Naughty Boss Read online

  1) Start a travel blog. Possible name? Josie’s Journeys? The Touring Talbots?

  2) Travel to Brazil—during Carnaval?

  3) Write and publish my first book—memoir? Travel tips?

  4) Quit my job.

  5) Marry Ben Talbot.

  5) Have Ben Talbot’s babies.

  5) Fall in love.

  I stare at that last one, and then, with cautious determination, I put a big, bold checkmark beside it.

  Done.

  Is that crazy? Probably.

  But I’ve never felt like this about anyone. It’s not just the sex, though that is fantastic. We’ve done it four times in the last twenty-four hours and it still isn’t enough. I feel connected to him on a different level, and I think he feels the same way.

  I guess we’ll find out at dinner tonight. Our first real date.

  The elevator dings open on our floor and next thing I know, Ben is stalking down the hall toward his office. I snap my journal closed and smile up at him.

  He doesn’t smile back. His phone is pressed to his ear.

  “Tonight?” he says into the phone. His eyes meet mine. “That’s fine. I’m free.” Then he slams the door to his office, leaving me staring at the wood paneling and wondering what the hell just happened.

  Was I just dumped by proxy?

  Turning around, I stare at my computer screen where I have his calendar pulled up. As I watch, an appointment pops up at six o’clock tonight. “Dinner with Hawthorne, 6:00 PM, the OC.”

  Not dinner with Josie.

  When the door doesn’t open again, I pull my journal back out and flip it to the page I just wrote on. My stupid, unrealistic, childish five-year plan. I tear the page from the notebook, crumple it in my hand, and toss it in the trashcan.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  I meet Nicki outside the Oakwood Club at six o’clock that night.

  She wolf-whistles as I approach. “Looking good, girl!”

  I give her a little spin, showing off my black, sleeveless sheath dress. It leaves so little to the imagination, that I couldn’t wear underwear with it if I wanted to.

  “I’m so glad you called,” Nicki says, pulling me into a small hug.

  I give her cheek an air-kiss. “Yeah, well, sometimes I just need a little girl time.”

  And also, a bit of revenge. I told Ben it was okay to be emotional as long as he was smart about it. I should probably take my own advice, but, like Ben, I’m feeling a little extreme. I want to show him what he’s missing, lure him away from his business meeting, and then leave him with a massive hard-on and severe regret that will bring him crawling back on his hands and knees.

  We link elbows and approach the door, where the security guard is frisking a tall, leggy blond. He unsnaps the red rope and lets her through, and then turns to us.

  “Josephine Kline,” I tell him. “I’m on Tobias Kline’s list.”

  The guard swipes his tablet screen, studying something. “You’re not on the list,” he says.

  Nicki releases me. “What do you mean? She’s his sister.”

  “She’s not on the list,” he repeats.

  “But—” I start to argue, but I’m cut off as Nicki practically throws herself against the rope.

  “Tana!” she calls.

  The blond who went in ahead of us turns, and I realize it’s Ben’s ex. “Nicki, hey!” Tana gives her a finger-wave.

  “Let me in with you?” Nicki begs.

  I gape at my friend. “What about me?”

  Tana approaches the guard. “She’s with me. The Hawthorne list,” she reminds him. Then, she cuts her eyes to me. “She’s not.”

  The guard nods, opens the rope, and lets Nicki through.

  “What the hell, Nick?” I protest.

  She shrugs. “Sorry, Jo. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.” She links arms with Tana and the two of them disappear inside.

  This has to be a mistake. Not Nicki being a bitch, but me not being on Tobias’ list. I step to the side and punch his number on my phone. He picks up on the third ring.

  “What the hell, Toby?” I say in greeting.

  “Josie, I’m in the middle of something.”

  “Did you take me off the list at the OC?”

  He sighs. “It’s for the best, Jo.”

  Turning from the crowd gathered at the door, I hiss into the phone, “I am sick and tired of you telling me what’s for the best.”

  “I thought about what you said at dinner, and I think you’re right. You made it very clear that you can make your own decisions, and your own way in life. Start now. Leave the Oakwood Boys behind and do what’s best for you, not for me or mom or dad. For you.”

  The line goes dead. I stare at the black phone screen, and then shove it in my small purse. I consider punching in Nicki’s number, but then, I decide Tobias is maybe a little bit right. Why am I even here? To chase after an Oakwood Boy. One who made it very clear that he wants nothing to do with me. All I’m doing is living up to my dad’s expectations.

  It’s time to live up to my own.

  I turn away from the club and start back down the strip, my steps sure and steady as they carry me toward the future.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Ben

  “Picture it.” Maximilian Hawthorne holds his hands up in front of his face, his fingers forming a square. “Talbot and Hawthorne. Two original Oakwood families, merged, not through marriage, but through friendship and business.”

  Just fucking shoot me.

  I take a long sip of my scotch. The drink burns as it goes down my throat and I look at my watch. Seven o’clock. I should be sitting here with Josie, but I traded her in favor of wining and dining this asshole.

  It’s for the best, I tell myself, even as Max drones on about our non-existent partnership. Josie makes me weak. I was too absorbed in her to realize what my dad was doing right under my nose. There’s nothing more important than business—I just forgot for a minute.

  “I want to buy you out,” I interrupt Max, drawing him up short.

  “What?”

  “Sell the shares to me.”

  “I can see how important this is to you,” he drawls.

  In reality, I don’t know if he truly gets it. If he’ll sell me my dad’s shares, I’ll finally be a majority shareholder in my own company. I’ll finally have the power to actually control and make decisions. I’ll be able to replace all my dad’s minions on the board.

  “But I’m not going to sell.”

  I’m going to kick his ass.

  No.

  Cool, calm, controlled. I take a deep breath, down the rest of my scotch, and lean forward. “I’ll double the price.”

  “Double?”

  “Triple.”

  Max laughs. “You, my good man, are putting all your cards on the table far too soon. How about we go play a game of poker before you leave?”

  I’m not laughing, though.

  Tana sidles up to our table and perches in Max’s lap. She must feel the annoyance radiating off me, because she leans forward and purrs, “Am I interrupting something?”

  “Yes,” I growl at her.

  The waitress brings us another round of drinks and I throw mine back gratefully.

  “Ben here is all about the business, aren’t you, old chap?” Max says.

  “It’s what is most important,” I say through gritted teeth.

  Tana rolls her eyes and runs a hand through Max’s hair, making it stand on end. “That’s why you and I never could have worked out. That’s probably also why your girlfriend couldn’t get in the club.”

  My blood turns to ice in my veins. “What do you mean?”

  “I saw her downstairs, trying to get in, but the bouncer said she wasn’t on the list.”

  Max chuckles. “That is quite the faux pas. I would have thought you knew better than that.”

  Why was she here? Looking for me? Or, more likely, looking for something better than me.

  My eyes fall
on Max, on his smug smile, on Tana and her fake blond hair and massive cleavage. Is this what I want? Is this what it means for business to come first?

  Is this as good as it gets?

  I know it’s not, because I’ve had better. I’ve had Josie Kline, and her sassy mouth and kind heart and corny jokes. I had her, and I set her aside because I thought she made me weak.

  But she doesn’t make me weak.

  My love for her makes me strong. With her, I don’t care about my father’s approval or who outbids which company. Life with Josie is powdered sugar and laughter, cuddling and caressing. She makes me feel alive for the first time in a long time. And she’s stuck outside the club because once again, some asshole took her for granted.

  Only this time, that asshole is me.

  “I have to go,” I say, standing and pulling my money clip from my pocket, tossing a hundred-dollar bill on the table.

  “Go get her, my good man,” Max says. “We’ll talk about our partnership later.”

  I can’t think about that right now. Let him have the company. Let him run Talbot Investments into the ground. I have something more important to take care of. Instead of answering him or arguing with him, I just nod and turn, striding through the restaurant.

  Before I leave, he gets in one more jab. “Have your people call my people,” Max calls after me. “We’ll talk.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Josie

  Instead of booking an Uber, I stomp down the strip, feeling determined. I’m done with fake friends, fake people, a fake life. I’ve sought other people’s approval for so long that I never stopped to consider whether or not I approved.

  And I don’t.

  At least, not yet.

  But all that’s going to change, starting now.

  I stop to fix my shoes and realize I’m standing outside a karaoke bar. Light spills out of the windows onto the sidewalk. Someone is belting out a song about a genie in a bottle.

  “Josie, is that you?” someone asks behind me.

  I turn and see Dev, her arm linked with Trevor’s. They’re with a group of other people who are slightly familiar, and I figure they must all work at Talbot Investments.

  Dev breaks away and comes over to me. “What are you doing here?” She looks me up and down. “Girl, you look hot!”

  I shake my head. “I just, you know, had a change of plans.”

  “Oh! Well, do you want to join us?” She motions over to Trevor who waves at me.

  She nods. “It’s our favorite place.”

  Huh. I wonder what it must be like to have a favorite place regardless of whether or not the rich kids think it’s cool.

  “Yeah, I’ll join you.”

  “Only thing is, newbies always have to sing.”

  I laugh, following her to the door. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.”

  Luckily, they pump me full of alcohol first, and then all the girls—Dev, Gemma, Holly, and Meg—drag me onto the stage where we goad the crowd into joining us in a rousing rendition of a popular Spice Girls song about lovers and friends.

  When we’re done, the bartender—a hot guy with tattoos snaking up his arms and neck—gives us a round of drinks on the house. I can definitely get used to this.

  I’m playing a game of darts against the back wall with Trevor when the air in the bar changes. I can’t explain it except that the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I turn to see what’s happening, and find myself face to face with icy blue eyes and a disapproving frown.

  My heart leaps into my throat.

  “Mr. Talbot,” Trevor says, gathering the darts from the wall. “Didn’t expect to see you in a place like this.”

  Ben doesn’t even acknowledge him. His eyes don’t move from mine, and his jaw twitches. I bet he really wants to spank my ass right now.

  Well, that’s too fucking bad.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask in a low voice as soon as I can trust that it won’t tremble.

  “I came to get you.” His hand shoots out and wraps around my wrist, but I jerk back. He isn’t expecting it and I’m able to free myself, taking a step back.

  “No.”

  One eyebrow raises. “No?” he asks, like he’s never heard that word before. Maybe he hasn’t.

  “No. You—” I cut my eyes sideways to Trevor, who’s pretending not to listen, and then grab Ben’s hand, dragging him a few feet away to the alcove by the bathroom. “You hurt me, Ben,” I hiss. “And I realized something when you did. I may have been raised in your world, but I don’t belong there. I never have. I need to find my own way in life, and I don’t want to do it with someone who doesn’t approve of me. I get enough of that from my father.”

  “Josie.”

  “No,” I say, holding up my hand to put some distance between us. “You’re so concerned about appearances and maintaining control over every little aspect of your life, and that’s fine to some extent. But not if it means I’m not worthy of your love and attention.”

  Then, before I can cry, I turn and flee, disappearing into the crowd, searching for the people who are quickly becoming my real friends.

  Trevor finds me first. “Are you OK?” he asks.

  Then Dev appears, a frothy beer in her hand which she passes to me. I’ve never been a beer drinker, but I can learn. “Was that Ben Talbot?” she asks.

  I nod, taking a long sip of the beer.

  “Was he here for you?” she asks.

  I cut my eyes at her. “It’s not…” I start, but I can’t even deny it.

  “Oh please, like you two were subtle.”

  The MC’s voice comes over the speaker, cutting our conversation off. “We have one last surprise entry tonight. Please welcome Ben Talbot to the stage.”

  Dev and I look at each other with wide eyes and then turn to the stage, where Ben is climbing the stairs. He’s lost his suit jacket and his tie, and has his sleeves rolled up to reveal his strong arms. Even his hair is a little messy, like he’s been rubbing his fingers through it.

  He wipes his hands on his pants and then takes the microphone. His eyes search the crowd until they find me.

  “Josephine Kline,” he says, “this one’s for you.”

  He launches into a familiar melody about a brown-eyed girl. At the chorus, it seems like everyone in the whole bar joins in, including Dev and Trevor and the other girls from the office.

  My heart is bursting. I spoke, and he actually listened. He put aside his pride, and stopped worrying about what others might think, and he made a complete fucking idiot out of himself. The man may be worth billions, but he cannot carry a tune to save his life.

  When the song ends, I cheer with the rest of them, jumping up and down and hooting and hollering. But he doesn’t hand the mic back to the MC right away. Instead, he waits for the cheers to die down and then looks at me.

  “Josie,” he says, his low voice amplified by the mic. “The private jet is out of the shop and waiting on the runway. Carnaval starts tomorrow. How about that trip to Brazil?”

  The crowd surges forward, drawing me with it. People practically push me through until I’m standing in front of the stage. Ben reaches a hand down and pulls me up beside him, holding the microphone in front of my face.

  “Are you asking or demanding?” I ask. The crowd laughs, even though most of them don’t know what I mean. I bet Dev does though.

  “Asking. Just this once.”

  I nod. “OK. OK, let’s go.” Then I turn to the crowd and throw my arms up. “I’m going to Brazil!”

  They cheer as Ben ducks down, wraps his arms around my ass, and lifts. The world turns upside down as he carries me out of the bar to the elated cheers of my friends and all the strangers gathered there. Only when we’re outside does he put me down. Saul is there waiting, the car door open for me.

  I look at it, then back at Ben. “What about work?”

  “Work can wait.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’ve never been more c
ertain about anything in my life.”

  I slide into the waiting car, scooting over to make room for him as Saul closes the door. Ben wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me against his side.

  “I have just one more question for you,” he says as Saul rounds the car. “Are you wearing panties?”

  Instead of answering, I take his hand and slide it up my thigh. “Why don’t you find out for yourself?”

  He laughs, and it’s an intoxicating, contagious sound. “Don’t worry, Ms. Kline. I plan to. Let’s see how quiet you can be.”

  As Saul pulls the car out onto the street and winds through Oakwood City toward the airport, my Adonis captures my mouth with his, and I fall into the kiss, giving myself over to him completely. I’m his, and he is mine, and together, we will turn this life into something that makes us both proud.

  Epilogue

  Josie

  I weave my way through the crowd gathered inside Just Desserts and find Cleo standing at the front, dragging more chairs into rows to create more seating room.

  “Cleo,” I say to get her attention.

  My friend turns and looks at me with wide eyes. “Bonjour, ma belle!” she says. “You’re back, and so tan!”

  Ben and I are just back from our honeymoon in South Africa, where we spent a glorious month doing all the things I never would have been able to do with anyone else—safaris, hot air balloon rides, river cruises. We also did our fair share of relaxing on the beach and fucking in the beautiful waters, but that was just the icing on the cake.

  “Is this all for me?” I ask, having to talk loudly to be heard over the rumbling of the crowd.

  “Yes! We’re going to have to start a headcount to make sure we don’t go over capacity.”

  I turn and take it all in. Over the last year and a half, my blog blew up. Almost everyone is clutching a book in their hand. It’s so weird to see copies of my first book, Josie’s Journeys, in the world. It’s even weirder to have a following of people who want to hear from me and about me, not just because of who my father or brother are.