Page 57 of The Boss

“I’ve ruined your life, Ness,” I whisper.

“You haven’t ruined anything; Lorenzo has done that all on his own,” she replies.

The front door opens and closes, and I know it’s Juliet from the drifting scent of her perfume.

“I’m going to review some inventory in the medical room,” Vanessa quickly says and starts to walk to the basement, then turns and looks at me. “Gino, apologize and be nice.” I nod as she shuts the basement door.

I stand leaning against the counter, waiting for Juliet to enter. She turns the corner and stops when she sees me.

“Hey,” she breathes out and gives a soft smile.

“Jules, are you ok?”

She looks around and sighs, probably looking to see if anyone is within earshot. “Yeah, umm, can we talk? Like really talk?”

“Sure, do you want to talk here or⁠—”

She cuts me off. “Your office.”

Shit. Is she going to leave? She rarely wants to talk in my office; she’ll come in to drop off food or for brief conversations, but rarely stays.

She turns, and I follow her.

Once we get into my office, I close the door, and as soon as I turn, Juliet is right there. So close to me I can see her breathing nervously.

She hesitates for a second, and I’m in a bit of shock that I don’t notice her hands go around my neck until she whispers, “I’ve been wanting to do this for ten years,” then she claims my mouth in a searing kiss.

This kiss is different from the one we had this morning. It’s rough, intense, and she’s not holding back at all.

I grab her waist and pull her closer, taking control. I turn us and push her against the door.

Moving my hand, I lock the door.

I cage her in, putting my hands on either side of her head. “There is no going back from here. The second we go past this point… You. Are. Mine. Do you understand?”

She nods her head, giving me all the confirmation I needed.

I grab her wrists and pin them above her head. I continue to roughly kiss her, only pausing for us to breathe. My hard-on wants to completely tear my slacks, but I need to get her ready before that.

I release her hands and take a small step back. She opens her eyes, looking at me with the same hunger I have for her.

God, she’s perfect. Everything about her is perfect.

I look down at her cream-colored blouse, which is showing her tits and body perfectly. “Where did you go?” I ask.

“I went out,” she says, out of breath.

“Where?”

If she doesn’t want to tell me, I will find a way to get it out of her. Maybe I’ll stop what we’re doing until she tells me.

“I was at Cambio’s.” She pauses and purses her lips. “I had lunch with Lucy and Francesca.”

“Why?” I ask.

There’s nothing wrong with her choice, but she’s never done it before. Hell, she’s never gone out to lunch with anyone other than Vanessa.

“I wanted advice on all of this.” She points between us.