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Did he know what I had his number under?
Surely not. There was no way he could have found out he was literally ‘The Bastard’ in my contacts list.
ME: Mr Black? That’s not very innovative. I call you that all the time. That’s even more formal than sir.
THE BASTARD: Hmm. You’re right.
Phew.
ME: Well, it’s been lovely chatting with you, sir, but if we’re confirmed to leave on Friday and there’s nothing else, I’m going to cook my dinner.
THE BASTARD: All right. That’s all. I’ll see you in the morning.
I put my phone down on my stomach and threw my arm across my eyes. That was the longest conversation we’d ever had outside of work that wasn’t strictly completely about work, and it might have been the first time we’d ever joked with one another.
It was… weird.
Between him thanking me, buying us all lunch, teasing me, and then joking with me tonight, I felt as though I’d woken up in a parallel universe where Theodore Black was not actually a complete and utter bastard.
It was equal parts scary and welcome.
Scary because it wasn’t the man I knew, and welcome because…
Well, I supposed this version of him was the kind of person I wouldn’t mind working for.
No.
I wasn’t going to go down that line of thought. The whole reason I was going on this business trip was to win my month-long battle of resignation. If I had second thoughts now, it rendered this upcoming trip completely pointless.
And Chloe St. James did not do pointless things.
I didn’t have the time for pointless things.
Unless it was lying on my sofa, staring at the ceiling, thinking about how the boss I hated had made me blush.
Ugh.
CHAPTER NINE – CHLOE
Buckley Cottage
“I’ve never stopped so many times for a bathroom break in my life.”
I glared over the top of my car at my boss. “Nobody made you stop with me, sir. And may I point out that two of those stops were because you kept buying coffee?”
“If you didn’t stop three times, I wouldn’t have needed coffee.” He closed his car door and stretched his neck from side to side. “Phew. That was a long trip. Coming on Friday was a great idea.”
My idea.
It was my great idea.
“Yes, I wonder what genius came up with it.” I opened my boot and pulled out my second suitcase, but before I could grab the biggest, heaviest one, Theodore appeared at my side and took hold of it. “Sir, I—”
“I’ve got it,” he said. “It looks heavy.”
It was heavy, but… “It’s my job to help you.”
He put my case on the floor, popped the handle up, and stared at me flatly. “You’re my assistant, not my slave.”
