Page 20 of Her Irish Boss

“If you really thought that, Brogan, then you're an idiot. I was making a joke.” His brothers seemed so happy. What happened to cause him to be so serious?

“I'm not sure I like my employees calling me an idiot.”

She skimmed her fingers along the side of his ribs.

He jerked away, breaking their connection. “Stop that.” He tried to sound mad, but the laugh in his voice told her otherwise.

“I was worried for a moment.”

The door opened a second later. He reached up, adjusting the bar at the top, so it stayed open. His expression remained cautious. “Worried about what?”

“That you weren't even ticklish.” She wiggled her fingers his direction. “I don't trust someone who isn't ticklish. A lack of a sense of humor I can work with.” It was big words, covering up her insecurity. Had he really thought she put herself in that situation to trap him? He tried to keep himself distant, but he looked just as nervous as she felt.

Katie's face appeared in the doorway. “Did you find...whoa. What happened?”

The floor was covered in paper straws from the boxes that fell in the dark.

“I was clumsy as usual.”

Katie shook her head and gave Brogan a wide berth when she came into the room. “I can help. Don't worry.”

Brogan scowled.

Selena returned the look, but with a little more exaggeration. She'd get the man to smile at some point. Laugh. Have a freaking good time.

He stalked away.

“Moody much?” Katie moved into the room, beginning to pick up the straws. “Of course someone, as put together like him, would be peeved to see straws all over the ground.”

Selena had the wicked thought to dump the straws all over his desk to see if that pissed him off or made him laugh. Instead, she bent down and helped clean up her mess. She'd end up dying of sexual frustration instead of old age at this pace.

6

He'd hid in his office all morning, barely speaking to Selena and giving her nothing but busy work to do after their moment in the supply room. He couldn't do anything about the obvious attraction between them but keep his distance until he learned to control it. She'd caught him watching her the few times he'd left his office during her shift, so he avoided the entire situation.

Holding her in the supply room, about killed him. When her fingers touched the back of his neck, and she said his name, he'd almost hauled her to her toes and kissed her. He'd tried to read the situation like his brothers suggested. But he couldn't. His doubts kept surfacing.

With Katie's timing, reminding him of their precarious position, he was glad he'd remembered who he was. He was her employer.

He didn't care what his brothers thought. Crissy had given him the ultimate lesson on female deception. Although he didn't think Selena was showing an interest only to lure him into a lawsuit, he couldn't risk it. He couldn't risk the restaurant. His brothers’ futures.

And she thought the entire thing was a joke. The woman was a mess. He'd found her cell phone, again, sitting in the employee's break-room and caught Katie to give it to her before she left.

Brogan looked over the reservation system, the evening hostess watching him suspiciously. His constant presence probably bothered every waiter or waitress on the floor, but he didn't care. He needed to be where the action was. He needed a distraction. And since Selena didn't work the night shift, he took it out on his employees.

Being a perfectionist wasn't bad.

“Mr. O'Keeley?” Cara asked as she fell in step beside him. Shift manager for his night employees, she was easy to spot with a bright, unnatural shade of red hair and nearly six feet tall. Unlike Lenny, Cara already had excellent leadership skills. “We've had three employees go home sick. I called in a few of the staff who work in the mornings.” She flipped the paper on her clipboard. “Katie, Selena, and Trey. Trey just arrived. Katie said something about having to help Selena, but then they'd both be here.”

“Boss,” one of the kitchen workers began, tapping him on the shoulder. “We just had two cooks get sick.”

A health epidemic on the night that Randy Simmons was due to arrive for another meal pushed Brogan's patience. And now he'd have his eyes on Selena to top it off.

“Obviously, let's keep this low key. As you see employees, quietly tell them that the minute they start to feel ill, to let you know and leave the floor. I'll call Rian to help in the kitchen.”

The young kid's eyes grew round. “Seriously?”

“Am I ever not serious?”

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