Page 19 of Royal Bosshole

April did a little fist bump, and I frowned. “What the hell? You guys bet on this?”

“Totally. I mean you’ve been needing to get laid for ages, and something to put that smile back on your face. We knew the guy was super-hot since you said so, and so we just hoped for it.”

“But you don’t even know if he’s super-hot,” I said, sounding like a child.

“I looked him up.” April flashed her eyes at me and knocked her shoulder against Stevie.

“And you said second day?” I asked. “Geez, you had no hope for my self-control?”

“Not that you need it!” April said with a laugh. “Come on, girl, you got yours. That’s so romantic too.” There were stars in her eyes.

“What do you mean?” I asked, spotting our karaoke rivals out of the corner of my eye.

Great. Last thing I needed was to see Sadie.

But for some reason, her arrival didn’t bother me as much as usual. Had James’s tongue put some magic spell on me or something?

“The fact that he just gave and didn’t take. So rare, I think,” Stevie said, looking almost envious.

“Speak for yourself.” April beamed, and Stevie rolled her eyes.

“Well, yeah, I did think that was odd. But something else might have happened, only…someone came. Someone named Sandy?”

Stevie blinked at me. “Oh God. Sandy? Was she older?”

“Yeah.”

“Fuck! This woman makes her way across town!” Stevie sat up, and spotting Cassie, waved her over.

“What are you doing?” I asked, panic in my voice.

Cassie and Stevie were coworkers, so they most definitely weren’t rivals. April and Jane were cousins as well, and April’s recent love had softened her toward Cassie who knew what it was like to fall for her boss.

“Hey ladies, what’s up?” Cassie said, confident and smooth as always, looking down at us with her sharp gray eyes.

Sadie and Jane stood just behind her, and they waved and smiled. I nodded, annoyed that Stevie had called over our rivals.

“You know anything about your mom hooking up with a big VP at Coffee on the Go?” Stevie asked.

Cassie shrugged. “Not surprised if she is. Wait…is he that super-hot guy with the accent?”

“Yeah, something like that,” I said, surprising myself. “I work for him now, and she came into the office. He looked angry.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not surprised. She tends to get on men’s nerves. Sounds like this guy knows not to get involved with her again.”

I nodded, and Stevie started chatting to her friend and coworker. My eyes went to Sadie, and she smiled at me.

“Hi, Lily. You guys singing tonight?”

“Not sure yet,” I said, wondering where my old resentment was.

“Well, hope so! Best of luck!” she smiled again and then was gone, taking Jane with her.

I swallowed, wishing I could just go home. I was turning into someone I didn’t recognize. I think I really was under that magic spell.

CHAPTER8

JAMES

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