Boss I Love to Hate An Office Romance - Mia Kayla Page 0,76

out a shaky breath. My world as I had known it was discombobulated, turned upside down and inside out, and it’d all started with that damn kiss. “I don’t know.”

His eyes narrowed into angry slits. “You do know, or you wouldn’t be coming here, straight to me. You know I’m your voice of reason, and I’m telling you, once you sleep with her, you’ll have to fire her because things between you will be a mess. You’ll ruin your relationship and never talk again.”

His words shot me in the chest. The last thing I wanted to do was ruin my relationship with Sonia. To never talk again? I couldn’t imagine not hearing her smart mouth or seeing her stunning face every morning.

I hung my head, staring at the lines in our hardwood floor that seemed so suddenly interesting. “I don’t know.”

His hand rested on my shoulder. “You know I’m right, Brad. Deep down, you know I am.”

Brad

The next morning, before I walked through my office doors, my chest tightened. I recognized the feeling—anxiety. The same feeling before I walked into a meeting to seal the deal and acquire another company.

This time, the anxious feeling was intensified, a rattling in my chest, my palms sweaty.

I inhaled deeply. The best thing to do was to face my fears head-on, so I walked through the doors, my eyes already searching for her because she was always there before me. Always. When my stare was met with the vacancy of her chair, the tightening in my chest rose to my throat.

What if she quit on me, all because of what happened at the wedding?

I flipped around, my eyes wide, and the tension instantly eased out of me. I took in all five feet two of Sonia Vanducci. Her brown hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail, exposing the span of creamy white skin that I had kissed a few days ago. Her yellow silk shirt was tucked into a fitted skirt, one that hugged her slim figure, the same slim figure that I’d had beneath me.

Shit! Get it together, Brad.

I swallowed and croaked out, “Good morning.” I sounded like a teenage boy who’d just hit puberty.

Real smooth.

She quirked an eyebrow and held out a cup of coffee. “You okay?”

“Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?” I schooled my features, but my pulse ticked up.

“Okay.” She sounded unsure. “Anyway, you have a meeting at nine with the McCarthys and then a meeting with that China supplier at ten.”

I nodded, keeping it casual. “Aren’t you going to come into my office for my morning brief?”

Flashes of papers scattered on my office floor and Sonia on her back on my desk, naked from the waist down, pushed through.

Normal? We were far from normal.

My voice was hoarse and horny. “Come into my office.”

She blinked up at me. She wanted normal, and that was our normal routine. Is she avoiding me now?

“Oh. Yeah. Of course.” She fidgeted in her spot, pulling at the edge of her shirt. “I’ll be in, in a bit.”

She let out a shaky breath, and I was a bit relieved that it wasn’t just me who was anxious.

“Okay.”

I walked into my office, sat behind my desk, and powered up my computer. I swung my chair around to take in the Chicago skyline at my feet.

Challenge. Sonia is simply a challenge, as Mason put it.

And what male didn’t love a good challenge, right? This man sure did. Wasn’t that why I ran faster on the treadmill, sprinting, upping my incline and speed? Wasn’t that why I always tried to increase the weight that I benched? Wasn’t that why I volunteered on every deal Mason and Charles thought was too farfetched to win?

I was the epitome of a conqueror.

Maybe Mason was right.

A small knock came at the door, and I tucked away any emotion from my face, plastering on a nonchalant smile. “Hey.”

“Hey.” She stood by the door for a bit, not her usual style, before I tipped my chin toward the chair in front of me.

“Don’t be shy. I’m not going to bite.” I smirked. “Unless you want me to.” And then I was back to flirting, which never happened between us. I cleared my throat. “Sit down, Sonia. We’re going to go over my schedule for the day because I have that nine o’clock.”

“Yeah. Okay. Sure.” She sat down and rattled off my boring meetings of the day. Then, she reminded me to send Sarah’s and Mary’s teachers a teacher-appreciation present that Mason had tasked me