The Guy Who Became My Grumpy Boss (Curvy Girl Crew #7)

Chapter 15

-Jessica-

“He kicked you out of the office?” Brooke asked with a dangerous edge to her voice.

“Sort of.” I should have explained the situation better. “He said he needed me to be on point for the rest of the week.”

“That’s different,” Ashley, my old roommate said. She had her red hair up in a messy bun and smelled faintly of burning metal.

The three of us were sitting in a fondu restaurant, enjoying the VIP experience thanks to William’s unlimited funds and his even more unlimited love for his fiancé.

“How?” Brooke scowled. My Texan friend didn’t much like people being bossed around.

Ashley, a glass blower and one of my best friends, waved her hand in a circle and spoke to me. “You’ve been working long hours all year. He knows that you’ll burn yourself out.”

Defensive ire ran up my spine, and I stabbed a piece of bread, then dipped it in the melted cheese. “When have I burned myself out?” I glared, daring either one of them to say anything. “Never, that’s when. I haven’t missed a single deadline.” The now cheese-drenched bread met its untimely fate as I ate it.

“You’re always caught up because you work so much,” Ashley said.

“Now wait.” Brooke studied her own speared piece of bread before looking at me. “Are you mad about him kicking you out?”

“I’m not sure,” I admitted. I hadn’t been able to reconcile my feelings about it.

On one hand, yes, I was mad. He’d ordered me out. He’d controlled me.

Because he needs me to be ready to cover for him.

That realization had hit me as I’d walked to the elevator, and I couldn’t get it out of my head.

On the other hand, if he was worried about me, this was his grumpy way of trying to take care of me.

I had to admit, the whole conversation had been kind of sexy. I didn’t appreciate being ordered around, but I did enjoy it when people cared about me.

“She liked it,” Ashley pronounced around her latest bite of food.

“I—” I started to protest but couldn’t get it out. I had kind of liked it.

Brooke eyed me. “Why?”

The pressure of two of my friends staring me down and asking me about my feelings for Danger Zone was too much, and I lowered my gaze.

I wasn’t even sure what was going on in my head let alone my heart. I’d allowed my no dating rule to take a backburner to fantasies of Danger Zone and me hanging out. Maybe even holding hands.

I shook my head in answer to Brooke’s question and ate another piece of bread.

Was I following the crowd? Wanting a guy just because all my friends had one?

“You still like him,” Brooke said.

I had an answer for this. “I’ve been crushing on the guy for a year. Just because I found out he doesn’t like curvy girls doesn’t mean I can just turn that off.”

“Wait.” Ashley held up a hand. “He doesn’t like curvy girls?”

Brooke scowled. “According to the shrew at work. But Jessica has no other basis for this argument.”

They both looked hard at me.

“What?” I asked.

“If he doesn’t like curvy girls, then he’s not good enough for you,” Ashley said.

“I know.” She was right, but how could I deny the way he’d been looking at me during mini golf? Or even in the office earlier today? He’d practically hurled Dan and Patrice away from my desk, and I could put his behavior this afternoon into the protective category as well.

“You think this shrew is correct?” Ashley asked.

“I don’t know.”

I hope not.

“Are things going to be weird between you after he ordered you out of the office?” Brooke continued.

I thought about it. Would they be? He hadn’t hurt me. In fact, besides being a little annoyed, I’d actually left the office feeling good. “No.”

Brooke and Ashley looked at each other.

“What?” I asked again.

Brooke turned to me and spoke first. “Girl, you’re in trouble.”

“It’s just a crush,” I argued.

“What if it’s more? And what if he’s feeling something too?”

I opened my mouth to retort but found no words on the tip of my tongue. My thoughts swirled in my mind, going back and forth between the way Danger Zone touched me and Marissa’s words. Was I reading too much into the simple contact?

Danger Zone didn’t casually touch anyone. Ever. Not even Marissa. He was a model employee for HR.

Barring his grumpy attitude, that is.

The waiter, Thom, arrived. “Are you finished with this?”

“Only if you have our next course ready to go,” Brooke replied with a smile.

Thom nodded once. “It will be out momentarily, miss.”

I was glad for the respite from my friends’ interrogation. I needed a moment to breathe. To think. If only my brain would engage properly. Instead, I was left with half-finished fantasies about Danger Zone battling against everything we needed to get finished before the retreat.

Danger Zone had probably been right about heading home tonight. It was only going to get worse from here on out.

Thom brought our main course, and after he told us what everything was, he left us to our own devices.

“When is our meeting with the Curvy Gurl Crew?” Ashley asked.

“Thursday night,” I said. “I’ll send a list of our options out before then.”

“Do you want someone else to do it?” Brooke asked. “You’re pretty swamped right now, darlin’.”

“It’s fine.” I stabbed my first piece of chicken and dipped it in one of the pots. “I’ve written the message, I just need to send it. I was waiting to see if anyone else had any ideas.”

“I like Brooke’s idea.” Ashley jerked her thumb at our friend.

“William’s idea of flying everyone everywhere?” Brooke replied.

Ashley nodded.

That still didn’t sit right with me for some reason, but I covered my irritation by selecting a piece of beef with another skewer and immersing it in a different pot.

“It would be fun,” Brooke insisted.

I said nothing and wondered if I should have just gone home after work instead of calling the girls. This conversation had stressed me out way more than answering stupid questions via email had.

***

The next morning, I woke up to a handful of texts from Danger Zone.

Peter: This is what Marissa came up with for the gift baskets. What do you think?

A list followed. One that I was annoyed to say was acceptable. Brilliant, actually. I hated that Marissa was so good at things. It would be easier to dislike her if she was incompetent.

The next message had made me stop halfway to the bathroom.

Peter: I’ll be in the office early. I’ll have coffee waiting for you.

Technically, Danger Zone knew what kind of coffee I preferred and where I got it from, but it had been a while since he’d ordered it for me. Maybe he kept notes on everything in his phone.

Every little detail about me might be in his phone.

I shivered, then remembered I’d been on the way to shower, and continued. Before I got in, I sent him back a thumbs up for the coffee and “Great ideas” for the baskets.

That’s all I could manage so early on a…what day was it?

Wednesday?

It felt like mini golf had been weeks ago, but the memory of Danger Zone’s breath on my neck from the evening before seemed to be as fresh as if it had happened when I’d gotten out of bed.

I groaned as I shut the bathroom door. I could not go into work thinking about my boss like that. It would only complicate my day.

The girls and I had come back to my place and watched a movie. It had been late when they’d finally left, and it had taken me a while to get to sleep.

Just before I hopped into the shower, my phone buzzed.

Like the obedient servant to technology that I was, I checked it.

Peter: Change of plans. I’d like to make some of the basket decisions in person. Can you join me?

There was an address and a time. I had just over an hour to get there. I could make it if I hurried, but I had a concern.

Jessica: What about coffee?

He answered immediately.

Peter: I’ll have it.

I bit my lip. Danger Zone was asking me to help him. For the retreat. I needed to hold on to that thought if I was going to get through the next six days.

And yes, I was counting.

Jessica: I might be a few minutes late, but I’ll be there.

I took a fast shower and threw my hair up into a tight bun. It wasn’t my best look, but it was the easiest.

Normally I took the train around town, but if I was going to make it to this boutique any time soon, I would have to drive. The place had parking, so as soon as I was ready, I jogged down the stairs in my building and to my little blue sedan.

I slid in and checked the mirrors. The small glass bauble Ashley had made me as a thank you for coming to her rescue when her ex had suddenly shown up hung from the rearview mirror. It always reminded me that I’d done something good for someone I loved.

With that in part of my mind, and the promise of coffee in the other, I drove out of the garage.

The place was on the outskirts of the city, and going against traffic, it didn’t take me long to get there. I pulled in three minutes late and hurried around to the front door of the shop.

Rays of sunshine shot between buildings, and pink and white blossoms adorned the trees along the sidewalk.

I spotted Danger Zone and stopped in my tracks. He stood under one of the trees, in a splash of sunlight, looking like a million dollars.

He always wore a suit, and he always looked delicious in them. This one was black, tailored, and accentuated every good part of his body.

Then there were the sunglasses. Medium-sized and painfully stylish, he looked like a K-Drama star, especially with a cup of coffee in his hand and the lazy way he seemed to be observing his surroundings.

“Oh boy,” I said to myself.

If I had to go on looks alone, this guy was an eleven.

Toss in his emerging personality, coupled with the way he’d started to protect me, and he might get to a twelve.

As if he’d heard my thoughts, he turned and looked my way.

A shiver ran up my spine, and even through the glasses, I could tell he was focused on me.

I’d literally seen the guy walk hundreds of times—maybe thousands—but I’d never seen him stalk toward anyone before. The movement was one-part great cat and two-parts manly confidence.

I wondered if someone could suddenly get asthma, because I was having a hard time breathing.

Did they make an inhaler for this?