Taming My Boss
been banned in several states. It was the same face I'd seen staring back at me from a hundred correspondence dinners and magazines
nger son of the legendary AbeBlackwood
o a notori
and I pulled myself casually away. "I'm the new gi
about my lack of California tan before he flashed me anot
sit down for a business meeting next to MarkBlackwood? Priceless. And I'd have to be as blind as Katie McGill not to feel some sort of animal magnetism drawing me to that body. The thing is, not only did the company have a zero tolerance policy
sn't like he was the ea
shameless. He kept me fixed in a gaze so attentive, that eventually, I had to politely return the seductive smile he was sending my way. I kept it profession
he wasn't even in my pe
l looking executive came in, and even
have time for any...oh, Michael." The suit looked surprised
d professional, but that he just made seem naughty. "I'll be here every Thursday unt
re dropping his eyes to his papers. "Well,
r," an employee sitting next t
glance, and he rolle
New Year's parties. I'm surprised he ev
sorbed this. Judging by everything I
looked back up from his stack of documents and his eyes h
ns five days ago, but I've yet to hear anything from our sister office. I've tr
the executive
could see the name cc'd on his papers. Mr. Trask. Th
chit
I do
other mirrored the motion the other way. At first I thought they had to be some sort of 'twins separated at
t his voice carried an authority around the room
doctor's note, then
ho'd spoken to me before. "Those two look like they
e that; they're head of the legal division-Blackwood's chief counsel." He s
an apologetic smile. "Jenna. Jus
a little frown. "Wha
, but just as I was about to reply,
What'
at all odd-they rather seemed to expect it from her. "I've received the addition I requested from the west
e of his endless lists. "We're all going to have to p
f some sort of blind fish, probing the dark.
ith his elbow. "Y
onfident smile. "Elena Harks, sir. Ms. Macer got me up to
to need around here-especially now." He picked up the remaining papers and shoved them into his briefcase. "Well, that's all I have for today
ting was over. I got to my feet with the rest of them, casting covert looks around as I tried to remember where my office was. But first thing's first. I saw Jamie's
called te
d over in my unforgiving shoes. When I finally got there, breathless and
t tha
mine, save for the dozens of pictures all around the room of him smiling with his arm around an equally smiling woman
ice-breaking grin
ol teacher-we've been together six years." The smile lingered as he pushed up his g
begin? Was that to be my first and last meeting atBlackwood? Had
tly. Despite his kind demeanor, I
at." He was trying not to l
this. No matter how you did
Her fiancƩ left her and she was headed back to California." I paused, editing, and wondering how much to admit. Jamie seemed like a good guy, but
hest. He may have a fresh, youthful air about him, but he was a shark
your way in
s position with Patti Macer. She asked if
hat any of the res
kling. "Jenna, right?" I nodded. "Jenna, I'm the
at he had risen impossibly
is age. It also meant he
d you go
ich I'd been chanting to myself for the las
School. Followed by an eighteen-mo
Sachs," he looke
n the eyes. "Because
a guy so happily taken; I could tell my soft-spoken honesty m
a open in the
ng or Sh
twitched
d up seven,
od's total net g
even. Best in
ntral Ameri
her patterns and some bad Shakir
ain. "And why do you
ssible to keep the hunger from my voice. "I want
the end of this statement.
ightly in my chair even though the screen was pointed away fro
far as myself, and the rest of the company is conc
typing at the speed of light. Sharks doing shar
rgic to a
ked. "
tinued typing. "The
new employment forms came shooting out at me. He handed th
stupid enough to own a car in this city, I'm sure we hav
ings of my new life. I'd only gotten them two years early
ill tied up in a closet somewhere, you get a four-s
ghter from my voice as I stood up to go. "And thank yo
in his chair with a wink. "Wait until yo
ok me thirty minutes just to read through a one-pag
n company from the ground up if I so desired. Mentally fatigued and emotionally raw, I joined the swarm of people heading for the elevators down to the lobby. The only comfort I had was that I wasn't the only who had that vague, zombie look
I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't realize someone was talking to me until I fel
Jenna,
ose chocolate eyes before no
an unnecessary introd
t kept the handshake brief. The last thing I needed on
d innocently across my knuckles before he finally r
t to do considering both my level of mental strain and the
sy time," I replied, before quickly ad
rom across the lobby. "I bet. Well, why don't you let me take you out to lunc
door on dining with aBlackwood in a company where people were fighting tooth and nail to adva
even worse call to go with him. One that, if I
ck toward the glass doors, "but I already promised a fr
a man who was coming inside. Five years of tennis lessons paid off, and in a brilliant displa
where I was going," I murmu
ickering back to where a rejected looking
he said softly, tak
ew down the street to my favorite sushi bar. Although it had certainly come in handy as an excuse, I hadn't lied to Michael-I actually did have plans to meet my best friend/roommate he
pened my eyes to see her staring at me over a hot c
at someone like Rosalie always made me do that, no matter how long we'd been friends. Something abou
. You won't even believe w
er her shoulder and leaned t
oom, to my unbelievable fib and the hero who helped me get away with it. Her eyes widened until they took up a ridiculously huge portion of her
tion of me being late, "you can't possibly get into any more mischief between lunch and this evening. Just keep your hea
ackwood as well. She was a rising star in the PR department- something I couldn't care
kin. "And as for the boss'son, you could have ca
like the Greek god of employment terminat
person to talk to in regards to 'normal relationship advice.'Let's put it this way, each of my four older brothers had been in love with her at some point in their life. It wasn't even her fault. She'd been blessed with a model'
as she scribbled her name
r or the
swered between
banned from the Brakener's Club after falling into t
the
thought-probably best you skipped the lunch.
lobby-he was so obvious. What if he keeps hounding me until the wrong people notice, and then I'm standing on the si
ked at me calmly. "If he does anything to endanger your
hey resided, I believed in her threat whole-heartedly. She may not hav
up of sake to match her own, "you ha
braced myself for what was to co