A Boss to Love and Hate (3 page)

Max pulled out her chair and helped her into her place before taking his seat. In the candlelight of the 18th century room he looked very handsome in his navy dinner jacket.

Julie still didn't know how to relate to him, was this a date with FastDriver or a friendly celebratory dinner with her boss? She couldn't tell anymore. All she knew for sure was that she felt nervous and excited in a way she hadn't for a very long time.

The food was excellent and the champagne flowed freely.

"Julie, there's something I have to tell you. The day I held that first office meeting, I liked you the moment I set eyes on you. The rest of them looked like lambs to the slaughter but you stood out from the pack and not just because you 're a very attractive woman but because you're bright. I could see that right away. I choose you to work on this project with me because I wanted to get to know you better. I know, it's not very professional of me but I really don't care."

"You do have a beating heart like the rest of us then," Julie laughed, "And we thought you were going to rip the office apart with your bare hands."

Max put down his glass and pursed his lips. "I played up the macho thing to get your attention, maybe I went a bit too far. What I'm saying, what I'm struggling to say, is this, I'm crazy about you."

Julie's heart missed a beat and she felt faint. She didn't know what to say so for once she decided to confess her true feelings. "I like you too, Max, I tried to deny it but there it was every time I looked at you. You infuriated me when I first met you but as I've got to know you I've started to care about you. I kept avoiding those feelings because of that guy in Cardiff. Now it turns out that he is you, you are FastDriver, it's been very confusing."

Max moved closer and whispered in her ear. "I'm in love with you, Julie." He put his hand over hers and looked into her blue eyes.

Julie felt his warmth on her hand, looked into his big brown eyes and melted. Her heart beat faster and now the champagne wasn't the only thing making her feel light headed. Her heart was winning the battle and her head wasn't even putting up a fight. She looked at Max's strong jaw line, his groomed thick black hair and she just couldn't resist anymore. He gently touched her cheek and all she wanted was to feel his arms around her. All she wanted in the entire world was this handsome man right in front of her. Nothing else mattered.

"Kiss me, Max," she whispered.

Max moved closer and planted a firm kiss on her lips. "I've been wanting to do that for a very long time." He kissed her again and put his strong arms around her.

Julie smiled at the twinkle in his eye, "I've tried not to but I couldn't stop myself. I love you, Max."

"And I love you, Julie, You're the woman of my dreams."

Norah C. Peters has always loved telling stories that make people smile and she especially enjoys writing stories that lift the human spirit and get us in touch again with what really matters in life: love and friendship. When she's not writing she can usually be found losing track of time in the garden with a hot cup of tea close to hand.