Arrogant Boss

“It’s been fun! We’ve had some great teamwork.”

“We have. Thank God it’s over though. I think I could use about two week’s vacation.”

“Me too.”

Rachel zipped up her jacket. “I’m heading to my sister’s for the evening. She lives here in LA, so I’ll spend some time with family and sleep at hers. Congratulations, Emily. You get the hotel room all to yourself tonight.”

“Oh,” I said weakly.

“That’s a good thing, no?”

“Yes! Yes, I mean, of course I don’t mind. I hope you have a great evening. See you at the airport tomorrow morning then?”

“Yes, bright and early.” She rolled her eyes. “Too early.”

I watched her grab her bag and give me a cheery wave as she hurried out of the conference hall. So I’d be alone in my room tonight, with Julian Hunt himself just two doors down.

My mind went straight for the gutter. I tried to stop it; I gave directions, I called out, I coaxed. But there was no use. The facts were the facts-there was nothing in the way of the of us spending time together tonight. Nerves were already going haywire in my stomach and I forced myself to take a deep breath.

I hoped we would spend the night together. I’d been fighting my attraction for him from the beginning, but it was a useless battle and I’d made a strategic retreat. When a man like that is delivered into your life, you don’t waste him, and I didn’t plan to.

Only… it had been a while since the last time I had sex. Between working and taking care of the house and Turner, meeting men hadn’t really been on my to-do list for the last few years. And while living vicariously through Denise had given me many laughs, it hadn’t really prepared me for this moment.

My eyes tracked Julian on the other side of the room. He was helping the technicians carry a large beam and had taken off his fitted blazer. He said something, and I saw the others grin as they carried it across to an electric truck. He really could talk to anyone, I thought. I doubted any of the other CEO’s who had attended the conference stayed to help packing down afterward.

Julian bent, muscular thighs straining against his suit pants as they carried the heavy beam. Absently, he pushed his shirtsleeves up higher to reveal strong forearms. I wondered how they’d feel around my bare waist. I wondered how I’d managed to stay away from him for so long.

I wondered if he wanted me as much as I wanted him.

As if hearing my thoughts, Julian turned. A smile broke across his features as he saw me and strode over. “Are you watching me, huh?”

“Mhm,” I said. “Rachel is going to be at her sister’s tonight. She just headed out.”

“Alright, good to know.”

“As in, she’s staying the night there,” I clarified. I was probably the most uncool woman in the history of dating at the moment, but it felt really important that he got this point.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

Julian’s eyes slid to mine. “I see. Well, we should get dinner, in any case.”

“Sure. We’re all done here now, anyway.”

He glanced down at his watch. “It’ll just be the two of us, actually. Josef is grabbing a drink with some programmers from another company.”

“Fraternization, but okay.”

He chuckled and leaned in close, his voice soft against my ear. “Just us, it seems. I hope you’re alright with spending some time with me alone again.”

My stomach did Cirque-du-Soleil worthy somersaults. “I’m okay with that.”

We headed towards the exit, his suit jacket slung over one shoulder. How could he still smell amazing after a full day of running around?

“You have two options.”

“I do?” My room or yours?

“There’s a restaurant in the lobby of the hotel. That’s the simple option. Or, I could make some calls and try to find a reservation for a nice place somewhere else. It’s the lady’s choice.”

“Oh, I see,” I said with an exaggerated nod. “This is a date, and you need to get some paparazzi photos taken. Well, I’m committed to anonymity.”

Julian laughed. “Both Rachel and Josef like to run their mouths sometimes. No, I just want to spend time with you.”

“Let’s go to the hotel restaurant. It looked good enough, and it’s already pretty late.”

He nodded and held the door open for me. “Sounds great to me. I have a feeling I’ll be paying more attention to the beautiful woman opposite me than my food anyway.”

The hostess made sex-eyes at Julian when we arrived. A part of me was annoyed at her, but the other part was in full agreement. You and me both, sister.

“We have the perfect table for you, sir.” She shot him a blinding smile as we followed her to a table in the back.

“I’ll get you both a menu in a second. Meanwhile, would you care to start with something to drink? A glass of wine, perhaps?”

Julian’s eyes were on me. “What would you like, Emily?”

“A glass of white wine, thank you. And some still water.”

“I’ll have a glass of red,” Julian said.

“Coming right up!”

“Wow,” I said when she retreated. “Does that happen everywhere you go?”

“Does what happen everywhere?”

I rolled my eyes at him. “Never mind.”

Our menus arrived and we ordered in quick succession. The table we’d gotten was secluded, half-hidden from view from the other guests.

Our conversation flowed as naturally as it had the previous times we’d spent together. He was easy to talk to, a skilled conversationalist, and highly receptive to whatever stupid joke I was making.

Julian cut his steak with expert precision and I admired the strength of his hands, the five o’clock shadow along his jaw. My body felt alive with energy.

Tonight. He’d hinted enough times that he wanted me.

I felt woefully inexperienced suddenly. How do you initiate something more intimate after this? Should I slip him my room key before dessert with a sly wink? Was a coy smile enough?

The last time I slept with a man, it had been with a former co-worker following a particularly wet Christmas party. It had been memorable only in how exceedingly unmemorable it was.

Julian probably had high standards. I took another peek up at the hard cut of his jaw, the way the light played across the wide splay of his shoulders. Two years ago, on this day, he’d dated an honest to God actress. Like, someone whose job description included looking beautiful.