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When I got to my sister’s house, she was pulling vegetables out of the fridge that she said she needed to use up. She decided to throw it all on a sheet pan and roast it. The crusty bread I picked up on my way over here was a perfect accompaniment to that.
The last item she yanked out of the fridge was an almost empty bottle of red wine.
I offered to finish it off.
Wine always makes me relax. Today I may have had one sip too many because when my sister asked if I’d met the Times Square billboard model, I blurted out that he’s not only my boss but my neighbor too.
“I live next door to him now,” I remind her. “Technically, he’s my temporary neighbor.”
She glances to where her kids are playing with a stack of wooden blocks. “Technically, he’s fuckable as fuck.”
Grateful that she’s lowering her voice so her kids can’t hear, I shake my head. “He’s my boss, Naomi.”
“He’s also a hot as hell man.” She giggles. “Why not mix business with pleasure? What do you have to lose?”
“The best job I’ve ever had.” I push the wine glass away from me. “Besides, he’s not my type at all. He’s loud and obnoxious. He’s an egomaniac. He put himself on a billboard. Who does that?”
“A smart businessman with the body of a model,” she says with a straight face. “I think it’s a brilliant move on his part.”
I slide the glass closer again but don’t pick it up. “How so?”
“Why hire someone to wear your product if you look that good?” She steals a glance at her kids. “He made the right choice, Callie. That billboard gets a hell of a lot of attention.”
Not convinced by her argument, I shake my head. “He’s full of himself. I’ve sworn off men like that.”
Pushing up from the table, she sighs. “Don’t let your past dictate your future. Not all rich men are like Dagen.”
I don’t want to talk about my ex, so I change the subject. “I’m on cleanup duty. Why don’t you play with the kids?”
“Thank you.” She squeezes my shoulder. “There is nothing wrong with a little after work fun with the boss. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”
I groan and laugh at the same time. “I’m not trying it. I won’t be sleeping with my boss.”
“Keep your options open.” She smiles. “Sometimes, a man like that can surprise a woman like you.”
That might be true, but I’m still dealing with the fallout from my breakup six months ago. The last thing I need is to get entangled with someone like Sean Wells.
Chapter Fourteen
Sean
A quick stopat Tin Anchor earlier this evening didn’t reap the reward I wanted. I hoped that I’d get a chance to indulge in a glass of scotch while staring at my newest employee.
Apparently, theplansshe spoke of had nothing to do with her second job.
Delora mentioned that she’d asked Champ to join her for dinner, but she got the same song and dance about Calliope’s plans.
Since I’m trying to nail down the respectful boss thing, I dropped the idea of tracking her down.
It wouldn’t have been hard.
One phone call and a bullshit marketing emergency, and I would have blown those plans apart. The problem is that our current marketing campaign is running smoothly.
I sprint up the concrete steps leading up to a brownstone on the Upper East Side.
I bang my fist against the door in a series of knocks that make no sense to anyone but the person who lives here and me.
It doesn’t take much more than a few seconds before the next sequence of knocks in our secret code sound from the opposite side of the door.
