Boss of Me

“Well…” Her voice trails off. “They stay outside except the ones who’ve been declawed. It’s such a cruel practice, declawing. It’s like cutting off the tips of all your fingers, and as they get older, they develop arthritis making it painful to jump—”

“I’ll never declaw a cat. Promise.” It doesn’t take much to get my sister on a soap box, and she has many causes. “How are you feeling? Are you happy there?”

“Of course! I wouldn’t stay if I wasn’t.”

Chewing my lip, I think about her words. Since the loss of our parents, it’s just Renée and me, and after her unexplained breakdown, I’m a little gun-shy. I finally have a job where I’m making good money, but I can’t afford more medical bills. I certainly can’t afford to go back to Savannah to take care of her. Not now.

“You’ll tell me if you need anything, right? No disappearing again.”

She doesn’t answer right away, and I hear the sound of running water.

“Ray?”

“Look, Rocky, I’m fine, okay? You’d do well to follow my advice and take care of yourself.”

I take another bite of dinner, letting the sudden tension diffuse. “I really liked Sandra. She was glad to hear you’re doing well.”

“Sandra’s nice. Tell her I said hello.” The warmth in her voice encourages me. While I chew, her tone becomes thoughtful. “Who else did you meet today?”

Stabbing another bite, I quickly review the day. “Dean is the receptionist. He’s super nice, college aged, although I don’t think he’s enrolled anywhere.”

“He must be new… Anybody else?”

“Nope.” I take my last bite, talking around it. “I lost most of the day working on Madagascar. I didn’t even get lunch.”

“Hm.” Another banging noise. “Well, I’d better go. I’m making soap.”

“Hey, take care of yourself, okay? I love you.”

“Protect your chin.”

We disconnect, and I grab the remote, flipping to Netflix and letting Queer Eye play. The Fab Five are working with a man in a wheelchair, and his smile is so bright. I wonder if I could maintain my positive attitude in the face of physical adversity.

I’ve faced personal challenges. While Renée was going through her stuff, my social life all but disappeared. I couldn’t afford to go out with the girls, and if I did have a free night or weeke

nd, I either passed out from exhaustion or drove to Savannah to stay with her. I was barely twenty-one, but she needed me.

Now when she does the overprotective big sister routine, it feels so unnecessary. She’s so worried about Patton Fletcher… George. My nose wrinkles.

It really is a crime how sexy he is. I’ve never had such an immediate, primitive response to a man. I’ve had boyfriends, of course, but this is different. This is like being offered a thick, juicy steak after being on a 40-day bread and water diet.

Setting my dinner on the end table, I lie on my side on the couch. I want to thread my fingers in his dark hair. It’s so thick and glossy, I love that he wears it slightly longer. I want to trace my finger down the line in his forehead, erasing the anger there. Is it anger or is it tension?

Maybe if I ran my hands all over those broad shoulders… I could press my lips to the back of his neck, touch my tongue to his warm skin and taste the salt on his hard body.

I want to see what he’s hiding under that suit, see his tattoos, feel the strength of his arms, slip my hand down his stomach and check the size of his package… My thighs squeeze together, and I consider fetching my vibrator.

I should probably stop fantasizing about my grumpy boss, but it doesn’t count if he isn’t interested in me, right?

Patton Fletcher, I exhale a sigh. He’s either going to be the best or the worst thing that’s ever happened to me…

Dashing into the office, I’m five minutes late. I can barely breathe, juggling my coffee and my bag with my cardigan over my arm. I don’t have another suit, and it’s too hot for winter coats. My only option was a pair of black cigarette pants, a chambray blouse, and my cream blazer.

“Nice French tuck.” Dean does a little clap as I jog past his desk. He’s in teal pants and a mustard crew-neck sweater. “Tan would be proud.”

“I didn’t know fashion would be a part of the job.” I’m not joking. I’ll have to hit up Target as soon as I get my paycheck and hope I can do enough rotations until then.

“I’ve found if you fly under the radar, you don’t get hit.”