Page 7 of Billionaire's Black Assistant

More so because she felt so out of place beside him. He was this gorgeous billionaire, and she was his employee. He was way out of her league, and Sheri imagined that anyone who saw them together thought so, too. And, it wasn’t even about the color thing. She knew for a fact that her boss wasn’t racist. She’d just never seen him show an interest in an ebony woman before. She would be crazy to think this was anything to do with him having a “thing” for her or whatever.

At 5’7”, Sheri wouldn’t call her height inconsequential, and though she had somewhat thick thighs, her waist and stomach were trim and her breasts firm despite being on the large side. She got her fair share of admirers and stares, and her skin was smooth and a glowing golden brown. Her face definitely didn’t make babies cry. In fact, if she wouldn’t be too conceited to say it, she was kind of a hot chick. But did she hold a candle to Dean’s Greek god perfection? No chance.

“So, I hope your boyfriend doesn’t mind you keeping me company,” said Dean lightly as he handed her a glass of wine while they stood in the refreshment section.

Sheri’s cheeks flushed, and she decided to set things straight. Thanks to that meddling best friend of hers, she’d given Dean a needless misconception. “I don’t have a boyfriend. At the restaurant the other night, that was my best friend Guy.”

“You’re beautiful and intelligent, among other qualities. Certainly a package deal – so why don’t you have a boyfriend?” he spoke in that same casual tone and flicked his gaze to hers. “And, don’t tell me you’re too busy. That will make me feel guilty, working you too hard to make time for a relationship.”

“I like working hard. For me, that’s fulfillment enough, for now,” she said, feeling desperate to change the topic.

“I guess I can understand that,” came his thoughtful reply. He gave her another reflective glance, adding, “Besides, I’m not exactly in the position to pass judgment, am I?”

His lips curved in a teasing smile, which lightened her discomfort somewhat. Yeah, he was certainly right about that, considering his idea of relationships consisted of the love-them-and-leave-them variety. Dean Cooper definitely didn’t want any woman getting too attached or closing in on his personal space.

And for tonight, neither did he seem interested in any of the other females present who were desperate to give him their attention. Whether they recognized him or were simply drawn to his attractive and mysterious persona, Dean was much too good at brushing them off. Even with Sheri there, a few of the women were not holding back, stepping forward and making themselves known to him. Sheri felt a certain satisfaction seeing the other women’s faces curdle when he would tell them off in no uncertain terms.

The next moment though, she was berating herself for feeling any satisfaction. Dean Cooper didn’t belong to her!

Granted, an office setting was much too conducive to all sorts of crazy situations – crushes, flings, and even romantic liaisons. Something about being in close quarters bred familiarity, especially seeing the same person every day. Sheri had read somewhere of it being liked to Stockholm syndrome or some such, and she’d found the comparison quite apt.

In her past jobs, she’d managed to avoid any of those kinds of problems. She just knew it would be a mistake. That fleeting pleasure wouldn’t be worth the bag of issues that came with it. So though she’d got many offers, past and present, she’d always found a polite way to indicate her lack of interest and move along.

She couldn’t help thinking that if she at least had a man, maybe she wouldn’t have this unhealthy fixation for her boss. But then she knew she just wasn’t willing to put in the work a serious relationship required. Besides, it was always the same with her in her past affairs: she’d get bored by her partner, the sex would grow routine… Oh sure, maybe those were just excuses. But for her, being single was definitely better than a constant pattern of short-range relationships like the ones her friends jumped in and out of.

Still, none of that gave her any answers as to why Dean was getting more and more under her skin.

Thank goodness the event would soon be over and they could leave.

“You must be hungry,” Dean said as they walked out to the car half an hour later. “You barely touched any of the food served. Why don’t we catch some dinner? Anything you like.”

At the prospect of spending more time with him, Sheri’s heart lifted. But then it came crashing down again. Slowly, she faced him with a sigh. “I really don’t think you should be taking me out to dinner.”

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