Teresa Southwick - One Night with the Boss

Her purse strap slid down her arm and she readjusted it to her shoulder. “It’s about time you built a corporate office for O’Keefe Technology, Inc. with state-of-the-art security.”

She was right. He’d been talking about it for a while and had made up his mind to get the project started. The only reason he’d been dragging his feet was because that move would change everything—and he hated change.

“So, how is Maggie?”

“How did you know I saw your sister?”

Apparently helping himself to her computer made her suspicious about everything. “You told me you were leaving early to pick up a pizza to take over there.”

“Right. I forgot.” Wariness faded for a nanosecond before her eyes narrowed. “A slipup caused by the shock of finding you going through my computer.”

“Oh, that.” He glanced at it over his shoulder. “I was looking for your notes on the job applicants we saw today.”

“I’m efficient, but not quite that good. I haven’t input them yet. Why would you want anything that I might have jotted down?”

“Because I’m the boss.”

He shrugged, but that was more about hiding the shudder those words produced. That response was the equivalent of a mother’s final argument against a child who refused to take no for an answer. Plus her implied accusation was true and he needed something irrefutable to cancel out his devious behavior.

“You didn’t like any of the women you interviewed,” she pointed out.

“I might have been a tad harsh.”

“You don’t mean that.” Her tone challenged him to deny it.

She knew him too well. It was both a blessing and a curse. Time to change the subject yet again. “So, what are you doing back here tonight?”

“There’s some work I need to finish up and I forgot the file.”

“Don’t worry about that. It will keep until tomorrow.”

She shook her head. “That’s where you’re wrong. I need to wrap up everything I can in the next week.”

“And a half,” he added.

“What?”

“It’s a week and a half until your notice is up.”

“What a relief.” There was a touch of sarcasm in her tone. “And I thought there was nowhere near enough time to tie up a bazillion loose ends before my last day.”

“I have complete faith in your ability to do that.” Brady knew the file she wanted was on her desk behind him. But so was her email. So far he’d kept her from seeing it. “Go home and relax. I don’t want to take advantage of you.”

“Since when?”

“That’s a cheap shot.”

She sighed. “You’re right. It’s never been your management style to insist on overtime. This is my problem. I have a tendency to obsess about finishing up projects.”

“So, I’m giving you a dispensation. Take the night off and don’t think about the office.”

“Very generous of you,” she allowed. “But I feel an obligation to get as much done as possible for as long as I can.” She moved closer and started to walk around the desk.

Without thinking it through, Brady suddenly stood in her path and she walked into him. She put her hands on his chest and looked up, her eyes opening wide.

His fingers automatically curved around her arms, urging her even closer. She was wearing a coat, but it was unbuttoned and he could feel her breasts pressed against him. The sweet scent of her skin invaded his senses and he had the most insane desire to wrap his arms around her and kiss her until they were both out of their minds. This wasn’t the first time touching her had produced this reaction, but it was definitely stronger than ever before. Her full lips parted and there was a catch in her breathing that pointed toward her feeling the same kind of crazy he did.

She backed up a step and took a deep breath. “What is it you don’t want me to see, Brady?”

Damn. There was that knowing-him-too-well thing again and this time it was the curse part. Create a diversion. “What makes you think that?”

“This is me. The innocent act doesn’t work. You’re up to something.” She made a sudden move and sidestepped him.

She wasn’t really that quick; he was simply that slow. It’s what happened even to smart guys when blood flowed south of the belt. In the split second he’d been getting his breathing under control, Olivia was around the desk and staring at her computer monitor.

“This is my email.” There was outrage in her tone.

“It is.” What else could he say when caught red-handed? “But it’s my computer.”

“An employee has an expectation of privacy.”

Again he needed a distraction. “Is there something in it you don’t want me to see?”

“Of course not. But this is beneath you.”

He should have listened to that annoying voice of his conscience when it said something similar. But it was the bruised and betrayed expression in her blue eyes that was his undoing. He couldn’t stand it when she looked at him that way.

“Okay. You’re right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done this.”

“How could you?”

“In my defense, I want you to know that this is the first time. And it’s kind of your fault.”

“Oh, that’s a good one. How do you figure?”

“If you hadn’t been so stingy with details about Leonard...”

The glare instantly disappeared, replaced with an expression that was sheepish. Or guilty? “It’s my business.”

“So you said. But I’m concerned about you and what you’re planning to do worries me. Because of my company,” he amended.

“I don’t know whether to be furious or flattered.”

“Probably both.”

“I’d warn you not to do it again, but you are the boss. My files are your files.” She picked up the manila folder on her desk and met his gaze. “So what was weird?”

He realized she could teach him something about diversionary tactics. The question caught him off guard. “What?”

“When I walked in you were talking to yourself. Which, by the way, is the definition of weird,” she said. “But that’s not what you meant. You were referring to my messages. So, what did you find that was weird?”

He shrugged as if to say he’d forgotten whatever it was that had brought those words to mind. “Whatever it was is gone now.”

“Okay. And that’s my cue. I’m gone, too.” She turned and headed for the doorway. “See you in the morning, boss. And from now on I won’t be doing email here.”

“Okay.” He deserved that. “Night, Liv.”

She walked out faster than he’d thought those short but very lovely legs could go, obviously anxious to get away from him. Perversely, he realized that he was very much looking forward to seeing her tomorrow.

It had a lot to do with the fact that there was now a time limit on morning coffee with Olivia. Her warm smile when she asked how he was every day. The fragrance that she brought into the room with her, a chemical reaction created by her perfume interacting with her skin that made him acutely aware of her presence. Knowing why didn’t make it any less potent when it happened.

But it wasn’t going to happen very much longer, and he didn’t like that one bit.

She had every right to be more furious than she’d been and that made him more curious, if possible. Brady glanced at the list of messages on the screen. There were some from her mom, dad and sister. Maggie had sent her a joke and a link to a cooking site. There was spam from shopping sites she’d browsed, but the weird factor hit him again.

“There’s not a single thing from the man you quit your job for, Liv. What’s up with Leonard?”

Chapter Three

At work the next morning, Olivia still couldn’t believe what Brady had done, although they had a nontraditional working relationship and she’d shared messages with him before. And, being a liar herself, she couldn’t afford to be sanctimonious and judgmental. Since she’d arrived an hour ago, the door to his office had been closed, and it was almost never closed. Maybe because she’d caught him in the act, he was sufficiently shamed into backing off.