Dirty Boss (An Office Romance) (The Maxwell Family) Page 22

  “Hmm,” he said sleepily.

  “Josh, wake up. It’s so late. Your alarm didn’t go off.”

  “Oh well, it’s not like you’re going to get into any trouble. I’m the boss, remember? And I’ve already fired you once before. I don’t think I’m going to do it again.”

  I laughed. “Josh, it’s a work day. We better get up. I wonder why your alarm didn’t go off?”

  “I didn’t put it on. That’s why.”

  “What? Why not? You told me you did last night? Don’t you remember?”

  He chuckled. “Oh, I remember. But I was lying. Lies, lies, lies. All lies.”

  “Lies? Why? I don’t understand.”

  “Come back to bed,” he said and pulled me back under the blanket.

  “You’re the boss, I can’t say no,” I said and crawled back in beside him. “But why aren’t we going to work?”

  “Oh, did I forget to tell you?”

  “Tell me what?”

  “We have the day off.”

  “We do? Since when?”

  “Oh, I gave everyone the day off. I figured everyone deserved it after all the work we’ve put in lately. Oh, did I forget to tell you?” he teased.

  “You’re infuriating. But I’m too happy to complain. Wow, I never thought I’d be happy not to go to work. I thought my work was more important to me than anything else.”

  “Yeah, but that’s before you started sleeping with the boss,” he said.

  I giggled. “That’s true. So, what are we doing today?”

  “I want to lie here a bit more. And then, well, I thought that maybe I can take you to play golf.”

  “Golf?” I asked. I was surprised. Also, I had never played golf in my life. I was sure I was going to make a complete fool of myself. Josh had already told me countless times how good he was at the game. “Are you mistaking me for Kason?”

  “We don’t have to if you don’t want to,” he said. “I just thought it would be fun.”

  I smiled. “It does actually sound like fun. Are you going to tease me if I’m awful at it though?”

  “Probably.”

  I laughed. “I expect nothing less.”

  We lay there for a while, but it didn’t take long for our caresses and cuddles to turn into kissing, and our kissing to turn into making love. It was fast becoming one of my favorite ways of waking up in the morning. Afterward, we showered and enjoyed breakfast together. I thought it would be the coffee that would help with my slight hangover but turns out all I needed was sex. I told Josh, and he chuckled.

  “I’ll bear that in mind for the future.”

  We made our way to the golf course and Josh introduced me to some of the members of staff before taking me out to play. He explained the basics to me, and we got started. Surprisingly, I wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought I would be. Josh told me that it was probably beginners luck, but I could tell that he was secretly impressed.

  “This is fun,” I said. “I honestly had no idea that I would enjoy it. I thought it would be super boring. I thought it was something that old men did to waste time.”

  He laughed. “Are you calling me old and boring?”

  “Maybe,” I said and chuckled.

  “You just like it because you’re good at it.”

  “Ah ha! So you admit that I’m good?”

  “Yeah, yeah. I admit. You’re pretty good. But then again, you seem to be good at everything you do.”

  “I like this flattery. For that, I’ll treat you to lunch,” I said. “What’s the food like in this place?”

  “It’s good. Wow, are you sure you don’t want to go and eat at Dana’s? I don’t mind if you would prefer to go there.”

  “That’s sweet of you, Josh. But I’m sure. Dana knows that I’m loyal.”

  “Oh, but the coffee is awful here. I’m just warning you.”

  “How about lunch here and then coffee at Dana’s?”

  “It’s a deal.”

  Josh was right, the food was great, but I decided not to tempt the coffee. Josh and I had very similar tastes when it came to our coffee, and I didn’t want to ruin a perfectly good meal with something he described as dirty-water flavored. Instead, we made our way to Dana’s. Dana was so excited to see us.

  “Don’t forget you’re coming over to my place this week,” she said as she took us to our table. She winked at me, and I laughed.

  “What was that about?” Josh asked.

  I blushed. “What was what about?”

  “The wink she gave you. And the blush that came straight after it.”

  “Nothing. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Reagan, now you have to tell me!”

  I chuckled. “Well, it’s just . . . she’s my best friend. And, I haven’t told her much about what’s been going on between you and I. There’s been too much secrecy and too much politics for me to sit down and talk to her. So I’m going over this week to tell her everything.”

  “You’re going to talk about me?” he asked.

  “Maybe. Possibly.”

  “Oh, I better be on my best behavior then. Reagan, have I told you lately how beautiful you are?”

  I giggled. “No, go on. Tell me more.”

  We ordered coffee and sat back in our booth to enjoy it. Out of all the days, I had spent with Josh, this one had been my favorite. Mostly because we could finally be together in front of everyone. There was no more hiding.

  “Reagan, can I ask you something? It’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you for a long time, but I wasn’t sure how to bring it up.”

  “Of course. You can ask me anything. You haven’t hired a private investigator to look up information on me have you?”

  “No. Although I don’t really need to when I work with one of your old friends.”

  “Ralph? What does he have to do with this all?”

  “I was talking to him once about you. Just a very casual conversation shortly after you joined. He mentioned that he knew you in college but that you went missing for a while. He said he didn’t hear from you and that you didn’t get a job straight after college like everyone else did. He said it was strange because you were the most intelligent out of everyone there. I just found it strange. He’s right; you are the most intelligent person I have ever met, as well as the person with the strongest work ethic. I found it odd that you didn’t work. Did something happen?”

  The question took me by surprise. I had no idea that Ralph even still wondered about that. I smiled. “I’m glad you asked. I want no more secrets between us. And I’m more than happy to tell you about it. Heck, I’ll even tell Ralph. I had no idea that he thought about that.” I took a sip of my coffee before launching into my tale. “The guy that I hired to help me find out information about you, the private investigator, well him and I go way back. We were friends from when we were little, and he also went to the same college as me. Great guy. Anyway, on the night of our graduation, he had a little bit too much to drink. He was driving me home, and I’m honestly not sure why I let him. I guess I was just young at the time and didn’t think about it as much as I do now. He was very poor, and his degree meant everything to him. He had already been accepted into a job on the grounds that he passed his degree. Which he did. But he celebrated a bit too hard that night and drove a bit too fast. The cops pulled him over, and I quickly swapped seats with him to take the blame.”

  “You told the cops that you were driving? Why?”

  “For many reasons. But mainly because he was such a good friend of mine, and I had seen what he had been through growing up. He had one of the hardest childhoods out of anyone I had ever known. I could sit here all night and tell you what he went through. It wasn’t good. He saw a lot of things that he shouldn’t have seen as a child. But despite this, he had worked hard to get his degree, and he had done it because he wanted to prove to himself that life could be different. He wasn’t even much of a drinker, although I suppose that was why it had hit him so quickly. He
didn’t deserve to have his life taken away from him, and I was afraid that he wouldn’t get a job if they found out about what had happened. So, I took the blame. It meant I couldn’t work for a while, but I didn’t mind. It would’ve been far worse for him. That’s why he was so willing to help me when I called him to look up some things on you. I guess he feels he owes me. He doesn’t of course.”

  “Wow. Reagan, I had no idea. That’s very noble of you.”

  “No, it’s not. It’s what my mother would’ve done. And she loved Mack. She was such a caring person, and she always put others before herself. I knew that she would’ve been proud of me for making that decision and for sticking up for my friend. She would’ve done the same. I just know it.”

  “So, you still have that on your record, then? That can’t be good.”

  I smiled. “It’s okay. I don’t mind.”

  “I’m sure I can get it removed for you. I don’t think it will be a problem.”

  I shook my head. “Nah, I don’t need it removed. It’s a reminder that I did something that would’ve made my mom proud. And anyway, it’s not like I’m going to battle to find work. I already have a job, and I’m very happy with it. That’s if I don’t get fired anytime soon, of course.”

  Josh smiled. “Thanks for telling me, Reagan. And you’re right; your mom would’ve been proud.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Josh

  I was surprised at how quickly I had gotten used to having Reagan around. I didn’t like not being with her. So, even though we hadn’t made any plans to meet up that night, I couldn’t help myself from arriving at her house and surprising her. She opened the door wearing her pajamas and big slippers in the shape of Yoda. She didn’t have a scrap of makeup on, and her hair was a little all over the place. She was, without a doubt, the cutest thing I’d ever seen in my life.

  “Oh no!” she said when she saw me. “I look a mess.”

  I reached over and kissed her. “No, you look gorgeous. And these are for you,” I said and handed her some flowers.

  “They’re beautiful. What’s going on? Did I forget about a date or something?”

  I shook my head. “No. I came to surprise you for dinner. I hope you didn’t have plans.”

  She laughed and pointed to her outfit. “Clearly not,” she said, and I laughed back. “So, come in. I’m going to have to change.”

  “Ah, that’s a pity. You look adorable.”

  She chuckled. “Thank you. But this is not quite restaurant attire. Where are we going, by the way?”

  “Well, we were going out to the diner. But I’m thinking of calling Dana and telling her we’re going to be an hour late.”

  “An hour? Oh, I can get ready quicker than that. I assure you.”

  I smiled. “I know. It’s just . . .”

  She smiled back. “Oh. Are my Yoda slippers that attractive to you?” she said and tapped her feet together so that the noses of the Yodas touched.

  I walked up to her. “Oh, Reagan, I’ve never been more attracted to you in my life.”

  Just then my phone rang. I groaned when I saw it was Dana. If she was calling to tell me that there was a problem with my reservation, I wasn’t going to mind at all. I picked up the phone and sighed.

  “Hey, Dana,” I said brightly. “Everything okay?”

  “Yes. I just wanted to let you know that I have to go out quickly, but that your table is all booked. It’s under your name. There’s already a bottle of wine on it with your name on. And I’ve organized a few surprises for the two of you. Mostly, I just need people to test out a few of my new meals, but I didn’t think you’d mind.”

  I laughed. “We won’t mind. Great, well, I just got to Reagan’s, so we’ll be there soon.”

  I looked at Reagan and groaned. “You better get out of those clothes and into some normal clothes very soon. Dana is expecting us, but if I have to look at you like that any longer, I’m going to completely cave. You’re too adorable.”

  Reagan giggled and ran up the stairs to get ready. Five minutes later and she was back downstairs wearing jeans, boots, and a pretty yellow shirt. I smiled at her.

  “That was quick.”

  “I’d say it’s because I want food, but it’s really because I want to hurry up and get this dinner over with so we can come back home.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  We made our way over to Dana’s and found the corner table that she had set out for us. The moment we sat down, a waiter came by with a few samples for us to try as starters. He also poured us a glass of wine out of the bottle in front of us. I grinned at Reagan.

  “Now I see why you don’t want to go anywhere else but here. Does she often make you sample her new food like this?”

  “Oh, all the time. Lucky, huh?”

  “Yeah. And now I’m lucky too. Speaking of me being lucky, I wanted to talk to you about the upcoming year. Now that the campaign is over, I wanted to find out what your thoughts were about staying on the team? I’d love you to stay.”

  “Really? I’d love that job. I was hoping to stay on, but I wasn’t sure if you needed me.”

  I laughed. “Are you kidding me? I couldn’t have won without you. And there’s no way I want to give you up. Also, everyone loves you in that office. Ralph would be mad if I didn’t get you on the team. I’m not sure exactly what it is that you’ll be doing though; it might be something else, but either way, I wanted you to know that if you were interested, I’ll make sure to find you a spot.”

  She smiled. “I’m interested.”

  We spent the next two hours talking about the upcoming year and what plans we had. It was nice being able to talk to someone that I liked about work. Usually the girls that I was with weren’t interested in that side of my life at all. Dana stopped by a little later and asked for our opinion on all the food, and by the end of the night we had probably eaten a little too much and sampled a bit too much wine. But it was wonderful, and we left the restaurant happy.

  The moment we got back to Reagan’s house, she told me to wait in the living room, and she ran up the stairs. I wondered what was going on and chuckled when I saw her coming back down the stairs moments later. She was wearing her pajamas again, and was battling to walk down the stairs in her Yoda slippers. I grinned at her.

  “Better?” she said.

  I smiled. “Oh much better.”

  I walked up to her and kissed her. I looked down at her slippers and back up at her beautiful face and smiled. “I love you,” I said softly. It was the first time that I had said the words out loud, and I think it took both of us by surprise. I saw her eyes widen, then sparkle with contentedness and joy.

  “I love you too,” she whispered.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Reagan

  The words were officially out. We loved each other. I had known that I had loved Josh for a while now. I probably knew the first time that we kissed, and my feeling for him was secured when I spent the week without him. When I thought that he hated me and that I would never see him again, I knew that my feelings of sadness were not because I liked him as a friend. They were because I loved him. Hearing him say it to me now filled me with more joy than I could ever imagine.

  “So, now that I’m in in these pajamas, maybe you should get a little more comfortable too,” I said and smiled at him.

  “But how? I have nothing to wear?”

  “Oh, that sounds perfect to me, then. There’s nothing more comfortable than wearing your birthday suit. And I have the perfect place for you to wear it to. It’s upstairs; come on, let me show you,” I said and took his hand.

  “Voila!” I said as I opened the door to my bedroom. “Welcome to Club Duvet, the only place in the world where clothes are not allowed.”

  He smiled at me and tugged at my pajamas. “You’re wearing clothes.”

  “Which is why I’m not allowed in. But don’t worry, that’s about to change,” I said and took them off.

  I climbed onto the
bed with him and kissed him. There was something different about being with someone that you now openly loved. People seemed to find pleasure in being with someone in secret, but I enjoyed being with someone that the world knew about much more. I was proud to call Josh my boyfriend and proud of the fact that we loved each other.

  Josh’s hands were all over me, touching my breasts and squeezing my nipples between his fingers, causing me to gasp in delight. He kissed my neck, and I groaned as my body shivered in response. He lay me down and continued to make his way over my body, kissing me gently all over. Every time I tried to pull him back up toward me, he would make me lie back down.

  “I want to make sure that no part of you is left un-kissed,” he said.

  By the time he had made his way over my entire body, back and front, I felt wet and ready for him. I lay on my back and smiled as he finally climbed on top of me, entering me slowly and deliberately. I sighed softly in pleasure as I felt every inch. I reached up for his face and pulled it down so that our lips found one another’s. He kissed me passionately as he rocked over me, and I felt the intensity rise.

  “I love you,” he whispered.

  “I love you too,” I said and felt my resolve disappear. I couldn’t hold on any longer. The more he thrust inside me, the more I felt my body give in to his body’s demands. I hadn’t realized that he had just been having sex all those other times. This time, we were making love. I had no idea that there was such a big difference between the two.

  Afterward, we lay in each other’s arms without saying a word to one another for a long time. We just held onto each other as if we were too afraid of letting go. I eventually turned over and kissed him gently on the mouth.

  “So, what did you think of Club Duvet? Would you come here again?”

  He grinned. “I thought I was too old for clubbing, but I was clearly mistaken. I love this place.”

  “And I love you.”

  “I love you too, Reagan. I don’t think I’m going to get tired of saying that. Oh hey, I noticed that this time around you didn’t need brownies to sleep with me. Things are looking up for me.”