The Office Rival: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance

“Of course! Can’t wait to hang out with my gorgeous soon-to-be godson.” She coos at Masen.

“And about that. Don’t mention this to Haden yet. I don’t think he’s religious, at all.”

Vicky slides her

finger along her mouth, then flicks it to the side. “My lips are sealed.”

Bringing Masen to the office is extremely overwhelming. Every woman and her overactive ovaries are fussing over him, all fighting to have a cuddle so they can smell his skin. It was only announced last week that Dee is expecting a baby with her sugar daddy. Four months along, according to Mr. National Inquirer himself, Clive. She seems happy, asking me questions about pregnancy and birth. I’m not here to judge her, despite her sugar daddy being old enough to be her grandfather.

Clive is doing his thing, making weird sounds at Masen trying to make him smile.

“Jesus, Pres, he looks exactly like the Jerk.”

“I’d question her if he didn’t.” Haden is standing behind an embarrassed Clive.

Haden moves into the circle, and my eyes move up his body and land on his torso. He’s wearing a fitted navy business shirt with a thin black tie, and he has rolled up the sleeves like he always does.

Kill. Me. Now.

His face has broken out into his trademark smile, and his glasses…

Why the hell does he look so irresistible today? Because you promised not to touch him while he is still engaged to Eloise.

“Motherhood agrees with you, Pres.” Clive raises his eyebrows and cups his chest, motioning to my huge breasts. “So, Masen drinks breast milk only?”

I nod. “Haven’t had the need to start the formula yet.”

“Have you tasted it?” Clive attempts to whisper.

“Clive!” Vicky scolds, followed with, “Yeah, have you?”

I shake my head at them, trying to hold in my laughter. “No. But I heard it’s supposed to taste like—”

“Cantaloupe juice,” Haden interjects. “It was on an episode of Friends.”

Mortified because he must have tasted it the other night, I lower my head so as not to reveal my flushed face. Vicky and Clive snicker as Haden continues to stand there with a wide smirk on his face, rubbing his chin with his stare fixated on me.

“Well, there you go,” I say with a fixed smile. “Cantaloupe juice. Not that I know what that tastes like, but I imagine it’s sweet. Anyways, look at the time.”

Haden kisses Masen before telling me he has a meeting that is expected to turn into a dinner since it’s one of our stakeholders from London. I say goodbye to him before he disappears.

“Okay, so let me know about tonight?” Vicky reminds me.

“Thanks, Vicky, I will. I probably won’t go ahead with it, but I’ll let you know either way.”

Vicky and Clive head back to their cubicles as I make my way to the elevator. It opens, and Eloise exits.

Shit.

Stepping out of the elevator looking like a supermodel, she spots me and plasters on a fake smile. As usual, she is dressed to the nines in a perfectly pressed pantsuit with six-inch pumps. Her blonde hair is styled—yes, straight out of the salon—and her skin looks nicely tanned and extremely clear. She makes it impossible to hate anything about her. At least if she had a giant mole on her nose and a long chin, I could refer to her as a witch.

“I didn’t expect to see you here… with the baby.”

She peeks her head into the stroller and finally gets a glimpse of her soon-to-be stepson.

There, I’ve said it.

Pulling back instantly, her fake smile makes another appearance. “He’s pretty.”