In bed with my boss

CHAPTER 17

EMILY

~7:15 am the next day~

My heels clicked against the polished marble floor of the office as I walked down the quiet hallway.

At this hour, the only other person in sight was one of the janitors pushing a cleaning cart from one cubicle to the next.

After Jack left, a sick feeling settled in my stomach, making it unbearable for me to sleep. I spent part of the night lying on my couch, wondering what kind of business proposal Cole would possibly want to see me so early for.

Cole and I alone in a room were never a good fit. We either ended up arguing, or we ended up saying or doing something stupid—like in the car when I kept leaning against him because I was terrified of the thunderstorm.

Then there was what he said about ‘Throwing me over his lap and giving me a little punishment’ before leaving me standing in my hotel room with my mouth hanging wide open.

Despite the number of times I tried pushing those words away, they always flashed through my mind like a bright sign on the Las Vegas strip.

After barely two hours of sleep, my alarm dragged me awake, and just like a tidal wave, everything came crashing back, leaving me with spriling thoughts as I got ready for work.

As I arrived in front of Cole’s office, I silently prayed he wouldn’t be in when I knocked, but deep down I knew that wasn’t likely. Cole Calloway was a man who worked by the clock.

After pacing for a little while, debating whether to knock, I spotted the security camera mounted in the corner of the wall. The realization that he might be watching me make a fool of myself was all the push I needed. I squared my shoulders, straightened my posture, and knocked.

Silence stretched from the other side, and just when I thought luck was finally on my side, it was snatched away the moment his deep, velvety voice came through the door.

“Come in.”

With a deep inhale and slow exhale, I opened the door, stepped inside, and let it shut behind me.

I clasped my hands in front of me, hoping he wouldn’t notice how tightly my fingers were intertwined.

“Have a seat, Ms. Carter,” he said, his eyes never leaving the laptop in front of him.

Needing the meeting to be over before it even started, I pushed myself away from the door and took long strides, like I had fire beneath my heels, towards the empty seat in front of his desk.

“Good morning, sir,” I greeted before pulling out a chair and dropping into it.

He didn’t reply as he continued typing away, leaving me to look around the beautiful interior of his office while the soft clicks of his keyboard blended with the ticking clock.

Was this about Richard?

I still hadn’t told him about what Richard said, and after giving it careful thought, I had decided I wasn’t going to.

So if this was why he called me here and used a ‘business proposal’ as a way to lure me in, then then I was ready to brace myself for whatever this was going to lead to.

“Ms. Carter.”

His deep, husky voice made me jump slightly in my seat.

“Sir?”

“Go get me a cup of coffee at the cafe across the street.”

My brows drew together. There was a coffee maker here at the office, so why would he want me to go twenty-nine floors down just to get a cup of coffee?

“I can make one here, sir,” I said politely, in case he’d forgotten the office had one.

I noticed the slight curve of his lips before his hazel lifted eyes lifted to meet mine.

“No. I prefer the one across the street.”

I forced a smile.

“How would you like your coffee, sir?”

“Plain black,” he said with a full-on smirk before turning back to his laptop.

I let out a huff.

Of course, he’d want it the same color as his heart.

With my wor bag held tightly against my arm, I walked out of his office, into the elevator and down the street.

Several minutes later, his coffee sat on his desk, steam curling through the opening in the lid.

He deliberately picked up the cup, brought it to his lips, and took a slow sip. His throat bobbed as he swallowed before setting the cup back on the desk.

His hard gaze met mine.

“Is there sugar in this?”

“Sugar?” I asked cluelessly, despite intentionally telling the barista to add sugar after she’d mentioned Cole didn’t it in his coffee when I told her it was for him.

He clenched his jaw.

“I asked for plain black coffee, which meant nothing was to be added to it.”

I swallowed.

Perhaps my plan hadn’t been so great after all because I could already feel it about to backfire in my face.

“I had no—”

“Go get another one,” he said, cutting me off.

I didn’t need to be told twice. I picked up the hot cup and scrambled out of the office.

When I came back with his requested order and placed it beside his laptop, I noticed a file that hadn’t been there sitting in front of my side of the desk.

“What’s this?” I asked as I sat down.

“A new project.”

My brows arched.

“For?”

“A game plan to finding out the rat working in my company.”

“Don’t you think it’s best to involve the police?”

“And have the press thinking I can’t handle my company after years of being number one on every news outlet?

He leaned against his desk with his fingers folded in front of him as he continued. “The Wayswell investment app was meant to be one of the biggest project this company had ever undertaken, and all of a sudden, I see people using it when it was supposed to be buried in out archives before launch day?”

I guess the gala hadn’t been as helpful as he’d hoped, so this was why he had to come up with a new game plan.

“So why are you presenting the project to me?”

“The reason you’re sitting here, Ms. Carter, is because I have a business proposal for you.”

He slid another file across the desk.

“I want you to go through it because… you’ll be managing the project.”