Deceiving Her Boss (11 page)

 
But Sean shook his head again.  "I have nothing planned.  I'll be at your
apartment at 5:00."

 
Sean fit in.  Allie was sitting on the deck in a lounge chair, taking in the
late-afternoon sun and sipping on a margarita, and watching her boss as he
drank a beer and talked sports with the guys.  She had been a bit worried that
this would be awkward, or that he wouldn't enjoy her friends, but she should
have known better.  They guy was a chameleon.  He fit in anywhere.

 
"Allie, you are an idiot."

 
She turned her head to the side and looked at her friend Fran, who was lounging
on the seat next to her.

 
"What did I do this time?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

 
"That man is the sexiest man I've ever seen, with the exception of my own
husband, of course."

 
"So why does that make me an idiot?" Allie asked.

 
"Are you sleeping with him?" Fran asked.

 
Sitting up in her lawn chair, Allie looked at her friend incredulously.  "Of
course not!"

 
Fran rolled her eyes.  "Then you're an idiot."

 
Leaning back, Allie just sighed.  "Frannie, he's my boss."

 
"Then what is he doing here, at a barbeque with you?" Fran asked
pointedly.

 
"I have absolutely no idea," Allie sighed. "The invitation sort
of slipped out."

 
Her friend grinned at her. 

 
"Don't laugh.  I just mentioned it and he jumped on it.  Maybe he doesn't
have friends to drink beer with."

 
"Nice try.  You can find beer-drinking friends at any local sports bar. 
No, he came with you.  So I'm back to my original statement -- you're an
idiot."

 
"For heaven's sake, Fran.  I cannot sleep with my boss.  Talk about the
biggest cliché in the universe."  Allie took a sip of her margarita and
watched Sean surreptitiously from behind her sunglasses.

 
"I do not understand you."

 
"I know," Allie sighed.  "Sometimes morals are incredibly
inconvenient."

 
Settling back in her lounge chair, Allie gave a sigh of contentment.  Good
margaritas always made her happy, and sharing them with friends was even
better.

 
Sean looked over at her a few minutes later as he raided the cooler for another
beer.   He had shown up at Allie's place with two six-packs of good beer, and
he was planning to enjoy at least a few bottles this afternoon.  Pulling one
out of the icy liquid it was sitting in, he screwed off the top and took a good
long sip.

 
Allie looked really good to him today.  She was getting color from the summer
sun, and her face glowed with good health.  And those shorts she was wearing
should be outlawed, he thought.  If they were any shorter, they'd be
non-existent.  He knew that she had brought jeans with her to change into
later, but for now, he was going to enjoy the view for as long as he could.

 
By the time burgers landed on the grill, and the women had brought out fixings
and side dishes, Sean was starving.  He was used to eating late, but the smell
of the grill and the fresh air combined to make him hungry enough to eat the
table.  The sun was going down, and Allie's friends had turned on strings of
lights, so the setting was festive.   Allie had changed into her jeans and pulled
on a long-sleeved cotton shirt over her t-shirt, and she looked comfortable and
very approachable.

 
After loading their plates, Sean and Allie sat down next to each other on one
of the chaise lounges, their drinks on the ground next to them.  Allie took one
bite of her burger and closed her eyes with delight.  "Oh God, this is
good.  Whoever invented the grilled hamburger should be sainted."

 
Sean took a huge bite of his burger and followed it with a swig of beer.  "I
completely agree," he said happily.  "This is some of the best food
we've had in a while.  And I'm sure I can speak for both of us, since we've
been sharing a lot of meals lately."

 
Allie nodded, leaning down to pick up her margarita.  "I love all of our
take-out places, particularly since they are so fast, but this tops them
all."

 
After dinner, Sean and Allie got roped into a game of poker, and spent the next
two hours laughing and chatting with Allie's friends before the evening started
to wind down.  As Sean and Allie left, Fran hugged Allie.  "Remember what
I said," she whispered.

 
"I remember," Allie whispered back.  "I'm an idiot."

 
The night was peaceful as Sean and Allie walked back to Allie's home.

 
"Your friends are nice," Sean said, throwing an arm around her
shoulder.

 
"Thanks, I think so too.  You seemed to fit right in with the guys,"
Allie observed.

 
"Sports, beer, and burgers on the grill?  What's not to like about
that?" he grinned.

 
Allie laughed.  "I was in it more for the margaritas, but I see what you
mean."  She hesitated, then added, "I was surprised you came with me
tonight."

 
"Why is that?"

 
Allie shrugged.  "Doesn't seem like your thing.  I guess I'm so used to
seeing you in a tux or a suit, headed to a charity function, or a dinner date,
or the symphony.  Beer and burgers seems a bit more... well....  plebian?"

 
Sean laughed.  "Plebian?  Allie, my parents were blue-collar.  My dad
worked in a steel mill, and my mom worked in a grocery store.  Neither of them
went to college, and a typical Saturday night away from the kids was bowling in
the local leagues.   They sent me to college, and I've gone way beyond what
they expected, but I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth.  I went to
more than my share of barbeques growing up."

 
"Well sure, growing up," Allie teased good-naturedly.  "But when
is the last time you held a bowling ball?"

 
"Christmas Eve," Sean grinned down at her.  "I took my niece and
nephews bowling to get them out of everyone's hair."

 
"Niece and nephews?  You have siblings?"

 
"You seem surprised."

 
"Well yeah.  I guess I am.  Parents too.  I thought you were one of those
pod people that just popped out perfectly formed."

 
"Perfectly formed?"

 
"Pretty much.  Maybe missing a foreign language or two, but you've taken
care of that since then."

 
Sean looked down at Allie with a grin.  "How many margaritas did you have
tonight?"

 
"Probably one too many.  Tell me about your brothers and/or sisters."

 
"One of each.  Both are married, both are teachers in the town I grew up
in, and both are continually harping on me to move home."

 
Allie laughed.  "Families are like that, I think."

 
"Your family too?"

 
"My sister.  I'm not really close to the rest of my family, but really
close to my sister.  But she lives in Minneapolis, and as much as I like the
snow, that's a little too cold for me."

 
"Your parents?"

 
"They live in Ohio.  They're nice people, but never understood how I could
want more out of life than a husband and a bunch of kids."

 
"You don't want that?"

 
Allie looked thoughtful.  "Eventually," she admitted.  "But I
didn't when I was 18, and I will never regret leaving home.  If I'd stayed, I'd
be miserable by now.  I love my job.  I never wake up and wonder about what
might have been."

 
"Glad to hear it.  Glad to hear that you're not pining away for the Midwest,
too."

 
Allie laughed.  "Far from it.  So here's home.  Do you want to come in for
coffee, or do you need to head home?"

 
Sean hesitated for half a beat, just long enough for Allie to remember that she
was out with her boss, not a date.  Just as she was steeling herself for his
refusal, he nodded.  "I'd love coffee."

 
"Here you go," Allie said, handing a mug of steaming decaf to Sean. 
He was seated in the Adirondack chair on the back porch, and she curled up on the
swing with her mug between her hands.

 
"This is nice back here," Sean observed.  "Quiet."

 
Allie nodded.  "It's one of the reasons I rented the place.  I feel like
I'm in the forest back here."

 
Leaning his head back on the chair, he looked over at Allie.  "I had a
nice time tonight."

 
"I did too," she admitted.  "I'm glad you came."

 
"Thanks for inviting me.  I know you didn't really mean to," he
smiled over at her.  "But it was what I needed this weekend.  Sometime I
get tired of all of the formal events I need to go to.  I miss the backyard
barbeques and kid's birthday parties."

 
"Not many kids in your life these days?  Apart from the nieces and
nephews?"

 
"No," Sean admitted.  "I hardly know anyone with kids.  Or if
they have them, I never see them."

 
"Do you miss it?"

 
"Miss kids?"

 
"No, miss having a normal life.  Miss the church picnics, the baseball
games, the fourth of July parades...  all of that."

 
Sean looked out into the distance.  "Sometimes, yes.  But then another
deal comes along, and..."

 
Allie chuckled.  "Spoken like a true businessman."

 
"I should get going, Allie," Sean said quietly.  "This is nice,
and I'd love to stay, but it's late."

 
Allie nodded, uncurling herself from the swing chair and taking Sean's mug from
him.  Leading the way back into the house, she set their coffee mugs on the
counter in the kitchen, and walked Sean to the door.   As she reached for the
handle, she said quietly, "Good night, Mr. Greyson.  I'll see you on
Monday."

 
Sean held his hand against the door, preventing her from opening it.  Looking down
at her, he cocked his head and narrowed his eyes.  "You do that on
purpose, don't you?" he asked.

 
Allie laughed.  "Yes, but not for the reason you suspect."

 
"And what reason would that be?" he asked mildly.

 
She looked up at him.  "I honestly don't do it to annoy you.  I do it to
remind myself who you are.  When you're Mr. Greyson, you're my employer."

 
His gaze softened.  "And when I'm Sean?"

 
Allie's eyes dropped to the floor.  "You're more.  Which is why you can't
be Sean to me very often," she added, so softly that he barely heard it.

 
Reaching out his hand, he gently cupped Allie's face, his thumb stroking her
cheek.  Bending down, he kissed her very lightly on the lips, then on her
forehead.

 
"Good night, Allie," he said.

 
Reaching up, she curled her hand around his neck and pulled him down to her
level.  She lightly kissed him, her lips soft against his. "Sleep
well," she said quietly before letting him go and stepping back.

 
With one last long look, Sean headed for his car.  He sat for a few minutes,
wanting badly to go back into her home, pull her against him, and lose himself
in her softness.  She was becoming an addiction, he thought.  A drug that he
badly needed to make it through each day.  And this was going to be a problem
sooner than later.  While she actually improved his productivity in the office,
thanks to her organization and professionalism, she was whacking the hell out
of his social life and his own sense of propriety.  If he wasn't careful,
others would soon notice his attraction to her, and that could be devastating
for her reputation, and for general office morale. 

 
He wasn't fooling himself into thinking that his attraction to Allie would go
away, or that he would be able to prevent himself from acting on that
attraction.  But he needed a game plan.  A way to move forward that wouldn't
hurt her, hurt his business, or affect the way that he worked.  Simple to think
about, he knew, but much harder to act on.

EIGHT

 
"I hate Miami," Allie complained as she stepped out of the airport
and straight into the heat of the city.

 
Sean shook his head and smiled.  "No you don't.  You hate the humidity.  Miami is fantastic."

 
"You're right.  I hate the humidity.  How can people live in this?"

 
"It's good for the skin," he chuckled.  "Or so my sister tells
me."

 
"Thank goodness for air conditioning," she said firmly. 
"There's the car," she said, pointing to the white SUV that was
sitting at the curb.  "We have time to go to the hotel before your first
afternoon meeting, if you'd like."

 
"Let's drop off our luggage and find some lunch.  I'd like to go over the
sales figures with you before we meet this afternoon."