Page 68 of Confessions of a Smutty Romance Author

Jonas

I worked through lunch so I could get everything I had to do finished by six. As we neared the end of January, I could feel the pressure building within the office. These would be the last couple weekends we all had off. Not to mention the last couple weeks we wouldn’t be working until seven to nine every night.

I walked by Karen’s shared office with a couple of the other bookkeepers and noticed all the lights were off. They may have made less money, but their hours were definitely better than the CPAs and other tax preparers.

“Jonas,” Mr. Rusk called from inside his office. It was the only one in the building with the light still on. I usually tried not to leave before him—a tip from an old mentor in college—but tonight I had plans with Mara. I didn’t want to keep her waiting.

“Yes, sir,” I said, stepping into the doorway of his office.

He waved his weathered hand at me and said, “Sit, sit.” He set his reading glasses on his desk and rolled his chair backward. “Want a beer?”

Another rule of thumb? Never say no to a beer from a boss. “Sounds great,” I replied.

He reached into the fridge, grabbed a can from a local brewery he liked, and tossed it my way. I caught it, tapped on the lid (did that actually work?) and took a drink of the crisp liquid. Why did beer taste so much better at the end of a long day?

He took a drink from his own can and set it on his desk. “Tax season coming up.”

I nodded.

“How do you feel about a little extra responsibility?”

“I’m up for a challenge,” I answered, despite the feeling like there was a fish hook in my navel, pulling me toward Mara, away from the office.

“You know the promotion is between you and Jenkins. I want to see how you both perform under pressure. And not just regular tax season pressure, but the kind that comes from employees and clients.”

I nodded slowly. Usually, the tax preparers brought their returns to my office for me to look over and sign, since I was a CPA. That alone was a lot of work, but I could take on more for the sake of a promotion that meant I could retire my dad completely. Fully fund a college savings account for my children before they were even born. “Want me to pick up some extra reviews?”

He shook his head. “I want you to manage it front to back. This week, we’re transitioning a quarter of the employees from my management to yours, and then another quarter to Jenkins. That means you’ll take on far more oversight instead of getting elbows deep in the work. I want to see how you treat our clients and how you keep your employees on top of it.”

I nodded, a smile growing on my face. I’d managed bookkeepers before and helped with client acquisition, but I’d never been charged with a team of accountants. Mr. Rusk had been the main person in charge of project management since I started working here, so it would be different, but if he wanted to really retire, this would be the natural next step. “What are you going to do with all your free time?” I asked, taking another swig.

He chuckled. “Watching you and Jenkins like a hawk.”

I laughed, but it was more for politeness than actual humor. I needed to step up my game this season and rise to the challenge if I didn’t want to get stuck in mid-level management for the rest of my life.

“Where are you off to?” Mr. Rusk asked.

I finished off the rest of my beer. “I have a date.”

He winked. “Have fun.”

I already knew I would. Waving goodbye, I threw my beer can away and left the office. I sprayed cologne on myself in the car before driving back home to see my girl. Hopefully, she would be excited by the plans that I had. Especially after what we'd done the night before.

I parked in the driveway, leaving my car running. When I reached the door, she was already waiting for me, her patchwork purse over her shoulder.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“Hi,” I said with a teasing smile. “It's good to see you too.” I wasn't sure where we were at, but I wanted to kiss her. I couldn't believe how nervous I was after everything we’d done the night before, but I leaned across the space and pressed my lips to hers, my heart pounding. She returned my kiss, making me think maybe we should go straight back to the bedroom. But, first things first.

“You look beautiful, by the way,” I added.

She glanced down at herself in her leggings and her oversized shirt and said a surprised, “Thank you.” She must have thought I was silly for complimenting her on comfortable clothes, but I liked her like this. She wasn't trying to put on a show for anyone. She was just being herself, and that's what I liked most of all.

“Let's go,” I said. As I followed her out the door, I put my hand on her lower back, loving the chance to touch her whenever I could. After locking the door behind us, I walked around to the passenger side of my car to let her in.

She waited for me, and I liked that she was used to me treating her the way she deserved.

I got in my side of the car, then pulled out of the driveway and began driving while she continued her onslaught of questions. “Are we going to do another wedding thing for Tess?” she asked. “Maybe dance lessons? There's always a part in a book or movie where someone can't attend a dance lesson and then someone fills in and they,of course, fall in love.”

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