Page 48 of The Boss

“But you had sex with her anyway.” Some of that good-naturedness faded away. “An employee.”

“Yes,” I said with a sigh. “She’s an employee, and yes, we had sex. Before you say anything, though, it was completely consensual.”

“I think HR might disagree on that point,” Finley said. “You can’t date an employee.”

“I’m notdatingan employee,” I said.

“Then you’re just sleeping with her, and that’s even worse.”

“How is that worse?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

“It’s worse because if you were actually dating, it’d be a lot harder for the employee to convince HR that you’re leveraging her job for sex.”

I decided that I disliked serious Finley more than smiling Finley. “I’m not blackmailing her into sex.”

“I didn’t say you were,” he said. “But is that what she’ll say?”

Ashlee’s face immediately appeared in my head. The expression she’d worn the first time I’d seen her. How she’d looked underneath me. The blank mask I’d gotten this morning when I’d yelled at her.

“She won’t go to HR.”

Finley walked around the desk and put his hand on my shoulder. “Look, I know that one of the reasons this business between us works is because neither one of us tells the other how to live their life, but you know you can’t keep seeing her. Dating or sex. Doesn’t matter. It has to be done.”

I gritted my teeth. “It’s not an issue.”

Finley squeezed my shoulder. “I’m not going to let it be an issue. Give me her name. I’ll make sure she has the same understanding that you do.”

Twenty-Nine

Ashlee

I could sayone great thing for being the only assistant in A&R: I was being honest every time I told someone that I didn’t have time to talk to them. I spent so much time moving from one task immediately into the next that I barely took five minutes to eat, and I even did that while I was working. My brain was so busy that I didn’t have time to dwell on anything that other people might be saying.

It was nice.

At least Mr. Hancock and Ms. Lamas hadn’t mentioned my presence on Friday. I was sure Ms. Lamas knew I’d attended with Nate – I couldn’t use ‘Mr. Lexington’ now any easier than I did his first name – but she hadn’t said a word about it. I appreciated how they were both handling things, but it couldn’t have been easy for either of them, having our department be the subject of gossip like this.

“Miss Webb?”

My head jerked up, my heart in my throat. I knew that voice. Finley Kordell, the less-visible CEO of Manhattan Records. I’d seen him around, heard him too, but I’d never been this close to him before. Never spoken to him directly.

“Mr. Kordell.” I flushed at the squeak in my voice. He was going to think I was an idiot.

“You’re Ashlee Webb, correct?” His expression was serious, but not angry.

I could barely breathe. He rarely talked to anyone here. Half the time, he wasn’t even in the building. He was the label’s silent, seldom-seen partner. Most people didn’t even know he existed.

I wasn’t most people.

“Yes,” I said, pressing my sweating palms against the tops of my thighs. “I’m Ashlee Webb.”

“Finley Kordell.” He held out his hand, and I shook it. “I understand you’ve been working for us for a while.”

I nodded. “Yes, sir. Started as an intern, then moved up to runner. Promoted to assistant three months ago.”

I was rambling.

“Mr. Hancock speaks highly of you,” he said. “And despite his cheery personality, he doesn’t actually do that very often.”

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