Boss I Love to Hate An Office Romance - Mia Kayla Page 0,75
asked. Mary was the female version of me when it came to our sleeping patterns. We’d sleep till one in the afternoon if we could.
“Mason, living room. I have an emergency.” My tone was clipped and serious, meaning business.
He took note of my new suit, probably rumpled from it being tossed on the floor. Inside my suit, my shirt was buttonless.
“What happened to your shirt?” He shook his head. “Where did you go?”
“To a wedding,” I said.
“Nice.” Then, his head was back in the paper, and his cup of joe was on his lips again.
“With Sonia.”
He coughed up his coffee, splattering some on the paper, black coffee stains dotting what he had been reading.
“Sonia, your secretary?” he asked as though we knew more than one Sonia.
He shot up from his chair, rubbed his forehead, scratched the back of his neck, and itched his arm.
Have you seen two-year-olds drop to the floor, kick their feet, and do circles, all the while trying to rip off their clothes? That was Mason but till he was eight. And, boy, did I like to watch him get all riled up. Most of the time, I was the cause of his tantrums because I had taken his toys.
I tipped my head in the other room, noting little teenage eyes on us. “We need to discuss.”
“Where did you spend the night last night?” He pushed his hands through his hair. “Tell me it was at your apartment.” His eyes widened when I didn’t answer, his mouth slimming to a thin line.
“Other room,” I urged.
“No. No. No. I want to hear what happened,” Sarah said, hopping off her chair. “I love Sonia. She’s cool and sweet and …”
“This is an adult conversation, Sarah,” Mason said, cutting her short and heading to the study.
I followed, but so did Sarah.
“I like her,” she said behind us. “I really do. Seriously, you’ll never find any other girl who puts up with your crap. No offense.”
“Out.” Mason pointed to the study door. “Finish your breakfast.”
A stubborn-faced Sarah did an about-face and stormed out the door. After Mason slammed the door shut, I faced his wrath.
“You slept with your secretary.” His hands flew to his hips. He was in scolding mode. “The only one we’ve been able to keep on forever to work with you. Why the hell would you do that? Are you dumb?” He shook his head and answered before I could. “Shit! I already know the answer to that. Charles will have your balls on a stick. Of all the girls you could sleep with, she’s the one girl who was off-limits!”
He gripped a fistful of hair, wanting to pull it out. If I weren’t so desperate, I’d have laughed at his over-the-top reaction.
“Why the hell can’t you keep your pants on?” His face reddened.
I simply stood there and took it, watching him flare up.
“I didn’t sleep with Sonia.”
He paused, mouth open as though his words were stuck in his throat. He took a breath, and then his whole body slackened like a balloon releasing air. “Well, that’s good.”
“But I want to.”
His whole posture turned rigid again.
“And you’re not going to,” Mason said gruffly. “So, stop having those thoughts right now.”
“I think I like her, Mason.” The words flew out, uninhibited, pure, uncensored honesty.
A cynical laugh from one of those horror movies escaped him. “Like her? Please, the only person you like is yourself.”
My frustration bubbled underneath the surface. “I’m being serious. Every single time I kiss her, I want more.”
Maybe I hadn’t come here for an intervention. Maybe I needed permission, his blessing, someone to tell me that this was okay and that I was merely experiencing symptoms of being in love.
Love? Shit. I’d have to analyze that later.
The sane part of me wanted him to convince me that what I was feeling wasn’t wrong. It was the war of my two worlds—one where we worked together and the other where I was falling for her.
Mason ran one frustrated hand through his hair. “Listen to me. You do not like her.” He stepped into me and spoke slower, as though I were an old person hard of hearing, “What you like is the chase. In business and in women. And, because Sonia won’t look at you, which is exactly why we hired her, you see her as a challenge you want to conquer.”
His words were all wrong. I didn’t want to conquer her. I wanted to be with her. Her. No one else.