Page 34 of The Boss Problem

I stared at Dex across the table, and he smiled back at me like he hadn’t just asked me for an obscene amount of money.

I’d already pledged support for his wife’s charitable cause for the Robin Hood Foundation, butgolf club fundwas his follow-up ask. I’d turned him down once, but given by how he wasn’t moving, I had a bad feeling about what was coming next. Everyone knew when Dex started asking for something, his requests never stopped at just one.

A knock sounded on the door, and I looked up as Chloe entered my office.

For the few days that Chloe had been working for me, I’d seen her busy and occasionally worried while work was slow. She had something else going on in her life. Something thatdemanded much of her attention, and I had to remind myself that whatever went on in her personal life shouldn’t be my concern. Except that I was inordinately interested in all the details of this woman’s life. The parts that she would share and the parts that she wouldn’t.

Today, however, was one of those days when she was looking happier. She was in navy-blue pants and a ruffled cream-colored blouse that accentuated her cleavage. I swallowed and looked away, but not before I noticed she’d styled her hair in waves and her skin was glowing.

I wanted to pull her to me, to bury my face in her hair and breathe in her scent. I also wanted to punch myself in the face for being weak enough to lust after my assistant. Especially when she was keeping things so professional.

She didn’t care one bit about me.

Her head wasn’t turned by my excessive wealth or affected charm, unlike others. Damn her.

She shut the door gently behind her before looking pointedly at me. “Mr. Tassater, your Zoom meeting with Mr. Edgar Mercer, the Australian oil baron, is in ten minutes.”

I stared at her, feeling at a complete loss of understanding. Oil? We were a tech company. I had no dealings with oil barons, much less ones from Australia.

My CFO and VP of strategy stood up, seizing their opportunity to leave. They shuffled out behind Chloe, the door falling shut behind them. Good for them. Bad for me. Dex was rooted to his chair, looking back at me curiously.

Chloe shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Whenever you’re ready, Mr. Tassater, I’ll help you set up the video call with Mr. Mercer.”

When I met Chloe’s gaze again, perplexed, she blatantly gave me a cheerful smile and followed it up with a wink and a nod that seemed to imply,Go with it.

Was she really kicking Dex Smithson out for me?

Dex looked at Chloe with a grin. He wasn’t buying it.

I stood up, pushing my chair back farther than I’d intended to, and extended my hand out to the man. “Yes, I’d completely forgotten about Mr. Mercer for a minute there,” I said, my voice firm as I looked at Dex. “We’ll have to continue our conversation about golf later. I’m afraid I’m out of time now.”

He looked perturbed. “But we never discussed the budget for the marketing department’s new team lunch initiative or a possible donation for?—”

Chloe all but pushed him out the door, giving him a lengthy explanation about the importance of my upcoming meeting.

When the door fell shut behind Dex, I breathed out a huge sigh of relief while Chloe turned around and gave me another one of her wide smiles.

“I was afraid he’d ask you to invest in his retirement fund next,” she said as she walked back to my desk with ease.

I stared at her. “You knew?”

She cocked her head to the side. “That Dex always asks for a minimum of three things when he gets here?” She nodded. “I went to John Keene’s son’s baseball game yesterday evening, and he mentioned it,” she confessed.

“You went where?” I asked and then shook my head. “Of course you did.”

She grinned. “I took some photos. They love their new uniforms, and the photos from the game are going on your website for the nonprofit.”

“That’s overkill. But tell me, how did you know Dex was here? Weren’t you in the meeting down the corridor with the legal team?”

She nodded. “I was. But I saw Dex making his way to your office some minutes later, and I raced out of that room as soon as I could leave.”

I appreciated the sentiment and the effort. “Thank you,” I said. “I owe you for that.”

My hands itched to reach out and stroke her, but I restrained myself. I wanted to focus my attention on her full lips, imagining what they’d taste like. I hated that I was thinking these thoughts around her. Wishing I could kiss her, taste her, and hear her moan under my touch.

She looked at me for a long moment before she spoke again. “By the way, I’ve thought about what you asked.”

I indicated for her to sit.

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