Boss I Love to Hate: An Office Romance(33)

But then I caught his stare and noticed the smug smile on his face as though he knew I was checking him out, which only reminded me that he was, in fact, the BILK. And for all intents and purposes of this exercise, I had made the right decision and snagged the looker as arm candy at the wedding.

“Take that, Jeff,” I whispered under my breath.

When Brad changed and stepped out of the fitting room in his regular suit, I released a breath, ready to be done with this night. I stood, prepared to leave and excited for a hot shower and my warm bed.

Nadine came in, and when I raised a hand to say good-bye, the slew of women suddenly shoved in racks of gowns in every array of colors and fabric and style imaginable—from silk to satin to lace.

Nadine snapped her fingers, and like a Santa’s workshop, her model-like elves got to work. One took my jacket, another took my purse, and two more caged me in, on either side of me as though they were my bodyguards. My head flipped around, and I stared at the tall, flawless woman beside me.

“I’m not looking for an outfit. Just Brad. I’m about ready to go.” I turned to face him, but liar was written on his face.

His hands were behind his back like a good Boy Scout, which made me want to wring his neck.

“You lied. We didn’t just come here for your suit.”

He simply shrugged.

“No way.” My eyes went wide. “I am not doing this. I can’t even pronounce half the designers you wear, let alone afford them.” If I could afford one of these designer dresses, I could’ve afforded a good-looking stripper date. What was he smoking, crack?

“And I didn’t lie,” he said smoothly. “I’ve ordered my suit. I just left one little detail out—that we’d be shopping for a dress for you. It’s not like I can risk us not matching, and anyway, who said you were paying?” Amusement was heavy in his features.

“Excuse me for a second.” I sidestepped my female attendants and pulled Brad to the side by his elbow, like a naughty little boy in trouble. I would have grabbed his ear, if only I were tall enough.

This guy and his absurd ideas, I swear!

“If you are planning to reenact a Pretty Woman moment, let me tell you, I’m not falling for it. This was not part of the deal.” I crossed my arms over my small chest and pushed out my bottom lip.

“Taking you to the wedding was part of the deal.” He flicked my nose with his pointer finger like I’d seen him do to Mary. “This is just a little extra.”

My teeth clenched. “I don’t need extra.”

“They closed this store down for me.” Pride was heavy in his tone. “You can’t possibly tell me they’ve all come here and I’m paying for Nadine to work extra hours for nothing.”

“No. No. No.” I shook my head back and forth, now sounding like a five-year-old Mary, as his face stayed utterly even. Of freaking course. Brad didn’t know the meaning of the word no.

He leaned in and leveled me with a stare I was sure he frequently used to negotiate with clients. “Sonia, I know this is too much to ask of you, given the amount of pride you have, but I want to do this, okay?” He placed a soft hand on my shoulder. “I want to. Because you’ve helped me on more than one occasion and with my nieces and even more so every day. I’ve asked you to do things way above your job description, and when you asked me to do this one favor for you, I thought I could spoil you a bit.” He took a step back and reached for my hand and squeezed. “So, please, just accept this. This one-time gift from me.”

I peered up at his deep brown eyes, eyes that poured out sincerity. Still, my pride refused to accept this gift. He’d already agreed to too much, but I also knew he wouldn’t take no for an answer. It was in his locked jaw and the steadiness in his stare.

“Fine,” I conceded, practically pouting.

“Is everything okay here?” Nadine asked with a flash of a smile, approaching us.

“Yes. Everything is fine.” There was my tone again, the tone that indicated that everything was not fine, but I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.

“Come on. This is Operation Get Your Boyfriend Back, so you’ll need ammunition.” He moved to the first rack of gowns, ignoring my lethal glare.

I felt way too much like Julia Roberts. Two women greeted me with their smiles, and one handed me another glass of wine as we passed rows and rows of ballgowns fitted and flared.

My feet did the walking, but my brain could not wrap around how much money this guy had to shut down a whole department store for his bidding.

Nadine stepped in front of me and led us down the long hall of designer dresses. “How about we start at McQueen and then head over to Oscar? Does that sound good? With your beautiful skin tone and figure, I’m sure we’ll find something wonderful.”

I smiled through clenched teeth. If I were in a better mood or more comfortable, the compliments would’ve flattered me. But I was too irritated. “Oh, how fun.” My tone turned sarcastic, ready for the “fun” to be over with.





Brad

I had found my new obsession, annoying the crap out of Sonia. Even better, making her cheeks turn crimson. It was the cutest thing, like watching a little pup growl. Her death glares were comical, as though she wanted to tear my eyes out with her fingernails. Every time Nadine turned away, Sonia would glare, nostrils flared, mouth pouty.