Page 2 of Boss with Benefits

“What about this afternoon? We could meet up here for a quickie,” Brady suggested, persistent as always.

“I have to get things ready for Axl’s return.” She gestured to Brady’s small, messy dwelling. “Besides, you are a die-hard bachelor if I ever saw one. We had a good time. Let’s just leave it at that. Okay?”

She turned to leave, but Brady had other ideas. With one hand on her elbow, he spun her around like a professional dancer and dipped her back over his other arm. He kissed her with such passion every logical thought fled her mind.

Abruptly, he set her upright, winked, and walked to the bathroom with the sexy swagger he knew drove women crazy. There seemed to be a touch more hip action than usual, leading her to believe he was doing it on purpose.

She enjoyed the sight, but she wasn’t about to change her mind. His sexy walk solidified her decision to end things with him. Brady was not the marrying kind. Her younger self would have loved knowing him: the wild child who used to follow her favorite bands across the country and make love without an ounce of guilt or shame. That Jessica ceased to exist the night her son was born. She couldn’t allow Brady to bring her back to life. Her little boy deserved the best mother she could be, and that meant putting him first.

“Last night was our last night,” she called out to Brady. Behind the closed bathroom door, she heard him grunt. She said something she didn’t want him to hear before leaving. It was for her own benefit, a whisper beneath her breath. “If I didn’t have Axl, I’d fall in love with you so hard.”

Her little boy had inadvertently saved her from a broken heart. Brady wasn’t capable of loving a woman long-term. He’d told her that himself. His longest relationship had only lasted a few weeks. According to him, he was easily bored. A pretty face and an incredible body could only hold his attention for so long. Lucky for her, she wouldn’t have to see if she could break the record.

She took one last look at the unmade bed and got a steamy flashback of last night’s activities. Strong arms. A tender touch. Hours of making love. Blushing, she turned away. She carriedher stuff to the car, snapping into professional mode as easily as pushing a button.

Tonight, her son would finally be home where he belonged, and her passionate nights with Brady would be in the past, nothing more than a treasured memory. It was kind of sad, but definitely necessary. For them both.

∞∞∞

She finally made it to work after hitting every red light between Brady’s studio apartment and the office. If it weren’t for the bumper-to-bumper traffic, she would have arrived a lot sooner. She pulled into her reserved parking space and shut off the engine before checking a certain spot a few down from hers.Damn!She was hoping not to see the red motorcycle. Her so-called boss was already inside the tall black building across the street that looked like a work of art in itself.

Most of the people working in the sixty-two-floor skyscraper had to leave their cars in the parking garage, but Brady had made a deal with the owner of the large lot across the street. People found it hard to turn him down. Perhaps that was why he couldn’t seem to take no for an answer and kept pushing. Because experience had taught him he could almost always get his way.

Juggling several things at once, including her coffee, she stepped into the lobby. The tall cup tipped precariously. Her heartbeat quickened. If she tried to save it, she’d drop the client folders she’d put hours of work into. Papers would scatter everywhere, maybe get ruined, and some were irreplaceable. Indecision froze her limbs in place.

A hand reached out at the last second and caught the cup before a single drop escaped. She turned a grateful smile on the person standing behind her. It froze to her face. Once again, Brady was her savior.

He looked good in the snug gray T-shirt that molded to every rock-hard muscle in his upper torso. Now that she was at work, she regretted not crawling back into bed with him. Unfortunately, they had a meeting with a client within the hour. An important client. Neither of them could afford to miss that.

“How did you beat me here?” she asked. “I left before you this morning. I bet you ran all the lights and drove like a maniac just to prove a point.”

“And what point is that?” He grinned, deepening his dimples. “That you drive like an old lady?”

“I drive like a good law-abiding citizen. You should try it sometime.”

He took the client folders from her arms, leaving her with just her purse and coffee to carry. The elevator chimed its arrival. He gallantly gestured for her to enter first. Their workspace was nestled near the summit of one of Seattle’s towering office buildings. It was a long way up. They retreated to the back of the elevator, making room for a handful of others who trickled in before the doors slid shut. The elevator embarked on its tedious journey to their floor, consistently stopping to welcome new passengers and allow others to depart.

Brady sighed, already bored. It didn’t surprise her when he leaned over and whispered loud enough for the people closest to them to hear. “Did you get the blueprints for the bank job?”

If anyone looked at his face, they would think he was serious. Brady could be the straight-man for a goofy comedic genius if he wanted. He could say the craziest things and make them seem believable.

She played along with the elevator game to please him. Sometimes the reactions he got from people were funny, and it did make the slow ride up more enjoyable. Sometimes.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “Lefty will have them for us before it’s time to make our move.”

“He better,” Brady said.

The elevator lurched to a stop. The doors slid open, and everyone within earshot of them hurried out. Jessica laughed, but Brady didn’t crack a smile. He rarely broke character.

He kept his mouth shut until they reached the twentieth floor. Four more unsuspecting people stepped inside. A couple well-dressed men checked her out while boarding. Their eyes started with her legs and traveled up to her smile. She felt Brady stiffen beside her. Maybe the men caught his territorial glare. They turned away from her as a single entity, and the metal doors slid shut, locking them inside together.

In a low, seemingly hostile voice, Brady said, “I did the math.”

Jessica rolled her eyes. “And?”

Where was he going with this one?

“I know the baby isn’t mine,” he said. “Were you sleeping with my father again? Or was it my brother this time?”

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