When the Boss Gets Jealous (2 page)

“Tomorrow night sounds great,” she said as
Alec came around the corner. She rolled her eyes when he stopped
next to her at Jalen Foster’s desk. “Well, back to work,” she said
in the sickly sweet voice she used only when annoyed.

He watched that beautiful ass sway down the
row and disappear around the corner. Without looking at his newest
adversary, Alec growled, “Foster. My office.”

Jenna didn’t bother to knock, but it took
great effort not to slam the door closed behind her.

“What the hell is your problem?” she
demanded.

Alec sat at his desk with a smug grin. He
wore a gray suit and striped shirt today, making his skin look tan
and his eyes seem even darker and more dangerous. Damn, the man was
delicious. Leaning back in the fancy leather chair, his relaxed
posture was a complete contrast to the jealous man who’d tried to
order her around yesterday. He’d probably gotten laid last night.
Sex was the only thing that calmed Alec’s explosive temper. The
thought of him cooling down with some other woman stoked Jenna’s
stewing frustration.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,”
he said calmly. Jenna wanted to call bull-shit. He knew exactly
what she was talking about. Even though he always denied it, Alec
loved playing the game with her. Probably as much as Jenna loved
it. The difference was Jenna didn’t mind giving up her control.
Alec could not say the same.

“You assigned the hospital billing project
to Jalen,” she said, crossing her arms loosely to avoid crushing
her breasts. She didn’t miss Alec’s quick glance south though, and
she had to bite back the smile that threatened to mock him.

“That’s right,” he said, his dark eyes
leveling on hers.

“And you stuck me with the Westville Credit
Union upgrade.”

“Yes.”

“Alec!” The man was infuriating. If she let
him, they would do this fact-tossing for hours and get nowhere.

“I’m not seeing a problem here, Jenna.”

Resisting the urge to throw up her arms and
scream, she continued to outline the facts. “I’ve been working
sixty-hour weeks for nearly six months. I was looking forward to
the hospital project. Long suspense date, forty-hour weeks, an
amiable client. I’ve earned it, Alec.”

“I can’t give the new guy the Westville
project. He’s too green. Westville would eat him alive.”

“You can rearrange other projects. Cash and
Elisa can both handle Westville.”

Alec shook his head. “That’s a lot of
juggling just to make one person happy. Besides, you’re more
reliable.”

“More reliable,” Jenna snickered. She was
more reliable, but not to the point that Cash and Elisa should be
discounted. Then the light bulb went on. It wasn’t just a flicker,
but a blinding white light that told Jenna these assignments had
nothing to do with reliability. “And more available. That’s it,
isn’t it? You don’t want me to be available. Not to anyone
else.”

“Stop making assumptions. It doesn’t suit
you,” he said in his commanding voice. Jenna knew better, though.
When his voice got that stern, he was on the verge of losing his
temper, the rest of his steeled control ready to plunge off the
cliff too. The man might think he was in control, but Jenna knew it
was likely hanging by a thread. “You know how to handle
Westville.”

Jenna ignored him. This had nothing to do
with the Westville project and everything to do with her interest
in another man. “You said it yesterday. You don’t want me to date
Jalen, so you gave me a project that will crush my social life for
the next four weeks.”

“I need you,” he paused, teasing Jenna with
his words, “on the Westville upgrade. Deirdre requested you.”

The desire that started to pulse at his
teasing words quickly vanished with his callous lie. If Deirdre
Bowman had requested Jenna, then the Easter Bunny was real and
living in the Upper Valley. Deirdre was to control freak like Uncle
Sam was to patriotic icon: unequivocally synonymous. The fact that
she was the client and had hired Logicesse to develop their
financial software gave Deirdre the upper hand in everyone’s quest
for control.

Two things played in Jenna’s favor right
now. First, the fact that she didn’t fall to prey to Deirdre’s
tactics. Because Jenna wasn’t willing to succumb to every demand a
client presented, Deirdre struggled to exercise her authority over
Logicesse when Jenna was assigned to their upgrades. Therefore,
there was no way Deirdre had put forth such a request. Second, Alec
didn’t give a shit about the client’s demands. He assigned the work
regardless of what the clients asked for because he refused to give
clients that kind of control.

“So now you’re letting clients dictate
project assignments?” Jenna challenged.

Alec shrugged. “It’s a big account. They
threatened to contract with another software developer in the past.
But they’ve never threatened it when you’ve led the upgrades. It’s
good business to make the client happy.”

It was a valid argument, but Jenna wasn’t
buying it. Alec had promised to give the next Westville upgrade to
another project manager so she could have a break. A promise made
even after he dumped her.

“You can’t keep me from dating Jalen. Not
with this project or any other. You called it quits, Alec, not me.
You can’t give me up and keep me.”

Alec leaned forward, resting his arms on his
desk. “Again, you’re making assumptions. Didn’t we talk about that
in your last annual review? I thought you were going to work on
that.”

“You’re an ass hole.”

A lesser person would have jumped when Alec
slammed his hands on the desk. Jenna didn’t even flinch, but once
again had to bite back a smile. Little by little, she was cutting
through the tight hold he kept on his self-control. That was the
whole point of this game. Even if they weren’t fucking anymore, she
still liked to push his limits. “I’m also your boss, so you need to
reel in your temper and watch your tongue.”

She’d love to watch her tongue…lick its way
across every inch of Alec’s firm body. Since she wasn’t allowed to
go there anymore, it was time to head someplace safe. “Go to hell,
Alec,” Jenna said and stepped out of his office. She wanted him to
follow. If he did, she could really push his limits. The man wanted
everyone to think he was always in control. Jenna knew better.
She’d known he struggled with it even before they’d started
sleeping together.

Jenna checked her watch. Great, it was only
nine o’clock. She had a full day of fuming ahead of her, followed
by a six p.m. project launch meeting with the west coast client.
Westville didn’t give a shit that Logicesse Software was located in
New England. They always scheduled their meetings for late
afternoon west coast time, causing the project manager, project
coordinator, and software lead to work late hours. Because Jenna
also managed European projects, early morning meetings were typical
in her schedule.

Nope, no chance of giving up her sixty-hour
work weeks anytime soon.

The office buzzed with chatter, ringing
phones, and the hum of the HVAC, but there were no firm steps
following her through cubicle kingdom. Since Alec hadn’t followed,
Jenna headed to Jalen’s desk. He was busy plunking away at his
keyboard, but smiled as she leaned against the edge of his cubicle.
He stopped typing, those bright green eyes completely focused on
her. Jenna liked that. She’d never experienced such focused
attention from a man until Alec.

“I’m going to have to cancel tonight. I have
a client meeting at six o’clock.” Dating the new guy was probably a
bad idea, but Jenna didn’t have many opportunities to meet men and
she was getting tired of the exclusive relationship she had with
her vibrator. With wavy blond hair, attentive eyes, and an innocent
face, Jalen was cute. The fact that he was interested and
convenient stacked the odds in his favor.

Jalen smiled, revealing deep dimples that
amplified his appeal. “I can wait. We can grab a late dinner.”

“We probably won’t finish until nine
o’clock. This client is pretty demanding.”

“Westville Credit Union?” he asked, to
Jenna’s surprise.

“How’d you know?”

“Office chatter,” he chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. Sorry.” He stopped laughing and
dropped the smile, but Jenna’s curiosity was piqued. She did not
like being the subject of office chatter and needed to know what
was being said.

“Come on Jalen, clue me in to the joke.”

“It’s nothing, really. It’s just,” Jalen
glanced down the empty aisle and then continued in a hushed voice,
“well, people say there’s some animosity between you and the boss
man. That’s why you get all the crappy clients.”

Animosity was a word, but not the right one.
Chemistry was more accurate. Explosive chemistry. Jenna had felt it
the very first time she was partnered with Alec, when he was still
a project manager. She’d tested his control back then but had never
been able to break through the walls. Then he’d become
vice-president of software development and the game was on. Jenna
thrived on a good challenge, whether it was a software project or a
tightly controlled man.

She had wanted to break Alec, but her
intention had not been to sleep with him. What she hadn’t realized
was that fucking Alec Winter meant that they both had to give up
control. It was the most liberating…and satisfying experience of
her life.

Now that it was over with Alec, Jenna was
bored. Yes, she still pushed his limits, but he’d been pretty clear
that he wouldn’t risk his job for her. Since Jenna wasn’t
interested in leaving the company either, she didn’t pursue
him.

“I get the difficult clients because I can
handle them,” she informed Jalen. “I don’t have a family to go home
to, so I’m more flexible about staying late. That’s why I get the
crappy clients.”

Realizing she had repeated herself, a red
flag to how close she was to losing her temper, Jenna walked away,
bypassing her desk and heading for the exit. Not even lunch time
and she needed fresh air. Maybe it was time to consider finding a
new job. Then again, if she’d been willing to do that two months
ago, she might still be sleeping with Alec instead of lying awake
at night, all alone, missing him.

Jenna could count on one hand the number of
bad days she’d had in three years as project manager at Logicesse
Software. That was until Alec dumped her. Then the number of bad
days seemed to have doubled. The tension between them was
excruciating. Every day, she had to look at her boss, the man who
made her heart race and her pussy throb. Every day, she had to work
with him knowing that she couldn’t have what she wanted. It made
the days long and the nights even longer.

Alec Winter. She groaned audibly as she
stomped down the long corridor to the exit. Even though they
weren’t fucking like minks anymore, she still got wet every time
they came face to face. Like yesterday when he practically pinned
her against the wall. And just minutes ago when she was ready to
strangle him.

The law of attraction was one mean bitch.
Wanting a man she couldn’t have was a complete waste of her
precious energy.

“Jenna, wait,” Jalen called from behind
after she’d cleared the glass doors. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t listen
to office rumors.”

Jenna ignored him, breathing in the cool
morning air as she headed toward the sidewalk that circled the
business park. She’d be able to walk faster if she wasn’t in
three-inch spike heels, but she hadn’t expected an invigorating,
mind-clearing walk to be on her agenda this fine day.

Falling in step beside her, Jalen’s long
gait and easy stride was a complete contrast to her short, tempered
steps. “Women with tempers are more passionate in bed,” he
declared, shocking Jenna with the bold statement.

She stopped her march and pinned him with a
curious glance. “If you think I’m sleeping with you on a first
date, you are sorely mistaken.”

“I’m not that bold,” he said, his expression
serious until his dimpled smile broke through. “Makes me really
want a third date, though.”

Jenna relaxed under his warm smile. “How do
you know I’ll sleep with you on a third date?”

Jalen answered by pressing his lips to hers,
a light caress that teased while promising so much more.

Jenna Craven spends a lot of time in your
office with the door closed,” Gavin Hastings said as he slouched in
the chair.

“So do you,” Alec replied, hoping to avoid
the pending inquisition. He typed an e-mail that was complete
rubbish, busying himself to prompt Gavin to leave.

His friend’s deep voice didn’t match the
feigned innocence on his scruffy face. “I’m the model of
discretion. I know how much you abhor office gossip.”

“Hearing about it as much as being the
subject of it,” Alec replied, not looking away from his screen.

“I’m just looking out for you, man. Rumors
are running rampant about you and the office spitfire.”

Christ, the man did not know how to take a
hint. Realizing his friend wasn’t about to leave, Alec leaned back
in his chair. “And that’s just what they are, rumors.” He didn’t
bother to elaborate on the fact that spitfire didn’t even begin to
describe the power the woman had. Alec enjoyed keeping that little
fact all to himself.

Gavin’s bulk made him look like a first
round draft pick for the NFL. His tendency to stick his nose where
it didn’t belong made him seem more like an old lady than the
uncompromised businessman he was. The way he smiled had Alec
bracing for even more unwelcome gossip. “So you’re not making her
work late hours so you can show her the ropes, so to speak.”

Alec raised his brow, thinking his friend
should know better. Jenna’s reputation was impeccable. “She’s an
experienced project manager. She doesn’t need me to show her the
ropes.” Alec coughed back a snicker. Until two months ago, he had
been tying her up with the ropes. That was just one of the
fantasies they’d played out in his bedroom and that Alec had on
constant replay on the porn channel in his head. Unfortunately, the
fun ended abruptly when Candace Pelack caught them making out like
horny teenagers in the office parking lot.