My Naughty Boss

***

I listened to the rhythmic click of Sophia’s heels on the floor as she walked out of my office. I turned before I heard the door open. Because I needed to see her once more. She was b

eautiful, her auburn hair swinging back-and-forth where it fell halfway down her back. She'd worn a fitted blouse and skirt. Perfectly respectable. Yet, on her, the utterly unremarkable outfit was somehow naughty. She had curves for days, and I could hardly keep my eyes off of her. Her hips swung with each step.

“Sophia,” I said, her name coming out unbidden from my mouth.

She paused by the door as Danny held it open for her and glanced back to me. My instinct to speak her name had been drawn forth because I wanted to see her face once more. But now I needed to say something. Fuck.

“Thank you,” I managed, letting myself soak in the sight of her.

With her wide brown eyes paired with her auburn hair and fair skin, she was beyond alluring. She had a scattering of freckles across her nose, and her face was heart-shaped with full lush lips and a slightly crooked smile. My willful eyes lingered over the full curve of her breasts pulling the buttons tight across them. Hell, I did not want a PR Consultant, and I certainly didn't need one who made me hard simply by existing. Apparently, that's what I had though. I should've told Danny to put in the ad that the applicant needed to be someone entirely boring in looks. The absolute last thing I needed was a gorgeous woman here all the time.

Sophia’s eyes locked with mine, and I could’ve sworn I saw a flash of desire in them. “Thank you. I'll wait for the information from you.”

Danny gestured her out, and I called to him at the last moment. “I'll see you in a few minutes please.”

Danny nodded and then left. I turned back to the windows, willing my hard cock down. I took a few deep breaths and stared out over the skyline of Manhattan. After a moment, I heard my door open and close again. I spun back, sinking down into the chair by the windows.

“Jesus, Danny. What the hell am I gonna do with her?” I asked.

Danny grinned. He was savoring the fact that the board had insisted I hire a PR Consultant. He strode across the room and slid into the chair across from the table.

“You're going to let her help you. You have an image problem. Namely, the world thinks you're an asshole. It would be one thing if you were, but you’re not. Let her clean things up. For what it's worth, she's right. If you want people to stop asking about Kayla, you need to set the narrative and then move on.”

I picked up a slinky from my drafting table and idly rolled it back and forth between my hands, shifting my shoulders to ease the tension in them. “I know. I just hate the whole story.”

Kayla Hanson was my former fiancée. The media thought I was hung up on her. I wasn't. I was well over her. I dumped her because it became clear all she wanted was my money. She also cheated on me. She viewed me as so many other executives, thinking all I wanted was arm candy. I didn’t give a damn about arm candy. I'd been stupid enough to think she cared.

“We'll have to see how it goes. Who hired her anyway?” I asked. “She's going to be a distraction around the office.”

Danny’s mouth fell open and then he burst out laughing. “Suzanne and I hired her. I don’t see why she’d be a distraction.”

I glared at him. “Are you blind? She’s fucking gorgeous.”

Danny arched a brow. “I’m not blind, and I can see she’s beautiful. I'm gay, so she’s no distraction for me. The engineers won’t even see her since they’re on the other end of the building. It's you, me, and Suzanne who will deal with her. That's it. Unless it's a problem for you, I don’t think it’s a problem,” he said with a wink.

I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t about to admit she’d gotten to me, but I was fairly certain any straight man who wasn’t dead would have a hard time staying focused around her.

Danny returned my eye roll and then sobered. “She was the best candidate by far. A number of them were clearly applying because they wanted to get close to you. Aside from her, no one had the background, or the attitude, to stand up to you. Suzanne likes her, I like her, and she's got a fantastic resume. She's done PR consultations for a number of major corporations.”

“Fine. Let's give her month and see how it goes.”

Danny stood and cocked his head to one side. “You know. It’s nice to see you notice a woman.”

“Oh fuck off,” I muttered.

Danny flashed another grin and turned to leave.

Chapter 3

Sophia

Later that day, I reviewed an email I’d prepared to send to Lucas. I’d asked Danny for a first review, just to make sure I wasn’t pushing too hard. Danny had reminded me I needed to push. I’d outlined a list of recommended questions and limits I would set for an upcoming interview. I’d also added a prepared statement to release should any questions come up around his last interview when he stormed off the stage. This statement addressed the very topic Lucas wanted to avoid. Danny had given me some pointers on it, in the process illuminating something I hadn’t known—Lucas’s ex was a cheating gold digger. Despite the plain facts Danny offered, he’d shared Lucas specifically didn’t want to bad-mouth Kayla even though he easily could.

It was damning to realize how Lucas’s choice not to publicly comment had only set him up to look like the asshole when he wasn’t. It spoke volumes about him as a person that he’d held off on responding to her way of spinning the story.

My finger hovered over the send key for a moment before I clicked it decisively.