Page 90 of Grumpy Boss of the Year

“Or what?” I say, trying to pretend I’m joking.

Her eyes narrow slightly, and she shakes her head. “No, I’m not trying to fuck everyone in the Caribbean. I’d like to meet one nice guy and have a really nice, intimate, enjoyable time with him. Someone I choose. Someone I can look at and think:this is something that we decided together. Not something that I’m doing out of obligation.”

“Have you ever thought that you might grow to enjoy sleeping with your future husband?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she says. “But, how long is this line going to take? It’s taking forever.”

“I know.” I shrug. “That’s the thing with the Caribbean: things can be really slow.”

“I guess now I know what they mean by ‘island time,’” she says, laughing, and I nod.

“That is true.”

“So, Liam?”

“Yes, darling.”

“Why are you calling me darling?”

“I don’t know. It was a slip of the tongue. Something that came easily to me. Maybe it’s because I’m a romantic.”

“Yeah, right. In what universe?” she says, shaking her head. “Anyway, tell me how you got into business. Was it something that you always saw yourself doing as a child?”

I stare at her for a couple of minutes, slightly puzzled as to the change in conversation.

“You already told me that you didn’t really want to mix business with pleasure, and I think we already got off-topic and started talking about sex. And, well, we’re standing in line, and I don’t want people to eavesdrop on us.” She shrugs. “So, I figured I’d make conversation, and that’s something I’m curious about.”

“When I was younger, I wanted to be a policeman.”

“Really?” She looks at me in surprise.

I nod. “Yep. In my class, everyone either wanted to be a policeman or the prime minister, and I never really fancied being the prime minister after learning about Winston Churchill.”

“Okay.”

“I thought a policeman sounded much more fun.”

“Fun? That’s not really the adjective I would use to describe being a policeman.”

“I mean, I liked the uniform, and I liked the cars,” I say, laughing. “I didn’t realize how dangerous of a job it could be.”

“Yeah, that’s true. “

“When I was younger, I thought being a policeman would be really cool, and now, I realize that they are really risking their lives to take care of us.”

“Yep,” I say. “I think you have to be a very selfless person to be a police officer.”

“And you’re not selfless?”

“Do I look selfless?” I say, grinning.

“I guess you don’t. But I could see you in a cop’s uniform.”

“Is that something you’re requesting of me?” I grin at her and look her up and down.

“What do you mean,requesting?” she asks innocently.

“I don’t know…. Are you into role-play?”

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