Page 18 of Her Temporary Boss (Slade, Inc.)

“What? They choose women for you?”

“Goodbye, Ms. White. I told you I’m very busy today.”

He turned his attention to his computer and Morgan huffed out an irritated breath. She guessed she would only anger him if she stayed and pressed for more information. As she quietly exited, she felt lost.

She went back to her desk, making sure not to look down the long hallway. She didn’t want to know if anyone was staring in her direction. Surely, it was no secret now that she was messing around with the boss. She suspected that the workers here were used to it.

As she tried to get to work, a question invaded her head. What about the temporary assistants who had said yes? Were they just happy to get the attention and play from a successful, gorgeous man? Did any of them leave with broken hearts?

She knew the answer for herself. No matter how much she tried to convince herself that this was just a short fling, her heart wouldn’t completely get onboard. Even though her brain knew that this was just an exciting short adventure, her body didn’t want it to end.

The rest of the day dragged on. Morgan saw very little of Mr. Slade. He had been telling the truth when he said he was very busy today. In fact, he had to skip his lunchtime jog. At three o’clock on Mr. Slade’s schedule, she saw that he had another meeting downtown. She doubted she would see him again after that until Wednesday.

Morgan decided to try to talk to him again before he left. She just hoped he wouldn’t be too grouchy. She lightly knocked on his door but didn’t wait to enter.

“Mr. Slade? Can I have a quick minute with you?”

He looked up from his computer. She expected to see irritation written on his face but didn’t. A slow smile spread over his face and he sat back in his chair. His eyes sparkled.

“Sure, Morgan but a very quick minute. You know, the only reason I’m not angry about this interruption is that the sight of your sweet face is relaxing to me.”

Her heart swelled at his tone. She sat down across the desk from him. “I bet you say that to all your employees who let you fuck them.” Her tone was friendly.

“No, quite the opposite. I’ve never said or thought that before. I’ll have to admit, you are different.”

“Is that a good thing?” She gazed deep into his green eyes. Just his stare could get her to remove her clothes again.

“Yes, Ms. White. It’s very good.” His smile widened.

“Well, I guess that is what I want to talk about. What if a temporary fuck-buddy didn’t want her time to end?”

She started to regret her words as she saw his expression and body language change. He didn’t look exactly angry, but he no longer looked happy that she was sitting there. His eyes seemed to cloud some and his smile left his lips. Mr. Slade looked like he was trying to convince himself of something. He inhaled deeply, his eyes closed for a few seconds.

“Morgan, that’s not a good idea. If you want things to continue, they can until this Friday. If you want things to just be professional from here on out, I understand and will do so.”

“Mr. Slade, I just … this is starting to mean more to me than just a good orgasm. I thought maybe—”

He interrupted her by standing up and walking around his desk. He reached out a hand and she took it, standing. Mr. Slade brushed some of her long hair off her shoulder before staring into her eyes. She knew then that there was no hope for her. She couldn’t walk away, but she couldn’t stay and fall deeper in love with this man.

“Morgan, what I said was true. You are special and that’s even more of a reason for me to let you go. I don’t think I could make you happy. Climax, sure, but happy … it just wouldn’t work.”

Tears started to form in her eyes. Her heart was breaking in her chest. Mr. Slade leaned down and kissed her very gently. The kiss was so full of emotions that Morgan almost choked on them. She could feel that deep down he might possibly want exactly what she wanted, but he wasn’t giving in. Was she just fooling herself, though?

He pulled back and placed a hand on her neck. “Don’t cry. I can’t take it.” He leaned in and kissed her again. This kiss was harder but still very loving. When he pulled back again, tears were running down her face.

“You better get going.” Morgan sniffled. “You’ll be late for your meeting.” She tried to sound strong and maybe just a bit sarcastic.

He held her face and just smiled at her. This actually made her heart hurt worse. Some of the life had come back to his eyes.

“I’m sorry.” Mr. Slade’s tone was soft.

Morgan turned away from him and wiped some of the tears from her face. She walked straight to the office door and exited without looking back.

****

Connor exited his Lexus, grabbing his attaché case from the passenger seat as he went. He started heading toward the overly expensive restaurant where he was meeting a client and his crew. The meeting was pretty straightforward, basically just a friendly obligation to finalize things.

This was a bit of a curse for him right now, though. Since his mind wasn’t completely filled with questions or arguments he was preparing, his mind had time to think about other things. Things he didn’t want to think about.

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