Boss Me (16 page)

“Here, let me help,” Zach says as he takes the oblong box containing Brooklyn’s doll and helps complete the wrapping before I end up poking my fist through the thin paper.

“Do you want something to drink?” I ask as he finishes up the wrapping like it was nothing.

“Sure. I’ll just take some water.”

I step into the kitchen and grab two glasses from the cabinet, filling them with ice and bottled water. Zach is working on one of his mom’s gifts when I return a few minutes later.

“Thank you,” he says and takes a quick sip. Brown eyes seem to be locked on mine. I can practically see the wheels in his head spinning. It’s as if he has something to say, but is carefully weighing the odds of whether to say it or not. What? I don’t know yet, but I’m about to find out.

“What’s up, Zach?” I finally ask, keeping my eyes locked on his.

“Can I ask you something?” he asks tentatively. Hesitantly.

“Anything.”

“Do you like my mom?” he asks, finally dropping his eyes to the half-wrapped gift on the table.

“What do you mean?” I ask, knowing damn good and well what he means.

“I mean, do you like her? Like
like
her. You know, like how boys like girls and want to kiss them,” he says as his eyes return to mine. They don’t waiver as he stands next to the table awaiting my reply.

“Your mom is my boss,” I reply, trying to deflect.

“So. She likes you,” he says with a shoulder shrug and a little smile.

“She does?” I instantly feel giddy and elated to hear him confirm it.

“Yeah, she does. She smiles a little when I ask her about you even though she tries to hide it. She also dances around the kitchen when she thinks I’m not looking,” he says.

“And she didn’t dance around before?” I ask curiously.

“Nope. She hates dancing,” he says before taking another sip of water. “So?”

“So what?” I stall. Yeah, I know it’s slightly childish, but I don’t really feel comfortable having this conversation with Carmen’s twelve-year-old son.

Zach rolls his eyes before answering, “Do you like her?”

I exhale dramatically and give myself a few moments to process a response. “I like hanging out with your mom, Zach. I don’t really know her outside of work, but I’m getting to know her. We’re friends,” I tell him.

“Friends, but you like her, right?” he eggs on.

“Yeah, I like her. But, that’s just between you and me, okay? Your mom and I need to keep a professional relationship because of work.”

“Okay,” he says and goes back to wrapping the present. He seems satisfied. Finally.

Two gifts later, we’re loading back up the gifts for Carmen and heading towards their house. Her car is parked in the driveway, and as much as I’d love to stay, I know I can’t. So, I leave my car running along the street.

Carmen meets us at the front door as we march up the stairs. The smile she wears for her son is big and bright…until she sees the presents in his arms.

“What’s that?” she asks, arching her well-manicured eyebrows heavenward.

“Some presents I bought for you,” he tells her with a matching smile.

I watch as she falters before turning those cool brown eyes on me. I can tell she’s pissed, but damn it if my cock doesn’t stir to life instantly. I have no control over its reaction to her anymore. Knowing how much passion she hides behind those composed eyes and the condescending tones does instant things to my body that hasn’t happened in a long time – if ever.

“Why don’t you go put them under the tree and run and cleanup for supper? We’re making spaghetti and meatballs tonight and I’m going to need help rolling the balls,” Carmen says to Zach as I step inside and out of the way, allowing her to shut the door behind me.

We both watch as Zach puts the presents proudly under the tree before coming back over to me. I think he’s going to shake my hand, so I start to extend it, but I was unprepared for what happens next.

“Thank you so much for letting me spend the day with you,” he says as he throws his arms around my back and gives me a big hug. Not the standard one-armed guy hug, but a full on hug.

I’m startled stiff for a moment, but only a split second. I respond by hugging the boy back as I reply, “You’re welcome, Zach. Anytime you want to hang out, just ask your mom.”

Zach throws me a big grin before racing off to the bathroom to wash up. I turn to Carmen who is standing next to me, shock evident on her beautiful face.

“So, go ahead and yell at me. Let’s get this over with,” I tell her, crossing my arms over my chest and trying hard not to crack a smile.

“What?” she asks startled. “Oh, yeah. Why did you buy presents for him? I know he didn’t have enough money to buy all of that?” she asks firmly, her boss face firmly in place.

“I may have bought them, but Zach is going to work it off. He agreed to help shovel snow this winter and do other chores. He wanted to buy you something and I couldn’t tell him no, Carmen. At first, he wouldn’t take the money just to buy you a present. But, when I offered to let him work it off, he agreed.”

“That’s very nice of you,” she says, her anger deflating before my eyes. “You didn’t have to do that, though. He didn’t have to get me anything.”

“We know that, but he wanted to,” I say as I pull her into my arms. I’ve missed having her tight little body pressed against mine, and it’s very evident as my hard length practically claws at my zipper, begging to be freed.

Carmen lets out a little gasp as I press my hard-on into her stomach, moments before I take her lips with my own. She tastes like fucking heaven. She’s sweet and rich, and it takes all of the restraint I can muster to not throw her over my shoulder and drag her off to my cave. It takes only two seconds before the kiss starts to deepen. It’s one of those kisses that promises greater things to come. Except Zach is here, and I know that the great thing is going to have to wait. Yet, I can’t seem to drag my lips away from hers as I plunge my tongue into the warm recesses of her mouth. Carmen moans in reply as her tongue slides seductively against mine. My hands uncontrollably grip the back of her shimmery ivory sweater and itch to touch smooth, hot, bare skin.

The moment is shattered by the opening of the bathroom door. We jump apart like two teenagers caught groping each other under the bleachers before Zach draws his eyes upward towards us. “Hey,” he says curiously. The guilty looks on our faces must be evident for even a twelve-year-old to pick up on. Zach leaves us standing there – or fidgeting is more accurate – and heads into the kitchen.

“So, big plans for tomorrow?” I ask.

“No, it’s just Zach and me tomorrow. Nick is supposed to get him closer to New Year’s Eve for a few days. The firm closes down between Christmas and New Year’s and while he’s not taking the entire week off, he is taking the last day or two.”

“You’re just hanging around here by yourself?” I ask curiously.

“Yeah. It’s time for us to start new traditions, I suppose,” she says absently with a forced smile. I can tell that the thought of them being by themselves isn’t sitting right with her.

“Come to my parents’ house,” I say without even thinking. The words literally fly from my mouth without so much as a thought.

Carmen’s eyes widen in surprise. “No, William, we can’t do that,” she replies somewhat forcefully.

“Sure you can. We’re friends. Well, as a friend, I invite you to join me at my family’s Christmas tomorrow. Zach will have plenty of people to play with and you can hang out with my sister and sisters-in-law. There will be tons of people, and no one from work will know,” I reassure.

“But, Christmas is about being with your family, William. I won’t impose on that.”

“It’s about being with those you care about, and I refuse to let you and Zach sit here by yourselves tomorrow. I’ll be here at four to pick you up,” I say as I start to turn towards the front door.

“No, wait,” she says as she grabs my upper arm. “You can’t just invite us to someone else’s house for a holiday. That’s rude,” she says.

“Not in my family. Believe me when I say that no one will bat an eye with you guys coming. My mom makes enough food to feed an army, and I guarantee that it’s something you won’t wanna miss. She would be more upset with me if she knew you guys were sitting here on Christmas alone than if I bring you along, Carmen. Trust me,” I say.

I glance quickly at Zach in the kitchen before leaning forwards and placing a quick kiss on her lips. “I’ll pick you up at four,” I confirm.

“But, what should we bring?” she asks quickly as I open the door and head down the stairs.

“You don’t have to bring anything, but if you insist, my mom loves sweet wine.” I give her one last smile before heading out to my car. It’s been running the entire time so it’s a little on the warm side when I slide inside. I chance one last glance up and notice the outline of Carmen in the front window.

I want to put the car in park, run up those stairs, and draw her into my arms. I want to explore her body – inside and out. I want to be with her, and I’m not just talking sexually. And now that I have invited her to Christmas, it looks like I’m going to get part of what I asked for.

Looks like I’d better call Mom and tell her to plan on two extra place settings at the dinner table. She’s never going to let me hear the end of this.

Chapter Eight

Carmen

The look on Zach’s face when he wakes up and sees the tree filled with presents evokes the best feeling. Even though he found out about Santa a couple of years ago, he still plays along with me and pretends to get excited about his Santa gifts. The tree isn’t quite as full this year as it has been in the past – with the absence of Nick – but I’m determined to make our first solo Christmas the best it could possibly be.

Step one is making Zach’s favorite breakfast. Since his first Christmas eating solid table food, I’ve made fluffy pancakes with fresh blueberries for him on Christmas morning. Top it with fresh maple syrup and a little whipped cream, and you have a delicious sugary breakfast that any child would love.

This morning, I settle in with a smaller pancake and a cup of coffee. As he does each year, Zach practically inhales his food. He knows that step two is unwrapping the presents.

“Where’s Will today?” Zach asks with a mouthful of pancakes. So full, in fact, that I have to consider his words carefully to figure out what he said.

“William is working today,” I say casually between sips of coffee. “Don’t talk with your mouth full.”

“Why do you call him William when everyone calls him Will?” he asks curiously after swallowing the big bite of food.

“Well,” I start, but don’t really know how to finish. “He just looks like a William to me,” I finally say.

“He told me yesterday when we were shopping that everyone calls him Will. Everyone except you and his mom when he’s in trouble,” Zach says with that lopsided grin that I love so much.

Zach’s hair is standing up every which way since he basically fell out of bed and ran to the kitchen. He looks adorably innocent at the moment. It’s hard to picture this carefree little boy having such a hard time last spring in school. The incident at school almost broke him…and me.

“Are you almost done?” I ask, knowing good and well that I’m changing the subject. But if there’s one thing that can get Zach to drop the topic at hand, it’s the prospect of opening presents.

“Yep!” he exclaims, shoveling the few remaining bites of gooey pancakes into his mouth.

“Go brush your teeth while I clean this up quickly, and then we’ll open presents,” I tell him as I collect the plates and glasses from breakfast. I hear Zach’s hurried footfalls on the hallway floor as I wash up the few plates, silverware, and glasses we dirtied this morning.

“Done!” he yells from the living room. I quickly refill my mug of coffee before joining him in the living room.

“Which one are you going to open first?” I ask. It’s a little tradition of ours that he gets to pick which order he wants to open them, as well as hand them out to everyone else. The remorse washes over me mixed in with a little nostalgia. It’s just us this year.

“This year, I want you to open one first,” he says as he grabs one of the boxes he brought home with him last night. I’m still slightly uncomfortable about Will buying gifts for me, but I understand that he did it on behalf of Zach. And Zach filled me in last night about his plans to work it off. I can’t fault him for that even if it does leave me slightly uneasy.

“Okay,” I say as I gently pull at the taped edges from my position on the couch.

“Come on, rip it open,” Zach chastises from his spot on the floor in front of me.

I do as instructed and find a warm pair of fuzzy slippers, along with a pair of soft cotton pajamas in soft pink and blue. “Thank you, Zach,” I say with a genuine smile as he grins back at me from ear to ear.

“You’re welcome, Mom. Now me!” Zach grabs the biggest present under the tree and tears into the paper. Nothing beats the excitement and energy of a child on Christmas morning. Their smiles are contagious and their laughter infectious. These are moments that I will treasure long after Zach has left the house and is on his own.

Nick and I had never really discussed having more children. I felt the desire for more kids throughout our marriage, but with Nick’s work schedule, it just never really seemed like the right time. While I enjoyed the one on one time with Zach, I wish I could have given him a brother or sister to play with. If I have any regret, it’s that.

Zach spends the rest of the morning and afternoon enjoying his new gifts. He made a face when Santa gave him the entire Harry Potter series in paperback, but it was the first gift he went to when he settled in his room. Though I’ve caught him playing with the other stuff, I’ve caught him several times reading book one.

At four o’clock on the dot, a knock sounds at the front door. I’m in the back changing into a festive red sweater and hear Zach’s heavy footfalls on the floor as he races to let Will in. Their muffled voices and laughter fill the room and sends a twinge of longing straight to my gut. Those are the sounds that rarely filled the house when we lived with Nick.