Her Billionaire Boss Page 8

  “Thank you, darling,” he said, and I frowned at him. Standing, he shook her hand again. “It’s been a pleasure to meet you. Jay, let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you.”

  As he left the office, frustration made me grit my teeth. I didn’t think this would be a problem, hiding our relationship at work, but I was already having a hard time with it. I wasn’t too sure how long I could keep this up.

  Chapter 17

  Chelsea

  My cell phone rang and I frowned at the number I didn’t recognize. I considered letting the voicemail grab it but curiosity got the better of me.

  “Hello?”

  “Hello, Miss Perrelle, this is Henry Meeks.”

  “I’m sorry, who?”

  “Henry Meeks. We met at the casino night fundraiser.”

  “Oh, right. Uh, what can I do for you?” I asked, wondering how in the world he got my phone number.

  “I was wondering if you still had any interest in working for Mobi Play.”

  “Really?” My voice reflected my surprise. I had nearly forgotten that I had applied to the company.

  “Yes, I’m in need of an executive and your resume came across my desk. I recognized your name. Would you be interested in interviewing for the position?”

  “You said an executive, right?” I double-checked, wanting to make sure that I didn’t make the same mistake that I had with this job.

  “That’s right,” he replied, with a smile in his voice. “One of my people just up and quit on me for personal reasons and I need a replacement as soon as possible. Could you come in for an interview tomorrow morning?”

  I hesitated, biting my lip. Despite not working in the position I wanted, I felt a certain loyalty to Production, Inc. In fact, now that I was dating Jay, that loyalty was intensified. But was I going to pass up this opportunity?

  It couldn’t hurt to go to an interview, right? Just to see what happened?

  If I were offered a job, I’d talk to Jay about it and go from there. As my boss, he might not be thrilled, but I expected my boyfriend to be happy for me.

  “Yes, I can. What time did you have in mind?”

  “How about nine o’clock?” Henry said. That was when I usually came into work, but I was sure that Jay would be okay with me coming in a little late.

  “That’ll be just fine. I’ll see you then.”

  As I hung up the phone, I couldn’t help feeling a giddy excitement bloom within me. I had resigned myself to this assistant job, and it certainly had its perks, such as secret kisses with the boss, but the job Henry wanted to interview me for was everything I wanted for my career.

  There was also the fact that I wasn’t happy with hiding my relationship with Jay. It wasn’t nearly as fun as I had hoped it would be. Turns out that the whole forbidden-romance thing was just stressful.

  It was clearly taking a toll on Jay. He hadn’t quite been the same the last couple of days. There was a tension about him that made him moody and sullen. Maybe if I left the company, we could have a normal relationship.

  Jay stepped out for lunch before I got the chance to talk to him about coming in to work late tomorrow. He understood my feelings about my career, so I was sure he’d be supportive. While he was out at lunch, a dozen red roses arrived at the office. I smiled as I saw the delivery man approach me.

  I happily signed for the flowers, feeling elated as I placed them carefully at the corner of my desk. I thought it was smart of Jay to have them delivered when he wasn’t even in the office. Now, if anyone asked, I could just say that they were from some unnamed boyfriend.

  My eye landed on a small card tucked into the middle of the arrangement and I grabbed it, wondering what he might have written. Opening the envelope, I felt my smile disappear as I read what was written there.

  “Who sent you flowers?” Jay’s voice asked from in front of me. I looked up to him standing there with a frown on his face.

  “No one,” I answered, feeling my anger rise as I stuffed the card back into the envelope and tossed it into the trash. What was Trevor thinking? “I’m just going to throw these out.”

  I stood and grabbed the vase off my desk, trying to figure out where I could throw them away. It was such a large arrangement, which had seemed sweet when I thought they were from Jay. Now it was just annoying.

  “Who sent them?” Jay asked again, his voice sharp this time. I froze, standing with the roses in my hands as I furrowed my eyebrows.

  “What’s your problem?”

  “Follow me,” he demanded, turning and marching into his office. He waited until I followed and then shut the door behind me. “I want to know who’s sending my girlfriend flowers and why she’s trying to hide it,” he said.

  “Hide it? What are you talking about?”

  “You threw the card away and refused to answer when I asked who sent them. What am I supposed to think?”

  “I’m irritated, that’s all. My ex-boyfriend followed me here from Clifton, claiming we’re meant to be together, and now he’s sending me huge flower arrangements. The whole thing is ridiculous.”

  “Your ex? He’s stalking you and you didn’t think to mention this?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t say he’s stalking me. I mean, I know it sounds bad, but he’s just trying to make a misguided romantic gesture.”

  “Romantic? How can you call this romantic?” he gestured angrily to the roses, and I felt myself getting flustered. Why was he being so difficult about this?

  “Of course I don’t think it’s romantic. I mean, I did when I thought you sent them, but—”

  “So now you want me to be like your creepy ex?”

  “No, I want to you calm the hell down and have a civil conversation,” I snapped, fed up with his attitude.

  Jay began to pace the length of his office in long strides, a bundle of angry energy that was making me feel resentful. “This isn’t working. I can’t stand this secret-romance crap. It’s got me on edge. First, some guy thinks he can ogle you right in front of me and I won’t do a thing about it. He was right, of course, because I told you I’d protect your career. And now—”

  “Wait, back up. What guy?”

  “Mark, from the marketing firm. He couldn’t stop going on and on about how hot you are, and I just had to sit there and take it.”

  “And that’s my fault?”

  “No, but I can’t take this anymore. It’s not working.” He ceased his pacing and looked at me with a stoic expression.

  “So, you’re going to end this relationship without even trying to work things out?” I asked, feeling hurt.

  “I’m tired of trying. I’ve already made so many changes for you. I’ve ramped up my work ethic to impress you. You know, I used to be a carefree guy. Happy-go-lucky. Then you came along with all this emphasis on responsibility and trying to change me—”

  “I never said you had to change,” I interrupted. I was starting to resent all this blame.

  “No, you just pushed and pushed until I conformed to your way of thinking,” he said bitterly.

  “My way of thinking? I just wanted you to act like an adult!”

  “Well, maybe I was happy the way I was!”

  We were dissolving into yelling and I couldn’t believe that this relationship was falling apart already. And why did this hurt so much when we hadn’t even been together that long?

  “Then go back to being a selfish party animal for all I care,” I retorted.

  “You know what? I think I will.”

  Without another word, Jay turned away from me, flinging his office door open and striding out with sure, even steps. He didn’t hesitate or look back, just left me behind in the middle of his office holding these stupid flowers.

  In a fit of rage, I stomped over to the trash and slammed the flowers down into it, feeling a satisfying pleasure as I heard the glass vase break. I couldn’t care less that the bottom of Jay’s trash can was filling with water. I just wanted to get out of there.

 
; So, following in Jay’s footsteps, that’s exactly what I did.

  Chapter 18

  Jay

  I had never thought of myself as the type to self-sabotage. In fact, I was always a pretty big supporter of my own self-interests. But things change.

  I was a class-A jerk and I really had no one but myself to blame. Thinking back to yesterday afternoon, I cringed at the memory. I had blown it.

  Then I had met up with Martin and a few buddies at a bar, drinking the night away and singing terrible karaoke for a crowd of other drunken fools. Now I was hungover and full of regret. It was a horrible combination.

  My head was pounding as I slipped into a steamy shower, letting the water pour down my body and wash away the enduring smell of booze and cigar smoke. I groaned and pressed my forehead against the wall of the shower, hoping that the pounding rhythm of the water would help loosen the tense muscles of my shoulders.

  The craziest part of this situation was that I didn’t have that much fun last night. The whole time, I felt like I was forcing myself to keep going, to prove a point to myself. To prove that I was still a fun, carefree guy.

  Turns out I wasn’t.

  Now, with the bitter taste of my own harsh words lingering in my mouth, I wasn’t even sure why I had thought that change was such a bad thing. Why in the world was I clinging to this idea of being an immature party boy?

  I didn’t have any answers, just shame for my words and actions. I had clearly hurt Chelsea, and I hated that. I wasn’t happy to be kept in the dark about her ex, but that mostly came from a place of concern. I wished it had come out that way, instead of a petulant outburst.

  I was an idiot.

  Finishing my shower, I popped a couple of Tylenol into my mouth and dry swallowed. It was already nearly ten and I seriously considered skipping work altogether, but I found that I wanted to be there. I wanted to tell Chelsea how sorry I was and see if there was anything left of our relationship or if I’d completely obliterated the whole thing. There was also plenty of work to do, and a hangover wasn’t a good enough reason to skip out on it.

  So, I got dressed in the first suit my eyes landed on in the closet and headed out the door. I had skipped shaving to save time and was sporting a stubble beard, but it didn’t look too bad. I wondered if Chelsea would like it.

  When I stepped off the elevator at the top floor of Production Inc., Ellen raised her eyebrows and shot me a questioning look.

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m super late. Don’t start,” I said, walking by and through the glass door. The office was the same hub of activity it usually was, but with various people stopping to stare as I passed. I assumed it was because of the shouting match Chelsea and I had had in the office the day before but I didn’t stop to talk to anyone about it.

  I quickened my steps, heading for my office, only to stop short as I rounded the corner and saw that Chelsea wasn’t there. Her desk was empty.

  Looking down at my wristwatch, I frowned. It was eleven in the morning. Where could she be?

  Walking up to the desk, an ominous sense of dread filled my stomach. There was something wrong here. Chelsea hadn’t just stepped away to the copy machine or gone to an early lunch. Her stuff was gone. The small framed picture of her family that she kept next to the computer, the romance novel she had been reading, and her sweater that she left on the back of the chair just in case she got cold, they were all gone. The surface of her desk contained only a computer and an empty in/out tray.

  “No, no, no,” I mumbled, hurrying forward to pull open the drawers of her desk, finding them empty also.

  She left for good?

  “You okay, Mr. Keller?” a voice asked, drawing my attention away from the empty drawers and onto a man standing on the other side of the desk.

  “Um, yeah. Sure. What can I do for you?”

  “My name’s Kevin; I work for HR. Your dad asked that I come by today to get information from you about a new job listing for the assistant position.”

  “What? You’re hiring a new assistant?”

  “Yeah, you do need one, right? Now that Chelsea’s gone?”

  It didn’t surprise me at all that this guy knew Chelsea. She was so friendly and went out of her way to get to know people.

  “Are you sure she’s gone?” I asked, despite the clear evidence in front of me.

  “Well, yeah. She was just here an hour ago clearing out her desk and turning in her resignation letter. It’s a shame, but when a better opportunity presents itself, sometimes you gotta jump on it.”

  “Right,” I said, not wanting to admit that I didn’t know what he was talking about.

  “So, is now a good time?”

  “No, I’m sorry; it’s not.” I couldn’t get my head around hiring a new assistant at this moment. “Could you come back later this afternoon?”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  When he was gone, I walked into my office. The first thing that caught my eye was the bright red color sticking out of the trash can. I felt a sickening twinge of guilt as I recognized the roses that had set me off the day before.

  Ripping my eyes away from that, I headed to my desk. My normal mug of coffee was missing, but in its place was a crisp white envelope. There was nothing written on the outside, but it was clearly meant for me, and there was really only one person who could’ve left it.

  I ripped into the envelope eagerly, hoping that Chelsea had left me a note of some kind. A hollow feeling settled into the center of my chest as I saw that it was her typed letter of resignation. I scanned it, flipping the page over, and double-checking the envelope. There was nothing special here for me, just an average resignation letter.

  She was just gone.

  Chapter 19

  Chelsea

  The interview had been a dream come true. Henry had been so impressed with me that he had offered me a job on the spot.

  I didn’t hesitate to accept.

  After my relationship with Jay had suddenly imploded, I had been upset, to say the least, and had come to the decision that I couldn’t keep working for him. If this interview at Mobi Play hadn’t worked out, I would’ve been hitting the job market hard to find something.

  The whole thing was a mess and I only had myself to blame. I knew that getting involved with my boss was a bad idea, but I had done it anyway. In fact, now that my heart was shattered, I could see that I had fallen in love with the guy.

  He could be so caring, so thoughtful. I had seen and experienced it. I wasn’t sure why he had acted out with such animosity yesterday, but I knew that he was a good man.

  That was why I felt so crushed.

  After accepting the job from Henry, and promising to be there bright and early the next day, I had gone straight to Production, Inc. I was initially relieved when I saw that Jay wasn’t there. After the yelling match in his office, I wasn’t looking to go another round.

  Yet it was a bit of a disappointment that our terrible fight could very well be the last time I ever saw him. It was not exactly the best of our memories together.

  Typing up a quick resignation letter, I had printed three copies: one for HR, one for Mr. Keller, and one for Jay. I considered adding a handwritten note to the bottom of his, confessing the depth of my feelings, but I talked myself out of it.

  Instead, I’d left it on his desk like a coward.

  Mr. Keller didn’t try to talk me out of leaving, just said that he understood, but was disappointed. He wished me luck and then I was on my way out the door, carrying a box of my possessions.

  A few people stopped me to say goodbye, asking why I was leaving, but most just stared. The entire ordeal reminded me of walking to the ice cream shop with Jay. With all the stares and open curiosity.

  I would definitely be the main topic at the water cooler for the rest of the day.

  As I arrived at my apartment, I just felt sad. I couldn’t even seem to muster up excitement about the job I would be starting tomorrow. Instead, I decided to try some self-care. Anything
to make myself feel better.

  I stripped out of my business suit and pulled on some pajama pants and a tank top. Cleaning off my makeup and pulling my hair up into a messy bun, I applied a clay face mask and grabbed some nail polish. Going to the kitchen, I snagged a couple of ding-dongs from the freezer and headed to the living room. I turned on reruns of my favorite sitcom and settled in for some much-needed self-pampering. I had just taken the cap off my ruby red nail polish, prepared to paint my toenails when my doorbell rang.

  I sighed heavily and made my way the door, peeking out through the peephole. “Seriously?” I grumbled under my breath as I saw Trevor standing there.

  Unlocking the door, I flung it open, uncaring about how frightening I probably looked, with my face green from the clay mask and my hair a knotted mess at the top of my head. In fact, I found that the only thing I did care about was putting an end to this drama once and for all.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked as his eyes widened and he took a step backward at the sight of me. His reaction was pretty funny, and I might have laughed under different circumstances.

  “Um, hey. Can I come in?”

  “Fine, but don’t get comfortable. You’re not staying.”

  Trevor’s face contorted, showing his hurt at my words. I would usually feel bad about that, but my own emotions were still too raw, and a part of me couldn’t stop blaming him for what happened between Jay and me. That might not be fair, but I couldn’t help it.

  I was not in a sympathetic mood.

  “Did you get my flowers?” he asked as I shut the door behind him.

  “Yes, and that was quite ridiculous,” I said, my voice harsh. He’d really chosen the wrong topic of conversation.

  “What’s that mean? I was just trying to show you how much I care.”

  “I know you were, Trevor. And maybe some of the blame lies with me because I was trying too hard to spare your feelings before. I should’ve just been honest from the start.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m not interested in getting back together. I will never be interested.” Trevor opened his mouth to speak, but I could read the tone of his words on his face, so I cut him off. “And don’t even try to change my mind. I need you to understand that it’s not going to happen.”