The Boss (Managing the Bosses 1)

“How was I supposed to know she could hear me?” Stephen cleared his throat. “Besides, it shouldn’t come as any surprise to her. She already knows she needs to lose weight.”

“Stephen,” Alex warned. “Your lack of subtlety and shame is downright vulgar. Besides, the girl’s not even ugly. She has pretty light blue eyes, and a nice smile.” He paused and Jamie thought she’d stepped out of earshot until she heard him say, “When did you become such an asshole, Stephen?”

Stephen clapped his friend on the shoulder. “I’ve always been an asshole, Alex. You’re just too busy to see it.”

“Apparently.”

Jamie pretended to drop something so she could hear the rest of their conversation.

“Anyway,” Stephen said. “Come join us for dinner? Christine’s parents are paying.”

“I’m just on my way out,” Alex replied. “Have a nice night. Make sure Jamie gets my contact information.”

Jamie looked up when he said her name.

“Will do,” Stephen called as Alex turned and walked out of the pub. He grabbed Jamie’s elbow a few tables before theirs, out of earshot. “I went out on a limb for you.”

“Pardon?” Jamie pulled her elbow free but didn’t move.

Stephen shrugged and quickly glanced toward their table before looking back at her. “You introduced me to Christine, now I’m returning the favor.”

“I don’t need your favors.” She shivered, hating his touch.

“You do right now. Alex rarely considers anyone his friend. He hardly sees anyone anymore, probably because he doesn’t trust anyone. He can’t slow down if he wants to stay ahead of the game. The world of Wall Street waits for no one. Not even for multi-billionaires.”

Alex, a multi-billionaire? Jamie blinked. What might she be getting herself into? She headed to the table and collected her purse.

“Where do you think you are going?” Christine stood. “We have things we need to discuss. You’re my maid of honor.”

“You’ll be fine without me.” Jamie sucked in a shaky breath. “I’ll do whatever you need me to do. You know I will.” She hurried out before anyone could convince her to stay. She had a feeling Stephen would fill them in, making sure to explain his big part about how he was trying to get her a job.

She took a different route home than her parents so they wouldn’t know she stopped at a Chinese takeout place for some fried rice and crab Rangoon. Alone in the parking lot with an empty carton of food beside her that had tasted delicious but probably added another five pounds to her hips, she leaned her head against the steering wheel and cried.

How had things gotten this lousy? She knew she wasn’t obese, but her family had the habit of making her feel like the elephant in the room.

She needed to lose some weight, yeah she got that. She’d put the freshman fifteen on back in university and never lost it, and then a little bit more crept on each year. She didn’t need it rubbed in her face. Jamie blew her nose on a lousy thin napkin. More stupid tears fell. It didn’t help that her boyfriend—ex-boyfriend—who was supposed to love her unconditionally, also saw it and promptly dumped her because she was “looking a little thick around the hips”. He would never be a jerk like that to Christine because she was so perfect in all of her bony glory.

Now Alex was going to think she was pathetic... if she even got the job. He probably would be a crappy boss to work for anyway. She snorted and almost laughed. At least her ugliness had some benefits. There was no way she would ever be so hot that she’d drive him mad with desire when he was supposed to work.

She needed this job. It meant getting out of her parents’ basement and she had to restart somewhere.

Jamie squeezed some hand sanitizer on a fresh napkin and wiped her face and hands before stashing the empty takeout boxes under her seat and pulling out of the parking lot. “Jamie,” she told her rearview mirror self. “All men are pigs. You don’t have to be saddled with one like Christine does. You’re done. You’ve got nothing left.” She took a deep breath. “Go find yourself.”

Chapter 3

Jamie got the call from Alex two days later. “First of all, I’d like to apologize for how we met,” he said after pleasantries were exchanged. “It was not my intention to disrespect you, or anyone else, in any way. I’m sorry for Stephen’s behavior.”

Jamie sat up and set her laptop aside. “You don’t need to apologize.” She wanted this job, but she would not act like the weak, insecure person Alex probably thought she was. “You’re not responsible for Stephen’s behavior. He’s, well... Stephen.”

“He’s an asshole,” Alex said bluntly. “I hope we can move forward and you won’t be insulted when I offer you an interview for tomorrow at two. The interview has nothing to do with Stephen. Your resume’s impressive and ideal for this position.”

That’s not the only thing ideal for this position. You need someone un-pretty. Jamie grimaced and thought about the money she would make. You can move out of the basement. “All right,” she said, trying to sound professional and unbothered. “Tomorrow should work. Where would you like to meet?”

“At my office. I’m emailing you the address and directions right now,” Alex said. “Thank you, Ms. Connors. I’ll see you then.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow at two.” She hung up just as email pinged, telling her she had a new message from Alex. She smiled at his promptness and then opened the email. With the directions and address was also the job description and benefits. She grinned when she saw the top benefit: a two-bedroom apartment only three blocks from Alex’s office and a salary double what she had earned at her last job. There was no way she was letting this job slip through her fingers.

The following afternoon, Jamie made sure to be at Alex’s office fifteen minutes early. She wore a brand new suit that didn’t look fantastic, but it didn’t look half bad in her opinion. She had set her blonde curls wound tight in a conservative bun. She couldn’t resist putting a little bit of makeup on to hide the dark circles under her eyes and a touch of color on her lips. Not enough to make it obvious, but enough to make her look somewhat presentable. After barely sleeping the night before, she had looked like hell when she got up that morning. Only some artificial fixes would cover up the bulk of the damage. She wasn’t too worried. Alex Reid didn’t need a pretty girl, he needed someone efficient. Jamie could do that.