Taming The Boss (Billionaires In The City Book 7)
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Authors: Mallory Crowe
Taming The Boss
by
Mallory Crowe
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Fonts used with permission from Microsoft.
Copyright © 2016 by Mallory Crowe
Mallory Crowe (2016-1-12). Taming The Boss (Billionaires in the City Book Seven)
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Cali pushed past the crowds of people as she felt her entire world crumble around her. This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Not to her.
And not here.
She could see heads turning to stare at her out of the corner of her eye, and she tried to move faster out of the packed ballroom. This was supposed to be a fun night. She’d put on her brand new dress, gotten her hair and makeup done, and was going to hobnob with the elite of New York City.
The dress Easson had bought her. The tickets to the party Easson had provided.
Her hands trembled as she finally reached the exit to the ballroom and emerged into the deserted hallway on the other side.
She turned and fell against the cool wall, staring inside the still open door into the party. All the people in the ballroom seemed so happy and carefree. She shouldn’t be surprised. The rich and powerful didn’t have all that many reasons to stress out. She’d been around enough of them to know their made-up dramas and issues.
It was one of the reasons she liked the Devereaux brothers so much. They mostly avoided the theatrics of so many other people she’d met in the high-class society. At least until Easson. Easson, who’d been so careful with her. Who’d been so thoughtful and generous every step of their relationship.
Easson, who’d apparently been using her to get close to her boss and his family.
Her hands shook even more, and she clenched them into fists in an effort to calm herself. Well, who was she kidding? There was no calm right now. But she could at least try to appear calm. That was all that mattered anyway. Even if she was falling apart inside, she’d look put together. So if Luke or Evelyn or Easson found her in the hall, she wouldn’t be some blubbery mess with eyeliner rolling down her cheeks.
She rubbed at her temples and started to run her hands through her loose, blonde hair, only to remember that the curls were carefully held in place by half a can of hairspray.
She didn’t belong here. Luke and Michael might be nice enough to let her fit in, but being here, realizing exactly how little she meant to everyone she thought cared about her, it was as if she were at her first day of college all over again. Knowing that she was the one thing not like the others.
After years of transforming into the perfect chameleon that could go anywhere, do anything, suddenly she was right back on the outside looking in. Literally.
Cali let out a small laugh as she realized how ridiculous she was being. She wasn’t back to the girl she’d been. She’d spent years building her skills and network with the Devereaux brothers.
Someone started to walk out of the exit and Cali quickly turned and walked away. Great. Now she was that woman crying outside a party. She was a walking, teary cliché. Fantastic.
She moved around a corner. This hallway also opened into the ballroom as well, but the doors were all closed. At least now she’d have more privacy. Cali opened her small clutch that was just big enough to fit a lipstick, phone, and credit cards. She’d arrived in Easson’s private car service, but she sure as hell wasn’t leaving with him. There was a chance there would be cabs waiting in front of the building, but she wasn’t taking the chance. She dialed her go-to cab company and they said they’d be waiting for her in ten minutes.
She put the phone back in her bag and took a deep breath. She’d be home within the hour and she could figure out her next steps from there. She couldn’t stay after this, could she?
But she’d walked out quickly. Maybe Luke had a reason for keeping her in the dark. Maybe there was some sort of magical explanation that would make everything go away.
Cali let out another smile to keep from crying. What could Luke say? Even if he had a perfectly good explanation, she knew he’d been using her. She’d been asking to take on more responsibility for years and every time, he’d systematically knocked her down for one reason or another. But that ended now. She wasn’t going to be used by them anymore.
And that meant she’d have to walk away. Leave the only place she’d worked for the past ten years and start from scratch.
Damn it, the tears started to come back. Why couldn’t they at least wait until she was in the safety of her own apartment? But they didn’t wait.
Cali covered her face with her hands and just gave in for a moment. One moment where she didn’t have to fight to be the perfect socialite or assistant or girlfriend.
“Hey there,” said a deep voice from beside her.
The tears were gone in a heartbeat as Cali jumped at the unexpected intrusion. She looked over at the man who stood only a few feet from her. She hadn’t heard him approach at all, which was surprising considering how big he was.
The man was in a white shirt, no tie or jacket. He had dark-brown hair with lighter brown highlights, and his eyes were so dark in the dim lighting of the hall that they almost seemed black. A carefully trimmed beard covered his jaw, but it was short enough for her to clearly see his strong features and striking jawline.
So it wasn’t just anyone who caught her bawling her eyes out in the hallway but a really hot guy. Of course.
Cali took a step back. “How long have you been there?”
He shrugged. “Not long.”
For a few moments, Cali just stood there, too embarrassed to run away or think of anything intelligent to say. Her only saving grace was the possibility that maybe this guy didn’t know who she was.
“I should be going,” she finally muttered as she pulled her clutch in closer.
“You sure you don’t want to talk about it?”
Cali frowned. “Since when do men want to talk about feelings?”
He shrugged. “Just offering. You seem like you could use a friend.”
She scoffed. “You have no idea.”
“So you do want to talk about it.”
Cali shook her head and dabbed at the spot under her eyes with the pads of her fingers. “Nope. I think for the moment, I need to swear off men altogether. Boyfriends, bosses, friendly strangers. The only man I’m interested in at the moment is the cab driver who should be waiting for me downstairs at any moment.”
“Well, I hope the cheating scumbag gets whatever’s coming to him.” The stranger stepped aside to let Cali pass.
“I wish he cheated,” muttered Cali.
“You wish he cheated?” repeated the man.
“I’m just...” She struggled to find the right words. “I’m sick of guys using me for their own gain.”
“Isn’t that the point of most relationships? One person using another.”
She drew her brows together. “I thought I was supposed to be the pessimistic one here.”
“There’s enough to go around.”
“True story,” she said softly. This entire night was a bust now. “I really need to get going.”
The man nodded, but neither of them moved. She kind of wanted to ask his name but was still much too embarrassed to give her own, so she stayed quiet.
“For what it’s worth,” the man said, “I think they’re morons.”
Cali couldn’t stop the smile that formed. “The men you’ve never met and know nothing about?”
“I think that you’re the most beautiful woman here tonight and anyone who’s not using you for your looks and body is a moron. I don’t know you well enough to say if people should be using you for your mind.” He winked.
Cali rolled her eyes at the unexpected flattery. She had no idea how messed up her makeup was at the moment, but she had tried so hard to look her best for the evening. The navy blue gown had a deep v-neck that plummeted dangerously low, but the special bra she bought for the occasion kept too much cleavage from showing. Easson had thrown out the quick, “you look nice” when he’d picked her up, but he never looked at her like this man was.
“I don’t want to toot my own horn, but my mind is pretty sexy too,” she said with an unexpected burst of confidence.
The man laughed and nodded in agreement. “I don’t doubt it.”
“I really do need to get going,” she said as they smiled at each other.
“My loss,” said the man.
Cali frowned as she looked the man up and down. She couldn’t hold back her curiosity any longer. “Who are you?”
“Just a concerned partygoer,” he insisted. “Can’t stand to see a pretty lady sad.”
A hint of Southern accent emerged in his deep voice and she was even more intrigued. She wondered whether he knew Luke or Michael but quickly discarded the notion because she was sure she knew everyone Luke and Michael knew at this point.
“Well, thanks to you, I’m less sad,” she said. “So mission accomplished.”
“Then my job is done here.” He smiled again, but she noticed that it didn’t reach his dark eyes. She wasn’t the only one having a shitty night apparently.
“What’s throwing your night off?” she asked. The cab was probably waiting for her, but she couldn’t leave the man who’d cheered her up without repaying the favor.
“Just my family being exactly what I expected them to be.”
Cali knew all too well what it was like to have a family that constantly let you down. “Can’t run from family, I suppose.”
“Oh, I can. And I do. I thought coming here would give me some sort of closure or maybe even open closed doors. But I think I’m right back where I was before I came.”
“Sometimes you have to cut ties. Don’t even keep a lifeline. You can’t choose your family, but you can choose to cut that trouble out.”
“Is that what you did?”
Cali pulled herself up straighter. “My family didn’t deserve me. And if I’d held out waiting for their support or approval, I’d be running in place for years. Just evaluate whether those connections push you forward or hold you back. Not that I know anything about your life, but that’s my experience.”
“I appreciate the advice.”
And she’d done nothing at all to cheer him up. Just blabbered on about her own problems. “I think I made this all about me again.”
“In your defense, I don’t like talking about myself. I’d much rather talk about you.”
She pointed a finger at him. “You’re way too smooth for me to be dealing with in my condition.”
He held his hands up in surrender. “Honest intentions. Promise.”
She ran her eyes over the handsome man once more. “Too bad.” Damn. There was that overconfidence again. Where was this coming from? Some mixture of her frustration with the evening and the anonymity of not knowing who he was.
His eyes seemed to get even darker with heat, and she knew that a line had been crossed somewhere. “You should probably head out to your cab,” he said, his voice husky with desire.
She nodded. “Probably.” She didn’t move.
Then he was there, closing the distance between them and covering her mouth with his. The kiss was fast and fierce. Cali wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, putting all her anger and hurt from the night into it.
She ran her hands over his face, feeling the rough texture of his beard, a welcome change from Easson’s clean-shaven jaw.
The man pushed her up against the wall and she gasped in surprise, opening her mouth in the process, and he was quick to take advantage, his tongue sliding against hers.
This should be a wake-up call. A sign for her to push him away and tell him that she wasn’t the type to molest strangers in dark corners.
But all she could do was wrap her hands around the nape of his neck, pulling him in close as her tongue teased his, and she playfully nipped his bottom lip with her teeth. He groaned against her mouth as his hips pressed into hers, the evidence of his arousal hard against the softness of her stomach. His hands roamed down her side, over the curve of her waist and along her hips before moving back up to her ass and pulling her more fully against him, parting her legs with one of his feet as he started to trail kisses down her neck.
Cali let her eyes drift shut as the sensations overtook her. All of her problems, cares, and concerns flew away until there was only her and this man and the things he was doing to her. As long as she was here, nothing could touch her.
Until the sound of voices broke into their sensual haze and Cali’s eyes shot open. Someone was coming.
The man must’ve heard them too, as he gave her neck one last kiss and stroked it ever so gently with the tip of his tongue before he straightened and held her in is arms, as though he would shield her with his body if the voices got any closer.
As the two men approached, Cali gripped the man’s shoulders, the nerves snaking through her. What would be worse? Caught crying in the hallway alone or caught undressing one of the guests? Considering how handsome the man in her arms was, she couldn’t say she’d be too ashamed, but the corporate world wasn’t exactly all that forward-thinking. If people thought she had loose morals, there would be talk.
And considering that she was probably going to be floating job applications in the near future, she didn’t need that kind of talk.
But then the men were leaving and she and the stranger were alone again. She let out a pent-up breath she didn’t realize she was holding in. Bullet dodged. “That was close,” she whispered.
“That,” the man bent his head toward hers, “was bad timing.” He kissed the top of her forehead and took a deep breath, as though inhaling her scent. “Come back to my room with me.”