Bossman(26)

Halfway down the subway stairs, I remembered my giant meatball hero. Walking back up, I split it in two and gave half to the man with the sad blue eyes. He smiled gratefully and nodded.

It felt good, and my ass certainly didn’t need an entire hero.





Chapter 11



Reese

I’d forgotten how much I loved happy hour. Jules and I used to do it every Thursday night when we first started at Fresh Look, but as time went by, one of us was always working late. We’d apologize and promise to do it the following week, but then the other person would be on deadline and not be able to go. Eventually, we just stopped even trying to make plans.

But the employees at Parker Industries made time for happy hour, and I’d managed to leave the office at a reasonable hour, too. Lindsey was another brand manager in the marketing department, and we’d hit it off on my first day. We were sitting at a bar, drinking Godiva chocolate martinis and enjoying the free appetizers as she filled me in on all the office gossip.

“And Karen in payroll is engaged to a guy who used to be in porn.”

“Porn?”

“It was soft stuff. But if you want to see his dick, just Google John Summers.”

“It would be really weird to Google someone in the office’s fiancé to look at him naked.”

Lindsey crinkled up her nose. “It’s not circumcised. It’s really ugly. But it’s huge.” She held out her hands nearly twelve inches apart. “Like a baseball bat. Now every time I look at her, I can’t stop wondering how that thing fits. I mean, she’s so tiny.”

“You need to meet my friend Jules. It’s uncanny how much you remind me of her.”#p#分页标题#e#

Lindsey tossed back the rest of her martini and held the empty glass up for the bartender. “So tell me about you. Boyfriend¸ husband, sister-wife? What’s going on in your life?”

Answering should have been easier. “I’ve been on four dates with a guy who’s really sweet. We talk almost every day.”

“Really sweet, huh? Are you exclusive?”

Huh? Are we? “We haven’t really talked about it. But I haven’t been dating anyone else.”

The bartender came by with a shaker and refilled both our glasses. Lindsey eyed me over the top of hers as she sipped. “You’re not that into him.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You didn’t perk up when you talked about him, you described him as ‘sweet’, you aren’t sure if you’re exclusive, and it seems like thirty seconds ago was the first time you’d even considered the question. That means you don’t care if he isn’t.” She shrugged and said pointedly, “You’re not that into him.”

I exhaled a deep breath. “I think you’re right. He’s great—he really is. But there’s just something missing.”

“Can’t force it.”

She was right. Although the thought of breaking things off with a guy like Bryant—one who didn’t come along that often in New York City—was pretty depressing. I needed to think about something else.

“Tell me more gossip? What about Samantha?”

“She’s pretty much what you see. Been with the company about four years now, I think. Married, no kids that I’m aware of. She and Chase go way back. I heard a rumor that she was best friends with his girlfriend who died.”

“His girlfriend died?”

“Yep. Years ago. I think she was only twenty-one at the time.” Lindsey shook her head. “Tragic.”

“How did she die? Was she sick or something?”

“Some sort of an accident, I think. It was before I started. But I heard Chase was screwed up for a long time. It’s why he licensed all his products originally instead of distributing them himself. A lot of those licenses are expiring, and that’s why we’re marketing some of the products for the first time.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. He seems really good now, though. He’s usually in a good mood, anyway.” Lindsey grinned. “But I would be too if I got up every morning and looked at that face. The man is obscenely hot—if you’re into that sort of thing, that is.”

I laughed. “Not your type?”

“Apparently I like my men balding with a beer belly and propensity to be unemployed. I’ve been with Al since I was sixteen.”

“He’s gained some weight, huh?”

She snorted. “Actually, no. He’s pretty much always looked the same way. But the man thinks I walk on water for reasons I’ll never understand. Treats me like a princess.”