Page 11 of Most Eligible Boss

I walked down through the terminal and got on my train to work. I thought about what she’d said the whole way to the office and wondered if I could pull it off. Not the sex, since that obviously was not going to happen, but maybe I could make our work relationship more...friendly?

I walked into the office and took a deep breath as I approached Jeremy’s office. We were set to work together that day, beginning a new project. It would be my first big project with the company that I would be solely in charge of, and he would oversee my every step to ensure I completed it to company standards.

I’d been nervous to start for days, but as soon as I walked into his office, he gave me his signature easy smile and gestured for me to sit at a table he’d moved into his space. I could feel his beautiful eyes on me as I moved across the room. I tried not to look back and was thankful Aleshia had suggested I showed a bit more thigh today. I didn’t want to get reprimanded for my unprofessional wardrobe, but I saw other women wear short skirts, so I didn’t see the harm.

“This will be your desk while you finish the project,” he said. “Feel free to play music or do anything you need to do to think better. It won’t bother me.”

I smiled and breathed a sigh of relief as I sat my laptop on the table. It appeared he was ready to be friendly- at least for now.

I thought about Aleshia’s advice. If I was ever going to try to develop a more personable relationship, it had to happen in moments just like this one. I decided to make my move.

“That would be great; I’d love to have some music on! I love all types, but I generally listen to country. What do you normally listen to?”

He raised an eyebrow at me and smiled. He caught on to what I was trying to do.

“I’m not picky,” he said. “Play me your favorite playlist.”

“Okay,” I said back playfully. “After I do, though, I want to hear some of your favorites.”

“Oh! So, we’re going to play DJ today? Is that what you’re up to?”

I giggled as he grabbed a folder off his desk and wheeled his chair to the table beside me.

“This is what I need you to work on,” he said, opening the file and spreading the paperwork out in front of me.

His cologne was subtle but utterly distracting. The file lay on the edge of the desk, threatening to fall. We both must have noticed it because as we reached for it at the same moment, we bumped it off the desk. We laughed, and Jeremy bent down to grab it off the floor. I watched his eyes follow my legs back up to the desk and then up to meet my eyes. I bit my pen slightly and raised an eyebrow as he gave a coy smirk and ran his fingers through his hair. A nervous chuckle escaped his lips.

“These are some of our high-stakes contracts,” he cleared his throat, getting back to business. “We have non-disclosures on all of them, so we can’t really talk about specifics, but I do want you to create a presentation in a way that creatively highlights the type of work we do. A big conference is coming up in Boston, and I was hoping you could accompany me. We’ll present this together.” The way he was sitting, I could feel his leg touching mine. I’m pretty sure it was on purpose. The heat radiated off both our bodies.

“Together? Out of town?” I excitedly asked, immediately recognizing as soon as I said it that it sounded incredibly flirtatious and inappropriate. I threw my hands over my mouth in shock. “That’s not how I meant that to come out!” I tried to correct myself.

He blushed and scooted away slightly, putting distance between us.

“Yeah, let’s be careful how we word things, alright?”

Damn it, Aleshia, I thought to myself. I’d never been more embarrassed in my life.

Chapter Six

JEREMY

NearingtheendofJill’s first thirty days with the company, it was time for me to work on her review and final offer for permanent employment. She had exceeded all expectations, proving herself despite some minor setbacks. She had also done an amazing job compiling the presentation we would soon use when we traveled for the conference.

Stacey and I had compiled the review worksheet years prior to look at each new employee in their entirety at a glance. The review covered everything from professionalism and punctuality to wardrobe and likeability among their co-workers.

For the most part, Jill was scoring relatively high. She is perfectly balanced, friendly to her co-workers, and does not involve herself in office politics or workplace dramas. She was also punctual. After our initial chats about the importance of being early, she prioritized punctuality.

As far as professionalism went, Jill did very well there, too. For the most part, she could keep conversations focused on work and not joke around too much. When she did joke, it was hardly ever inappropriate. However, she and I had some awkward interactions that made me unsure what to think.

I didn’t think either of us was doing very well at hiding that there was some mutual physical attraction between us. Jill would often blush and get shy alone in an elevator. A couple of times, she had fumbled jokes, allowing almost Freudian slips to occur, always to her own horror. I’d noticed several of her department teammates chuckling to themselves when they’d catch her and me working alone together.

My attraction for Jill was also becoming increasingly difficult to make excuses for, too, however. Stacey had accused me of growing soft on Jill and had more than once reminded me that it was my own doing; we had implemented a no-fraternization clause in our employee contracts.

“You should stop looking at her like she’s some little puppy you want to pick up and snuggle,” Stacey scolded me one day. “You made your own rules, and your rules state employees can’t get involved with one another. That includes you, Mister!”

The most significant dispute between Stacey and me regarding Jill, which I would now have to deal with during the review, was Jill’s wardrobe.

For the most part, Jill dressed professionally. She would occasionally leave one too many top buttons undone, or her skirt would ride up a little higher than what we would generally like to see. We had discussed her love of bright colors and silly patterns when I’d asked her only to wear them on days she wouldn’t interact with upper management or the public. It was a compromise I’d made with Stacey, and Jill had done well to comply with the new requests.

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