Tempted by the Boss (Tempted Series Book 1) (7 page)

I couldn’t remember the last time I was so excited for a meal, and
since I ate at Capulets at least twice a week, I knew it wasn’t the food that
had me all worked up. I couldn’t wait to see Ella in a softer light. Maybe she
would relax a little around me outside the office. Maybe she would stop acting
like I was about to bite her. Not that I didn’t want to, but it bothered me
that she seemed to sense it somehow.

Still, how could I not be eager? After wracking my brain, I
realized that I’d slept with every single woman that I’d ever brought there.
There was just something about the place. It was like all I had to do was wait
for them to get wet over dessert, and then just be there at the right time. And
I had a good feeling that Ella had never been anywhere like it before. Her face
was going to beam from the excitement of just being there and if I was lucky,
the dessert spoon wouldn’t be the only thing she felt like licking.

Ugh. I could hardly stand it. Ever since she agreed to accompany
me, I’d had to up my workouts to twice a day just to stay calm. Still, even as the
sweat rolled down my body, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. She was so sexy
and she didn’t even know it. If it didn’t make her such an irresistible challenge
it would’ve pissed me off that she was so oblivious to her own charms. But when
I was done proving to her how sexy she could be, she would be changed. There
would be a swing in her hips after I had her, and I would know it was there
because of me.

Most of the time, all I had to do was suggest a woman give
herself to me. I didn’t even have to ask politely. Scratch that- even if I did
ask- it was never politely. And still, they always said yes. But Ella was
different. She was skittish. I could tell by how often I unintentionally made
her blush that if I came on too strong she might panic before she realized what
a good thing it could be for both of us.

Maybe it was some sort of midlife crisis bullshit, but I wanted
her to beg for it. I wanted to hold out until I knew that she would be up for whatever
I asked of her. I wanted to build enough suspense that when the time came, she
wouldn’t be able to say no to anything. She’d be blinded by lust, paralyzed by
desire. Then I could have her any way I wanted her.

Which was the only way I wanted her. I knew that I wouldn’t be
able to control myself once I had my chance. So she had to be ready and
willing. She had to be open minded before she spread her legs for me. Because
restraint wasn’t my strong suit, and I had no intention of practicing it with her.

I jumped when the phone rang. “Emily.”

“Laura’s on the phone for you.”

“What does she want?”

“To talk to you I think, but I could ask her-”

“Don’t be a smartass. It doesn’t suit you.”

“Speaking of smartass, could I have a word when you’re done
speaking with her?”

“What about?”

“The new girl.”

I feigned ignorance. “Which new girl?”

“Ella Riley.”

“Is something wrong?”

“Perhaps we could talk about this after you’ve spoken to Laura.”

“Right. Of course. Put her through.” I waited for the beep.
“Hello.”

“Hi Will. It’s me.”

“How’s your Dad?” I asked, leaning back in my chair.

“Still hanging in there.”

“And the Corbett Suites on the fourteenth?”

“Just waiting on the reed diffusers.”

“The what?”

“They’re almost done.”

“Good.” I looked at the clock. Why did Emily want to talk about
Ella? “What do you want then?”

“I was wondering if you might like to have lunch this
afternoon?”

“Can’t.”

“I mean
lunch
lunch.”

“Not today.”

“Why?”

“I’m swamped.”

“But you’re never too swamped for-”

“Well there’s a first time for everything isn’t there?”

“Is something wrong? You seem cranky?”

I rolled my eyes.

“Have you been working out?”

“Of course I’ve been working out. I’m just cranky because I told
you I was busy and you’re still on the phone!”

“Excuse me. Sorry to call and offer you no strings attached sex.
I’m so out of line I-”

“You are out of line, and it’s not no strings attached is it?
It’s all about the strings with you, and I don’t have time for it right now.”

“Fuck you, Will.”

“No you won’t. Not today.” I hung up the phone and smoothed my
tie down. Frank was right. Screwing my ex-wife was only going to end in her
fucking me more than she already had. I took a deep breath and picked up the
phone.

“Will?”

“Now is a good time.” I hung up and waited for her to knock and
enter. “Have a seat, Emily.”

“Thanks.”

“What’s on your mind?”

“I’m concerned about Ella.”

“Why?”

“Well for one thing, she has zero experience even going to elite
parties, much less planning them.”

“Everyone has to start somewhere.”

“She didn’t even know what a fondue pot was.”

I squinted at her. “Go on.”

“She interrupted my work day to ask me what it was in one of the
pictures.”

I shook my head. “Emily.”

“Yes?”

“Did she really not know what a fondue pot was or was she asking
about the one they had at the Blessington Wedding in 2010.”

She looked down at where her hands were clasped in her lap and
then looked up. “Well, it was that fondue pot but-”

“I don’t think that’s really fair then, do you?” I put my elbows
on my desk. “No one would know that was a fondue pot unless they were there. It
had a live swan on top of it for Christ sakes.”

Her mouth formed a straight line.

“Why don’t you like her?”

“I don’t know. I just think she’s too-”

I cocked my head. “Too what?”

“Young, I guess.” She crossed her legs.

I was touched. Emily was jealous. Which was hilarious because I
employed her partly because I found her completely resistible, and I didn’t
want to be one of those guys who had to train a new secretary five times a
year.

“To have all that responsibility,” she added.

“Remember when I hired you?”

“Yes.”

“Remember how no one else would because you’d been at home
raising your children for so long that people thought you couldn’t handle a
fast paced environment?”

“Yes.”

“And so much responsibility?”

She pushed her glasses up her nose. “I do.”

“Aren’t you glad I gave you a chance to prove yourself?”

“I am very grateful.”

“And if you didn’t step up, you would’ve understood if I let you
go, right?”

“I would’ve.”

“This is no different, okay?”

She nodded.

“Okay?”

“Why her though? Of all the inexperienced girls in the city who
like to go to parties, why her?”

I chose to ignore her snarky tone. “Are you asking me because
you’re genuinely curious about my hiring process?”

She swallowed. “Of course.”

“Ella Riley’s Mother is one of the hardest working people I’ve
ever met. She’s the kind of woman that goes the extra mile, takes pride in her
work, and is willing to make enormous personal sacrifices in order to excel at
her job.”

Emily pursed her thin lips.

“So I decided to give Ella the benefit of the doubt.”

“That makes sense, Will. I’m sorry I questioned you.”

“It’s okay. I appreciate you having my back as always. You know
you’re my number one asset so I’m glad you didn’t hesitate to come to me.”

She smiled.

“No matter how ridiculous your concern was.”

Emily looked down at her feet.

“But I know how much work you put into the Christmas Party every
year, too. So you have every right to be concerned about whether she’s the
right woman for the job.”

“Thank you. That’s all it was.”

“I’m meeting her on Friday to hear her concept for the party. If
I feel that she is in any way in over her head or incapable of pulling this off
without distracting you from your other responsibilities, I will not hesitate
to find a replacement.” I sat up in my chair. “Does that sound fair?”

“It does.”

“Good. You can go.”

She stood up and made her way towards the door.

“And play nice, Emily. It’s your job to make her feel as welcome
here as I made you feel.”

“Will do, sir.”

When she closed the door I put my head in my hands. I hoped I
wasn’t being an idiot. And more than that, I hoped Ella would impress me. I
didn’t want to have to choose between her and a killer party when I wanted both
things very badly.

I had to redo my makeup twice when I was getting ready. I kept
putting on one too many coats of mascara, and I didn’t want it to be obvious
that I wanted to look pretty.

However, I figured there was no harm in wearing something a
little less conservative so I went to Macy’s with my gift card and picked out
something that was form fitting without being too revealing. After all, I
didn’t want Will to think I was always as serious as I was at work. The dinner
was supposed to be a prize, and prizes were supposed to be fun. Or so I kept
reminding myself.

I was actually so nervous the cab driver asked me if I was okay.
That’s when I realized I needed to relax. I was getting too worked up, and if I
continued down that path, I was liable to choke on something again. Or worse.
So I took a few deep breaths and practiced telling Will my concept for the
Christmas party in my head. Then I pictured him being blown away by my
creativity and saying that hiring me was the best decision he ever made. Which
made me feel a smidge better.

When I got out of the cab, though, I was nervous all over again.
The restaurant didn’t look like the kind of place that served sandwiches. I
just hoped it wouldn’t be one of those places where everything on the menu was
impossible to pronounce. I didn’t want to make a fool of myself.

As soon as I saw the hostess, I focused on making my way towards
her while doing my best to ignore the surroundings so I wouldn’t be
overwhelmed. It was just a restaurant I kept telling myself. He was just a man.
There was no reason to freak out.

“Good evening Miss.”

“Hi,” I said, looking past her at the crème colored, candle lit
room.

“May I have your name?”

“Ella,” I said, admiring the far wall which featured a fresco of
the balcony scene from Romeo & Juliet.

The woman scrunched up her face. “Are you here to meet someone,
Ella?” The woman looked me up and down like it was up to her whether I was
allowed in or not.

“Oh, yes!” I felt the blood rush to my cheeks. “Oops. Sorry. I’m
here to meet William Abbott.”

 The tip of her nose seemed to lower by several degrees.
“Welcome to Capulets, Ella. Any friend of Mr. Abbotts is a friend of ours.”

I really didn’t think friendship was in the cards for us, but I
appreciated her changing her tune.

“Allow me to show you to your table.”

“That would be lovely,” I said, dropping in line behind her.

“Is this your first time here?” she asked over her shoulder.

“It is, yes.”

“Well you’re in for a treat.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t catch your name.”

She turned around. “It’s Claudia.”

“Nice to meet you.”

She led me through a wooden archway into a smaller dining room.
I saw him right away and felt my breath catch in my throat even before he stood
up. It was like everything went blurry around him and he was the light at the
end of the tunnel.

At some point, Claudia disappeared, too, and I arrived beside
the table.

He leaned forward and touched his cheek to mine. “Hello
Cinderella.”

I felt my heart swell in my chest. “Hello, Will.”

He pulled my chair out and I sat down.

When he took his seat across from me, I think I actually
salivated a little.

“Did you find the place okay?”

“The cabbie did,” I said, pulling my shawl off my shoulders and draping
it on the chair behind me.

He leaned forward and the light of the candle between us was
reflected in his eyes. “You look absolutely stunning.”

I pursed my lips.

“I hope you don’t mind me saying that.”

“Not at all.” I wanted to tell him he looked pretty damn
amazing, too, but I couldn’t figure out how to do it professionally. Plus, I
figured he already knew how good he looked.

“I feel like I’m the one that won a prize here.”

I felt my lips curl up. “You’re very kind.”

He was staring at me like I was a unicorn or something, like he
was as enchanted by me as he was happy to see me.

I worried I might melt right off my chair.

His smile went crooked. “Do you really think that’s an
appropriate dress to wear out to dinner with your boss, though?”

I looked down and my face fell. “I’m sorry. I thought-”

“I’m kidding. You have nothing to apologize for.”

“You like it then?” I smoothed my hands over the bodice of the
navy dress. “I got it at Macy’s.”

“Like it?” He laughed. “I think they should stop selling it.
There’s not a woman in this city who would wear that dress if she saw the way
it looks on you.”

Oh god he was flirting with me. Maybe Jackie was right.

“Mr. Abbott.” A bright eyed waiter appeared next to our table.
“Can I get you and your guest something to drink?”

“I’ll have another gin and tonic, James.” He turned to me. “They
make the best in the city. Would you like to try one?”

“Please,” I said, deciding that the situation was overwhelming
enough without me being stubborn about what I wanted.

James nodded and placed two thin menus upright on the edge of
our table before disappearing.

Will picked up the menus and handed one to me. “I hope you’re
hungry.”

“Starving.” I flipped it open. “I didn’t have lunch like you
said.”

“You won’t be sorry.”

At first glance, I wasn’t sure if the descriptions on the menu
were for food or an exhibition at Moma. “This is a pretty fancy menu.”

Will raised his thick eyebrows. “Is there nothing you like?”

“There’s nothing I don’t like.”

A smile spread across his face.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been to a place that didn’t have prices
on the menu.”

“No?”

I shook my head.

“Have you heard the rule that you shouldn’t eat anywhere where
you have to check the prices?”

“Yeah, but I’ve still never heard of a priceless menu.”

“Maybe you’ve never had priceless food?”

“Intriguing.” I dragged my finger from item to item. “What do you
get?”

“The filet.”

I laughed. “Of course you do.”

He cocked his head. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. I’m just not surprised.”

“Do you really find me that predictable?”

“Yes and no.”

“I suppose you wouldn’t even be thinking about getting the
salmon then?”

I looked up at his twinkling eyes.

“What makes you think that?”

“Well at lunch you talked about how it was your favorite food
for a good ten minutes.”

“Actually, I was thinking about getting the venison,” I lied.

“They’re both delicious.” He straightened in his chair and his
shoulders seemed to stretch across the room. “But if you get the salmon, you
might have more room for dessert.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” I stole another glance at him and then
looked back down at my menu.

He closed his and leaned back. “So, Cinderella. Is that who
you’re named after?”

“Actually, I’m named after Ella Fitzgerald.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I know it seems that way since we don’t have much in common.”

“I bet you sing like a songbird.”

“I’m closer to being a singer than I am to being black, but
they’re both a bit of a reach.”

He shook his head. “What a shame. Named after the first lady of
song and you can’t sing.”

“It’s a cruel world.”

“Do you like jazz yourself?”

I shrugged. “I haven’t really given it a chance.”

He hung his head. “You don’t know what you’re missing. At least
tell me you’ve heard Ella Fitzgerald’s Summertime.”

“I’m not sure.” I couldn’t believe how excited he was. I’d never
seen him so animated.

“It’s so sexy it’s chilling. I have it on vinyl.”

I wasn’t surprised.

“I’ll play it for you sometime.”

I squinted at him. What was he doing? Telling me I looked beautiful?
Saying he wanted to play sexy music for me? He certainly wasn’t making it easy
for me to resist him.