Page 52 of Boss of Her

Jade felt a pang of yearning in her stomach. She’d been trying not to think about the fact that her time as Simone’s assistant would end in less than a month. What would happen then? Would they still get to see each other?

Would their kinky affair come to an end?

“Jade?” Simone said. “What’s the matter?”

Jade shook her head. “It’s nothing. I’m going to miss this too, that’s all.”

Simone took her hand, lacing her fingers through Jade’s. “Just think about it this way. Once you’re no longer working for me, we won’t have to sneak around. Doesn’t that sound appealing?”

Jade’s heart skipped. So Simone did want to keep seeing her.

And maybe? Maybe it could even be more than just an affair.

Jade smiled. “That sounds great.”

Simone released Jade’s hand. “Now, we have plenty to do, so get to your desk.”

But the moment Jade got up from her lap, Simone pulled her back into a hungry kiss. And when her boss finally released her, it was with a sharp slap on her ass that made her hot all over.

Jade sat down at her desk, coffee in hand. She really did have plenty of work to do. Both of them were still working overtime on the Ashton Star deal. While an agreement had been reached, there were minor details to negotiate, paperwork to finalize. Simone wouldn’t rest until the contract was signed and the ink was dry. And neither would her assistant.

But for Jade, working with Simone was effortless. They worked together like one, both inside and outside the office. AllSimone had to do was say the word, and Jade would be there to carry out her every command. Half the time, Simone didn’t need to say anything at all. Jade knew exactly what her boss needed before she even had to ask.

And in return? Simone looked after Jade’s needs in other ways. Buying her things, taking her home for dinner, making sure she had the occasional evening off. And every time Jade protested, she was met with a familiar line.You’re no use to me if you’re dead on your feet.For a woman notorious for being a harsh taskmistress, Simone sure was soft on her.

But Jade couldn’t deny how good it made her feel. She hadn’t realized she needed someone looking out for her until Simone started taking care of her. She hadn’t realized how much she relished Simone’s praise until Simone told her how brilliant she was.

She hadn’t realized she needed Simone until she swept into her life and swept her off her feet.

And now, the two of them were irrevocably intertwined, the connection between them stronger, deeper, than anything Jade had felt before.

She turned on her laptop. She couldn’t afford to get lost in her thoughts when she had so much to do. As she waited for her laptop to boot up, she checked her inbox on her phone. She was waiting for an email from a recruiter about a new job. She hadn’t started seriously applying for jobs yet. Three months of working for Simone would give her enough money and experience to take her time finding something new. But she’d put out a few feelers, just in case.

She scrolled through her inbox. It was mostly full of junk. But as she set her phone down on her desk, an unopened email caught her eye. It was the alumni newsletter from her grad school. The subject line?

Professor Philippa Roberts wins prestigious research prize.

Her stomach dropped.It’s her. Jade couldn’t even say her name,thinkher name, without it bringing everything to the surface. The anger. The betrayal. The heartbreak.

But that was all in the past where she’d buried it, steeling her heart against it, making herself strong enough for it not to get to her. She wasn’t that naïve, fragile girl any longer. She wouldn’t let her—letPhilippa—get to her.

Her hand hovered above her phone screen. Just one swipe and the email would be gone. She would never have to think about Philippa again.

But as she scanned the subject line, a question nagged at her.

The research. What was it?Jade had to know.

She opened up the email and scrolled down. A photo of an auburn-haired woman filled Jade’s screen, her perfect smile blinding. But Jade knew what was behind Philippa’s smile. She knew what was behind those eyes.

And as she skimmed the paragraph beneath Philippa’s photo, her fears were confirmed. The research? It was Jade’s research project from her first year of grad school. The project she’d worked so hard on day after day, late into the night, with Philippa at her side, the forbidden tension between them threatening to boil over.

Until finally, it did. And then everything had fallen apart.

Jade closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn’t want to think aboutherright now. Not when everything was going so well in her life. She needed to put it all behind her, where it belonged.

But how could she? How could she move past everything Philippa had done to her? It had been two years, but suddenly, it felt fresh and raw, as if it had only been yesterday—

“Jade?”

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