Page 480 of Manhattan Bossholes

“You’re looking at her.”

JAMES

I stared at Natalie, trying to ignore the fact that she was perfectly turned out in a short black-and-white minidress that was modeled after one of our most popular ’70s designs. Had she made it herself, from the pattern in our archives? It fit like it had been sewn right onto her body. I was so focused on cataloging what she was wearing that what she said didn’t even register at first.

“Excuse me?” I finally managed. “What are you going on about?”

“Oh, come on, focus, James!” She frowned at me. “I said that I was stepping up to be Lorraine’s temporary replacement. To help you.”

What? No, that wouldn’t do at all.

“Well, that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” I shot back, ignoring the way my pulse ratcheted up a few notches at the thought of us working that closely together. “You don’t know the first thing about Lorraine’s job. I’d probably have to spend more time training you than actually having you support me. And what about your own work? When would you get all of that done?”

Her expression shifted to a petulant frown.

“Well, that’s a strange way to thank me for stepping up.” She crossed her arms, and I could feel her glaring at me from across the room.

“I didn’t ask you to step up.” I kept my eyes trained on the spreadsheet on my screen. “You need to stay in your lane, Natalie.”

“Exactly, just like you did,” she replied in a mocking voice. “Mr. Spreadsheets is now running the creative department. That’s not a skill set leap at all. Makes total sense that a numbers guy is telling designers what to do.”

We scowled at each other in silence for a few seconds. The woman was insufferable.

And worse, she was right.

I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my throbbing temples. As much as I hated to admit that I needed help, the truth was I did. Big time.

I was nearly losing my mind trying to juggle the jobs of CEO and creative department head. Lorraine had been helping me vet potential candidates for Clint’s position and now that she was gone, I was being forced to not only find his replacement, but hers as well. And to make matters even more challenging, our quarterly numbers were looking worse than I’d expected. I couldn’t dedicate myself to turning things around when I was being pulled in so many different directions.

But could I handle having even more Natalie Reynolds in my life? That was the real question. I had no doubt that she’d pick up on Lorraine’s work quickly, but being my assistant basically meant being my shadow. I had a tough enough time sitting across from her during design meetings. She was a distraction.

No…a temptation. One I wasn’t about to mess with. My life was complicated enough.

“I can do this,” Natalie said. “And you need to admit that you need some help. You need me, James.”

If she only knew how right she was, even if it was not in the way she meant. My eyes drifted down to her legs before I could stop myself.

“Why would you offer to take on even more work?”

“Because you took a chance on me,” she interrupted, her stormy expression shifting to vulnerability. “I was nothing but an hourly employee before you stepped in and gave me my dream job. You changed my life, and helping you out when you need it is the least I can do in return. I sort of feel like I owe you, James.”

Her eyes were almost pleading, and she seemed more real and honest than I’d ever experienced. I wasn’t used to this side of her, the softer Natalie Reynolds.

As much as I enjoyed going head-to-head with Natalie, I liked this version of her too.

I swiped my hand over my face. Yeah, I was overwhelmed, and the solution Natalie was presenting, while not perfect, did sound like it could work for the short term. The biggest task for my assistant right now was helping sift through the applications for the new head of the creative department, and no one had a better idea of what the position needed than Natalie. The problem in the scenario was me. Could I trust myself around her? There was always a buffer between us during the creative meetings. I had other people I could focus on—which was vitally important, since every time I looked at her beautiful face something dangerous flared up in my chest.

“Besides, if you work yourself into an early grave I might wind up with another boss like Clint,” she continued. “So consider my offer a little selfish.”

The devilish smile playing on her lips felt more like the Natalie I’d gotten to know.

“Fine,” I sighed. “Yes, you can fill in for Lorraine until I find her replacement. Thank you for the offer. I appreciate it.”

“Excellent,” she said as she plopped into the chair on the other side of my desk. “What’s first?”

I stared at her. “You plan to start now?”

“Well, duh. I need to get up to speed on what’s going on so I can manage my tasks and create a workflow. I’m actually ahead on the couture project and the Pantone retrospective stuff. That, uh, that one’s been keeping me busy but I’m still on track.”