Faking It with the Frenemy

“Nah,” my boss says. “Not going to bother attending. Just send him something suitably expensive and useless.”

I raise an eyebrow, but make a note of it.

“Actually…never mind. I’ll take care of it.”

“You will?” Salazar doesn’t know how to shop for anything himself, except possibly for cars, watches and jewelry.

“You look stressed. How ’bout some nice crème brûlée?” Salazar places the box on my desk. “You left before I could order one for you.”

Oh, geez, I wonder why. And he’s gotta do better than this. “It’s fine. I can handle the gift,” I say coolly, trying to stay strong.

“Don’t bother. How hard can it be to send him a ten-thousand-dollar Amazon gift card?”

I almost choke. That is so ridiculous a gift, I can’t even. On the other hand, that’s more than that creep deserves, so maybe I should let Salazar do what he wants.

He continues, “Anyway, forget Churchill’s wedding. Who cares about that ass fondler?” He gestures at the box. “I asked for two crème brûlées because they not only had the regular kind, but a special chocolate one. André came up with the recipe himself.”

“Chocolate?” I simply can’t stop myself. André is the executive chef at Éternité and a culinary genius. If he put it on the menu, it’s going to be epic.

Salazar inclines his head, winks and oh so slowly pushes the box in my direction.

Damn it. I know I’ve lost because I can’t stay mad and also have the damned chocolate crème brûlée. I open the box and see two elegant, almost dainty, desserts sitting in the box. André is French to the core; he thinks the American practice of stuffing ourselves with tarts, cake and custards the size of our heads is piggish and revolting. So items from Éternité tend to be smaller, as they are in France.

I pick up the included fork and take a bite of the chocolate one first. The rich, creamy flavor fills my mouth, and I close my eyes as a near-orgasmic pleasure shivers through every cell in my body. Who needs sex when you have this?

“Good, isn’t it?” Salazar murmurs.

“Very.” I lick my lips, then hit send on my email. “I just sent you the revised itinerary.”

“Great.” He hitches up one pant leg and puts half his butt on my desk. “So. Kim.”

“Yes?” I say, knowing he’s about to explain the situation. I’m not going to make it easy for him, even if he basically brought me an oral orgasm in a box.

“About that whole thing at lunch…”

“You mean that thing where you bet me like a piece of meat? Yes, I do believe I recall that.”

He sighs. “He wasn’t supposed to talk about it like that. Kids these days. No discretion.”

“Right. It’s totally Dane’s fault that you bet me.”

“Dane and I did have a little bet.” He says it like he misplaced a dime somewhere. “I lost, and he’s supposed to get a month of your assistant service.”

“Didn’t you think it was weird he asked for that? He has a team of assistants, and they’re fantastic.”

“He wanted you for his friend there, but said it was mainly about the wedding date.” Salazar shrugs. “I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

“Not a big deal?” My voice rises, so I take a bite of the divine dessert to help control my temper. Annoyingly enough, it helps. “You…you just gave me away like an old toy you don’t want anymore. I’ve been with you for almost five years.”

Salazar’s eyes widen. “No, no, no, no, I’m just lending you. I’d never give you away! You’re the best assistant I’ve ever had, plus you’re super hot, which makes me look great in meetings.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Salazar. I’m about to get my five-year bonus, and I don’t want this Dane bet thing to jeopardize it.”

Salazar makes a spreading motion with his hands. “A separate matter altogether,” he says with solemnity befitting a royal coronation.

I nod, accepting that he’s serious. He might be a self-absorbed, over-the-top billionaire, he doesn’t lie about things like this. “What was the bet about? There’s no way Dane has something you want.”

“Well. I was drunk and got…taken advantage of.”