Arrogant Boss

Julian leaned forward and let his hand rest on the table. My own ached with the desire to reach out and feel if his skin was as warm as it looked.

When he finally spoke, his voice was a husky murmur, sending shivers down my spine. “Never have I ever been attracted to a colleague.”

We both threw back the last of our drinks. In the silence that followed, Julian looked away, his jaw working.

“Come on, Emily. We need to get out of here or I’m going to do something decidedly unprofessional.”

It had been nearly a week since the dinner with Julian, and he’d canceled on our next dinner only hours before. Luckily I had a best friend with a mission, and after some hastily arranged plans, we were driving to dinner.

A dinner I was going to enjoy and not spend going over every possible reason to why he had canceled.

“Hey, this is the exit, right?”

Denise peered out of the passenger seat window. “Yes. There’s valet parking.”

“Fancy.”

She gave a peal of nervous laughter. “El Vino is stupidly fancy. Michael told me they have a three-stage interview process for waiters.”

“And the food… I’ve been dreaming of eating here for months.”

I’d never been to El Vino-lord knows it was over my budget!-but Denise’s insider connection meant we’d be served the chef specials at a discounted price. My friend was happily infatuated, and I got to eat Michelin-star food at a discount. Win-win.

A quick glance made it clear that she was still fiddling with her jewelry, quietly staring straight ahead. It was unlike her to be so nervous.

“You look stunning. This guy doesn’t know how lucky he is.”

She laughed, as if I was being silly, and straightened up. “I’m the lucky one.”

“Are you nervous?”

“A bit. It’s silly, isn’t it? I haven’t been nervous with men for so long but here I am, thinking about Michael in that kitchen. We’ve only been on six dates total. I counted.”

I smiled. “Six dates is like a lifetime for you.”

“I know! That’s what makes it feel so serious.”

“I can’t wait to meet him if he makes you feel like this.”

Stepping out of the car I stretched up to my full height. I might not be supermodel tall, but I’d put on a pair of strappy high heels and a black cocktail dress. I’d listened to peppy music as I got ready and staunchly refused to think about Julian or why he had canceled tonight.

Or how much I wanted to see him again, outside of work.

Denise threaded her arm under mine and we walked inside the dimly lit restaurant. We were met by expensive, oak decor and soft background music.

“Denise Lloyd,” she announced to the hostess. “I believe we have a reservation?”

The waitress gave us a megawatt smile and quickly led us to a secluded table. “You’re very welcome here, ladies,” she said. “Let me start you off with a complimentary glass of champagne.”

Denise and I turned to one another as soon as she left. “Wow,” Denise stage-whispered. “This. Is. Awesome!”

“I should start sleeping with head chefs too if this is the way you’re treated!”

She laughed. “This place is really prestigious too, to get to work at.”

“For sure.” I glanced around at the other guests, all dressed up to the nines. Couples and families dined on white linen-clad tables and from the vaulted ceiling hung a gigantic chandelier.

“It’s beautiful, right?”

“It’s incredible.”

Denise reached across the table for my hand. “And very romantic. Watch out when we get our champagne, because I might have put a ring in the glass.”

I pretended to frown. “Now you’ve ruined the surprise!

We got the drinks and toasted to her good fortune. I’d seen Denise gush over dates often, but there had been very few men she’d blushed this brightly over.

The food we had was divine. The portions were tiny and served on over-the-top plates, but the flavors mingled in exactly the right way. The sea-bass was perfection.

I raised my fork in warning to Denise. “You’re never breaking up with him. Never, ever.”

“Not even if he’s terrible to me?”

“No. And if you do break up I’m going to take his side.”

She chuckled. “I’ve known you for… eleven years now?”

“Doesn’t matter. You can’t make lasagna like this.”

“I can’t blame you. He is pretty fantastic. And speaking of men… Will you please tell me how it went with the bossman last week? I’ve waited for two entire courses to ask you because I was hoping that maybe you’d bring it up yourself.”

I took a sip of my red wine. “Well…”

“Well? Silence only means one of two things. Either it went terrible, or you slept with him even though you said you wouldn’t.”

“Denise!”

“So you did?” Her eyes are round. “Wow. And it’s been so long! How was it? Tell me everything!”

“Denise, I didn’t go home with him. He’s my boss!”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

She rolled her eyes. “Boss, schmoss. So it was terrible.”

“No. It was… really nice. We had a really good time.”

“Good,” she repeated. “That’s what I say to describe my dentist appointment.”

“No, it was amazing! He’s really charming and funny. I guess I knew that already, but it’s different when all that charm is solely focused on you for two hours. And I think he’s much smarter than people give him credit for.”