I Won’t Be In On Monday (The Annoying Hot Bosses Club #3)

Chapter 5

Chapter Five

J uniper

I can hear Remington singing as he putters around in his room. The sound is strangely familiar and domestic, and I smile to myself as I get back to work. My face is still hot from him talking about being into butts. He thought I was blushing because I was embarrassed, but all I was thinking about was making sure to do squats every morning and night so that I could grow more of a butt.

I hit myself on the head so I can focus and then stare at the small bedroom I'm meant to be clearing out for his little girl. I pick up a box filled with books and carry it toward his room. "Hey, I have another one," I say as I enter and try not to gawk as he looks back at me. He's taken his shirt off, for some reason, and is standing there in a pair of baggy shorts and no top. "Where should I put these?" I ask, swallowing hard as I look over his incredible physique. He has abs for days, and my body feels weak at his golden tan. Remington Parker just grew even hotter, and I wish that I didn't know what he looked like without a shirt.

"Ah, you can just dump them over there right next to the window." He points to the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the city. "Next to the other boxes." He steps toward me. "Do you need help?"

"No, I'm okay," I say as I hurry over to put the box down. I do not need to be too close to him, breathing in his scent or even touching his naked skin. I'm trembling just thinking about having skin-to-skin contact. It was such a bad idea coming here.

"I was just changing shirts," he offers by way of explanation as he holds up a T-shirt. "I figure if I'm going to get dusty and dirty, better to do it in an older T-shirt than one I just got for three hundred dollars."

"Makes sense," I say, nodding as I hurry back towards the door. "I'll just keep bringing the boxes through?" I want to ask where he bought a T-shirt for three hundred dollars, but I need to get out of his bedroom. Staring at the rumpled sheets on his bed is doing things to my legs. The last thing I need to do is faint into a heap on the ground and then actually be in his bed.

"Sure. That sounds good," he says. "How's it looking in there?"

"Like a bomb went off." I grin at him, and he chuckles, the sound warming my heart.

"That's one thing I like about you, Juniper. You're always honest."

"Thanks. I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"I don't see why you wouldn't," he says as he pulls his T-shirt down and heads toward the door. "You feeling hungry? Do you want something to eat? I noticed you didn't eat much of the bagel."

"I didn't realize that your toaster setting was so high, and I don't really like burnt bagels," I say by way of explanation. "But it's okay. I'll eat when we're done."

"If you're sure. So, you're going to come with me to the office, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"To pick up Canyon," he says.

My eyes widen, and I shake my head. "I wasn't planning on it. I mean, you're just going to pick her up and go shopping, right?"

"Yeah, but I've never met her before, and I feel just a little bit awkward."

"Don't you don't think it would be more awkward for your assistant to be there?"

"I'd like to think we're friends as well as boss and employee." He smiles a warm smile that makes me flush, and I raise a single eyebrow at him as he chuckles. "You don't consider me your friend, Juniper?"

"I mean, not really. I'm not trying to be rude, but we've never hung out outside of the office. We've never really had a personal conversation. You didn't know if I had a boyfriend. You don't even know what plans I was canceling today to help you." I shrug. "So, no, I don't really consider us friends."

"That's a pretty clear no, then," he says, making a face. "Do you think I've overstepped our employee-boss relationship by having you here today?"

"Overstepped? Not any more than you normally do when you're asking me to send bouquets of flowers to your many women or setting up reservations for dates. I don't think that any of this is a part of my job description, but I'm happy to help. I can imagine it must be really overwhelming to find out you have a child and that she's coming to stay with you." I look up into his dark, intense eyes. "I do want to offer my support and help."

"Thanks. That means a lot to me." He rubs his palms against his stomach, right above the top of his shorts and I resist the urge to look down. I do not want to check for a bulge or any telltale signs of his package. I do not want to know. At all. "I guess I really don't know that much about you, and I apologize for not spending the time getting to know you better. What do you do for fun?"

"Are we really going to talk about that now, or are we going to clear out this room?" I step back and look down for a few seconds. Not long enough to detect anything. Thank God. The last thing I need to see is that Mr. Parker is packing. I may be a virgin, but I'm not ice cold.

"Can we not do both?" he asks as he looks at all the boxes. "Does this look worse than it did before we started?"

"Probably," I say with a nod. "But usually, that's how it goes. Do you really think we'll be done within the next couple of hours?"

"I don't know. Hopefully." He lets out another sigh and bends down and starts grabbing old vinyl records and stuffing them in another box. "We'll do what we can. So, Juniper, tell me, what do you do for fun?"

"Wait, you really want to know?"

"I asked, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but I thought maybe you were just being polite because you realized that you kind of overstepped by having me come in to work on a Saturday."

"I did overstep, but what if I say you're going to get a bonus?"

"I'd say I hope it's a big bonus."

He grins. "How big?" My face goes red again as a little voice in my head whispers, "That’s what she wants to know.”

I stare at him for a couple of seconds, and there’s a naughty glint in his eyes. I don’t know if he made his comment as a double entendre on purpose, but I will not rise to the occasion. Stop it, Juniper, I think to myself. I need to stop thinking about his package.

"That's up to you," I say, bending down and picking up some more books and stuffing them into another box. "I really like to write," I say quickly before he can ask me what I like to do again. Or even worse, I make some stupid comment about him being in his sexy shorts by mistake.

"Really? Like legal briefs or..."

"No." I burst out laughing. "Who likes to write legal briefs for fun?"

"Not me," he admits. "So, you write articles or..."

"No, I write short stories and books."

"Cool, cool. Would I have read any of your work?"

"I mean, I'm not published or anything," I say quickly. "I just do it for fun. You know?"

"Oh, nice. What do you write?"

"Most likely nothing you read."

"You don't know that."

"What do you like to read?" I ask him.

"I love sci-fi, some fantasy. I was really into Game of Thrones back in the day. I'm still waiting on the last book. It's annoying."

I look up and see that he's staring at me. There's an amused look in his eyes. "So, Miss Juniper, what do you write?"

"Currently, I'm writing a romantasy book."

"Oh, romance. That's cool," he says, grinning like a fool as he stares at me with a knowing expression. "Like, that sexy romance stuff or..."

"No, not romance. Romantasy."

He frowns. "Romantasy? What does that mean? Romance geared towards men or something?"

"No." I laugh. "Romance and fantasy mixed together."

"So, what, a dragon falling in love with a human or something?"

"Not really. Perhaps there's a book like that, but that's not what my book's about."

"I see. Are there dragons, though?"

"There may be a dragon or two." I grin. "And some elves."

"Elves. Wow."

"And a secret closet."

"A secret closet? Tell me more." He stands up and runs his fingers through his hair, then bends down and picks up a box with hundreds of vinyl records. "Hold on. I'll be right back." I watch as he leaves the room with the box, and I listen to his footsteps as they go down the hallway.

I'm actually enjoying his company. I'm surprised at the fact that he's inquiring about me. I expected him to do his own thing and leave me to take care of the room by myself. I didn’t expect that we would actually engage in conversation with each other.

"Okay, I'm back," he says, looking back into the room and groaning again. "This looks like a bomb shelter after World War II."

"I mean, I think those shelters probably looked better than this."

"Ouch," he says, laughing. "So tell me more about this book full of dragons and elves and secret closets."

"Well," I pause. "I am still writing it, so I don't know exactly where the story's going."

"What do you know so far?"

"Well, so far, there's a regular girl. She's human."

"Cool, cool."

"And she moves to this new house in the countryside after her parents die. She's living with her grandma."

"Oh, that's sad."

"Yeah, so she's missing her parents, and one day, her grandma says, 'Why don't you go up into the attic and find some old photo albums?' So she goes up to the attic and while looking for those photo albums, she finds this really old armoire that's really beautiful."

"Sounds cool."

"So, she opens it and steps inside, and she's transported to another world."

He stares at me. "Go on. Sounds really interesting so far."

"Are you just saying that?" I look at him questioningly. Am I boring him, or is he really enjoying hearing about my book?

"Not at all." He shakes his head. "So what happens next?"

"Well, she enters this other world, and it's like nothing she's ever seen before. She's immediately nervous and scared, and she's actually hiding in a closet in the new world."

"What is going on in this new world?" His voice is husky. "Is it like Narnia?"

"Not at all. She's hidden in a closet in an old castle, and she sees a dragon killing a knight."

"A knight. Ooh, like Lancelot in Merlin?"

"Kind of, but not necessarily Lancelot."

"I know. I didn't mean Lancelot himself, but I mean like the Knights of the Round Table."

"I'm not sure yet. I guess I haven't given it that much thought. I don't know. Anyway, she sees him killing this knight, and she gasps, and the dragon speaks and is like, 'Who is in my presence?'" I speak in a deep, growly voice, and I notice that Remington's eyes crinkle at my imitation.

"Go on," he says, sounding like he really is interested in hearing more.

"Anyway, the dragon looks towards this closet where she's hiding, and he's about to breathe fire when a door opens and in walks this prince, who calls the dragon out and says, 'We have to be on our way. They're coming.' So, the dragon runs out, and the girl lets out a deep sigh. She thinks that she's safe, but then the closet door opens, and this gorgeous prince is standing there. And he stares at her and says, 'If I have to save your life again, it won't be saved.'"

"Dang, I guess he's not Prince Charming. Then what happens?"

"Then the prince leaves, and she's just standing there. She almost pees her pants, obviously, because who wouldn't in such a situation?"

"Yeah. I mean, I would certainly almost pee my pants if a dragon was about to fry me to death, and then a dark prince opens the door and says if he has to save my life again, I will be dead."

"Yeah." I laugh. "It's intense."

"Intense is a good word." He nods. "So the Prince leaves or…?"

"Well, I haven’t gotten any further in the story than that," I say, laughing.

"No, don't say that." He groans. "So, do you know what’s going to happen next, or...?"

"I'm not 100 percent sure. I’m still working on it.” I grin. “But you like the idea?”

“I love it.” He nods. “It sounds pretty damn amazing to me.”

“Thank you.” I grin at him, pleased at his compliment. I’m glad I’m here, even if cleaning out this room is not my ideal activity for a Saturday morning. "You're nice when you're not in the office."

"You're saying I'm not nice when I'm in the office?"

"I'm saying that it's not like this, but I mean, obviously, that's because we're working and in a different environment."

"That doesn't mean that I can't be nice to you." He gazes at me. "I guess I can make more of an effort, especially now that I see how helpful you are."

"I guess." I grin as my phone starts ringing. I see it's my dad and know I have to take it. "Hey, do you mind if I take this real quick?"

"Not at all," he says, shaking his head. "You can head into the living room if you want some privacy. Feel free to help yourself to a drink in the fridge."

"Thank you," I say as I answer the phone and head out of the room. "Hey, Dad," I whisper. "What's going on?"

"I'm so disappointed," he says in a low voice, and immediately, my stomach drops. Here comes the guilt trip.

"What's wrong, Dad?"

"I had all these plans for us for today."

"Dad, my boss called me in. He really needed my help. I can come over tomorrow. I promise."

"I guess if you actually think you can make it tomorrow."

"Dad, I know you're not putting me on a guilt trip because I have to work."

"It's just suspicious to me. Your boss has never called you in on a Saturday before, has he?"

"Yeah, well, this is a different circumstance." I pause. "A special circumstance."

"What's the circumstance?" he demands.

"What do you mean, what's the circumstance? Dad, I don't have to tell you everything that's going on in my life. Okay? I will tell you this one time, but don't think that you can demand to have access to all information in my life.My boss just found out that he has a daughter, and he needs me to help get his place ready."

"His place? What does that mean? Are you at his house?"

"Yes, Dad."

"You're not sleeping with this man, are you?"

"No, Dad," I say. "Of course not."

"Well, why are you at this man's house, and what does his having a daughter got to do with you?"

"Dad. It is a long story. I think that?—”

"Juniper, you leave there right now. He is trying to have his wicked way with you. What did I tell you about these sorts of men? These modern men are not like me, Juniper. They only want one thing."

"Dad, stop. He doesn't want me. And if he did, I would not be here. Okay? You know I wouldn't put myself in a situation like that."

"I know you're innocent, Juniper. I know that you don't know what some of these men are like. I bet you he wants you. I bet you..."

"Dad." I'm annoyed. "I'm going to go now because I'm still working, and you're frustrating me. I'll speak to you later." I hang up and take a deep breath. I'm so annoyed at my dad and pissed off at him for even thinking that, because the simple fact of the matter is, I kind of wish that Remington did want me. That he'd had an ulterior purpose for inviting me to his home. It would've made me feel like he thought I was worth his time and attention. It would've made me feel like he was attracted to me, but he just thought I was a good assistant with a good imagination. This has nothing to do with him wanting to rip my clothes off.

I head back toward the room and smile, thinking about how much he seemed to enjoy the beginning of my romantasy book. I'm about to step into the room when I can hear him on the phone, and I pause behind the door.

"Layla, you know I would love to have lunch with you. I just can't today. I am working on something and have plans this evening. No, I can't cancel them. They're very important plans. You did what? You bought what? Ooh, that does sound sexy." He sighs. "Unfortunately, I don't know that I'm going to be able to see you in that very revealing outfit tonight. No, there's no one else I'm taking on a date tonight." He pauses. "I can't FaceTime you to see the outfit now. I'm not alone... No, not another woman.Just my assistant."

My stomach drops at his words. I'm not a woman to him? What am I, then? A frigging alien from outer space that just came to Earth to serve him at his whim? I think about rushing into the room to confront him, but I don’t. I don’t want to admit I’ve been eavesdropping.

"I am not going to ask her if she can work tonight to take care of my other plans." I press my lips together as I listen to him. I'm not happy at where this conversation is going. "I mean, I can ask her if she can take care of the business for me, and I'll let you know. Yes, it's the same assistant I told you about before. No, there's nothing going on between us. She just works for me. No, I don't want to get into her pants. It's not like that." He chuckles. "Trust me, she is the last woman that I would be inviting into my bed. I'll call you later." He hangs up the phone, and I can feel tears pricking my eyes.

"Well, there you have it," I whisper to myself. He is definitely not into me. In fact, I’m the last woman he'd even look at like that. I walk into the room, and he looks up at me with a smile, as if he hadn't just been dissing me to some skank.

"So, any other stories you're working on?"

"No," I snap and look at my phone. "I actually have to be out of here in a couple of hours, so if we can maybe work on this a little bit faster?"

"Oh." He looks slightly dismayed. "You're not going to come with me to the office?"

"I can't," I snap. "I do have a life. I have things to do. My dad is very upset I blew him off for this today."

"I'm so sorry," he says, holding up his hands. "I never said that you didn't have a life, Juniper."

"Well, just in case you thought my entire life revolved around this job, it doesn't."

"I get that." He pauses. "And this may be poor timing, but I had a quick question I was going to ask you."

"What?" I say as I start throwing books into another box.

"I don't suppose that you can babysit this evening?" I stare at him blankly, my mouth in a thin line. I shake my head in shock. Remington Parker is a jackass. After all that, he is still asking me to look after the kid he hasn't even met yet, just so he can hang out with some half-naked woman. Why were men such dumbasses?