Boss I Love to Hate: An Office Romance(19)

Of course not, jerkwad. Liabilities and legalities and all. I could imagine it now—getting wrongfully fired for not buying sanitary napkins.

He leveled me with a stare. “But I would really like you to do this for me since we’re … since we’re friends.”

I reeled back and barked out a laugh. “Friends?” Snickers escaped my mouth, and I snorted loudly. “You’re my boss, not my friend.”

“Hey, I’m offended here. We’ve known each other for a long time. You know practically everything about me.”

“Which is exactly why we can’t be friends.” I bit the inside of my cheek to keep my face steady and pushed the annoyance aside.

“You’re being mean again,” he said matter-of-factly as though I were mean all the time, which I was certainly not.

It took all my effort not to be sassy, to smile and say, Yes, boss.

I softened my tone. “Is there anyone else you can ask? Elizabeth or Riley or … what’s her face who came by the office the other day?” I ticked off the names of some of our interns.

He looked dumbstruck, tilted his head, and assessed me. “No. I can’t ask anyone else. I need you. I have no idea about periods and pads and teenage female hormones. I grew up with two brothers. Come on, Sonia.” He placed both hands on my desk, his fingers interlaced as though he were praying.

I’d never seen him so desperate. Ever. Even when he’d lost the Cliffton printing deal.

He’d been in the boardroom, so close to winning in acquiring Cliffton from a competitor who was also vying to acquire the company. Brad conceded a little and upped the price the brothers were willing to pay. And, though I had known Brad wanted to buy Cliffton badly, he had done everything short of begging.

Here he was, begging.

“Please. I’ll owe you. Anything you want, it’s yours.” He held my stare with those depthless brown eyes that women fell for.

Then, after remembering how damn beautiful he was, the brightest idea filtered through my head. It was where desperation met desperation in the direst of situations.

Ava’s words pushed through. “We can make this happen, so commit to the plan. Now, we have to start looking.”

There was no way he would go through with it, and to be honest, it wasn’t a fair deal. I simply had to buy his niece some pads. He’d have to pretend to be my boyfriend for a whole evening.

“Anything, Sonia. Ask, and it’s yours.”

And, just like that, I sold my soul to the devil.

I returned his smile anyway because I was beyond saving now. “Fine. But you owe me. Whatever favor I ask you to do, you have to do it. No questions asked. No turning back. You just have to do it.” I crossed my fingers—and legs and toes for good measure—hoping and waiting for him to be my savior for this horrendous upcoming wedding. Really good-looking people were not accessible in my life.

The devilish glint in his eye told me what he was thinking. That I was going to ask for some sexual favor. Um, gross. No. I mean, he was gorgeous, but no.

“Sure.” The smile was still heavy on his face.

“And I don’t mean sex,” I clarified quickly. “Pigs could fly and there could be an apocalypse and you would be the last man on earth and I’d still not sleep with you.”

He jerked back, and his posture turned rigid as though what I’d said was absurd.

“You’re being mean again, Sonia.”

I got up from my chair, slipped the bag over my shoulder, and ignored his last sentence. “There’s a drugstore down the street. I’ll take her.” I glanced behind me. “But you’re going with me.”

He groaned.

“I’m buying them. All you have to do is stand there. What’s the big freaking deal?” When he didn’t answer right away, I quickly added, “You’re going.”

My comment did not amuse him.

“Anyway, about your favor, are you gonna ask me now?” he asked, genuinely curious.

“No. But I need your guarantee.” Inside, I was fist-pumping, doing pirouettes, flips, and cartwheels. Outside, I gave him a stern look and lifted an expectant eyebrow.

He didn’t hesitate. “I promise—or as Mary says, pinkie swear.”

For all he knew, I could ask him for money or diamonds, to drive his Aston Martin or to give me half the shares of Brisken Printing Corporation, and he would have to give me that, which only meant this man was serious and also very, very desperate.

“Anything,” he promised. “Just get my niece her products, and I will owe you big time.”

“Fine.”

He was satisfied with that answer.

So, I stuck out my right hand and smiled. “Then, we have a deal, boss man.”

He just had no idea I was getting the better end of it.





Sarah inched closer as we entered the drugstore at the corner of Clark and Nelly.

As requested by Brad, I had called their personal driver to send Mary back to school. Brad had panicked this morning because he’d forgotten that Mary had an event at school that she couldn’t miss out on.

Something about the way Sarah sidled up against me made me realize that maybe she wasn’t entirely comfortable around Brad. Not like I was surprised. Brad didn’t seem like the sentimental type, but I was a complete stranger, and we’d met only moments before.