The Boss Crush

“He does now. I just told him.”

“Wow. So that’s what was going on when I walked in.” Sandy wraps her arms around her ribs, and mimics the way I’m standing. “And you’re sure it’s his?” She veers her stare, and it’s almost accusatory in nature.

“Yes,” I say sternly. “It’s his, it’s definitely his. There’s no doubt about that.”

There’s a long silence between us. I don’t know what else to say to her. I’m waiting for her to give me more, to tell me what she feels or thinks. Shit, maybe she’ll actually smile and be excited.

She is going to be an aunt. There’s excitement in that, even for her, I hope.

Sandy smiles through thin lips, then turns her face forward. “Thanks for being honest with me, Dalia.” She lets out a heavy breath, twisting toward me and reaching out for my arm. “I really do appreciate you telling me the truth, I feel so much better.”

Taking a step closer, Sandy gives me a hug. She throws her arms around my neck, hugging me hard. “I’m so excited, I’m going to be an aunt.” Nuzzling her cheek against mine, she grabs my arms and leans back. “But, I need you to do me a huge favor.”

“All right, what is it?”

“I need you to stay away from him for a bit.” Her smile gets bigger as her hands dig into my biceps. “Please, please, please, don’t distract him. I need Lyle on top of his game, and if he’s distracted, well—it could be bad for all of us. Can you do that for me? Can you just let him work while he’s at the office? It’s just for a little while, okay? Until this campaign is done.” Sandy bats her lashes and grins with all her white teeth.

“How—”

“Please, Dalia,” she says, cutting me off. “Please make sure he only focuses on work here.”

“Sandy, I can try, but I can’t promise you anything. I mean, we’re having a baby now, he—”

“He—” she snaps, cutting me off, her expression no longer hopeful, but demanding. “He was perfectly fine until you came along. This mess is all your fault. If this company goes down because of you and this fucking. . .” her mouth folds down as she circles my womb with a finger in the air— “disaster, I’ll burn you to the ground. No one within fifty miles will ever hire you.” She takes a step in, bringing her face so close to mine I can smell her breath. “Understand?”

“Okay,” I agree quickly, just wanting her to get the hell away from me. “I’ll stay away from him.”

“Thanks, Dalia, thank you so much.” Sandy hugs me again, her body language instantly relaxes, and her smile returns as if she didn’t just threaten me. “This company needs Lyle. We can’t have him half here, we need him all here.”

“I get it,” I say, pushing out of the hug.

She walks out of the bathroom with an extra skip in her step. I’m not sure how I’m going to stay away from him, but Sandy is unstable. She’s fucking psychotic. I have to protect this baby, even if that means staying away from its father for now.

There are two worlds here, and they need to stay separate.

Our world, and her world.

I just hope I can keep our world safe.

10

Lyle

She’s having my baby.

My baby.

The thought makes my dick hard. I love the idea of her carrying my child. I love the fact that a part of me is living inside her. It does something to me, it turns me from man to animal, making me feel wicked.

Dalia is mine.

Simple as that. No other man can touch her. No other man has claim over her. And no other man ever will. This baby makes her my queen, and I’m her fucking king.

I suppose someone else might be more nervous or concerned. And I probably should be, too. A child is life changing. I don’t know how my family is going to react or what my sister will say.

But I realize I don’t give a shit. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. I’m going to be a father, and no one is going to take that from me. It’s joyous, it’s exciting, and if they can’t see it, if they can’t enjoy this new life too, then that’s too fucking bad.

Where is she anyway? I haven’t seen her yet today.

Buzzing my secretary, she answers my call. “Send Dalia in for me, please.”

“Of course, Mr. Vox.”

A few minutes pass, then there’s a knock on my door.

“Come in,” I call out.

Dalia opens the door slowly and pokes her head inside. “You wanted to see me?”

“Wanted to see you? Of course I wanted to see you. You say it like you’re surprised.” Sitting up, I wave her inside. “Close the door.” She does as I ask, but she looks so fucking timid, almost like she’s afraid of me.