Page 11 of Lying to the Boss

The coffee finishes, so I take it, and we go to my office.

“You, of course, can make yourself as much coffee as you need, and there are snacks up here as well. It’ll be your responsibility to place the order for that. David will tell you when the shipments arrive, so you can plan which day the order needs to be put in. If there’s anything you like, specific coffee flavors or snacks, feel free to order it. As long as I have what’s there now, I don’t care what you add.” I sit behind my desk and gesture for him to sit across from me. “Every morning at 8:30, I expect a rundown of my day. That will be done face-to-face, but if you need me throughout the day, call. If it needs to be discreet, knock.”

He nods in understanding.

“How much of a job description did you get?” I ask.

“Not much,” he says. “I was just told it was an assistant position and my resume fit what was needed.”

“There is traveling required; hopefully that won’t be a problem? It’s all paid, of course.”

“No problem.”

So, no family then? No spouse? No pets? He really traveled here from Boston all alone?

“You will accompany me to most meetings, though at this point, most are virtual, so you’ll sit in here with me while I attend them. We have someone who takes notes at our inter-office meetings, Sadie. She’s fantastic. She will send everything along to you, which you will look over and then file away.”

“Is her job only to take notes?” he asks.

“Mostly. Why?” I raise a brow. “Are you looking to change positions already?”

“Just wondering how spoiled you are.”

“Spoiled?” I nearly bark.

“Well, it seems you have someone for everything around here. I mean, you’re paying me ninety thousand dollars to pour coffee and take notes. And I—”

“Ninety-five.”

His eyes widen. “Excuse me?”

“I increased your salary to ninety-five thousand this morning.”

His nostrils flare, as he takes in a deep breath, his jaw clenched. How different he is from the other night in my bed, to now. Like two completely different people. I guess I can’t fault him for that.

“Why?” he grits out.

I grin. “Because I can.”

“Throwing around your money doesn’t impress me.”

“Who said I’m trying to impress you?” I scoff.

“Why else are you doing it? It doesn’t make sense. If you want to sleep with me again, you—”

“This is not about that,” I say sharply. “I made that clear yesterday.”

“Then. Why?” he demands.

“And let’s make another thing clear, Mr. Briar,” I say, ignoring his question. “If I wanted to sleep with you again, I’m sure you’d oblige.”

His cheeks redden with fury. A slow smile creeps across my face; something inside me satisfied.

“Let me know when your phone and laptop are set up.”

I walk to the door and open it. He gets up but doesn’t move, thinking something over for a long moment before turning on his heel and walking out of the room.

Chapter Four