EXCERPT INCLUDED
I swore I’d never fall in love again. And especially not with my new employee. What am I even thinking? I remember what happened last time.
~ check prices before you buy ~“Peter? Are you here yet?” I called out into the quiet office as I strode confidently toward my door.
When I looked up, however, it wasn’t my male colleague standing there. No, it was a beautiful, curvy woman who stood there facing my office door. From behind, I could see how her tight pantsuit hugged every curve of her body and how she was wiggling her hips from side to side a little as though she was nervous about something. It was strange to see someone so similar to the women I pictured in my fantasies that it unnerved me for a moment. I stood there slack-jawed and staring for a second before I realized just how inappropriate my behavior was.
Eventually, I shook my head and approached her since she’d obviously not heard me before.
“Hello there, can I help you?” I asked as I reached her.
Immediately, the stranger turned and looked at me surprised. The coffee she was holding slipped out of her hand and smacked me in the stomach. I didn’t get a good look at her face in that moment because I was distracted by the scalding hot liquid pouring down my shirt.
“Ah! Shit!” I cried as I reached down to pat at my white shirt that was now stained brown.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” the woman exclaimed before taking a step backward and kneeling to pick up the paper cup. “I promise, I didn’t mean to do that at all.”
“Of course, you didn’t,” I muttered as I reached for my handkerchief in my pocket. I began to dab at my shirt with a sigh. “I hope I have a spare in my office or I’m going to have to run home…”
The woman had taken tissues out of her bag and was mopping up the carpet floor as best she could before standing and tossing the empty paper cup into the nearest bin. “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked in a concerned voice.
“No, no, don’t worry about it,” I told her with a dismissive wave of my hand.
She stood in front of me fidgeting nervously and it was terribly distracting. “I really am sorry though,” she continued, “I was told to wait here by the receptionist downstairs. Please don’t fire me, it’s my very first day.”
Hearing those words caused me to pause my clean up and lift my head. I let myself take in her appearance properly for the first time. She had a purse and a briefcase. She was wearing office-appropriate clothes, even if they did make my pulse quicken a little, and she was twiddling her thumbs anxiously. My green eyes met her brown ones and I was taken in by just how beautiful her face was. I’d thought she was pretty much perfect for me before I’d even taken in her heart-shaped face and her rosy red cheeks. Now, I was a total goner.
Shit, this is bad. This is really bad.
Even though I wanted to reach out and embrace her, perhaps even kiss her, I held myself back. This was a workplace and I was a professional. Just because this woman looked exactly my type didn’t mean that I’d like her personality. I needed to keep a level-head and act like the manager I needed to be.
So, I plastered on a polite smile and thrust my hand out to shake hers. “You must be my new accountant then,” I said, “my name is Quentin and I’ll be your boss while you work here.”
