I Do the Boss (Managing the Bosses Series, #5)(24)

"I'd like that. We haven't seen Stephen since the papers were served, so just be careful. I don't think he's the type to get violent or anything of that nature, but the boy has a temper. I thought we were going to have to boot his ass at Christmas when he and your sister were having so many problems."

"Is Christine with him now?" Jamie turned and walked back to her chair, dropping down in it and leaning back.

"No, she's with your mother on a shopping day. She's pretty torn up since Stephen isn't answering her calls."

A shopping day. Must be nice.

"Okay, well, keep me in the loop. I love you." She hung up and set the phone down as a knock resounded at her door. "Come in."

Kristen poked her head in the room. "You doing okay?"

"Sort of. Kind of. No. Not really." Jamie ran her hands down her face. "I keep thinking things are going to die down, but they keep bubbling up."

"Yeah, the story in the paper about you and Mark was so farfetched. It's crazy how they can take those pictures when you're not looking and turn nothing into something." She walked in and closed the door behind her. "You got a minute?"

"You bet." Jamie stood and walked to the small table in her office. "Have a seat."

"Thanks. I won't be long." She sat down and glanced at her hands before looking back up at Jamie. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm putting in my notice. I need to get back to my folks, and my life. This has been great, and I honestly thought I would like it here, but I miss my real life."

"I understand that." Jamie pulled out the résumés that she'd gone through and Alex had simply nodded at. "I owe you these. Let's get them scheduled over the next few days if we can."

"Good." She let out a sigh as a smile lifted her lips. "I was worried you would be upset."

"Not at all. I think we all knew this was temporary, right?" Jamie reached out and touched the girl's arm.

"Yeah. I need to tell Paul and Mark." She sat back and bit at her lip. "I like them both, but I'm honestly not looking to date right now. Mark needs to heal, and Paul needs to grow up. A lot."

"He's still pretty young." Jamie chuckled. "I was wondering which one of them you were leaning toward."

"Neither." She shrugged. "They're both great guys, but they don't give me that overwhelming, heart-pounding feeling that I want when I start dating someone. I know it turns into more of a slow burn over time, but I want the thrill at the beginning. You know what I mean?"

"All too well." Jamie tapped the table between them. "I've been with Alex for eight months and I still feel like butterflies are dancing in my stomach when I see him. Don't settle for anything less than that. It exists."

"I'm glad to hear it." Kristen stood up and picked up the résumés. "Let's have lunch soon. I think you need to unload a bit. I would need to if I was stuck in the middle of all of this craziness."

"I'd like that." Jamie stood up and walked to the door, opening it wide and moving back. "Let me know when Alex is out of that meeting. I want to know what happened."

"I can do that. He's got a meeting with his lawyers later today too. He blocked off the afternoon for it. I assume it's related to everything you guys are dealing with, or is it business related?"

"No clue, but I'll find out about that too." Jamie watched her go before diving into her own thoughts.

No matter what was going on around them, knowing that Alex was hers and would be going home with her later that day left everything seeming alright. It was all external junk that they could handle together.

As long as they had each other.





Chapter 10


Three Days Later

––––––––

The little black bag that Jamie had picked up at the mall late the week before sat on her desk as she reclined in her chair. Tonight was the night to pull it out. Alex had a long weekend of working, but most of it was done at the house, which allowed her for a little more time with him. The nightie she'd bought to tease him would have been perfect, but with everything going on in the office, she had little mental capacity left.

"What about now?" She smiled and got up, walking to the bathroom down the hall and locking herself in a stall. It was risky, but that would only heighten the high of prancing around in front of him half dressed in his office.

A warm chill ran down her center at the thought of him pushing her down onto his desk and making love to her. They’d been laying off of f*cking the last few days just to make sure Alex was alright. She wanted him to go see the doctor, but his chest pains were better from what she could tell. He wasn't the kind of man who would hint at anything being wrong, nor would he whine or complain.

She worked the black, lacy one-piece over her nakedness and tucked her panties and bra into the bag. After getting dressed, she deposited the bag in her office and stopped by to see Kristen.

"Hey there. How are you?" Kristen glanced up and gave her a warm smile.

"I'm great. All the interviews are scheduled for Thursday this week. It's going to be a long day, but I marked off the conference room, and we'll order in some sandwiches or something for you and Alex. Are you guys interviewing together or one right after the other?"