FALLING FOR MY ONE NIGHT STAND BOSS

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER THREE

Sitting in the back of the taxi, Kaia Morgan's thoughts of Jaxon Tai's treachery were racing through her head. She would look even worse when she got to the office, so she had to stop thinking about it. Amid the broken fragments of her heart, she couldn't help but wonder if she would ever find peace.

After work, what was she going to do? She had the option of staying at the apartment in the office building where she worked or booking a room at a hotel for a few nights. After working late on projects in the past, Levi Matthews had previously advised her to remain there. Simply put, she had never embraced him. She was only fifteen minutes away, and Jaxon had never liked Levi. She didn't want to get into a fight if she had stayed at the office.

Levi and Jaxon had first met at the Christmas party the previous year. Before a fight, it had resembled two fighters assessing one another. It was absurd to her. That could be how alpha males acted. When she lived at home, she witnessed her father evaluating men.

She knew Levi wasn’t in competition with Jaxon. They hired her as his secretary because she was in a relationship, but they hadn't mentioned it. The feeling arose from several comments made by her colleagues at the office. Her engagement was a blessing.

Levi was a successful, handsome man in his early thirties. Over the past year, Kaia has learned that Levi struggles to keep his hands to himself and his mind when working with former secretaries. She was transferred within the organization to work for Levi for reasons unrelated to his behavior. She did her job very well, too. Levi was a strict boss who didn't take stupidity well. Occasionally, she would mutter under her breath, "jerk," on his bad days.

She discovered he preferred to keep his personal and professional lives distinct. Regretfully, some of the women he dated simply did not understand that. When they couldn't contact him immediately, they would either show up at the office or call the office line. Kaia attributed it to the kind of woman he was seeing. He wished he had chosen a woman more focused on her career than her appearance. He might have spent more than a few months with them. Kaia always dealt with the fallout from his splits.

Outside her office, the taxi arrived. Kaia glanced up at the structure. Because it distracted her from her issues, she had enjoyed thinking quietly about her boss's love life—or lack thereof. Kaia inhaled deeply, gave the cab driver his money, and exited.

During the short trip, she heard her phone ring at least a dozen times while it vibrated. Kaia took it out and discovered that Jaxon had sent several texts and made several calls. She opened Levi's text message but ignored everything Jaxon had to say.

"Where on earth are you?"

Her boss was succinct and direct. Kaia did not respond. She would go briefly to his office.

She hurried inside, making her way directly to the lobby's restrooms. Kaia just needed a moment before heading back upstairs. She would rather not be seen like this. She didn't want sympathy.

Pulling out her always-present makeup case, Kaia placed her bag on the bathroom vanity. She then proceeded to examine herself in the mirror. Her appearance wasn't too bad. It had been challenging to keep it together at home, but as a child, she had always been careful not to be weak in front of her father.

When it all clicked, Kaia was sure that the floodgates would open. Kaia noticed her blue eyes still appeared watery and quickly fixed her makeup. She only needed to pat down the flyaways to fix her chocolate-colored hair. She plastered a smile on her face and left the bathroom.

"Levi is on a warpath!" said Ella Tamati, leaning over the counter as she passed reception and took the elevator to her floor. Is everything alright?

As she made her way to their corner offices, Kaia simply nodded her head. Kaia refrained from engaging in gossip with her coworkers. She inhaled deeply before entering her outer office, putting her handbag away, and entering the lion's den. Without waiting for an invitation, she entered and knocked on his open door. She was aware of his calendar. At this point, Levi had no meetings.

He turned from his spot by the windows, enclosing his office, as she entered his door. Despite his reputation as a ladies' man, she was always in awe of him when she saw him.

To be fair, he was upfront with women, immediately making it clear that he wasn't looking for a committed relationship. He only dated one woman at a time, unlike her ex-fiancé. This was one of his strengths. She would know best about his dating style.

However, his short-lived relationships and lack of interest were his fault. Women found it difficult to refuse him because of his indisputable beauty.

Levi had a reputation for being a jerk, a trait that women found appealing. He put everything before the woman in his life, acting haughty and demanding attention. Because of the aura of security and power that surrounded him, women felt like his personal slaves.

He also drew a different kind of woman, frequently featured in the society pages. Levi served as the perfect stepping stone for women seeking a career path. Someone in his social circle would win his heart if they could. The camera adored him with his amber eyes and thick, nearly black hair. His imposing height of 6.3 made him a fine figure in his custom-made suits.

He didn't get his muscles from going to the gym. Four times a week, Levi had a personal trainer visit the office. Levi always made time in his diary for Finn Tauwhare, unless he was on the road. She didn't give her boss much thought but attempted to divert her attention from her issues by concentrating on something else. She could only believe he was a jerk whenever she thought about him.

"I apologize, Levi." Kaia stepped forward and placed the file on his desk. She didn't make an excuse because Levi disliked them; she simply expressed regret for her mistake. She waited patiently until he tore the strips from her hide. Instead, he watched her closely. Without averting his gaze from her, he reached for the file.

"Is everything ok?" he finally asked. Startling her.

After hesitating, Kaia nodded. "Yes, it was just a difficult morning."

Levi arched an eyebrow. "My door is open if you need to talk.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

After nodding, he looked at the file. That signaled Kaia to go, and she returned to her desk. She tried to concentrate on her work as she sat down, but her thoughts kept returning to Jaxon and the betrayal she had seen.

Once more, her phone buzzed. Jaxon sent another message. She disregarded it. She couldn't deal with him right now.

Kaia inhaled deeply and made an effort to focus on the current tasks. She couldn't let her personal life interfere with her work at this moment.