J. Critch - In The Boss's Bed

Jamie knew that he had to be careful. Thankfully, he hadn’t seen any pictures or videos posted of their kiss. He’d spent the morning scouring the worst of the online tabloids, especially Montreal Secrets, run by John Power, which had been decidedly poor in their treatment of him since he’d opened his first club.

In this case, he’d gotten lucky. He couldn’t afford any bad press as he was about to embark on one of the most daunting projects of his life, and he certainly didn’t have time to be in a relationship, or even just casually see anyone. Every bit of focus had to be put toward his work.

“Listen, Mr. Sellers,” Maya said, interrupting his thoughts. She averted her eyes and was clearly embarrassed. He enjoyed the way her brow creased and the way she brought her bottom lip between her teeth.

Jamie was watching her mouth, wishing that his lips, teeth and tongue were there, joined with hers. So he didn’t realize that she was still speaking and he had to force his eyes back to hers. The beautiful, dark, almond eyes he recalled from the previous night. He was lost.

“I’m really sorry about last night,” she stammered. “I shouldn’t have kissed you. It was inappropriate, and it was—”

“It’s okay,” he said, assuring her with a smile.

“It’s really not,” she insisted. “It’s just that my friend Abby dared me to do something reckless, and I’d had a bit too much to drink. Oh, and can I assume you paid for our drinks?” He nodded. “It was sweet, but really not necessary. Here, let me pay you back.” She reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet. “How much do I owe you? I made sure to tip the bartender. I hope it was enough for how much the bill must have been—”

He put a hand on hers, stilling her. “Don’t.” He forced himself to ignore the sizzle he felt when his fingers touched hers. “Keep your money. It’s not a big deal. It was only a couple of drinks.”

She laughed. The sound pulsed pleasantly through him. “I think it was more than a couple, if how I felt this morning was any indication. And for your information, just so we’re clear, that’s not why I kissed you. This isn’t some scam I have to get free drinks. I didn’t even know who you were. I just thought you were some sexy guy at the bar—” She stopped suddenly, and her eyes widened, the flush returning to her cheeks. She laughed once more, shakily, bringing her palm to her forehead. “I’m rambling again, aren’t I? I do that when I’m nervous. I just can’t stop talking sometimes. It’s this thing I do.” She was speaking so quickly that Jamie could barely keep up. She gesticulated wildly. “I say something embarrassing, and then I keep talking to try and talk my way out of it. And I just can’t stop myself. I go on and on and on and on. And I can’t stop.” She paused. “I should just stop talking, shouldn’t I?”

It was Jamie’s turn to laugh. This woman was not only gorgeous, but she was also absolutely delightful to be around. “I really wish you wouldn’t.” He opened his mouth to continue when he heard a familiar voice over his shoulder.

“Jamie, Maya,” Dr. Carmichael said, placing an arm over each of their shoulders. “I’m glad you had a chance to get acquainted.” He smiled indulgently at them both. “Jamie, Maya is one of the finest students I’ve ever had the pleasure of teaching.”

Jamie looked at her, wonder raising his eyebrows. He knew that Dr. C.’s compliments were not easy to come by. He’d had to work long and hard before he had earned any of his own. He knew Maya must be something special to have deserved such commendation. “Is that right? That’s certainly high praise, indeed.” He nodded appreciatively. “Any plans for after graduation?”

She exhaled slightly and allowed the rigidity in her posture to relax slightly. The shift was subtle, but he noticed. Clearly, she was a woman who was most at ease with her work.

“I’ve got nothing concrete lined up yet, but I’m interested in hotel management,” she told him, her voice giving away the fact that she had definitely memorized the answer and used it often. “I’ve got a career path that I’d like to follow to make that happen.”

“That’s great. It’s important to stay focused on your goals.” Jamie’s phone started ringing in his left hand, and he held out his right to Maya. “Maya, it was a pleasure meeting you today,” he added for emphasis, before turning to his mentor. “Dr. C., I’ll be in touch. Let’s have dinner some night when I’m not quite so bogged down with work.”

The professor smiled. “Well, son, unless you’ve changed your ways recently, I don’t know when that will be.”

Jamie regretted not having time to catch up with his mentor. A man who had done so much for him and his career. “Thanks for having me.”

“Thanks for coming in, Jamie.” The man shook his hand and gave him a pat on the shoulder before releasing him, his eyes twinkling with obvious pride. “Look after yourself. But make sure you focus on what’s really important in life.”

Jamie looked quizzically at the professor before putting his phone to his ear, turning his back on the old man and the single most beautiful woman he had ever met. He had important business to conduct with the contractor on the other end, but it didn’t stop him from thinking about the woman who had come into his life, catching him off guard for the second time in just under twelve hours. He pushed all thoughts of Maya out of his mind. He had work to do, and he certainly didn’t have time for indulging fantasies of gorgeous graduate students.

“Scott, good to hear from you,” he said into the phone, pushing through the doors to the warm spring air.

3

LATER THAT NIGHT, Jamie still sat at his desk. Almost everyone else had gone home for the day, but Jamie remained. He needed to review some construction estimates and vendor contracts in order to begin construction on the new hotel he planned to build. This was the next step in his company’s future—upscale boutique hotels boasting the Sellers and Swerve name. Jamie shuffled through the stacks of papers and file folders on his desk. How did I get so unorganized?

Out of habit he looked over at the empty desk in the corner of the room that Martin once occupied. He sighed, lamenting his assistant’s absence and realized more every day how much he had come to depend on having someone else to help him shoulder the considerable workload. He thumbed through another stack of contracts, looking for a contractor’s quote that he needed for his newest acquisition—a small building he had bought in foreclosure near the downtown Swerve. He threw down the papers with a frustrated sigh and picked up his phone. Moving his fingers quickly, he typed out a message to his secretary, Mary, asking her to place an ad for a new assistant as soon as possible.

Jamie didn’t know what he would do without Mary. Like Trevor, she had been with him since the beginning, and she was integral in making sure the day-to-day operations ran smoothly.

He rubbed his eyes and let his thoughts roam once again to Maya Connor. With a smile, he recalled their encounters in the past twenty-four hours. First, she had kissed him and then she was sitting front-row center in Dr. C.’s class for his lecture, and then she approached him afterward, apologizing and offering to repay him in the most adorable way possible. Dr. Carmichael had called her his best student, and she must be to have earned his adoration. She would be finishing school in a couple of weeks, no actual job lined up just yet. Perhaps. Just perhaps...

Before he could stop himself, tell himself that it was a bad idea, Jamie picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number.

* * *

CURLED UP ON the couch with a wool blanket over her legs, Maya settled in after she reached for her bowl of popcorn. She didn’t care what Abby thought. Curling up on the couch and binge-watching Netflix was fun. All the fun I need, in fact. She queued up the next episode of Orange Is the New Black and sat back, letting the plush couch cuddle her in a way that no man would ever know how.