Page 267 of Manhattan Bossholes

“Goodnight,” I said as she climbed out of the truck. She walked into the brownstone, peeking back at me over her shoulder when she reached the door, as if to see if I was still watching.

Damn right I was. I’d never get bored of watching her walk away.

13

NATASHA

“Are you going to keep hovering in the doorway or are you going to say something?” I said, twisting around in my office chair. I’d gotten here early to finish up my PowerPoint before this morning’s meeting with the CAD designers, but there’d been an awfully tempting distraction waiting for me when I’d arrived. I arched my brow, taking in Trent’s amused expression. “You’ve been standing there for five minutes now. Staring at me.”

“Am I not allowed to stare?” He tilted his head, obviously checking me out, and it made me shiver with delight. I’d hardly been able to stop thinking about him since the moment he kissed me in the U-Haul. Frankly, the only thing keeping me from launching myself into his arms for a repeat performance was the fact the rest of the design team was starting to arrive.

“I’m pretty sure it goes against some sort of company policy,” I said.

His lips twisted. “According to this company, we’re already dating.”

“Not everybody knows that,” I pointed out quietly, careful not to let the rest of the team overhear. I didn’t want to undermine the progress I’d made with everyone by revealing that I was Trent’s girlfriend, fake or otherwise. I wanted them to trust that I’d been placed in this position because of my talent, not my connection to the CEO. “The marketing department’s been surprisingly tight-lipped.”

“Because people here know how to mind their business,” Trent said. “But just so you know, there’s no company policy.”

“On staring?”

His brow arched. “On dating.”

My heart skipped in my chest. “Well, that’s good. At least we’re doing this fake dating thing by the books.”

“Not quite,” Trent pointed out. “Since I haven’t actually taken you out on any kind of date yet.”

Was Trent about to ask me out? While I wasn’t sure how much I wanted my coworkers to know about this fake-relationship arrangement I’d stumbled into, that didn’t mean I didn’t like the idea of spending some real time with him outside of work. “You mean like on a real date?” I said, being deliberately coy.

“Yes, Natasha,” he huffed, rolling his eyes. “Like on a real date.”

I leaned back in my chair, regarding him. My heart danced to a giddy beat, but I kept my expression as neutral as I could. “Why?”

“Because…I’d like to take you out. And I’d also like to thank you properly,” he said. “For the other night. For driving all the way to New Jersey and being so great with Jimmy. I really did appreciate all your help.”

“I know. And that’s okay.” Honestly, I’d had a surprisingly good time meeting Trent’s brother, seeing them together, getting to know Trent a little better, and letting Trent get to know me a little more too. Even though the thought of going out on a date with Trent made my pulse race, a small part of me was also hesitant to let him in any more than I already had—opening myself up to another person who might only let me down in the end. “You don’t have to take me out.”

“I know. I want to,” he said, crossing his arms as he leaned against the doorframe. He’d forgone his usual jacket, standing there in a probably-very-expensive dress shirt rolled at the sleeves to show off those squash-toned forearms.

They were very, very nice forearms, and I tried and failed not to notice his hands. Damn this man.

Damn those hands.

And damn me for thinking about what he could do with those hands.

It was only a kiss, girl. One measly little kiss. Get a hold of yourself! I needed to stop ogling my boss and get back to work. But with Trent standing there, rocking forward on the balls of his feet like he was barely holding himself back from pouncing on me, work was the last thing on my mind. He might very well let me down in the end, but what if he didn’t? And anyway, we weren’t at the end yet, and it looked like the ride to get there could be a damn good time.

In other words, I really wanted to say yes.

“We could do dinner,” he suggested.

Yes, I almost shouted, but I just couldn’t stop myself from toying with him. “I really don’t think I have any time in my calendar.”

He frowned. “You can’t find one free evening over the next week?”

I picked up my phone, pretending to scroll through my commitments. “Looks like I’m a very busy woman.”

“Busy doing what?”