Page 4 of My Forbidden Boss

»Miss Sullivan? Good, you’re here, I didn’t see you back there.« Slowly, I turned around, attempting not to meet Wesley’s gaze. I stood straight, my body taut as a bow. »This is the most competent and best assistant in all of New York, you’re lucky to be able to work with her, Wesley.« I drew a deep breath and failed at a grin. It was surely just a tense grimace. When I dared and looked at Wesley for a moment, I recognized the surprise in his eyes. Yet, there was also a smile on his lips that couldn’t have been more sincere. He had just shown a facade, but this time he meant it. Was he happy about this reunion? »I’ll leave you alone,« whispered Isabelle, bid farewell to the two men and left the room with the rest of the employees. Only Mr. Simmons, Wesley and I were left. The only thing separating me from them was the long conference table. But I had to give up this protection now if I didn’t want to continue being rude in Mr. Simmons‹ eyes. I walked towards the two and with each step, my legs felt heavier. Casually, I brushed my fingers on my pencil skirt and extended my hand towards Wesley. As soon as his skin touched mine, a tingling sensation raced through me. Up close, he was even more impressive, not just because of his height and his trained body. It was his eyes that instantly captivated me. »I’m really looking forward to working with you, Mr. Crush,« I managed to squeeze out with all my effort, immediately setting boundaries by not revealing that we knew each other. »Likewise,« he replied gruffly. Finally, Wesley let go of my hand and I could breathe a little better. Although still not so much that the dizziness completely disappeared. Mr. Simmons fortunately seemed to guess nothing of our feelings. »Maybe you can use this moment to get to know each other a bit. Miss Sullivan, would you like to show Mr. Crush around the department?« I would have loved to shout ›No‹ loudly again, but if I didn’t want to come across as a crazy lunatic, I had to swallow this urge. »Yes, of course, with pleasure.« I tried to smile. Wesley looked at my lips and instantly, a wildfire spread through my body, threatening to incinerate me. I hoped my body was only reacting so disproportionately because the surprise confused me. If we really worked together more closely and on a daily basis, this heat would surely subside and I could deal with him like any other person. A voice inside me began to laugh at me loudly and harshly.

4

Wesley

What a surprise. I had to admit, I hadn’t expected this. Brianna as my new assistant.

Even though I’d previously had reservations about a reunion, joy unquestionably prevailed. From the reserved girl with thick glasses and sarcastic quips, a breathtaking swan had blossomed. She was still considerably shorter than me, even with her extraordinarily high heels. Her blouse emphasized her slim waist in a sensual manner, and her skirt highlighted the beautiful curve of her rounded backside. She was like a curvaceous model from the 1950s, knowing exactly how to perfectly present her femininity. But it wasn’t just the outward appearance that attracted me like a moth to a flame, it was her longing gaze, her breath quick and rough over her red lips, the reaction of her entire body to me.

Immediately I was reminded of our kiss, indeed it was all I could think about as we walked side by side down the hallway. »Here are the offices for accounting and administration,« she said, pointing to an open-plan office.

I pretended as if I could focus on this tour, nodding. The building where the office was located was indeed a gem, something special amidst New York’s skyscrapers. The staff made a motivated, good impression on me and the Simmons Hotels were raking in a decent chunk of profit. These alone were reasons enough to take over the company. Had I known that Brianna worked here, I might have done it much sooner.

We came to a hallway leading to a separate workspace and a single office. Bri wanted to continue walking, but I stopped her. »What’s there?«

»Your office,« she said, and I didn’t imagine that her voice became a little breathless. She had actually pulled it off, maintaining a formal tone with me all the time. Besides the fact that it didn’t leave me as cold as it should, the way she pronounced my surname, I found it amusing that she wanted to pretend as if we didn’t know each other. But I played along, perhaps also to protect myself. Aside from the fact that she was the only woman I’d ever given a thought to, she was my employee, and I her boss. Workplace relationships of any sort were absolutely out of the question for me. Rule number one, so to speak. But who knew if she even thought about it. I didn’t see a ring on her finger, but maybe she had a steady boyfriend nonetheless.

»Were you going to withhold this part from me, Miss Sullivan?« Was she afraid to be alone with me in a room?

»Absolutely not.« She gestured down the hallway. »Come.«

We walked past a narrow office separated from the corridor by glass walls. »Here’s my workspace,« she said. »If you’re looking for me, I’ll most likely be found here.« We continued on and she opened the door. The room beyond was huge, with a wide glass desk in front of large windows and a seating area on the other side. Some cabinets were in there, but otherwise, it was spacious and almost empty.

»Mr. Simmons has already cleared out his things, you can settle in immediately.«

I entered the room, and Brianna followed. On a whim, I closed the door. We were alone, and immediately, excitement spread through my body.

She seemed to feel it too, slowly licking her lips. Not even a day in this company and already I was contemplating breaking my own rules.

»Shall we continue to pretend we don’t know each other, or can we have a conversation about it?« I asked. We stood exactly opposite each other, I would only have needed to extend my arm to touch her.

»About what?«

A smile spread across my lips. So she wanted to ignore it. I increased the distance between us and leaned against the desk, crossing my arms. Here she was, right in the middle of this vast office. A hundred things I’d like to do with her sprang to mind.

»You were just my brother’s friend,« she finally said. Was it the silence making her nervous, or was it me? »There’s not much to catch up on.«

»Now you’re using the informal ›you‹?«

»We’re alone, I didn’t want to expose you in front of your new employees and wanted to maintain a polite distance.«

»That’s very foresighted of you.«

»Mr. Simmons didn’t lie when he said I was the best.«

I couldn’t stop grinning, something that otherwise never happened. She was divine and her self-confidence was incredibly attractive. Even though I liked to be dominant with women, I needed a strong partner who could match my games.

»And that’s why you didn’t want to discuss our past?«

»Correct. It has nothing to do with work. Besides, it’s been eleven years since we last saw each other. What did you expect, my life moved on.«

She was right, but something about her words told me that it wasn’t quite as simple as she wanted me to believe. At this point, I should let it be, thank her for the tour, and wish her a good future cooperation.

Yet something in me wanted her to finally shed this business restraint and show the Brianna who never let anyone tell her anything, who had a quick-witted answer for everything and everyone. Had she lost herself in those years or was she just pretending, so her job wasn’t jeopardized?

I pushed off from the desk and took a step towards her. Instantly, I recognized the reaction of her body and damn, it gave me a solid boost of satisfaction.

»I didn’t expect to find you here, of all places. But I see it like you, we shouldn’t let anything that was hardly worth mentioning influence us.« There it was. I recognized the brief flash of her temper when I pretended our kiss had meant nothing to me either. I extended my hand to her again. »To a successful collaboration.«