Boss Me (13 page)

“You’re leaving?” he asks, pulling his eyes away from the game and settling them on me.

“Yeah, I’m heading home for the night,” I reply as I get my coat situated.

“Will you stop by and play basketball with me again soon?” he asks, his big hopeful eyes burning into me.

“We’ll see,” I reply and give him a wink. He gives me a boyish smile in return, which seems to make me smile as well.

I glance up at Carmen before I leave and throw another wink at her. I can’t read the look on her face. It’s part confusion and part adoration. I’ll have to ask her about it later.

I throw Zach another wave as I head out the door. I don’t turn around, but I know that Carmen is there watching me. I feel her eyes on me as I walk towards my car, get in, and start it up. It’s only then, as I throw the car into drive that I turn and look up at the front door.

There she is. Carmen is standing there, watching me leave, like I suspected she was.

This time, it’s a smile that mars her beautiful face.

A smile that I will carry with me tonight as I head home and go to bed alone.

Chapter Six

Carmen

He’s a closet bad boy. That’s the only way to describe Will. Part dirty talker and part dominant, but in the best sort of way. He’s sweet and gentle, shy and quiet, yet behind closed doors, he’s a bossy, controlling animal. A man who takes exactly what he wants. And right now, he’s a man who has his sights set on me.

I walk down the hallway towards Zach’s room to kiss him goodnight. His mood changed significantly after Will left. When he arrived home, he was distant and a bit moody. While that’s typical pre-teen attitude, I assumed it was because his dad brought him back three hours early so he could attend an emergency dinner meeting with an important client.

When I step in his room, Zach is already in bed, under the covers, and tossing a basketball into the air and catching it. “What are you doing with that thing in bed?” I ask as I sit on the edge, snatching the basketball out of the air as he tosses it up.

“Mom, do you think Will will come over and play basketball outside when it warms up?” he asks with those big, innocent eyes staring straight into me.

I’m taken aback by the question, and frankly, I’m not sure how to respond. “Well, I don’t know, honey. We’ll have to see what this spring brings. It’s still December and there’s snow on the ground,” I remind him as I pull the covers up around his shoulders.

“I know,” he says and continues to stare. I can tell the wheels are turning so I just sit back and wait. “He likes you, you know?” he finally asks after several seconds of silence. The smile on his face is ear to ear, practically splitting his face in half.

“Why do you say that?” I say, trying to keep my voice calm and my excitement from showing.

“Because he kept watching you and pretty much forgot about the video game. Boys love video games, Mom. So if a girl pulls their attention away from it, that means they like them,” he answers matter-of-factly.

“If you say so, Zach,” I reply, trying to fight my smile, as I lean forward and give him a kiss on the forehead. “Good night.”

“Night, Mom,” Zach says as he turns on his side to get comfortable. “Oh, and Mom?” he starts as I reach the door. “Will can come over anytime. I like him, too.”

It takes me a few seconds to get my bearings and leave his room. Will is supposed to be a separate part of my life that doesn’t blend with my son. He’s supposed to remain unconnected and remote. Yet, here he is, and the lines between the two are starting to blur. There’s no more black and white, cut and dry. It’s turning complicated.

I don’t know what’s worse. The fact that those invisible lines are starting to blend together or the fact that it doesn’t bother me as much as I thought it would.

Thirty minutes later, I’m snuggled into my flannel sheets with my e-reader. I probably should be reviewing the proposed pay raises for the full-time nurses in the emergency room, but my mind just isn’t in it. After staring blankly at the same paper for fifteen minutes, I decide to put work away and try to read a little. However, that’s not proving very fruitful either. I’m pretty sure I’ve been on the same page for at least four minutes now, reading the same paragraph for a third time.

Just as I set the e-reader down on the nightstand, my phone, which is plugged into the wall charger next to my alarm clock, chimes. Work calls me at all hours of the night when there’s an employee issue, so I’ve learned to keep it handy and close.

When I pick up the phone, I’m surprised to see a text. From Will. A quick swipe of my finger and his words are visible on the small screen.

I can’t stop thinking about you. What are you doing?

I consider leaving him hanging for a bit, but honestly, I really want to talk to him.

Lying in bed.

I’m on my way!
he replies.

Wait. What? Is he seriously coming over tonight?

No! Zack is here.

I know, but I wish I was there with you. And we were naked ;)

I actually laugh out loud at that one because I wouldn’t mind being naked right now with Will myself.

Next time ;)

See you soon? Tim’s back this week, right?

Yeah, back Tuesday. New hire on Friday that I want to discuss with you.

Private meeting in your office? Excellent!

Talk to you soon. Night.

Good night, Carmen. Sweet dreams.

I set my phone down on the bedside table and try to get comfortable. However, my thoughts are jam packed with Will. And I’ll be honest that most of the thoughts are without his clothes on. Will has a fantastic body. He’s tall and lean with just the right amount of hardness. And when I say hardness, I do also mean…hardness! Why that man isn’t in a serious relationship or married is beyond me. He’s practically perfect. I knew it the first day I laid my eyes on him in the emergency room nine months ago.

Which is why I fought my growing attraction for him so hard. There was no way I could let anyone suspect that I had the hots for one of my employees. Talk about career suicide. Which is probably what’s going to happen to me now, but for some foreign reason, I just can’t seem to find the strength to care right now. Being with Will is more important that being without him.

Though, I can’t say I’m really
with
him.

A few romps in the sheets hardly make a relationship. And besides, secret relationships never work out. They’re always brought into light and usually on the worst terms.

I toss and turn for a bit as I chew on my thoughts. I want something with Will. I still haven’t figured out exactly what that something is, but I know that I want to explore it further. The problem is that while I’m still his boss and he works at the hospital, nothing more than a few secrets trysts can happen.

And for now, that’s what I’ll take.

*****

Tuesday is just a repeat of a typical Monday. Meetings, emails, phone calls, more meetings, and paperwork. And it’s not even lunchtime yet. No, I take that back. It was lunchtime an hour ago.

I sigh deeply as I look up at the clock again. A quick run through the cafeteria for a sandwich is all I’ll have time for today. I lock up my office and head towards the elevator. The music they pipe into these things is awful! I love classical music, but I don’t think you can call this that. It’s more like a grade schooler trying to play the clarinet while a cat gets its tail run over by a bicycle in the background. What is that high pitched screeching?

Thankfully, the elevator drops me on the ground floor moments later. The cafeteria is at the end of the long corridor and appears to have already cleared out from the lunch rush. A few nurses and CNAs sit at the back row of tables, discussing the snow that is expected later this week. With just over a week until Christmas, it looks like we’ll have a white Christmas after all.

I grab a ham and cheese on whole wheat, a container of yogurt, and a bottle of water and head to the register to pay.

“That’s all too healthy,” I hear a familiar voice behind me.

My entire body goes on high alert. I start to tingle in places that only seem to be brought out by one man. Will.

I slowly turn around and catch my first glimpse of the man who haunted my dreams for the past several nights. He’s perfection in his uniform. Tight navy pants and a fitted white shirt hugging his entire body. I’ve never been so jealous of a pair of pants before in my life.

I fight control over my smile. I want to give in, really I do, but we’re in the middle of the cafeteria and his partner for the day is standing right behind him.

Will seems to notice my struggle to maintain my professionalism. The slight smile he sends me is filled with cockiness and pure sex. His eyes are filled with mischief and desire. My body responds like crazy to him. I’m all tingly and hyperaware.

“I think you should get the chocolate cake,” he whispers so close into my ear that I feel his hot breath fan out around the side of my face. I shiver uncontrollably. “Of course, this cake would be a whole lot better if you shared it with someone. Maybe even let someone eat it off of your hot, naked body,” he says, reducing me to a pile of mush with his seductive words. My panties are soaked, damn him.

“Are you going to hold up the entire line?” Carlos complains from behind Will. “Oh, sorry, Carmen. I didn’t see you there,” he adds, as he peeks around Will’s shoulder and catches his first glimpse at me.

I quickly straighten up and turn to face Carlos. “Sorry, it was my fault for holding up the line,” I tell Will’s partner.

“No worries, Carmen. I was just giving Will a hard time. I didn’t realize it was you in front of him,” he mumbles sheepishly and goes about rearranging the food on his tray.

“Have a good day, gentlemen,” I say as I turn my steely gaze away from the men in line behind me.

After the plump older lady at the register gives me my change, I turn to walk out of the cafeteria. “Oh, Carmen. Did you still want to see me after shift to discuss the new hire?” Will says from the front of the line. Carlos watches the exchange with a questioning look on his face.

“Yes, that would be great, William. I’ll see you at two o’clock,” I reply before turning and walking out of the cafeteria.

My legs somehow manage to keep me upright until I’m in the small confines of the elevator. Then, almost instantly, they turn to mush and I practically slide down the elevator wall. Fortunately, I’m alone and not required to make small talk or explain why my equilibrium is completely out of whack.

Between bites of my sandwich, answering a ton of emails and vacation request forms, time slips by. I’m interrupted from reviewing the current request form on the top of the pile by a knock on the door. When I glance up, piercing blue eyes are staring at me behind sexy glasses.

Will doesn’t say a word as he walks inside my office, closes the heavy wooden door, and throws the lock on the knob. The look in his eyes when he turns around and faces me is predatory. My throat is instantly dry, but I’m not so dry in another place.

“So, Carmen, you wanted to see me,” Will says as he stalks around my desk with slow, deliberate steps. His eyes are dilated with need, and they remain fully locked on me. Like a heat-seeking missile, he is zoned in on his target.

“Yeah, um, yes. I wanted to know -” I start as I stand up, but my words die on my lips as Will runs his large pointer finger down the side of my check. From hairline to chin, his caress is soft but powerful. This one touch says so much about the man before me. Soft yet firm. Shy yet bossy.

“What did you want to know?” he asks as his finger makes its way down the column of my neck to the spot where my black sweater meets skin. I shiver at the contact. Or maybe at the anticipation. Take your pick.

“If I could have Janine shadow you. I, um, set it up so that she’s working with you on her first day. On Friday,” I whisper as his finger continues to explore any exposed skin. I feel like my brain isn’t quite connected to my mouth. I seem to be stumbling on forming complete sentences, and I know that Will Stevens is to blame.

“I can do that,” he answers without taking his eyes off of his finger trail.

I watch helplessly as he seduces me to a pile of goo with one touch. The stroke of his finger is magical. Fairytales are written on less passion than Will is displaying right now.

“Thank you,” I whisper hoarsely.

“Is that all you wanted?” he asks as his finger makes its way up my neck and to my lips. The rough pads of his finger traces the lines of my bottom lip, his eyes blazing with heat. It’s so hot in the confines of this little office that I start to sweat.

“Yes,” I finally choke out.

“Good,” he answers moments before his lips crash onto my own. His kiss is urgent, his tongue slashing at mine as he takes everything he can from the kiss. Yet, giving me so much more in return.

Will pushes me back until my butt is smashed against the edge of my desk. His hard, unforgiving body pins me in place as his hands wrap firmly around my back. Heat from his grip radiates through me as his body meets mine. Chest to chest. Somehow he manages to deepen the kiss, though I’m not entirely sure how.

My mind forgets everything. Where I am. Who I’m with. Why we’re here. Everything. The only thing I’m thinking about is this kiss. I feel the power of his need for me with each flick of his tongue, each bite of his teeth, every nip of his full lips. This kiss says everything about his desire. And if I had any doubts, I have my confirmation pressed firmly against my lower stomach.

“I’ve been thinking about you all day,” he whispers against my swollen lips as his large hands kneed my lower back.

“Me, too,” I confess, loving the way my body feels pressed firmly against his.

“I want you. Now,” he states so matter-of-factly that it’s as if he just told me today’s weather forecast.