office at four.

I smooth my hands down my mermaid skirt. “You think?”

“Hell yeah.” She does a small twirl in front of me. “And my outfit?”

She’s wearing a black pencil skirt and a white peplum blouse with a sweetheart neckline and little red cherries. She’s got victory rolls in her hair, which she’s straightened. Her makeup is flawless, as always, and her lips could prompt a priest to fantasize about administering her communion—on her knees, of course. “You look amazing, as always. You’re going to have guys begging for your hand before the end of the event.”

She kicks the heel of her Mary Jane up behind her. “That’s the plan.”

The elevator dings, and we both swing our gazes as the doors open. Coulter and Camden walk off the elevator, knee-deep in a heated discussion. They both stop speaking when their eyes land on us.

“Holy hell.” Camden’s jaw drops open as his eyes unapologetically drink Margot in from head to toe and back again. I watch as a faint smile curves across her lips before she stifles it with a forced scowl.

“Remember, Brook. We have to leave by three-thirty.” She grabs her latte and skirts past our bosses, but I notice the extra swish in her hips.

Camden’s gaze stays on her, but it’s the way Coulter looks at me that has my heart beating in triple time.

“Why are you dressed up?” he asks, coming off a lot more casual than his brother.

I wave his comment away and grab my latte before sitting at my desk. “I’m not.”

“Right.” His gaze narrows, but the curve of his lips tells me he wants to say more. “Well, you look beautiful, whether you’re trying or not.”

Now it’s my turn for my jaw to drop as I watch him and Camden walk into his office. He’s back at my desk sixty seconds later, grabbing a stack of mail out of the box. “You have plans tonight, and that’s why you can’t come to the fundraiser with me?”

I bite my lip, meeting his eye. There’s something behind the way he’s looking at me, like he’s hurt, as if I’ve rejected him on a personal level. “Yes, I have plans with Margot, but honestly?”

He nods. “Always.”

I sigh and then direct my eyes to my computer. “I really don’t want to be the third wheel on Valentine’s Day. Actually, I’d like to stop being the third wheel altogether.”

Grumbling, he leans his hips against my desk. “You accompany me as my assistant to business functions disguised as social events. You’re not a third wheel.”

“Business functions with dates.” I quip, keeping my eyes on my computer screen.

“Is that what this is about? They are a means to an end. A way to bring people’s defenses down, as everything becomes a lot more casual with them there.”

I plaster a smile on my face. He doesn’t get it, and why would he? He doesn’t see me as a woman; he sees me as his assistant. A business colleague—nothing more. “I understand, but don’t you think I’d rather spend my nights dating versus chaperoning you?”

“I didn’t realize I was keeping you from dating.” There’s an edge to his tone, causing me to look up into his golden brown eyes.

I smile, a blush hitting my cheeks. “It hasn’t solely been your fault.”

He narrows his eyes again, and then nods. “You need to get off early today?”

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