Page 7 of My Billionaire Boss Crush

“Yes,” Blair whispers, ducking her head and hiding the notepad halfway beneath her dainty fingers.

I feel the corner of my lips tilt slightly upwards as I observe her reaction. “May I see it?” I extend a hand.

Blair’s eyes flicker between me and the notepad, and I can practically see the wheels in her head turning as she decides whether or not showing me her sketch is a good idea. Eventually, when she realizes that I’m not backing down, she sighs and hands it over to me.

What I see leaves me amazed. She has sketched a drawing of a phoenix, rising from its ashes as red-hot flames billow around it. The bird has one eye open, drawn in such a life-like manner that it feels as though its blue eye is staring right at me.

It doesn’t escape my notice that the eye is painted in the same shade of color as Blair’s.

“This is…” I search for the word that can encompass such beguiling talent. “…astounding.” I finally see and stare at her to find her blushing profusely.

“I was only just doodling,” she responds and makes an attempt to grab the notepad out of my mind.

I quickly retract my hand. “No, don’t sell yourself short.” I scowl at her. “You have an amazing talent, and you should be proud of it.” That she would even think that this is nothing annoys me. Does she not realize how amazing she is?

“Thank you.” She smiles blindly at me, causing me to suck in a deep breath.

I return my gaze to the sketch, not wanting to dwell on the emotion that the smile is eliciting from me. That is when I notice the outline of another sketch behind it. However, when I make to flip the page back, Blair lets out a yelp of surprise and lunges for the book, but she isn’t fast.

A second later, I saw the reason for her panic. There’s a sketch of me, anger in my eyes, nostrils flaring, and with my fists clenched to my sides, in the same suit I was wearing yesterday. It takes me a moment to realize that the sketch is of me from yesterday, towering over her desk and yelling at her.

I raise a brow, returning my gaze to her. Then, I flip the page back again and find another sketch of me peering over an array of documents on my desk. I keep flipping, finding sketches of me on and on until the pages end with a sketch of me the first time we met outside my office.

“Well, Miss Osbourne, it seems you’ve been quite busy,” I smirk.

Her embarrassment is amusing to me, especially now that I know that she has been thinking about me too. “Oh god,” she whispers in mortification. “You weren’t supposed to see that.” She grabs the book out of my hand and shoves it into her bag.

“Oh? I would have thought I was at least entitled to seeing them and giving my honest opinion, seeing as I happen to be the subject of those sketches.” I press a hand against my lips to stop myself from bursting into laughter.

“Oh god, I…” She spares a glance at me, and her eyes narrow. “You’re teasing me.” She says when she finally sees the sheer amusement in my eyes.

Laughter bubbles out of my mouth as I nod unrepentantly. “You should see the look on your face right now.” I tease her even more, delighted to see her expression morph from excitement to irritation.

“Oh, Alex…”

A part of me stirs in hunger and need when my name falls from her lips. But before I can think or act on it, the door swings open, and a rattled Freya storms in.

Quickly, both Blair and I rise to our feet. “Miss Holmes, what is the matter?” I ask.

Panicked green eyes flit between Blair and me. “I took the liberty of placing a call to the representatives of Anderson Firm to inquire why they haven’t arrived yet. But I was informed by Anderson’s secretary that an appointment with them was never confirmed, and Anderson already took that to mean we aren’t interested in doing business with them, so he has taken his contract elsewhere.”

“What?!” I bellow the noise causing Freya to shudder quite visibly. “What do you mean by an appointment was never confirmed? I specifically asked Miss Osbourne to…” I trail off, slowly turning to look at the woman to my left, who looks like her entire face is devoid of blood. “What did you do?” I growl.

White as a sheet, Blair gasps and covers her mouth with her hand as she stares at me with widened eyes. “Oh my God,” she mumbles and drops her hand. “I was going to call to confirm the appointment yesterday, but I got carried away by…”

I don’t let her finish her words before walking out of the conference room, beyond enraged.

My frustration reaches its peak as I storm into my office, my footsteps echoing through the empty corridors. The weight of my responsibilities presses heavily on my shoulders, and today has been no exception.

I can’t believe she has cost my company a crucial deal, just like she did at her former workplace. Maybe this is my punishment for overlooking so many mistakes on her part and thinking with my dick and not my head.

All I know is that no matter how Blair Osbourne makes me feel, I cannot tolerate this incompetence any longer.

I pace back and forth, trying to calm the storm brewing inside me. My mind races with conflicting thoughts and emotions, making it difficult to focus. Even now, as I think about what she has done, I feel a pang of irritation mixed with attraction and something else that I've been trying to deny. She's a distraction, an unwelcome disruption to the carefully constructed order of my life.

Yet, despite her constant disarray and mistakes, I cannot deny the spark of intelligence and dedication that resides within her. There are moments when I catch a glimpse of her potential when she surprises me with her resourcefulness and determination. Learning about another talent of hers just minutes ago is a testament to that. But those moments are overshadowed by her consistent lapses in judgment and her inability to handle even the simplest tasks.

Today is the final straw. A critical deal on which the success of my company hinges has slipped through my fingers because of her incompetence. I have to swoop in now and hope that Anderson has the good sense to realize that only my company can offer him the best. But attempting to salvage the situation and rectify her mistakes won’t be easy.

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