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

Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

R emington

“Remington, why didn't you tell me that you had a thing for?—”

“I don’t,” I interrupt Liam. “It’s not what you think.” I stare at Liam and ignore the voice in my head that says that I have more than just a thing for her. Fuck, I want her more than I’ve ever wanted another woman in my life.

“I’m not sure that you know what I’m thinking,” Liam says as he leans back against the chair he’s sitting in. He gives me a knowing look, and I frown at the way his lips are twisted.

“I know you probably think that I decided to tell Juniper that we had an important case today because I wanted to see her, but that's really not what happened.”

He stares at me for a couple of seconds, nodding slowly. “Sure, it’s not.”

“It's not. I just?—”

“You didn't want her to go on a date.” He smirks.

“What are you talking about?”

“She told me that she was supposed to go on a first date with some guy named Marco, and it seemed like she was really excited about it. But suddenly, we have to work tonight.” He stares at me. “And seeing as there is no work date on our calendar, I have to believe that you wanted to stop the date she had.”

I slap my hand against my thigh and then lean back. “Look, I'm only going to tell you this because I want to tell you exactly what's going on.” I clear my throat as he nods slowly. “But I was actually trying to help Juniper.”

“You what?” He blinks at me and rubs his forehead. “How are you trying to help Juniper by making her work on a Friday night instead of going on a hot date?”

“Because this guy, Marco, is not a good guy. He seems like a loser. And I don't want her to get into a relationship with someone who is not good enough for her.”

“Oh,” he says. “So, you know him?”

“Do I know him?”

Liam repeats. “You know Marco, right? Obviously, you must know him if you know he is a loser.”

“No, I don’t actually know him. But she did tell me some things about him. And as a top attorney, I am able to decipher clues and analyze information. And I know when someone is good or bad.”

“I get that,” he says. "So, what did she tell you about him that alerted you to the fact that he was no good?”

I stare at him for a couple of seconds and press my lips together. “I mean, do we really want to discuss all this right now? I’m very appreciative of you for going along with the story. I completely forgot to tell you that we were working tonight.”

“Because we weren't working tonight.” He grins. “What were you going to do when she showed up and I wasn't here?”

I smirk at him. “I was going to say you were on your way and running late, and then you had a last-minute phone call and had to leave.”

He starts chuckling. “And you’re not doing this to get laid?”

“No, I’m not doing this to get laid. Juniper is my assistant, and I respect her.” I remember about how she bent over my desk earlier in the day and how my fingers rubbed her, teasing her until she was wet. I think about her juices in my mouth and the way she moaned. We crossed the line of boss and employee. I crossed the line, and I haven’t been able to concentrate the entire afternoon. All I’d been able to think about was being with her, taking her, making her scream my name.

“I've slept with many women I respect.” He grins. “And many that I don’t.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not you, and?—”

“And you’re changing the subject, Remington. What alerted you to the fact that this Marco was a loser?”

“Well, he's a waiter and?—”

“Oh, no, don't tell me you're being classist. She can't date a waiter?”

“No, it's got nothing to do with him being a waiter. But he—” I frown. “Fine, it’s not exactly one thing that she told me. It was just a feeling that I got.”

He nods and smiles. “I see.”

“You see what?”

“Nothing.” He shrugs and stands up and walks over to my bookshelf full of law books. “You know why I enjoy working with you, Remington?” he says as he picks up one of the law treatises and then turns to me.

“Why do you enjoy working with me, Liam?”

“See if you can guess.”

“Maybe because I’ve saved you hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts? Or because I’ve gotten you out of a bind several times. Maybe because?—”

“Fine.” He grins. “Those are some of the reasons. But you know the main reason?”

“No, what’s that?” I stand up and head over to stand next to him.

He looks me in the eye and doesn’t speak for a couple of seconds. There is an air of understanding between the two of us, and I appreciate that while Liam Gallagher is my client, he is also a friend and somewhat of a brother to me. “I appreciate the fact that you’re honest, that you care about people in your corner, and that your sole dedication is to your work and to make sure every I is dotted and every T is crossed in every contract you take care of for me. I appreciate the fact that you notice things I don't, which is saying a lot, because I didn't get to where I am by not noticing everything.”

“Okay, well, I'm glad you appreciate those things, Liam. And thank you for telling me.”

“But you know one thing I have worried about?”

“What's that?” I frown. I didn't know he was worried about anything in regard to my work ethic.

“I'm worried that your job is your life, and that's never good.”

“Sorry, what?” That's not what I had expected him to say.

“There is a balance that's needed in life. And yeah, I know you go on dates here and there, or everywhere with random, beautiful women. But I've never seen you have one solid relationship.”

“That's rich, Liam,” I say, laughing loudly. “I’ve never seen you have one solid relationship either.”

“There was a girl once,” he says. His lips twisting in a sarcastic, almost sad way.

“Oh.” I stare at him in surprise. “I didn't know that.”

“It was a long time ago.” There's a distant look in his eyes. “When I was a teen, she was the love of my life. Things didn't work out, obviously. But I loved her.” He stares at me. “And when I look at you, I don't look at a man who's been in love, whose heart has been broken, who's experienced things he doesn't want to experience again. I look at a man who is solely focused on work.”

“Well, is there really anything wrong with that? I mean, it allows me to be here on a Friday night.”

“What about your daughter?”

“What about her?” I ask.

“Isn't this the first Friday night you’ve had her, yet you're here in the office with me and Juniper.” He looks at his watch. “She'll be arriving in a couple of minutes.”

“She's okay. She likes Juniper. Plus, Lila and Skye are babysitting her. And let’s just say, they all got along like old friends when they showed up.”

“What I love about your office is that you're all a family,” he says. “And while I personally don't believe in sleeping or messing around with the help, it seems that it's a thing here.”

“It's not a thing here. We're professional, and we just?—”

He starts laughing then. “Dude, I’m not saying anything about the ethics of relationships with people in your office. Trust me. I’m no saint.” He winks at me. “Anway, what’s the plan for tonight because there is no urgent case that we’re working on, and I do have a date in about an hour that I don’t want to miss because I have a feeling it’s going to be a very good night for me, if you know what I mean.”

“I have a plan,” I say, smirking.

“Okay, and what’s that?”

“Get a call in about thirty minutes and hand me the phone. I’ll say that the other side is willing to settle, and we can leave. I will apologize to Juniper. Give her a bonus in her next paycheck and all will be fine.”

“All this just so you can ensure she didn’t go on a date with lover boy?”

“He’s not her lover.” I glare at him.

He holds his hands up, “Hey, no need to shoot the messenger. I mean, you’re not emotionally invested in this in any way, are you?”

I stare at him for a couple of moments without saying anything. His words have obviously struck a chord that I have been trying to ignore. Why did I make up this scenario to ensure Juniper didn't go on her date tonight? It obviously had nothing to do with me thinking Marco was going to take advantage of her because I didn't know the man, not at all. Before I can think too deeply about the inner workings of my brain, I hear a tapping on the door. I look over and see Juniper standing there. I wave her in.

“Hi,” she says, looking slightly embarrassed. “Good evening, Mr. Gallagher.”

“Hey, Juniper, you’re looking nice,” he says, looking her up and down. She's wearing a pair of sweatpants and a baggy T-shirt, and her hair is slightly disheveled.

“Is everything okay?” I stare at her, slightly befuddled. She's never come into the office in anything other than professional clothing before.

“It's Friday evening. I'm tired. And I figure I might as well be dressed in something comfortable if I'm going to be here all night. It’s not going to be a problem for you, is it, Mr. Parker?” There’s a slight edge to her tone, and I can tell she's annoyed at me. Maybe because I didn’t make her come. I knew she’d been close.

“Not a problem at all. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

“It's fine. Thank you for caring so much,” she says in a saccharine tone.

I see Liam giving me an evil grin, and I just shake my head. “I'm just going to go and get a coffee from the break room,” he says, as he heads toward the door. “I'll be back in a little bit.”

“Sounds good,” I say. I turn to Juniper. “Would you like to have a seat?” I nod toward the chair, and she shakes her head.

She walks over to me and stops dead in front of me, looking up into my eyes, her own eyes shooting darts of fire. “Are we going to talk about earlier?" She presses her lips together.

“Earlier?” I grin. “Hmm?”

“Nothing,” she says looking down, blushing.

“I think I need you to finish that sentence,” I say, grabbing her by the shoulders.

She stares up into my eyes again. “You're insufferable, Mr. Parker.”

“I told you to call me Remington.”

“You're insufferable, Remington. Is that better?”

I grab her chin and lean it up towards me, staring down into her eyes. “Are you this upset because you didn't get to go on one date with Marco?”

“Why do you keep bringing up Marco?” She glares at me. “I don't care that you ruined my Friday night. And in fact, he was so sweet. He actually rescheduled the date to Sunday. So, it's still happening.”

I feel my heart racing for a couple of moments at her words. Is she kidding? “I thought he had to work?”

“Yeah, well, he was able to switch his schedule.” She smiles at me sweetly. “So, I will be going on that date. Thank you very much.”

“Good for you,” I say. “Because obviously, that's what you want, right?”

“That's what I want. I wanted to go tonight, but instead, I have to work.”

I look down at her trembling lips. “I mean, if you’re that mad, I can sweeten the pot for you.”

“What do you mean, sweeten the pot for me ?”

“I don’t know. Maybe make you happy for a few moments. Like earlier.”

“What?” she says. “What are you talking about?” She pauses. “Wait, are you going to order me food?”

“Would you like that? Do you want me to order some dinner?” I say, feeling myself growing tense as she comes even closer to me. Is she going to pretend today didn’t happen? “Or do you want me to be dinner?”

She grips my upper arms and presses herself against me. For a few moments, I think she's going to kiss me. She leans up on her tippy toes, and my heart races as I lean down to press my lips against hers, but suddenly, she dodges to the right and whispers in my ear, “I can get my own food. Thank you very much. I don’t need or want to feast on you. Now, what's the work that I need to be doing?”