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 fiancé 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