In bed with my boss

CHAPTER 9

EMILY

I scrambled to my feet, but as soon as I came face to face with the man standing before me, it felt like I was about to collapse right back to the floor.

He was still dressed in the same clothes he wore to work earlier, except his white button-down sleeves were rolled to his forearm, revealing a sleeve tattoo that stretched up to the right side of his chest.

“Mr. Calloway,” I whispered.

He slipped his hands into his pockets, studying me like he had all the time in the world.

“It’s Cole outside the walls of Ways Enterprise,” he finally said in a calm, smooth voice.

“Mr...” I was about to say when his brows rose in a warning look.

“Uhmm…” I cleared my throat. “Cole,” I said in a tight whisper, feeling awkward saying his name out loud.

His eyes drifted shut for a brief second as he took a slow inhale, making me wonder if he was angry, irritated… or both.

We stood in an uncomfortable silence, making me finally voice what I’d been meaning to ask.

“What are you doing here?”

He placed a hand against his chest as though I’d just wounded his ego.

“Well, seeing that this is my establishment, I’m supposed to be the one asking the questions,” he said with his signature smug smile plastered across his dark features.

“Oh,” I said quietly, shifting uncomfortably.

He took a step closer.

“So tell me… what were you discussing with Dave Freeman?” He asked in a commanding voice.

“Excuse me?” I replied, taken aback by the question.

He tilted his head slightly, drawing his lower lip between his teeth as if stopping himself from saying something he’d regret.

“How do you know the man you were talking to back at the bar?” He asked, his voice turning stern.

Who the hell does he think he was?

Questioning my social life just because he was my boss?

“It’s none of your business,” I said in a clipped voice .

“See, that's the problem, Ms. Carter,” he argued. “You with Freeman is my business. And what you discussed is ten times my business because, do you know why?” he snapped. “His father is someone who isn’t happy with me after I turned down his business proposal.”

My eyes widened at the revelation, making me silently thank God I hadn’t told Dave where I work or what I do.

“So, are you going to talk, or should I pry an answer from you?”

I almost rolled my eyes, but I knew better.

“I saw you before I could say anything personal or work-related to him,” I replied.

He held my gaze, as if trying to decide whether I was bluffing.

“Very good,” he finally said, taking a step back. “You should head home now. We have an early morning flight to prepare for.”

With that, he disappeared down the hallway.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I sat opposite Cole, who was buried in his laptop.

We were supposed to have taken off thirty minutes ago, but we were still in New York because Cole had been sent a last-minute review he needed to take care of.

A notification popped up on my phone.

Boston Weather Alert.

Thunderstorm warning.

I was about to tell Cole about it when I was interrupted.

“Sir,” the pilot called as he stepped out of the cockpit. “There are a lot of planes heading into Boston, and If we don’t take off now, we’ll have an issue finding a landing slot.”

“Then make it work.”

“But, sir—”

“Enough, Luke,” he growled, finally lifting his gaze from the laptop. “I pay you well to do your job. Besides that, I own half the airports in this country, including this one. If you believe there won’t be an available space by the time we land, make a call now and get one ready.”

The poor man looked at me for help, but knowing there wasn’t anything I could do to change Cole’s mind, I mouthed a silent sorry.

“Okay, sir.”

He disappeared back into the cockpit.

Not wanting to become Cole’s next victim, I lowered my head and sent Annie a text, making sure she’d gotten home safely.

After my conversation with Cole, I’f hurried straight to the dance floor in search of Annie, not caring that I’d walked right past Dave like we hadn’t just been laughing together moments ago.

Annie was wrapped up with the guy from earlier, and when I told her I was leaving, she waved me off, saying she planned on going home with him.

After making sure she was okay and getting the guy's address and phone number, I stormed out of the club and headed back to my apartment.

Before turning off my phone for the flight, I sent my mom a text letting her know I’d be in Boston for the weekend and that I’d text her once I got back home.

I was fastening my seat belt when a voice purred.

“Good day Mr, Calloway.”

A red-haired woman wearing thick red lipstick and a blouse and skirt that clung tightly to her body smiled brightly.

“I’ll be your hostess for today.”

I rolled my eyes, already picturing how the next hour and twenty-five minutes would go with this woman.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After what felt like forever, we finally landed in Boston.

I couldn’t say I hated the flight because I’d been entertained by the hostess, who spent almost the entire trip trying, and failing miserably, to steal Cole’s attention away from his laptop.

We stepped off the jet and headed toward the Escalade waiting on the other side of the hanger when I caught sight of the hostess following us out of the corner of my eye.

“Mr. Calloway,” she called.

With Cole's attention still on his phone, he continued walking toward the car, and I didn’t bother getting his attention.

She eventually caught up to us and stepped in front of him.

“Any problem?” He asked.

“None, sir. I just wanted to give you this,” she said, slipping a folded piece of paper into his hand.

His jaw ticked as his eyes moved from the woman… to the paper… then finally to me.

As if a thought crossed his mind, he slipped the note into his pocket with a smirk and continued toward the car, leaving the hostess smiling like she’d just won a lottery.

“Mr. Calloway. Welcome to Boston,” the man standing beside the SUV greeted, handing him the key.

“Thank you, Sam.”

Cole patted him on the back, opened the boot so we could place our carry-ons inside.

“No driver?” I asked.

“Not when I’m in Boston,” he replied flatly then walked around to the driver's side.

Since the hotel was still a long drive away according to the map, I geared myself up for the ride as I climbed into the passenger seat.

Fifteen minutes later, we were stuck in traffic.

Silence settled between us except for the soft R&B music playing through the speakers.

Just as I reached to turn up the volume, the music stopped, replaced by a thunderstorm warning.

“f**k,” Cole growled, glancing at his wristwatch. “I’m going to be late for my meeting.”

Unable to stop myself, I spoke.

“Why don’t you ask Sara to reschedule it until tomorrow morning since we already have the gala in the evening.”

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he pulled out his phone and began typing.

With a quiet sigh, I turned toward the window as tiny raindrops splattered against the glass.

Unsure how long we’d been sitting there except for the occasional movement whenever traffic crept forward, I looked back at him.

“Isn’t there another route we can take?” I asked as I looked at the sky, which had turned almost black. “The weather seems to be getting pretty bad.”

“There’s another road up ahead.” he replied flatly.

Eventually, we managed to take the route Cole suggested.

But the farther we drove, the more unsettled I became.

The wind whipped around the car, and with no buildings or other vehicles in sight nausea slowly settled in my stomach.

Another alert flashed across the cars screen warning drivers to find a safe place to park and remain there overnight because the storm was expected to become much worse.

“Mr. Calloway,” I said calmly. “I have a bad feeling about this weather. Why don’t we just find a motel and spend the night?”

“In case you don’t know, Ms. Carter, I don’t do cheap. So calm down—we’re almost there.”

I wanted to argue, but I stayed quiet.

The rain began pouring so heavily that it became almost impossible to see the road.

With barely any network connection left, the GPS was useless.

The moment I finally caught a glimpse of what was ahead—

“A tree!” I screamed.

But my warning came too late.

Cole jerked the steering wheel.

Then—

Crash.

The world seemed to stop.

For a terrifying second, neither of us moved.

When I finally looked at Cole before checking myself, relief swept through me.

Neither of us appeared seriously hurt.

But it meant one thing.

I was going to be trapped in a car with Cole Calloway until help came.

And as the realization settled in, everything went pitch-black.