Page 9 of Boss with Benefits

The beautiful woman wiggling against him failed to produce a single sexual response from him.

She took a step back. “What’s wrong this time? I thought you were unattached like me?”

Sheepishly, he admitted, “There is... a woman.”

Greta rolled her eyes, and he noticed clumps of mascara stuck to some of her thickened lashes. Jessica’s mascara never clumped. Of course, she didn’t pile it on with a heavy hand. A little went a long way.

He busied himself with his equipment, taking the lens off his camera and putting it in the bag. “Sorry. You know me. I’m a one-woman man.”

“One woman at a time.”

He chuckled. “You got that right.”

“Unbelievable.”

“Hey, last time it was you. Remember? You were involved with a Greek tycoon.”

She smiled at the mention of her billionaire lover. “He was a great ride. It’s such a shame it didn’t last. What about you? Are you thinking of marrying this woman?”

The mere thought chilled his blood.

“Not in this lifetime. I told you before. I’m never getting married.”

“Good,” Greta said. “When you get tired of her, whoever she is, call me. Maybe I’ll still be available.”

“Fingers crossed.”

She placed a quick kiss on his mouth before her hand slipped down to pat his denim-covered butt. “Can’t wait.”

After she was gone, he finished putting his equipment away. Thoughts of Jessica continued to plague him. The truth was, he didn’t want to see her hurt. If her ex took custody of their son, it would break her heart. No way was he letting it happen.Even if she never had sex with him again, he wanted her to have her child. He wanted to see her happy.

∞∞∞

Later that night, Jessica went around the condo picking up toys until her living room was clean again. She’d forgotten how big a mess a little boy could make in a short amount of time. Tonight, performing the chore put a smile on her face and reminded her of how lucky she was to have him.

Once she was done, she poured herself a generous serving of white wine. Sipping deeply, she savored the velvety smoothness flowing past her tongue. It wasn’t too dry or too sweet. Perfect. In passing, she reached for a book nestled on the shelf dividing the kitchen from the general living area. The day had been long and fraught with emotional turmoil, leaving her feeling drained and frustrated. At least it was over. Her bed was calling to her, but she needed to decompress before she could hope to sleep. Reading was her usual refuge, a reliable way to relax and unwind.

She settled down on her modern gray couch for the evening and opened her book to where she’d left off last month. Unfortunately, she couldn’t focus. She read the same sentence three times before giving up. All she could think about was what the lawyer said about her chances of winning full custody. Fear rode her hard.

After placing the book on the coffee table, she went to the exterior wall, solid glass from floor to ceiling, and stared out at Seattle. They weren’t very far from the Space Needle, the city’s most memorable landmark. This view was the whole reason she’d bought a condo in the popular steel and glass building.Other places she’d checked into had been cheaper, but she couldn’t resist the Seattle skyline. It was amazing even at night, lit up like Paris.

A knock on the front door startled her. It was late, and she wasn’t expecting anyone. With a sigh, she peeked through the provided hole.Brady!Her heart thundered in her chest. They’d known each other for years, but he had never come to her house. With the exception of last night, they had met at a hotel every time they had sex to keep things from getting complicated. Why was he at her door now? What did he want? He couldn’t possibly think they were going to have sex with Axl back home.

She opened the door with reluctance, knowing she didn’t look her best. About an hour ago, she’d washed off her makeup and released her hair from the stretchy black band she had slipped on that morning. She didn’t have time to check a mirror. Her hair was probably a huge mess.

“Hey there.” She pasted on a fake smile. “What’s up?”

Brady stepped inside without waiting for an invitation and looked around the immaculate tenth-floor condo. “Did you get your kid back? I don’t see him.”

“It’s late. Axl is safely in his bed, all tucked in and fast asleep.” She gestured for him to move all the way into the living room area. “Thank you for coming to check on us, but we’re fine.”

He shrugged on his way to the couch. “No big deal.”

“It was a very big deal to me, how you took charge today. No one has ever stood up for me like that. If it wasn’t for you, that no good deadbeat would have my son.”

“Happy employees do a better job than unhappy ones.”

She rolled her eyes. “First, I am not your employee. We’re partners. Make a note so you don’t keep forgetting.”

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