Page 4 of My Baby's Boss Daddy

He laughed again and ran a hand over his face. “Sometimes, it does, but that’s the case with a lot of jobs, even the ones you love.”

“I guess.”

“Not a big fan of your job, huh?”

“It’s okay. It pays the bills, so I’m thankful for that.”

He let his hand fall next to him and sat up straighter. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“I appreciate that.”

Slowly, he nodded, and his expression shifted. “Absolutely. I’m Bernard, by the way. Bernard Shaw.”

I held my free hand out, and he shook it. “I’m Rachel. Rachel Booth.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Rachel.” His hand lingered, sending jolts of electricity racing through me.

“I should get back to work.”

“Got to deal with all the salt problems of the world,” he teased with a smile. “I’ll have the house salad and some iced tea.”

When I returned, he looked up at me and made small talk while I set down the plate and a cup and arranged the cutlery. “Would you like anything else?”

“Yeah, what time do you get off of work?”

“Seven,” I replied, a blush rising up my cheeks.

“I’d love to take you out after you’re done.”

“I’ll meet you at the front door at seven-fifteen,” I responded after a brief pause.

Chapter 2: Electric

Bernard

She laced her fingers through mine and raised her voice to be heard over the noise. “Are you sure this is okay?”

I glanced at her over my shoulder and grinned. “You look fine, don’t worry.”

In silence, I led her through the tightly packed bodies, gyrating against each other. The smell of alcohol and sweat rose through the air as we weaved in and out of the bodies, many of them gathered in the middle of the dance floor, lit up in bright neon lights. Her shoes squeaked against the tile floors as I pulled her behind me and made a beeline for the back.

The tall, muscular man with short, cropped hair and alert dark eyes recognized me instantly. Wordlessly, he unhooked the stanchion and ushered us through. As soon as we stepped through, he clipped it shut behind us and straightened his back. I tucked Rachel into my side and led her to a table in the back, in a secluded corner, with a single light casting long shadows across the walls.

Music pumped steadily through the overhead speakers.

Rachel withdrew her hand and sat down, crossing one ankle over the other. “This is really nice.”

I shrugged and sat down opposite her, leaving the circular table between us. “It’s normally not this loud.”

Rachel’s blue eyes fixed on me. “You come here a lot?”

“I stay in this hotel a lot, and the clubhouse has good food,” I replied, pausing to peer into the semi-lit room. I waved a waitress in a red and black uniform over. “Order whatever you want. It’s on my tab.”

Rachel blushed. “I couldn’t.”

“I insist,” I told her with a smile. “After the night you’ve had, you look like you could use it.”

The waitress stopped next to me and offered me a full grin. “What can I get you, Mr. Shaw?”

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