Page 1 of Warming Up Coco (Santa Daddy)

Prologue

COCO SANCHEZ

He looked like his head was going to explode. I felt a little bad, but not really.

Lucas Star was a pain in the ass on a regular day, but it seemed I personally brought out the worst in him. For whatever reason, he hated me and loved to make my life a living hell.

“Miss Sanchez, what did I say about your perfume?” I frowned and fought the need to roll my eyes. My hands stretched out over the keyboard. I had to force them to relax.

If I didn’t, I might be tempted to toss the laptop toward him in the hopes of hitting him in the head.

“Not to wear it anymore,” I muttered, not bothering to look up at him because I knew just how much that annoyed him.

The man had had the audacity to ask me, and me alone, to stop wearing perfume. As if I smelled bad or something. If he only knew perfumes, like shoes, were my weakness. I bought the good stuff. I studied scents and scrimped and saved to buy the ones I loved. But he had acted like I bought some cheap discount bin scent that smelled worse than a skunk.

“If you’re not wearing it, why does it smell like that?” he growled. I looked over the screen of the laptop and masked my annoyance.

“I don’t know what you are smelling, Mr. Star.” I smiled tightly. I knew it looked fake, but I didn’t care. The man had pushed me too far. An animalistic growl vibrated through him, and it was more than clear he was frustrated and annoyed with me. “Is there anything else I could do for you?” I asked, giving him my best bored expression.

He hated when I did that, when I seemed indifferent.

I should quit.I really should.

No amount of money was worth suffering this kind of abuse. But I was so close to paying off my student loans. I knew Lucas Star’s pay was more than competitive. There was no way I could go anywhere else and get paid what I made taking his crap.

Heck, it wasn’t like I hadn’t tried. Any time I applied to work for a different department in his firm, I got called into HR with a raise. One I had a feeling he’d put in to keep me under his thumb. I never got a call for even an interview. Something told me all the roadblocks set in my way were thanks to Mr. Star and no one else.

Which made no sense.

He hated me.

He hated me, while I loved him. I shivered at the thought. He made a face that snapped me out of my thoughts. I knew that look. He looked like he was ready to murder me.

“Why are you cold?” he accused. I blinked, masking any and all emotions I felt inside that were slowly bubbling up to the surface.

“Why do we breathe?” I responded. His stupid beautiful lips thinned.

“Maybe if you dressed a little more appropriately, you wouldn’t get cold.” There was no holding back my eyeroll then.

“You know what?” I stood up and grabbed my purse.

“What are you doing?” he asked, but I ignored him as I tossed on the cardigan resting on the back of my desk chair. “Where are you going?!” he now barked. My eyes drifted up to his face, and my heart, my stupid hopeless heart, broke a little. It felt like Lucas’ face was set in a permanent scowl whenever he looked at me.

“To lunch,” I muttered. I had been ready to work through lunch and cancel with my friend Serena. But he’d pushed one too many buttons. I needed a break from him, or else I’d do something stupid.

Living in Los Angeles was not cheap. Rent was sky-high. The cost of groceries was insane. I needed my job.

Working for Lucas Star was a means to an end. If I wanted to get my loans done and over with, I had to keep working for him. One day, I would be out of that debt and finally be able to breathe financially. Then I ‘d quit. I’d quit, take the bar, and open my own practice.

I just had to stay focused.

Space away from the world’s worst boss would help.

But being who I was—my dad had always warned me my mouth would get me into trouble—I turned to look up at him.

“And just so you know,”—my jaw clenched—“I am dressed within your dress code.”I am dressed like a freaking nun!“If you have an issue with it, maybe you should talk to your HR department.”

“You need to sit back down.” He pointed at me, and my brows bunched. “Lunch is being delivered in a couple of minutes,” he muttered before storming off and slamming his door. I stared at the closed door for a moment and shut my eyes.

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