Mr. Hot Boss To Go (A Forbidden Romance)

Sierra shakes her head.

“Nats, you know you don’t have to steal from work. We can get by on the cheap stuff from the store.”

I look down, suddenly ashamed.

“I know, but I already did it. Let me tell you what happened though.”

Then, I spill and my friend’s eyes go wide like saucers like she can’t believe what she’s hearing. I share all the details because the story is so unbelievable that my best friend needs to hear it.

“Okay, I’m going to need a minute,” Sierra says, utter shock across her face. “I was jealous of you working there before but now I’m downright mad about it!”

“Mad?” I ask. “How? Because it’s such a crazy scenario? I swear his secretary knew too, as soon as I walked out the door.”

Sierra shakes her head, her voice amazed.

“No silly because this guy is so hot and I wish I was the one to get on my knees and suck him off!”

I giggle despite myself.

“Girl, you are so twisted.”

Sierra titters.

“I know. I’m just kidding because … well, sort of not really. But seriously Natalie, what’s going on? Isn’t this, well, kind of weird? Not to mention illegal? Mr. Crane has to be breaking a bunch of laws, right?”

I nod.

“I’m sure he is, but you know what? I’m really attracted to him and kind of want to see where this goes. Is that bad?”

She nods.

“Hell yeah, it’s bad, but I totally get it, Nats. We’re crammed into this small apartment and school and work have just taken everything out of us. So why not have a little fun? Now, we need to make you some muffins using that sugar substitute, not to mention picking out a cute work outfit for tomorrow!”

I laugh again, and we ended up staying up until nearly two in the morning before we settled on the perfect ensemble. I’ll be wearing a red blouse that’s entirely too tight for me but made my breasts look amazing and another short skirt that I didn’t wear anymore because I felt like my ass was always hanging out the back of it. But it’s perfect for Mr. Crane.

“Are you sure? I feel like I won’t be able to sit at all in this one,” I turn in the mirror and slipped my Mary Jane shoes on to go with it. “But wow, this is certainly a look.”

Sierra nods.

“Nats, if Mr. Crane doesn’t bend you over and bang you right there, then there’s something wrong with the man,” Sierra threw her hands up in the air. “This is it. Rowan Crane doesn’t know what he’s dealing with here. You’re going to own that man. There’s no way he can resist you.”

“Thanks,” I say, hugging my best friend. “But what if he’s asking me to come to his office for another reason?” I worried. “What if I have this all wrong?”

My friend remains undeterred.

“You flirt with him, woman! Smile, laugh, be sexy. Besides, let’s get serious: it’s not like he’s about to ask you to do real work at this juncture.”

I really hope Sierra’s right because then Mr. Crane would realize that I’ve done close to nothing during my time at Crane Technologies so far. My adrenaline was pumping so hard that I could hardly close my eyes but I knew I had to get some sleep. There was no way I could seduce my CEO boss if I had dark bags under my eyes and sallow skin.

“Sierra, I’m in over my head with this guy,” I murmur while pulling the outfit off and putting on my jammies.

“No, you’re not,” she said while shaking her head so vigorously that her brown curls bounced. “Stop it. You are beautiful. You are sexy. You are his dream. Don’t let paternalism and all that good-ole-boy stuff bring you down. You are special, girl.”

I nod, still biting my lip.

“But I’m probably at least twenty years younger than Rowan! Don’t you think that’s a lot?”

Sierra shakes her head slowly.

“Two decades is a lot,” she admits. “But it happens all the time in NYC. I mean, people make it work, right? Age is nothing but a number, and if you’re feeling it, then you’re feeling it.”

She was right about some of that. There are a lot of older men dating younger woman in NYC, and I see it firsthand with my sister Jenna and her husband, Drake Morgan. The two of them were as far apart age wise as Rowan and me. It was a bit of a mess at first because of the age gap thing, among other issues, but now that they have their daughter Emily, everyone loves them and the age issue no longer matters.

Well, tomorrow will give me the answers I need. Although I’m still nervous, there’s also a bubble of anticipation in my chest, and after Sierra exits, I snuggle up in bed and close my eyes. Rowan’s handsome face floated before me and with a sweet smile, I drifted off to sleep while dreaming of the handsome CEO.