Who's the Boss Now (Managing the Bosses 3)

Jamie stared at her friend. “Why would someone make that up?” That was beyond crazy.

“To try to keep billionaire Alex Reid in her clutches!”

“I don’t think she’d lie about that.”

Gina shook her head. “Fine. Then she’s pregnant. Don't tell me that a tough girl like you is scared of kids." She reached out and squeezed Jamie's arm.

"This isn’t about me. It's about Alex." Jamie sighed. "He's trying to decide if he needs to get back with Annette and work things out. I don’t think he wants to be a dad from afar."

"What? Oh, hell no. Annette is the worst thing in the world. She's a man-eater. A rich bitch with three chips on her shoulder." Gina's voice grew loud as she let her emotions fly.

"It’s not for me to decide. If Alex wants to try to make things work out with her for the sake of the kid, then what say do I really have? I can’t stop a man from stepping up to the plate and being responsible." Jamie pulled the snack menu toward her, but decided against it seeing as how her dinner with Nicholas was only a few hours away.

"He's making a mistake if he comes to that conclusion. Being with her would be so much worse for the kid than being raised in two households, Jamie. They did nothing but fight when they were together. I don't even think Alex has a clue as to what a good, wholesome relationship looks like." She moved back as the drinks were delivered, taking hers and tasting it.

It seemed to Jamie that since she and Alex had been together, all they did was argue as well. She defended him, though; the fault was not all his. She was equally responsible. "He's been pissy lately due to the stuff with Mark, which isn't really stuff at all, but this thing with Annette has him over the edge. I keep trying to figure out what my part is in the drama. I want to support him and help however he'll let me, but I'm almost positive he's going to slam the door shut."

"He's a damn idiot if he does. You're the best thing that’ll ever happen to a man like him. You're his humility, his reminder to be authentic. Alex is a good man, but he has the potential to be a great man. A really great one. He just needs the right woman with him."

"I hope that's me." Jamie took a long drink of her liquor and sank down into the idea of him turning his back on her. What would she do? Move? Quit her job?

It wasn't just a relationship that would be lost. All of it belonged to Alex, and where he would be benevolent in the event of them breaking up, she wasn't sure she would be. Making a clean break would be her only option.

Please don't let it come down to that.

"Jamie; thanks for meeting me." Nicholas stood as she approached his table, his attire completely different from the morning. He had on a pair of khaki slacks and a green polo shirt, which brought out the hint of green in his steely grey eyes.

"Of course. I'm appreciative of all you’re doing for the firm. Alex is as well. He sends his thanks." She blushed as he moved behind her, pulling out her chair and helping her get seated.

"Does he?" Nicholas laughed, and subsequently held up his hands. "Okay. I'll behave. I'm glad he's okay with us having dinner. He's got a great product, and he needs to start looking for a partner. I'm not interested, but a couple of these financial moguls I'm golfing with next week might be. They're all multi-billionaires and in

credibly smart where finances and investments are concerned."

"Make sure you bring that up with him next week. I've no intention of sharing Alex's future plans today, but I'm sure he would be thrilled to work through any opportunity." She moved down to pull out a few files. "I brought some of the investor information you asked for. The rest we had to order, but I have a few packets coming overnight to your office. They should be there on Monday."

"Jamie." He sat back and smiled comfortably. "What did you want to be when you were a girl? When money and advancement were of no interest, what was your dream job?"

His question caught her off-guard, but she found her footing quickly. She laughed, the double shot of a drink with Gina giving her that slightly giggly liquid courage she needed. "I wanted to be a dancer, but I gained a bit of weight as a teenager and dance became a thing of the past." She shrugged, not quite sure why she shared the truth with him. She could have pulled from the hundreds of lies she'd used in the past to save herself the humiliation of reliving her childhood.

"I can’t picture you heavy. I’m sure you were very cute.” He tilted his head and smiled warmly. “What caused you to gain weight? Some teenage boy break your heart?"

"Donuts and Cheetos. They are the devil. I'm convinced." She gave him a cheeky grin and turned to the waitress, ordering a glass of red wine.

He ordered and turned his attention back toward her. "And I assume you lost the weight during college?"

"Lost the weight? No." She let out a short chuckle. "I'm still trying to lose the weight, which is another topic you and I are not going to traverse together tonight."

"Well, let me just say this... you don't need to change at all. You're beautiful and intensely feminine. Where young women got off track, thinking that they should have bones protruding from their collarbones and hips is beyond me. Girls might be incredibly thin, but women are not. At least the type of woman who makes most men's blood run hot."

Heat rushed up her chest and bled up to cover her throat and cheeks. "Thank you."

"Of course. Now... tell me when you're going to start taking dance lessons again."

She smirked and picked up her wine, taking a small sip before shaking her head. "No dance lessons for me. I have enough to keep my plate full, and none of the items are donuts or chips nowadays."

It was his turn to chuckle. The deep timbre of his laughter was enjoyable, and she found herself relaxing even more in his presence. Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy. The mixed vibes that she'd gotten from him were frustrating. Alex couldn't stand him, but it would seem that her illustrious boss wasn't too fond of too many people.

"Well, I wanted to be a fireman when I was a boy. My parents weren't too thrilled by my decision, and pulled the rug out from under me when I was five years. They made sure I went to college, which I’ve told you about, and what I forgot to mention was that if I wanted to inherit their wealth, I needed to put my dreams on the shelf and start focusing on investments and business."