One Night With Her Boss

“Why not?” He reached out to hold one of her upper arms, dragging her a little closer to him. “Tell me why you don’t think you can stay. Tell me why, so I can fix it.”

Her emotions were such a turmoil that her vision was blurring, but she pushed through it, holding onto her composure. “There’s nothing to fix.”

His expression twisted. “That’s not fair, Anne. You can’t just leave me without at least telling me what’s driving you away, without giving me a chance to make it better.”

She made a frustrated sound in her throat, since—after everything—they still seemed to be having the same conversation. She gently pulled her arm out of his grip because she could think more clearly when he wasn’t touching her. “I know it doesn’t seem fair to you, but you’re only thinking about yourself—about what’s good for you. And—”

“I can be good for you, Anne.” His voice was even hoarser now than it had been last night, like it was breaking on every word. “I know I’ve been blind and stubborn and…and I haven’t given you any reason to believe me, but I swear I can be good for you.”

Anne was almost in tears again, since his words were so close to what she wanted to hear.

Close, but not everything. And she knew she couldn’t settle for less than everything.

She cleared her throat again so she could speak with more composure. She took a step toward him this time and held his gaze. “Listen to me, Jake. I need you to really hear me.” She paused before she said the words. “I can’t—there’s absolutely no way I can work for you anymore.” When he started to interrupt, she talked over him. “Please hear what I’m saying. I know you think you need me in your company, but you really don’t. You’ll learn to work with someone else. I saw the notes on that position you were trying to put together for me, and I’m telling you I’m never going to take it. After last night, there’s no way I can work for you again, and it really wasn’t good for me to be working for you this whole last year. I can’t do it. I won’t do it anymore.”

The words felt right—really hard but the true thing, the thing that needed to be said. And they seemed to have a profound effect on Jake. He stared at her, intense emotions passing over his face in sequence.

Then he turned away from her abruptly with a rough sound in his throat, his shoulders shaking a few times.

She stared at his back, every instinct in her body screaming at her to go to him, to help him somehow. “Oh, Jake, I’m sorry—”

He whirled around, and his face was transformed. Whatever had been tearing at him earlier seemed to have completely disappeared. It almost looked like he’d been laughing.

“What—” she began in utter confusion.

He reached out to take her face in both of his hands. “Now you listen to me. Hear what I’m saying right now.” He paused, and she was rocked by the passion and tenderness clearly evident in his expression. “Anne, you’re fired.”

“What?” she breathed.

“You’re fired.”

“I don’t understand.”

He stroked her cheek with one of his thumbs. “You can’t work for me anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Because it would be completely inappropriate for me to feel for an employee the way I feel for you.”

She was almost choking on her joy and astonishment. “It would?”

“Of course, it would. When I said I wanted you to stay with me, I meant stay with me for real—not stay in your job. When I said I could be good for you, I didn’t mean I could be a better boss. I don’t want to be your boss. I want to be your…”

“My what?” She was shaking so much she could hardly get the two words out.

He cleared his throat and said with just a tinge of self-deprecation, “Your man.”

She choked on a laugh, the way he had earlier when he’d realized they’d been talking at cross-purposes. It was almost too much to take in.

“Laugh at me if you want, but I’m telling you the truth. I’m absolutely crazy about you. So you’re fired.”