Tempt The Boss (Tempt 1)

Denis looks over at me, unsure of what to do. I shrug my shoulders and feign bewilderment. “I guess he has some indigestion.”

Denis nods his head in agreement. We wait about twenty minutes before I tell him that I’m going to go check on Austin.

He’s been emailing and texting since Austin left. Walking into Austin’s office, I hear moaning coming from the corner where the bathroom door is closed.

I walk over and knock on the door. “Are you okay?” I ask. He doesn’t say anything, but I hear him groaning.

“I think I’m dying,” he moans in between pants. “Call 9-1-1.”

I giggle to myself. “I don’t think you’re dying. Maybe it’s food poisoning.” I try to keep my voice even so I don’t give anything away.

I hear him moan one more time, followed by his pained reply. “No, I’m pretty sure I’m dying.”

“I’ll reschedule Denis,” I say, turning and walking out while I hear him cursing God and everyone else.

Score one for me.

Chapter Eight

AUSTIN

I walk out of my private bathroom and see that night has fallen outside. The moon shining its light into my office. The outside office is empty and the lights are off out there, with just the lights in my office on and dimmed.

I walk slightly hunched over to the couch, where I throw myself down and put a hand on my forehead. I have nothing on but my pants, and they’re not even buttoned. I ripped my shirt off when I thought I was dying on that toilet. Dying .

The minute my stomach started gurgling, I knew something was wrong. Then the cramps started, followed by the sweats. The longer I sat at that conference table, the more certain I was that I might actually shit myself. Literally.

I am not exaggerating when I tell you I was dying. I thought for sure it was God’s way of punishing me for calling in Danielle.

The minute she sat in my lap, I knew I made the mistake for two reasons. First, the look on Lauren’s face made my stomach clench, and second, at the sight of the woman in my lap, my dick shriveled up. Even when I closed the blinds and she took off her coat, revealing her semi-naked form to me —encased in garters and all—my dick just lay there, not rising to the bait.

I tried to think of something to get him up, but he was just not interested.

I got up from my desk and closed her coat, telling her that it really wasn’t the best time, I had a surprise meeting I had to get to.

She pouted and even stomped her foot. I made a mental note to block her number. She tried to claw at my chest, thinking it was sexy. Newsflash, pretending you’re a cat is not sexy. At least not to me.

She walked out five minutes after she got here, and I sat there on the couch as I stared out at Lauren’s desk. After about half an hour passed and I realized that she wasn’t back, I texted her. Okay, so I was a dick, but seriously, where was she? Was she having lunch with Steven? With someone else?

But then she came in and dumped my lunch on the coffee table in front of me and put my Coke down next to it.

I sat up straight at that recollection. She fucking drugged me!

I text Noah right away.

My assistant put a laxative in my Coke.

I don’t have to wait long before he sends me back a text filled with nothing but laughing and crying emoticons.

I send him back the middle finger.

She drugged me. I thought I was dying. I almost called 9-1-1.

You almost called 9-1-1 because you had the shits?

Which he follows with a text of shit emojis.

I shake my head, this isn’t a joke. I almost died. The stuff that came out of me… I didn’t think it was humanly possible to be full of that much shit.

I have to get her back.

Whoa there, you don’t even know if she did anything.

I know it in my gut.

BAHAHA!!! Is there anything left in your gut? Maybe what you think you’re feeling is just emptiness.

I don’t even bother answering him at this point. I throw my phone down and get up slowly. I reach for a bottle of water. I look at it carefully to make sure it wasn’t tampered with before I open it up and start drinking it.

I walk over to her desk and see it spotless. I rip all her Post-its down and crumple them up. I pull out her chair and sit down at her computer, then open it up, and start going through her emails.

She thinks I’m an asshole. I find emails to Penelope and see she’s really thinking about quitting. Over my dead body. I’m going to fire her before she can quit on me.