Tempted by the Boss (Tempted Series Book 1) (9 page)

The day of the party was strange. Normally, all I have to worry
about is getting dressed, but this time I also had to worry about getting calm.

Not because I was nervous about the party. I was confident that
Ella was going to pull it off. Emily wasn’t worried anyway, and she was essentially
in charge of telling me when I should and shouldn’t be concerned.  

But I was still nervous about seeing Ella at a party where there
was bound to be mistletoe. The morning of the party I did twice my normal
workout, and I still had to rub one out in the shower because I couldn’t stop
thinking about her.

Of course, I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize her
chances of throwing a great party. I desperately wanted her to do a fantastic
job so it would be easy for me to extend her contract and have an excuse to spend
more time with her. Unfortunately, that meant I had to spend as little time
with her as possible leading up to the event. I was a man who was used to
getting what he wanted when he wanted it, and it drove me crazy that I couldn’t
just take her the way I took other things that caught my eye.

Maybe I could’ve. It wasn’t like I couldn’t get someone else to
do her job, but it wasn’t that simple. On one hand, I didn’t think I could find
anyone more beautiful to take her place. Which was purely selfish, but I worked
hard my whole life and if I wanted to surround myself with people that were
pleasing to look at, I shouldn’t have to apologize for it. At the same time, I
actually cared about the consequences for her.

Which was a totally new situation for me to find myself in. I
didn’t get where I was by worrying about how my actions affected other people.
There was usually zero risk to me if I wanted to behave selfishly and do as I
pleased. But for the first time, I actually gave a shit about someone else’s
feelings.

Which made me equally uncomfortable and confused. Not only did I
care about whether she liked her job, I cared about whether she liked me.

It actually made me feel a little nauseous.

I wanted to not care. I wanted to consume her and make her
scream my name until her voice went hoarse and her legs went numb, but for some
reason, I couldn’t think of her as a purely sexual object. I wanted to coax her
into trusting me, not demand that she let me have my way with her.

I think something happened at that dinner at Capulets. Like she
put me under a spell or something that kept me from considering her disposable.
She was so warm and charming. I remember being afraid of blowing it with her
that night.

Which was never a concern for me before. I had never doubted my
own ability to seduce or satisfy a woman. What’s more, I had never given a shit
about whether or not it was what she wanted. Not that I had any complaints. But
something about Ella just made her more… I couldn’t put my finger on it.

She was more beautiful, more enthusiastic, and more opinionated
that any woman I’d met in years. And all those things made her infinitely more…
intriguing. She was like a unicorn or something, like some sort of creature
that I’d stopped believing existed.

I’d fucked so many empty shells, so many socialite bimbos, and
so many coin operated call girls. It was like I forgot what it was like to be
around a real woman, a woman with depth. With substance. With honest to god
soul crushing sex appeal.

I didn’t just want to have her once either. I wanted to have her
over and over again. And for some reason that made me feel like I had to change
my approach. Like I had to be patient. Because I didn’t just want to seduce her
body. I wanted to seduce her mind.

So I had to stay away from her. I had been polite, of course,
but the only way I could keep myself from being forward was to give her space.
Because I swear every time I looked at her it got harder to bide my time. The
sound of my name on her lips just once could keep me going for days. She was
driving me crazy without even trying. It made me shudder to think what she
might do if I let her know she had a chance with me. More than a chance. But besides
the fact that she blushed every time we made eye contact, she had been a
complete professional.

Still, there was nothing I wanted more than to make her blush
all over.

The days when she came in with her hair up were the hardest. Not
that her hair wasn’t gorgeous. On the contrary, I was dying to see what it
would look like strewn across the pillows of my bed. But when her hair was up,
I could see her neck. It was so smooth and delicate. The sight of it made me
feel absolutely primal. It made me wish I could just pounce on her, sink my
teeth into her neck, and carry her back to my cave like a lion.

I hoped that the party would be another chance for me to be
around her when she was relaxed and having a good time. Her smile was the only
present I wanted this year, and I was hoping she wouldn’t be too nervous to
have a glass of champagne with me. But maybe not gin. I could tell the old
adage would probably apply to her after our dinner and if she was going to sin
with me, I wanted her to be aware of what she was doing. I wanted her to choose
to be naughty.

I could just hear what my friends would say if I told them.
They’d tell me to get her liquored up and make it easy. But I didn’t want it to
be easy. I didn’t want her to feel coerced. Not just because that would be
unethical considering the current state of our relationship, but because she
deserved more than that. She was smart, and she deserved respect. Which is why
I was having such a hard time in the first place.

Because I wanted to disrespect her in ways she didn’t even know
she wanted to be disrespected.

And when she finally realized that my intentions were as impure
as they were chivalrous, there would be no turning back. I’d been as patient as
I could be without driving myself mad, but my ability to resist her was wearing
thin, and after tonight, she would know where I stood and how I felt.

I just hoped she would feel the same once she knew she had
permission to let her guard down. Because I wouldn’t disappoint her. I was
prepared to do everything in my power to make her feel better than she’d ever
felt before.

After all, I had no reason to think she wouldn’t continue to
impress me. Something gave me confidence that her inexperience would be an
asset behind closed doors and that her body would be even more sensitive than I
imagined.

And it wouldn’t be long now before I knew for sure.

If everything went according to plan, the Christmas Party would
be the first of many long, sleepless nights with Ella.

Just as long as she didn’t bring a date.

The ballroom ceiling was covered in real pine branches, the
smell of which mixed perfectly with the scent of freshly roasted chestnuts on
every table. Enormous, lavishly decorated presents added color around the room,
dwarfing the party guests in a way that created the whimsical feeling I was
hoping for.

I spent all afternoon making the final arrangements and doing
the fitting for the evenings catering staff. The bar men were easy enough with their
nutcracker costumes. Only one of them didn’t fit in his so we had to get a
Santa Costume at the last minute, but he was absolutely delighted with it.

The sugar plum fairies were a bit more fickle. I had to beg them
not to sample their outfits, and everyone wanted a piece of the gingerbread
dress. Meanwhile, no one wanted to be the eggnog shot girl because she had to
stand still for the whole night, but eventually they all got settled and
understood where I wanted them to remain for the majority of the evening.

For a while, I was worried I wouldn’t get everything done in
time, especially when the florists showed up while I was trying to figure out
how to angle the snow machine so it wouldn’t assault people as they arrived.
They needed to know where I wanted five thousand dollars’ worth of poinsettias
and their trucks were blocking the fire lane.

At that point I was feeling really panicked, and it was time for
me to start getting ready. Of course, that’s the moment when the reindeer turned
up. Fortunately, my directions for their keepers were very clear. The reindeer
were to stand outside the hotel on the entry way stairs for the first hour and
a half until after all the guests had arrived. Then they were free to go.

When I finally had a chance to sneak away and get dressed, I was
relieved that Will had set aside a hotel room for me to use. It would’ve been
tricky getting ready in my Mom’s cramped apartment and traveling across town in
my party dress. Regrettably, he didn’t tell me in person so I hadn’t had an
opportunity to thank him. Instead, there was just a card on my desk earlier in
the week saying that he was looking forward to the party and that I was welcome
to use one of the hotel’s rooms to prepare for the evening.

Once I was inside, I took a deep breath which felt like my first
of the entire day. Then I turned towards the garment bag that was hanging on
the closet door and unzipped it. The dress was redder and sparklier than I even
remembered. I took off my work clothes and slipped into it, pulling each side
over my shoulders one at a time. Then I wiggled my breasts into place just so
and walked over to the mirror.

I didn’t even recognize myself. I looked like I was ready to go
to the Oscars. I spun around and looked over my shoulder. The dress scooped
down all the way to my lower back. I swallowed. It was one thing to spin around
in it with Jackie cheering me on, but now that I was looking at myself in it, I
was unsure of whether I could pull it off.

Not that I had a choice. It wasn’t like I had a Plan B. I
slipped my feet in my shiny black heels which made me feel a little less
ridiculous. Then I turned and looked at my back again. Even though it was the
only skin showing, it still seemed so revealing. I knew other people would be
wearing more outrageous outfits, but I felt so… exposed.

I considered letting my hair down to cover some of my back, but
Jackie made me promise to not even think of doing that. She said my hair had to
be up for the full effect. I wished I could just see what it would look like
down, but there were so many pins keeping my updo in place my hair would
probably be way too kinky if I took it down anyway. That is, if the party
wasn’t over by the time I located all the pins.

I turned the light on over the desk and grabbed my makeup bag.
My face was pretty much party ready as it was. I could never really pull off
anything like a smoky eye. Still, I figured a fresh powdering would do me good,
and after a few extra coats of mascara, I felt less overwhelmed by the dress.

When there was nothing more I could do to boost my confidence, and
I was sick of practicing ways to greet Will at the party, I went down to make
sure everything that actually could be perfect was.

And I couldn’t have been happier with the result. More
importantly, everyone else seemed to love it from the moment they walked in.
The few people who knew I was behind the planning came up and congratulated me
on an enchanting evening. I was bursting with so much pride that the dress felt
totally appropriate. I don’t think I’d ever been more gratified by anything in
my life. The only hiccup was when the gingerbread girl proved more popular than
I’d anticipated and her legs started to show through her edible gingerbread
skirt, but a quick call to the kitchen saved us both.

Overall, everything was even better than I had dreamed it would
be, and I spent most of the evening by the bar where I could enjoy the party
from the perimeter and watch Will laugh, joke, and dance with his staff.

Towards the end of the night, I lost sight of him and began
scanning the room like a lifeguard.

Then I heard a voice behind me. “You’ve outdone yourself.” 

I turned over my shoulder and was greeted by his smiling face.
“You think so?”

“And not just with the dress,” he said, stepping up to me. “The
party’s all right, too.”

I laughed. “I’m delighted that you think so.”

“I wasn’t expecting the reindeer.”

“Good.” 

Suddenly, a body shoved between us at the bar. “A whiskey sour,
please,” Emily said before turning her glassy eyes towards me. “Ella!” She
threw her hands in the air. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

I laughed at her enthusiastic lie.

Will raised his eyebrows behind her.

She smacked him in the chest without turning around. “First of
all,” she slurred, pointing a boney finger in the air. “Will did a good thing
picking you. This is one hell of a party.”

“Thank you, Emily. That means a lot coming fro-”

“Second of all, thank you so much for the thoughtful gift.”

“Do you think that’s something you can use?”

“Are you kidding? That was so kind of you.” She touched me on
the shoulder and leaned against the bar. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“You deserve it, Emily,” I said, suddenly noticing how much fake
snow was in her hair. “I never could’ve pulled this off without you.”

“Well I can’t argue with that,” she said.

The bartender put a whiskey sour down.

“What’s that?” Emily asked.

“A whiskey sour,” the nutcracker said.

“That’s not what I ordered.” She looked at it with disgust. “I
ordered a mimosa.”

“Apologies, Ma’am.” The bartender reached for her drink.

“I can take that off your hands,” I said, sliding the short
glass towards me.

The bartender nodded.

Despite the ballroom being a visual feast, Will still had his
eyes on me.

A moment later, Emily had her fingers wrapped around her Mimosa
and was looking back and forth between me and Will with what seemed like
suspicion. “See you kids around.”

As soon as she was gone, I took a sip of the whiskey sour. “Oh
my god I’ve never seen her like that.”

“She only drinks during religious festivals.”

“What?”

“You know. Christmas. Easter. All Souls’ Day.”

“Seriously?”

“You could write a book on that woman’s quirks.”

“So I’m beginning to understand.”

He stepped so close to me my chest tightened. “You got her a
Christmas present, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Nice touch. You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know. I wanted to.”

“What did you get her?”

“A spa day at Cleo’s.”

“Wow.”

I felt one side of my mouth curl up. “I thought it might be good
for both of us.”

He smiled. “Did you get me something?”

I rested an elbow on the bar. “I suppose I could’ve, but what do
you get a guy who has everything?”

“Mmm.” He took a sip of my drink. “How about a dance?”

“I don’t have anything prepared,” I joked.

“Choreography won’t be necessary.”

I drained the rest of the whiskey sour until my face puckered.
“Okay.”

He extended a hand and I took it. Then he led me onto the dance
floor with such purpose I knew I was in for a treat. Finally, he spun around to
face me and pulled me towards him until there was no space for anything besides
our breath between us. I put one hand on his shoulder and he dropped his free
hand to my hip.

For the first time in my life, I knew what Cinderella must have
felt like.

“I want to congratulate you again on the party,” he said. “You
should be really proud of yourself.”

“Thanks. I’m really pleased with how it turned out.”

He looked into my eyes.

“And I was under budget, too.”

He smiled and shook his head. “You’re unbelievable, Ella.”

I felt his fingertips touch lightly against my lower back, but I
couldn’t tell whether it was intentional or not so I said nothing and just
tried not to faint.

“I couldn’t help but notice you didn’t bring a guest tonight,”
he said, leading me around the floor.

I furrowed my brow. “Who should I have brought?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Someone you wanted to catch under
the mistletoe?”

I pursed my lips and reminded myself to breathe, but he was so
close I could only take shallow breaths.

“Isn’t there anyone you want this Christmas?”

I couldn’t answer him. My throat was closing up and the truth
was inappropriate. “You didn’t bring a guest either. Isn’t there anyone you
want this Christmas?”

“There is actually,” he said, leaning in to whisper in my ear.
“But I knew she would be here tonight.” He pulled me closer and I closed my
eyes. I could feel the shape of him, the strength of him all around me. I’d
never felt more safe or scared.

When I opened my eyes again, I was facing the door. I watched as
the last few guests left and the cleaning crew arrived, dragging vacuums and
garbage bags.

“Looks like the parties over,” I said softly. But I wished the
night would never end. I just wanted to dance with Will like that forever. I
was happy there- out of my comfort zone- but not in too deep.

“Why don’t we go up to one of the suites for a nightcap,” he
suggested. “We can make one more toast to your success.”

My head was saying no, but my body was saying yes. I leaned back
and looked up into his handsome face. “One drink,” I said.

“Anything you want,” he answered.