Her Mane Men (Paranormal Dating Agency Kindle World)(12)

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It made me who I am, right?” Or so I told myself repeatedly when I finally escaped to the good old walls of higher education and dorm life. “It also taught me about all the things I don’t want.”

“I grew up the opposite, and now I know all the things I do want.” At least our kids will have one set of good grandparents. Wait? What? Where did that come from. Down, ovaries, down. This was a sort of kind of the first, possibly second date. Not the time to be thinking babies.

“Yin and yang and all that.”

“Sounds like.” And, with that, his watch started to buzz with increasing volume.

“Does that mean I have to go to work?” Work was the last place I wanted to go on a good day, but now that I was here in his half embrace, it sounded like pure torture.

“It’s my five-minute warning.”

“Explain?”

“It means, if I want to kiss you good-bye, I have five minutes before you turn into a working pumpkin.” He was so not joking about maximizing every second.

“You set an alarm for that?” I didn’t know if I was more amused or impressed.

“Math guy.” I felt him shrug.

“For a math guy, you sure are wasting your time. Tick-t” And before I could finish my taunt, his lips were on mine.

Gentle, almost tentative at first, the heat grew quickly and before I knew it, I was sitting on his lap, my tongue exploring his mouth while his explored mine, just as the alarm went off again. This time, it was work time. Suck an egg.

“Next time, make it a twenty-minute warning,” I groaned as I climbed off his lap, straightening my clothing enough to be presentable for work. “Screw it. A half hour warning.”

“I can do that.” He smiled broadly as he rose, adjusted his pants in what I assumed was an attempt to hide his rather bulging member from whomever we might encounter along the way, and took my hand. The real world was awaiting me only a building away. Yuck.





Chapter Six


Leaving Curtis, to walk straight into the line of fire at work, was far from my definition of a good time, but, alas, it’s how the day had gone. I’d barely stepped into my cubicle when my desk phone rang with the first of five irate customers complaining about a downed system my department had no connection too. Par for the course on a Monday, but still not fun.

My day brightened as my phone buzzed in my purse.

Still on for lunch?

Glancing at the clock and then my to-do pile, I knew it wasn’t the best idea. I’d probably hear about it for a week, but my fingers answered of their own accord.

Looking forward to it.

I was the employee who skipped lunch to get things done, stayed late so those with families didn’t have to, and never complained to anyone in the office, at least not since Roxanne left. I deserved a full lunch break.

“Madeline, you know better than to use your work time for personal business,” George seethed from behind me. When did he get there?

“Sorry, Mr. Francis.” I shoved the phone in my pocket, ignoring the buzz indicating Parker had replied.” It won’t happen again.”

“You’re right it won’t. You can make up the time at lunch.”

George was never a good guy, but I’d never seen him this unreasonable before. Usually, once I whipped out the Mr. Francis, he was putty in my hand, most likely because he had some gross BDSM fantasy about spanking me or some such shit, but you work with what you’ve got, and if formality made him less of an ass, I was going with it.

“I’llstay late, sir. I put in for an extended lunch.” Because he might be my boss, but he wasn’t going to ruin my lunch, not when I could easily stand up and see ten people with cell phones on their desk, eyeing them every time they got a notification. Not gonna happen.

“Which is why, I was here in the first place. Denied.” I was not going to yell at him. I was not going to yell at him. I was not going to yell at him. “You can’t just willy-nilly decide to take time off. That’s not how it works.”

Except that was exactly how it worked, and he knew it. Half the time people spent too long at lunch and put in the request later. Whatever had crawled up his ass today needed to dislodge itself. Pronto.

“Yes, sir. I will just take my normal time.” A short lunch with a hot guy was better than no lunch. Even if the entire thing was unfair.

“Were you not listening?”

I stood up as he leaned over me doing the power-move crap. I had no time for that.

“You will make up for your time lost this morning by skipping lunch.”

“That is against state regulations, sir.” My voice was calm given the rage that was quickly building. I needed to transfer departments before I lost my ever lovin’ patience.

“And now that missed lunch will be paired with a written warning. Anything else you’d like to add?”

“No, sir.” Unless he meant my fist to his face. Human Resources was getting a visit from me as soon as Angela got back from her maternity leave because this was crossing a line even he couldn’t gaslight away.

“Excellent. And, Madeline? You stink. If you’re going to be around vermin, please do everyone a favor and shower.”

He did not just call me smelly. Except, the wrinkle in his nose told me exactly that.