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  A hand wraps around my wrist and turns me around. Ben is standing there, still in his work clothes.

  “You made it,” I squeal, wrapping my arms around his neck.

  He kisses me and then smiles down at me. “I’m the boss now, I can do what I want.” It’s true. Max Hawthorne sold him his shares in Talbot Investments for an exorbitant price and an agreement that Ben wouldn’t get involved in the hospitality industry for five years. A small price to pay for the happiness that he now feels. His smiles come a lot more freely now.

  “Can you believe this turnout?” Cleo says, coming to stand beside us.

  “Yes,” Ben says with a nod, squeezing my shoulders. “Yes, I can. You’ve become such a productive member of society.”

  I smack his arm playfully, and then spot Dev and others from the office lining the wall. They wave and I smile, waving back.

  “Standing room only,” Cleo says, and then she takes her place behind a makeshift podium and introduces me.

  I do a quick reading from one of my favorite chapters, the one about our trip to Brazil. Before that, I’d only ever been in yachts on the coast, so it was fun and eye-opening to tour the favelas and be in the middle of the excitement of Carnaval. It was also one of my favorite trips because Ben was there. He regularly takes vacations with me, but a lot of times, I’m left touring alone. And I love every second of it.

  Afterward, the line for my signature snakes out of the front door and onto the sidewalk. To keep the people happy, Cleo made brigadeiros—a traditional Brazilian chocolate candy—and passes them out down the line.

  Most of my readers are women, and that gives me a distinct sense of pride. I travel alone frequently, which is something a lot of women aren’t comfortable with. I know I wasn’t, not until just this past year. So many of them ask me what it’s like and tell me that they’re thinking about doing it, too, expectations and obligations be damned. I love the impact I’m making on women who were just like me—too tired of disappointing others to go after their own dreams.

  At one point, a familiar face approaches the signing table.

  “Tess!” I stand and reach across the table to hug her. “I haven’t seen you since, what? Graduation?” She and I went to Fairview College together, even sharing the same dorm suite the first two years, but I lost track of her after that.

  Tess holds a copy of my book out to me to sign. “I had to move back home with my mom after graduation. My stepfather has a cancerous brain tumor, so I’m helping her.”

  I scribble my signature in her book and hand it back to her, capping my pen. “Are you working? What about your architecture degree?”

  She shakes her head. “I’ll have to figure something out. Maybe I can find a way to put it to use here in Oakwood.”

  My lips twist into a smile as Ben appears beside me to refill my water glass. “There are a lot of good bosses here,” I say, cutting my eyes at my husband, whose smirk holds promises of many adventures to come. “I can attest to that.”

  <<<<>>>>

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  Also by C.L. Cruz

  Vincent Street Valentines (with Liz Fox)

  Legal Love

  Library Love

  Puppy Love

  Latte Love

  Curvy Girls

  Fat Chance

  Spare Tire

  Curve Ball

  Bad Bosses (with Liz Fox)

  Naughty Boss

  Sinful Boss (coming soon)

  Dirty Boss

  Rugged Boss (coming soon)

  About the Author

  C.L. Cruz writes steamy romance stories about strong, independent, curvy girls and the men who love them. She is a single mom of two young children currently seeking her own happily ever after.

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  Find C.L. Cruz at:

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  Website: clcruz.com

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